Knitting Socks, Plant Updates, and Reading On

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I haven't posted for a couple of weeks sorry about that! I love posting on Sundays during Evan's nap but sometimes his naps are shorter than expected and then I don't post and the week goes by so fast to post on Monday or Tuesday. I am happy to be posting today though! He had longer naps this weekend and it was really nice. He is almost 21 months old, talking a lot and so busy. We love seeing how much he is growing and learning. He will be moving to the toddler room at his daycare next Tuesday just because of space in the toddler room and the long waitlist, he hasn't moved up yet and he is definitely ready. I bought some "back to school" clothes for him yesterday for the Fall. It is just fun this time of the year with bigger kids going back to school or starting Kindergarten to also get Evan some new clothes and a bigger backpack. I always like doing a seasonal clothing update for him anyways. I shop mostly at Carters I love their clothing from when Evan was a baby. I want to buy some more Halloween clothes, books, toys etc soon as well. I will usually buy some books and things from Indigo as well. I love the holidays and it is so fun with a child to celebrate with.

I have been continuing to knit the socks called My Favorite Vanilla Socks by Meaghan Schmaltz. I have been enjoying just knitting in the round for awhile. I have to knit 6 inches of the leg and I have knitted 4 so far. then will work on the heel flap.

I have been reading Doing it All by Whitney Casares it has been helpful for creating a schedule for responsibilities and projects.  I had taken a break reading The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel Siegel, but I want to pick it up again this week. I read some really interesting points regarding communicating with children that I think will help me in the future as Evan gets older.

I have repotted my couple of plants on our terrace into some planter pots I bought on Amazon. I like the look of them and I have one more pot that I want to buy some flowers to plant in them. At this point I will see which flowers will last in the late Summer into Fall. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today! What are you working on this weekend? I hope that you all have a great rest of your weekend and good week ahead. 

Knitting Baby Blanket, Plants Update, and Reading On

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It has been busy around here lately with Evan starting to walk and crawl. He still needs assistance with walking and I hold him up a lot to walk to wherever he wants to go. His crawling is coming along too. He reaches for what he needs and he will move his legs a bit to grab items but still working on it. It has been fun to see how much he is growing in the past week. It is feeling a lot like Fall now which I love. I love the cooler air and sweater weather! I have gone on one walk so far with Evan in this cooler weather and I loved wearing a sweater and Evan was in a onesie and cozy. 

I have been knitting the Arches Baby Blanket. I unfortunately have run into another tangle! I can't believe it. I know I sometimes toss the blanket onto my shelf to go get my baby but it seems like a lot. It is Snuggly Wuggly wool by Loops & Threads. I will untangle this week and still really aiming for a Sunday finish and blocking this weekend. Millie looks like she likes the blanket, as I was taking photos of my blanket she walked on and laid down. She seems to approve.

Evan is almost 10 months old I can't believe it! He is now making lots of sounds and really lets it be known what he wants to do. Here he is playing with Millie below. She has started to be a bit weary of him because he can move around a lot faster so she comes near but keeps a distance now.

I have really been loving the Carter's brand of baby and kids clothing. I go to the store nearby sometimes but mostly like to put in an order through the Carter's site when they have good sales for the upcoming season. Amazon also carries Simple by Carter's and I love just being able to order onesies or whatever he needs quickly. I loved this shirt below the says "Daddy's mighty guy" baby clothes are so cute!

Here is Evan below looking through his Toronto ABC book. It has been one of his favourites and one he is always happy to have read to him. It is also fun for us to think of all the places we can bring him around Toronto in the future when he is older.

My African violets are doing well and the one from my old apartment on the left is thriving with flowers now. I love seeing how it just blossomed over the Summer. I bought the one on the right this Summer to add another plant. African violets are okay to have with cats so they are my new go to and they look so pretty. They are really resilient too and even if they aren't watered for awhile they can come back. The bamboo plant below is down to the last stalk but hanging in there. I used to have it in the washroom when I was worried about Millie biting it but she is pretty good with plants so it is back on the kitchen counter near the breakfast bar. I think it does better here with the light and gets more water.

I have just started reading It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. I think I will like it just from the way the book starts. I like the chemistry between the characters and I am looking forward to reading more. I plan to get the book It Starts With Us as the sequel once I finish It Ends with Us.

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope that you are also having a great week! I hope to come back Sunday with good news of completing my blanket. 

Have a great day!

Untangling Yarn, Baby Updates, and Summer Days

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It has been over a month since my last post! Time really flies by so fast and I think especially in the Summer. I can't believe that we are at the end of Summer now even though it goes until end of September, it feels like end of Summer once it is back to school for the kids and it is getting colder outside. Nights are also getting shorter around 8 pm now it is getting dark. I am happy though, because I love Fall the most of the seasons. Pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, sweater weather, and Halloween! It is Evan's first Fall and Halloween this year and I am thinking of costumes already. I found a cute outfit for Thanksgiving and want to get some onesies and clothes to wear that are more fall colors. I just ordered him a couple of the Karen Katz lift the flap books one is Baby Loves Fall and the other is Where is Baby's Pumpkin. I can't wait to read them to him.

In knitting, I unfortunately ran into the tangled yarn problem once again so it has really halted my progress on the baby blanket. I work on untangling a bit during baby's naps and make some progress on getting it untangled. I have cut and weaved in new yarn before but I am trying not to this time to just avoid having to weave in more ends.

In reading, I started reading Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. I restarted reading it because I had put it down to read book Lovers by Emily Henry. I ordered It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. I hope I like it and will ask for the next book for my birthday if I do.

I have been making some solid foods for Evan. I mostly have given him pouches and jars of food and have been working on making more for him to have variety. I made peach puree that he wasn't a big fan of. I also have made sweet potato, and cherry. He didn't like the sweet potato on its own so I found a recipe in my organic baby food book with a cherry and sweet potato combination that he liked yesterday. I bought some mangos to also cut up for him to try in little pieces for a meal today with banana. Now that he is 9 months he will be having chunkier purees. I find lots of ideas in the Big Book of Organic Baby Food by Stephanie Middleberg. I like that in this book there is some guidance on what to feed your baby at each age. This gives me an idea of what I can feed him based on his skills and age. There are also recipes once he is toddler and older for meals we can have together one day.

Evan is growing and learning and he is getting big! He is 9 months old as of yesterday. He loves to stand assisted now and he gets on his hands and knees looking ready to crawl. He is so sweet and laughs at peekaboo and when we blow our noses. I made this laundry basket activity I saw one day on Instagram account. He enjoyed it I had it up for a couple of days. 

My plant outside is doing so well. It really expanded since my last pic! It definitely thrives out on our rooftop terrace. I moved our plant from our front porch up here too and it is doing better getting lots of sun and water.

I got this sign for Evan's nursery on Etsy from OliveBranchHomeDecor and I have been loving it above his change table. The day I put it up, Millie had to be there to investigate and see what I was doing. I have a few other pictures to hang in his room and a rug I want to order still a work in progress.

I have been enjoying my Maternity leave and it ends in May 2024. I have been having busy days with Evan. We have our routine and we spend time nursing, trying foods, going on walks, playing, singing songs, practicing new skills, and just having a good time together. As he gets bigger there is so much more to do with him. I want to go on more walks to stores with him and more visits to family and friends. Maybe check out a program at the library for babies. 

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday. 

I will try not to be a stranger this month. I am planning on posting weekly on Sundays again in September. I really miss blogging when I have been away. I will catch up on your blogs now too. I hope that you all are enjoying your summers too!

Have a great day!

Knitting, Reading, and Plants Update

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This past weekend was busy with family plans so didn't get to posting. The past two days have been nice, Liam has been off work Monday and Tuesday for Canada day weekend. It has been nice having more family time and always great to have his help with the baby. The past four days we have been sleep training Evan using the Ferber method. We took the Taking Cara Babies course. It has been working so well so far. He takes some time to go to sleep but then does settle after we go and reassure him. I recommend it so far if someone is thinking of taking the course.  Our baby is 7 months now and we feel he is ready at this age for the training. I took this photo below on the first night. He was crying in between pop ins, so I was knitting and journaling while I waited. It helped me to feel calmer and deal with my stress. My Arches baby blanket is getting closer to being done. I have been knitting more at night now while we are training Evan. I am almost done this 11th repetition, then there are just three more to go! I have some other projects in mind, so I am looking forward to finishing the blanket to get started.

I did some reading outside during Evan's nap last week. We had a few days of bad air quality so it was nice to finally be able to sit outside and read and get some air (not sure how fresh). I am still reading Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I am really wanting to finish it soon to move onto Every Summer After by Carly Fortune. I did start reading it, but will wait now until finished this one.  

I have this plant upstairs on our terrace and it is doing pretty well now. It gets a lot of sun and rain being up on our roof. I love this kind of plant II also got it a couple of years ago for the terrace. It survived while my poor marigolds struggled.  The plant I bought originally started off pretty low in the planter, and now it is really growing out and even more since this photo I took last week. 

I bought this beautiful arrangement from Canadian Tire a few weeks ago, and I am really loving how it looks on our front porch. There are a couple different plants and flowers. I love how the flower in the middle is blooming now. I have a water bulb in the back that helps me to keep the plant watered. 

I still have my African violet and my bamboo plant inside that are doing okay. The African violet isn't flowering but keeping the plant alive, the bamboo is down to one of the three stalks now also keeping it alive. Hope to maybe encourage them to thrive soon. I will try getting more soil for the African violet and not sure what to do for the bamboo plant but just keep watering it. 

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope you are having a good week. There is a heat warning here in Toronto today, so I am just getting things done around the house. 

Have a great day!

Happy Spring, Knitting, and Updates

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This past week was busy with keeping up with Evan and running some errands. I find the weeks go by fast while on maternity leave. I know I felt like this with work too that the week went by fast, but sometimes they went by slower than now. I like that my days are filled with baby cuddles, smiles, and playtime. There are also busy and some challenging times to but we can always get past them and learn from them. I like seeing him meet his milestones and so grateful to be able to spend the 18 months maternity leave getting to know him and supporting his development. It is the first day of Spring tomorrow and I am feeling the change shift a bit already with the sun shining more and with daylight savings time it has been lighter out later. It was snowing today though, so it still feels pretty wintry here in Toronto.

I have knitted a lot this past week. I think I am getting more into creating a routine that allows for doing things I love to do. I can usually knit a bunch while Evan is napping like on Friday I was lucky and got to knit for a long time while he was taking a nap. Knitting is a priority of mine lately. I really want to finish the blanket because I am excited to use it for Evan's walks in the stroller in the Spring. I am still reading Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I read a bit of the book last night but I didn't read much last week. 

I haven't done a plant update in so long,  I only have two plants now since we got Millie. I used to have a couple of philodendrons. One that was given to me by my mom, and one that I started growing from a cutting. Those are poisonous to cats so I gave them to my sister. Now I have the African Violet below that is still doing pretty well, no flowers yet but should flower soon this Spring. Millie doesn't bother with that one. The bamboo plant that is in the bathroom doesn't get much sun I moved it so Millie wouldn't eat it. Two of the stalks have died there is one remaining that I am thinking of repotting and putting in our bedroom on the high shelf away from Millie and see if I can bring it back to life. As the weather gets nicer, I look forward to having more plants outside on our rooftop terrace and our front porch.

On Friday night I had some wine and worked on my puzzle. It is a Cobble Hill puzzle that has both cats and books, two of my loves. The funny thing is when I work on my puzzle that has cats on it, it is easier if Millie isn't around because she likes to pounce on the pieces and chew on them. I like to do the puzzle when she is upstairs or napping.

Millie was enjoying the sun shining this morning on her cat tree. 

Joining along with a link up over at As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope that you have a great weekend and great week ahead! 

Knitting Spiral Socks, Reading, and Plant Lady Updates

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. I am sick right now with a cold so I took the day off work to rest and relax. I have a very sore throat and have been coughing. I hope this goes away soon. Today I have been doing a lot of  YouTube video watching, knitting. and some gaming. I have been knitting more of the Patons Spiral sock and really love the pattern, it is so fun if you would like to check it out, the pattern is free on Ravelry. I have also been continuing  to read The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory. It is such a cute and fun read and captures the sweet connection and love between the two characters so well.

My philodendron has grown so much since I last posted. It is now reaching down pretty low and I just love the look of these plants when they get longer. My fiance does not like this as much. 

This is a plant my sister got me and is still doing quite well. It is small and has a bit of green moss by the roots. I have to mist every once and awhile but it is fairly easy to take care of. I love its green and yellow leaves.

My African violets are still alive but have not flowered in so long now. I wonder if they get enough sun sometimes as we live in a basement apartment and it might be more difficult to get the sun even in the Summer.

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On 

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are enjoying the Summer so far.  What are you working on this week?

The Storm Has Passed, Knitting, and Reading Updates

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Last night it was so windy on my drive home and my car was swaying. I saw a lot of fallen branches and saw a sign had fallen on a major street and blocked one lane. My boyfriend and I had a pizza night and stayed in and we were a bit worried about losing power because his mom had earlier and we had lost power the night before for about 20 minutes. This morning however, was beautiful- warm and sunny. I went for a walk to a nearby park and enjoyed the sunshine on my face and the nice, warm air. There were a few fallen trees in the wooded area of the park that I stepped around and I saw a couple hop over the trunk as if it were just a hurdle along the way. It was also nice to get out and walk because I am trying to get more exercise and lose some weight for the Summer. It will be easier to go for walks now with the weather getting warmer.

Tree fallen down 

Sad when tall, old trees fall down

I have not made a lot of progress on the Wool and the Gang top. A few rows here and there this week. I will be making more of an effort this week to finish the back piece.  I am also thinking of starting a new project soon, maybe some socks they are so fun to knit.

I have been continuing to read Commonwealth by Ann Patchett and really liking the story line so far. This morning I read a lot of it and caught up on my reading. I like Ann's style of writing and she develops the characters so well and you feel as if you know them and their motives. I also like how the focus is on one character at a time.

I also wanted to share how long my philodendron has grown. This started out as a clipping from my mom's plant and then once it rooted in water, she planted it in this pot in soil as a gift for me. I might try to do the clipping of this one and gift it as well to a friend.

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope that you enjoy your Saturday!

House Plant Updates and Knitting Plans

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I have not spoken about my plants in awhile and I am pleased to give an update. My philodendron is growing really nicely and I am so happy to see it thriving especially in the winter. My mom had cut off part of her own philodendron and had placed it in a cup of water, then when it was large enough, moved it to this pot to gift it to me.

Philodendron

My Rhoeo plant is doing very well and standing tall since I tied it to that wooden stick. It had been leaning over and looking sad and I had blogged about it in the post here. I am happy when looking back at the first photo from April 2017 and then now January 2018 it has grown so much! I was thinking it might be time to put it into a new pot since it is growing taller. What do you think?

Rhoeo in April 2017

Rhoeo in January 2018

The peace lily is doing well although it has not been flowering as well lately and more of it's leaves are turning brown. I think maybe I need to give it more water but not sure. I think that it will also benefit from the Spring and Summer sunshine.

Peace lily

My African violets are doing okay, but have not been looking so healthy lately I am thinking it is either because they are not getting enough water, or it is cold by the window. I lost one that had not been flowering and looked less healthy than the others for some time. It had always been the smallest and not flowering and I kept watering it until it eventually gave up recently. I also had to toss out my Aloe plant because it wasn't looking too good and its leaves kept falling off or rotting at the bottom.

African violets

 Succulents are supposed to be easy to take care of and they are, but mine always end up looking more stretched out than when I purchased them. I read that they stretch when they are reaching toward the sun. Mine definitely must have been reaching a lot!

succulents

I also still have the bamboo plant my sister gave to me when I moved out and into the apartment with my boyfriend in the city. It is doing well and thriving too. I just water it when it is low on water and I love how bamboo plants are so easy to take care of.

Bamboo

I was gifted three beautiful pots for Christmas from my sister's fiance and hoping to find some more plants to put into them soon. I will update you on which plants I choose to put into the pots and also show you how the plants are doing. If you would like to read some older posts on my plants, please click here for the link to see all the posts related to plants.

This weekend I will be continuing to work on knitting the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top. It is coming along nicely however I need to frog a recent row I knitted because the tension is looser and it looks noticeably different to me anyways. I am looking forward to finishing the first piece so I can move onto the back piece.

I ordered some more of the Manos Del Uruguay yarn in the colorway Happy to knit another pair of fingerless gloves for someone. They were actually out of stock in all of the yarn shops in Toronto and so I ordered some from a shop in Ottawa called Wool Tyme. I am so glad they had some in stock. I guess I chose yarn that is not always in stock. I spoke to someone at one of the yarn stores and she said the Manos yarn gets shipped in boxes here and they are not always in stock and some of the yarns are hard to come by. It is a lovely yarn and by searching for it and doing some research, I learned that the yarn is actually hand painted! Manos Del Uruguay is a non profit organization which employs rural women in Uruguay to make the yarn and paint it and it gives them this employment opportunity. It feels even more special to me now wearing the mittens.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today, I hope that you all enjoy your weekend and have lots of time for crafting, and knitting/crocheting. I am also hoping to get some reading done on the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed this weekend and hopefully finish it! 

Have a great day!