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?