It was so nice to have an entire weekend off to relax!
As you know, right now I have been juggling working The Woolen Rabbit with working at my local Veterinary Hospital and I won't lie, it's been a challenge trying to keep up with everything, but I have finally settled into a pace that seems to be working.  I will have 2 more weeks of a crazy work schedule at the vet office with training, but then it will settle down to a regular schedule.  Once April rolls around and the yarn club comes to an end, I think that there will be a good balance with both positions.

Ken and I made the most of the weekend.
  I spent Saturday morning working for The Woolen Rabbit and he spent his morning working on the never ending bathroom project, but we took the afternoon off to watch the football playoffs.  We had a pre-game kick off playing a few games of bananagram to chase the cobwebs out of our brains while enjoying a few snacks, then we settled into watching our Patriots with all their boys healthy play like we know we can play.  GO PATS!!

This morning we both set out for a walk….separately.  There is no way my short legs can keep up with his longer ones without running…LOL.  I was so happy to be outside in the fresh air after a newly fallen snow.  It was a beautiful and invigorating walk.

One of the more challenging parts of going back into the work sector is finding time to walk outside on a regular basis, so I do cherish the days I can get outside and not be on the dreadmill.  It was a perfect day to be outside!

Once home we geared up for a trip down to the Southern part of the state to pick up a special treat and visit with family.

I have a good friend who lives close to the ocean who put together a big order of fresh sea scallops that a few of us went in together to purchase to get a lower price. Oh my, we had some of them for dinner tonight and I forgot how much better seafood is when you live close enough to the ocean to buy right from the fish mongers on the ocean.  We bought enough for 4 meals…yum!

We also took some time to visit with Courtney while she was working….I just love my girl!  She is one of a kind for sure and she always makes me smile.

Given how close we were to the seashore, there was no way I couldn't take a long walk along the water.  The air was crisp, but with a down jacket on it never felt cold and walking in the winter sand with boots on made for an easy hike up and down Hampton Beach. 
It was a wonderful weekend that truly felt like a real weekend off.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well!

 

 

 

Even though I was absent last month, I really did get a lot of creating accomplished.  It was my goal to give all of the kids something handmade this year that hopefully wasn't too hand made looking if you know what I mean. 😉

I managed to get 2 hats knitted, 2 scarves woven, some pottery that I felt was nice enough to be used and a big knitted cowl for Hannah that will go back to school with her in a few weeks.  (It's been nice to have her home!)

I was so pleased with the pottery above.  I gifted the mug and the bowl to my oldest daughter Stacey and I kept the batter bowl for myself.  I was so pleased with them, but the batter bowl was my break through piece for me.  I finally mustered up the courage to trim this bowl hard, which is not easy to do mentally because you are always worried you are going to trim too much and put a hole into it. 

I learned so much with this grouping.  A different glazing technique, different throwing, making handles and more aggressive trimming.

I also made these 2 bowls and while the bowl with the handles is heavy enough to clock an intruder in the head and knock him out, I still learned a lot about being in control of the desired shape and adding handles.  Aggressive trimming was needed here, but the fear factor got the best of me…. it's all a learning process for getting a tactile feeling for what you are doing and it's fun!

The smaller bowl is one that I was very pleased with.  It's a sturdy bowl that is a nice size and is very even around the top and sides.  I was very happy with the way the glaze came out too.

Here is the inside of the smaller bowl
Isn't it pretty?

All in all, I think that the things that I gifted to the kids came out pretty good and I was happy to share some handmade gifts with them this year.  I hope that they were happy to receive them.

Next week I will show you the woven scarves and the big knitted cowl I am working on for Hannah. 🙂

 

Last year I needed a word to make me smile. 
It's no secret if you have been reading my blog or my facebook page that the last few winters have been hard ones for me.  I have  found that I really struggle with the long days of darkness.  The dark along with the continuous pain that I have learned to live with really had me searching for a word to help celebrate those long dark days, which is why I chose Sparkle and truth be told, it really did help.
I loved my Sparkle word!

Last year I jumped into the word thing and bought a "One Little Word" kit and lots of sparkly things to fill up my binder and did I do anything with it?  No, no I did not…LOL.  I did however fully embrace my word.  I guess I didn't need all of the extra's to help me focus on filling my life with Sparkle.  I thought of it often and it truly did make me smile. 
I think it is a word that will forever stay with me, especially in the winter.

As the calendar turns, I thought about what I wanted for my word this year.  Last year my word was chosen to help me get through the dark times, but this year I wanted it to turn it around. Even though I think that I am basically a kind person,  practicing kindness is not always easy or something that is our first reflex. 
This year I am going to really concentrate on practicing kindness.

How about you…do you have a word for 2016?

 

 

 

This is the moment of embarking.
All auspicious signs are in place.
In the beginning, all things are hopeful.  We prepare ourselves to start anew.  Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in this first moment; our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence.
 Deng Ming~Dao

 

If you are looking at this picture, I could see you scratching your head and asking yourself…"Is she a hoarder?"
Nope, not a hoarder at all … this mess is a good thing!

That table is full of "stuff" that was on top of the kitchen cabinets and the essential oils for making soap and handcream were inside another cabinet that we had screwed into the wall so that it would never fall over onto little people.

What it means is my kitchen is getting updated with a fresh coat of paint and eventually some new counter tops.
It's been 11 years since we renovated the kitchen so it was time for a little face lift. 🙂

I snapped off these pictures today and the lighting was not the best, so I will take more pictures this weekend when it is completed. 
Most of the clutter on that table will be going into the yard sale pile for the spring. 

As we have been going through the house and updating rooms, we have also been building a pile of things looking for a new home, to lighten the load.

Every time we go through a room and I remove items for the yard sale I can feel the weight of stuff leaving my mind and spirit and it's a good thing.  I was happy to enjoy them for a spell and I am happy now for someone else to have a chance to enjoy them as well.
See…I am not a hoarder at all.

 

Today was such a beautiful day and finally I was able to get out for a walk. 
Things have changed a bit here at The Woolen Rabbit which as made getting out for my daily walk a bit more challenging.

A few months ago I started tossing around the idea of going back to work.  With all of the children almost living on their own it has become very quiet here and I have missed having someone to talk to.  So, I put together my resume and sent it out to a few places that I felt I would be happy to work at.  A few weeks later the vet hospital that I have been sending my dogs to for the last 20 years responded and I accepted. 🙂
It's definitely been a challenge juggling everything but so far I am keeping up with everything.
The Woolen Rabbit is not going away and I will be keeping everything the same at least until the holidays are behind us, but after the first of the year there will be some changes. 

So with that being said, I want to tell you how very much I enjoyed my walk after almost 3 weeks of not getting out to walk.
It was such a beautiful day!  The air was crisp and the sun was shining and the late fall colors just made me smile.  I love the neutral brown shades of late fall.

While I haven't been successful with the walking part of the KAL "A March Through Time" ironically, I have for the most part kept up with the knitting.  Life definitely is a bit wonky right now…LOL.

I am not sure where this pattern or my life is going, but it's been challenging and enjoyable!

 

Wind stirs the bamboo,
But once the wind passes,
The bamboo is silent.
Geese land in the chill pond,
But once the geese fly away,
There are no reflections.
In the same way,
Once the red dust passes,
The mind is still.
Deng Ming~Dao
Today when I looked out the window I saw the loons that have made the pond across the street home.  It's highly unusual to see loons here in this pond, let alone 2 of them, but it was clear to see why there were 2 swimming together.  If you look very close, you can see their wee one swimming between them.
This must have been a late baby judging by it's size, but it makes me happy that they have made this spot their home to raise their little one.
It really is such a beautiful place that I am able to call home.

 

 

 

"We gather together to ask the Lord's Blessings."

As you look at the large table of people you can see that the Lord has blessed me indeed!
I have been hosting my family's Thanksgiving Dinner for many years now and over the years the people at the table have multiplied in the very best of ways. 
There are parents, children, grandchildren, in-laws and friends….truly a blessing! 

Thanksgiving Dinner has always been a special day here…a day of gathering together.
With a large family it's not always easy to get everyone together with the busy lives that we lead, but this year everyone was able to make an appearance, which meant a lot to Ken and I.

We were so happy to have Brian's parents here with us this year.  Brian's mom made these cute little turkey confections to sit alongside everyone's dish.  How cute are these?  The little ones may have had more than one or two of these, just sayin'.

…and one of those little ones was this guy!

Ken and I had so much fun entertaining this gathering. 
We are very thankful for the gift of family.
~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This says it all….."Happy Thanksgiving!"

I am still trying to find a new balance between working, dyeing, walking and doing the things that I also enjoy doing. 
It was a very long day yesterday and I really wanted to skip my pottery class, but the class structure is a tightly scheduled group of classes and if you miss one you will never be finished, so of course I went….and I had a lot of fun.

The group of woman in my glass are great.  We spend a lot of time laughing and helping each other learn this process.  Sometimes with grace, but most times not.  It is playing in mud after all.

Our teacher is a little older than my oldest daughter Stacey and her dad has plowed our driveway for at least 15 years. How I ended up in her pottery class is a strange coincidence in itself.  This is a small community that we live in so you almost always know someone who knows someone if you know what I mean.

Well, last night, our teacher, Jennie was worried about one of her chickens who had been attacked by a neighbor dog. (too long of a story for this post), so knowing that the Vet I am working with also attends one of her classes on a different night, I encouraged her to call him.  After much discussion, she finally called him and felt much better afterwards knowing that she could bring her chicken, who really is a much loved member of her family in to be looked at the next day if she felt she needed to be seen. (who knew a chicken could be a pet…not me?)

Now this chicken is named Nina Simone, so when I saw her name pop up on my computer screen the next day I had to chuckle.  It definitely was different seeing a chicken on the operating table in the surgery area, but she came through with flying colors and will live to cluck another tale or two.  Heck, she behaved better than a lot of dogs!

With each class comes new growth.  I love the glaze on this bowl, but If you look at it closely you can see that it is a bit thick and if you lift it, it is a bit heavier than you would want it to be.  One of the things I really wanted to concentrate on in this round of classes was to get a more consistent and thinner wall and on a few of my pieces I succeeded. 
The batter bowl and the coffee mug were my successes. 
Now we will see if I can not ruin them when I glaze them next week.

I love new challenges and pottery has really helped me to stretch my brain.  I have really grown to appreciate the talent of true pottery artists!