Here you go. I just never remember to take a picture, so this afternoon, when I had a spare second, I grabbed Maya and had her snap one.  Here at Simply Serina, you get the real deal; I had just ground wheat into flour and washed the dishes. That’s flour on my yoga pants.

Isn’t that a big baby?

I have used the same navy mini Eddie Bauer bag for the past seven years, and it’s been a great workhorse for me. It’s small, easily wipeable, durable, and holds what it needs to. (I don’t have a pic of it, but imagine your basic boxy little diaper bag with nylon strap, and you have it. I think it was, and is, sold at Target.)

(Important Detail: I love that the strap is adjustable to make it hang on my stroller without hitting the wheels, or sling over one shoulder, or wear across my body or behind my back, hands-free. I’ve been having trouble with my shoulders, mostly caused by my exclusive wearing of purses and totes on my right shoulder for all of my adolescent and adult life. My right shoulder sticks up higher than my left! So I need to be wearing a diaper bag either across my body, or on my left shoulder. But my left shoulder is wimpy, due to neglect, so the bag always falls down. Moving on…)

But beyond that fact that it’s boring and totally uninspiring, it’s too small for two in cloth diapers. I’m always grateful that we don’t have to haul around anything for bottle feeding, because that would necessitate an even bigger bag, but two in cloth diapers will be enough. (Don’t forget sippy cups, snacks, extra changes of clothes, wet bag for dirties, small toys and a book or two, my wallet and keys…) I haven’t had two in diapers for over four years, and back then, I remember trying to cram it all into the teeny diaper bag and getting frustrated that it wouldn’t fit. Good solution, yes?

So I’m on the hunt. I’m going to sew myself a cute diaper bag. It has to be made out of durable fabric that I enjoy looking at and wearing. It has to be washable. It has to have lots of pockets. The strap has to be comfy. And did I mention it has to be cute? Because if I’m going to haul around a gigantic diaper bag, it better not look like a diaper bag, and I’d better not mind wearing it.

I’ve narrowed it down to four five six choices. (Added two while googling around for this post!) They aren’t all necessarily designed to be diaper bags, but since I can modify the interior pockets to fit my needs, they will all work beautifully. I will also make sure whatever bag I choose has a place for sippy cups, a place for keys, a cell phone pocket, somewhere for my big wallet, and someplace to stash my lip gloss. Here we go…I want to hear your votes!

(For more links to lots of tote/bag tutorials and patterns, many free, check out my links page.)

Amy Butler Nappy Bag

I love the look of this bag. If you search for “Amy Butler Nappy Bag” on Flickr, you’ll get lots of samples of of other people’s work to peruse. The positives: it’s huge, it’s cute, and I already own the pattern. (I intended to sew it up before Asher was born. See how far I got on that? I bought the pattern.) The negatives: It can only be worn on one shoulder, and I think I need the hands-free option of slinging a diaper bag across my body and shoving it around to my back while I wrestle a toddler and baby.

Pink Chalk Studio Mail Sack

This would make a great diaper bag, and give me a chance to use two coordinating fabrics on the outside of the bag, in addition to something cute on the inside as lining. As you can see, it is designed to be worn across the body, so no shoulder issues. However, I wonder if it will be too deep and not wide enough, making things difficult to find? Again, head over to Flickr and search “Pink Chalk Studio Mail Sack” to see some seriously cute stuff.

Amy Butler Birdie Sling

Totally adorable. Again, a chance to showcase two fabrics on the exterior, plus at least one more inside. It’s huge, and easy to sew (from what I’ve read). Negatives: only worn on one shoulder, deeper than it is wide.

Pleated Beauty Handbag from Bend-the-Rules Sewing

(Totally nabbed that photo from my sister’s Flickr photostream; I knew she wouldn’t mind. Hey, I bought her the book…) I really like this tote from Amy Karol’s book Bend-the-Rules Sewing, which I happen to own. (No pattern to buy, see?.) It’d be easy to turn into a diaper bag. I could see it in a khaki linen with a cute blue or green print peeking out from the pleats…if you search for “Pleated Beauty Handbag” on Flickr, you’ll see lots of options! Anyways, negatives: the straps are skinny (I could modify this, of course, but it would change the look of the bag significantly, in my opinion) and it wouldn’t work as an across-the-body bag, either.

Hot Mama Messenger-Style Diaper Bag

This pattern was designed by a cloth diapering mom, so I know it would fit enough cloth diapers for at least one. It’s cute, and I could wear it across my body and save my shoulder. I also love supporting a fellow mom in her work. However, for my purposes, I’m not sure it’s going to be big enough.

The Lucky Baby Convertible Diaper Bag

I really like how versatile this bag is. Designed by the same mama as the Hot Mama Messenger-Style Diaper Bag (above), this one can be worn over the shoulder, messenger-style, or across the back (there are backpack straps on the back). It was designed to be worn with many different styles of baby carriers, hence the versatility. The only negative I can think of right now is that it’s a little boxy, and I wanted to avoid a boxy diaper bag. (That sounds really dumb now that I type it out, but if I’m going to put all the time and effort into this thing, I’d better make sure I’m going to like it!)

Okay, whew. What do you think? What’s your fave? Have another diaper bag pattern to link to? Trust me, I’ve probably seen them all, but you never know!

It’s gray and wet outside. Also, cold. And still hunting season. I need a nice, refreshing walk to lift my mood, but looks like it won’t happen today…

• Related to hunting season: I start hearing guns go off (mostly target practice) in early- to mid-October. It gets more frequent until 11/15, opening day. Then I count down the days until December, when I feel safe walking to get the mail with the kids again. Most folks around here have 10-20 acres, with a few huge megafarms of hundreds of acres (as well as a few 1-5 acre parcels) mixed in here or there. So we’re close enough to all the neighbors to worry about stray shots.
• I’m feeling blah, stir crazy, down in the dumps this week. I don’t know exactly why. Hoping to get out of this little depression soon; too much to do to be feeling whiny.
• I’ll be 33 weeks pregnant tomorrow. That’s a little insane. But also, I feel like I’d like to have this baby now, so then it feels like I should be 39 instead.
• Related: too much to do before baby comes. That’s okay. It will either get done, or not. I want to get the craft/guest room ready (painting and replacing baseboards would be nice, too), install the tile hearth, mini-remodel the bathroom (goodbye, moldy cabinet), paint the stairs, organize the garage, finish painting the laundry room, re-organize the master bedroom to make room for baby…but it won’t all get done. Especially with a husband working two jobs.
• Simultaneously,  I want/need to craft a ton of stuff for Christmas. I’ll do what I can. I’m most excited about sewing up some stuff for the kids, and knitting up some cute things for extended family/friends.
• Sleep is a joke. Between peeing and flipping to relieve the sore hip I’m currently sleeping on, I’m up every 30-45 minutes all night, most nights.
• Baby is still active, but he’s slowing down. Not much room in there.
• I feel like I look 63 weeks pregnant.
• Weight gain slowed down the past few weeks, but still creeping up. I think I’m up two pounds in the past two or three weeks.
• I miss salad. We ate all the greens in the garden. Should have planted more. I’m going to have to (*gasp*) buy some at the store.
• Jason and I have a couple of names we wouldn’t mind naming our son. This is a huge accomplishment. Still, a far cry from loving a name and knowing it’s For Definite Sure The One, but progress none the less. Need to work on middle names, though.
• I still have to do birthday updates for Maya and Asher. Part of the hesitation is that I want to load pictures, and again, no room on my computer.
• I’m starting to realize how much I need a new computer. I haven’t had one since college (probably over ten years ago), and have relied on my old computer, then a couple of hand-me-downs. When Jason’s home and not using his laptop, the girls enjoy watching an educational video once in a while. I introduced Ellery to Starfall.com the other day, and she liked it a lot. But I can’t plan that into her school day, because I don’t have sound on my computer. Also, my computer is very slow and has a propensity for freezing up at random. Not so handy.
• I like very much to make do with what I have, and I hate craving/needing something new. So it’s difficult for me to want a new computer.
• My Links page is back up – sort of. I had to change the permalink to get it back, so now all the folks who have linked to me from other websites won’t get the Links page when they click over. I’m really, really frustrated over the whole deal.
• Very excited to make Pumpkin Pudding tonight. Working on freezing up the last of the pumpkin puree from our garden pumpkins.
• Ellery is reading! She’s just started sounding out words, and is doing great.

Blah. Need a pick-me-up. Someone come take me to dinner, or bring me a pie, or something!

It’s a cloudy, cool day. But the weekend was gorgeous! It was like the summer we never had…

• Still haven’t fixed my Links page. It’s really driving me nuts. And it’s difficult to get help via WordPress, though I’ve gotten some. Still, it’s not fixed. I’m very frustrated over it.
• We are still getting about 8 eggs a day. With 12 layers, shorter days, and cooler weather, that’s not so bad.
• My stab at dehydrating jalapeno peppers didn’t pan out too well. I dried them forever and EVER, put them in a glass jar, and now (weeks later), there’s mold. Next year, I’ll cut them in half and remove the seeds first. Or just chop and freeze.
• All of the herbs that I had drying in my kitchen (basil, thyme, oregano, lemonbalm, mint) are now stored in quart-size mason jars in cupboards. They smell great, were super easy to dry, and taste so much fresher than anything I’ve ever bought at the store. I can’t believe I haven’t done this before. It’s so easy!
• Why isn’t anyone selling a decent double jogger stroller? I want to buy used, for both frugal and environmental reasons, but only the occasional double jogger pops up. And usually, it doesn’t look like it will withstand two boys for any length of time. I can’t imagine surviving daily trips to get the mail (1/2 mile round trip) with four children – including a baby and toddler – on our crazy rocky driveway without a decent jogger. And when we start having dairy animals someday (hopefully sooner than later), we’ll need a sturdy double jogger to keep the little boys from running all over creation while I milk.
• Everyone raves over the BOB joggers. My friend in Pittsburgh bought one, and she loved how you could steer it with one hand, even on crazy Pittsburgh sidewalks (which are sometimes not all that different from my driveway, if you can believe it). I also read good things about the Mountain Buggy Urban Double. Too bad both doubles would set me back $500 – 600 each, or more. Which is why I continue to hunt for used…
• I still need to get those birthday posts up for M and A. I think I put it off because I get all emotional, thinking about what I’m going to say, and I put it off.

Ack! My links page is gone! (Click on the “Links” tab above. There are normally dozens of links there, but now it’s all wiped out, except for some generic WordPress links.)

I can still see all the links when I go to edit the page, but no matter how much I edit and re-publish, the page is still gone. Can anyone help me figure this out? Do you see the links still?

I use that links page all the time. And based on my stats, many of you do, too. Argh, argh, argh!

There’s an old dilapidated farmhouse on 100 acres for sale in my township. It’s your typical corn/soybean rotation industrial monocrop, but such beautiful land. And the farmhouse – it’s in shambles, but all I can see is potential. I haven’t even seen the inside; I don’t need to. I’m sure it’s horrible and wonderful all at the same time.

The asking price is $999,999. It’s in a prime development area for a residential subdivision, and clearly only a developer could afford to pay a cool million for that property. No farmer, big or small, would be able to swing that.

*Sigh*

Our township is largely rural/agricultural, and from talking to neighbors, most folks want it to stay that way. But there are a few developments cropping up here and there, and it’s definitely a place where developers see dollar signs. Looks like I need to get involved with local government and make sure our officials are truly representing the citizens, esp. when it comes to zoning.

I wish I could buy that farm and turn it into organic gardens and pasture land. I’d even rather see the corn/soybean rotation than a development.

Jason planted our garlic last Thursday, 10/29/09. We’re a couple of weeks behind last year (10/12/08), but there’s been so much rain that we just did it when we could.

I pulled out our garlic harvest and sorted out a large bowl full of the largest heads. From those, I plucked the largest cloves, totalling 115 (or more, Jason thinks). We’ll eat what’s left, but it won’t last us all winter. That’s okay. It’s so tasty!

We didn’t do any fancy prep this year; no time. We didn’t peel them, or soak them overnight in baking soda water, or dip them in rubbing alcohol for 3-4 minutes prior to planting.  (These are all probably great things to do, and we did them last year, but there wasn’t time this year. So we’ll have next summer’s harvest to compare, and see if all the prep last year was really worth it.) Jason dug up the northwest row (where peas were planted this year) inside the big garden fence and planted the garlic right in the ground, 3-4″ deep, three rows 12″ apart, 6″ spacings within the row. We decided to space the rows further apart this year so that the garlic doesn’t need to be watered unless it gets really dry; last year, we planted 6″ spaces and 6″ rows in order to fit them all in our little prepared raised bed. But we have more space ready this year, so we stretched them out a bit.

Hopefully, we’ll get a good harvest next July!

Okay, someone agree with me that it’s INSANE that Asher is two today. Anyone? Because I can hardly believe it.

Here’s a link to his birth story. I just re-read it and got teary eyed. Can’t wait to do it again in a couple of short months! I think mothers feel differently on birthdays than other folks do; it’s the anniversary of my giving birth to him! Such an amazing thing. I don’t care if I never wear a bikini again; I grew and gave birth to another human being!

This means the October Birthday Roundup is nearly over. It’s always so exhausting and emotional, celebrating my husband’s birthday, my own birthday (30 this year, whew!), and two of my sweet kids’. All the crafting, planning, cooking, baking, wrapping, unwrapping, pictures, sweets…I need a nap.

Look for birthday posts for Maya and Asher in the week to come, as well as a homeschool update, a garden review, and knitting pictures. (The excitement never ends, does it? I know, you can hardly contain yourself.)

As Asher says every time he sees a candle, “Happy to you!”

Happy to you, sweet, sweet boy.

Is it bad that I’ve been knitting forever, but I’m not sure I’m getting any better?

I love to knit. But I am mostly self-taught, with a little help from my friend Tricia in college, and a lot of help from books and (lately) grainy internet videos.  (With no sound. I don’t have speakers on this dinosaur.) Problem is, there’s only so much you can learn from a book. Sometimes, you just need someone to show you how to do it.

I need a knitting mentor! Anyone want the job? I can pay you in cookies (or bread or home-cooked meals or farm fresh eggs) and gratitude. Must be chatty (or a good listener; I’m chatty enough for the both of us) and live near by!

I need to learn how to do the following:

• Seaming. I hate seaming, I’m terrible at it, and no amount of video-watching is helping. I will post pictures of Asher’s sweater as proof; there are only two seams, under each arm, and they look TERRIBLE. Just wait. At least I’m in good company; the venerable Elizabeth Zimmerman also hated seaming, though I’m certain she was much better at it than me.
• Weaving in Ends. Or learning ways to hide ends, without having to weave them. Asher’s sweater is striped, and my heavens, THE ENDS. I’ve tried weaving, I’ve tried hiding, I’ve tried felting, I’ve even tried knotting (in desperation). No years of experience will improve my dealings with ends, I am convinced.
• Purling. Another similarity between EZ and I. (Don’t think I’m comparing myself to her; I’m not. She’s, like, ten classes above me. It’s just that I find comfort in disliking the same things as she.) And okay, I do know how to purl. Come on. But while my continental/German knitting is getting quite good, I’m terrible at purling continental. And rib knit? Forget about it. My gauge is so loose when I rib that I have to go two needles sizes down just to come close to what my gauge will be when I switch to stockinette (say, for a hat). Things like seed stitch are like torture.
• Cables. I’ve never tried. Scared.
• Intarsia. Also never tried. More scared.
• Knitting on DPNs. Circular knitting? Check. Using double pointed needles? Fail. I’m terrible at it. It takes me twice as long to finish a hat on DPNs as it does to do the first 2/3 of it on a circ. I’m that slow. I feel like an awkward teenager; I just can’t figure out how to hold the needles so they work right.

Okay, so after reading the above, you will conclude that I’m only good for knitting large seamless tubes (trash can cozy, anyone?), or perhaps making garter stitch washcloths. And you’d probably be right.

In all truth, I’m not that bad of a knitter. I’ve taught quite a few folks to knit, successfully, which means I must know something. But those items in bold up there? They’re holding me back. I need someone like EZ to be my grandma or aunt and teach me all the things I just can’t do well. My LYS (local yarn shop) will only help you if you pay them hourly; I’m not even kidding. I went in, once, when Maya was a baby, to ask for help on a pattern. They turned me down and handed me a flyer with their class and personal tutoring rates. (Guess how much business they’ve gotten from me? Seriously, how alienating can they be?)

I’m thinking of hitting up the local senior center.

Wherein I type as my little listy brain desires.

• We have lived here over a year now. Whenever I get discouraged by the ups and downs of our first big garden, I remember meals like last night: herb roasted chicken, spaghetti squash, roasted sweet potatoes, baechu kimchi, radish kimchi…all grown on our farm…in addition to rice, apple crisp from locally produced apples and honey, and local organic apple cider.  With God’s help, we have accomplished so much on house and farm over the last year.
• When I actually think about all we’ve done to the house and grounds here, and force myself to list it out, it’s really quite amazing. But a personal struggle I have is that all I can see is what isn’t done. I bet many of you can relate. You walk in and see the amazing transformed fireplace, floors, walls; I see unfinished baseboards and a lack of appropriate living room seating. You drive by and see our enormous garden; I drive by and see weeds and fall garden work yet to be done. You see our charming laying flock; I see a pasture longing for goats. You see all the living spaces that I’ve cleaned up for you; I see all the boxes and chaos and clutter behind closed doors.
• Part of my recent need to get more work done is the ticking clock that is pregnancy and new life. Ten-ish weeks left, and those will be filled with one last October birthday (three down, one to go!), Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas…
• My sweet, darling, amazing firstborn turned SEVEN last Friday. I know every mother says this, but where does time go? How do I have a seven-year-old? I hope to get a birthday post up this week, before my little Asher turns TWO on Friday and gets a post of his own.
• We are hoping to sell our 2000 Toyota Sienna XLE in order to purchase a used diesel Suburban with a snow plow. More seating, more hauling power, the ability to clear our own quarter-mile-long country lane driveway, all for only a small trade-off in gas mileage.
• We really need to be able to clear the snow from our driveway without shoveling this year. With Jason’s two jobs and my big ole belly, there won’t be man power to get it done by hand.
• Are you (or anyone you know) hunting for a great deal on a solid minivan? Let me know.
• Are you (or anyone you know) selling a diesel Suburban, with or without a snow plow? Please holler.
• I dream of using our yet-to-be-bought Suburban to haul a camper out west with my family. We want to take our time heading out, stop and see the sights along the way, then saunter up the west coast to see all our friends and family: LA, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle. Then head back east a different way, see more stuff. We’d cook most of our own meals, making sure to shop at as many farmer’s markets as we could (how fun and delicious does that sound?). Maybe two months. A working vacation; Jason can bring work along, if it’s summer. No garden that year, of course. But wouldn’t it be awesome? Once in a lifetime.