Look who's here.

Jack's home sick, but feeling better...good enough to spy a good photo. He got this of Jem & Lou this morning. Almost 50 degrees & sunny till lunch...wow what a way to say goodbye to January.

Monday Music

Hello Sunday

Wonderstruck B. Selznick

Hello Saturday

This Moment

Still Dreaming

One day the coat just can't keep me warm.
Another I'm sweating in the end.
Leaves have fallen, where's the winter hiding??
She's around that corner, nail bitten, barefoot & riding..

Dreaming in Green

It's only taken me almost a month to post some of my favorite pictures from our trip to NC over Christmas. Jack got a camera ...one that records as well as takes quick shots. Let's just say you never know when you will be caught on "candid camera!" These Jack got at my mom's house. & as I look outside at the winter sky, I have to say I am dreaming in green today. The snow has melted & there is green to be seen again, but no layers of pine & compliments of carolina blue with sunshine.

We've come down with pink eye...that is Maddie & I, so we are on our second day of just being home trying to recover from this yucky stuff. It's hard to slow down, especially when you have goopy eyes...BUT we rest & I dream in green:)

OTN

This week I continue to make the "april showers" cowl/scarf. It's coming along pretty slow.. I prefer a more dk yarn since you can see your project's shape almost immediately. With this one, I'm still wondering how it will look. Slowly I'll find out.

I started a quick fix project for results:) It is however a "first!" Mittens. I've made alot of fingerless mittens, but none with a thumb. I'm kind of improvising here..meaning I have no pattern. I'm just using my "fingerless mitt" cast on numbers from AwareKnits http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wrist-factor-2 Wrist warmer Pattern by Vicki Howell to get me started & then I will try & add the thumb & decreases as I go along. Wish me luck! Maybe I'll have a mitten or two to show next week.

Monday Music

Crack Broccoli

We made this with dinner tonight...
http://benandbirdy.blogspot.com/2012/01/crack-broccoli.html

It was unbelievably awesomeness melting in your mouth yummy!! Need I say more.

Hello Saturday

This Moment

Pages

Reading to the kids at night is one of the best parts of my day..& I would dare say John's too. It's a time when we are all on the "same page." Even with braiding of hair or nightly manicures, we are all winding down & settling into the night. I truly cherish these moments when we are all listening to each other or the pages being read aloud. John & I take turns as to who is the "reader" for the evening. Snuggles, warm toes & lots of sweet questions always emerge.

My books continue to stack since I enjoy reading the most late at night or early in the morning. I'm usually only able to read a few pages of "my books," before my brain drifts off. This is why I have so many overdue fees :) I am in a book club, that I have seriously neglected. The holidays came & went, so now I am settling back into some of the book choices. This month, we are reading "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain. It's historical fiction that tells the story of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingways' first wife & their lives in Paris the 1920's. Started it last night & with only a few pages read, I like how you can feel her voice.

Maddie asked me last night as I pulled out "The Paris Wife," ..."is this your new book for book club?" & "what exactly do you do at book club?" I told her we usually try & talk about the book...usually:0 & went on to explain how fun it can be & how you come up with questions to ask about the book. She took this kind of literally... & then I explained that you try & ask questions that lead to discussions. This got me thinking...why not have our own little book club?? We are reading, "Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life" by Wendy Mass. A perfect book for a book club, it even has discussion questions in the back. The main character, Jeremy is a very picky eater & LOVES candy. He even has a mutant candy collection, yes! a perfect book for Jack. Throughout the book, you hear all about starburst, snicker bars & even lost peeps:0 So Maddie & I decided we'll each pick our favorite candy to bring to our book club & then have the first Demos Family book party. I'm excited:) We should probably let the boys in on our idea...candy should be a big enough lure for Jack to come!!

OTN

With Maddie's sweater done over our long weekend...I started my next project for meee!! I don't have the yarn yet for a new sweater & I'm still not set on which pattern I am going with either, so I decided on a smaller project with some left over yarn. I'm so excited to use that lovely Cascade Merino Silk blend that my mom gave me for Christmas. I have about half the skein left & love the purple.

Here's the pattern, "April Showers" by Meg Strong that I chose after starting a few others & not really feeling them.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/april-showers-cowl-2
I love the look of lace, but the patterns always leave my brain spinning. This one is a simple repeat of the first four rows & looks to be a beautiful simple look. I also get to learn a new skill..a three needle cast off. It's used instead of knitting around.

I hope to learn more knitting techniques this year & this one seems like a simple one to "youtube" & learn. Learning to cable is on my list...I'd be so proud:) But for now, I groove along with this April Shower Cowl & it's only Jaunary:)

A Look Back

We've had ups & downs in temps this winter..today was a mildly warm, rainy kinda day. A day that washed away any trace of snow that was left over from last week. Tonight, the skies got dark & the wind picked up...it got COLD again. Sometimes it's easier when it just stays either warm or cold...the "in between" confuse my body.

I was looking through some old photos of our January's in Ohio, I realized we've had quite a few white ones.

Monday Music

I'm so excited that I get to see him for the first time in March LIVE!!!

Hello Sunday

LEGOS!!! every f&^*ing where..trying to get them more organized this year.

Hello Saturday

My first ball of yarn made with my ball winder that I got for Christmas;)

This Moment

Knits of 2011

Another weekly edition this year will be a look back at what I made in 2011. Last week, I talked about the yellow Tiny Tea Leaves Sweater. This week, another sweater, but for me! It was my "February Sweater" by Pamela Wynne. Pattern found here
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/february-lady-sweater
This was my second sweater made for myself & definitely the most difficult. I say "difficult" not meaning, I almost pulled my hair out making it, but "difficult" as in the repetitive pattern was a little tough. Sometimes you find a rhythm in the needles & I never quite did with this one. It miraculously turned out a lot better than I anticipated, as I rounded my 100th mistake. The wool I used stretched into quite a long sweater after I washed & soaked it. I still wear it with one button since it looks too forced together with more than one.
Looking back at this, motivates me to start another February Sweater:) I mean, January sweater... Last year, I was set on making "Amelia" by Laura Chau www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amelia-8
But this is the one I am leaning towards right now, Radiant Sweater by Lion Brand http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/radiant-sweater. What color??

Within

Somewhere within us all there grows a tree.
Giant & strong enough to withstand the wind & rain.
Leaves rustle at our feet as we walk through,
Wandering around, quietly watching other trees sprout in the sunlight.
Pathways are made around us,
Time wears on & the leaves change colors,
The sprouts grow into their own unique bark, something to admire & love.
The seasons change us all. Stronger, deeper, weaker we all become.
Standing inside this forest of life.

OTN - "on the needles"

I decided to try every week this year to add an "OTN" spot for the blog. This week I have only one thing on needles..yikes!! It's a take on a traditional poncho. The main reason I chose this pattern was it looked more wearable that a poncho. I keep trying to find things to make that Maddie will wear. Let's hope this works. If not I may open a esty shop & name it "Maddie's Rejects:)" Here's the link to the pattern I used, "Paint Me a Sweater" by Elena Nodel found here : http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/paint-me-a-sweater
So far it's been very simple to make, knit from the neck down. I knitted most of the body in the car on the way back from NC. The yarn I found at a local thrift store....all seven skeins. I just couldn't leave them there..they were screaming "take me!" I love finding bulk yarn that's affordable!!


A quick mention of a workshop called SQUAM. I keep reading about it thru other bloggers, so I thought I'd share it's link here. How cool! One day, I'd love to go.
http://www.squamartworkshops.com/spring-2012

Monday Music

Hello Sunday

Hello Saturday

One Moment

Quilting

My mom showed me an article on vacation about how the popularity of quilting is on the rise. Knitting, quilting, sewing clothes are all things younger women are rediscovering. It always rolls back around..the cycle of our generations. I think it's great that sewing in general has become more of a "cool thing" to do. All those closet sewers can come out & be proud that their grandmothers taught them to sew!!

I wish I was better at sewing. I never had much of an interest until my 20s. It's just a craft that requires so much prep time. I get discouraged & the amount of space needed is hard to find without getting overwhelmed. Also, my brain isn't very crafty at some of the geometry/math involved. Knitting feels more comfortable for me, but I like little sewing projects here & there. Sew to Speak in Clintonville inspires me every time I visit & need a reason to dust off the sewing machine. This year I hope to make another purse/bag..it's called a victory bag. You can see it here.
http://sewchic.blogspot.com/2011/03/purse-pattern-giveaway-ends-soon.html

Yaya is quite an experienced quilter, seamstress extraordinaire!! I hope she can pass along here knowledge to my kids & me! Quilting in general baffles me. How can you put all those pieces together & make them so beautiful. It must feel so satisfying to spread a handmade quilt across your bed & plop down:) I keep thinking...ONE day, right! She was so generous this year in making Jack & Maddie both their own quilts for the new year!! Maddie requested a Harry Potter theme & Jack wanted old cartoons/comics. Here they are!! The kids love snuggling under them & they are keeping us warm on these cold nights of January.

Knits from 2011

Knitting has changed the way I see things. I see ribbed lines, cabled rows, lace that forms patterns & even on my walks, I think about patterns I see in the sky or on tree lines & wonder how they were made. It has opened up a pathway in my mind that I am thankful to have.

I am looking back at what my needles made in 2011. Each project, sometimes even with the same pattern created different knits. I like that my hands were able to create wearable things. Hoping that my rows & lines are floating around out there for the world to see keeping my friends and family warm.

I will start with my first completed project on 2011. It's Tiny Tea Leaves Pattern by Melissa LeBarre. Found here at www.ravelry.com http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tea-leaves-cardigan. The first sweater I ever knitted & never tired of making. This one started as a sweater intended for a relative's baby, but the gauge was off & it ended up fitting Maddie. I'd like to say she has worn it alot, but she hasn't. Thankfully it still fits her, she's just not much of a sweater girl. I am still hopeful she'll discover it & put it on this year. I later made the same sweater for the baby:) The hat Maddie is wearing was a quick hat for a friend's brithday.

A Look Back

I'm proud that I have maintained this blog for 4+ years now. Never thought of myself as a blogger, more like a part-timer. It's actually become a creative outlet for me & one day I hope my kids will be able to look back & see how much fun we had...in pictures & words. I really do this for them as much as for me.

Welcoming a new year always brings a lot of reflection. Where we've been on this last trip around the sun & where this new one will take us. 2011 we spent our 6th year in Ohio. I survived another winter & discovered how little & sometimes long walks can help clear my mind. John & I celebrated 14 years of marriage & we now have a 4th & 1st grader. Harry Potter entered our lives & gave us lots of long nights reading & imagining a place called Hogwarts. I got a new bathroom remodel. We took our first family trip to Washington DC & spent another summer week at the beach in NC. Maddie learned how to ride her bike. Jack went on his first overnight camp trip. I learned to love cooking more & became a better knitter. I got a new sewing machine & made a bird bag! John became a better bass player & now has a fishing partner. Jack found a new love, golf. Maddie danced as a Jester in a Nutcracker production. We discovered new music & our love for a lot of old vinyls. Jack said goodbye to a great violin teacher & hello to a new. Maddie's fingers found new melodies to make. We all got new haircuts & grew new dos. Some of us even got new teeth.

Here's a look back..

Monday Music

After traveling over 1,000 miles this Christmas break, it's hard to pick a favorite song from the road trip. But this one wins:)
Happy New Year 2012~!