Fred the Monster

The last time my mom was in town, we took a quick spin through Knitter's Palette in Lakeville.  The goal was to find yarn suitable to knit a modern blanket for a wee babe.  While I love and adore cute babies, I do not love and adore overly cutesy baby products and decor, nor do I adhere to the traditional sense of color typically associated with them. 

(Photograph & pattern courtesy of Purl Bee.)

We succeeded.  The dark teal will become the corners, the lighter teal the stripes and the marled moss colored yarn will become the main color.  Modern.  Not traditional for a baby.  Perfect.

Mom has now added this to her 'to do list', and I cannot be happier.  


In the process, Channing made some new friends.  As he played hide-n-seek among the yarn bins, these darling monsters caught his eye.  The woman running the shop that morning was kind enough to take them off the shelf and allow Channing to make their acquaintance.  He fell madly in love with them, in particular, the red monster, quickly naming him Fred the Monster.

Even Fred's little buddy got some lovin'.

He was allowed to pick out a skein of yarn of his choosing to go along with this book.  At first, he didn't want to relinquish the soft, bright colored ball to grandma.  He held it, petted it and hid it from the camera's view.  I even heard him softly croon 'Oh Fred, you're just darling.' as he carefully cradled it in his arms.  After a few assurances that she would indeed turn the ball into a Fred the Monster of his own, he gave in.

Book & patterns can be purchased from author & creator, Rebecca Danger.  Believe me, when you see them, you'll fall in love with them ALL and have a difficult time choosing just one to create.  

Mom arrives next week for our usual round of post-chemo activities.  Guaranteed, Channing will ask where Fred is before he says hello or offers up any hugs or kisses.

This is the yarn Channing selected, already turned into the first few rows of Fred.

No pressure, Mom.  No pressure.

Mini Chef

Channing's love of helping in the kitchen holds no bounds.  He's always up for a kitchen project.  Always.  Last Tuesday was no exception.  While the rest of us dined on herbed chicken pizza of the pre-made variety, having only to toss it in the oven to bake it, Channing's pizza was a little more involved.  He couldn't have been more pleased.


Have you ever seen these at Papa Murphy's?  It's called a Mini Murphy.  Everything you need is right there in the cute little box.  My mini chef smeared, sprinkled and plopped his way to pizza perfection.

He may have had just a little help from Grandma Meredith.  ; )

See?  A perfect little pizza for one hungry little chef.

Oh yeah, and he got a tattoo.  Not sure which he was more proud of, his pizza or his arm. 

 Nonetheless, it's a culinary experience worth repeating.  Soon.

365 Project-Week 9

1.  An un-welcome and un-wanted house guest.  Miss Spider was promptly escorted outside.  EEEWWW!  2.  This pile of sewing pins has taken up permanent residence on our dining room table.  OK as it means projects are underway and more done than not.  3.  Channing found a table of projects and goodies awaiting him at Horseshoe courtesy of Grandma Kathy.  4.  Loving the bright colors of fresh produce these days, a beautiful contrast to our grey snowy days at the cabin.  5.  The S.S. Channing making it's way across Carlton Pond (the hot tub).  6.  Snow topped trees that greeted us on Sunday morning.  Yes, it was still snowing.  7.  Channing rode the speed slides at Edinborough Park in Edina at least 25 times during our play date with Collin, Kiera & Mary last Monday.  When told it was time to go, he begged to go down 'just five more' times.  

This precious picture deserves to be part of the collage above.  It just didn't fit in one of those little squares.  Meet Leo.  Channing couldn't get enough of him when he visited with his mom, Leanne, last week.  You can see he was pleased as punch when Leanne asked if he wanted to hold Baby Leo.  Sweet boys.

Me Made A Spooky

Oh yes, and ate quite a lot of it too.  Channing was in tears the other day after leaving Michael's without his much desired haunted gingerbread house.  To the tune of $20 bucks, I loudly said no.  He was crushed.  Seriously.


When we passed a similar kit on a recent trip to Target, I made a beeline for the shelf and snatched up the last one, hoping that the slightly crushed box would not reveal a pile of crumbs.  $10 bucks.  Now that was do-able.

Channing told me again this morning.  Me make a spooky with Daddy.  Not you.  You take pictures.  True.  That's exactly how it went down.  I pulled the box of goodies out of the car after our evening visit with the neighbors, grabbed the camera and let the guys at it.

Michael did the assembly.  I read the directions as I shot the pictures.  Channing ate the candy, licked the icing off his fingers and did a little decorating here and there.  I about died with delight when he globbed all kinds of frosting between the peaks of the roof and poured nearly all the sprinkles on top.  

This guy was very protective of HIS candy decorations.  I repeat:  HIS!

Love how you can see the sprinkles cascading off the roof in this one.  Priceless!

In the end, our haunted house looks nothing like the one on the box.  I'll bet the food stylist who created it didn't have nearly as much fun either.  Ours came out one ooey, gooey, sticky spooky mess.  Does it matter that it isn't perfect?

Channing sums it up perfectly here:

Who cares?

Toasty

The warm, crackling fire aside, last night left us all feeling warm and toasty.  It's been fall-ish around here this week.  The furnace has been turned on to ward off the morning chill.  A new wreath has joined the fall floral display gracing the front entry.  With daytime temps in the mid-50s, summer has definitely bid us a fond farewell.

This was Friday's nap time activity for me.  

Late-fall birthdays for little ones can be difficult.  It is often too early for winter related outdoor toys, sleds and the like.  Similarly, it is too late for summer toys.  That season has definitely passed us by.  When Channing recently and quickly took to riding his already too small but with pedals tricycle, it was easy to justify the purchase of a big guy bike with training wheels.  Why not get it now when he has the rest of September and most of October to enjoy it, rather than wait until his birthday when it would sit, all boxed up, in the garage until spring.  

 Channing and I had just finished the bike assembly when WM rolled into the driveway, done with yet another long but rewarding week at work.  (Yes, that sounds cheesy, but he really and truly does like his job.  Really.)  He helped us make a few minor adjustments.  Yes, I'd put on the training wheels, but I'd neglected to adjust the height so the back tire actually touched the ground when Channing pedaled.  

Helmet donned, Channing was off, floating like a Cadillac and stinging like a Beemer (watch Cars much anyone?), as he cruised up and down the sidewalk in front of our house.  WM was not far behind.  Channing had yet to master the brakes on the new bike and occasionally got 'stuck' when he tried to pedal backwards.  It was a little frustrating for him at first.  Despite that, he was almost all smiles.

With the evening air getting cooler and cooler, the portable fire pit was pulled out of the garage.  A warming up spot was established in the middle of our driveway.  WM poked his head in the front door as I was putting dinner on the stove.  Any chance we could have our dinner outdoors?  Absolutely!  Fresh air was not on the original ingredient list for my chicken and dumpling recipe, but it certainly was the one that made it taste a little better than usual.

Ha.  We were pretending to be, as Channing puts it, 'all shivery.'

Our neighbors, Jim, Kelli & Megan, arrived home as we were indulging in our last bites.  Channing excitedly yelled to them, 'Do you want a marshmallow with me?'  They hastily added extra layers of clothing and joined us.  They stayed just long enough for a marshmallow or two, Megan's bedtime calling them home once more.  

We lingered, enjoying our evening as darkness wrapped around us like a thick, cozy blanket.   It was thoroughly enjoyable, this bike build turned picnic turned marshmallow roast.  When we finally turned off the light and kissed each other goodnight, we agreed.  It was a bliss-filled evening, one that left us satisfied.  Our bellies and our hearts were full.