Sundays are a day for time away from work both at home and at work, right?
I love that I have a large family and get to enjoy spending time with them now and then.
Any time I get to spend time with my tribe it always makes me very happy!

Recently my oldest daughter, Stacey moved to a house not too far away and knowing that my middle daughter, Ashley was coming home for a visit with her dear little Cullen to spend time with us we decided to take a short trip to see Stacey's new place now that they have settled in.  
Stacey's husband, Jeff made us a delicious lunch and the 2 little boys had SO much fun together!
Little boys….are just so blessed cute in their boundless energy!

Ashley being a Junior High School English teach couldn't resist spending time reading to Asher…and then Asher read to her.

It made a mother's heart smile to spend this time with the people I love.

 

She withdrew into herself,
First writing just for one,
Then touching thousands.
She incarnated ghosts, hurt, and joy
Into paper-and-ink stories of wonder.
Deng Ming~Dao

Whoops, I missed yesterday.  I have to be honest as I mentioned in my last post my brain has just been worn out at the end of each day, however, yesterday was the first day I finally felt like I had my head wrapped around the different processes, so from here going forward I think it will become easier.

Over the years I have tried various notebooks, in fact, I LOVE notebooks, but I have not yet found one that I really loved enough to keep up with them. Once I have torn out a number of pages it looses it's appeal and just sits there looking at me.  
I know that sounds so odd doesn't it?

Well…I think I have found the perfect one!  It's called TUL and I love that you can remove the pages easily and even move them to different sections or different notebooks.  There are a number of different types of refill papers and you can purchase a punch machine to add other things to the notebooks.  It feels good in the hand and opens up with ease.
I may have one or two more heading this way…just sayin'

Years ago I tried the Filofax system, but it just wasn't for me.  I am fussy about how things feel when I am working with it.
(I know it sounds pretty silly doesn't it?)

This is the book I have with these various papers that go with it, along with the punch, so if you think you would like it, just leave a comment here and I will draw a name if more than one person comments..ha!  I know that a lot of people really love this Filofax system as well.

Happy Saturday!!
PS….there is more to that word "Organizing" coming soon.

 

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Activity is essential, but exhausting,
And it's importance is only on the surface.
Withdrawing into Tao at the end of the day.
Returning is renewal.
Deng Ming~Dao

You've seen pictures similar to this one over the years.  A good soak in a bubble bath with some epsom salt and neutrogena oil along with some essential oil is always my go to during these dark days of what now feels like winter.  
As long as I can remember, whenever I need a small break from life, I have always drawn a bath, grabbed a book, poured a drink (Carole, sometimes it is water and not wine..LOL) and turned on some tunes for 30 minutes or so.  My kids always knew that when the door was closed and music was playing…Mom needed a break and just leave her alone..ha

Sometimes I will have my kindle (which makes me a little nervous in the water) and other times it will be a paperback book.  I love both types of reading vehicles even though it really did take some convincing that a kindle was just as good.  I have grown to value that little book I can take everywhere with me, even in bed with a dimmed light that doesn't wake anyone.
 I am a convert…kind of.  I still love my paper books.

Today was my last day to drive to Wolfeboro for some additional training and it was ironic that one of my reasons for loving my new job was that I didn't have to travel too far in snow….and on my way home from this long ride home…yup, snow!
Ey yi yi!
 Winter in New England, you just never can tell what to expect after October!

 

So…..as I was driving home from work, I started thinking about my blog post for tonight and I have to tell you even when I was digging down deep, I came up with nothing.

I am still learning my new job and today I traveled down to the second office in Wolfboro which is almost an hour away today to work with the other PCC to learn how that office works.
So more than thinking about blogging on my way home in the dark tonight, I was thinking even more about staying awake truth be told.

When I got home, I said to Ken…
I've got nothing.  He quizzically looked at me.  "The blog, you know, the every day thing. My life is pretty darn boring most days."

And when I sat down to knit for a bit, I shook my head and I said, "Truly, I just have nothing…LOL"
So he said to me, "blog about nothing".
"Whaaat??"
Ken.."you know The Seinfield show"
Kim…wrinkling her nose…"??"
Ken…"Google it"
(this video may get taken down…so google it if it does, it's pretty funny)

That's it!  Haha!  That is our life, sometimes quiet, sometimes busy, often times pretty darn boring and other times adventurous and fun

So my post tonight is basically about nothing and some days it's all I have, but it's ok. 😉

Ode To Winter
~

Ode, ode to the winter
What music plays to sonnet
While a world drifts to sleep
Leaves curl and flowers bow
Birds take flight to a further place
A touch of frost creeps in
Stealing the landscape of its colour
Soon all shall be held motionless
In the still of a winters season
Now in all its changing
The beauty and perfection of life
Is left open to be witnessed
Savoured by the eye of an artist
To feed the soul, nourish the heart
This melancholy season
This changing landscape
What beauty it reveals
In an ode to the winter

~Matthew Holloway

Winter arrived in snow form this morning….much too early
but the first snow is always so beautiful.

This is the first Veteran's Day that I have had off in 5 years and I wanted to start of my post today thanking the heroes that give so much of themselves for the freedoms that we get to enjoy.

 My Dad served during the Korean War and lost a good chunk of his hearing being a gunner in a tank.  There are many good reasons why people all over the country complain about the care the VA gives to our soldiers, but I can only say good things about the care my Dad has received from the VA here in NH.  They have taken very good care of him and for that I am thankful.
Thank you US Service Men and Women!!

~

Ok…see that bag?  That bag is a birthday gift for my daughter, Ashley, whose birthday is in June (it's ok…she has seen it).  Yes, you read that right…June and it is just getting finished now.  This bag has been my brain freeze for the last 6 months because I never loved the way it finished and I couldn't seem to find the right work around to get the result that I wanted.  I'm not going to lie, this one isn't perfect either, but today when I was working on it, I think I finally solved the problem that has been my dilemma.  Of course I found a possible solution after this was finished, but I think it is going to work and if it does, I will continue to make these bags. 

Ashley is visiting this weekend and I will give her this bag, but I will make a new one for her in a different color to try out my thought process.
(as long as it comes out the way I think it will)

I chose the lining for the bag with some left over fabric from the quilt that I made for my littlest little, Cullen, because I wanted Ashley to smile whenever she open the bag.

It's so hard to believe that I made this sweater and quilt almost 2 years ago!
Time flies way too quickly.  
Hug the ones you love!

Airy in this picture was the yarn that I originally chose as a cover for my website.  It didn't play well with the mobile view so I changed it, but I love this yarn!

You will see that I have a new website and I will be maintaining a professional blog there and a personal one here because I don't want to let this one go after all of these many years of blogging. However the large volume of pictures on this blog really slows a  professional website down.
 Every now and then you will see the same post here and there though, just sayin'. 🙂

Back in 2013 (I am gobsmacked that it has been 6 years already!), Elizabeth Doherty reached out and asked if I would meet her for lunch to discuss yarns and design.  We met at a Panara Restaurant in Portland Maine and quickly became friends!  I sent her some yarn for the design she was thinking about and this beautiful sweater, Grass River is the result.  
I love it and I really enjoy the way Elizabeth designs.  It is very different from the traditional methods and back then it was VERY different. Her sweaters are always so well fitting.  Many of my favorite sweaters are her designs.
(Below is Archer)

 

 

Earlier this past fall, I vended at Amy Herzog's last "Make, Wear, Love, retreat and I brought a lot of this yarn with me because it is one of my favorite sweater yarns and it was a sweater retreat. 
I always send a hefty amount of this yarn to Elizabeth for "Stitches West" and it always sells well because of Elizabeth's samples, but at the retreat, I quickly sold out of my DK weight yarn but people were hesitant to use this yarn for a sweater and I understand why.

Airy is a single ply yarn that is energized, so you fear that the sweater will twist in a directional way once it has been soaked and blocked.  I won't lie, I was a bit hesitant to use this yarn for a sweater for just the same reason.  
Knitting a sweater is a lot of work and when the yarn doesn't behave it's a lesson in frustration right?

I knit this Marklee sweater with Airy back in 2017 and it is a sweater that I wear ALL.THE.TIME.  It has never pilled and it has never twisted.  It's a Superwash yarn and even though I recommend on my tags to air dry it, myself, I always toss it in the dryer.
It is still one of the sweaters that I grab when I am looking to be comfortable.  Light in weight and such a comfortable design.

I have sweater quantities in my shop available now.

It's been a while since I have been to downtown Portland and I forgot how much I love it here!  A few weeks ago a friend of mine invited me to go with her to see the NC Wyeth exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art.  
At the time I wasn't able to go but I really wanted to see this exhibit, so she took a second trip with me today.

How did I not know that there was a Museum of Art in Portland??  I don't know what rock I've been hiding under because I have been down this street many times.
(This picture is not the museum but a building that I just love architecturally across from the museum)

I could have spent the entire day here, there was so much to see and this exhibit was just beautiful and I loved all of the informations for each picture.  All of the artwork was displayed in chronological order and it was enjoyable to watch his talent grow with age.
(I love the strength of the horse in this picture…so beautiful and correct)

Another thing that I loved about the exhibit were the different perspectives that were added next to the descriptions on some of the paintings.  The exhibit is called "New Perspectives"

This was one of my most favorite paintings along with the ocean paintings.  There is SO much going on everywhere in this painting and the image of the boy (Andrew perhaps?) in the very corner reading a book with his dog..so special.

It was a beautiful day to be in Portland!

 

Whew…it's getting late and I was nervous that I would not get this post in today because my brain has been so blessed exhausted.  Trying to be creative with a post was pretty much out of my grasp today…ha! 

So….I thought I would show you what is causing my brain to go into overdrive…this!

See all that paper?  It's a week's worth of hand written notes, training manuals, taking HIPAA tests, medical insurance and learning all of the very many parts that belong to the world of hearing aids.  There are a LOT, just sayin'

I did manage to squeak out another swatch last night and yay, size 8 it is for the body of the sweater, the gauge is spot on. Later tonight I will work on the pattern stitch gauge again with a smaller needle as well to see if I like the fabric it makes better and is closer to the yoke gauge. 

 I am rewarding my brain with a glass of wine and a good soak in a bubble bath infused with peppermint essential oils as soon as I finish this post.  
A little winter tip ~ peppermint essential oil is a wonderful oil for itchy, dry skin in the colder months!

You may be capable of great things,
But life consists of small things.
Deng Ming Dao

Big things in life seldom come along, but life is full of small things that make us smile.  
Today I am in a hurry to get out the door for work, but this brand new lunch bag that has a lot more room and negates me having to bring 2 bags to work definitely makes me smile today.
What little things make you smile?
~
Have a great day in your corner of the world!