May: Over and Out

May: Over and Out

May has felt unbelievably long to me – at times it has felt like it has been on pause with the days running into one another. While I know and am trying to remind myself that there have been plenty of very good May days they seem to have been drowned out by the very challenging days of unexpected expenses, arguments, and upsets.

As this month closes, it feels like it has been ages since I was in Michigan – so, I am sending May out the door with a pictorial reminder of just how wonderfully it started:


Have a great weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!

P.S. A dear reader shared the most wonderful link with me this week which is perfectly timed to help us start PRIDE month. I did not know that 73% of the LGBTQ community have been harassed online due to their sexual orientation/gender identity. If you want to share this link with friends, please feel free to do so! No one should feel at risk or harassed ever.

TGIF – A Holiday Weekend Edition!

TGIF – A Holiday Weekend Edition!

The weather forecast seems to be attempting to put the kibosh on a glorious welcome to summer:

But I am not going to let the weather stop me from having a good weekend!

In the plus column – I did indeed get my Charity Shawl completed and blocked! Which means I can ease back into my regularly scheduled knitting – which includes my Marsa Alam and a pair of toe-up socks! I have never knit a pair of socks toe-up so this is an entirely new experience for me. I am not sure how I feel about the process compared to my usual sock knitting method, but I will have a better idea once I have gotten to the heel. I am also a bit concerned about the cast off, but hopefully my typical stretchy bind-off will not fail me!

Thinking about:

Sewing! I finished my Rose muslin yesterday. I had made some alterations to the pattern – I shortened the length and I knew I would need to shorten the rise but I was unsure exactly how much to shorten it. And even though I did not quite shorten it enough, it is still a wearable muslin! I used some fabric I got at IKEA a couple of years ago. My original plan was to sew a cushion for the window seat at the top of our stairs, but that never happened and so I thought it would work well for a muslin and it did! The pattern directions are well written and very clear. I tried the pleat option and it was surprisingly easy!  I think the gathered front looks nice as well so I will get some fabric this weekend to make another pair. I think these would work with fun prints, linen, and even a lightweight denim! AND!! They are super comfortable and I predict these will be the Pants of the Summer!

Gearing up for:

The start of Summer Book Bingo! That’s right – any book finishes beginning tomorrow can count for a square! I am ON the “Made into a TV series” square with the first book of Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series – A Great Deliverance. I have high hopes for this book as the reviews on Goodreads are stellar! I started it Wednesday night and should easily have it finished this weekend! It is not to late for you to join in as well! Book Bingo makes summer so much more fun!

Inspired by:

PatternScout! I love this idea of remaking things and giving them a new life. Also, I really love her pattern suggestions – especially the Burda Knot Front Blouse! And, I truly love her “Monologue” especially this: “This hobby has given me so much confidence…creatively and about my body.” YES, so much yes!!

Fun, fun, fun:

I am going to harvest some rhubarb today and have plans to make a batch of Rhubarb-Thyme Syrup. This will come in handy as an addition to some beginning-of-summer-inspired cocktails this weekend – I am thinking about something new with gin. Stay tuned – I will share the recipe next week!

That’s all I have for this week – have an amazing Memorial Day Weekend and I will see you all back here next week!

TGIF – A Holiday Weekend Edition!

TGIF | 5.17.19

Ahhh! This week, despite its disasters, was one of getting back to normal. Steve was back to work on Monday and I spent the week easing back into my daily routine and I am very ready for a normal weekend so let’s get this started!

Thinking About –

Women’s rights. I confess that for the first time in my life I am genuinely concerned about things I have taken for granted for almost my entire life. And the things happening recently in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Ohio are scary – so scary. But, honestly, for me it all comes down to this – no one should ever tell a woman what she can or cannot do with her body. And, in case you think this is all about the “sanctity” of human life – realize this: not one of the people voting for these laws gives a rat’s ass about children in cages, or about helping single mothers on WIC, or about the thousands of children in the foster care system. This is all about men controlling women and it makes me insanely angry.

Gardening –

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day here in Pittsburgh – so I took advantage of that fact and spent some more time trying to finish up the vegetable gardens. Thankfully, gardening is the perfect outlet to direct some of my anger from this week’s news! And I even planted a few things! Steve added Moo-nure to the big beds yesterday and I hope to get the rest of the little plants in today. All this gardening has really done a number on my hands though, especially my poor nails. Oh boy. They are such a sad mess and I don’t think a manicure is going to fix them! But those garden beds are looking awesome, so it is a worthwhile trade off or at least that’s what I am telling myself! lol

Inspired by –

The latest Pom Pom Quarterly! Bravo to them for the beautifully varied body sizes! And, there are so many “I want to knit that” items! Like this, and this, and this, and this!

Focus –

My focus entirely slipped off the radar at the beginning of the month. Vacation time is not at all conducive to having any morning quiet time to get my inner self ready for the day! I missed it so much and I learned how important this time is for my focus! So, despite having a couple of days with a plethora of work men around, for the most part I was able to start my day with a focus – quiet and alone (except for Sherman who fortunately is not chatty in any way at all, lol). I did not realize how much I crave quiet in the morning nor did I realize how important that quiet is to my mental well-being.

That is all I have for today. I hope that your week was full of good things and that your weekend will be full of weekending! See you back here on Monday!

TGIF | 5.10.19

TGIF | 5.10.19

It feels like ages since it has been Friday while simultaneously feeling like I have had a month of Friday’s!

Today my thoughts are full of getting my brain and body moving back to a normal schedule – vacation eating, drinking, and sleeping are not the same as home eating, drinking, and sleeping. My body is ready to move on from vacation even if my brain is not. And, to begin that return to normal, I thought that a TGIF post was the perfect transition!

Thrilled –

My garden and especially my rhubarb! Two years ago, I divided my plant and last year I thought I had killed it. Several of the plants looked like they were not going to make it. I did not harvest any stalks and it was a very sad year. This year is a different story though – while I did lose a couple of the divided plants those that survived are thriving! I will be harvesting stalks soon and I was surprised to see these interesting blooms. I will be making rhubarb syrup soon and I am also going to make some rhubarb compote to add to my morning yogurt.

Gobsmacked –

I did indeed go to the quilt show yesterday and was absolutely amazed at the beauty I saw! Every quilt was amazing and there were so many of them! I saw and voted for my friend’s quilt, of course. But the Best of Show was truly stunning! I tried to get photos, but the lighting was just so horrid, so I apologize for these less than wonderful photos – but these quilts were some of my favorites! Bonus…Steve won some money while I was spending some! Haha

Inspired –

#memademay – I have been participating but am not as creative as Mary! If you have not been following her on IG, you are missing out! I am impressed with her lack of repeats 10 days in – I have had repeats, partially because of my limited vacation wardrobe. But, honestly – I was totally okay with those repeats. Things that good very good rotation were my Sigla sweater and a couple of Esme tunics. And, when I think about what I want to wear every day something easy like those items are the first thing I grab. What I really need though are a couple more pairs of capri length leggings and I think I might try and make a self-drafted pattern. I also have an eons old Chico’s linen shirt (truly, it is at least 15 years old) that I wear and wear and wear – I have often thought about drafting a pattern from it, but it has so many pieces (collar, cuffs, facings, button plackets) but maybe I can modify a pattern I already have to give it the things I love about the shirt.

Fun –

I took so many photos this time in Michigan – I think because I only took my iPhone and left the “big camera” at home. I also took a good bit of video! I have been thinking about how best to utilize, save, and share the images and videos I took. I will be spending some time next week playing with some programs to put something together. It is amazing the volume of apps there are to do this, but not all of them are “this user” friendly, lol… but stay tuned!

That is all I have for today! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Happy Mother’s Day and I will see you back here on Monday!

Eye Candy Friday | 4..26.19

Eye Candy Friday | 4..26.19

The morning greeted me with gentle spring rains and the sounds and smells are wonderful. On Sherman’s very short walk this morning I thought about how much I love the quiet beauty that spring brings – a mix of warm and cool days, more sunshine, and yes – even days of rain are welcome! Overnight more things have begun to green up, it is truly a feast for my eyes. And, I think the birds are as happy as I am about the rain today. In the back yard this morning the robins were busy cocking their heads to listen and finding success over and over and over.

And, this year is the first year that I could cut some blooms from my lilac. They are a treat for my eyes and my nose!

I am taking a bit of a break for the next two weeks and am unsure how much I will be posting, but there will absolutely be Unraveled Wednesday posts. I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and that your weekend is full of the beauty that is spring.

 

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