Projects Lately

I have been on a sock kick these days.  I love knitting socks and I can't stop!  In between socks, I have done a couple of hats.  Want to see my latest projects?

I wish this picture turned out better.  The yarn is a really beautiful shade of deep yellow, almost like a cross between a mustard and a pea green.  Sounds totally gross but it truly is beautiful.  The yarn is Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Oak.

Look!  Socks!  Yarn credit:  Berroco Vintage in Promenade.

I have made this hat before and was asked to make a few for friends.  Yarn credit:  Berroco Vintage in Aster.

I love how these socks don't match, even though they use the same yarn.  Yarn credit: Schoppel Wolle Ambiente in color 2183.  This yarn was great to work with.  It had a bit of stretch to it, plus I love when yarn self stripes.

This was my first pair of patterned socks.  You can see the rib pattern all the way through it.  Yarn credit:  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in Farmhouse.

Here they are finished.

Isn't this yarn fun?!?!?  I posted this picture on Instagram to show that I love turning and knitting the heel.  It's always my favorite part of the sock.  Yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.  Yes, that really is the name of the yarn.

Finished!

Here is another patterned sock.  I am not sure I will finish these or not.  This pattern is awful and is taking FOREVER.  I get burnt out when I don't see results quickly.  It's a faux argyle pattern that repeats throughout the entire sock.

Yarn credit:  Crystal Palace Panda Silk in Aquarium.  The color is a really beautiful aqua and the yarn itself is super soft, made out of silk, bamboo and another fiber.

Yarn credit:  Plymouth Yarn Diversity in Palm Pink.

Here is that hat again!  This one is going to my friend Amanda.  Yarn is Berroco Vintage in Petunia.

I hate this sock. I should probably make the other one but the yarn is icky.  It just teaches me never to buy junky yarn again.  Someone did say that this looks like a Bomb Pop.  Maybe I will call them my Bomp Pop socks.  

I have so many other projects in stages of completion right now.  I have 1.5 baby socks knitted.  A blanket, a cowl, and several more.  My goal is to not buy any yarn until September because I need to use up what I have in my stash.

My Boys

Oh my boys, how I love them.  They test my patience many, MANY times throughout the day but they are funny, smart, and active.

Their absolute favorite person is Nana as evidenced by this picture.  They spend every Friday at her house and she spoils them rotten.  I have had to tell her recently not to give in when they ask to go to McDonald's for lunch or to Monkey King (an indoor play place).  She is retired and even though she isn't on a limited budget, they will bleed her dry!

They had a blast on The 4th of July.  I let them eat what they want on some holidays, because I can't be militant about what they eat all the time.  Let them be kids!  This resulted in two pieces of watermelon each, a hotdog and some chips for dinner.  And several cups of pink lemonade.

My kids are incredibly picky eaters.  I have blogged about my frustration about this before and nothing really has changed.  I try to find healthy, fun meals that our whole family will eat but 90% of the time, they won't touch it.  The foods they will eat are as follows (and I am sure I will forget some):  Cereal, toast, most all fruits, yogurt, cheese (usually Cal only), cherry tomatoes (Jack only), applesauce, pizza, nuggets, macaroni and cheese (not homemade which kills me), peanut butter and jelly or Nutella sandwiches, quesadillas, hot dogs (yuck), lunch meat, and sweets.  Notice the very apparent lack of veggies.  Even though I put some on their plates every night, they sit untouched.

They are active!  They love to go on walks, they run, chase the dog, play outside most days when it's nice, dig in the dirt, search for bugs, love to go to the park, Dizzy Castle and the jump place.  I will take them to Dizzy Castle every 3 weeks or so since we have passes.  They are able to run, climb and jump all they want while I sit and enjoy a coffee and knit.  I will climb around in the play structure with them too, but mostly let them play independently.

This is Cal's cheese face.  He does this every time I try and take a picture.  Crazy kid.  Most days they play decently.  They do make each other cry quite a bit and Cal is usually on the end of screaming and screeching for the most part.  There are some times when they will actually PLAY and it is so nice.  Out in public, Jack is very protective of his brother and looks out for him.  He introduces himself and always tells people "This is my brother Calvin".  One day I hope they get along.  

Jack is in speech therapy right now and he's doing amazing!  He has only had three sessions and can already self-correct himself on his F's.  He was pronouncing them as S's.  For example:  One, two, three, soar, sive.  Now he can say them correctly.  

Cal is getting over a nasty stomach bug.  He had terrible runs for about 2 days and wouldn't eat anything.  It was pretty pathetic and I am grateful he is feeling a bit better.

Both of my boys still nap.  Yes, they do!  People find this hard to believe but when they RUN and JUMP and PLAY so much, a nap is needed.  Some days Jack doesn't sleep but that's okay.  He still has to have quiet time.  

They will both go to school in the fall.  Jack will be attending Pre-Kindergarten and Cal will be attending Pre-Preschool.  This will be Cal's first year and I am excited to have him go.  I know he is going to learn so much.  He already is asking if he can go to school which is really cute.  

I could write novels, I really could.  But I will leave it with that.  Oh my boys.  Crazy kiddos.

Recipe Round Up

As always, I have been cooking a lot lately.  Here are some yummy recipes that are all Weight Watchers friendly. I have put the Points Plus values in parentheses if you follow the Plan.

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce (7 Points Plus)

I made garlic Udon noodles and blistered green beans to go along with the meatballs.  Yummy!

Healthy Baked Fish Sticks with Lemon Caper Sauce (5 Points Plus)

Corn on the cob and a side of sauteed spinach.  Delicious!

Angel Hair Pasta with Scallops and Tomatoes (9 Points Plus)

I am trying really hard to incorporate more fish into our diet and the above counts right?  My kids won't touch seafood but I keep trying.

Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts and Feta Cheese (3 Points Plus)

I always have chicken thighs on hand so it is nice to just have to buy two ingredients to make this dinner.  You can also see that we eat green beans a lot.  I found a new way to make them and Jason and I are hooked:  In a pan over medium high heat, add olive oil.  Add beans and saute until cooked through.  I always add salt and pepper and garlic as well.

Turkey Burgers with Zucchini (4 Points Plus)

Don't forget to add extra Points Plus for the bun.  The oven fries in the picture are from here.  Very tasty!

Tortellini Soup (8 Points Plus)

I made the boys some sausages with the soup so it wouldn't be vegetarian (my husband just about dies at the thought of no meat) and I made myself a bagel thin cheese sandwich.

Pork Chops with Mint Pesto

I have a ton of mint in my garden that I needed to use up.  I whipped up the mint pesto from this link.

I can't recall what I calculated for the pesto to be honest.  It was very good though!

Honey-Teriyaki Salmon (7 Points Plus)

I have never cooked salmon at home because, well, we don't really like it.  But again, in an effort to branch out and try more fish, I made this recipe.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Isn't that picture crazy?  It is very colorful thanks to my purple cauliflower mash and my roasted pineapple (I mixed a little brown sugar and cinnamon and roasted in the oven for about 15 minutes).  

Coconut Chicken Strips (13 Points Plus if you include the rice)

I love cilantro so I will jump at the chance to include it whenever I can.

Crock Pot Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup (6 Points Plus)

Yummmmmmm!  I made cornbread and a veggie to round out this meal.

I have made a couple of other meals lately that have been pretty good too, but I don't have pictures.

I hope everyone has an awesome 4th of  July!