Ketchup

I've bitched about this a few times on facebook, but I'm really feeling the withdrawal. I miss my computer like nobody's business. I hate having to borrow someone else's (right now I am writing this on my mom's laptop, other times I am using Griff's). I can't upload photos to their laptops and I don't want to take the time to "get to know" their spaces when eventually mine will be making it's way home. But even once I have it back....

It'll be time to hit the road for our family road trip! I am so excited to get going. We are currently in the process of collecting camping gear, mapping out the route we want to go, and listing all the things we want to see.

The one thing I am concerned about it cloth diapering while on the road. It's not the finding places to wash them, it's the idea of leaving a diaper pail in the car while we're out and it just sitting in there smelling funky. I currently use tea tree oil to mask the scent and it does GREAT, but in a hot car for hours on end? I'm not so sure. Unfortunately, I haven't read much about cloth diapering on the road besides people recommending to use the trip as a chance to practice EC (no thank you. Oz uses a potty sometimes, but not nearly enough for.).

O, and completely random....apparently my hair is curly now? WHAT. THE. HELL. It's very cool and I love letting it air dry and it not looking like complete shite.

Anything else? I need to find more time to knit. So if you have some spare time going, I would gladly take some of that!

GOOD JOB NY.

I'm sure glad I don't do "resolutions"

Remember this blog entry? Uh-huh. Yeah I'm sucking at my resolutions this year.

-I have yet to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. NOT ONE. Isn't that horrible? I've bookmarked a few, but I haven't gotten around to making them. I'll blame this on moving continents.

-I'm still hopeful I'll get 12 knitted projects done. I think I have 3 or 4 finished. Yeah, we'll see....

-I've baked a good bit. Not loads, but more than the year before. I made Oz's birthday cake and that was pretty motherfucking impressive.

-Sex? What is this "sex" you speak of?

-I do read a good bit to Oz. I'm not really worried about that one.

-Combating the Slacktavism. I think I've done alright. I've donated bras, I've donated money for the earthquake in Japan and the tornadoes in Alabama. We've done a few other things but I can't think of them at the moment. Combating the slacktavism is hard, but I'm committed to trying to do more.

-I still spend WAY too much time on the internet. FAIL.

-...but my Blog is definitely happier these days.

-I don't know if I'll ever finish Sherlock Holmes. That's just negative, of course I will. I just don't think this is the year. Sorry, Sherlock!

So there ya go. It's halfway thru the year, perfect time to check in. Next time there will be updates about us living back in the states and getting ready for "THE BIG TRIP"

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Well, here we are. It's Sunday and we're leaving on Tuesday morning. I am finally starting to feel better, but I know my immunity levels have been knocked down to zero by the antibiotics that finally decided to kick in, so I'll probably get sick again after flying. Yay! Luckily, I'll be in a country that has great healthcare, O wait...shit. Nevermind! I'll stop with the Negative Nancy's in a minute...

Yesterday, we flipped packing the bird and decided to head into The City for a last hurrah. We went to Portobello Market and my soul cries over the fact that I never went before. It was amazing. I hate that I wasted so many trips to the now very boring Camden market. Even tho I shouldn't have been buying things, I did. I bought a silk patchwork skirt, a 1980's knit jumper in some very awesome day-glo colors, AND The Ramones "It's Alive" double album on VINYL. There was an amazing records stall that I could have spent a small fortune at, but I had to resist. I know Ramones albums in good knick are hard to come by, so I grabbed that one. Everything else I wanted I have come by before so I know I'll find them again. O and I bought a scarf for an imaginary friend who comments on my blog quite frequently. I remembered her saying she loves scarves, and this one is very retro so I hope she likes it. (Now I kinda feel like I should have bought a scarf for all my comment-ers. Shite. O well...)

I meant to stop in at I Knit London, but we found it after it had closed. Boo. Hopefully I will use our roadtripping as an excuse to find kick ass knit shops thru the US. That sounds fun.

Anyways, it was a perfect way to say good-bye. We came back into Surbiton station (Harry Potter 6, ya'll. I'm behind the wall! whoo!) and went to dinner at our favorite chinese The Magic Wok. I was so proud watching my kid eat duck, chicken and peas. My kid eats duck. It was a nice family dinner with a lot of laughter.

I'm hoping we'll be back this way to visit in about 2 years time. Writing this out has made me feel like I'm looking forward to coming back to visit and be a tourist. Take all the time to see the things I missed living here. I have been so lucky.

So my sister is here....

.....we be sight-seeing!

O Beautiful Kauni Rainbow...

...I sing your praises and I haven't even knit a single row with you yet. I found 2 skeins of this on ebay. It was a deal. I have been lusting over this yarn for months, but it can easily cost up to $30 a skein and I found a deal on ebay and bought up 2. Right now I'm think I'll do something small and knit myself a bolero with it. I'm sure there will be more purchases in the future.

THE CAKE

I said I was going to do it ages ago so I did it. I made the Rainbow Cake. Don't know what I"m talking about? GOOGLE IT. It's all the rage in the crafty scene at the moment. It took me a day to make all the layers, splitting each bowl of batter into 2 colors. I also only had *ONE* cake pan. ONE. It took forever because I would make a batter and then have to cover it and wait for the cake in the oven to finish, then cool and then have to wash it before adding the 2nd batch of batter. Rinse, repeat. It took hours, but was totally worth it. I think everyone was absolutely gob-smacked...and that's always fun.

I made a coconut cake with coconut icing because Oscar loves coconut. But I made it without any shavings because as much as I love coconut flavor, I hate the flakes! So I used coconut milk in the batter and icing along with coconut shavings in the icing. It was delicious. I should link the recipes, but I'm just too tired. Be glad you're getting this little blurb and pictures, please :o)

Sorry the pictures are totally out of order, but you're clever people, you get the idea. I'm too tired to screw around with blogger and get them in the right order.