Fair Isle

This is my first attempt at Fair Isle and I love it. I made a few mistakes with the sizing I wanted to make the smallest size but ended up with the larger one pure human error. Also the button holes are a little too small in fact I can't even find them! Oh well it is fine without buttons.
Finished just in time for the New Year roll on 2010.

Hair - cruel or cool.

We had a little issue with hair in our house and so there has been a transformation. As you can see we went from the long haired surfer look to the crew cut. The fact is the boys love their new cut and in school the other kids want to follow the Siegel trend. Sure if we had only shaved one head it would be cruel but all five kids makes it cool.

Christmas Vest

I finished a little knitting as I have been very sick for two weeks and haven't been able to leave the house. Let me state I do not go in for deadline knitting and so if knitting happens to get finished in or around christmas it gets labeled christmas knitting. This vest was made in a week and so will be given said label. Due to being stuck inside I now have a dozen other things on the needles and hope to have lots done by the time New Year rolls around. Sometimes there is a silver linning to feeling rotten!

The coming holidays

We have decided that this year (and hopefully forever after) we are going to buy only consumables or things made of paper, wood or materials that will decompose rapidly. It is going to be our effort to reduce the mass of "things" that end up in the land fill. This will hopefully make for very creative holiday gifts and we invite you to join us in this effort. Please pass on any good ideas you have for gifts that don't "cost". We would love to hear what you are doing.

Knitting done

It has suddenly turned quiet cold here and so I have been inspired to finish up some projects. This sweater was intended for Eoin but turned out big enough for Liam so he can pass it down when he is done. This is the great advantage of having four boys age range from six to two I don't have to be too careful about guage - it will fit someone!
The second is an Elizabeth Zimmerman hat that I love she is genius. It is a Norwegian design I think but it taught me how to use two different colors at once. I can't wait to try it in a sweater.

Cauldron cakes

These are the best cakes in the world. Jonathan makes them without sugar but with the darkest richest chocolate available. He is only allowed make them once every few months as they are just to good to have around:) Intoxication is the word for these.

Stripes

This little sailor sweater for Eoin turned out even better than I hoped for. I think I will stick to making stuff for the kids it turns out better than adult projects and they get done quicker too. The wool is a very soft cashmere mix which is lovely to work with but I suspect won't stand up to wear and tear. We will see.

Halloween

Liam took these photos of our Pumpkins. He is only three so I miss calculated and thought he would be able to get closer to the floor than me. Obviously not!
Being six months pregnant I am not able to bend over easily any more.
We had a great Halloween - Maxim declared it the best day ever. I mean what is better for little boys than getting to dress up and go out in the dark with a flash light AND everyone gives you candy. Wonderful holiday maybe a little too much sugar for us moms but other than that very entertaining.

Pumkin Pie

This was the best tasting Pie ever. We ate it after Dad ran the Dublin Marathon. It just hit the spot. Maxim liked his with maple syrup and cream on top. Lex ate a whole piece as did Zoë. Liam and Eoin both suffering with colds this week have no appetite so more for us. This is all the thanksgiving dinner we are going to do this year so next up Halloween and costumes.

Some action

Sick again

Well winter is really here. Last night the wind blew all the leaves from the trees. As you can see above. It howled and roared all night but that is not what kept us up. It was the cough and whoop of Eoin. He woke at two and four and six Jonathan slept with him on the floor just listening to his labored breathing. I do hope this won't last long but that said with five of them to get sick in relay it might be a long month.

Cuala

Maxim is just six and we have been waiting for this oppurtunity to start team games. All the boys in his class at school attend Cuala on a Saturday morning and Jonathan brought him this weekend to try it out. Well our weekend was filled with hurley sticks and balls. Jonathan even encouraged Maxim to bring his stick to bed with him! Liam and Lex have joined in and we have some great video of practice in Belgrave Park that I will try to post. But I think Zoë takes the prize for cutest player see for yourself.

Progress

Now here you see I am almost finished the back of a little sailor sweater for Eoin and feeling much better. I was wondering does knitting ever make you feel sea sick? I sometimes feel motion sickness coming on even while sitting in the living room knitting fast. I can't ever knit in the car while driving or as passenger. Planes I can do a little but not hours. Am I doing something wrong? Going to fast looking up too often? I do watch movies at the same time as I knit or listen to audio books but I know others do this and it is perfectly acceptable to them.

Creating problems

Some how I have created something I think I am really going to hate. Does this happen often to other knitters or creative people in general? It has happened too often for my liking to me. Now normally I buy wool in colors that are easy to match - blues and greens and sometimes pink for the new baby girl. This week I sort of lost the run of myself and bought liliacs and orange and well I am not sure what to call it which would all have been fine except for the pattern I choose. Well now I look down at this sleeve and think what have I done??
In order to calm myself I do what any other knitter in my position does abandon this project and immediately start something completely different even though it is the middle of the night and I should really be going to bed!

Pretty in Pink

Zoë has the hang of eating with the big boys and often Liam has to watch out or she will swipe his food from under his nose. She is a serious eater while Eoin and Liam are just in it for the amusement! She is going to rule these boys just wait and see. The best part is she has no idea she is the youngest. But even that is not going to last long as number six is less than four months away.

Big Wool

I went to London to visit the wool shop (not the queen) and found Liberty on Regent Street. It is the most beautiful shop filled with beautiful things and I fell for some of the Rowan big wool.(A very nice lady helped me with pattern and quantity requirements). I had to start knitting it right away when I got back and as you can see I am half way through a sweater already. I have no idea why I am so taken by yarn. Maybe it is the colors or the soft texture or the warmth (I live in a very cold climate that is about to turn nasty) As it seems like a fairly harmless pass time no one has tried to stop me. Although I have a feeling my husband things I am out of my mind as I now have a stash that, I will never if I knit everyday for the rest of my life, run out of. This will of course not stop me shopping searching looking for more of the stuff (this is half the fun). I am certainly an addict but I think it unlikely to pose a problem for now....

Birthday party

Fantastic Fun Birthday party today. Six is a great age. Just so glad we didn't have it in the house. These guys have a lot of energy and know how to be loud. Now if only we could harness this sound energy and convert it to say do a load of laundry! All mothers everywhere would be happy.

Swim Lesson Super Heroes

Belgrave Square Sports Day

It was a beautiful day on Saturday and perfect for running some races. We had two winners Lex got the first race for 4 and under then Maxim won the "slow bicycle race" which is much harder than it sounds. You must be last but keep your feet on the pedals barely inching along the field.
Unfortunately I didn't get more photos as it was hard to wield camera and watch all five while loosing the mothers marathon. Maxim has vowed to run in every race next year he had such a great time.

September

Just back from a fabulous weekend in Rome with friends. Sun oh so lovely and good food. Late breakfast and afternoon naps made the visit paradise for me. Thanks so much Terry and John. Lots happening here. School - yes we have two boys in school now. Only 3 at home. I am having such a good time the mornings are so easy and quiet. Lots of work travel for Jon and then a marathon to run. Maxim's birthday is on the 15th and we will be celebrating with lots of chocolate cake. Baby number six will love this I have no more nausea and am now eating for two!
Susan we love you and are thinking of you everyday at this time. I can not imagine how tough it must be to loose your home to fire.

Santa Monica Beach

Can not believe it is the last day of Aug. and summer is gone. The kids start school tomorrow and they are so excited. LA beaches are far away now and it is raining cats and dogs here.
Oh well soon it will be Halloween. Yippee.

A little trip

So I completed mission impossible - I took a trip without any kids! (We won't count the one growing inside me). It was a fantastic trip. One week of bliss. In fact nothing phased me, this trip was sure to be the best as for the first time in six years I was in charge. Yes, no baby, toddler, child to pull on my arm and direct my day. Amazing I felt like a queen the entire time. You could loose my luggage, burn my toast, set off the hotel fire alarm and it would still have been the best holiday ever. (Now none of these things did happen, I did have the usual delays but I don't even remember them.) This is one of my favorite views in SF. I took this photo the minute we arrived and after bought an heirloom tomato to snack on. The thing I miss most about CA is fresh produce - they don't know how lucky they are. Here in Dublin I dream about a fridge full of ripe red tomatoes. Can't wait to be back.

Sun Sun Sun

It is a fantastic day here in Dublin. The hottest we have had this year I would say and we are off to the beach. There will be a lot of people in swimming and hopefully our guys will get a chance to cool off in the water. Pics to follow.

Wool behaving badly

This beautiful alpaca from a farm in Santa Barbara has gotten into a tangle. Then I let my four years old help untangle it. Bad went to worse and now we have what you see here. There goes my next free hour.

Noro color

Just finished knitting this for Zoë. It is silk and wool mix beautiful for an Irish summer. My knitting projects are picking up speed now that I am in the second trimester and don't feel so sea sick all the time. I might even finish an adult sized something!

Who?

The boys and I have decided that our Zoë is really like Olivia from the Olivia books.

Baeutiful Day

It is a truly beautiful day here in Dublin. I walked the west pier for the first time in two years since we moved back here. I bought a bucket and spade for the boys and they are off to the beach. Lots of people are in swimming. It is a full 20 C or 68 F.

At the table

Now you see Zoe has graduated to the big kids table. Her spot has moved Liam down a notch. She shows her appreciation by screeching loudly for service. As you have by now noticed we have so many kids that getting them all in the one photo is beyond me.

Crafts

After the park the boys are sitting up to do more crafting. Maxim is in his green Spiderman T-shirt which he was just re-united with and I now can't prize it away. Lex is showing me something very small but he is very proud of and well, Eoin not really crafting. He is just having a snack.

Yum Yum

Fruits of this morning work. It is hot and over cast here so we are expecting a storm. Lex keeps saying "this is as hot as it gets here, right?" It is 18 c or 64 F so I am not too sure where he gets this but he also reassures Maxim that when he grows up he will own a cannon and they will "love it".

Where oh where does time go?

Ok this morning got off to a good start but it is eleven and I have touch nothing on my list. I did stretches with boys. But then Liam side tracked me by wanting me to make scones and then I realized the kitchen needed a clean. The chickpeas that were soaking over night were done so they needed a little attention. Made a plan for the afternoon - who am I kidding - plans don't work! This afternoon is going to be about as organized as this am.

Reading

I am reading a great book by Nobel prize wining economist Paul Krugman "The return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008" certainly worth a read. The only draw back is I have to put it down after about a page and a half to contemplate all he had just said. I am afraid I am not loaning this book you will have to get your own copy.

Exhausting the boys

We went to two parks today just to wear the boys out. Really it is just like having puppies. They even play catch.

So much to do

Today I had so many things calling for my attention - my knitting, my writing, my reading, e-mail, phone calls, etc so I ditched them all and went to the park. Love my life nothing is more important than playtime.

Rain Rain Rain

When it rains they say it pours certainly has today. The boys were afraid I would flood the house just by opening the window. In fact I, the curtains, the carpet and the toys did get rather wet. But I just felt today I couldn't give in to the rain. It wins everyday. We constantly run for cover so when I just wanted a little air I did battle. Mother nature always wins. Lesson learned.
One of my best friends just had Mother nature pull a fast one on her. She went for a routine ultrasound scan to see heart beat and low and behold - identical twins! She is one in 250 births. Always the unexpected. Now I am terrified of going for my scan I am not sure I could handle my sixth and seventh child at once!

Eoin's 2nd Birthday

5 4 3 2 - Now we have a five year old a four year old a three year old and a two year old in the house. Fun, fun, fun! Eoin blew out all candles in one go as we sung the "B" song.

Bigger boys

Maxim and Lex love this climbing web thing but note those lovely clouds behind them!

Irish twins

Eoin and Zoë in blackrock park swings. They both love a picnic in the park even if we have to hide from the rain showers in the train station - such is summer in Dublin.

Paris Fashion Week

We saw the Damir Doma Fashion walk in Le Palais de Tokyo in Paris. It was so Cool.
We cycled around Paris at sunset and danced all night at the Bagatelle.

Sunshine

It was so good to have a few days of sun in Santa Barbara. Zoë got her first swimsuit and went swimming with her buddy Marshall. I had a wonderful time - good food, good company and warm weather a perfect combination.

Long walk

We assembled the team and lead a train on a three mile walk this morning. On our arrival in the park Liam lay down and said when are we going home for nap. What fun. Our philosophy is stress the kids before they stress you. On getting home four hours later everyone took a three hour nap.
We had to wake Lex and Liam who's first conversation was about how Liam's Polish man could beat up Lex's! Apparently they both have a polish man at home!

A Sunny Saturday

We had a beautiful sunny day today in Dublin. The kids were in the garden all day. We made Pizza for lunch with black olives and artichokes.

Nice in Nice

This little girl was all about the butter croissants in France. I had to agree they warrant this smile.

Grand prix

While Dad is watching the real thing. I am training the drivers of the future.

Little Miss is Driving

We had a lovely morning in the garden here in Dublin and the sun shone for 3 hours. A few rain showers in the afternoon didn't stop us digging and planting. The kids are very tired as the days are very long we have sun light from 5am to 11pm crazy!

Princcess Zoe Siegel

Lex says at dinner "I am going to marry" well that is great and the obvious question is quickly asked by Dad "who?" Lex answers "well, Princess Zoe of course" Maxim then adds "but Pirates don't marry Princesses"