Always playing catch-up

I think I need more schedules and time management in my life. I feel like I get so much more done when I am super busy with all kinds of deadlines and commitments! I used to be so productive and involved and creative in college, when I had no time for anything, and now I'm lucky if I make it to the gym and do the dishes a few times a week. OK, so I can blame it on the baby, but really she's not that much of a time suck compared to other babies, I just get sucked into the internet or a tv show and then I'm comfy and don't feel like putting away laundry or updating the blog. This shouldn't be work; and it's not, really, but it still takes time and effort.

Anyway, Fridays are going to be "Update the Blog" day! Mondays will be "Put away laundry" day but we'll see how that goes; I think the former will be easier to stick to!

In September we had our first Family Vacation. We drove from here in Wiesbaden down to Zurich and then through Italy to the French Riviera the next day. While long, the drive was beautiful (especially Switzerland and the French/Italian coast!) and the baby was very well behaved.

We hit traffic coming into Zurich so we didn't have much time to explore the city, but we took a nice walk down to the lake then had drinks with friends after a quick dinner.




Driving through Switzerland it was tunnel after tunnel, including a 22 kilometer long one! Gorgeous views though.






We knew about the toll-sticker needed to drive through Switzerland, but we had no idea that we would pay twice that in tolls to drive through Italy and France! We spent something like 150 Euro JUST on tolls, and then there was gas to buy and parking to pay for.. Next time we will FLY to France!

We stayed at a nice little family-owned place in Juan-les-Pins, on the cheaper side of the Antibes penninsula. We didn't get to do much, but even so our day and a half of sand and sun, art, and great food really recharged us! Almost enough to counteract the brain-numbing effects of the 15 hour trip home.

Most of these were taken from the terrace of the Picasso Museum, which was lovely.












We rented spots on the beach (Helios Plage) with loungers and an umbrella. It was quite expensive but worth it. You could ever order drinks and food right on the beach! Mimi spent her time napping and playing with Daddy in the water; her first time in the sea!



OMG the pastries were so delicious! Our hotel was right around the corner from this wonderful little bakery, and we would buy our breakfast there in the mornings. Little chouquettes (profiteroles rolled in sugar), croissants, eclairs, and raspberry tarts with custard! They taste even better eaten in warm morning light by the sea :)



Monaco, seen from a rest stop on the way home

Baby Pic-Spam!

This is the dress I knit for her to come home from the hospital in, but even though I knit it smaller than the smallest size it was still quite wide! It fits her now around the chest, but it's a bit too short for my long Banana Baby!

I've taken so many good pictures of Mimi recently! She really hams it up for the camera! Here's the first three of the "X-Months-Old" series I'm doing as well.




This one is my new favorite

also cute


And SMILES!


Want more? Visit my flickr page!

August in Kaiserslautern! Part Two

My SIL is "deployed" here for 6 months, and we got to hang out with her and go to the Gartenschau, a huge garden/park with playgrounds, a skate park, huge slides, and DINOSAURS! It also has an upper area with kitchen gardens, a chapel made of vines, and a little restaurant with a great view. It was a gorgeous day and we got a great workout!




Mmmmm, Flammkuchen! Thin pizza crust with a creamy sauce, onions, and German bacon!






We went to Globus, a huge German superstore with great selection, and got lovely mushrooms and fresh wheat bread and wine to make mushroom pasta for dinner. We found these mini pineapple! I've never seen a mini pineapple!


I also got to visit the new Aquatic Center on Ramstein, which has a lap/diving pool, a nice big kids pool with slides and a castle, and a baby wading pool. We took the baby to the pool for the first time! I wouldn't say she loved it, but she didn't mind it, and that's a good start :) I wish we had a pool here in Wiesbaden, on base I mean, we'd go all the time! There's some decent German ones around, but we'd have to drive and pay to get in.

In late August we even got a few days where it was warm enough to go to the outside pool and this tiny lake with a beach!








Mimi was not feeling the lake! It was a bit on the cold side.



It was so nice to have people to go out to lunch or window shop with! Even Joe won't join me for that, most days!

August in Kaiserslautern! Part One

Joe was gone for all of August, so I went and stayed with some friends an hour away in Kaiserslautern for the month. It was great! So much more fun than staying home alone with the baby! I hate cooking for just myself as well, so I loved having people to cook for, and didn't lose a single pound more of baby-weight :P

We went to the Japanese Garden, which was small, but nice, and they have a lot of pretty Koi. Entrance prices to the gardens and attractions around here are expensive though, so I don't think we'll go again.

My friends, Dan and Angela. Angela took most of these pictures.










I love this one! There's a rock garden off to the right.

Back to Blogging!

Mirabelle plums covering the footbridge


I've naturally been a bit distracted lately...I started this post in July, and here it is September and I'm finishing it.

I realized I didn't even post a picture of the finished Tamarix Quilt I made! (Ravelry link) It took forever and was really boring, but I love the result. It's a little big to use right now, but when we get back to the US and the baby has her own room it will be nice.


I brought it to the hospital with me, and it came in handy!


I finished spinning half of my FatcatKnits Polwarth top in Magnolia and started making this sideways baby sweater. The original pattern was done in boring gray and cream and I would never even have noticed it if I hadn't seen a black, white, and green one:


I need to finish spinning the rest of the yarn before I can finish the sweater, but this new blanket project (I know, I said no more blankets :P ) has been taking up all my attention lately. My friend and I are nearly done already! I decided to go with the white background instead of the taupe.




I love my window boxes this year! They're inside right now while they do work on the foundations.