by Kat | Jul 18, 2016 | General, In This Moment
Although we desperately need the rain, a gloomy Monday makes for a slow starting week.
So, let’s spend a moment reliving the weekend which was the antithesis of gloomy!
There was spinning, and knitting, and cocktails, and reading.
- I listened to Doc by Mary Doria Russell and I am about half-way through. I am enjoying it tremendously, and I really love the narrator’s voice. I started reading The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer.
- I watched Spotlight and The Big Short.
- I harvested the first tomatoes from the garden.
- I almost finished spinning all the Montadale and I got the first bump plied up.
- And, the epic bind off began…
All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. I hope yours was too.
by Kat | Jul 14, 2016 | General, In This Moment
Planning: A vacation to Northern Michigan – hello AirBnB! There are so many choices, but I think we have narrowed it down. I am so thrilled that there are places that will allow pets…and Sherman is most happy about that as well!
Also planning: An overnight get away to somewhere nearby in the next week or two, this will make up for Steve having to work this weekend.
Enjoying: All the summer bounty! I am picking beans every other day and I am so surprised how many beans four plants are producing! The pepper plants are likewise producing an amazing bounty! I have picked a few yellow grape tomatoes, and I think that the tomato harvest this year is going to be crazy! Potatoes in containers seem to be doing phenomenally – I have mounded them with dirt to the top of the container and they are still growing! If this works, this will be the best thing we did in the garden this year!
Reading: LOTS! I cannot believe how much I have read since the start of the year – and this summer’s Book Bingo has really expanded my reading dramatically!
Watching: Big Brother… wait, what? Yes, I admit – I am a Big Brother fan. Summer and Julie Chen just seem to go together.
Anticipating: a weekend alone – this does not happen often and I am looking forward to it!
What does your currently look like?
by Kat | Jul 11, 2016 | General, In This Moment
It was a rather somber weekend here in light of the news of the past week – it seemed a bit wrong to be overly excited about a weekend when you take into consideration the families whose lives were forever altered last week.
But, there were meals shared and we caught up on The Great British Baking Show, which is perhaps the best cooking competition show ever.
There was spinning, which was most meditative.
There was a minute amount of knitting (3 rows on the last clue for the Mystery Shawl)
I crossed an item off my summer bucket list – I treated myself to a pedicure on Sunday and my feet are so happy about it!
I “taught” (Thanks YouTube!) myself some rudimentary crochet skills this weekend so I can make a little something for a certain someone who is turning ONE this month. To all those people who say it is much faster than knitting – these 2 squares took me hours to make. So, crochet for me is so not faster than knitting, so this is not likely to be completed before the big day. Also, instructions that have multiple country abbreviations are likely to cause problems. I have simplified the pattern (by printing out the US only instructions, omitting the UK instructions which are not the same but, really – why aren’t crochet terms universal?) Anyways, I think I am on track now, and I have started another block and it is full steam ahead!
I also read and read and read! Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda. What amazing dialog, what fantastic photos! What incredible history! And, I am using it for a square on my Book Bingo – Nonfiction in a graphic novel format. Last week Carole helped me out with a suggestion for ‘A literary magazine or journal.’ I read the latest issue of The New Yorker as well this weekend. I am now sufficiently immersed in all things political (I hope you can read the sarcasm here as apparently, politics has become life as we know it!) I am also almost done with A Man Called Ove – I should have it finished tonight at the very latest. This has me excited, because I have some very good things in my Kindle queue!
Here is hoping that this week will be much kinder and gentler everywhere.
How was your weekend? Care to share?
by Kat | Jul 7, 2016 | General, In This Moment, Making
The first half of the year is behind us, and I thought it was a good time to check in with this post and see how I am doing on the things I want to do less and the things I want to do more.
Starting off with the weighing less and moving more – there is indeed less of me (almost 20 pounds less of me), which means there has been more moving. This is such a good thing and I am enjoying wearing clothes that did not fit (or did not fit well)! I have more energy, and feel better about myself.
This also means that the focus on healthier eating is definitely in the win column.
I am sorry to say that hand stitching has fallen by the wayside, which makes me sad – especially seeing the beautiful stitching that Bonnie Sennott does each day. I am going to get back on track with this by adding stitching to my daily calendar and I also moved my stitching to my desk – so it is visible to me. I am hoping that the combination of these things will help.
However, in spite of the lack of stitching, there has been lots of making in the first half of the year!
I am feeling much more organized, but there are still some places in my life that need a bit of Kon-Mari. I am not sure that will happen yet this summer, but maybe if there are a couple of good rainy days it might get started! It is not easy to work in the basement when it is so glorious outside.
Now the hard part – the complaining/gratitude balance in my life. As you know, I have struggled with this. It seems that being grateful is a difficult process, at least for me. So, I started a daily gratitude page in my journal. I am just writing a simple word or phrase about something I am grateful for that day. It does not happen every day, but it is happening more than it did! I am not sure this is eliminating the complaining in my life, but it is causing me to stop and think.
Did you make resolutions this year? How are you doing on them?
by Kat | Jun 30, 2016 | General, In This Moment, Words
Sometimes, you just need to send a letter.
Dearest Airborne Antigens,
It is almost July and you have long over stayed your visit. Surely there are greener pastures that are in dire need of your pollen.
Please find them and soon!
Signed,
My itchy, watery eyes and runny nose
My Dear Backyard Wildlife,
If I consider the Portulaca an offering, could you please stop eating the Rapini and Romanescu?
Because, if you continue to eat them, along with the strawberries and raspberries it will not end well.
I will consider your continued munching a declaration of war.
You have been warned.
Sincerely,
The Irate Gardener
Hello Starbucks,
Enough with the daily emails about the latest star incentives. This will not encourage me to visit you more frequently.
In fact, it is having the opposite effect. Please stop punishing me because you changed your reward program.
Regards,
No Stars For Me
Attention Local Weather Persons,
How hard can it possibly be to give an accurate weather forecast? Perhaps you should try looking out the window, perhaps that approach will prove more successful because the current methods are not. At. All.
Regards,
Weather Confused
Dear, Sweet Friday,
You are here and gone far too quickly, and it would be so lovely if you surprised me and started arriving earlier than scheduled.
I miss you so much and wish that you could find a way to visit more often and stay longer.
XOXO,
Your Girl, Friday.
If only these letters would work…
Happy Thursday, Gentle Reader.
by Kat | Jun 27, 2016 | General, In This Moment
It was a warm summer weekend here in the ‘Burgh. Our usual Friday snacks were done Al Fresco, including a Bee’s Knees Cocktail, and it was so nice to have a spot on the cool porch to sit. There were beautiful breezes though, which made sitting under the pergola after we had eaten a real treat.
The Fireflies even put on a light show. It was really a lovely evening.
Saturday was Mt. Lebanon Farmer Market and a visit to our favorite farmer. He still has strawberries and we got some raspberries as well. I turned both fruits into jams – another batch of Judy’s Oven Roasted Strawberry Jam and Nigella Lawson’s “Hand’s Free Raspberry Jam.” I have not tried the raspberry jam as yet, but I will give it points in simplicity. I am not sure how it will set up but, worst case scenario – it will be perfect in plain Greek yogurt. I will let you know when I have tried it.**
Saturday also saw us spending another good chunk of the day in the gardens. There were some things that still needed planting (3 Weigela bushes and 4 Salvia plants, to be exact) all of which required the expansion of a garden bed.
I also began working on the clue number four for the mystery shawl – however, I think my brain was done in by the heat from earlier in the day – I kept making the same mistake over and over. If you like me are having some issues with the Knit 5 Together’s – I think Lorilee Beltman has something that might help you – it certainly helped me!
Some easier knitting was in order in the form of Carole’s Picot Edge Socks! A pair completed and I immediately cast on another pair. This is really my favorite knit.
Sunday we decided to make the early trek to Mount Washington to cross an item off my Summer Bucket List – a sunrise was beautiful and the skies were clear. It made getting up at the crack of dawn so worthwhile!
I love standing above the Monongahela River with a view of how it winds into Pittsburgh. The confluence is visible also from our vantage point, the merging of the Mon with the Allegheny to create the Ohio River. Magnificent views that I never get tired of!
The remainder of the day was filled with a flurry of activity and poof! It was over before I was ready for it to be over. The only saving grace is knowing that next weekend will be a nice long one.
Hope your Monday is over before you realize it and it is filled with a little of this and that.
**The worst case scenario is really excellent on yogurt. Oh man, so excellent!
