Adultery Lattes and Floppaccinos

Okay, there are a few points I must make clear before I get to the heart of this post:

• I have a weakness for really good, rather expensive, high-calorie drinks from coffee shops.
• I really love my father-in-law, Dan.
• He really likes to spoil me when he's in town by buying me those high-priced drinks and bringing them to me.
• He has a hard time remembering the names of those drinks.
• He approves of what I'm about to write and even asked me to to snap this picture of him and post it here on the Knitting Hummel:

Those of you who have already had the pleasure being in Dan's company may be able to appreciate this story more than others... I'm not sure I'm able to do him justice. But it's worth trying. For those of you who have not met him... well, I'll do my best.

It all started around the time that Lucy came to us. I was having a rough adjustment to the round-the-clock feedings. I don't think I'd known the meaning of the word "exhaustion" before the sweet girl joined us! Dan and Judy had come to visit us and spend time with their newest granddaughter. At one point, Dan and Darin decided to run some errands and offered to make a Starbucks run! "Hallelujah!" I thought, and told him how much I would love a cinnamon dolce latte.

About five minutes later as the guys had a foot out the door, Dan double checked my request with me and said, "What was it you wanted, Erika, a cinnamon adultery latte?"

I nearly spit out the snack I was munching on and corrected him in between giggles. Since then, all of the family has pretty much referred to my favorite coffee drink as the "adultery latte".

Well, this morning I learned that I have a new favorite drink: the "floppaccino".

A few of you may have known that all this week, Darin has been out of town, so I've been flying solo with Lucy since last Sunday! Dan and Judy came into town yesterday and spent the day with us. They also stayed with Lucy last night while I picked Darin up from the airport at 11:30! Knowing that Darin and I would be tired and could use some relaxing time toghether, Judy got up with Lucy this morning while Dan ran out to get breakfast and drinks for us from Caribou Coffee.

He brought me back a cafe mocha and a fabulous story as to how he ended up with that particular drink. Here it is, as best as I can retell it:

He approached the counter and enlisted the barista's help. He explained that he wanted to get me something that I'd be sure to like, and that he's pretty sure I like those cold blended drinks and he thinks they're called floppaccinos. But he's really not sure that I would go for something frozen in the morning, so he wondered if there was a way for them to make a hot floppacinno. The barista assured him that he'd be able to set him up the warm equivalent of a mocha floppacinno.

I couldn't even attempt to contain my laughter, as he shared his tale. I gently told him that the drink he had in mind was called a "frappuccino" and a light bulb appeared over his head as he said, "Oh, I suppose that's why they were all laughing at me when I was ordering."

Dan, that was the best hot floppaccino I've ever had, thanks again! You win the father-in-law of the year award!

As for the the rest of you, I hope you know that since I'm a stay-at-home mommy now, all you have to do is name the date and I'd love bring Lucy and sit and visit with you at the coffee shop of your choice. Your adultery latte or floppaccino is on me.

Safe and Dry

Well, if you've been keeping up with the national news lately, you would know that the state of Iowa has been a pretty wet place lately! After spending three weeks in hot and very dry Texas, it was quite a stark contrast when we rolled into the Des Moines area last Sunday to see crops and otherwise busy streets completely under water!

I've appreciated the phone calls and e-mails that many of you have made to make sure that we and Darin's parents in the Cedar Rapids area are okay! We're very thankful to say that we are all safe and dry. The only inconvenience that Darin, Lucy and I have experienced is just a little water in our basement. Darin's parents have some friends who have had to evacuate but they are fine. They are having to abide by some pretty strict water restrictions (they can only use water in their house for drinking) but they were in town this weekend and got some laundry, dishes and showering done here!

On a different and much lighter note, I'm happy to report that we had a FABULOUS time in Texas! Darin's business had him in Seattle and Vancouver for the first week, so Lucy and I made our way by van to Texas accompained by my sister and her family! Darin joined us in San Antonio on Memorial Day where the three of us stayed for a week. Then we headed to Dallas where Darin had more work to do. Lucy and I enjoyed spending time with some good friends there while Darin was busy! It was such a refreshing time away! Lucy did great with traveling in the car. We're so spoiled to have such a laid back and happy-go-lucky baby!

Now that we're home, we're just trying to get settled back in (still) and trying to find our routine again. It's been fun catching up with our good friends here and getting updated on everything that's gone on while we were gone!

I'll leave you with a few fun pictures from Texas!

Lucy finally met Uncle Paul:

All the girls together on a Sunday afternoon:

Lucy became a San Antonio Spurs fan:

Spring Makes Me Happy

Even though we're still having a few cool days around here, Spring finally seems to have taken over and I am LOVING it! I'm also learning that Spring is even better with Lucy around!

I apologize it's been awhile since my last post. There've been a lot of things on my plate, but we have gotten to do many fun things to celebrate the beautiful weather. So I thought I'd share some highlights of the month of May so far:

Tulip Time!

There's a charming little Dutch town about an hour from here called Pella and every Spring they hold their annual Tulip Festival! I've never gone, but have wanted to since I moved here so this time I made it a priority. Lucy and I were accompanied by my dear friends, Ashley and Shannon and headed for Pella on May 3rd! It was a little windy but so fun! (It was especially fun parking off site and riding the school bus provided as a shuttle with Lucy's stroller in tow!) Here's some pictures from the fun day:

I attempted to knit Lucy some tulip booties for her to wear to the festival, but to this day, I've only completed one and a half! Oh well! The intentions were good, and when I did finish them, they'll still be a reminder of the fun day. Here's the booties in progress:

Completed bootie (folded up into a tulip):

Second bootie in progress:

Lucy models the completed bootie:

Visiting Goslings at Darin's Work

About a week and a half ago, I got a call from Darin, inviting Lucy and I to come to his office for lunch and a walk around the beautiful grounds to see the flowering trees and two sets of brand new goslings! We had a great mid-day visit with Darin and made some fun memories together:

Planting the "Lucy Tree"

For our first Mother and Father's Days, Darin and I decided to combine our gift into one: a Redbud Tree to plant in our backyard that will commemorate the year that Lucy joined our family. We had fun planting the tree together. Well, actually, Darin did all the work, I just hopped in and posed for a picture. Lucy and I mainly watched and enjoyed the nice weather. Minnie helped... sort of.

Minnie "helping":

Darin and I place the tree in the ground:

Here's Lucy watching and being cute:

Hope you're spring is as beautiful as ours has been! Tomorrow we're heading down to Texas to visit my family! We'll be gone for three weeks, so it may be awhile before you hear from me again. (I'm sure I'll have plenty of things to post after introducing Lucy to my homestate and my extended family!)

Lucy's First Caught-on-Camera Smiles

First, off, before I share pics of the smiley girl, I have to say that reading your comments on my last post and seeing your votes in my poll has made me laugh harder than I have in awhile. I'll be sure to let you know what I decide. While my confidence is growing that a nose piercing would be absolutely great-looking, my mom HAS made a compelling arguement about my sensitive skin and allergy issues. I'm definitely still on the fence in other words.

On to the sweet Lucy smiles:

Happy:

Happier:

Happiest:

Consider these pictures my peace offering to those of my family members who are rather shocked and disturbed by my last post.

Stay-at-Home Mommy Needs to Feel Hip

Okay, so I LOVE being a stay-at-home mommy! Being with Lucy (when I can't be with Lucy AND Darin) is my FAVORITE thing to do! But in light of my new "full-time job" I'm sort of feeling the need to keep (or make) myself hip. Also, for quite some time now, when I meet people for the first time and tell them that I love to knit and even used to work in a yarn shop, I've gotten some peculiar looks. Mainly from folks who might not be in the know enough to realize just how hip knitting really is and how it's not as old fashioned and unfashionable as they may think. I'm starting to wonder if I need to add a little something to my look to help people realize that I'm not quite as behind the times as they would think.

I don't go for regular hair appointments often enough to try a bold new hair color or daring cut/style. Tattoos are out of the question for me... I won't elaborate, I just don't have the desire to do it. Buying a new more "hip" wardrobe is too expensive.

Most body piercings don't have appeal for me, but I just think I'm starting to really like the look of a tiny, subtle little nose stud. I can always let the piercing grow closed if I decide that the look is no longer for me. I don't think that Lucy will be able to grab a little bitty nose stud and pull it very easily as she gets bigger. Plus, as I explained to Darin recently, this consideration holds significance because as a teenager, the physical feature I disliked and was the most self-conscious about was my nose. Oh the hours I spent just hoping that somehow God would transform my nose into a cuter, smaller, straighter thing. I was almost convinced that I would never find a man to marry because surely no one would be able to get past the dreadful shape of my nose.

It's amazing the way our perception of our physical appearance can be so askew, especially during the awkard adolescent years. But now, I'm feeling rather pleased with the fact that I like my nose enough to draw more attention to it with some sparkly jewelry.

I'm no where near a final decision. AND I am open to your opinions. So would you kindly take a minute to vote in my poll on the left?? I'd appreciate it. : )

My Caramel Macchiato Fairy God-Mother

I didn't know I had one, but I did meet her this week! Actually, she's way too young to be my fairy god-mother... maybe she's my caramel macchiato fairy friend! : )

Anyways, the story starts when I pulled through a Starbucks drive-thru with Lucy in tow in between some errands. It was a gorgeous spring day (yep, spring has finally sprung here in Des Moines... I have blooming daffodils in the front yard to prove it!) and I happily started weighing the options: cinamon dolce frappuccino? shaken iced tea? Needing a caffeine boost, I settled on an iced caramel macchiato. I cheerfully ordered and happily envisioned myself sipping my drink while pushing my beautiful baby in her stroller on our next stop! The perfect way to enjoy a spring day right?

So I thought. I pulled up to the window to pay. Much to my dismay, my wallet was no where to be found in the dissheveled mess that is my diaper bag.

The nice gal at the window said, "Keep looking while I start your drink!"

"You probably shouldn't start my drink!" I said and could feel my cheeks growing pink with embarrassment.

"I'll just give it to you if you can't find it!" she said.

Wow, how nice was that! Determined to drink an honest caramel macchiato, I fished out three crumppled up dollars from one the the pockets in the bag. I came out 18 cents short.

"I'll trade you" she says, and place the tastey icey drink in my hands.

"I think I'm going to blog about you!" I blurted out and had just enough time to give her my blog address before driving off.

So if you're reading this my caramel macchiato fairy-friend, thanks again for being willing to give me a drink on the house and for spotting me the 18 cents! Your kindness isn't forgotten! : )

On a different note, I must report that I have been able to start knitting again since I've become a mommy! After completing a super-cute cupcake hat for Lucy, I've turned my attention and needles to some much more necessary items: bibs!

Lucy does so much spitting up that bibs have become part of her every-day, all-day apparel. I've discovered that hand-knitted bibs are far more absorbant than anything I can buy. And there are really a lot of cute patterns out there.

My favorite? The Petal Bib from the book, One Skein by Leigh Radford. Lucy looks kind of like a sunflower when she wears it:

And before I leave you, in the spirit of celebrating spring, behold the daffodils:

To quote my sister, they make me "do the dance of joy."

One Fine Day

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law, Natalie, pointed out to me that I had a birthday coming up. In all honesty it quite escaped my notice. How could I think about mundane things like turning a year older when you are the mommy to the most beautiful baby in the world?? : )

But, the day came yesterday and I turned 27. For some reason, I had always hoped that I'd be a mom before I turned 27... not sure why. So you can imagine when I passed the 9 month away from my 27th birthday mark, I'd pretty much decided that it wasn't going to happen. But I have to believe that the God had a sparkle in His eye yesterday! Lucy Kiera is the best birthday present I could ask for this year!

In honor of my birthday, she wanted to wear an outfit I knitted for her! : ) Here she is wearing my favorite-ever knitted hat, sweater and booties set:

After knitting gifts for other people's babies for so long, I can't tell you how much fun it is to put my OWN baby in things I've made!

Lucy and I spent the late morning at Caribou Coffee together so I could get away from all the household chores I was determined NOT to do on my birthday. She slept and let me knit! It was so much fun! Then Darin came home from work early and took me to our local cupcake bakery, The Carefree Patisserie, where I picked out a delectable assortment and he also let me browse around in a nearby knitting and needlework shop! We also picked up a cake from Costco (they make the BEST cake ever, in case you didn't know!)

We ate at the Cheesecake Factory and then headed home to get ready for some good friends whom Darin invited to celebrate and eat our goodies with to arrive! We had a blast devouring cake and cupcakes and passing Lucy around for hugs and kisses!


Darin did a great job putting together a special day for me! He also gave me an awesome present!! A Kitchen Aid standing mixer-something I've wanted for a long time!! I can't wait to start baking and cooking with it! It was a great day and a great time spent with so many people who are dear to me!!