Yarn Along

I'm hoping everyone is staying safe! I know so many people still don't have power. Thankfully all my family & friends up here are fine (although many without power still) and I've "seen" all my internet friends around thank goodness!

I've been knitting up a storm the last week (excuse the pun!) but this is the only picture I have. The lighting hasn't been great for taking pictures and they all are coming out dark.

I finished the 2 little owl puffs last week to give to my niece & nephew for a Halloween treat. I also finished a pair of socks for Ree for Christmas.

Yesterday morning she was watching Mickey Mouse clubhouse where they play dress up. Minnie was a princess with a crown so Ree "needed" one. I found a simple pattern on-line and knit it up for yesterday afternoon. (That's my Ravelry page with a picture. I forgot I had one!)

On Monday I also continued my "tradition" of beginning to knit "Hurricane Socks". I'm almost finished on the leg of the first sock. A picture soon hopefully!

As for reading I am almost finished with Wuthering Heights. But with all the knitting I've been doing reading has only been happening for a little bit before bed!

I hope everyone has a safe Halloween. Pictures tomorrow of Ree in her finished Momma made costume!!

Hurricane Sandy

These pictures were taken this morning.

We were very lucky to have come out of Hurricane Sandy's wrath unscathed. Despite the horrible winds and the downpours we were able to keep our electricity. We spent yesterday playing with Ree; baking and knitting. And the whole time we had the news on.

While we were very lucky up here the southern part of our little state didn't fare so well. Nor did the parts of our city that are coastal. But nothing up here compares to the damage done in New York and New Jersey. My prayers go out to all those who got slammed much more harder then we did.

Morning

Amanda at The Habit of Being began a new project a few months ago. She's putting together a new magazine Kindred.

The first edition will have the theme "Home". Each week she's been posting a new prompt to get everyone thinking about how we view Home.

Last week was "Morning". I love the way the morning light comes into my house. I am sure I have posted pictures just like these many times over the year we've lived here. I am blessed that my little one sleeps in and I have some time to enjoy my coffee, check e-mail & blogs, and get a few things cleaned up before she gets up for the day.

Weekending

I hope you aren't sick of my autumn pictures lately. Although if you are....these will probably be the last of them for the year as we are bracing for Hurricane Sandy to hit!

This weekend has been full of pre-Halloween fun! Getting as much in as we can since who knows what the week will bring weather/electricity wise!

Saturday we went to the zoo for Halloween trick or treat. Ree & her cousins had a blast!!
After that everyone came over to our house for our 2nd annual Halloween family party. I made meatball grinders; my sister made the most delicious sweet potatoes I've ever had; and my mom brought wonderful Halloween themed desserts.

This morning Ree woke up with a head cold and cough. But she's still "sorting" through all her Halloween treats she's gotten. Sooo much & it hasn't even come yet!

I've been catching up on laundry and cleaning in preparation for most likely being a few days without electricity. I've also printed out a few knitting patterns and have my yarn ready! Last year when we got a hurricane I knit a pair of socks. I want to keep up the tradition! I'm going to attempt my first pair or 2 at a time toe up socks!

Now she's napping, my husband is outside making sure everything out there is ready, I have the Patriots on and my knitting out. Time to go curl up for a bit!

Linking up with Amanda at The Habit of Being!

This Moment

A little Halloween painting!

Linking up with Amanda at Soulemama!

Yarn Along

I finished these 10 little korknisse the other day. I love them! The 6 rainbow ones are part of Ree's Christmas gift. She's also getting a little fairy house that these will be perfect for! The 4 little Christmas one's are going to be Christmas ornaments.

I want to make more but need to wait till I see people that drink wine so I can take their corks! The one (or so) bottle of wine I drink through the year isn't going to be enough!

I'm also working on some owl puffs and Ree's and my socks. But no pictures of those today!

I've also been reading a little bit. I picked up Wuthering Heights at the library last week and am about half way finished. I know I read it in high school but don't really remember much of it. I'm enjoying the re-read!

Monday afternoon Almanac

Elizabeth posts one of these many Monday mornings. I thought I'd put some things down in this way too as the week begins. I've used some of the prompts that she used in her post this morning. And as I came to write a Tuesday post I realized I had saved this in draft to come back to later. And forgot I hadn't posted! A Tuesday post will come later in the day then!

I find myself:

::noticing God's glory in the changing of the leaves. I love the bright reds, yellows & oranges. Ree & I spent some time outside this morning and the air was very chilly (could have to do with it being very breezy!)

::listening to Grey's Anatomy on in the background; Ree upstairs in her bed "resting" aka singing at the top of her lungs & jumping around her bed. I don't mind. She's not calling to get up yet & she's having fun.

::clothing myself in jeans, sweater and handknit socks. I love sweater weather! And handknit sock weather. I need to finish my autumn socks before the season is gone

::creating by hand a Tinkerbell costume still. Between the slippery fabric and not really working with a pattern it's slow going. Ree & I also made some Halloween decorations this past weekend. I finished some cork gnomes I'll post on Wednesday. 

::keeping house Laundry washed & put away; both (!!) bathrooms cleaned; floors swept; toys picked up

::crafting in the kitchen I have enough ingredients for meals for this week in the freezer. This makes me happy. My goal is to not have to go to the grocery store until the end of the week. Tonight is pork chops.

::loving the moments When Ree asks to "do crafts" or "go to the craft store". The other day we needed to go because she NEEDED to do a pumpkin craft. She walked up to the Halloween aisle and stood there for 10 minutes trying to decided what she wanted to get. And once she picked some things out she NEEDED to go look at the yarn "just for a minute". Be still my heart!

::planning for the week ahead This week it's all about Halloween! A Halloween play date party this afternoon with Ree & her cousins & a little friend; tomorrow some errands; Wednesday time at my parents; Thursday an early Halloween lunch with the littles, my mom, sister & Aunt; and Saturday trick or treating at the zoo with the animals and a Halloween supper party here with our family. 

Weekending

A pretty low key weekend around here.

Yesterday my mom came up for the day. We went to the craft store (Ree's new favorite place to go)
Ree made a "Tinkerbell". It was supposed to be a make & take craft for kids. It included hot glue guns. So Ree picked out the colors she wanted & the lady working made it.
I bought some fabric to make Ree some pajama pants.
We came back home for lunch & tea.

After Mass today we went to ANOTHER craft store. We got some pumpkin & ghost foam cutouts to hang in our front tree. And a little bit of yarn for me.

On the main road I pass by these gorgeous trees all the time but as I'm always driving I can't get a picture. Today I wasn't driving. I still couldn't get the best picture! But it's better then none!

When we got home I cut out Ree's Tinkerbell Halloween costume. Well partly cut out. The shirt is finished. But I need to take it apart to re-do it again. The skirt is partly cut out too.

I made some more owls to take to my sister-in-laws this afternoon.

And I just remembered the Patriots are playing in about ten minutes so I'll turn them on for a bit!

Linking up with Amanda at the habit of being

This Moment

Her new found love: scissors!

Linking up with Amanda at SouleMama

Yarn Along

I've been knitting like crazy this past week. Except I broke my own rule of only having one project going at a time. I've had 3. I also broke my rule of casting off one sock & immediately casting on for the second one. Instead I cast on for a pair of socks for Ree. It's ALMOST enough to make me go out & buy another pair of sock needles. 

As for pictures I don't have any "in progress" shots today. But I do have a picture of the cowl I finished yesterday afternoon.

It's the Cinderblock Cowl from Karen at Pumpkin Sunrise. I loved it! It's supposed to be a Christmas gift but I want it for myself. If I keep thinking this way no one is getting handmade Christmas gifts this year! Due to the fact that I had to use smaller needles then the pattern called for & my yarn wasn't as heavy as it called for I knit an extra pattern repeat of the first 8 rows.

As for reading I'm in the middle of The Lake Shore Limited. It was on the "staff recommendation" shelf at the library. It's only ok. Not horrible but I did return the other book by the author without reading it. 

Right Now

Right now I am (well today I have been)

~still thinking of the hundreds....HUNDREDS of grackles that were in our front & back yards this morning. It was unbelieveable. Kind of like a scene out of Alfred Hitchcock "The Birds"

~enjoying homemade apple crisp. Up next: oatmeal cookies

~finishing up some knitting projects

~making a list of the many more knitting projects to be started

~procrastinating making Ree's Halloween costume. I have everything needed...now it's onto cutting the fabric (a Tinkerbell dress)

~needing to write up a meal plan. I have all the ingredients for dinners for the rest of the week & into next week. Now I need to put it to paper to remind myself

~loving the Autumn light

~wanting to put something together for Amanda's Kindred Magazine

~pondering the subject of "home" thanks to said magazine theme

~feeling grateful for my little one & being able to spend my days with her

~wishing there were more hours in the day to do all the fun things we'd like to do

~hoping this beautiful weather continues!

Weekending Autumn style

Please excuse the amount of pictures. I love the colors of Autumn and I couldn't decide which one to leave out!

This weekend was:

~Fun at a local Fall Festival
~tons of funny shaped gourds
~BEAUTIFUL mums
~a hayride
~picking out pumpkins
~sitting on antique tracter's
~enjoying a fire in the fireplace at my parents
~dessert & presents to celebrate the actual birthday day of my cute nephew
~Ree finding out she can make shadow shapes with her hands
~rainy Sunday morning sleep in for me while Ree & her Daddy got up to play
~afternoon knitting
~looking forward to football this afternoon
~the sun is shinning for a bit. Hooray!

Linking up with Amanda at The Habit of Being

This Moment

There is nothing more that Ree enjoys then going outside & helping Daddy work!

Autumn Light

This morning while drinking my coffee I noticed the Autumn light coming through the windows. (Part of that could be because we haven't seen the sun since last Friday I think!)

Ree & I went on a long walk around our neighborhood late this morning. This bright red fire shrub caught our eye.

This afternoon I again noticed the light. I wanted to go out to take some pictures but Ree took a late nap & I have a headache. Hopefully we'll get out there late in the afternoon tomorrow!

Yarn Along

My completed Fetching! I love them. They were originally going to be a gift for Christmas. But those cables? That's the first time I've done cables and they gave me a hard time. And I don't want to make another pair soon. So for now these are mine. I may or may not make them again before Christmas!

I turned the heel of my first Jaywalker sock last night. I love this pattern! I'm going to love my Fall socks!

As I was knitting last night before supper for a few minutes I told Ree I was making socks for myself. She said that I already knit something for me (I'm assuming she meant the fetching) and when was I going to knit something for her again? She told me she needs socks and hand warmers and another sweater.

I do love knitting for her. She appreciates it all! The other day we both had on handmade knit socks. It made my heart so happy! 

As for reading, I finished Happier at Home. I now have Wuthering Heights to begin!

Monday

Due to the Columbus Day weekend we had a 3 day weekend. It was a chilly Monday but that didn't stop Ree & her daddy from heading outside early in the morning to work in the yard until it got dark.

I loved watching them out the window "braking" (no matter how hard we tried to get her to say "raking" it was braking). She had her work gloves on & her little rake. She was a big helper lifting everything into the bucket. The only picture I took of the two of them is on my phone which is upstairs. I'm thinking it will be this week's "This Moment" on Friday!

I did keep going outside for a few minutes here & there and took these pictures around the yard. But it was just too chilly for me. Instead I stayed in the house to clean & cook a little. And of course do some knitting (and make little owls!)

Today is still gray and chilly. I think rain is in the forecast again. A good day to stay home and relax with my little one.

What a hoot!

This morning Ree wanted to "make something with glue". Last night while looking through Family Fun magazine I saw a tutorial for cute little owls. Since she's been running around the house for days yelling "I love owls!" I thought this would be a fun project! Plus I had everything here.

It's not a very toddler friendly project so I made the owls while she cut paper and glued it together. A win win situation. And we know have two very cute little owls for decorations. As soon as we have more empty toilet paper & paper towel rolls there will be more owls!

*The project is in the current issue of the magazine. I looked on their website for the tutorial but couldn't find it. I hesitate to post here what I did because I don't want to give the impression this was my own idea. If I do find a link to a site with the directions I will update this post!

Weekending

This weekend has been a combination of busy & relaxing.

Two birthday parties yesterday.

One a Halloween costume one.

The other a 1st birthday party for my sweet nephew. His was outside at a park where all the little one's ran & ran & ran; played in the leaves & colored pumpkins. Ree needed 3 rinses in the bathtub before the water stayed clear!

After the party time at my parents for visiting and supper.

Today has been relaxing. Church & grocery shopping this morning.

Now the house smells delicious due to the apple pie that is baking. The husband was cutting the lawn & found mums growing on the side of the house that I don't go to often. So he cut them & brought them in for me.

Ree didn't want to go down for a nap instead she wanted to "play quietly". She's been curled up on the couch reading books. Her Daddy just made her afternoon by coming in & saying "who wants to watch Tangled!" They are both curled up on the couch now singing along.

A perfect combination of fun & relaxation!

Linking up with Amanda at The Habit of Being

This Moment

Forgot yesterday was Friday & time for a "This Moment" post!

Ree's favorite thing to do this week was play-doh. She'd sit for hours & make different creations!

October 1st

Yesterday began my favorite month of the year. It's a little chilly in the morning & evenings but warm enough during the day for a short-sleeve shirt.

Ree & I went to story time then we came home to play outside & look at the leaves. She also rode her tricycle (motorcycle to her) in the drive way & surprised me by using the pedals. She's grown so much this summer!

During afternoon nap time I started knitting socks with a pattern that I've had in my ravelry queue for 3 years. The yarn has been in my stash for almost 3 years. I've been saving it to make into "Fall socks" for myself. I decided THIS was the Fall!

October is a big month with Feast Days to celebrate; a special little boy's 1st birthday; lots of family get togethers; pumpkins to pick; costumes to make; and so many more fun things. 

Here's hoping I am able to "linger" (my word for 2012 that I had kind of forgotten about) in the moments and soak them all up!