Life With The Crew

Reason To Run

I have written about running before (here and here) and there is no one particular reason why I run.  I like being active; feeling like I've done something productive before the day has even begun (since I only run in the mornings).  I love to eat, especially sweets (made with wholesome healthy ingredients of course - wink, wink), so I run so that I can have that naptime piece of cake.  I run to get some much needed peace and quiet.  (It can get quite loud sometimes with 5 excitable dogs, 4 yowling cats, and 1 happy/unhappy toddler.)  I run because it feels good (mainly that part happens when I am running downhill) and it makes me appreciate my healthy capable body.  I also run just to see what I can see, to get a much needed dose of nature, to catch the gorgeous sunrise, to enjoy the quiet of the neighborhood before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.  To smile at the dark silhouette of a bushy tailed squirrel sitting on a bare oak branch.  To marvel at the beauty of frost tipped blades of grass sparkling in the bright morning sun.  To catch the colors of nature, visible more so now after the leaves have fallen from the trees - burgundy fuzzy sumac buds, bright yellow and reddish-orange bittersweet, the quick glimpse of an iridescent blue as a jay darts through the branches.  To admire the paper birches, their white trunks contrasting vividly against a clear blue sky.  And I know that every time I run, I will see another sight that encourages me to keep moving, to breathe deeply, to appreciate this world.  Luckily, running because I have to is not one of the reasons why I run.  And perhaps that makes me appreciate it even more.

(An old picture of my sidekick who also loves to run.)

Thankful Day

Today I am thankful for all of the good things in my life.  So often the small, sometimes large, stressors of life overshadow the beauty and joy.  Having one day a year designated as a special day to give thanks is a wonderful thing, but we should also take the time, make the time, to be thankful more often.  

I am thankful for plentiful food, family, and little feet (along with a whole lot of other things).

 

What are you thankful for today? 

Your Monday Morning Smile

Last night, about 20 minutes before bed, I decided to whip out a pair of mittens for myself.  The temps have finally gotten pretty chilly and my old mittens have multiple holes that have been repaired multiple times.  So I grabbed an old cashmere sweater that was given to me by a friend who knows I like repurposing (thanks Cindy) and I just went for it.  As usual with my "creations", they are not fashion show worthy, but they are practical, not made in China, and make me smile a bit when I wear them.  However, if you notice, in my rush to get them completed before the little babe totally fell apart, I sewed the flowers on the same side of the mitten, so one is on the top of my hand where it should be and the other one is on my palm.  Oh well.  When I wore them on my run this morning, I realized that as I lifted up my right hand to wave to people, my cheery flower was visible to them.  Maybe it made someone smile.  Happy Monday folks!

Cables and Curls

So I was attempting to make a hat as a Christmas gift for an adult and it turned out almost too small for even my daughter's tiny head.  That is the chance I take when I don't follow a pattern and just guesstimate.  I think the number of stitches that I cast on would have been okay if the whole thing was just knitted, but the cable pattern has a tighter gauge and has very little stretch.  She claims that it fits and she wants to keep it.

It is made with Cascade 220 Heathers yarn.  It has a wide k1, p1 rib pattern and then a wavy cable pattern.  I was really excited that the cable pattern turned out so well, so I'm bummed that it isn't exactly what I had planned.  I could rip it out and start over, but I don't really want to - I really like it!  

The wavy cable pattern:

Row 1 (RS):  *K4, C4B; repeat from * to end of row

Row 2:  Knit 

Row 3:  *C4F, K4; repeat from * to end of row

Row 4:  Knit

Repeat these 4 rows to desired length.  This is the cable pattern for knitting in the round; if flat knitting (as for a scarf) purl all stitches in rows 2 and 4.

Despite the fact that the little babe claims to like it, it is pretty darn snug on her and just barely covers her ears.  If you are interested in buying it, please contact me ([email protected]).  Her head circumference is about 19".  I was thinking $15 plus shipping.  We are a smoke free home, but if you're reading my blog, then you probably know that I do have pets, so in full disclosure, there may be a dog hair knitted into the hat.

 

 

Baking With Toddlers

A pastry brush and melted coconut oil - tasty, practical (and messy) painting practice for the little babe.  Can you guess which tart was made in a hurry, when more coconut oil started to be consumed than applied to the phyllo?

Your day might not be perfect, but I hope you have some fun.

A Year's Worth of Soap

My husband and I make a good team.  I ask/remind/encourage/strongly suggest that we need to do something and he makes it happen.  We were down to our two last bars of soap from the batch we made last December, so it was time.  We kept it simple and followed the same recipe, using olive oil, palm oil, and coconut oil, plus ground oatmeal and peppermint extract.  I absolutely love using our own homemade soap.  Just as important as putting good food IN your body, is using healthy ingredients ON your body.  (Though I know that palm oil isn't such a good thing and coconut and olive oil aren't exactly local ingredients, so this soap isn't guilt free.)  However, it makes me smile every time I suds up and now we don't have to worry about buying soap for another whole year!  (As long as I remember to remove it from the tub before the little babe takes a bath - she can somehow make a whole bar of soap vanish in one bath session!)

 

Shared on the Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop.

Thankful Tuesday - 11.17.15

Today I am thankful for...

-being in the right place at the right time and for having a wildlife rehabilitation center in our town.  About 20 minutes after leaving the house on Sunday for my morning run, I burst back in the door, yelled at the husband and little babe to put some clothes on and get in the car NOW!  (They were still in pajamas, hot dippy eggs in front of them.)  I ran into the shed, grabbed the critter carrier (it has held ducklings, chickens, and a snake - not all at the same time) and threw the little babe into the car.  Three minutes later, this is what we had in the critter carrier.

A beautiful copper colored "red phase" Screech Owl with a badly broken wing.  I found him face down on the side of the road in the gutter.  At first I thought he was dead, then realized his round golden eyes were staring at me and he moved his head just a bit.  I booked it home as fast as I could, afraid that the crows would find him.  After getting him home safely in the carrier, we called the local wildlife rehab center and even though it was 8:30am on a Sunday, they said we could bring him right over.  The lady at the center said that they have been receiving a lot of injured Screech Owls lately.  Apparently when the owls are in flight, they cannot turn their heads because it would throw off their balance, so they don't see the cars coming as they fly across roads.  Upon receiving the injured owl, they gave him medication for stress and pain relief before evaluating him to see what exactly was wrong.  The ideal would be for him to be released back to the wild after his injuries healed.  If the wing would be permanently injured, they would place him in a nature center for educational purposes.  (We also have one of those in our area that we visit on a regular basis.)  Worst case scenario, they would euthanize him.  

I was so flabbergasted that I found an owl.  Seeing hawks in our backyard and throughout the neighborhood is an every day event - just that morning my husband saw two hawks in the woods being harassed by crows and I had one fly right in front of me at head level just minutes before I found the owl.  But an owl sighting is a very rare event and despite the awful circumstance in which I saw it, I am thankful to know that there is still habitat for these magnificent creatures in my suburban neighborhood.

What are you thankful for today?

 

Kefir Leavened Bread

A thick slice of homemade bread, slathered with a glob chunk pat of golden butter, is sometimes as good as the sweetest dessert.  

I tried a new bread recipe and although I had my doubts in the beginning, it actually turned out pretty darn good.  This bread recipe uses milk kefir as the leavening ingredient - no yeast or sourdough starter, which is pretty cool.  I cut the recipe in half (I didn't want to waste 4 cups of flour in case it was a bust) and I used half unbleached white flour and half fresh ground whole wheat and also threw in about 1/4 cup of ground flax seed.  For the 24 hours that it was fermenting, it didn't look very encouraging - a very soft and sticky mass - I wouldn't have even called it a dough.  But it did expand a bit, so I held out hope.  I kept it in a greased stainless steel bowl in the warm kitchen, covered with a damp tea towel.  After 24 hours, I added more flour until it became a workable dough.  I kneaded it a bit and shaped it into a loaf shape, then put it to rise in the greased bread pan until it doubled in size.  

Baked it for about 30 minutes and then cut it while it was still warm (no patience here - it was lunch time!)  I was surprised by how soft and squishy it was - bring on the butter! 

Shared on the Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop.

 

Thankful Tuesday - 11.10.15

Today I am thankful for...

-two good eyes that were able to behold a beautiful sunrise.

What are you thankful for today?

 

 

A 24 Hour Cowl

On Friday I tried two different patterns for an easy little cowl.  I had half a skein of a soft purple wool, leftover from a hat I made for myself last year.  The yarn is 2 ply and kind of droopy.  Is droopy the right word?  It feels lovely, very soft, but it has no substance.  I tried an easy lace pattern, but it didn't show up well with the varigated yarn.  Then I tried a pattern of 5 rows knitting, 5 rows purling, but that seemed too much for the yarn - the purled sections pulled the cowl down.  So I frogged it again and started over with 6 rows of garter stitch then just a whole lot of knitting.  I decided that a busy pattern would be too much and that the beauty of the yarn should speak for itself.

-Friday evening, listening to my husband tell a "Wanda the Wolf" story to the little babe, I cast on and started the bottom border.

-Saturday morning at 5:30 am, sitting on the floor in our dark bedroom, headlamp around my neck and little babe sleeping behind me, I finished the border and started the stockinette.

-Two hours later, sitting in bed with the little babe, telling her a "Wanda the Wolf" story while I knit.

-Saturday midday, outside on the front stoop, fingers busy knitting while the little babe digs in the dirt.  (Does her gardening, excuse me.)

-Saturday afternoon, naptime, the house is peaceful, the woodstove is cranking, the apples are drying in the oven, the dogs are snoring, my fingers are moving.

-Saturday, 9pm, the little babe is sleeping beside me in bed while I finish the top border and bind off.  I hop out of bed, wash it quickly, and set it to dry by the woodstove overnight.

Sunday morning - I have a cowl!

However, I'm not happy with it.  I love looking at it and it feels so nice to touch, but I don't like the way it droops.  It is too far away from my face.  I was worried about making it big enough to fit over my head, but now it is too big and isn't really going to be doing much to keep my neck warm.  (And I don't really wear anything just for fashion.)  Oh well, maybe under my winter coats it will scrunch up around my neck better.  Do you have any projects that you don't really like, but force yourself to wear just because you made it?  

(Oh, and this is my "I'm trying not to look at the camera because I'm probably going to crop it out anyway" face.  Sorry.)