New Doll Clothes

Sabina received a new doll outfit from Steve's mom today.  She enjoyed putting it on and then wearing the matching outfit herself.

Learning to Embroider

I recently bought a few embroidery loops, some burlap, and large tapestry needles in order to teach the kids how to do needlepoint.  They seem to enjoy it.

Purim

Ashi had a Purim party at his preschool today, which Steve took him and Beatrice to.  Ashi went as Peter Pan and Bea was Dorothy (can you tell which movies we watch over and over and over? Although today we watched the Sound of Music for the first time and the kids loved it! Can you actually see my heart swelling with pride?)

Oh my.

Ashi, Bea, and friend Nina.  Too cute.

Daily Pics

Check out those cables!  I am attempting a zip-up sweater with cables for the first time.  Can't wait to see it finished.

Beatrice and Tan hard at work with colored pencils.

How cute am I?

Pestka Family Guidelines

I have had several people ask to see our little "manifesto," so I am putting it on the blog.  We used to read this to the children each morning, but now it is about once a week.  It really does help them to remember how to behave.

Pestka Family Guidelines

1. Always use soft words and kind actions, even when you have been mistreated.

2. Always show joyful attitudes, even when asked to do something you do not wish to do.

3. Always have sincere motives with no thought of self-gain.

4. Always give a good report of others.  Never tattle-tale unless harm will come to someone.

5. Never raise a hand to hit.

6. Never raise a voice to yell.

7. Always use one toy/activity at a time.

8. Always remember to take turns with a gracious heart.

9. Always be kind-hearted to your brothers and sisters.

Daily Pics

How cute is Ashi as "Captain Hook?"  He is using a hanger for his "hook."

Jump for Joy!

Look at me with my cute doll Mommy made me!

Learning to play our keyboard.

Mmmm...bread

Yum.  Sabina and Bea helped mommy make some whole wheat-raison rolls.

Oh, how I Love Nap Time

So, it's nap time here at the Pestka house.  Ahhhhh.  And as a bonus, Mother Nature has sent us a constant drizzling rain, so the house is quiet, with three kiddos in their beds (Sabina at school), and I am listening only to the sound of rain hitting the roof.  I can think of no better time in a mother's day than nap time - a time to recharge your batteries and let go of all the frustrations from the morning.  I used to nap with the kids (especially while pregnant or just after the babies come home), but now I am getting enough sleep at night to stay awake at nap time and work on my own projects.  So nice.  However, what usually happens is that I think of all the things I plan to do once the kids get up (like bake bread, go for a walk, or get the paints out), which never seem to come to fruition.  Inevitably, the baby is cranky or it's raining/cold out...  You name it, something always seems to come up to keep me from completing anything in the afternoons.  After 3:00, it is basically a countdown until bedtime.  Ahhhh....bedtime. :-)

Daily Pics

Here are a few pics of Bea and Ellie.  I am working on getting a list of the books I am reading right now in the sidebar, with links to Amazon, but for some reason I can only get the links in a post. Argh

Revisiting an Old Friend

After weeks of obsessively crocheting, I found myself drawn back to my old craft of knitting.  Initially, my fingers were fumbling - being used to the single crochet hook.  But soon they found their rhythm and the rows began to fly!  I am making a pink sweater for Eleanor that zips up.  I am excited about this piece, as I have never made an item with a zipper.  I am certain to need the assistance of the nice ladies over at my local yarn shop for that.

Pardon the Construction

I am revamping my blog, so please pardon the mess. Soon to be cooler.

MIA

Sorry to all - I have been a bit MIA this past week. We just had winter vacation, so both Sabina and Ashi were out of school (yikes!) and we took a trip to Jersey. As such, I have not had much time to take pics or write on the blog. Will try to update it this week. Smiles!

Fun in the Snow!

Well, we ended up not getting ANY of the snow that we were anticipating. Sheesh. What a let down. They even cancelled school for Sabina - and nothing. Not a flake. However, there is still plenty of snow remaining from the last snow storm. So, Steven, the kids, and I enjoyed some time playing in the snow and on the swing set. As much as I am dying for Spring, I know I will miss the snow once it's gone. So much fun. Enjoy the pics!

Two Projects Done!

Well, it's official. I finally finished that darn baby blanket. Finished finished. Meaning all the loose strings are taken care of and there is nothing else left to do. Eleanor is, indeed, using it. Hallelujah! And to make my day even better, I was able to finish Ellie's cute hoodie sweater. She looks like a little elf in it! I think the sleeves need to be shortened a bit, but that is an easy peazy fix. Now I am moving onto a sweater vest for Ashi, which I bought the materials for before I realized it involves a whole lot of annoying crochet stitches. Ugh.

How Cute

How cute is Ellie in her new hat!

So much yarn, so little time!

Daily Pics

Late-Winter Scarf & Eleanor's Baby Blanket

So, being the world's worst project-finisher, I am just now getting around to finishing Eleanor's baby blanket, which, I am sad to admit, was begun when she was three months along in my belly. Sheesh! I am only one row away from being done! And really, it's perfect timing because it's a light-weight cotton yarn and will be perfect for Spring.

I am also undertaking a late-winter scarf for Beatrice. I have purchased a book that contains 365 crochet stitches, and I wanted to learn a new crochet stitch as well as make use of this glorious wool yarn I had left-over from last year.

A Winter's Manifesto - How Cool is This?

A Winter's Manifesto - By Amanda Blake Soule

1. Follow the sun wherever you find it. Rejoice in the slowly-growing-longer days.

2. Make Stuff.

3. With gratitude for the labor of summer and fall, do everything in front of the fire. Morning, Noon, and Night.

4. Get out there everyday, no matter how cold or quick the visit may be. Through crunchy snow underfoot and breath-warmed wool on your face, remember the magic and wonder of it all. Try not to take it for granted.

5. Shake things up, change the scenery, and Get out of Dodge.

6. Wool. Flannel. Capilene. Know them. Love them. Layer them.

7. Gather often with friends. To commiserate. To laugh. To warm the spirit.

8. Savor the memories and bounty of past seasons harvest. Plan and dream for the one yet to come.

New Friend - New Quilt

I recently made a new friend through my son's preschool. Her daughter is in the same class as Ashi and she and her husband are way cool. Anyway, she offered to make Eleanor a baby quilt and I, of course, said "oh, yes please!" She gave it to me today, and it is by far the bestest baby blanket ever. It is the perfect size, weight, and color! Wow.

For the love of yarn

Having recently discovered (and fallen in love with) crochet, I have acquired a bit of attention deficit disorder in that I am currently working on no less than 5 projects. It's insane. I have a toy hippo in the works (for one of my sister-in-laws' soon to be twins), a knit blanket for baby Eleanor that I began while she was still a "bun in the oven" (!), a sweater for Eleanor, several pairs of house slippers for all of the kids, and a few other toys. Sheesh! On another note, I finally located my local yarn store (haven't been to it since we moved here from Salem) and I must admit that I am loving it. It is filled with helpful and friendly ladies who seemed honestly thrilled to be in the presence of my screaming infant. Having finally run out of yarn in my stash, I was forced to finally locate this shop I had been hearing about. You can find it at: www.woolpack.com

Sick Day

Well, it was bound to happen again. It seems that all 4 of the kids are sick at the same time. As such, they are all at home today and we are watching video after video. Right now it is Peter Pan. And I suspect The Wizard of Oz is next. Hopefully their symptoms will subside by Saturday, as that is when the we are expecting a visit from the much-loved Anutie Sharon and Uncle Ned. The kids have not seen Sharon since her belly began to grow with the twins, so I am excited to see their reaction.

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Yarn!

Look at all this yummy yarn. And I got it all on sale, to boot! Now I just need to figure out what to make with it. Probably a sweater for Eleanor and maybe some more fun toys. Can't wait!

Jennifer

Positive thoughts and prayers for Jenny, my sister-in-law, who is having surgery today. May it all go well.

February

Ah, February. The longest shortest month of the year. Ugh. I must say, I think this is my least favorite month. The newness of the snow has long worn off and there seems to be no end to the bitter cold. By this month, the kids are experiencing major cabin fever and they keep demanding to know when Spring will arrive. And then there is that damn groundhog who saw his shadow today. Argh! Doesn't he know that I need a small bit of hope that we will not have to live like caged anilmals much longer? Sheesh.

My Morning Coffee

Morning Coffee. Are there any more comforting words in the English language? :-) If there are, I certainly do not know of them. I am trying to remember when my love/obsession with coffee began. I belive it truly began in law school, when I was desperate to remain awake long enough to read one more case. However it began, there is certainly no end in sight! I an effort to truly enjoy my morning cup of sanity, I have been endeavoring to bring peace to my children during this time. For whatever reason - perhaps being confined to their beds all night - they are unusually loud and rambunctous in the morning. So, each morning I am working on keeping them mellow. I think I have my work cut out for me! If only they could all be as calm and quiet as little Eleanor is in this pic!

Daily Pics