An Autumn Yarn Along

 Hello! Joining with Ginny at Small Thing's ( a wee bit late) for this week's Yarn Along .

Still slowly chugging away at  my sweater.... yup, the one that I was trying to finish before I went to a festival in July. Oh well. It will get done. Eventually.  I did finish my Katniss vest before I went to Burning Man (see below!). And good thing, because the nights were chilly and I wore it lots!

I am starting to think and plan Christmas knits, which is always exciting! I found a few things I am hoping to knit up for Phoebe, before she gets to an age where she may no longer be so willing to wear what I choose to make for her. I am not letting myself start Christmas knits until I finish my sweater though....

I am reading In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume. Remember her? One of my favorite authors as a child! I had no clue that she was writing for adults now. Her writing style is still very simplistic, almost as if I am reading a children's novel (but with adult content). It took me about 100 pages to get into this one, but now I am eager to see where the story goes.

What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Flock and Fiber

I continued my annual tradition of going to the Oregon Flock and Fiber festival on Sunday. The weather was amazing....cool and crisp, with blue skies and sunshine that kept you warm. It felt like fall.
Usually, I try to go to Flock and Fiber without my children... it's much more conducive to yarn shopping and taking photographs.... but this year my children came along. And they were actually very well behaved. But despite good behavior, I didn't have as much of a chance to take photographs or to simply wander like I normally do. The animals were the best part for the kids. Phoebe picked out the kinds of fiber animals she wanted to have when she grows up-- I hope she has a lot of land!
This year there seemed to be very little already spun yarn, and what there was was well above my budget. So, for the first time, I came home from Flock and Fiber without any yarn. However, I was pleasantly surprised to run into Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots! She was selling her handmade buttons at the festival and so I finally had a chance to meet her and her sweet family. Phoebe chose some wonderful ladybug buttons for us to buy (eventually they will make their way onto a sweater) and Taryn gifted Finn an adorable garden gnome (thanks Taryn!). It was so lovely to get to see her in the real world!

 

Gratitudes

Hello! Happy Sunday! I have not been writing here much (nor reading your blogs much lately either) because my mom was in town for two weeks and we used up every minute. I did manage to jot down a few moments of gratitude from the past week though:

• For my mom. She was here for two weeks and she did so much to help me, spoil me, and keep me company. She just left yesterday and I am already so sad that she is gone.
• For my sweet little Casanova, who knows exactly how to put a smile on my face when I am feeling down (see above photo).
• For coffee. 
• For fall. For the gorgeous colors. For cold, sunny mornings. For warm, cozy clothes. 
• For my running buddy. Running is so much easier with a friend. 
• For the nicest pest control guy in the world who I have hired to help me deal with my rodent issues. He is fairly affordable, and honestly, I think the money is worth it just so I don't have to stress about how I am going to do it myself anymore!
• For the new skills I am learning. Managing a household alone now means that I have to do things that I could normally ignore. And although tackling those new tasks can sometimes be a pain, I love the feeling of learning something new and becoming more self sufficient.
• That my new term of teaching has begun and day one went well. I always have anxiety about work after having a summer off and having to go back. Once that first day is under my belt, I am so much calmer. Plus, I am happy to be back at work and back into more of a routine. 

What have you felt grateful for this week?

Joining in with the other Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots

Happy First Day of Fall!

Gratitudes

Happy Sunday! Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend. This past week I have felt grateful for:

• My mom. She is here visiting for a couple of weeks and has been a great help as well as great company.
• Getting organized. My mom and I spent many hours cleaning and organizing my garage. I have been battling some rodents over the past 6 months or so, and the cleaning was not fun. Let's just say it involved a dead rat and a whole lot of poop. But everything is in bins with lids, my art shelf had a major overhaul, and I was able to bring another load to Goodwill. Feels good.
• For the huge hugs and smiles I get from Finn when he comes back after spending the night with his papa. Finn doesn't always express his happiness openly, so when he does, it feels amazing.
• Friends, both old and new.
• Cool mornings that remind me that autumn is almost here. Yay!

What have you felt grateful for this week?

 

Joining in with the other Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots

Crater Lake

Many years ago, when Finn was just a wee babe, the family headed to Crater Lake. We were so excited to see it.... and when we got there, it was so overcast and foggy that we could barely see the lake. Ever since then, I have been eager to go back and to see the lake in all it's glory... with sunny clear skies and the vibrant blues that the lake is known for.
I finally got my chance to go back this week as my mom is in town for a visit, and she has also been wanting to visit there. We packed up the kids and dogs (which made for a very full car, by the way) and spent a few days in Bend, Oregon. We did a day trip to Crater Lake on Monday. The good news was that we could see the lake. However, despite sunny clear skies for the week before we headed down, it was overcast and cloudy on Monday. We still had spectacular views, but alas, did not get to see the amazing blue of Crater Lake. Maybe next time. ;)

Gratitudes

Since I was not around last weekend to share my gratitudes with you, I figured I was about due for a gratitude post. I just got back from a week in the desert, which was marvelous, but also makes me appreciate all of the comforts of life that I live with on a daily basis. It is good to be home.

Since I have returned I have felt grateful for:

• My own bed. Enough said. I am on my way there, actually.

• Harvesting food from my garden that had been neglected for over a week. Even when it is ignored, it still gives.

• Home cooked meals, made over a regular stove.

• Cool mornings and runs to fill them.

• My children and the ease at which they have taken to school this year. Both of my kiddos are loving school and are actually excited to go. Phoebe started at a new, much bigger preschool just this week. She cried all morning about not wanting me to leave her there... and then when we got into the classroom she started painted and said goodbye without a care in the world. My kids are rock stars.

What have you felt grateful for lately??

Some Time in the Desert....

I haven't made an appearance here for a while.... I just got back from a week in Black Rock City. Where is Black Rock City, you may ask? It's in Nevada and it's the home of the infamous Burning Man Festival.
I have been to burning man once before, and it's an experience unlike any other you will ever have in your whole entire life. It's crazy, magical, treacherous, full of love and giving, and is everything you never expected.
I spent the week with two of my bestest friends, plus a whole crew of other lovely people, and without kids or anything else that I had to be responsible for. There is no wifi, my internet couldn't even get the slightest of signals, and I was completely off the grid for 5 days. And I needed that.
On the downside, there were white-out dust storms for the first three days I was there, it was in the 30's at night, and I somehow managed to come home with a bit of sun poisoning on my arms. And, 2 days after getting home I am still trying to clean the playa dust off of everything I brought.
On the upside, I was truly free for a few days. I got to ride my bike through the desert day and night surrounded by magnificent art, kind souls, and music everywhere. And I even managed to watch the sun rise one morning, which is one of my goals for my 38 bucket list. Burning man is a lot of work, but it is so worth the work. However, I am very glad to be home. And clean. And sleeping in my own bed.

 

Yarn Along

 

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

I finished my vest just in the nick of time.. I stayed up past midnight on Sunday night finishing it (after seeming the pieces together backwards at around 11:30..... late night knitting is prone to mistakes, I guess!). But it is finished, and I love it. I don't have any pictures of me wearing it, not yet.. but I will soon!

I just starting reading Trigger Warning, a book of short stories by Neial Gaimen. It caught my eye at the library as I have read several of his books for children. I have only read the first of the stories, but it was intriguing. However, I am about to leave for a bit of an adventure, and the short stories will stay behind. I am bringing A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers, along for the ride. I haven't started to read it yet, but it has been on my to-read list for years. 

What are you reading? What are you knitting?