Pumpkin Sunrise

I'm posting early today because tomorrow is kind of hectic and I wanted to not forget.  Forgetting seems to be something I do frequently as I age.  Luckily most of the stuff I forget can be remedied. This week I've welcomed spring weather and iced tea brewing season.  My husband loves lots and lots of lemon in his iced tea and I love to look at lots and lots of lemons in a bowl.  A match made in heaven. Lists.  We all have them, goals we would like to achieve, grocery items, errands to run, tasks to complete.  I think nowadays we have lists daily that need our attention.  My mother kept a notebook in her purse with her lists.  I thought she was kind of silly.  Can't you remember that???  Oh my, now I look at my lists and realize, um, no I cannot remember that. She kept a list of my children's clothing sizes, what they wanted for Christmas, pattern ideas, errands, and fabric measurements.  She wrote menu ideas, recipes, and ...

Even though I'm knee deep in a Hitofude cardigan knit, I cast on a new project.  I'm making a blanket for my nephew's baby and went into deep yarn stash to find this worsted weight cotton.  I love this simple garter stitch rib pattern and how effortlessly the blanket is knitting up. I am reading short stories by Flannery O'Connor.  I bought this book last year while on vacation and it's been patiently waiting for me to start reading.  I guess I'd like to read one short story a week as a personal reading goal.  I want to savor the writing.  On my kindle I'm reading Persuasion by Jane Austen and haven't made as much progress as I'd like. What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

Good morning all, how are you?  I'm doing great even though it's been days since the sun beamed its rays for more than a minute or two.  I never thought that sunshine was so important to me, but apparently it is.  I'm craving it. Lucky for me, I have my knitting and boy have I been knitting a lot.  I finished all the repeats for the sleeves of my Hitofude cardigan and today will be the undoing of my provisional cast on.  This is the crocheted provisional cast on that I looked up in my 211 ways to cast on and bind off book because the last sweater I just used scrap yarn and improvised.  I do not recommend improvising, it will be your downfall. If something is worth doing right, well, do it the right way, right??  Where was my smarter self when I needed her? And because many of you asked to see my new favorite tea mug, here she is!  (I think tea mugs would be a she).  I have had many mugs of tea and so far I'm tickled....

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments    in the comment section with a link to your blog. My weekend was a full one.  We attended two festivals in our local area.  I was on the hunt for my new favorite pottery mug and did find it.  Bliss!  We had a slice of pizza and later some super healthy french fries.  I walked my feet off and was exhausted by the time we were home mid afternoon.  The weather was chilly and I was wishing for that sun to peek out. After a quick dinner, we headed to my husband's new office to finish up filing and hanging diplomas.  We were fast and furious!  In the evening I made great progress on knitting my cardigan while watching an episode of Selfridges. Today was Mass, and lucky for me, the baby sat right in front of me.  I can honestly say I cannot remember the sermon, I was too bus...

Don't let these photos of daffodils lead you to believe that spring has been staying around this week.  Yesterday I saw snow...yep.  That is a first for my daughter's birthday, SNOW.  Poor Frodo was shivering while we were outside, even he cannot believe this cold spring.  However, another warm up is in the forecast and I'm focusing on the flowers and the trees that are welcoming the long daylight hours by sprouting blooming and greening up my views. We've chosen paint colors for the main level and early May will be the 'big job'.  I'm the prep gal and the cleaner upper gal.  Luckily my husband will paint as long as there is music playing, sounds like a match made in heaven.  I have high hopes that we can finish in a week, but if not that's okay. Yesterday we drove to our daughter's town to have a celebratory birthday dinner with her.  In the fall, she and her soon to be husband will be moving to the west coast for his post doc.  I ...

Progress on my second hitofude cardigan is coming along slowly.  This past week, I haven't had much knitting time, the weather called me by name and I was outside being active instead of inside knitting away.  I'm over half way with the first stage of the pattern. I'm currently reading Shipping News  which continues to be a slow read for me.  Every once in a while something happens and renews my interest to keep on reading.  It would help if I read during the day when I wasn't tired!  I'm also savoring this magazine Bella Grace , the photography and words are inspirational and I see many instagram friends in the pages.  Lovely :) What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments    in the comment section with a link to your blog. Can a weekend be delicious??  Mine certainly was.  The weather was spectacular, blue skies, warm air, truly a welcome sight.  Every window is opened and and the house has been freshened up.  Luckily my allergies are behaving and at night I fall asleep listening to the night sounds.  The older I get the more I appreciate spring. Saturday : farmer's market : fresh loaf of bread : country drives : pesto pasta : grilled chicken : new umbrella for the patio : getting HOT on a walk (what is that feeling?) : window washing : salads : phone calls from the kids : visiting the local park Sunday : Mass : Laundry : putting away wool shawls and scarves : washing wool sweaters : bare feet : washing lettuce : crossword puzzles : reading : doodl...

Spring has arrived this week in full force.  Each day while I'm outside I see new growth and green.  The maple trees are about to sprout their leaves and the air combined with the sunshine feels different.  Hopeful, fresh and abundant.  Has spring arrived for you? Each season I find myself writing out some goals, ideas and tasks that need my attention.  I yearn for inspiring activities to fill my time and my soul.  This season my focus will be about health.  For physical health, I've been marking new recipes and ideas to try new foods at least twice before I make a judgement.  How easy it is for me to fall into a rut of sameness.  Sameness is my balm for feeling secure but spring heralds in a need to shake up the routine. Another physical health goal is to continue my walking.  I have two routes that are alternated at whim but maybe this spring, we will venture to new roads.  Unfortunately loose dogs in the neighborhood wi...

This week I've been knitting two projects.  The first is a citron shawl  that is super easy and my knitting while reading project.  I am enjoying this knit and the simple stockinette stitches.  My other project is a second hitofude  cardigan with long sleeves.  I really enjoyed knitting this sweater the first time and now that I'm repeating the pattern, it's like visiting with an old dear friend. My reading has been the same as last week, I'm reading The Shipping News and the plot is slowly evolving.  My other read is Pollyanna  and by the time you read this I'll have finished this book.  The novel is uplifting and Pollyanna talks to the townspeople of being "glad".  She of course wins over ever single person and resolves all of their problems. This book would be a great one to read to children. What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments    in the comment section with a link to your blog.  My weekend was full and interesting.  Early in the morning on Saturday we took Frodo to the vet because he was feeling poorly.  We walked out with medicine and today he is acting a tad bit better, I think the spring grasses are irritating to him.  He has been hiding under the ottoman or in the photo above under the back porch stairs.  If he was a human he could do with some therapy!  He is easily upset and everyone at the vet hospital knows his gentle sensitive soul. We also hauled our unusual recyclable "stuff" to a recycling fundraiser only to arrive and find out it was canceled.  So, we drove around our little town and the adjacent ones finding recycling places to avoid taking back the "stuff".  While initially we...

Ever so slowly I am bringing back my shamrock plant back from the dead.  This process ties in with the Easter season.  Many of my plants get too much love (over watering) or not enough love (under watering).  Then I'm faced with adjusting my love for them. Have you ever thought about rewriting your inner dialogue.  You know, the stuff we say to ourselves or think to ourselves day in day out.  Sometimes that dialogue can be negative or maybe not productive.  I've worked diligently these past years on focusing on the present and being overall positive.  But life isn't stagnant and we are face with changes.  When I'm sad, frustrated or worried, eventually I tire of those feelings and stop and truly listen to myself. My inner dialogue needs rewriting.  I'm listening to what I believe are facts and they are fiction, my imagination of what could be-what might be and nothing has happened yet. So this week, I'm rewriting my dialogue, every tho...

Something new is on the needles, happiness and joy!  I started another Hitofude cardigan and this time around I'm making the sleeves long instead of 3/4 length.  I'm guessing and fudging and hoping that the sleeves will look fantastic.  Also, I've mastered the crochet provisional cast on.  My first   Hitofude I was too lazy to dig out a crochet hook and so I knit the beginning with a waste yarn.  After the sleeves were knit up, I was sadden by an entire day of unknitting that lazy decision and have learned my lesson.  Do a proper provisional cast on. My reading is new as well.  I started  The Shipping News  by E. Annie Proulx.  Since I've just started the book, I have no opinions at all.  Let's see how the book goes. What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

I finished this shawl last week and now it's sitting patiently in a box for the fall weather. The pattern was a fun and easy knit.  If you have knit lace before this would be a great pattern for you. I ran short of yardage and had to end the shawl quickly but with blocking this shawl is a nicely sized.  Blocking makes everything better :)

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments    in the comment section with a link to your blog.  I had a wonderful Easter celebration, did you?  Every day fiesta ware dishes were set aside for my green dishes (royal china- old curiosity shop)  that my grandmother and mother collected from a grocery store while I was a little girl. I have many, many pieces and some of them are chipped or the glaze is ruined, but luckily I can cobble together a place setting for six, sometimes eight if people are not inspecting. The coffee table doesn't look that messy but it still can disturb my inner peace.  Each time I walk by I try to tidy.  Then someone else comes around and undoes my tidy. - we went to morning Mass and now we are in the Easter season! -we walked and wished for slightly warmer weather -there was:  cake, la...

By this afternoon both children will be home for the weekend.  This pristine coffee table will be filled with books, computers, pens, earbuds, and scraps of paper.  Our daughter will return to her apartment for work on Monday but our son will have a spring break for a week.  The groceries are bought and the menu is planned.  I am ready! To be truthful, I've been lax in my yoga practice and the unexpected snow this past week has made walking daily a challenge.  In turn my sleep has suffered.  Yesterday was a brand new day, I did my yoga in the morning and in the afternoon walked with Frodo.  Oh my, simple medicine for my overall well being.  I'm thankful that I figured this out quickly.  Phew! Spring is taking it's time arriving.  Everywhere is brown and today the skies are gray.  Each morning as I sip my coffee, I hear the robins calling to each other and my resident sparrow sing chirpily - she has become quite vocal.  Y...

Are you stunned by that snow in the background?  I was and still am.  Here I am a winter lover by heart and have slowly adjusted to the arrival of spring and all of it's promises only to watch a snowstorm all day yesterday.  Crazy weather.  Today and tomorrow will be quite sloppy as it quickly melts and we are once again facing forward towards marching into spring. This week I've been focusing on these socks , my goal is to have them done by the Easter weekend.  This is an achievable goal if I focus....  I think I can! My reading is the same.  I'm in the midst of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry  and Pollyanna .  I do love Pollyanna, she seems to see the bright side of life.  As for A.J. Fikry, I'm adoring ALL of the novel title references and plots and characters that are sprinkled throughout the book.  If you are an avid reader, you might love this book. What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Fron...