Pumpkin Sunrise

  Yesterday the air quality was horrible so we decided to have an indoor date. We first went to our favorite place for lunch for a quick bite then went to the Carnegie Museum of Art for the Joan Brown exhibit .  The paintings were fantastic to see in person! I felt very lucky to live near a city and to have a yearly membership to a group of museums that not only have a wonderful permanent collections but also have exhibits throughout the year that change.  Today the air has improved slightly but not enough for my daily walks to resume. I miss them. Frodo and I get out and about, to clean the cobwebs out of our minds. My daily walks are for physical and mental fitness. Hopefully tomorrow will be a great outdoor day.  I picked up a sweater that I started back in March and continually wonder if I have enough yarn (I doubt it) and wonder if I can creatively add another color (that is to be determined). I guess right now I am going to knit through the second skein of fiv...

 I completed this shawl yesterday afternoon and remembered to photographed it. I enjoyed this knit because of the ease of memorizing the pattern and the repetitiveness of the rows. This kind of knitting is meditative and therapeutic for me, also I can watch a TV show without too many errors. The yarn, Knit Picks Chroma was a bit splitty since it is a single ply yarn but the beautiful color changes make up for that flaw. I have started another hitchhiker and can't wait to see how this one turns out as well. What are you working on this week?

  I had such a good time this weekend with our daughter and son in law. We drove a little north to a restaurant that has beautiful outdoor seating for our lunch on Saturday. Since moving to western PA, my husband and I rarely eat out and therefore do not have a list of great restaurants. I cannot remember which family member recommended this restaurant but it was nice and we would go again. After lunch, we shopped at a few stores before returning home to prepare for extended family to come visit and have dessert. I appreciate my aunt and my sister for making desserts and spending time with us on the back patio. The weather was perfect! Sunday morning, we said goodbye to our company and attended morning Mass. I did the laundry and cleaned the house. After lunch my husband and I went to yet another garden store to purchase this St. Francis statue. We've been on the lookout for this statue since last summer. We are picky and the the statues are rare to find. My cousin recommended this...

  This is the third weekend in a row that we have family plans. This weekend, our daughter and son in law are visiting us from Massachusetts, we haven't seen them since last September. I've been busy planning a family gathering on Saturday night and meals to make while trying to keep it simple.  Finally! I snapped a photo of the birth sampler project for grand baby girl number two. I work on this an hour a day and really love how easy it is. First of all I can see it (big win) and second of all there's little to no backstitching. 

  I continue to work on the hitchhiker shawl , mostly in the evenings while watching some TV shows. I have around 35 teeth already completed. Luckily for me, I have a second skein to get to the 41 teeth goal or maybe beyond? I'm thinking of making yet another one after I did through my yarn stash. This might be the summer of hitchhiker shawls. Something easy and portable.  What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? On Saturday afternoon, we went to a graduation party for my cousin's son that was fun. I wasn't the host so I was able to relax and enjoy the company.  Yesterday, we went to my dad's house for a lunch and to celebrate Father's day. We had a great time, ate really good food and relaxed with each other on his back porch. Three weeks ago I removed our regular bird feeder because that pesky raccoon came by and ate all of the birdseed, grr. I swapped out the bird feeder with a thistle feeder (raccoons do not eat thistle supposedly). To my delight I spied two goldfinches Saturday morning!  Late afternoon yesterday I braved the air quality and sat outside for a bit enjoying the beautiful day, reading a book and watching Frodo watch the world.  How was your weekend?

  I'm delighting in the ordinary days of approaching summertime. During nice weather (as in not raining) I go for my walks and notice the changes in nature. This week the tree frogs have started to sing. In March I cannot wait for trees to leaf out and wonder when it will occur. In June I feel like I didn't pay enough attention to the changes for spring.  Around here the kids are done with school and I love to listen to the neighborhood laughter.  For the party last week, my husband quickly filled some pots with annuals to brighten up the deck, their pops of color fill me with delight whenever I'm washing my dishes and looking out from the window.  Many times this week I dabbled with paints and pens, exploring new ways to be more loose in my work. Not an easy task but it's fun to try. Letting go of expectations and exploring without a means to an end is the most delightful way to spend some creative time. What has delighted you this week?

  Good morning! Phew, all that baby knitting is behind me and I've been focusing on a super simple knit - the Hitchhiker . According to Ravelry, this is my third one but it definitely will not be my last. I usually work on this shawl in the evenings when I'm watching TV. During the day I've been cross stitching a baby birth sampler.  What are you working on this week?

 Hello! How was your weekend? Mine was over the top busy and it's going to take a whole week to get over the busy. Our son and daughter in law and grandson left later this morning because of an unexpected oil leak. However a kind above-and-beyond local tire auto store took care of them within an hour and a half. We already give our business to them but gosh we'll be telling everyone how speedy they were to get them on their way. On Saturday, we had the family reunion which was lovely. It was so nice to see all of my cousins some that I haven't seen in 15 years. (I didn't recognize a few but they recognized me!). The food was delicious. Later that evening we went out to dinner. Sunday morning we went to Mass then we prepared for the baby shower party. Oh my. I was overwhelmed by how much my local family helped me out. We had about 34 people attend. After the party, two families stayed for dinner. I believe everyone had a great time. I thoroughly enjoyed my grandson, mayb...

  How has your week been so far? I'm busy with the preparations for both a family reunion in town and a little baby shower here at my house. Each day this week I did something on my list to pace myself so that I wasn't doing everything all in one day. Sadly, those one day marathons are over. I remember cleaning my entire house in one day in my younger married years - what? Now I do bite sized pieces of cleaning so that I have time to rest. Am I ready? Yes I'm getting there. Our son and daughter in law and grandson arrive late tonight so I have most of the day to get my tasks done. I'm excited to see them, March was the last time we visited them and helped out with babysitting.  The Miss Holly photo is her sitting at the top of the stairs waiting for her nemesis (Frodo). She loves to taunt him and scamper away just as he is close to her. My husband gave our Mary statue a cosmetic redo. She had her cracks filled and sanded, then received a fresh coat of paint. She is look...

  How are all of you? Around here everything is great. I finished the little baby blanket and didn't have enough yarn to make the small size that I chose. But fear not! I just did what I could with the yarn that I did have and the blanket is still a nice little size to through over a baby carrier. I have officially finished baby knitting for now! I will resume baby knitting and little boy knitting near the end of summer early fall.  What are you working on this week?

  What a glorious weekend! I finished all the baby knitting (for now....). How exciting to cross off all the knitting goals. On Sunday, I started the baby birth sampler which should go smoothly. I can see the fabric (thanks Aida cloth!) and there's no silly backstitching. The hot weather has ended for now. This morning it was chilly, yay. We are hosting a baby shower this coming weekend and so I have many lists going on at the same time trying to remember everything I want to do or buy before Friday. We also have a family reunion party on the weekend as well. This weekend was all about BIG salads for dinner, sitting on the back patio and starting a new book - Beth Moore's memoir All My Knotted Up Life . I was super excited when the library hold email alerted me. How was your weekend?

  Good morning! How are you during this warmer than usual week? Today will be 90 degrees, oh my! I am trying to ignore the hot as best as I can.  Frodo and I sit outside on the back patio for little bits until one of us is too hot. It's a system! I've been working on that little blanket (final knit for now) for the granddaughter-to-be and hopefully will finish it tomorrow or definitely Sunday. I do not have enough yarn, so the blanket will be the size that it ends up! This week I've watched my ONE peony blossom do its magic. Every morning I check the status, always amazed at the beauty of it all. My sister just gave us more peonies to plant and every morning when they are watered I send lots of well wishes and hopefulness that the transplants take hold during this hot week. Easing back into a consistent art habit has been bumpy but I've found that being lenient on myself helps. I just do what is inspiring me. The other day was a doodle page with ONE bold fine line marke...