Sweater Done

The sweater is now done!

I finished the needed baby shower gifts on Thursday and was able to finish the sweater for 'Lily' this afternoon - I put it off so long and it only took an evening and another day (of on and off work).

Pictures on Monday!

...and now I'm back

Now that October is done and it's November, I'll hopefully be back here again!  The month was good, the month was fun, but I'm so glad the month is done!!

Just for as a treat for you - you can check out these fun Pink Martini songs!

I'll be back


And Then You're Gone





...and as we go into November, let's set the pace a bit slower?  Okay with everyone?


Splendor in the Grass

Over the Valley

Just keep swimming!

Somehow, not entering my ten on tuesday post ahead of time made it so I didn't get my other posts up either.  Yesterday was a bit busy, and it ended with my mending a pair of my husband's pants just the day before he needed them... I'm also working on the baby gifts and the contest sweater.  Yesterday was also my weekly trip to the library, so now I have to make a decision - do i finish the book I'm almost done with (424/485 pages read) or do I start the new Rick Riordan, or the new JK Rowling book...  both of which are available to me *right now*. 

Instead, I am trying to be good and help the kids finish their work, help get the house ready for family guests, and be there early Saturday morning to clean our church building (we rotate who helps with that and it's my turn again).  I will knit and read and watch some fun shows at some point.  Hopefully sometime over this month my treading of water will turn into a gold medal finish!

Ten on Tuesday:today

There was no Ten on Tuesday topic that went out for this week, so instead, you get ten things I did today: (disclaimer, tuesday is usually a crazy day, this list is not at all inclusive)

1. Ate half a bagel with cream cheese and raspberry jam for breakfast

2. Wiped down the kitchen and swept the main floor before co-op

3. Made sure one of the girls made the pb&j for the three kids today (I ate leftovers)

4. Listened to Noel read two fun stories

5. Facilitated a game of animal sound charades

6. Carefully lifted a kid into my garage through a window since the door was stuck, eventually figured out how and fixed the door

7. Listened to a report about Ocelots

8. Played 9 games of Spot it! Kindergarten style...

9. Started a batch of dough for bread

10. Put together two pots of eggplant beef stew

Sweater Progress

I had a little more knitting time over the weekend and I now have one sleeve finished and the second sleeve is half done.  Lily has enjoyed watching all of the guesses come in for when her sweater will be done and has tried to do a couple of extra chores so I have more time to finish it!  She's cheering on the early guesses, but life goes on and I can only knit during some of its activities! 

Fiction Friday: The Peach Keeper

The Peach Keeper, by Sarah Addison Allen, is a book I recently finished.  It was an interesting, easy read.  It's a story of Willa, who is a descendant of the wealthy town foundering family, who then lost their fortune.  It's a story of Paxton, a currently wealthy woman who went to school with Willa.  And it's a story of their grandmothers, who were best friends at one point, and maybe still are.  It's a little strange and although I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone, I did find two quotes in it that hit me:

Happiness is a risk.  If you're not a little scared, then you're not doing it right. (p238)

Fate never promises to tell you everything up front.  You aren't always shown the path in life you're supposed to take.  But, if there was one thing she'd learned in the past few weeks, it was that sometimes, when you're really lucky, you meet someone with a map. (p242)

Have a great weekend!

Barter

I am working on, along with the sweater and the baby shower gifts, two quick dish cloths!  It's part of a barter with another family and should be done by the end of the week!  Anyone able to tell me when life will slow down a bit?  :)

Tour de Fleece

Tour de Fleece is an event that happens every year. Although I never officially participate I do try to spin during it. It occurs at the same time as the Tour de France and the goal is to spin and challenge yourself while watching the race. I don't watch the racing, but I did manage to spin all but one of the days I think. I tried to spin for at least 30 minutes and most days did more than that.


 I finished this grey superwash that I've been working on forever.  Most of it was done prior to this year's event, but I finally got it done!

The left most skein is blue and purple silk that I got as dyed hankies.  They did look like a pile of fibery handkerchiefs, which I took and spun on a little spindle.  Once again, this has been going on forever, and it is now done. 

The middle skein is something I bought back at my first MA sheep and wool (the same year as the grey yarn above).

The skein on the right is a black bunny fibers colorway that I got several years ago as a present from my husband.

Then, since I had finished up so much that I had been working on for a long time I started something kindof new.  I took three colors of different fiber I had gotten while part of the Southern Cross Fibre Club and I am mixing them all up.  I started it during the Tour de Fleece and then, once that was done I didn't touch my wheel for over a month.  I recently sat and spun some more on that and can't wait for it to be done.  That full bobbin is about 2/3 of the total fiber, so I am on the down hill part of this yarn!

Don't forget to check Monday's post and enter the contest!

Ten on Tuesday: Pizza Toppings

Ten Favorite Pizza Toppings:

1. Sauce

2. Cheese

3. Pepperoni

4. Ham
 
5. Pineapple

6. Peppers

7. BBQ chicken

8. Basil

9. Feta

10. Mushrooms


Of course, not all of this on any one pizza....

Sweater for Lily (and a contest)

I'm almost caught up with everything that happened during my vacation - just a couple more posts - but today I thought I'd tell you what I've been working on lately.  My oldest daughter is now 10 1/2.  She doesn't request many knit projects.  I think this is partly because she also knows how to knit, and partly because she is just content with what she has.  At the end of the summer she asked if I could use the yarn she had chosen at two different festivals and make her a sweater.

Since these two skeins were each a pair of adult socks worth of yarn  I didn't think there would be enough.  Luckily I had other sock yarn that would coordinate in color. 

I started about August 21st.  I have now finished the body and most of one sleeve.  Once the sleeves are done I will still need to do the collar and the button (zipper?) band.  There might be some patch pockets - or there might not.  She was hoping it would be done earlier this month - it obviously wasn't.  I am working on it, but I also know 5 pregnant women  - and I usually knit or crochet something for baby showers (3 of the 5 are before the end of Nov). 

So, here's the contest.  When do you think her sweater will be done.  The person with the closet guess (completely done - all ends woven in, pockets attached if we choose to add them, zipper sewn or buttons on, etc) will win a prize. It doesn't matter if your guess is before or after the finished time, the winner will just be the one closest.

All guesses must be placed in the comments of this post.  The prize will either be a skein of handspun (if the winner is crafty), or one small project (bulky hat, dishcloth, etc - if the winner is not crafty)

Guesses can be placed here any time this week.  Comments made after Saturday Sept 29th will not be entered into the contest.  Anyone (family/friends/strangers) is welcome to enter. 

There is one other way to enter the contest - if you send someone else here and they mention you when they enter you can have a bonus entry!

Fiction Friday: The Blue Castle

I was reading through some of the threads on the Ravelry Forum.  I don't remember if it was the Homeschooling Group or the Simple Living group or the Selfish Knitting Group, but one of them was talking about their favorite books.  Someone mentioned an L.M. Montgomery book I had never read.  I, of course, immediately requested it.  I grew up rereading Anne so many times and loving it.  I also own the Emily series, and several of her other short story books.  The new book was The Blue Castle.


It is about an older women (she 29 and not married) who, due to some new knowledge, decides to not be a door mat to her family any more.  She decides to live life on her terms, and it is a wonderfully cute story.  It is, perhaps, not a surprising thriller, but a fun read.

What authors did you like to read as a kid/teen?

Quadrangle

We went to the local museums.  There are 5 museums surrounding the main city library - normally we go to three of four of them, but during this visit we only went to two of them, and a building of sticks that was on the green between them!


The first museum was the Natural History Museum (normally referred to as the Science Museum. They had a cool castle Lego exhibit going on...

We then walked outside to see the stick structure..

And then we walked back across the street to the Springfield History Museum were we made the kids look at a couple of things before they got to flee to the game room...

Stanley Park

Also during our vacation in August we went to Stanley Park in Westfield. The kids played on the playground for a while, and then we had a picnic lunch before going on a little walk....

We were telling the kids that we used to go on dates to this park and walk around. I don't know if they had ever thought about us dating before.

They did enjoy looking at the water and woods and all the animals there. 

We even walked up to the rose garden and walked around. There was a big map of the United States off to the side and the kids had fun running from state to state as I called them off. 

We could hear thunder in the distance and the sky was pretty grey. The kids were starting to freak out, but we walked slowly back to the car and even took some fun family shots on the way. We drove out and it barely started to rain as we got onto the road.

Ten on Tuesday: Weekend

Ten things I love to do on the Weekend:

1. Sleep in (at least sometimes!)

2. Help others in the family cook

3. Knit and watch movies

4. Sit on the couch with my sweet husband while we both read

5. Go on Adventures with the family

6. Watch a marathon of movies (LoTR, SW, SG-1, ST - bonus to anyone who recognizes all of those)

7. Go on a bike ride

8. Have all our schoolwork done so I don't have to ruin anyone's weekend!

9. Go to church (especially when I do an assignment that week!)

10. Eat bagels and a chocolate covered cannoli with my sweetie

Bridge of Flowers

As part of our family vacation in August we went on our annual trip to the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. We enjoy going and seeing the different flowers in bloom. Often we go see some of the other stores down the road, and this year we stopped at Mo's Fudge Factor and also had lunch at a little place before heading home.

Fiction Friday:Goodbye for Now

 

Goodbye for Now

I recently read this book by Laurie Frankel.  It is a very strange but interesting book about death and what makes a person.  At the beginning of the book there is a new relationship and a death - but can the programmer boyfriend ease the pain of death?  Is grief helped or hindered by making the process longer?  What happens if a program seems to learn and grow by itself?  Is it alive?   While this is not a book for everyone it was fun to read - death and humor right next to each other throughout the story...

Anniversary

Back at the beginning of August my husband and I celebrated our 12th anniversary.  We decided to really celebrate and so we left the kids with my parents and drove several hours north.  

After enjoying the ups and downs of the New Hampshire mountains  we made it to our destination.  

Walking into our room I saw that my husband had ordered a surprise for me!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at the restaurant that night, sitting right at this window:

Our room was upstairs here, and we even had a nice hot tub in that turret

The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast and then took a walk into town and by the creek before we left...

Thanks to my sweet husband for such a wonderful weekend and happy whirlwind of 12 years.  Many many more to go!

Another Baby Gift

I almost never sell my knitting.  I usually gift it, I sometimes barter it, but I usually feel that selling it makes it less of a hobby and less fun.  It tends to make my free time stressful.  However, I had a friend attend many baby showers with me and kept commenting that she would love to have me make something for her daughter who was expecting.  She mentioned it early enough that I had plenty of time to think about it, get her opinion on some things, and make it while not being rushed. 

She had asked for a bear and vest....

I had a little extra time though, and really wanted to use the matching yarn to make something quick (and crocheted).  I gave her the option of buying this also, or just what she had asked for.  She snapped it up!

Her daughter just had the baby this past week - hope she and the little boy enjoy these!

Ten on Tuesday: Sunday Dinners

Ten Favorite Sunday Dinners

Sunday dinners here are sometimes a bit fancier since there is more time and more helpers available usually, but often they are just what we'd have during the week...

1. Breakfast (Pancakes or Waffles, Eggs, Bacon or Beef Hash)

2. Beef Onion Strudel

3. Mustard Chicken

4. Chicken Potpie

5. Herb Pork Roast

6. Shrimp Scampi

7. Clam Chowder
 
8. Lasagna

9. Jambalaya

10. Minestrone soup with fresh bread

What sounds good to you?  One of these, or something of your own?

Baby Girl

My husband asked if I would make a gift for a co-worker who had a new daughter.  Of course, he asked in plenty of time and I kept putting it off.  Finally I got this done just a week or so after the baby was born.  It was fun to make a girly bear after all the recent boy ones (and more boy ones coming!)

I'm wondering how many people are still reading this after my long vacation - so the fun way to find out is to have a contest - details to be posted soon!

Fiction Friday: Glamour in Glass

This week's pick is called Glamour in Glass.

This is actually the second book in the series. The first book is called Shades of Milk and Honey.  The author is Mary Robinette Kowal. 

I enjoyed these books, the second more than the first I think, and would describe them as Jane Austin meets Patricia Wrede.  Magic is prevalent and is "an essential skill for a lady of quality".  Otherwise, it's Regency England and a fun fantastic read.  

In the first book you meet Jane Ellsworth, who is 28, single, and plain.  She has great talent with magic, but is invisible next to her attractive younger sister.

Sound like something you'd like to read?

MA sheep and wool

At the end of May we had our traditional family trip to the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Fair....

We saw sheep, we saw dogs herding sheep, we saw cooked sheep, sheep shearing, and lots and lots of yarn.

Some of that yarn came home with us:

The red was chosen by Tomato, the purple by Curly, and the Blue (with hints of green) by Lily.  I chose the pink/brown, and both things of fiber.  My sweet husband was very proud that he walked away with nothing - at least nothing fibery.  We each got a mug and he picked out a pitcher and some dipping bowls at a pottery booth.  We didn't take pictures of them, but we do love them! 

Baby Shower during Blog silence

During the early part of my blog vacation I attended a baby shower.  This was a gift for the new little boy.  Complete with buttons on the shoulder so it should go on and off easily.
 

Ten on Tuesday:September

Ten Things you love about September:

1. Crisp Air

2. Cool Nights and Mornings

3. Warm days still!

4. School starting

5. Fall colors

6. a feeling of new beginnings

7. routine and structure

8. seeing good friends again

9. early bedtimes (for the kids)

10. starting to get in mood for the holidays (slowly)

September

Ok, Summer vacation is now officially over.  As my son keeps telling me, September 1 is when all the things he loves starts again.  As we re-enter our normal schedule and routines I'll be blogging again and letting you all know what has happened since the middle of May, and what I'm busy with now!  Something for you all to look forward to next week....

Friday Fiber: Spinning again

Sometime ago I realized that I wasn't spinning.  I wanted to, I planned to, I even had exact things I wanted to get done, but it wasn't happening.

I had too much knitting, reading, cooking, cleaning, schooling, and sleeping to do. 

I finally finished all my knitting for other people, and so I brought out the spinning again.

This is silk I recently mentioned here on the blog.  It's been in progress for years and I am finally almost done with it.  The amount on the white winder is what had been on the spindle.  It was too full to keep working with so I wound it off.  The purple that is next to the spindle is all that I have left of the hankies.  As soon as that is done I will join it to the blue on the winder and wind it all into one big ball and ply it.

 

I also recently started the final skein of grey superwash wool.  I've already done two of them and the third has been sitting patiently waiting for months.  This will take a little while, but then I will be done and able to figure out what I'm going to knit with it all.

It feels good to be back in the thick of spinning again.  I am also reading a bunch and trying to finish the homeschool year.  Of course, this means I'm now not knitting much, but that will be back soon I'm sure, as I have a baby shower in a week and a half and some small barter projects to figure out.

Baby Outfit

 Not only did I finish the outfit for my niece before she outgrew it, but I also mailed to them so they received it also before she outgrew it.

It's a shirt/sweater, a diaper cover, and a flower headband. 

The back of the diaper cover has a cute flower on it too!

Those of you who know her can see a picture of her in the outfit on her mom's facebook page.  Those of you who don't will just have to image a really cute baby who fits these pretty well right now!

Happy Star Wars Day

reposted from last year:

Happy Star Wars day to you all! May the Fourth be with you always! :)

I'm not quite sure how we will celebrate (aside from Little Tomato wearing his star wars shirt - he thinks it's really cool that it has a darth vader helmet on the front - and back!)

There will probably be game playing (lego starwars and lego clonewars) and perhaps some movie watching, and I'm almost positive we'll be playing my kids favorite you-tube song. Although I don't think the festivities will continue into food (I'm just not big on decorated cupcakes - I do like puns though, anyone got anything normal I can make that can pun its way into star wars territory?) we'll try to have a day without any fear, anger, or hate and with ewoks lots of singing and you can sing along.


Let us know how you celebrate this fun day!

On to other things

I finally mailed off a present for my newest niece today.  Pictures will follow once it has been received!  ...but now I am doing other crafty things I've neglected for too long (sewing and spinning anyone?)

Ten on Tuesday: Things on my board

Ten things on my bulletin board

1. Halloween Pictures

2. Christmas Picture we sent out

3. A signed Fablehaven bookmark

4. Movie ticket stubs

5. Stubs from our trip to 6 Flags last year

6. A Peacock feather that was a gift from 'Curly'

7. Postcard that says "Emily is Madd"

8. Some thank you notes from last summers baby showers

9. A fortune cookie fortune that says 'Your home is a pleasant place from which you draw happiness'

10. Pink Martini ticket stub

As you can tell, my board is more of a memory board than a working bulletin board.

Slippers

Here are the slippers pre-felting

They are rather loose and not sturdy at all.

Here they are post-felting.  

Now they are a dense sturdy fabric.

I sewed bottoms on to make them less slippery and to help them last longer.

Of course I got them done as the weather turns summer, but they are will be nice if it turns cold again, or in the fall.

.

Sweater accomplished

Here I have a lovely finished sweater.  It has been knit, and seamed, and washed, and blocked.  

....and now it has buttons!

It's all done and growed up!

Happy Spring!

I hope everyone had a great Easter!  I snuck a birthday in over the weekend also, and we have some family down-time this week that I'm looking forward to!  No matter what the weather I always consider it spring after my birthday. 

One of the videos I think of every spring:

Food Friday: Corn Casserole

Since Noel asked for this recipe I thought I'd just post it!  Although it's so not healthy by the time you add the butter and sour cream this really is a yummy alternative to corn bread.  I often add the entire 16oz of sour cream (especially if I don't have anything planned for the other half) and it turns out fine, I also usually make this in my square glass pan,  just make sure the middle is not gooey - if you make those two changes you might need to cook it a few more minutes!

 

CORN CASSEROLE

 
1 can cream corn
1 can whole kernel corn (partly drained)
8 oz sour cream
1 stick margarine - melted
2 eggs
1 box Jiffy Corn muffin mix
 

Mix Together sour cream and margarine.  Butter a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish (or 9 x 13 pan).  Add ingredients - Mix together.  Back at 350.  35-45 minutes.

Net Bags Winner

I recently entered a contest on my mom's blog, and won!  She told me I could choose a few bags for us to keep, and brought a bunch over for us to pick from.  The blue one on the bottom is mine, the two on the chair belong to each of my girls. 

They made my errands this past week much easier, as they fit a LOT and then when empty will fit into my pocket or other bag. 

Almost Finished

I could subtitle this post "Finished except the finishing!"   Finishing is all the sewing together and weaving in of ends - basically the knitting is done and the finishing is everything else that has to happen before you would want to wear it!

I had success earlier this week.  My friend tried the sweater on and not only did it fit, but it fit well!  I finished the last coupe of inches of the collar and then laid it out to take a picture:

The color is more accurate in the first shot (more cream than yellow) but really somewhere between the two.  I love how this is ending up.  I just need to sew two small seams and then weave in 80 gazillion ends of yarn!  I'm so pleased with it and hope she will be too!  (oh, and buttons...  can't wait to see what she chooses for buttons!)

Ten on Tuesday: Side Dishes

Side dishes are a vital part of a meal, and of course, will need to fit the main course, so not all of the following would be served randomly with any main dish, but here are my ten favorite side dishes.

1. Roasted Potatoes
2. Macaroni Salad
3. Pan Fried Green Beans
4. Corn Casserole
5. Side Salad
6. Grilled Zucchini
7. Potato Salad
8. Rice Pilaf
9. Three/Four Bean Salad
10. Raw Veggies

Update on Barter Sweater

No picture today, but a quick update on the barter sweater


I am working on the last knitting step - the collar.  However, my friend will be trying it on today and some ripping out might be needed.  If it all fits well then I will finish the inches and inches of ribbing and then sew under the arms and weave in all the ends, sew on buttons and be done - but I'm mentally preparing myself to rip out the last several days of work.  I'll report later this week which way it went!

Ten on Tuesday: Tips on Moving

I know the blog has been quiet and a little slow lately - it's just crazy birthday and spring life-related stuff... hang out for a little while and the postings should pick up again!

Ten Tips on Moving:

1. Gather enough boxes - your stuff will take up more than you think!

2. Pack away stuff first that you know you won't use so you can start the process ahead of time and do it a bit at a time.

3. Try to pack without the kids! Play dates or movies are both good for this!

4. Label where each box should go in the new place! If you aren't sure about the organization of the new place then be specific about what is in each box when you label.

5. ...or number each box and have a master list about what is in which box!

6. Towels or plastic grocery bags work well for packing fragile items - or out of season clothes would also work.

7. If possible, weed through and declutter before you pack. If that's not possible then accept it and just pack everything, knowing you will be moving things just to toss them. Don't try to unclutter and pack at the same time.

8. When moving into your new place, if possible, stand at the door and direct boxes to each room - piling them in each room against a certain wall so that beds/couches/etc can also be placed and used before having to move or unpack boxes.

9. Bribe friends to help - watch kids, pack the truck, move the furniture, etc. Pizza and cold soda often work.

10. My favorite: Just don't move

Wordless Wednesday: it's just that hot today

Ten on Tuesday: No Topic

There was no topic today, so instead of a list of ten things all you get is:


HAPPY SPRING!

Food Friday: Birthday Cake

For the birthday we had last week (she's now double digits!) we had two cakes. One of them was the chocolate cherry cupcakes I've already shared the recipe for. We brought those to chess club on her birthday and had them at the end of dinner that night. The other cake was made for her party. Lily is much more adventurous when it comes to cakes than the rest of us. She often picks a recipe out of my cake doctor books and has me go for it while the rest of the family will only choose ones we know and love for our birthdays. Her cake was so yummy though!



It was a Macadamia Fudge Torte (although we made it with pecans instead of Macadamias). It was in my original cake doctor book, and it reminded my husband of our favorite chocolate scones (probably because they both are chocolate with cinnamon, but they do also taste similarly besides that).

Another Baby Gift

This has finally started turning into something for my new niece. I know her parents sometimes read this blog, so I won't be posting anything else until it's done and received, but it's such a pretty color and nice yarn that I couldn't skip posting something about it!

Baby Shower!

I finished the baby shower gift!


I've been wanting to make this vest for a long time, but I wasn't with it enough to make it for my son when he was that small, and we didn't know ahead of time we were having a boy anyway. I might now make this same pattern larger for him. It turned out really cute.

I loved that the 6 month and the 12 month sizes both had buttons on the shoulder to make it easier to take on and off:


And it's tradition now that I make a bear. I should make some up ahead of time and have them ready, but I never plan to make them until I need a baby gift.



I think the baby will fit better than the bear did though...

Ten on Tuesday: Songs for a Great Mood

Ten Songs that put me in a Great Mood
(I guess a Great Mood is kindof a subjective thing, but I do enjoy myself while listening to these):

1. Tubthumping by Chumbawamba You gotta love getting knocked down, as long as you get up again....

2. I'll Be Waiting by Adele I've been listening to this CD since Christmas and I think this (or fire to the rain) is my favorite on it

3. Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer Drop your worries and let your hair down!

4. True Colors by Phil Collins I prefer this one to the Cyndi Lauper version

5.Tonight's gonna be a good night by Black eyed peas just remember, any time you run out of words, just start singing the days of the week Sesame Street style

6. Something to Sing about from Buffy Although I wouldn't recommend this show to just anyone there is something about making it through 5 or 6 seasons and then getting a payoff of a musical show with fun music and funny lyrics that reference the previous seasons. I do enjoy thinking about the difference between someone giving you songs versus something to sing about.

7. King of Anything by Sara Bareilles I love the visual of a map planned out with someone's name on it in all caps

8. 100 Years by Five for Fighting This song remind me of both how long and how short life is

9. The To Do list and Favorite Things by Hilary Weeks there are just some fun silly songs - I should have put a real song of hers on this list, so check some out.

10. The French Revolution (to the tune of Bad Romance by Lady Gaga) My girls watched this recently for school and it's that catchy tune that you love from Lady Gaga but with historical words that the kids can actually sing... It's gotten stuck in my head a few times

Fiction Friday: Einstein

Today's book is actually non-fiction. I've been meaning to read it for about 9 months, but it's big and intimidating, and I borrowed it from someone who said no rush, so I kept putting it off and reading books that were due from the library. I finally decided recently that enough was enough so I started reading it, took a couple weeks off, and then finished reading it this past week or two. I finished last night:



Here's some thought provoking Einstein quotes:

Speaking of the discovery of one of his theories: "The thought is amusing and seductive; but for all I know, the good Lord might be laughing at the whole matter and might have been leading me up the garden path."

An entertaining observation as I start cutting out some junk food: "The mass of a body is a measure of its energy content."

He was able to come up with ideas for his theories because he believed: "Nature is the realization of the simplest conceivable mathematical ideas"

When times got hard he told a friend: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."

He worked for years at the end of his life trying to figure out a unified theory, but never did. "Every man may take comfort from the fine saying that the search for truth is more precious than its possession"

Double Digits and Women's Day

Happy Women's Day - here's some music to celebrate!

As women we need to remember to be kind to ourselves
Perfect by Pink
(language warning and this video has disturbing images - really, it's an important message, but, dad, don't click this!)

...and help raise the next generation to be better than ourselves
daughters


...and I kept looking for Angels, by Julie deAzevedo and couldn't find it anywhere online, but here's the lyrics

...and one last song! (nothing to do with women's day) Remember to enjoy the day and dance a little!


and it is my daughter Lily's birthday today. She's finally hit double digits - but she's still sweet enough that when I asked her what her favorite song was so I could honor her in this post she chose a primary song from church.

The Motivation of Public Goals

It was about a week and a half ago that I took a picture of the mending pile and then set them off to the side of my craft basket.

It was about a week ago that I put a blog post together with a picture of my mending pile and a hope that it would magically get done.

A couple of days ago that post was published.

Last night I finished the last item that was in the pile. They are all mended and in usable condition now! (well, except one of the pants that wasn't in the pile - one of my daughters saw me tackling the pile and brought in another pair of sweatpants. It is now patched and she is free forming some more decorations around the patch)

Letting other people know about your goals does seem to help!

(now to decide what my next public goal will be?!?)

Ten on Tuesday: Things in my Purse

10 Things you would find my in purse (well, my big stripe bag right now)

1. wallet
2. keys
3. little notebook and a pen/pencil
4. mp3 player
5. measuring tape
6. a kid toy (either for distraction or confiscated)
7. a book to read
8. at least one craft project of some sort
9. almonds and candy
10. small first aid kit

notice there is no cell phone (usually in my pocket) and no baby stuff (yes, my kids are finally all toilet trained and eating real people food).

Mending Pile

I need to sit and mend... but I have so many more interesting things to do, so I keep putting it off. My hope is that by posting it here I will actually get it done soon.

Fiction Friday: Grimm

I recently finished a very fun YA book called The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman. It was a fun fast read that I immediately handed off to my daughter when she was heading up to reading time before bed. She finished it that night (I think she reads faster than I do) and handed it off to her sister the next morning. Curly is now about half way done and her Grandma has claimed that she gets it next.

It's about a teenager who doesn't fit in well at school or home and so when one of her teachers recommends her for a job she jumps at the chance. It happens to be a job at a library in New York that lends items instead of books. After she's there for a while (and in the midst of confusion and possible mysteries) she discovers that there are a couple of special collections in the building. The story is fun but not too complicated, and definitely held my interest. I think it's kindof the flavor I hoped the Grimm television show would be before I watched it and discovered what it really was.

(I also read Prisoners in the Palace - a YA book about Princess Victoria, and Midnight in Austenland - an adult book about a place where people can immerse themselves in Jane Austen for a couple of weeks vacation. Both were fun, neither grabbed me as much as Grimm legacy...)

New Fabric

A Joann's store recently opened up near me, and of course I got a coupon to use at their grand opening. I picked up some fabric for 2 pairs of pants for one of my girls, and for a dress for each of them:


(and some stitch markers and yarn needles to replace my supply my daughters keep taking)

I also recently traded on Ravelry. Someone was wanting to barter away some of their fabric for some fiber, and it just so happened that they lived locally. I looked on their page, they looked on mine, we bartered back and forth, and then she dropped by my church building before church started last Sunday and I swapped some fiber for this:


(that's some denim, some flannel, some brushed twill batik, some christmas cotton, and a small piece of dora and diego cotten my son happened to see while I was browsing)

Any bets how long it will be before I have the first finished item from any of this new fabric?