Stress Mittens

I've been meaning to show off my new pair of mittens that I knit this past weekend. I call them my "Stress Mittens" because knitting them was an effort at coping with all the laundry and plumbing frustrations we were having.

However, this week has not been my best and I've not found much time to blog. I will spare you all the gory details of that. Perhaps in another post.

Here is a picture of the finished pair. And I know I've said this before, but I must repeat myself and say that my skills at photography do not do the colors of this yarn justice.



**Note: I am using a Canon PowerShot SX100 IS. I take my photos in natural light whenever possible. I am not using the flash and I have Picasa for photo editing, only editing my photos when the image needs cleaning up or in an effort to adjust color so that it looks as close as possible to the real thing. I feel that the photos above are somewhat washed out and less vivid than reality. I don't feel the greens and plums are showing true. The plums look more like brown on my monitor. Any photography advice is most welcome!

Laundry woes.

Wednesday -- LG front load washer dies.

Thursday -- Take washer apart and determine it needs to be replaced.

Friday -- Shop and stress over buying new washing machine.

Saturday am -- New Whirlpool washer delivered.

Saturday am (later) -- First load of laundry running and drain pipe completely overflows.

Rest of Saturday -- Research problem on internet, clean drain, flush drain with hose, check drain vent, visit hardware store to search for possible solutions.

Saturday evening -- Another load of laundry, another overflow.

Sunday -- Seriously considering one of these:

Well, Fiddle-Dee-Dee!!

My mechanic has had a nice visit with my car today for the 3rd time in less than a month. I hope to be finally rid of that "check engine" light continually mocking me.

My 19 year-old son's car totally died on his way back to university a few weeks ago. It was beyond repair.

Our desktop computer went belly-up last month. It refused to be resucitated and had to be replaced.

Now, I have this sitting in the middle of my kitchen:


Yes, that would be my washing machine. Sadly out of commission!


Ahhh, well. We have taken it apart and determined it is too expensive to fix, so against our wishes, a new one is on its way tomorrow. If my family will just give up eating for a month, we will be able to pay for it!!

Shall I whine and complain?? Nope! Instead, I will put my hands on my hips and exclaim, "Fiddle dee dee!" just like Miss Scarlett. I will count my blessings...a healthy family, a roof over my head, a loving God...

And, I will solace myself in some lovely fiber that has been sitting in my stash, waiting patiently to be knitted up:


I wish the photo could convey the yummy goodness of this yarn. However, either due to the lighting, my camera's weakness or simply my ineptitude with a camera, I seem unable to capture the true richness of color that this fiber has. It is hand painted and each stitch evokes from me another "Oooooo! Love that color! Aaaaah! Now that one is exquisite!"


I have cast on some mittens.


I am making up the pattern myself. If it they turn out, they will be most welcome on cold walks with the hubby.

Multnomah!

I finished this a few weeks ago. I have been wearing it a LOT! It can be worn as a shawl, but I tend to drape it around my neck like this.



Pattern: Multnomah (available free here)
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino (1 skein - 420 yards)
Yarn color: Green Mountain Madness
Needles: Size 4 (3.5 mm)

Burp Cloths

What do you make when someone really cool and funky is having a baby shower?

Burp cloths!



But not just boring, plain white burp cloths. Burp cloths with personality.




And with hand-crocheted edgings.




And you know you have succeeded in making something totally cool when your 17 year-old says, "Mom, someday when I have babies, will you make me burp cloths?"

Tea for Two

Yesterday my friend, Melissa, invited me over for tea and girl talk. She really made it special. There were candles and pretty dishes. There was fresh fruit and whipped cream. She even made homemade scones (orange-chocolate chip) but they were so yummy I forgot to take a picture of them!


But the pies de resistance was the tea! First she filled her nifty clear glass teapot with hot water. Then she dropped in a boring, nondescript, unremarkable, dry bud.


That is when the show began. Slowly, the bud began to open into a lovely flower.


Not only pretty to look at, it was delicious too!


Taking a photo from above was a real challenge! The lense on the camera tended to steam up, but I finally worked it out.


Tea was followed by knitting and more girl talk. It was such a nice time.

While I was there, I finally got to take some photos of the sweater I crocheted for her baby shower months and months ago. I am happy to say it looked well-worn.


Then the baby woke up all smiles and coos. Isn't she precious?

Things that I have completed...

Often, when I feel down, I practice the "count your blessings" approach to remind me that things aren't so bad. So, in that spirit, and as a positive response to my previous post which may have seemed a bit whiny, I am going to count some things that as a wife and mother I have finished, completed, accomplished. Let's see if I can come up with at least 10 things I have successfully seen to the conclusion and I no longer do on a daily/monthly/yearly basis.

1) Learn to cook (poor hubby suffered through much trial and error and lumpy gravy)
2) Childbirth (did this 7 times, and it never got easier!)
2b) Wear maternity clothes (certainly don't miss that!)
3) Nursing and baby bottles
4) Diapers (Boy! That was a lot of work!)
5) Potty training
6) Change the linens on a wet bed (this comes with #5 above)
7) Teach kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade (youngest is now in 3rd grade)
8) Travel with diaper bag and sippy cups always in tow
9) Buckle my kids in car seats
10) Wake up to find myself doing uncomfortable contortions in an effort to not wake the child that has crawled into bed with us

Now, that was pretty easy to do. In fact, I confess finding myself slightly nostalgic and sad to think I won't be doing some of those things again. I do so love babies! I guess there are always grandchildren to look forward to some day.

Lost and FO

At the risk of being brutally honest and shattering any illusion that my life is all roses and sunshine (snort! snort!), I must confess I feel I have lost something lately...has anyone seen my joy? It seems to have wandered off. If you should stumble across it, would you send it back to me please?

I have now been a stay-at-home mom for approximately 21 years. I fear that I may have grown weary in well doing. No need to panic. I'm not planning to go out and get a job, or leave my family, or anything drastic like that. But the truth of the matter is, a lot of what my life consists of has become drudgery to me. There is a never-ending cycle of laundry and dishes and cooking and home schooling. Most of these are tasks that are never DONE, finished, complete. I can get the family all fed and the kitchen all clean, only to find a few hours later there are hungry mouths and a huge mess to deal with all over again! I don't often get the chance to do something, clap my hands together and think "There! Now that's complete! I don't have to do that again!"

Right now, homemaking feels less like an interesting journey down a scenic path; more like a marathon run by doing laps on a short round track over and over again. I'm not throwing in the towel or calling it quits. I continue to do what needs to be done, but I want my mojo back! I want to enjoy doing things I need to do. I want to feel inspired. So, should you look out your window and happen to see my joy running past, would you quickly nab it for me?

Well, that covers the "lost." Now on to the "FO" (otherwise known as "finished object.")


No, not my son. He's still a work in progress. ;-P The FO is the scarf around his neck. The pattern is "Daybreak" knit with Cascade Yarns Heritage Hand Painted Sock Yarn, colors -- 9872 "Thunder" and 5601 Black.

Here is a photo of it while still in progress, but it gives an idea of the shape of the scarf/shawl.


The photo really doesn't do the "thunder" colorway justice. It is a gorgeous hand-painted yarn with greys and some denim blues and even a bit of mossy green in it. It was really yummy to knit with. Originally it was made for my college boy in the mountains (not the one in the photo.) However, I learned that he preferred something in more "earthy" colors. Truth be told, I was thrilled! As I knit it, I fell in love with my Daybreak and I really didn't want to give it away. I have been wearing it quite a bit. It is amazing how much warmer I feel with some wool wrapped around my neck.

***Edited to add an afterthought: Don't want anyone out there to think I am drowning in the depths of despair. I'm okay, honestly! I am sure everyone feels this way about their life/occupation/career sometimes. I think I will read through Proverbs 31 and pull out my copy of "The Gentle Art of Domesticity" for a little inspiration.

Holiday Hangover

Thanksgiving was exhausting! College boys all came home. I spent most of my time in the kitchen cooking and baking and cleaning. It was nice to see family. I am totally bushed!

Would I change a thing?? Nope!

New Laptop and Finished Socks

Yes, after all the angst and indecision, I am happy to announce that I am typing this on my NEW laptop! I will brag because I think I got an awesome deal!!

--Acer which gets pretty good customer ratings, Aspire 5517
--15.6" HD LCD screen
--250 GB hard drive
--3 GB memory
--AMD Athlon duo core processor
--Windows 7 (which I can attest is soooo much better than icky Vista)
--runs smooth and FAST!

And the best part???? It was on sale at Staples for $350. Yes, that is not a typo. At that price, I could not resist giving it a try. Maybe someday I will have a Mac of my very own, but I could not justify paying 3 times as much to get a Mac...I'm not on the computer enough.


And I recently finished my "Schroon Lake Socks."


Cast on, back in June during a road trip to upstate New York, they languished in a basket much of this summer. And even when I picked them back up, I was not very project monogamous. There were prayer shawls to knit and other things to do! But I did finish them. The cooler autumn weather motivated me. One can never have enough hand-knit socks when things start to get chilly. Especially someone like me who gets cold feet!

Computer decisions.

I need a new laptop. Remember, my Sony Vaio was stolen by the dastardly thieves who broke into my house. I can not decide what to do. I want a Mac. But do I need a Mac?



I hate making major decisions about spending money. I get this paralyzed feeling. I think the root of the problem is this: I don't have a lot of money. In fact, we live on a very, very, very small income. (I am not complaining. We may be "technically" living below the poverty line in rich American standards, but we live very well compared to most people on this planet. I have a nice home, food, clothes, shelter, running water, etc.) Back to my point...I don't often have discretionary money. Spending more than $50 is a big deal to me. When I have to make a major purchase (appliance, furniture, etc.) I want to be absolutely certain that the money is spent wisely. Whatever I choose is going to have to serve me well and last me a while. It is not as if I can replace it a year from now if I hate it, or it turns out to be a lemon.

So, back to the big decision...what's a girl to do? I have never met a Mac-user who didn't love their Mac. As one of my son's recently said:

"If you have a PC you are more likely to have repairs, you are more likely to have problems, you are going to have to deal with viruses. These things can be dealt with. Keep in mind that most PC have terrible inherent problems where they just crash for no reason and certain things won't work at all or whatever.

If you get a Mac you have a piece of equipment that you know will be useful for 4+ years. So you are making an investment. There are still nice functional macs from 2000 that are great. PC's from 2000 are delapidated and hideous. I would not get another PC to save my life at this point. I vote mac for reliability and peace of mind. But I am not the one to say that spending twice as much is a good idea."



And there is the rub...is it really worth twice the price to get a Mac? You know, if I bought a cheaper PC, I could use the money not spent on a Mac and get a spinning wheel.



But, if I buy a PC, am I buying a headache? Argh!!!

Oh, and just to tempt me further, yesterday Apple announces updates and improvements to the Macbook...all without raising the price! http://www.apple.com/macbook/

In which I complain (again) about aging...

Ack! I am more and more having to face the fact that my body is aging. I don't think of myself as old, but sometimes when I look in the mirror, I wonder, "Who is that person looking back at me? That's not my face!" Recently, I hurt my back and I walked around for days like a crotchety old lady. They think it is a bulging disc and it has pretty much put an end to my workouts...bleh. Another constant reminder that the old grey mare just ain't what she used to be is my eyesight, my perfect eyesight! It isn't perfect anymore. Distance vision is great, but it gets harder and harder to read and distinguish things up close. I have glasses that I used to wear as needed when reading or doing needlework. I am finding I need them now for just about everything! The world is getting blurry! What is even more frustrating is when I need them and I can't find them. Grrrr. Once, a few years ago, a friend of mine posted a photo on her blog of a lovely beaded chain she had made to hang her glasses on. Maybe that's what I should get? However, it must be a young, hip-looking eyeglass chain lest my ego be totally crushed by the fact that I am reduced to looking like an old spinster librarian!

Okay, so my whine is over. I haven't posted photos lately, so here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Progress on my current sock project:





A prayer shawl I am knitting for a lady I know who is battling cancer:



Here is the lovely view we had a week ago at the river.



Daughter sitting on the pier.



The end of the day.

Sanctuary violated!!

"Home." It conjures up images of family, laughter, baking bread, refuge. It is a place where a person can feel safe. There are some things we tend to take for granted until they are taken away...health, life, safety. While my family was away form home Sunday night, someone smashed in our back door and robbed us! I still can not effectively put into words how this makes me feel. "Violated" is as close as I can get.

They stole some money and my laptop. Yes, my laptop with all my files, downloaded patterns, bookmarks, addresses, and many photos. (((sigh))) However, the thief took away a lot more than some cash and a computer. They stole from me and my husband the illusion of peace and safety. I know that it is a bad world OUT THERE. But here, in my home, I am supposed to feel safe! I can not tell you how creepy it is to think some stranger was wondering through my home, going through our stuff.

Ah well. What is a girl to do? I can tell you what this girl is doing...first, I am counting my blessings:

--No one was home when it happened
--No one was hurt
--Although they got away with some stuff, there was much they did not take (it truly borders on the miraculous...one can not help but wonder if God intervened and blinded their eyes so that they did not see certain things)
--The thugs did not go through my home and trash it

I am doing my best to remember that God is my refuge and my strength. Ultimately, I have to trust in His protection.

I am also sleeping with a big baseball bat under my bed!

Thinking about minimalism.

Been thinking a lot lately about stuff. How much do we really need to be happy? I can remember when my kids were little. The more "stuff" they had to play with, the less content they were. Clutter really makes me feel mentally agitated and unable to be productive or function well. I certainly have a hard time being creative with my artistic endeavors when surrounded by clutter. Don't even ask me to cook a meal or bake something unless the kitchen is clean! Truly, I get great pleasure from a tidy closet, an organized drawer, an uncluttered flat surface (counter top, coffee table, dresser, etc.)

The irony of all this??? I have a hard time letting go of stuff. I think a lot of that stems from being on a very tight budget. "What if I need that later? I can't afford to replace it!" I am not an obsessive hoarder, like some folks. However, I will admit to having clothes in my closet that don't fit nor do I really like. I have yarn stash that I am not using, and I don't know if I ever will. Ditto on fabric. I have bottles, jars and tubes of beauty products and skin-care items that I don't use, but I hate to throw away because that would be "wasteful." We won't even talk about the kitchen.

What to do? Well, for starters, I am going to read more inspiring articles and books on the subject. I have Leo Babauta's book The Power of Less on hold at the library. I am going to look around my house and ask myself, "What do we really use? What do we really love? What makes us happy?" The rest is just excess cargo and can go! I am going to go on a crusade with my closets, cupboards, and drawers, mercilessly purging the unnecessary. I am going to stop and think long and hard before I bring anything else into our home. I am going to encourage my children to do the same! The advertisers are wrong. "Stuff" does not make us happy. It just weighs us down! I want to feel FREE.

Freedom is not having everything we desire. Instead, it is being able to be without the things we desire and remain truly content.

REAL Food.

Have you noticed how much of what we Americans eat is not really food? I mean, look at the ingredients on a loaf of bread in the grocery store...what IS all that stuff??? I make bread. It's simple and easy...whole wheat flour, water, honey, oil, a little yeast, and a little salt...like I said, SIMPLE. The ingredients are real. Not a lot of chemicals, preservatives, colors and flavorings. I am amazed at how much junk, mass-produced and manufactured stuff we put into our bodies. Don't let me get started ranting about the sodium levels and evil high fructose corn syrup!

And I find that REAL food is more satisfying. Tonight for dinner we had grilled chicken kabobs (seasoned with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper), fresh corn on the cob, fresh picked green beans, baked potatoes (with real butter) and a salad. We were all sitting around afterwards saying to each other, "Man! That was GOOD!" My body feels like it has not just been filled, but it has been truly fed.

Oh, and for dessert? I've got some homemade scones baking in the oven to go along with fresh strawberries and whipping cream (not the fake stuff). Good old fashioned strawberry shortcake. Yum!

Another Quote

Kids were watching "Martha Speaks" on PBS this afternoon. Apparently a character in the show had been severely embarrassed and was now afraid to try anything new and her friends were trying to help her snap out of it. As I walked into the room, I heard the following:

"You can't let a little thing like public humiliation come between you and a good time!"

The truth of that statement made me laugh! Some people take themselves too seriously and worry too much about what others might think. Being able to laugh at yourself is a good thing.

Quote(s) of the Day...

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.


The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.


My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

--Thomas Jefferson

What's for dinner tonight?

Tonight's menu: taco salad topped with fresh homemade guacamole and pico de gallo. Perfect on a warm southern night.

I can not tell you how many people have raved over my pico when I take it to parties and gatherings. Now, here's my confession...my homemade pico is actually made with Rotel Tomatoes! They are so yummy and the "original" version has just the right amount of green chiles in them to pack some punch. I drain the extra liquid and chop them up in a mini food processor. Then I add fresh cilantro and chopped onion. That's all it takes. If I feel like it, I might add a squeeze of lime juice. But gosh, it can't get much easier than that! I now have a hard time eating store-bought salsa; this homemade pico tastes so much fresher!

Brilliant!!

Ever found a piece of fabric you love, but there isn't enough of it to actually make anything that would fit a grown woman??? Well, I have found the answer. It is easy, cute, thrifty, and just plain ol' brilliant!

Today I found a tutorial that teaches how to make a cute skirt out of just one yard of fabric. Yes, it really, truly only takes one yard of fabric!

Thank you, Darling Petunia, for posting this tutorial on your blog.

Another FO!

These were called my "Autumn Socks" because they were optimistically going to be finished in time for Thanksgiving.



So, May is a little late. Okay, stop laughing! I finished them in plenty of time for Thanksgiving...2010!

Actually, I don't think I will be wearing them for any Thanksgiving. As soon as I finished them today, my 16 year old daughter snatched them up. Her legs are longer than mine, so they don't quite reach the knees. However, her legs are also thinner than mine, so the pattern looks nicer on her...I guess I will let her keep them.

Here, little sister wants to get in on the photo action:



Free Pattern: Double Eyelet Rib Toe-up Socks by Wendy Johnson
(Pattern is not for knee-socks, that is my personal preference.)
Yarn: Ditto by Universal Yarns
Raveled here.

It is my goal this year to make a pair of socks for everyone in the family. One pair down, seven to go!