Life With The Crew

Thankful Tuesday - 11.29.16

Today I am thankful for...

~a quiet Sunday morning run, followed by a mug of homemade hot chocolate.  The little babe unselfishly suggested that her father make some for me as a surprise.  She has to learn to wipe her upper lip if she wants to keep hot chocolate secrets.

~a nice Thanksgiving holiday spent with family.

~a walk in our local woods, even if it was a bleak November day.  We had traveled from home for the holidays and I was craving some nature time.  The little babe trailed along behind, deeply involved in one of her rambling stories, this time about mice and cats.  (They are friends, not foes.)  After about 15 minutes, her pockets were overflowing with acorns of various sizes and a feather.  It is good to be home.

 

What are you thankful for today?

That Time of Year - Repost

 

~This is a repost from two years ago, but it is still definitely applicable.  I feel even more strongly now about reducing the amount of material junk in our lives and making sure the things that we own are quality items that will last for a long time.~

I guess we are almost in it folks, that time of year again.  The Season of Giving.  Before the manic shopping event known as Black Friday occurs next week, I'd like to share some ideas for holiday giving that do not involve just buying stuff.  

-This post, written by Nourishing Minimalism, and shared on FB by Svenna of Stitch and Purl, caught my attention.  I have already shared it on FB, but wanted to share it here also.  It offers great gift ideas that take the focus off of a material "thing".  Memberships to museums, magazine subscriptions, paying for art or dance classes, making a coupon booklet for special outings, are just several of the ideas that are suggested.  It is a really great list!

-Buy from local businesses when possible.  Yes, they might be more expensive than the chain stores, but that is where the idea of quality, rather than quantity comes into play.  Does your grandchild need 5 new books or can you buy 2 from the local bookstore and then take him on a lunch date that involves a stop at the library? ~Or purchase used books on Ebay or Amazon.  There are great "old fashioned" books available for kids that are not available at the big box stores.

-Support companies that are using their profits to make a positive change in the world.  Patagonia is a favorite of my husband and I.  Yes, they are expensive, but that expense is the true cost of making a sustainable garment.  They are one of the few major companies that are walking, talking, and manufacturing in a way that my husband and I agree with.  Their newest initiative, to use goose down from geese that were never force-fed or live plucked is one that I am thrilled to support (when I need a new coat).  If you're not familiar with how conventional down gets from a live goose to inside your puffy coat or pillow, check this out.  (It is not graphic or gruesome, just informative.)  ~I also support Patagonia because they actively encourage their customers to either repair an item themselves or send it back to Patagonia to have it repaired, and to buy used Patagonia clothing (search on Ebay), rather than to buy a brand new item.

-When I can't find shoes at the local kids thrift store for the little babe, TOMS is where I shop.  For each pair of shoes purchased, they donate a pair to a child in need.  The shoes are good quality, they have fun designs, and how can you find fault with putting shoes on a child's feet?  If you're interested in finding out more, click here.  (Their pink glitter shoes were a big hit in this house!)

-If you would like to put your money to good use for somebody in need, you can make a donation to Heifer International.  Based on the "teach a man to fish" concept, Heifer doesn't simply give money to people in need.  They provide them with an animal that will not only provide their family with food, but also a source of income.  A cow will provide them with enough milk for their family's needs and they can sell the excess.  This money can be used for their children's education or for starting a business.  Each family is required to "pass on the gift" by giving the animal's offspring to another family, so your donation could kickstart a better life for an entire village.

-Not that I need to tell many of you crafty readers this, but if you enjoy making things, give them as gifts!  Since knitting is very en vogue now, get your needles out and start purling!  Maybe your dog-loving parents would appreciate a hand-sewn dog bed for their beloved furry family member.  For your chocoholic friend, make her several types of hot chocolate mixes.  Think outside the chain store gift box.

*I am NOT affiliated with or receiving compensation from any of the organizations and companies listed in this post.  

Third Time's the Charm (Almost)

"Three" or "third time's the charm" is the theme for this blog post.  My latest knitting project is the third version of the Annabel cardigan that I have knitted.  (Version 1 and 2 here.)  This is the third pattern that I attempted with this yarn, the first project I frogged after 3/4 of the body was complete because the neckline just wasn't looking right and the second project was a shawl that I really wanted to make, but this yarn is very springy and did not drape enough.  The yarn is Osprey by Quince & Co. in the undyed color Audouin and the color Fox.  I'm on a natural kick lately; it just appeals to me so much more than chemically dyed yarns, but I thought that a pop of color would be nice.  I used this same yarn for the first Annabel cardigan that I made last year, which I knitted in the wrong size.  When deciding what to do with these 7 skeins of wonderfully squishy natural yarn, I decided that I did like the Annabel pattern, but that I wanted to modify it a bit.  (As usual.)  So I made full sleeves instead of 3/4 length, I increased the length of the bottom hemline and added ribbing (I don't like cropped sweaters), and I added a splash of color with stripes on the sleeves.  I really like how it turned out.  It is warm without being too bulky, the size is perfect (I actually increased the arm size a bit so that it was not tight in the armpit area), and I love the stripes.  The two things that I'm not thrilled with are the wide neckline and the fact that the front gapes between the button holes.  I'm not sure why that is, because I'm not exactly busting out of it.  

I wish that I had a better picture - the late afternoon shadows in this one are awful.  However, I am either apparently a ghost and my image does not register on camera or I am too unattractive and I somehow break the camera card.  Because my husband took my picture three different times - twice in wonderful morning light and then once in the snow - and when I went to process them, they had vanished from my camera card.  Simply gone three times.   

The buttons that I chose are 1" handmade black walnut from Wooden Buttons Galore.  Rebecca happily made a custom order for me and I love them.  

There has been a shift in the weather and it has been cold and windy since this weekend, weather appropriate for November in the Northeast, so I've been wearing this sweater nonstop.  A comfy handknitted sweater - I think one of life's true delights.
 

 

A Change Blowing In

Saturday morning was sunny and warm.  I picked a small bouquet of bright yellow calendula flowers from the garden; they were still blooming and new seedlings were emerging from the seeds dropped by their summer predecessors.  I was still picking raspberries that somehow were evading the frosts at night, then ripening in the warm day temps and sun.  When I took the dogs up the street at 10 am, I was wishing I had worn short sleeves.  My husband said the forecast was for a cold front to move in around 2:30 pm and that we would actually see snow that night.  HAH!  Not looking likely.  Since I was still feeling a bit down in the dumps, I thought a change of scenery would be nice.  We headed towards Shingletown, a hike along a stream, but then on the way decided to check out something new.  We pulled into a new parking lot, complete with picnic table and state forest maps.  Apparently the land had been acquired by a land conservancy and the trail system was less than two years old.  We had driven by many times, but there is not visible signage from the road.  The parking lot itself offered a great view of our area, stretching from the nearby farms and fields towards the town.    

We headed toward the mountain on a gravel path, stopping to check out the trees showing scars of old fencing; in most cases the wire fencing was still within the tree, poking out dangerously sharp from where it had been cut off close to the bark.  The brown grasses rustled, the now cream colored goldenrod puff and milkweed fluff blew in the breeze, and it was a lovely November day.  Though they said it was going to get cold...

After a gradual incline, we left the gravel path and the going got steep.  With the (little?) babe now on my back, our pace slowed considerably.  We paused at the top for a chocolate peanut butter ball snack, then followed what we thought was a loop on the top of the ridge.  When the loop started to go down the back of the mountain, we started doubting a bit, but continued on.  On the backside, we saw the sign for a trail my husband thought took us back to the car.  As we debated what to do, we noticed recent bear scat on the trail and that the clouds looked a bit darker.  We decided to chance the trail, passed more bear scat, and declared that we better pick up the pace a bit because the temp was definitely dropping.  I had just been telling my husband about an article in Outside magazine that discussed the effects of human's dependency on navigational devices (basically they make us dumber), when he glanced at his phone and said he was out of cell range.  So no looking up directions for us (which I was just fine with).  We forged onward and in a mere two minutes time, we saw a familiar landmark and felt rather silly about those few anxious moments.  When we got back to the car, the clouds in the distance were dark and foreboding and the cold front was blowing in quickly.  It was beautiful.

By late afternoon, the first snow flurries were falling and as I write this 24 hours later, the yard is covered with the season's first 1/4" of snow.  A little adventure, a change in scenery, things are looking up.  

Tiny Ripples

I wish I had something more exciting to show you than a log full of neon red lichen, but that's all I've got for today.

I thought that was a smidge more exciting than fungus on a log, though I do really like the light in this photo.

And the grass heads are pretty, but definitely not exciting.

On our hike around the lake this morning, the water was totally calm, barely a ripple. So my husband made one.

Not that we really need any more excitement.  We had a little too much unwanted excitement in dealing with one of our rental properties last week.  All the makings of a rental horror story or really bad movie.  I'm just feeling a bit ho-hum lately.  A little change of scenery would be nice, a road trip, but that's not in the cards right now.  I'm in a food funk - I'm almost tired of squash.  Our chickens are laying sporadically and eating the eggs routinely.  My camera or camera card is on the fritz.  Photos that I know I took are disappearing from the camera card, so I guess I need a new one, though I can't really justify the expense.  My computer is so slow, constantly stalling and it takes me five times longer than necessary to do anything on it.  Not that I truly need to do anything on it, so that isn't even a big deal.  Very minor inconsequential complaints.  Tiny ripples in life.  I'll take those over a tsunami.  

Thankful Tuesday - 11.15.16

Today I am thankful for...

~a moment of calm in a weekend of stress.  I had anticipated a fair and frosty field walk, but by the time we got there it was only frosty in a couple of patches that had not been touched by the sun.  No matter, the quiet and stillness was the distraction that I needed.

What are you thankful for today?

 

Positive Thoughts for the Future

Planting a pine cone.  Positive thoughts for the future.

The Little Girl Went Up the Hill

The little girl went up the hill, then slowly back down, without a spill.

The plants were shades of cream and brown, with several red leaves still scattered around.

Their shapes and textures as beautiful to the eye, as any bright color that fades with time.

We heard some horses through the trees, the ones with spots pretty easy to see.

These beautiful days are fading fast, the memories made I hope to last.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just What We Needed

After a crazy two weeks trying to get the second bedroom ready on our Airbnb rental, we could finally take a much needed night off.  (Really it is my husband who was working until midnight, but all of us felt the stress.  And after sewing eight curtain panels in a week, I am DONE with sewing for a while!)  It was a beautiful evening and we haven't had a paddle in a long time, so we grabbed the paddles and life jackets and headed out to the lake.  There were several groups of people on shore, but we had the entire lake to ourselves.  As we headed out, the wind was pretty brisk, but as the sun went down over the horizon, we suddenly noticed that the wind had disappeared too.  By the end of our paddle, the surface was like glass.  Sitting in a cove, taking in the stillness and silence and autumn color, was just what we needed.  

The highlight of the evening was seeing a Green heron up close.  Did you notice him in the picture above?  We stayed a respectful distance away (hence the poor photo) and floated past without him moving an inch.  

 

Thankful Tuesday - 11.1.16

Today I am thankful for...

~a sunny morning walk with my little speed demon.  I love the cool Autumn weather that calls for woolen knits and warm maple lattes.  She was nice enough to ask if she could ride through the puddles - go for it babe!

~unexpected gifts from the realm of blogging.  Thank you Regina for the garlic chive plants and seeds!  I know the pollinators will be happy next summer and my chive loving little babe will be snagging a couple pieces to nibble on.  

~kind words from an elderly gentleman on my morning run.  As I am trudging up the hill past his walking pace, "You are running so fast I can smell smoke."  As I catch a whiff of wood smoke, "Yes, it smells good."  Pause.  Oh, he was referring to me.  Smile.

What are you thankful for today?