Happy Birthday To Brent...

My hubby turns 31 today! Yep, he's gettin' old...and we just love him to pieces! Last night, the girls and I had a little celebration for him and we got to give him the gifts we've been working very hard on for the past couple of weeks.

I knitted Brent {yes I KNITTED} a mug cozy for the travel mug of coffee that he takes to work each day. I wanted to knit him something this year...seeing as how I have just learned to knit. And a mug cozy seemed to be the best choice for a guy like him. I found a tutorial here and I had to learn some extra knitting skills to complete the project, but I thought that it turned out rather well.

The buttons I sewed on for a bit of decoration were made by a Flickr friend of mine.

I think he liked it! {look at how the girls are looking at him...I love it!}

But out best gift was the collaborative collage painting that the girls and I made together for him. It was so incredibly fun to work together with them on something this big and fabulous. We used a real art canvas, Mommy's good craft papers, and Mommy's 'real paints'. It was a multi-step project with lots of opportunity and space for everyone to contribute.

Happy Birthday, Brent! We love you so much!

Progess {A Haiku}...

Knitting row by row,

Working steadily with patience,

Creating beauty.

I'm halfway done with my scarf! I try to knit at least a couple rows each day. Some days that's all I can fit in. Some days, I get to knit for pockets of time throughout the day and really make some headway. It's been a good lesson in the value of chipping away at big projects. And oh how I love the steady rhythm of the motions and the soft smooth feel of those beautiful bamboo needles!

I was so inspired to write a haiku after reading Jill's yesterday. I love the simple abundance of haikus. I have decided to join {yet another} Flickr group called 52 Haikus where I'll post a picture and corresponding original haiku every week for a year. I love having all these photographic challenges; they really help me to grow and stay creatively motivated. I'm excited to add the element of writing into the mix! And perhaps my next post will have to be a summary of all my current photography challenges and projects!