ello guvnah... {and president}

This past Tuesday Maki and I had the awesome opportunity to hear President Obama speak! The President visited Milwaukee to campaign for gubernatorial hopeful, Mary Burke. {Of course she spoke too. But that's only significant if she wins, right?}
I was a little apprehensive about the entire experience from the onset. First off, I hate lines and I hate crowds. I was nervous about how he would take to so much happening around him. Well I shouldn't have been nervous at all. My little guy is a trooper. We waited two and half hours in dropping temperatures and spent another two hours inside the event. Maki behaved better than I ever could have expected.

The weather has been pretty moody in Milwaukee the past few weeks. Fall is trying to hang on while Winter seems to be gaining turf. Tuesday was a warm Autumn day, riding the unseasonably high temps from Monday but as the sun dipped off into the cityscape it took all traces of warmth with it. Luckily for us, I had decided I would wear Maki during the event. I don't babywear much at all anymore. Maki has long outgrown his strappy carriers, and he's pretty much at the weight limit of the Moby wrap. {I've been begging Daddy for a toddler back carrier. The older Maki gets, the harder it is to justify the purchase.} Not to mention, he's so active I couldn't imagine a time when I'd need to wear him besides to an event like this one. But knowing that I'd be attending alone, strollers weren't allowed and there was no limited seating, I figured I'd better bust out the Moby and do my best with it. {Daddy joked that, Makis is so big now, I'd be strapping a man to my chest. Har har har!}
It was the perfect decision. The body heat kept both Maki and me warm as we waited in line. Maki being so close to me, kept him calm and gave him refuge from squealing admirers. And I did not have to deal with trying to chase, arm-carry, or keep up with a toddler. I was even able to breastfeed him in line and at the event without anyone even noticing.
Though, I must say that those hours of toddler wearing definitely took a toll on my body. By the end of the night, my legs were all wobbly and my biceps were super tight. When I laid down to sleep I could already feel my legs stiffening. The next day I woke up feeling like I had done an extreme total body workout--which I guess technically I did. Even my abs were sore.

Long lines, cold weather, achy body aside--I'm really glad I took Maki to see the President speak. I'm not really one to get star struck. And when faced with the aforementioned conditions, if making a decision for myself, I'd rather stay at home in my warm bed crocheting and watching Damages {my current Netflix binge}. I can catch the sound bites on the ten o' clock news. But this was another time where I felt that this opportunity wasn't for me. It was for my son. I took pictures, captured videos and have the ticket stub as a memento so that when Maki is older, he can look back on these things and know that he saw the President of the United States in person {whether he remembers it or not}. Not many people can say that.

Did you know:
You can request a greeting card signed by the sitting President to celebrate your baby's birth.

Maki's Presidential greeting from The Obamas.

Click here for more information.

P.S.- Tuesday was also Maki's half birthday! Happy 18 months, Maki!

crochet rocket

I've been teaching myself to crochet. {I have a hard time not reading the word crochet as crotch-it. Oh, the many idiosyncrasies of the English language.} I've wanted to learn how to crochet for a long time. I have always admired women {especially women my own age} who crochet. Looking at a finished piece was intimidating. I believed there was no way I could do something so intricate. Or that it was too late for me to learn to crochet. I seriously thought that. I don't know why I felt that way. I think maybe because I saw my sister learn at such a young age I felt, since I hadn't yet learned I would just never be one who crochets. I know that that doesn't really make much sense, but I think often times the things that prevent us from growing and trying new things never really make sense.

Using YouTube videos and my jack of all trades sister's advice I have learned a few of the basic stitches: single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), half double crochet (hdc), and treble or triple crochet (tr or trc). I've made a couple scarves and hats as well as a couple bows for a friend's pooch. The bows are incredibly easy and quick to make. They are so cute and can be used as jewelry, hair and wardrobe accessories, crafting projects and I'm sure much more. I'm lightly toying with the idea of making some for sale. But I'm not really ready for that, so maybe further down the line, it's something I might consider more seriously.

Check out a few of my completed projects:

My very first crochet project.

A newborn hat for my expected niece/nephew.

An blurry action shot of Maki wearing a beanie I crocheted.

My first attempt at crochet bows.

Lessons learned the hard way:

Buy enough yarn to complete your project all at the same time.

I picked up some yarn to make a hat and scarf set for my nephew. Being new to crocheting, I wasn't really sure how much yarn I should get, so I started with one roll. {I could always come back and get more, right?} Wrong! Half way through the scarf, I ran out of yarn, so I returned to the store for more yarn. I bought two rolls: one to complete the scarf, and the other for the hat. When I got home I realized that while on the label, they were the same color, the two rolls I had purchased must have come from different lots as the dye varied slightly, albeit noticeably. One of the newly purchased rolls was a perfect match to the half completed scarf, so I used that one to complete the other half. The off color yarn, I used for the hat. 

{Problem solved, right?} Wrong! 

Half way through the hat, guess what!? I ran out of yarn. Back to the store I went. This time I was a little concerned if I would be able to find a color similar to the roll I used for the hat, since it was an off color to begin with. So I brought the hat with me, so I could match it up as best as possible. To my dismay, the color was completely sold out! There wasn't an on or off color to be found. So I chose a solid color to best match it. I plan to undo some of the hat and re-crochet introducing the solid color early on so it doesn't look like a last minute "I ran out of yarn" switch. Lesson learned for the next time.

Did you know:

Photo Source

• Before hooks, people used their fingers to crochet? Considering crocheting is basically the knotting of loops, this doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to accomplish. Although, I imagine a career crocheter would have a serious case of carpal tunnel. 
• There is a worldwide graffiti knitting movement known as yarn bombing. Wikipedia credits Magda Sayeg of Houston, Texas as the founder of the spreading movement in which public spaces, fixtures and items are partially or entirely fitted with a knitted or crocheted cozy. An Instagram search for #yarnbombing yields over forty variations of hashtags, the largest with over twenty thousand posts!