George's Vest

I'm excited to finally show you the vests (Ravelry link)  I've been working on lately.
My guys love wearing vests.  Sweaters... not so much.   But if I knit them a vest - they're all over it.

And I can't say I mind.  Because a vest is really just a lovely little sweater without the tedium of knitting sleeves

:)

So...

Please go and check out the new Fall 2011 edition of Petite Purls magazine when you have a minute.

There are so many cute patterns in this edition, and I am thrilled to be a part of it!

And the articles and tutorials are great too.

Around the Kitchen

I enlisted the help of my parents in the canning party.  Aren't they cute?

The kitchen's been a busy place the last couple of weeks (though I guess it always is)...

- 20 pounds of tomatoes = 11 jars of canned peaches (I lost 2 jars in unfortunate broken jar mishaps in my canner - bummer), and 3 bags in the freezer.

- No eggs from the ladies yet.  But plenty of entertainment.  It seems every time I open a door, there they are. I feel like they'd like to come right on inside the house!  But I shoo them away.   They've done a really nice job eating slugs and other yucky bugs.   We like to watch them go crazy over an ear of corn.

-  A new and delicious Loaded Baked Potato soup recipe (thanks Lill!).  And while I do like to simmer a pot of soup on the stovetop - this one was made entirely in the microwave.   In about 20 minutes.  It was so ridiculous easy I could hardly believe it.  And even more delicious the second day (though not very much of the batch made it to the second day, I'll admit.)

- Mike's been making his own rye crackers, with pumpkin and sesame seeds and sea salt.  And every batch gets more and more yummy, as he perfects the recipe.  So good with hummus!  Oh my gosh.  They're addicting.   And they disappear so fast around here, I wasn't able to snap a photo of any for you.

- Lots of "windfall" apples from hurricane Irene = lots of apple crisp.  Nothing beats warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.   If you don't agree - then maybe you and I need to talk.

- And finally, as I mentioned yesterday - 2 big batches of pumpkin bread.  For the snacks at school, and plenty left over for us, and extra for the freezer  (for those days - when one wants to eat pumpkin bread, but doesn't necessarily want to bake pumpkin bread.)  You know those days.

Whew!

This weekend, we're going apple picking (Oh this is one of my favorite favorite favorite fall activites.)  And no - not just for the cider doughnuts either!!  You know me too well :)

Honey crisps - here I come!

What's up in your kitchen this week?



-

Difficult

 (this is just a random shot of the boys playing lite brites - because it didn't seem right to publish a post without at least one photo - no matter how irrelevant it may be to the subject I'm actually writing about today.)

 Now: The Topic At Hand:

To say that I am finding it difficult to squeeze time into my day to sit down and write would be understating the matter.

It seems I can either blog at


a.  6:00 a.m.
b.  10:45 - 10:50 a.m.
c.  11:00 p.m.
d.  Not at all.

So -   obviously, I am still tinkering with this new schedule.  There are a number of problems with the new schedule.

Problem 1.

I've already stated it:  No time to write.

Problem 2.

No time to exercise.

This is a big one.  I am a woman of routines.  And if I can't find an obvious spot for something like exercise - a regular, every day, no budging kind of spot...  then it's not going to happen.

Problem 3.

Every Friday morning from 8:30 - 10:30 I have scheduled 3 concurrent things for myself that cannot possibly happen at once.   That I know of.
And they are

1.  Buy the week's groceries.
2.  Exercise
3.  Work at the office.

Any suggestions?

I'm not hanging from the end of my rope yet friends, but I am feeling my fingers slip sort of close to it.

I have  managed to not only remember that it was my kid's turns to bring snack to school this week -on yes - Monday AND Wednesday (thank you for that, teachers) - and this - in spite of the fact that George ripped the snack calendar in half on the day after I got it, and hid the important half away somewhere never to be seen again...

so not only did I manage to remember, but more importantly - I managed to bake fresh, homemade pumpkin bread for them to bring, and I let them help me make it, even though I'm sure you're aware that baking with 2 kids is only slightly more efficient than mowing the lawn with a pair of embroidery scissors...

Oh,
I need a vacation.

p.s. I should have some exciting news of the published knitting pattern variety any day now.
Please come back.

this moment

A Friday ritual, inspired by Soulemama.

A single photo - capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

ROTH Autumn

Have you read the newest issue of Rhythm of the Home yet?

Our Handmade Kite is in it, and I'm so proud to be a part of this great edition.

I've been reading all week, and have found lots of great Autumn inspiration! (which is good - because
I am only still very reluctantly saying goodbye to summer.  We all really love to swim around here)

A few of my favorites so far are:

Playing with Light

and

Wool Acorn Necklaces (so cute!)

and

Sylvia's Seasonal Mobile idea

and

the Stone Soup story and recipe.

And that's as far as I've gotten right now.   What a great issue!

Yarn Along: A lacy little thing

I have been knitting.   For about - oh - 10 minutes every evening after work, before my eyes go
bleary, and I start to forget what row I'm on.  I try to put my work down before that happens, because
with this particular project - well, things can get a bit hairy if I forget what row I'm working on.  Which
I do often.

I've started to write down on a sticky note where I was when I left, so that I know where to start when I pick
it back up.

I'm working on a double bordered lace scarf, adapted from a pattern originally published in 1904.  I found it in Victorian Lace Today, by Jane Sowerby.  It's a beautiful piece, but I quickly realized why the pattern says "experienced lace".  When I started this one, I was a little cocky about my lace knitting skills, and then I realized perhaps I'm not quite as masterful with lace as I may have thought I was.  This piece kicked me hard in the hind region.  I had to get in line quickly, or give up.  I pulled out my markers, which I had originally thought I wouldn't need.  And I marked the Right Side row, because I kept forgetting which was the right side, and that was, it turns out, absolutely essential information.

I got so frustrated with this little lace scarf, that I actually put it away for about 2 years (!!!) and only recently felt OK about pulling it out of obscurity and giving it another go.

So here we go.

And now that I've put my markers in, and remember to jot down where I am when I stop for the evening, things are rolling along a lot smoother.  So far.  I think I may actually finish this soon.  Which would be good.  Because even though I lost the yarn marker (that's what happens when you shove something away for 2 years) I am almost 100% positive that this lovely yarn is 100% cashmere.  I remember vaguely splurging on some cashmere a while back, and I think this was the project I splurged on.

It feels heavenly in my hands, and I can't wait to wear it.  I wonder what else I'll find shoved in my stash.  ?!  Soon, I'll start planning the Christmas presents, and that is always an exciting time!   As soon as I finish this, I'll start thinking about that...

p.s. The book On the Night You Were Born was a present from Nonni for George's 4th birthday.  What a beautiful little book, with such a nice message.  You are special, and unique, and there has never been anyone like you in the whole world.  Love it.

It fits with this year's motto which I've been trying to keep in mind each day which is:

You Are Enough.

So hard for me to remember that.  I always feel like I'm not  quite enough.  Not quite thin enough.  Not quite smart enough.  My house/car/lawn is not quite tidy enough.   It's trickersome.

Anyway -
What are you working on this week, lovely readers?

thank you for stopping by,
Crystal


posted along with Ginny over at Small Things.  

4 Years Old

Happy Birthday to my sweet George.

I can't believe how quickly you've grown up.  How you seem to have magically turned from
my tiny baby into a little guy waving to me as you walk into school while holding hands with your
first teacher.

You are a bundle of energy, and curiosity, and I get excited every time I see you smile.  You smile like your daddy.
Big, and honest, and full of light in your eyes.
I love that!

I love you!

I think when you're grown someday, you'll be a public speaker.  You know how to engage a crowd, and to speak with intense enthusiasm.  And you can carry on for great lengths of time on any given topic that
piques your present interest.

I love being in your company, and it's been a pleasure learning who you are and what you're all about, these last four years.

I blinked.  And you're running around out there in the big world without me.

p.s. Thank you for still running back to me when you fall down and you need me.

p.p.s  (also when you find a super big spider or a crazy big toad)

:: This Moment :: another messy one

A Friday ritual, inspired by Soulemama.

A single photo - capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment...  Hmm.

A moment I'd like to hide, deny, and sweep back under the couch.

But one which I know later I'll want to pause, savor and remember.  ? 

I don't know...

It's my moment anyway.  Let's cherish it for what it's worth.

Entitled: What I Found When I Swept Under The Couch.