Oh, Baby!

I've got some random things to post today, but first I want to congratulate my cousin Becky (who goes by Rebecca now) on her pregnancy! I just found out about it from my parents on their return from a family reunion in Oregon.... My friends Lori, Glynis, and Michelle (no, not that Michelle) are pregnant too... Congratulations to all of you!!! Yay - an excuse to knit something cute!

Speaking of cute, my friend Kerri emailed me a pic of her son Benjamin wearing the adorable sailboat hat I sent her way...Awww, isn't he precious? I've really got to write up the pattern for the hat... I'm trying to decide how to chart things. I'm pretty proficient in Excel and there are some handy free knitting fonts out there, so that might be the way to go... Although my friend Nancy's software, Knit Visualizer is so nice. I just downloaded the demo and I really like it - Not sure I want to spend that kind of money though...

I'm thinking I need to save my pennies especially now that my other friend Stashka has opened her awesome new online store: http://www.coolerchoices.com/! Cooler Choices is a site created by mommies for mommies (and daddies) to shop for practical, eco-friendly stuff for their families. She's already carrying a couple of different lines of organic clothing as well as Nature Babycare 100% biodegradeable, disposable diapers and some sassy diaper bags... (take a look at the Kemby!) If they don't carry what you are looking for, they are in the process of linking you to the places that do... so it will be both a great place to buy stuff and see reviews on a variety of products so you can have the convenience of finding it all in one place! Is that cool or what?! What are you waiting for?! Go check it out!

Oh, and while you're out there browsing around... If you are voting in the US presidential election this year and haven't heard Barack Obama's latest speech, please take the time to either see or read it here (sorry the link I put earlier didn't work for some people):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUU&feature=bz303

I decided to support Obama's campaign after reading his thoughts on education in his book titled "Audacity of Hope". Anyone who thinks this guy lacks substance needs to read what he has written about his experiences working with people in low income communities. You can read a quick bio here. No, he's not someone who was raised on Capitol Hill and therefore primped and primed to be a politician... Instead he's been taking on the difficult task of organizing groups of people to improve their living situations, working as a lawyer to stand up for social justice, and every speech he's made has brought even more people together to work toward common goals and become a part of the democratic process. I think he's the best candidate we've had in a long time, and I plan to host a "Knit-In for Barack" if he wins the Democratic nomination. :) Wanna come?