Yarn Along Wednesday

Participating in Ginny's weekly Yarn Along...

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After finishing last week sock (in the singular form) I had to do something different.  I started a fun shawl from Westknits Book 2 that I got when I went to the book signing.  Since the designer picked this yarn out for me, I knew it would be a 'bit' more fun than a plain ol' sock.  It is.  I've messed it up here and there in little spots since I've needed to knit more this week but I'm going with those imperfections.  Frogging slip stitches and increases is not any fun.  I'll call it a "working on the need for perfection".

I'm still reading Made From Scratch.  I like the part memoir and part how-to.  Easy and fun to read.  I've been reading a lot of my books on the Ipad via Kindle.  I think I like to hold an actual book though.  I can toss it and grab a child quicker than I can put something electronic down. Plus, it is more appealing to snuggle up to.

What is in your basket this week? 

today

Today was a sweet day.  Quiet morning, beautiful afternoon, easy evening.

Weekending

Our weekend was too short.  Daddy here for about 24 hours with a birthday party, a lawn to mow, and repacking to be done before he was off again.
I am getting ready for another long week and not too motivated about it

Switching rooms around (again) so we can have a play room and not have toys and books and unknown objects strewn from one end of the house to another
lots of dress up play and indoor adventures

Swimming lessons and T-Ball ending this week then on to weeks of nothingness and a bit of VBS
time restart some daily school work

hoping for some actual summer weather so we can go to the pool

this moment...

Inspired by Soulemama - {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Yarn Along Wednesday

Participating in Ginny's weekly Yarn Along...

On the needles this week are a pair of plain socks on Beaverslide Merino. It is a very yummy and rustic yarn but oh so slow!  A little more than 7 sts per inch make it such a long, boring knit.  I think I'll need to cast on something else today just to break up the monotony of it.  

Reading wise I've got two good reads going on.  Made From Scratch is a fun, light read.  It just makes me wish for space for fun thing like chickens.  I've always wanted chickens and it doesn't help that my boys want farm animals.  I'm also reading and rereading and rereading the new Elizabeth Zimmermann publication, Knit One Knit All.  She is just so genius.  I love how they have some of her art work in the book and the little notecards and scraps of paper she wrote out patterns on.  It is like a little glimse at her thought process.

What is in your basket this week?

Over the weekend

we played catch up but never really did

took our soon-to-be 4 year old out on a birthday date for salads (his request), custard, and a bit of solo spoiling
finished sewing projects (for now) - why does it take me an hour and a half to hand hem a baby dress?
opened presents since daddy will miss the big b-day
celebrated father's day with a long bike ride with the big boys, with food, and with Cardinals' gifts
ate ice cream cake -again! 
the biggest of the three lost tooth number 2 and wants to write another letter to the tooth fairy so he can keep it like his first one.

this moment...

Inspired by Soulemama - {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

weekend ended

I was hoping to post this little tidbit about our weekend yesterday - when it was still the weekend - but now it is 10:30 on Monday and I'm now getting to it.

It was lovely here this weekend (and today!).

I think - as a collective family - we were outside from dawn till dusk

I really washed windows and have more to really wash still.  I can't believe how dirty they get living in a heavily wooded area.  I also think I like the brightness of the house more.  I want to believe that it made that big of a difference after how long it took me for 3 measly windows.  I also want to take screens down in the winter so when we are sad and stuck in the house, at least we will have a bit of a better view.

We celebrated my upcoming birthday by eating my favorite food - Mexican -  and then shopping for plants. We learned that, like their mother, my boys can inhale queso cheese in minutes.  Mason likes tacos and salad, Reagan likes burritos, and Logan likes to drop chips on the floor.

All of my boys made me cedar window boxes for my birthday gift.  Logan contributed greatly by taking a long nap during the construction.  

Boys never get tired of swinging and daddy can swing them better than mommy. 

T Ball was practiced and so was pitch hitting as well as running after the soccer ball and bouncing off of that ball I should use for sit ups.  (But bouncing off of that is way more fun and productive than sit ups.)

The big boys and I planted a moss garden around steps since we have so much abuntantly growing around us.  Mason is very into planting things.  He assumes the role of "nature guy" and creates his own little story lines while he is "helping" me plant.  He also decided to dress in character when we went to get a few groceries. 

Radishes were added to the mix of our garden and are a new favorite veggie of Mason and mine. 

Hope your weekend and start to the week was as perfectly pleasant as ours.

this moment...

Inspired by Soulemama - {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wool Keeping

With the temperatures reaching the upper 90's this week, I think we are done with our woolens.  It seems like we just finished using them since spring didn't really happen and two weeks ago we were cold. 

I collected them all this morning from the kid's bins, hangers, and crankies around the house. My sweaters/shawls/cowls have already been put away but still able to be used since I'm always cold. 

Everything got a good shave.  If you are a wool loving person, you must get an Oreck shaver.  Best.Thing.Ever.  It plugs in and is very powerful and easy to clean.  After a good shave everything looks newly knitted.

I sorted the woolens into piles to see what I need to start on this summer.  More mittens for sure.  Probably some cowls for playing in the snow.  Hats of course.  I made Logan try on his hats and deemed most of them too small. 

They got a bath so they can be ready to be donated.  I like to use a wool wash bar (Naturally Luxe  in Almond, Milk and Honey is my favorite) and Euclan to get them clean and fresh smelling.   Since they have been used all fall and winter and more than likely winters before that, they all went into the sink.  I don't normally cross wash wools if they are "new" as dye tends to bleed - even from commercial dyers.

Sweaters got a spray of Lavender Bac-Out Fresh fabric refresher.  I love using this stuff around the house.  Waaay better than febreeze too. 

The sweaters, hats, mittens, and cowls that were still clean got folded and put away in a canvas tote sandwiched between two cedar planks.  I'm waiting for a shipment of lavender to come from Etsy so I can make lots of sachets bags for my yarn collection(s). 

At least one summer chore got done today.  Not much else though!  It has been one of those days. 

Yarn Along Wednesday

Joining Ginny's weekly Yarn Along...


In the basket this week I'm still slowly plugging away on another Stripe Study shawl and a basic pair of socks.  Neither knit has had much attention though - summer is here and in full swing and my days seem to be filled with too much!

I'm just about done with Pride and Prejudice.  I've been really trying to keep the needles down and finish this up.  It is becoming a 'project' that needs to be finished!  Oh but that Mr. Collins is so insufferably annoying!

The first child

You know he is the first child in a lot of ways.  I'm not sure that they are all good ways...but you get what you get with him.

At 14.5 weeks (see...I told you he was the first child) he had tooth #1 and then shortly after tooth #2.

Somewhere in his 5 year old time (today!), he lost it.

If you have been in the area, you probably would have known about the loose tooth.  It was displayed with pride for about a month now.


A bite of an apple got it really loose this morning.

A tooth pillow is in the works and a letter to the tooth fairy is to be written.  He does not want to give up the tooth. He would like to please keep it.  I think he has plans to even type the said letter.

The first child.

this moment...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

following Amanda's weekly moments...

Yarn Along Wednesday

Participating in Ginny's weekly Yarn Along...


I missed last week's Yarn Along.  It was the first one I missed!  It wasn't for the lack of knitting or even a bit of reading...life was just too busy!  I'm not sure what I've been so busy with as it seems my list is ever growing and still so many things need to be done. 

After finishing two really big projects, a Catkin and Whippoorwill, I'm ready for some steady non-thinking knitting.  I'm participating in a SAL (Shawl Along) with Skein on Ravelry and have decided to use my skein of Skein to make another Stripe Study shawl.  Simple and mindless garter stitch.  I think that is what I need right now.  For a more portable project I started a simple pair of socks too in a rustic tweedy wool.  After freezing for what seemed like an enternity this winter, I think I need lots of woolen socks. 

I'm still working on Pride and Prejudice and now am getting to the meat of it.  It feels a bit odd to read such a classic on a Ipad but I love the feature of touching a word and having a the definition pop up for you.