A Post for February

Wow, has it really been a month since I last posted? As always, the days are getting ahead of me! Is it as busy at your house as it is at mine?

It is starting to look like spring around here! There are daffodils and hyacinths popping up all over the place. While the breeze is still cold, we are experiencing warmer weather and springs rains!  We are also preparing for Easter, even though it is so late this year (April 24th). I love the little ceramic eggs that my girls colored for me:

 

I am knitting frantically for Easter now. I am making a Bunny Tail Hat from Itty-Bitty Hats for all three of my kids for their Easter pictures this year. Here is the first one:

Doodlebug models her new hat

My kids are in love with my knitting. On the Spud Says! Blog, Susan B. Anderson talked about how she  heard children were placing orders for toys from her book, Itty-Bitty Toys, as if it were a catalog. That is exactly what my kids do! They flip through all of my books and make requests. I will be a busy knitter for a very long time. Here is what I've made the last couple of weeks:

Here are the Happily-Ever-After mitts I made for myself

Here is a sweet hat I made for my little nephew. This was a pattern that I was given and I'm not sure where it came from

 

 

This Enora (named by Darling)

I love her spots!

Sleeping peacefully in a doll bed that was mine when I was a little girl

And, just for fun, here is a picture of Darling curled up in the blanket her Nana made when she was born:

 

Happy spring!

Favorite....Easter Baskets!

 How cute are these Easter baskets? I ordered these from PotterBarnKids.com and had them personalized. I actually purchased the green/yellow basket on the far left for my oldest daughter her first Easter. I tried to go back and buy another one in 2009 for my second daughter, but Pottery Barn Kids didn't offer these soft baskets! Needless to say, I was thrilled when I looked this year and they had brought them back. I went ahead and ordered the blue one for my little baby boy. He'll only be 4 months at Easter this year, but I didn't want to take a chance that Pottery Barn Kids wouldn't offer them next year.

These soft basket are my favorites for a couple of reasons. First, they are sooooo cute! Second, I feel that they are much better for toddlers than the traditional woven basket. For one thing, they are easier to hold and carry. For another, they can take way more damage. If you step on a woven basket or bang it around, that's it! It's ruined. If you chew on a woven basket, it is forever imprinted with bite marks, not to mention the danger of splinters! R actually trudged her basket through the mud, and while I don't know if these baskets are technically machine washable, I washed the green one and it came out with minimal wear, still holds its shape, and still looks fine.

Another reason I love these particular baskets, is that while they are more appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers, they will grow up with the kids and not be "baby-ish" the way that the chick- or bunny-shaped ones will be. Especially for a little boy. A ten-year-old boy will probably still want to hunt Easter eggs (for candy and money!), but he'd probably rather not have a basket shaped like a bunny. Unless it's a bunny with sharp, pointy teeth. But I'm not letting him watch Monty Python until he's 13, and besides, it would scare the small children.

I'm very excited about Easter this year. It was never a big holiday in my family (we were more into the true meaning than the pagan rituals), but I always did love a good egg hunt, and I think this will be the year for M to really get the concept. Should be lots of fun!

UPDATE: I just looked at the Pottery Barn Kids website, and it says the pink basket is no longer available! I just ordered mine last Tuesday. Whew! I'm glad I got it when I did!