Upcycling..

If you havent heard of Terra Cycle, it's an amazing company to learn about & learn from...
www.terracycle.net

One Moment..

Inspired by Kate..

Honestly, I have never felt very good at anything. .maybe a little good at this or that..but really good at something?? I never played sports, never pursued an instrument beyond the easy stages, never picked up a pad & pen & thought my drawing worthy of showing off.

Something I would love to be better at & maybe even good at one day...writing. I love reading, so maybe that's where my infatuation with writers emerged. I love to find authors whose style I enjoy reading over & over. Lately, I've been stuck on a children's writer that we read for the last few months, Kate DiCamillo. With the wonders of the Internet, I googled her name & found her website that was cool (as expected.) Some of my favorite parts of her site are her "journal" & "on writing" parts. I decided to take her advice & write more..write everyday. Today's exercise, is inspired by her "journal" :

Imagine your heart as a field, describe the field:

Fields of flowers..lots of flowers, some dying, some waiting to bloom. A lot of golden color, washing out from the sun. a large vast field, yet it feels really small. One solemn tree that towers over the field in a protective kind of way. Everything is bright above & purple seems to glow aloft.

Describe the tripod
Tripod is bent, but noticeably bright & barely holding onto my heart.

Describe your heart:
My heart is soft & full of hope, questions every arrow that flies by & feels happy. sometimes scared.

Name the arrows:
my dad mowing the grass with a smile on his face comes to mind. lots of sunshine around his arrow. my sister who has a sharp arrow, but really isnt as scary as it looks. my mom always there with her arrow, grandma essie, a beautiful arrow with an opal attached, mama, still present, chip & the many years we grew up together. regret tied to that one. john, jack, maddie...strong arrows I hold close to me.

Describe the sound of the wind as it moves by all the arrows bristling your heart: calm & soft

Decribe in as few words as possible, how your heart feels. warm

Maddie's Deep Thoughts.

Car rides always bring out the most interesting thoughts, dont they? Today Maddie alone in the backseat says,
M ="I wonder what will be here after there are no more humans?" She's looking out the window..
I was a little thrown off by her comment, & said..
K = "maybe the dinosaurs will come back???"
M = "I wish I could live forever."
K = "me too, but you would be soo old".
M = "I definately want to be a grown up."
K = "what age would you like to stay.?"
M = "15!"
K = "that's not really a grown up" "25 sounds like a good number:)"
oh to be 25 again:)

Butterfly Beret

This pattern was a little more monotonous than I thought after the 3rd butterfly stitch row. I'm happy with how it fits & now have a matching set for fall/winter! Yay!! Here is a link to the free pattern: Thanks Rachel in Chico, Ca..I love my new hat:)
http://racheliufer.blogspot.com/2009/09/butterfly-beret-pattern-free.html

Monday Music

Jack's Chamber Music Recital Sat. Here's one with the whole group. Pachelbel's Canon in D written in 17th century & rediscovered in the 20th.

Crew Game..

Finally an exciting game!! We've been going once a month since summer & finally today, the weather was perfect, I had my knitting & the Crew won 3-1!! Made for a fun afternoon.

October ago..

Five Octobers ago we moved to Ohio. It's amazing how quickly those five years have gone by.. Five years is such a leap in childhood & even adulthood if you really think about it. I look back at these pictures & remember them small & sweet..little
Buzz has grown into a mad scientist/professor after many years of policing the neighborhood. & My little pumpkin of 2005 is already becoming a beautiful bride. Elmo & Dorothy seem so long ago.
We're all excited about Halloween this year. A holiday, I actually kinda like.

Butterfly Stitch

I've been wanting to find a cool "beret-like" hat pattern to knit for myself. It took a bit of searching on www.ravelry.com, (love that site) but I found the one!! It's called "butterfly beret" & made with a butterfly stitch.
http://knitting.about.com/od/knittingskills/ss/butterfly-smock.htm.
After a few bumping rows, I'm off to a good start. I love youtube tutorials:) Here is what I have so far!

Monday Music

Nothing like a Monday Morning Concert..just what we needed! Milkshake at the Theater..fun:)

Nana & Ben's visit

Had a long weekend with my mom & Ben.

Jack's Story

Last night at Jack's Parent Teacher Conference, we got Jack's first publication of the year from writing workshop. As I read his story, I was surprised by how much Jack remembers about NC. We moved to Ohio when he was three. It was a sweet story & my eyes teared up as I read it. I have no idea why he thinks we moved 5 times. He always lived in the same house we brought him home to. I think he remembers John & i telling him about all the places we lived before he was born. I thought it was definitely worthy of a blog posting. So here it is..When I was Young in North Carolina" by Jack Demos


"
<
When I was young in North Carolina, I followed my dad with a fake lawnmower when he mowed.



When I was young in North Carolina, my sister was born. Her name is Madeline. She likes to be called Maddie. I drove in my aunts car to the hospital.


a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tJe4xSl3-7I/TLcq9PmW84I/AAAAAAAABkg/-muAwXGsyKA/s1600/P1080725.JPG">


When I was young in North Carolina. I had neighbors named Ruby & Delten. I rode my tricycle into their black driveway.





When I was young in North Carolina, we moved a few times. I think 5 times, but I'm not sure. They were all great houses.




When I was young in North Carolina, my neighbors Ruby & Delten had a black cat. I forget the cats name.
When I was young in North Carolina, I moved from NC to Ohio. But I always looked forward to a little trip back for a visit.

About the author..
Jack doesn't like to read poetry. He likes school and in school he likes math. Jack like to to ride a bike.

Tiny Tea Leaves

This is my third "tea leaves" sweater I've knitted this year, let's just say I love this pattern. It looks beautiful with short or long sleeves & the smaller ones knit up very quickly! I think it's time to find a new pattern I can multiple!!

Monday Music

Weekending..

Sunny & 80..felt like home this weekend:)

One Moment..

New Projects..

Wristwarmers, Baby Sweaters, & an old favorite..a neck warmer..blue or orange button?? I've been on bit of a knitting frenzy lately, starting too many project at one time. I tend to do that with just about everything..oh well. I've accepted the fact I like alot of things going on at once. I'm already dreaming of my next sweater. Stay tuned for more...

What do you make??

This is a good reminder..

Monday

It's been a few days since my last posting. Our computer was redirected everytime I tried to use the internet & basically invaded with some type of virus that made it almost impossible to do anything online. Luckily, we didnt lose anything & transitioned over to a mini-Mac/Apple pretty easily. I'm totally sold on the Mac so far. Jack has been teaching us all the ins & outs..interesting how an eight year old can teach 30 somethings so much!

So I feel like I have catching up to do..last week was exciting with a new baby cousin born. Jaden Marie. She's adorable of course & makes me miss my babies everytime I see her. I hold her & think about how long ago & not so long ago J&M were that small & cuddly. J&M are pretty excited about her.


Saturday night, John & I went to see Blitzen Trapper. It was a great live show & a cool crowd. I'm glad I stumbled onto this group. It was fun to feel the vibe of a live show. This was one of my fav tunes..


I've started a couple new knitting projects....I'll post some pix this week. It's definately knitting weather outside today.