Land o’ Sunshine

The big birthday number five was three weeks ago (Easter day) for the Sunshine boys.   Here are pictures of their cakes and their b-day photo shoot.  

I can’t believe they are FIVE!   Wow.   It never gets easier really, just different.   

This is the dino cake for son #2.   It is a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.   The plates are rolled fondant and the spikes are candy corn.  I won’t bore you with the technical construction problems, sufice to say it was solved and I think the end result is FANTASTIC!   My arm ached like crazy after I was done piping those stars, but the effort was totally worth it.  

This is son #1’s cake.  Volcano is a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and the “lava” is vanilla.  The eruption at the top is melted Jolly Ranchers.   This cake was SO easy.   Simple and once the lava was on, so cool looking.  

Happy (belated) Birthday Sunshines!  

Love,

Mom

Uh-oh.  Dinner’s coming and lasagna was planned. 

 Gather ingredients.   Lay first level of pasta.  Open ricotta cheese…WTH!  Who opened this?!  Oh, I guess that was me.   Shoot.   What do you do when you have the lasagna partially assembled and are missing a CRUCIAL ingredient with no substitute in sight?  

You WING it.  Mixed up lasagna.   Spaghetti with meat sauch, lasagna noodles–broken, tomato sauce, parmesean cheese & mozzerella cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes (?).   Well see what the verdict is.  Better scrounge together a salad and some bread to serve and make it look like I meant to do this!  

In knitting news.  

1.  I have been stalking Destash–Cash for your Stash and reveling in the beauty and the craziness of things in stash around the world.  Finally purchased something.  You’ll have to wait to see what it is.   This will be the first thing I have purchased without knowing what it would become.  Uh-oh.  

2.  I finished a MDK baby burp cloth. 

3.  Started and 1/4 of the way through MDK Baby Kimono.  Will also post a picture for that too.  Sunshine Daddy wanted to know if there was something he should know.   There is not.  

4.   Started and ripped up attempt at the EZ inspired 4 corner dishcloth.   Something was terribly wrong.   Not sure what really, but

5.  Finished that sock for Sunshine Daddy.  Cast on for the second, but ribbing and stockinette is pretty boring, so it is resting comfortably.   Sock looks pretty good.   Can’t wait to start a pair for me.   Better finish his first.  

6.  Been contemplating knitting a sweater.   Central Park Hoodie, Cardigan for Arwen (though I would have to add more repeats on the bottom, way too short), Ariann (this might be a bit too stuffy classy I have preschoolers and a toddler for crying out loud.   Where would I wear this?)  or something EZ inspired (too much thought maybe).   Who knows.   I’m still thinking.  

7.  I also found some great baskets at a local big-box-home-improvement place for $1.25.  They are nice and big and hold my growing knitting book collection and dishcloth cotton yarn (which is on sale at hobby Lobby for $0.99 this week).   The bags hold the current “on the needles” projects–Baby kimono & socks in one and gloves & mittens in the other.  

In non-knitting news.  This is what I found before heading to bed on Saturday evening.

Not sure why they ended up like this, but I figured I better snap a picture.   They are growing up WAY TOO FAST.   Brings back some memories…like this, my favorite picture of ALL times. 

Not much news on the knitting front.   There have been lots of other life things getting in the way.  Women’s group at church, twins club, and Usborne books are all cutting into my kid time, knitting time, and reading time.  How do you know when you are overcommitted?   

With my remaining Christmas money, I ordered Knitters Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman.    SHE. IS. AMAZING.   I read part of the first chapter before starting dinner.   I was seriously wishing I was single again so I didnt’ have to: make dinner, care for children, clean up said dinner, help clean up playroom.   All I wanted to do was read about knitting an Aran sweater.   AMAZING!    I had no desire to knit a sweater, Aran or not.  I told Sunshine Daddy about EZ and I really think he was slightly freaked out that I was so excited about knitting and a book.   Can’t wait to read it more.   Life, why does it get in the way? 

Well the socks are looking a little wonky.   I think the short row is messed up.   I really had divine intervention knitting that first sock.   

I obviously failed ”Photographing Knitting in the Wild”  section of Photography 101.   This picture sucks.  I did the short rows wrong.   No one has a heel this small.  Pathetic.  I tell you I must have had help for that first sock.   Anyone know the patron saint of knitters?   (I found St. Pareasceva for spinners and FOUR for weavers including St. Parasceva, St. Antony Claret, St. Maurice, and St. Onuphrius.  Lucky ducks for the weavers out there!)  Anyway, my patron looking out for me on that first pair of socks, is obviously doing other important work, because the second pair is TOUGH! 

You might have guessed, that Sunshine Brothers 1 & 2 are twins.   I am always looking for twin blogs (like this one and this one) and yesterday I found a great one.  He is irreverent and right on the money.  He has twin girls and an older singleton daughter.   Look, Daddy! gives a great discourse about “natural” twins.   If you are a parent of twins, go over and check it out, I’m sure you need a laugh today! 

Life is calling.