A blanket for Ellie

The last 2 months of Ellie's pregnancy I started a little quilt that would become Ellie's special blanket. It was such a peaceful time, soaking in the summer- growing a child while appreciating my time with Maisie. I had originally planned on knitting a blanket similar to Maisie's blanket, but unfortunately I hadn't given myself enough time or enough funds (knitting is time consuming and expensive!) so I decided to do a little hand stitched "quilt". It was so cathartic to be outside while Maisie played with the neighborhood kids, while I sat under the shade of the tree and hand stitched for hours. I never thought I would enjoy hand stitching so much, I was in love with the handmade look... and to me it just screams that it was made with love. I worked on it for a few hours every day for a few weeks and finished it up a few days before the 4th of July- just a couple weeks before Ellie was born.

I wanted to document Ellie's blanket just like I had done with Maisie's, but I am still itching to knit Ellie her own blanket (knit blankets are just so cozy!) so maybe I will do a project swap- I'll make Maisie a hand stitched quilt and then start a knit one for Ellie. I love giving my girls homemade things that will last for years. I hope they love them as much as I loved making them.

A blanket for Maisie

3 years ago I learned how to knit. I fell in love with it instantly, but it was difficult to stay motivated. I could only make scarfs and at the time we lived in California and even in the winter, you can't really warrant using a scarf. So I would complete a scarf and then not knit anything for months and then pick it up again and make little doll house blankets, bows and random things, but I had yet to complete a big project.

My grandma (Maisie's (middle) namesake) knit all the time and made all the grandkids a blanket and I loved that rainbow "holey" blanket as it was called. I knew I wanted to make blankets for each one of us, but I lacked the confidence and yarn. So when I finally got the courage and found yarn that I loved (man, yarn addiction is an expensive thing) I decided to make Maisie a blanket. I let her pick out colors and upon opening the box I discovered that the yarn that I thought would be more of a bright tangerine color, was more like a dull orangey gold. I was disappointed at first, but when I paired the two colors together it made it feel vintagey and possibly something my grandma would have picked out which made me like it more.

Those first few days I knitted until the tips of my fingers were bruised and my joints in my fingers ached. I was making this blanket big (really big) because I wanted her to be able to use it for a long time and it was major work on my inexperienced fingers. I was so motivated to make that blanket, but then I stopped. Life got busy and knitting got put on hold and thus, the cycle started. I would knit for a few days and get a lot of work done and then go a few weeks (er... months) between. This went on for a year and a half. The blanket could have been finished (had I been more diligent) in probably a month or so, but it was my first big project and life was hectic that it got put on the back burner A LOT. 

Anyway, a couple months before Ellie was born I had a nightmare that there was a complication during childbirth and that I had died. And instantly my brain thought of the blanket. What if I died and never got to finish it and give it Maisie? It haunted me. I called a friend and asked her that if that did happen, could she finish it and give it to Maisie and being that I have awesome friends, she said she totally would. But this nightmare lit a fire within me. I didn't put that blanket down- Maisie would play outside with friends for hours and hours while I knitted my heart out sitting in the shade of a nearby tree. This went on for days and then finally at 1 am I finished it. I casted off, weaved in the ends and placed it nicely on Maisie's bed hoping she would see it when she woke up. Next thing I know Maisie jumps into our bed and wakes me up with "Mommy! You finished my blanket! I love it!" it was such a great feeling knowing I made something for her that is so unique and one of a kind. And my mama heart hopes it's something she treasures for a long time.

A couple days ago I wanted to document Maisie and her blanket so we had a fun little photo shoot in her room while daddy was on Ellie duty. Maisie was very excited and cooperative for the first 5 minutes and then started getting really silly and wanting to take "halloween pictures". In the pictures you can see the silliness progress into full on creepy. That's my girl though and I wouldn't have it any other way.

starting to get silly

yup, we are there.

haha, who is this child!?

The Volcano

Maisie is crazy fascinated with volcanoes (or anything science related for that matter). It stems from our very first visit to Great America in Santa Clara. By a ride entrance there's a pyrotechnic volcano that spits out fire and smoke while simultaneously letting out a ground shaking rumble. When Maisie first saw it she was a little scared (hah, more like terrified) but we reassured her as we sat on a bench across the way and we talked about volcanoes. About how interesting they are and how they are like a mountain except that lava comes out. We had her at the word lava. Every time after that first visit she would look for the volcano and tell us about the lava and smoke. For months after she would tell us every morning that she had a dream about one. So I made a mental note to make a volcano craft in the near future so in January we finally did just that.

We took a recycled Gatorade bottle and started to paper mache (or for the French folk, papier-mâché which means chewed paper...yum) that bottle up until it roughly resembled a volcano. After a couple days of drying and a quick paint job it was ready for some chemistry action. I mixed up dish soap with red, orange and a little yellow food coloring, and then a couple tablespoon or so (who really measures any way) of baking soda and poured in some slightly watered down vinegar and braced ourselves for an explosion. At first it was a little lack luster, but with a little agitation we got the geiser effect we were looking for. It may or may not have sprayed the ceiling, walls and Maisie's cute pajamas.

 Maisie loved it. Today she asked if we were going to paper mache something really soon. So I think our next paper mache adventure will be making a globe since that's totally up her alley.

Without further ado, I give you the volcano...

Maisie, do you know what's going to happen?

Her answer: