The Lichter's Get Cable

Today we had our cable hooked up and when the guys came in the house to make sure it worked, they were greeted by Aiden: 

Who was decked out in his "football gloves" and "football helmet" 

"Can you guys please fix our T.V.? It's bwoken"

We all got a pretty good laugh out of it. 

Later while scanning for channels, Aiden says, "I think we need the guys again."

He keeps even the dullest things interesting :)

Ooh a Cupcake!

Most of you know I have the privilege of staying home with Aiden and Charlotte. And I do love it, but you know, Friday comes around, and Aiden and I are...butting heads. And since last Friday was starting off in that general direction, I needed to do something so we could enjoy our Friday (though we both would admit we were super excited to see Daniel, haha!) 

Earlier in the week, we bought a huge box of packing peanuts for a youth group activity. We obviously kept the box. Aiden used it as a slide, a drum set, he put things in it and then dumped them out. Lightbulb moment! 

An oven!! Complete with a stove top! 

His face lit up after I finished. We ran (yup WE RAN) to the kitchen and filled our arms with every possible (and safe!) kitchen utensil we could carry! 

Aiden spent the morning cooking Poms, crayons and letter magnets. Every bit was delicious. ;) 

(Eventually, he and Daniel went to Wal-Mart and bought some play food)

During his nap I threw some cupcakes together and placed one inside the oven. 

"OOOH a cupcake!!" Followed by the HUGEST grin! 

A delicious treat indeed! 

...Year of Projects: A Knitting Update...

A couple weeks have passed since my last knitting update. 

I have knit a couple Pumpkin Hats, one for an order and the second for my new nephew. I didn't get one of my nephew in his hat yet by hope to soon :)

These were so fun to make too! I used Plymouth Encore Worsted on both. 

I said in my last post that I would write about Serra, my current sweater project. I have yet to do that! 

Pardon the not so great photos, I used my phone so I could finally post about it! Here is it's current state: 

I am about half way through the hip increases and then a few inches of ribbing and the body will be done! I'm finding I am a loose knitter so it might be a bit longer then intended, or I may take out a hip increase. Not sure yet. Thoughts? 

This is the first of Laura Aylor's designs I have knit and I am really enjoying it. I admire so many of her designs! 

This sleeve construction was new for me. I made a few mistakes and while in the moment was adamant I would NEVER do a sweater construction like this again, I do like the polished look and would definitely do it again. 

And one of me wearing it: 

These pictures always make me feel like I have made real progress! The yarn is Patons Classic Worsted in Dark Grey mix. 

Weather in MN is getting cool fast, so I made Aiden a quick hat. This is Casade 220, one of my favorite yarns to work with. 

And here he is being "tough": 

I continue to knit the Quick Knit Cowl "pattern" I made up, 4 more have been added to my Year of projects list. 

This cooler weather makes me excited to finish my sweater and start a few more for my family members! I love Fall! 

...A Knitting Update...

It has been well over a month since I posted a knitting update...mainly due to...LOTS of knitting!! Let's see if I can remember everything and update my Year of Projects list!

WARNING: Picture Heavy Post!!

Let's see...I have knit a couple Owlie Hats, with a few mods\variations.

A couple of these hats I saw on Pinterest awhile ago...there wasn't a pattern listed, so I knit a basic beanie and then used this flower tutorial. 

I love my little model

A few more Quick Knit Button Cowls as I like to call them. This was a pattern I made up (though I am SURE its already somewhere in the knitting world) and while it is simple, it adds the right amount of texture and warmth! I have loved knitting a few of these up as orders and hope to knit a few more!

Here is another Pinterest find...I am sure the pattern is listed somewhere on Ravelry, but I did a Cartridge Rib pattern and added a buttonhole when I thought it looked long enough.

A friend sent me a picture of a Newborn Aviator hat she saw on Pinterest and I tried to re-create it for her. I came up with this and am hoping it is close!

I also made a Quick Knit Baby Shrug and added a cute little butterfly button! Hope the little girl likes it!

Do you know what makes me laugh? How colorways vary from brand to brand...This is "Plum"...the striped Owlie Hat above is also "Plum" yet they look NOTHING like each other.

Whew.

I have more orders to fill and am thinking about participating in a craft show in November, which means I really need to pick up my knitting!!

I have also started Serra by Laura Aylor and will write up a separate post about this sweater!

I THINK that is it for now...I really need to get back on a regular blogging schedule! And I need to update my Ravelry....

Completed Year of Projects

 

Sweaters/Cardigans:

-Quick Knit Baby Shrug

Shawls:
-Comfort Wrap

Socks:

Tunic:

Gloves/Mittens:

Hats:

-2 Large Flower Hat (from Pinterest)
-Piggy Hat (own pattern)

-Owlie Hat w\ Braids

-Striped Owlie Hat
-Newborn Aviator Hat

Toys: 

-Bunny Blankie Buddy

Diaper Cover & Hat Sets:
-Pig Set

Scarves\Cowls:
-11 Quick Knit Button Cowl (own pattern)
-Cartridge Rib Scarf

Harvest Time!

Fall is without a doubt my favorite time of year. I love the cooler weather, watching the farmers prepare for harvest, our gardens are abundant, the leaves start to change, school starts, it's time to knit sweaters, I just love it!! 

We (and by we, I mean Daniel) planted tomatoes, peppers and potatoes this year. Tomatoes are picked daily and Daniel has experimented with pizza and tomato sauce, both delicious! And last night we dug up the potatoes. 

We of course have the best helper around! (Even if he was chucking the potatoes in the wagon...doing things "nicely" isn't as much fun as throwing)

We made out fairly well, though I think Daniel was hoping for more. We fried some up last night and they were delicious!!

Happy Fall!!

Lichter kiddos, 2 years 3 months and 4.5 months :) 

A Wedding Weekend!

This weekend a friend from college married his sweetheart in Des Moines, IA.  Knowing it was an outdoor wedding, and that Daniel would be busy because he was a part of the wedding, Aiden went to Grandpa John and Grandma Cindee's!

We stopped at Daniel's sister/brother-in-law's house and Aiden was busy the moment we got out of the van! His cousins helped a bit ;)

We helped close up their garage sale and had some lunch (Grandpa and Charlie napped, which I have a picture of, but not sure I'm allowed to post it ;) )

We met up with Daniel's younger sister, Sarah, and went to Red Robin for supper. YUM! Great to see her and her new place! We drove on to Story City to stay with Jon and Bethany, friends of ours. We chatted and they introduced us to a new game...Arkham Horror I think? I meant to take a picture of it...it's pretty crazy, but fun! 

On Sunday, the guys went and met up with the rest of the wedding party and we took our time getting ready. Bethany, Charlie and I went to our friend Angela's house for awhile. It was nice to stay indoors awhile because it was going to be HOT outside!

We took a few goofy pictures, chatted and laughed. It was so great to be together again. 

Some things never change! :)

The wedding was beautiful. Everyone looked great (and warm!), the scenery was lovely and the reception was very fun! We took pictures in a photo booth too! I wish I could get good pictures of them, it was so fun! Amazingly enough, I have NO pictures of the couple! What was I thinking?! And! Fun fact, everyone from our wedding party is married now! 

Daniel, Charlie and I had to leave right as the bride and groom arrived at the reception, which wasn't fun, but we had a 5 hour drive yet! We gave hugs, wished them well, and made the trek back home! We picked up Aiden and it sounded like he had A LOT OF FUN at Grandma and Grandpa's too!

 A VERY fun weekend! 

Coffee: The Bold and the, well, junk.

It's 3:30 in the afternoon, on a Friday and I need a cup of coffee. Now normally, this isn't a problem. I go to the cupboard, grab the container filled with our *FAVORITE* coffee and make a cup, problem fixed. 

As I meander into the kitchen to make my afternoon cup of coffee, I remember why I didn't have a second cup this morning...

There's only enough...for one more cup. 

Do I make the last cup of coffee? Do I load my kids into the van and drive 17 miles to pick up a new bag? Or do I dig into the back, dimly light corners of the cupboard for the half bags that we all know, will never be used? 

Well. I can't possibly do the first, then Daniel won't be able to enjoy a cup tomorrow. He works hard, he should be able to have his favorite cup of coffee in the morning. The second option, yea right. And so I begin to dig...

Now I love Starbucks, but no way am I drinking decaf. Strawberry Shortcake?! Who comes up with this stuff? 

(Okay so it was on clearance and I had a coupon...had to try it. And actually I haven't. Daniel had a cup. Just one.) Pumpkin Spice, I can do that. But it's 90 degrees out...not Fall like. You cant have Pumpkin Spice when its blazin' hot! Also, I'm sure that bag is like a year old...

Okay. Mocha Swirl. It has a chocolate component, it's not great, but considering the other options...ill take it. 

This cup is for you Daniel. 

Year of Projects: A Knitting Post

Cowls. Lots of Cowls! 

I knit a lot of items for sale and cowls have made that list. 15 to be exact. While on vacation and last week, that is all I have worked on. 

A very simple but elegant knit cowl, chunky and complete with a big button. I just love these. 

And I finished a second piggy hat!

I have a few more cowls to finish up and then I am HOPING to cast on a sweater! 

Summer Vacation: Day Eight!

We have 11 hours until home... Do we attempt to push through, no matter the cost, to get home? 

We left around 9:00 and drove on...Charlie and I fell asleep right away (I hadn't had coffee yet!) Apparently Aiden was throwing things at me and wearing his backpack on his head while I slept...

We made a quick stop for coffee (thank goodness!) and drove on. Aiden was kinda whinny (you would be too if you hadn't...gone number two for two days) so we stopped to run around Wal-Mart and do the general routine. Aiden finally went, so we picked out a flashlight as a reward. ;)

Had lunch in the van, kids napped, I knit, Daniel drove. We made a second stop for frappes and fries at McDonalds. Aiden went to the bathroom again and asked for a flashlight... Ha, no, nice try kiddo!

(Grumpy cat anyone??)

Back on the road... Around 6:30 the kids (and I admit, I too) were getting restless. We were....by Waterloo, IA I believe and the closest (and only) restaurant on our route was...McDonalds. Ugh. I didn't care, kids needed OUT! But of course, it was closed for renovation!! C'mon!! We drove onward and came across Pita Pit. Bam, done. 

Back on the road again, around 8:00. The kids and I fell asleep around 9:00-9:30. I woke up a few times, made sure Daniel was doing alright (2 energy drinks help with that!) and would fall asleep again. Somewhere around 45 min from home I woke up HOT! Easy solution, took off my fleece jacket. Wait a minute, it's still hot. I asked Daniel why he turned the air off?! He didn't...yep. The A/C went out in the van around Albert Lea, MN. It. Was. Hot. Then the kids woke up... NOT GOOD. We had 45 min left. Just 45 min. That's an eternity with two kids screaming and the temperature is 87 degrees in the van. Somehow I managed to calm them down and at 11:45 pm, we were home. 

Amazing trip! Great memories! 

Summer Vacation: Day Seven!

A(Remind me to have more interesting blog post titles...)

We dreaded today. We had to say goodbye to family who we may not see again for awhile.  Aaaannndddd we still had to drive back home! I think Daniel and I looked at each other and knew we would rather poke our eyes out than start the 18 hr drive. (Ok guys, really, it's not THAT bad...) 

So maybe we were okay that Charlie fell asleep... 

And that Aiden had to do the puzzles ONE (read six) more time...

And that Aiden knew Buddy needed a tent...

And Aunt Ashley needed another picture with her niece and nephew...

( I swear I took pictures Ilene! Maybe they are on Daniel's phone...)

But we said our "see you laters" and gave hugs, then we set off. We drove 2 miles and stopped. Charlie decided she was hungry and the boys went and stocked up our travel foods and some sanity, 

Then we were off!!

We made it quite a ways before our first stop. The scenery was beautiful

We stopped for supper and stretching and then... We saw...this!

Aiden was elated!! Can you tell?

Literally jumping with excitement!

We tried to find the fire fighters and we finally saw them, after encouraging Daniel to chase them down so Aiden could say hi to them (Daniel was shy) I grabbed Aiden and we chased them down. He saw them get into the fire engine and they waved at him! His face lit up it was too cute. 

Then he stood in this

We stopped in Louisville for the night, they swam 

And Charlotte grabbed her toes

And we went to sleep!!