Monday, February 25, 2008

5 Dodos

I don't know if English people do this, but most of the French people I know count down the final days before a trip by ticking off the number of sleeps, or dodos, before the big day. So today it's 5 dodos before we head off to Japan. Part of me still doesn't really believe I'm going so far away for such a long period of time. People don't really live in Japan, right? Not really.

That said, most of the week will be spent checking and double checking that everything is ready for the kids and my folks while we're away, so no one wants for anything. I've written down pretty much everything I can think of at this point (even though I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff), and now it's just a question of making sure that we're all stocked up on essential provisions.

For instance, this is what I spend most of my mornings doing lately:

Cooking baby food (this morning it was Fillet of Fish Mornay with Vegetables - Yum!). I think I've recommended this book to every new mother I've ever met, but if you've never heard of it, and are keen on making your own baby food, I highly recommend it. I first bought First Meals when I had Émilie, and I just found it so much easier to plan her meals when I was whipping up a new batch of food every couple of days (most recipes make at least 4 servings, which I freeze in these handy GladWare containers that hold 125 ml (or half a cup) of food). I kind of discarded it when she started eating most of what we ate, even though there are recipes in there for up to 6 years old, but I still found it well worth the (moderate) investment, and was glad to find it again when Maxime was ready to move on from plain puréed meat and veggies.

And looky-looky! A Finished Object!



The specs: Embossed Leaves socks (from Favorite Socks), knit with Dyed in the Wool Handmade Mediumweight sock yarn (colourway: Prescription Medication) using 3.25 mm Harmony dpns. I'm quite smitten with these. They're dainty and feminine, soft and scrumptious. And a quick knit!

I've cast on January's Rockin Sock Club Serendipity socks (sorry, no pictures today). I'm also starting to think about what knitting I want to bring with me to Japan. There's plane knitting and train knitting and sitting around knitting to consider, and the possibilities are, well, endless. I'm obviously going to bring some light, portable projects (like socks, but how many pairs?), but I'm debating whether I want to bring something with a little more heft to it, like Cluaranach or the Cardigan for Merry I've yet to cast on... Hmmm, things to ponder.

Lastly, I was supposed to go to my Aqua-Mommy class this morning, but I'm still fighting this stupid Laryngitis (which ought to make choir practice tonight interesting), which has now developed into a cold to boot, and with all the other things I want to get done this week, I thought "Screw It". I've gotten a lot done so far today, so I think I'm just going to sit for a spell, sip some tea and do some knitting until Maxime gets up.

Happy day everyone! :)

6 comments:

Maggie said...

We count sleeps! I've never heard "dodos" before, though.

The socks look fantastic. Are they going to Japan, too? I wonder if I will ever see the sights my yarn will see...heh, I'm just being silly. :)

I'm so very excited for you. Seeing Japan is a dream of mine. :)

birana said...

Yes I know exactly how it is to count dodos before a trip or an event.. you should be really excited even if you have many things to do before your trip. Your socks are very nice. Wish you a very nice trip to Japan..

Caroline said...

Bon voyage! Take lots of pictures. Lucky you! I wish I could go to Japan!

Jennifer Lori said...

I finally got the book, now I just need to make something with it. Jakob's been fussy lately- if he can't feed it to himself, he doesn't want it. Toast, bread sticks and cubes of cheese have been my salvation! I think tonight I'm going to cook up some sweet potato but instead of pureeing it I'll cut it into cubes for him. Are there any recipes you really recommend from the book? Any that were really gross?

Did I mention yet that I'm jealous? (For the trip, not the laryngitis). I hope you feel better though!

Sereknitty said...

Oh, thanks for the recipe book tip ... I'll be passing that one on to our daughter. Your socks turned out really well ... they'll be cozy on the plane. One travel tip to offer: don't take your shoes off on the plane ... you'll never get they back on unless they're very stretchy! Long plane trips make your feet swell.

Montreal Mama said...

We count sleeps before trips too... it just might be in English!

Great socks!