There were several things I wanted to share today. Pictures of the tree, thoughts on owning an Etsy shop, shots of some finished knits. But instead we had a super fun play-date, a long nap, and then ...





Hooray!

and then this happened

Nov 30, 2011


congrats to Katie, who was the first ever #1 pick from Random.org (which is the site I use to pick winners), and won the Apples and 'Nanas Giveaway!
Kate Deals said...
I love the Giraffe ABCs bib and burp cloth set

Katie, can you e-mail me at rmcdevine@gmail.com to claim your prize?!

and the winner is ...








More morning snuggles with Grandma Mimi. I think if Owen could start every day like this, he'd be the happiest guy in the world.

The Huskers played Iowa, and WON! I hoped for a shut-out so I could hold it over Dan for the next 364 days, but Iowa managed to get one touchdown. No photos during the football game (too busy watching), but Zach managed to snap one of Grandpa Snazzy watching on his very own little television while eating chili.

This is a family that loves their dominoes, so when it was discovered that a few little hands had mixed together several incompatible sets, several folks took to dividing them up and getting them ready to be used for domino play. after a heated game using "double twelves" Uncle Brian won, and our little family decided to head back home.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving/Christmas traditions includes dragging our decorations and tree out as soon as Thanksgiving is over and starting the process of decorating the house for the holiday season! Because we didn't get home until Friday afternoon, we didn't get things fully decorated until later than usual, but it was such a treat to pull everything out of the basement Friday night!

Owen was not impressed.

And thanks to the lights dying on our older fake tree, we got a new one!!!



Don't forget about the Cyber Monday sale going on right now in the shop - there's bunches of READY TO SHIP items (which i'll be adding to all week .... sssshhhh!), and you can always order something Made-To-Order as well! I'll be offering up the Cyber Monday discount codes the rest of the week!

the day after thanksgiving

Nov 28, 2011











Thanksgiving day. We were at the cabin this year, spent the night Wednesday and Thursday.

Early morning snuggles with Grandma Mimi. Owen likes to wake up at 5am and then get snuggles until around 8am. Zach was amazing and got up with him both days so I could get some sleep, and by the time I woke up, Owen was ready for the day and getting plenty of loving from his extended family!

Lots of food (no photos - too busy eating!). Favorites: honey-glazed ham, Boston Market style potatoes, making turkey sandwiches with the rolls all evening, the pumpkin bars ... we never did figure out who brought those!

Lots of football, Owen watched with dad.

Kenzie wanted to learn to knit - she had it DOWN in five minutes flat, and spent the rest of her day with two sticks and some string like a pro.

I learned to play Frisco, although Zach beat everyone, thanks to his little Owen helper! He loved playing cards with daddy, and didn't want to go to bed when it was time!

a few from thanksgiving

Nov 27, 2011

That's right, it's a CYBER MONDAY sale! As promised, I'm offering up a few different coupon codes - pick the one you want, so you can get the best deal for you!

FREESHIP - this will give you free shipping on your entire order! (perfect if you're just ordering one item)

CYBER2011 - this will give you a cool 15% off your entire order! (i'd use this if i was picking up a number of items - 15% off can add up super fast!)

I've listed as many READY TO SHIP items as possible in their own separate category - there's Simple Slouch Hats, Naomi Hats, Mustard Scarves, fun items from the Holiday Sparkle line, and new to the shop ...



Kid-Sized Ear Flap Beanies!

These adorable beanies are available in a variety of colors and are sized to fit up to a child around 5 years old (sizing is given in each listing so you can be sure the hat you're buying is the right size for the babe in question). I'll be listing Kid-Sized Ear Flap Beanies as made-to-order items in a few days, but for the Cyber Monday sale all beanies are READY TO SHIP!

cyber monday sale!

i cannot believe another month has flown by, my little man! so much has happened - you have grown in so many ways, and yet i cannot begin to imagine just how much more growing you've got still to do!


you started out the month a very willing model for me - now at three months you HATE to be disturbed when chewing your hands or talking to your guys (the mobile above your crib) to model something for mama. i have to trick you into it, or strategically cut your face out of photos, thanks to the tears! maybe once you're sitting by yourself this will change, but for now i've let go of the thought of posed photos.



as you've grown from eight to twelve weeks, your faces and expressions have gotten larger. from your man-sized yawns (and burps!) to your surprise when you discovered your hands or that you could interact with the toys on your play gym, your facial expressions have me grabbing for the camera several times a day!

you love to "give me the eyebrows" when on your changing table, as well. the double eyebrow raise, followed by a huge grin and giggle always means something interesting is waiting for us in your pants. and you LOVE to be naked or diaper-only ... you'll sit on your changing pad forever if only you can do so in just a diaper!



Halloween was a blast with you! you love being around as many people as possible, and while you weren't a big fan of your monkey costume, once we got you into just your skeleton sleeper, you showed off your smiles for everyone we saw!

plus, because you were so happy to see everyone, mom and dad got to dine on your candy for weeks! i'm betting we won't have too many years we can sneak that by you before you start hiding your candy from us!



also new this month:
  • sitting up in your bathtub, with help of course! you love to splash the water, and even have a few bath toys.
  • grabbing. you grab at your toys, at dad's glasses, at mama's hair. 
  • easier falling asleep at nap-time. where you used to fight it, once you toss out your third yawn, i turn you sideways in my arms, you snuggle in and are out.
  • bigger clothes!
  • bubbles and a few razzberries! you blow spit bubbles almost constantly now, and dad's teaching you how to razz.
  • you tell us so many stories with your coos and sounds. granted, you don't have words yet, but you are definitely saying something important every time!


it has been a month of discovery for you - from the water in your bathtub (which you LOVE splashing!) to your hands (the perfect chewing toys) to the toys on your play gym, as you've opened your clenched fists you've realized just how much there is to touch and grab.

here's to watching you discover snow, learning how fun it can be to be awake for longer stretches, and hopefully sleeping through the night more often than not ... you still love your 2am bottle! here's to more time spent with your play gym, more big yawns and stretches, and fun hand-knits for winter!

three months with Owen

Nov 23, 2011




This is a simple scarf for quick holiday knitting!

MATERIALS

One skein Red Heart Super Saver Multis/Ombres (100% acrylic; 135 yds / 123 meters per 70 grams)
One set size US 11 / 8.0 mm needles
Darning needle

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

4” wide (un-stretched) x 60” long

NOTE: GAUGE IS UNIMPORTANT FOR THIS SCARF, THANKS TO ALL-OVER RIBBING.

DOWNLOAD NOW

TWO BY TWO SCARF

Nov 22, 2011


i'm super excited to share today's featured sponsor with you! Apples and 'Nanas is run by my dear friend Whitney - can you believe we've known each other since we were 14?! her shop features amazing hand-made items for babies and kiddos, and i'm proud to have her as one of my sponsors!


I'm a busy mom of two lil ladies who enjoys working with her hands and loves being crafty (is that cheesy? idk).  My shop Apples & 'Nanas Boutique (named after my daughters Addie & Nora) is a collaborative effort with my mom.  I sew super soft homemade baby burp cloths, bibs and blankies.  My mom makes embroidered baby/toddler clothing and bibs.


My mother was always sewing me and my sister dresses and coordinating outfits when we were young, so I've always valued sewing as a skill.  Sometime in my mid-twenties, I decided to buy my first sewing machine and had my mom teach me some basics (I started with handbags).  When all my friends started having babies, I started making burp cloths and bibs for gifts and realized that it was something I really enjoyed doing. 


I get most of my inspiration from visits to the fabric store. I absolutely love going and finding new, fun fabrics that I can't wait to make something with.



Whitney would like to offer a bib/burp cloths set (a $25 value) or a baby blankie (a $21 value) today as a giveaway! The winner will be able to pick one of their choice from the amazing selection at Apples and 'Nanas!

To enter, visit the Apples and 'Nanas Boutique and then come back here and comment on your favorite item in the shop. For extra entries, comment with the following:

* Follow Minimalist Knitter on Twitter
* Like Minimalist Knitter on Facebook
* Like Apples and 'Nanas on Facebook


Winner will be chosen next Tuesday!
because he loves to sit up and look around so much (even if he can't do it by himself yet) and because he's been holding his head up for weeks now all by himself, Owen got himself a Bumbo chair last weekend!





he spent five minutes vacillating between "WAIT, WHAT?!?!" and total boredom with the whole thing. we have sat in our chair a few minutes each day since then, and each time it's the same thing - total disbelief that he can sit up somewhat on his own, followed by total boredom at the whole thing. i can't wait for him to figure out he can play with things while he's in there!

also loving about these photos: his face in the second from the bottom; the way his long hairs get all crazy and have a mind of their own; his falling-off white socks; that i managed to have him in Iowa colors (his uncle Dan's Alma Mater) all day without anyone noticing!

owen and his bumbo chair

Nov 18, 2011


While Minimalist Knitter is a smaller blog, our readership is growing monthly! Currently we have ...

390+ subscribers via Feedburner
12,500+ page views a month
420+ Twitter followers
In the last month we've grown from 10,000 page views a month to almost 15,000! Visitors came from sites such as: Becoming Minimalist, The Wiegands, The Anderson Crew, Srsly Liz, and Princess Lasertron! A portion of all sponsor revenue goes directly back into sponsoring other websites, helping grow the readership of this space, and thus your exposure!

All posts are listed via the blog, Feedburner (which reaches out to Google Reader and Blog Lovin'), Twitter, and our Facebook page!

If you're interested in sponsoring this space, writing a guest post, or offering up a giveaway, contact me at rmcdevine@gmail.com, or head to our Sponsor This Space page for more info!

sponsor us in december!


loving how gorgeous the fall leaves are. brighter and more brilliant than ever!

reading a new book, gifted to me by my mom. so far, so good!


learning how to use the new camera remote ...

and pretending our house doesn't always look that messy behind me!


loving his swing for 20 minutes at a time.

gearing up for Holiday Made Simple 2011!


attempting to crochet as many baby hats as i can in two weeks!

hoping this will help prep me for 2012 goals!

what are you doing lately?

lately

Nov 16, 2011


the winner of the Holiday Mini-Book from Elise is ...

Danielle said...
I follow Elise through my Google reader

Danielle - congrats! please contact me at rmcdevine@gmail.com to claim your prize!

and the winner is ..

Nov 15, 2011

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