"She's Crafty"

I was talking with Jill, a friend of mine in Vegas, and she noted that I hadn't mentioned my pregnancy since the ultrasound that let us know I was carrying a boy. Yes, I'm still pregnant and feeling severely normal besides the obscene amount of weight gain on every part of my body. (thus no pictures of me.)
I've been busying myself by reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, learning to crochet (not an easy feat since I'm a lefty), sewing a dress for Amelia and I'm currently taking a photography class. I am feeling so darn crafty these days. I heard a quote the other day that made me feel even more accomplished.

"I'm so crafty, I make people."

Amelia told me yesterday that Eva Creer was her very best friend.

Although I am taking a photography class, I did not take any of these lovely pictures of Amelia. Stacey, Eva's mother, did.

But I did crochet the hat

adorable

P.s.
The pattern of the hat is for Beginners and comes with infant to adult size instructions. I'd love to post the pattern, but sadly it's copyrighted by the artist and she seems pretty serious about her copyright. That being said, she does sell the pattern for a small price at her Etsy shop:
Nutella Dreams late Night Crafts By thnkdfrent .

Oh Sugar Honey Ice Tea

This picture was taken in January not April. (Yes, Spring has finally come to Minnesota.)
You may be asking, "Who is that masked man?" Don't let the hand-made scarf, camouflage gloves and orange reflective ankle straps (you'll notice that this was his pre-helmet period) fool you.
No, Hans isn't climbing Mt. Everest or preparing to brave the arctic tundra in search of lost baby sea lions. He is fearlessly dressed to ride his bike 3 miles for another grueling day (or so he says) of dissertation writing.
Hans prides himself on riding his bike every school day of the year come rain or shine, Hell or high water, extreme heat or obscene cold; he's like the United States Post Office. This winter he set a person record for biking in -21 degree (we took this photograph to document the occasion), technically with windchill it was -35. He has yet to lose a nose or finger or any other appendage. There have been a few close calls, but those stories cannot be publicly posted.

It's cold here, but at least we have our health

Drum roll, please........ and in 2008, the Healthiest State in the Nation is....... Minnesota!!!
I thought so, what with all the people riding their bikes, running around at least 1 of the 10,000 lakes (for exercise), and buying their vegetables at farmer's markets. They or should I say we, are pretty healthy people. Check out how your state ranks.

This ranking came from the CQ Press: An Independent Publisher, and they used 21 factors to determine the health of each state. Below are the factors.

Negative Factors
1. Births of Low Birthweight as a Percent of All Births
2. Teenage Birth Rate
3. Percent of Mothers Receiving Late or No Prenatal Care
4. Age-Adjusted Death Rate
5. Infant Mortality Rate
6. Age-Adjusted Death Rate by Malignant Neoplasms
7. Age-Adjusted Death Rate by Suicide
8. Average Annual Family Coverage Health Insurance Premium
9. Percent of Population Not Covered by Health Insurance
10. Percent of Children Not Covered by Health Insurance
11. Estimated Rate of New Cancer Cases
12. AIDS Rate
13. Sexually Transmitted Disease Rate
14. Percent of Population Lacking Access to Primary Care
15. Percent of Adults Who Are Binge Drinkers
16. Percent of Adults Who Smoke
17. Percent of Adults Obese
18. Percent of Adults Who Do Not Exercise
Positive Factors
19. Beds in Community Hospitals per 100,000 Population
20. Percent of Children Aged 19-35 Months Immunized
21. Safety Belt Usage Rate

"I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride my bike."

Hans has been riding a bike to school ever since 1999. And in all that time he has never worn a helmet until last week. He could just never find the right one and he thought people who wore them "looked pretty dorky." (I admit that I think fashion does play a part when it comes to accessorizing a bike or any sport, but I was surprised when Hans agreed with me.)
What brought about the change of heart in Hans? The concern of his running buddies Mark & Scott and Mark's sweet wife Stacey.
Hans spent a whole day looking for the right one, (luckily bike helmet fashion has come along way since 1999.) and found this little sweetheart. It's a Giro Flak and this one so happens to be called "Red Creep." One of his students told him that his helmet was "Pretty B$%&@#in''!"