Yarn Along: The Last of 2014

Joining with Ginny at Small Thing's for this last Yarn Along of 2014! I can't believe that tomorrow brings a new year. Already!

Well, all that secret knitting I was doing these past few weeks were these cowls. But, unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of all 3 of them before they were mailed away. Oops! Luckily, now that the holidays are coming to an end, I am making one for myself (yup, that's the knitting in my photo), so I will have one to show you eventually.

I also finished up a dress for Phoebe, just a couple of nights ago. I have yet to give it to her, but I will get a picture posted in the next week or so.

I'm reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I am a couple hundred pages in and am really enjoying it. It's sort of a monster of a book, but I was captivated from the get-go.

What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Wishing you all a lovely last day of 2014!!!

Gratitude Sunday

Today I am feeling grateful for

• These slower-paced days with minimal to-do lists. The bustle and anticipation of Christmas is over, and now we have a few days to just slow down and enjoy being together. We have been 'busy' building forts, playing games, and reading. We have all stayed in bed later than normal and our pajamas have clocked some serious wear-time. The house is a disaster, but somehow it seems acceptable. The kids and I still have another week of break, and I look forward to a few more lazy days ahead....
• A chance to head back to the gym this morning... my body is feeling under-worked and overfed (see above!) and it felt good to lift some weights again.
• The hummingbirds that have decided to stick around and visit our feeders each day, even through the winter. Spying them out my kitchen window is a guaranteed mood-lifter. Their tiny bodies never cease to amaze me.

What are you grateful for today?

Playing along with the other Taryn of Wooly Moss Roots

A San Diego Tradition

First off, I hope you all had a very merry Christmas! We spend Christmas eve with friends, and, since we have no family in town, we had a very quiet Christmas all to ourselves.
We used to spend the holidays rushing home to visit our families (mine in Chicago and Todd's in Texas)... however, plane tickets to these places from Portland are typically very expensive, and with a family of four, we just can't swing it. But, as we discovered last year, plane tickets to San Diego in December are very cheap. Plus we have friends there, it is warm and sunny, there is a beach, and the Mexican food is outstanding. So this year, just like last, we spent a few days in San Diego, soaking up the sun, before Christmas. And we even got to watch a flock of wild parrots! It was fantastic! Here are a few pictures of our highlights:

Happy Solstice!

Wishing you warmth and light on this shortest day of the year!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo- no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

Yarn Along

Joining with Ginny at Small Thing's for this week's Yarn Along.

Trying to finish up my last secret knitting project... and I just realized that I forgot to take pictures of the two that I already mailed out (oops).... So I guess I can't show you all those but I do promise to reveal the secret post-holidays!

I just finished This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein. It was amazing. It is heavy... very heavy.. and was a bit difficult to immerse myself in, but once I got going I was hooked. It talks about the climate crisis (in detail)-- not so much about the science of climate change, but the politics behind climate change and why nothing has (yet) been done to change the way things work. Klein discusses the problems with Big Oil, the scandalous sides of many of the big green organizations, and the power that money (and greed) has over the world's economies. Most of the book is a bit of a downer.. discussing the urgency of the threat of climate change and how the situation is starting to become hopeless. But the last quarter of the book talks about what has been successfully done so far and where we need to go. In short-- we need people power. Mass organizations of individuals who think that PEOPLE matter MORE than CORPORATIONS. And people who are willing to stand for that.
Anyways, as I said, it is heavy, but so worth the read.

And now I have started Pretties by Scott Westerfield, the second in his Uglies series.  It's teen sci-fi. I needed something imaginative and very fiction-y after This Changes Everything.

What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Around Here

Holiday preparations are in full swing around here. Here's a peak into our past week;

Pattern for these felt ornaments can be found here

 

Gratitude Sunday

Today I am feeling grateful for

• A completed term (and grades turned in) which means that I am officially on break!
• The family time that will fill these next few weeks- I love the joy and excitement that fills the children this time of year.
• Security. We have everything we need and I am very aware that there are so many people who don't. I try to never take that for granted, especially during the holidays.
• A morning filled with sunshine and afternoon plans to head to the theater!

What are you grateful for today?

Playing along with the other Taryn of Wooly Moss Roots

Yarn Along

Joining with Ginny at Small Thing's for this week's Yarn Along.

This week I could probably just re-post what I shared last week. I am still in the thick of some secret holiday knitting-- hoping to finish up 2 more projects before the weekend is up... the clock is ticking! Once again, I will tell myself now that I need to start my holiday knitting earlier next year. Much earlier. Like July earlier. It is doubtful that I will heed my own advice, as I never have yet, but I will tell myself nonetheless.

I am still reading This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein. It is a non-fiction book about climate change-- it is long and intense (to say the least), but I am loving it. There is so much mind-blowing information in there and once I got into the rhythm of her dense writing, I have been soaking it up. It is still gut wrenching information, and so far mostly pessimistic, but I wouldn't expect a book about climate change to be full of rainbows and unicorns. I will have to read something very lighthearted after finishing this though....

What are you reading? What are you knitting?

A Time to Share

I have a love-hate relationship with the holidays. I love the festivities, decorations and parties. I love the book reading, cookie making, and hanging of lights. I love the anticipation of Santa's arrival. I love the smile on my children's faces on Christmas morning.
But the consumerism and materialism that comes along with it makes me feel pretty gross. And I am totally guilty of partaking. We will be giving our children gifts that are store bought (if only I knew how to knit legos!). Some of the gifts will be packaged in plastic. Some will be made in China or somewhere else that is likely not giving its employees a living wage. But my children will be bright-eyed when they open them and the magic of Christmas will make me forget about all of the social and environmental injustices that went into making those gifts.... at least temporarily.
Don't get me wrong-- I am conscious of my impact and try to reduce it--- buying toys locally when available, making gifts or buying from etsy, and reusing wrappings. But I feel like it's not enough. I am mentally making plans for ways to re-vamp our Christmas that will ease our burden on the Earth, without damping the joy for my children. I haven't quite figured out how to pull it off... yet...... but I do have some plans in the works for next year.
Anyways, the point of the post wasn't supposed to be a rant about the downsides of the holidays. I sat down this morning to write about how, despite all of the consumerism that surrounds the holidays, Todd and I make a point of emphasizing to our children that the holiday season is about giving and sharing what you have-- whether that is money, time or love. We typically give during the holidays by donating to others in need-- toys for tots, sending money to Heifer International, and donating to a family in need. We make our children aware of why we are helping, but there is a big disconnect-- sending a check in the mail doesn't mean a lot to a 7 year old. And yes, choosing and bringing a toy to a toy drive is great, but when they don't see who that toy is going to, I am not sure if it really sinks in.
So, this year, in addition to our regular donations, we borrowed an idea from a friend and decided to make care bags for homeless people. We purchased socks, hats, gloves, toothbrushes and some snacks. The kids divided everything up into gallon sized plastic bags and added a note that said "happy holidays". We decided to keep them in the car and when we see someone who is down on their luck, we can share ours. Finn enjoyed choosing what to put in the bags and assembling them. And after giving out our first bag a couple of days ago, he continued to talk about it for several hours afterwards.

Do you share your luck during the holidays? If you do, how? I would love to compile some more ideas that we could use for future holidays or throughout the year.

Yarn Along

Joining with Ginny at Small Thing's for this week's Yarn Along.

I have been trying to knit as much as possible lately, squeezing in a few rows here and there. Mostly I am knitting presents for the holidays, which I can't share here quite yet. I am hoping to finish up those gifts soon as I have a couple different projects I am working on for Miss Phoebe. I was hoping to have them done in time for the holidays, but now I am thinking her birthday (March 1st) seems more reasonable....

I am currently reading This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein. It is the newest literature on Climate Change and I am considering it for my student's literature review next term. I am only about 60 pages in, but it is dense, and doesn't read quick. I read Shock Doctrine, her most famous work last year, and so far this new book is in a similar style. She has so much important information to share, but at times it also feel like a burden because it encompasses so much. However, she is amazingly smart and shares my sense of humor.

What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Happy December!

As a child, I always loved the month of December. I loved the snow, the break from school, the holiday traditions we had as a family, and of course, the advent calender.  Most years we made a green and red paper chain, and tore off a link each morning when we woke up. If we were lucky, we also got an advent calendar filled with chocolate (and yes, we got to eat it each morning!).
For the past 4 years, we have done a family time advent calendar with our children.... there is an owl for each day of the month through Christmas... and each owl holds a scroll that has a family activity for the day.
Today we decorated our tree. Some of the other ideas include making paper snowflakes, seeing the lights downtown, going out to a movie, decorating a gingerbread house, choosing and donating toys for children in need, and baking cookies. As this tradition has grown, we have learned to plan most things out only a day or two ahead of time. Weather and schedules can change plans and we have found it is easier to have a list to work from, and then piece it together as we go along.

Does your family have a special advent tradition?

And for those of you who read my last couple of posts.... I had a root canal done today and I am feeling worlds better! Thanks for all of your kind words!

A Little Fresh Air

The past week has been a rough one for me.... I have been in some pretty extreme pain, and haven't been up for doing much. Today however, I decided that my body was craving a little nature and fresh air, even if it needed to be low key.

So, the kids and I headed to my favorite urban park, Crystal Springs.. or, as we call it, the duck park, because there are always many friendly ducks there. We bring duck food, and let them eat from our hands. In fact, the wild ducks there seem to like us quite a bit more than our backyard ducks do.....

Anyways, the sun was out and it was c-o-l-d, but it was so great to be outside. I needed that. It's amazing what a little outside time can do to soothe a spirit.

Gratitudes (And Some Complaining Too)

I meant to get a gratitude post up on Thanksgiving day, but it didn't happen. Even though I had (and have) so many things to be grateful for, I was having trouble seeing through the (thick, thick) fog.

Let me start from the begnning.

Last Sunday night I started having some intense pain on the left side of my face. I was unsure if this was tooth pain or sinus pain, but either way I was feeling awful. Monday morning I went to urgent care- they said they believed that a tooth infection was most likely, gave me antibiotics, and told me to see my dentist. A couple hours later I was at my dentist, and the pain was so diffuse-- every tooth on the left side of my mouth hurt-- none more than another-- and the dentist was baffled and thought it was maybe a sinus infection. I took my antibiotics and was eating ibuprofen like it was candy. And, I don't normally take ibuprofen. I tend to fight it and reserve it for emergency use. And trust me, this was an emergency.
By Thursday morning, I realized that this pain was from my tooth and not a sinus infection (the pain had at times become more focused on one particular tooth). By Thursday night, I was in so much constant, intense pain that I was literally in tears. The pain was so strong that I only managed to get a couple of hours of sleep. By this point I had already been taking antibiotics for four full days and the pain had only increased. It was definitely worse than childbirth, and I was not getting a new baby out of the deal either.
Friday morning I had to emergency call my dentist as it was a holiday weekend. I was told that the antibiotics that were given to me by urgent care were a good choice for sinus infections, but not tooth infections. I was prescribed new antibiotics.
Friday afternoon I was feeling a bit better and have been able to sleep at night, but at times the pain still gets very intense for up to 30 minutes. Also, every time I bite down on my tooth, it sends a shooting pain through my body, so eating has been a bit rough. And this week I will likely have to get a root canal followed by a crown. Not cheap.

So Thursday, Thanksgiving Day here in the US, I wanted to write a gratitude post. I wanted to share how thankful I was for so many things. But, I just couldn't. All I could think about was the pain.

Now that I am done complaining (sorry) I would like to take a few minutes of your time to share with you some of the things I am grateful for:

* Antibiotics, dentists, and modern medicine. I have thought many times this week about what would be happening to me if I lived in the year 1800.... I would be slugging a glass of whiskey, pulling my own tooth out with a pair of pliers and hoping I didn't die of an infection. 

* My Portland friends who have become family to us in the absence of local blood relatives. I miss my family dearly, but it is so lovely to have wonderful friends to spend holidays and special times with.

* My husband who has listened to many a worry from me this past week, and who encouraged resting when I needed it. And to my mom, who listened to me whine about my face pain every day this week.

* For some much needed time to relax-- I have been reading, knitting, and watching movies this past week (partially because that was all I could muster at times), but I know that my body needed a rest.

I hope you have all had a lovely weekend. Fingers crossed that I will be feeling back to my old self soon!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo- no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

Yarn Along

Joining with Ginny at Small Thing's for this week's Yarn Along.

My knitting frenzy has returned! Well, I'm not really sure I can call it a frenzy, but I am eager to knit and look forward to sneaking in a row here and there when I can.  I have made some progress on a  plain tunic for Phoebe. The yarn I am using is so very soft, which makes it so very easy to knit with.  I also just started Phoebe's Sweater for Phoebe (of course!). I found 4 skeins at the store and had to order 8 more (they are small skeins) and after using most of a skein to knit only 8 rows, I am worried that it may not even be enough!

I am loving The Uglies, another tween sci-fi read.The first 100-ish pages were sort of slow, but I am hooked now. There is a lot of environmentalism and ecology that underlies the themes in the book, so it is right up my alley. I am looking forward to reading the others in the series as well. I am also reading The Residue Years, a book that takes pace in Portland. It's always fun to read a book that takes place in your town. You can really let yourself sink into the story.  And, I am still picking my way through Childhood and Nature. There are so many great ideas in this book-- they don't really pertain to the college level, at which I teach, but I wish I could find a way to implement some of these ideas at Finn's school. 

What are you reading? What are you knitting?

GMO OMG: A Review and Other Musings on Genetic Modification

 

GMOs have been a hot topic in Oregon lately. Measure 92, which would have required genetically modified foods to be labeled in Oregon, just very very narrowly missed passing. I am pretty disappointed that it didn't pass and I am now feeling regret that I wasn't more involved with the campaign. I think it is ridiculous that there is no way to track these altered foods, especially since there have been no long term studies to test for safety. However, considering Monsanto and a few other agro-giants spent over 20 million dollars fighting against Measure 92, making it the costliest ballot measure in Oregon's history, and the margin was still obscenely narrow, I think we did OK. Monsanto can fight a few battles, but it can't keep forking out millions of dollars in many states every couple of years (or can it?). At least we know the word is spreading. I am convinced that we can get GMOs labeled in the not-so-distant future.

Anyways, GMO OMG is a new documentary from 2013. It is the story of a dad with three kids, and his quest to find out more about the food he is feeding his children. What are GMOs? Are they safe? Why are they such a big part of our agricultural system?

The film  does a good job of summarizing what GMOs are, what some of the problems with them may be, as well as talking about the political issues that surround them. At times the film can be a little extreme.... (spoiler alert)... like when he dons his children in hazard suits and masks to walk through a field of genetically modified corn. But, I think he does get his point across.

Despite already knowing a lot about GMOs, I found the film interesting, sweet and funny too. Plus, the sound track is killer. This is one to definitely put on your to-watch list.

Gratitude Sunday

Today I am feeling grateful for

• two very silly children who remind me that life is for having fun
• sunny days with colorful leaves still on the trees
• our warm and cozy house during these cold Portland days
• the hummingbirds that visit our feeder each and every day
• a date night with hubby tonight

What are you grateful for today?

Playing along with the other Taryn of Wooly Moss Roots

Trashed: A Review

 

I just watched the 2012 film Trashed. The film started out a bit slow, and I was afraid it was going to be rather mundane... but I ended up quite enjoying it. The film is based in the U.K., but talks about trash problems throughout the globe. It touches on increased birth defects and cancer rates for people who live close to landfills. It talks about the huge amounts of waste in our oceans, and how that waste harms wildlife. Plastics can release chemicals, and they also absorb chemicals, making bits of plastic in our oceans turn into toxic pellets. These toxins accumulate in the organisms that eat them and then magnify as they move up the food chain. Many of these chemicals are hormone disrupters, which means they can affect reproduction.  Killer whales and other organisms at the top of the food chain carry the largest burden of these chemicals and their populations are now in decline because of this. In fact, researchers studying these animals often have to dispose of the carcass as hazardous waste because these animals have so many toxic chemicals in their system. Unbelievable. How did we ever let our planet get this way?
The film also discusses WTE (waste-to-energy) facilities, which burn trash to create electricity. I myself have toured a WTE plant here in Oregon, and the whole concept seems to make sense. We get rid of our waste, and simultaneously create electricity, without strip mining, fracking, or wars. However, the release of dioxins from these facilities is a huge concern. Dioxins are created by burning plastics and these nasty chemicals cause cancer and birth defects. These dioxins accumulate in organisms and sadly, when a mother gives birth to a child, she passes much of her accumulated burden of chemicals, including dioxins, on to her child. The effects of this can be seen with mothers in Vietnam, where Agent Orange (made by Monsanto, by the way) was sprayed during the Vietnam War. This Agent Orange was contaminated with dioxin, and many of the children in this area suffer from severe birth defects (still, to this day!). This part of the film brought me to tears... for the children, the mothers, and the complete injustice of our world.
The film, as most environmental documentaries, ends with some glimmers of hope for our future. Individuals making better choices when shopping (such as choosing products with less packaging), composting food waste, and making recycling easier. This film was a great reminder that as a population, we have a long way to go to fix the havoc we have reeked on our environment. And, in turn,  how much I have to do personally to play my part in this rehabilitation. 

Burrr.....

It has been cold here (for Portland, anyways!). School was even cancelled on Thursday due to icy conditions. I was hoping for a big snow, because, well-- it would have been nice to have been cozied up in the house for a few days, but I guess once "ice day" will have to do. For now. Enjoy your weekend!

Yarn Along

 Joining with Ginny at Small Thing's for this week's Yarn Along.

It's only Wednesday morning and so far this week has been a bit strange... Monday morning Phoebe fell while running and broke her pinkie finger. (She was so brave.) Tuesday was extremely windy and we even lost our power for a few hours because of it. And it is still super windy as I type this. Now the weather is calling for possible snow here tomorrow, and I am taking my students on a field trip to a farm tomorrow morning. Well, maybe I am. For those of you who don't know, snow here is rare, which means when it happens, everyone sort of freaks out and people seem to lose all sensibility when driving vehicles. I love the snow, so I have my fingers crossed that we get some!

I have been more in a knitting mood lately, and although I haven't been too productive, I have been knitting a little bit each night. I have started a new plain tunic for Phoebe, in a lovely blue silk-wool blend that I got at Flock and Fiber this year. It feels lovely to knit with-- so cozy! However, I think it may get set aside soon so that I can start some Christmas gifts. I need to make a run to the yarn store this week-- I am very behind this year!

I just started reading The Uglies, another tween sci-fi read. I haven't read enough to give an opinion yet, although the first few chapters seem pretty strange.

What are you reading? What are you knitting?

A Seventh Birthday Party

This year Finn decided that he wanted his birthday party to be a Despicable Me themed sleepover. We kept things very simple and invited 2 other boys over to spend the night. We ordered pizza, had cake, and let the kids watch both Despicable Me movies (although they danced, laughed and talked more than they actually watched). It was an awesome night for an awesome kid.

Gratitudes

 What better way to start the week than with a list of gratitudes?

Today, I am feeling grateful for:

• The way that my children play together, for hours, with rarely a squabble. I know that we are lucky that they get along so well.
• The few days without rain we have had lately. I love to inhale the smell of fall on a cool, crisp morning.
• That I don't teach on Tuesday, which allows me a slower-paced week and (hopefully) the time to catch up on some much-needed organizing.
• That we have what we need, including our health. I never take that for granted.

What are you grateful for today?

Seven.

Today, my not-so-little man turns seven. Words can't describe how proud I am of this guy. He makes me laugh every day with his jokes and antics, his sweetness melts my heart, and he is smart as a whip. I am one lucky lady to be the mama of this boy!

Happy Birthday to my favorite guy in the whole world. I love you!

Ninjas!

Well, hello there! It's been a few days....
We have been busy: trick-or-treating, a week long visit from my mom (while Todd and I sneaked away, sans kids,  for 2 of those days), and busy with preparations for someone's birthday tomorrow.

I hope you all had a fun Halloween! We sure did. This year we were all ninjas, at the kids request, and it was the easiest batch of costumes yet. We each wore a black shirt and black pants, which we already had. For our ninja hoods, we used a solid colored long-sleeved t-shirt and tied it using these directions. Super easy. I sewed matching belts for the kids using coordinating fabric. And  no ninja costume would be complete without pretend nun chucks. To make them, I took black foam pipe insulation and cut it into 8-inch pieces. I attached 2 pieces of foam with a rope that was secured with hot glue. Voila! Cute (and safe) nun chucks.

Here are a few pictures of our adventures: