on our bookshelves...

I thought I would post what we have been reading lately. The boys have been really enjoying our reading times lately. We had been in a slump for awhile, not finding books that held their interest. Then Lemony Snickett came to our rescue. We had tried his Series of Unfortunate Events back about a year ago, but it just didn't catch on. We just finished up the 5th book in the series last night and will be starting the next one. Dad has been reading these at bed time and has great voices for all the characters.

A current favorite, despite how unfortunate it all is.

Extra Yarn, by Mac Barnett has been another fun read, this one being a picture book. The illustrations are wonderful, done by Jon Klassen. Of course, I really enjoyed reading this because, well, I have a thing for yarn in a big way.

George Washington's Teeth, by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora

This was a treat for President's Day. This is written as a humorous poem that focuses on all of the many problems GW had with his teeth. It has a wonderful time line at the end which is historically accurate. You will feel for our founding father after this read.

Wolfie by Janet Chenery was a book that my husband brought back from the friends of the library sale. It is about a little boy that finds a wolf spider and keeps it as a pet. Since my son is named Wolfie, we were instantly interested. This is one of those books that uses a fictional story to teach real science facts. we used this to help us with a science project earlier today, so it has been fun and useful for us.

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo is a great book with a surprise ending. We had a lot of fun reading this while it was snowing out and dreaming about having our own penguin.

 This is not my Hat by Jon Klassen is another gem By Mr. Klassen. Once again, a thieving animal gets it in the end. Why won't these animals learn to just get their own hat? Crime does not pay.

When You Were Small by Sara O'Leary is not what it seems when the main character asks for stories about when he was small. He receives stories not of his youth, but of the time when he was teeny tiny in size. A lot of fun to read aloud.

Hedgie's surprise by Jan Brett 

I adore Jan Brett's books. They have magical stories with illustrations that make you want to read them while wrapped in a quilt in a bed of hay in Grandpa's  mountain cabin. Check out any book by this author. Hedgehogs are ALWAYS good.

Kaspar, the Titanic Cat by Michael Morpurgo was another chapter book that I lucked upon while trying to download an ebook from the library. The kids never wanted me to stop reading this. I think we could have finished it in one sitting if I had the stamina to keep reading out loud. A fictional story about a boy and a cat that end up on the Titanic, this is an exciting read. At the end, the author lets the reader into how he came up with the story by being a detective looking for story clues This opens up discussion on writing other stories based on things you see and find around you. The kids really hated to see this one end.

I have read a few good craft books lately and will list them here:

Recraft by Buttonbag

Craft-a-day:365 days of Simple Handmade Projects by Sarah Goldschadt

Finish-free knits by Kristen Tendyke

Please feel free to comment on what you have been reading :)

Hearts and stuff.

A little Valentine's Day spelling fun with the Hoffbros!

We decided it would be fun to "dress up" for dinner. I made a dinner that I knew no one would complain about (which adds to the romanticism) and we had candlelight. What you can't see is that their ties match their sweatpants :-)

Doesn't Vladdie look like one of the Weasley kids? 

Serious and handsome. Seriously handsome .




We had a really lovely Valentine's day and hope you did too!


A few things that have been said lately, that I will record here so I will remember them:
***Vladdie has really been increasing his vocabulary,  and he has been using words like auspicious lately (plus many other words that were even better,  but I can't recall because I have become incompetent) . Ollie was hitting him and he knew he shouldn't hit her back,  so he called out for help by saying,  "help! I'm perishing! I am perishing!"


***I am not sure why,  but Wolfie is suddenly very polite. But in true Wolfie style,  he takes it too far by saying thank you a million times about 4 inches from your eyeballs or says,"thank you" for you saying, "you're welcome" and it goes on and on. Still,  I admit it is nice. Today I tried a new pizza dough recipe,  which was a flop (we had grilled cheese instead) but he stops me and says, "although I don't like pizza and won't eat it, I want to take the time to compliment you on your pizza. Don't you think that is nice?"  The development of empathy is always so much fun to watch. 

Some things you want to remember

Wolfie and Vladdie are our resident artists. Vladdie is constantly creating drawings, buildings, creatures, heroes, sculptures...ahem, messes. :) But today I want to talk about Wolfie. Wolfie creates with words. And words, words, words. One thing I want to remember is how he is always creating imaginary books, movies, tv shows and video games about his life, but all in his mind. There have been a few drawings, but mostly these fantastic adventures are fleetingly enjoyed as he shouts them out with every hop of his hoppy ball. Although this is sort of a lame version of his normal telling (ruined by the presence of a camera, probably) I wanted to snatch a little of it up to remember it. Here he is talking about the show of his life, Wolfie's Adventures: season 1, episopde 2. In this episode he is abducted by aliens. But don't worry, every episode in his life has a happy ending. And that little thought warms this Mama's heart.
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The Makings of Christmas!

If you know my family, then you know we are always making something. Christmas really puts this in overdrive. Here is a sample of some of what we made. I made a few pairs of fingerless gloves (knitted) but didn't snag any pics. Boo, I came up with the pattern myself,  so I will try to write it up and make another pair (maybe for me?!) and post it.
    Boy were these fun to make! I hope some of my crafty friends will share what they made this Christmas.

A knitted hat to Vlad from Mommy

A gnome home with mushroom rattle for my niece,  Mae. The gnomes are knit,  but the rest is crocheted. 

A big,  beautiful Christmas doily made by my Mom. Gorgeous! 

A dollhouse for Ollie Bean. My mom made it for me when I was little. Then I painted it for Jas. Now Matt fixed it for Ollie in the same colors as our house!  He made a little furniture for it too. There is more we want to add,  then  more pics will follow! Can you believe my Mom made this from scratch? She is a d. i. y. beast! 

Old school bomb with fuse for the bros,  knitted. 

Crocheted pincushion 

My favorite gift wrapping this Christmas,  done with upcycled packing paper from a delivery. 

Had to make Ollie a gnome home too! 

Matt took a wooden,  thrifted salad bowl and carved it into a yarn bowl. I love it! Now my yarn doesn't roll across the room while I knit. 

Some ankle socks,  knitted for myself! Claus is vacationing inside for the winter,  so I had to put him to work hauling my socks. 

Gift bags made from old t-shirts

A time bomb with removable sticks of dynamite. Matt recorded a sound button in the clock! You must check out the video of it here

A stocking made out of t-shirts. The inside is red. Of course this was for the tractor loving Brandon. 

Here are some t-shirts that Matt made by creating a stencil from freezer paper and painting the shirt. I think he outdid himself! 

Link for Wolfie

Megaman for Vlad 

A thumbdog for his Mama

And for his Dad,  Dennis Kucinich! 

I didn't take a pic of the grenade stuffie I made,  but I did take a video. (click here) Matt recorded another sound button and it has already seen a lot of action! 

Last,  but not least,  the boys did their first embroidery as a gift to their talented Grandma Kathy. Subscribers, Click for video


I hope you fit a little handmade into your Christmas! I would love to hear what some of you made too!



P. S. Must give props...

The gnomes were from this pattern:
http://plainandjoyfulliving.blogspot.com/2009/02/fun-knitting-gnome.html

Gnome home was based on this pattern:
http://yarrrn.blogspot.com/2008/02/gnome-home.html

The grenade:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mills-bomb-grenade

The old school bomb :
http://shoshanaknits.blogspot.com/2012/06/happy-bomb-knitting-pattern.html

The mushroom rattle was based on :
http://tomacreations.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/amigurumi-super-mario-mushroom/

The pincushion:
http://www.hookedonneedles.com/2009/08/crocheted-pin-cushion-pattern-english.html

The time bomb was my own on-the-fly pattern.

I always use Ann Budd's sock book. Swear by it!

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Knitting-Socks/dp/1596680296/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357700431&sr=1-3&keywords=ann+budd

Mistaken identity

Today I was taking my compost out to the back yard.  We recently had a robbery on the railroad tracks along our yard,  so when I saw a police car out front,  I stopped to be nosey. I asked if he was looking for evidence. The officer replied that he was looking for me! I was wearing all black and wandering around my yard,  so he was making sure I wasn't a burglar! This is the time of year for a lot of daylight breakins and he wanted to be sure our home was ok.  Super nice guy. Then Wolfie ran out in his socks to see if I needed any ammunition, or maybe he could release the cop car's parking brake to cause a distraction allowing me a clean getaway. Oh,  I hope this kid uses his powers for good.
Vladdie documented the interrogation in crayon.

fa la la la

Decking the halls,  and ourselves apparently!

Around these parts

:: cooking chili from fresh tomatoes tonight,  no leftovers which means it was gooooooooood. The cornbread was excellent and I couldn't figure out why it tasted so different. I have been making it with whole wheat flour for a while now,  so that couldn't be it. Same old cast iron skillet. Hmmmmm. Oh yeah,   never added the corn meal! It was corn-less corn bread! A giant pancake basically,  lol. Well,  people were ready to fight for the last piece,  so,  again,  it must have been good! 

:: hearing Christmas carols galore! I can't get enough of them. I am catching the kids singing them too. Vlad was singing an original carol to his friend and I overheard bits and pieces that involved shooting down terrorists and playing some air hockey. Could be a little more Christmas-y, but then again,  everyone's a critic. 

:: needing lists and notes to remember basic things because my mind is going on multiple channels. Ah,  to be young and well-rested 

:: thinking about Christmas cookies. I must start tomorrow or I will never get any made. 

:: doing my gift shopping online and with handmade. Lots more to make but most of my buying is done. Oh, but the wrapping! 

:: making gift bags out of some old transformer t-shirts and they are rad! Even the drawstring is made from the old shirt. 

:: keeping up with home schooling even though there is a huge lack of focus around these parts. We are needing a Christmas break big time.  Soon,  soon, soon... 

:: loving the changes we made to the bathroom! And especially the guy that made it happen! 

:: wanting to get the house decorated but needing to get it straightened up first. 

:: plotting when to schedule my next work day. And dreading the way it will make my feet feel (like they might explode). 

:: feeling happy that Matt helped me make our Christmas cards. I love working on projects with him! 

:: preparing to write in the cards and address them. Seriously preparing,  like finger pushups and wrist stretches.

:: looking forward to seeing my brothers soon! and Margret,  which is a treat! And Zaki,  (the doggy nephew) for the first time! 

:: Loving the sound of Wolf playing the piano. It is so exciting to watch

him learn. 

:: enjoying my newly painted table. It is a cheery yellow and makes me feel happy. And reminds me of a super sweet guy that spent most of his vacation painting stuff for me. 

::Feeling so happy with the yarn bowl Matt made me from a wooden thrift store bowl.So cool!

::Excited to finally have made a pillow from a 1975 cloth calendar I have been holding onto for awhile.

:: putting a little love in every stitch while making presents. I love to think about the person I am knitting,  sewing or crocheting for and have happy,  loving thoughts about them while I work away. It leaves me feeling happy and that is such a good thing.