'tis the month of UFOs!

Now that Spring has finally arrived, I have dedicated the month of April to my unfinished craft and home projects. I have been a very busy little bird, too--especially considering we went to Racine to visit family for five days at the beginning of the month. The weather around here has been absolutely perfect, thanks to dear Mother Nature. On April 1, we took a day trip to the Cincinnati Zoo for their spring blooms and to meet the new manatees. The daffodils were lovely and the animals were absolutely energetic. Here are the girls, who wouldn't sit still long enough for a posed picture:

When we were in Racine, we gathered for brunch on Easter Sunday at David's sister's house, and all four children had a very exstensive egg hunt. Evelyn helped Max (almost 4) find his eggs. They made a great team together! Here is Evelyn, showing off her collection:

And this is Esme, who had more eggs then Eva because she went to a part of the yard where no one else was hunting for eggs:

When we were in Wisconsin, we got some mega thrifting done. I got three sweaters ($2 each), a pair of jeans ($3), two pairs of nice knit socks ($0.50 each), and a TON of metal knitting needles ($0.50/set)--three sets of straight needles and two sets of double-pointed needles. If I'd had more time, I would have spent it sorting through the rest of the box of needles to make more DPN sets to bring home. They also had a bunch of yarn, which I unfortunately did not look at (though I wanted to!). I also got my summer handbag; it's another hula bag! Here's a picture:

We also found two nifty hats, one for each of the girls ($1 each) and a lovely like-new crochet toddler blanket ($3)! David found a BUNCH of stuff, too, but I just cannot keep track of what he got. Racine thrift shops are better than any other thrift shops anywhere!

David gave me my birthday present early since he picked it up when we were in Racine. I needed to despretly make space for it since it was a new flat TV! That is what spurred me to purge and complete unfinished projects. We moved out the old TV and the beautiful wooden armoire (which will soon be repurposed as a new cage for our snake). I put the new TV over the fireplace mantle, where it is absolutely perfect. We moved the piano into the entry way near the front door and David put his Jade Buddha on it with several of his own sculptures. It looks great!

I have a shelf to hang above the piano to put up more drums and a mirror for over the bookcase. Hopefully I will get to those this week.

I have been going through old cloths and toys and everything else that has piled up lately. I got rid of three bags of cloths and linens and two boxes of old appliances and other kitchen do-dads that we do not use anymore. I have two or three bags of books and movies to take to work. I weeded the garden and cleaned up the yard, David pruned the trees and shrubs, we planted seeds and picked out a new selection of shells for Luna, our hermit crab, to choose from. We are painting the trim and soffit on the outside of our house this week. Our daffodils were in full bloom at the beginning of the month, now the tulips are out.

The holly and blueberries are blooming, too.

Knitting has been keeping me busy. I have so many hibernating knitting projects, it is honestly ridiculous! I am also participating in four swaps in the next month (two of which I have almost all done), and the girls each have a swap, too. The girls always get very excited when they receive something in the mail, and another mother contacted me in the hopes of having a swap partner for her nine year old daughter. As a result, I thought it would be wonderful to organize a swap with a bunch of participants of all ages, o I started a Mother-Chid Craft Swap on Ravelry! The swap is not just for knitting, but for crafts in general. The sign-up deadline for the Spring swap is April 21--feel free to join us if you are interested!

So far, I have completed several knitting projects this month. I knit five cloths, two for my mother-in-law, three for my washcloth swap group. I also finished a knit hat for David in Hogwarts theme so that he can officially show his support of the Gryffindor House Quidditch Team! Project 42/52 for my 52 Project Challenge.

I finally finished the pair of socks that have been in hibernation for over six months. I really hated socks until I found the right pattern, Basic Ribbed Socks by Kate Atherley. Let me tell you, I tore out the beginning of this project so many times. I also changed patterns three times because I didn’t like how things were turning out. My gauge was off, too, every time! I was frustrated beyond words. I finally set the project in the bottom of my knitting basket until I dug it out last week. I diligently worked on them. Now, I can finally say that I’m done! I love these socks! Love them! I love the pattern! The yarn, Bamboo & Ewe, was very nice, too! Project 41/52 for my 52 Project Challenge.

And because it seems like nearly everyone in my life must procreate, I am in the process of knitting oodles of baby goodies. Since they are gifts, I will not post pictures quite yet, but I promise you there is some serious cuteness lined up!