by Kat | May 26, 2023 | General, In This Moment
It has been a week my friends. Hard things… so many hard things. So this LONG weekend my plan is to just be gentle with myself.
Rejoicing —
This year my poppy feels like it looks like this and while it is not quite that amazing, this morning there are 17 blooms open with at least 3 dozen more waiting in the wings! Don’t ask me about the remainder of my garden… it has been a rough winter/early spring in my yard. However, I have become a Master Weed Cultivator! HA!
Interesting —
Here in Pittsburgh, we are so blessed to have Rick Sebak… he is our Local Treasure and loves to bring to light all things Pittsburgh in the very best way. He has a new podcast, Gumbands, and I have listened to the first two episodes and I love them. They are brilliant. If you once lived in Pittsburgh – you will love them. If you ever visited Pittsburgh – you will love them. If you ever contemplated moving to Pittsburgh – you will love them. In other words, you don’t need to understand Pittsburgh or Pittsburghese to get them. He has smart conversations with fascinating people…
Fledgling —
This word has been niggling around inside me for the past couple of weeks now. I have been a diligent watercolor student for almost a year now… and yet… stepping outside the lines of the lesson strikes fear into my heart. But my latest class has been all about values… and this has me thinking about the practice of watercolor in entirely different ways! Ways that include trying my hand at paintings that are not “a lesson.” I got a new, larger sketchbook and have been doing a few pencil drawings. My next step is to do some Value Studies and begin the process of taking all that I have learned (it is is so much!!) and making it my own.
Final Friday —
It is the last Friday in May, the start of the long Memorial Day weekend. For me today, I won the battle and purchased some plants to fill a few planters. (Steve thinks buying flowers for planting is the largest waste of money on the planet.) I have some tomatoes that will go into a few containers as well. Nothing says renewal to me than having my hands in the dirt with the hope that what I am planting will grow and flourish. I need some of that renewal badly this weekend.
I hope that your long weekend provides exactly what you are in need of. See you all back here on Tuesday with my May Word update!
by Kat | Apr 21, 2023 | General, In This Moment
Whew! It’s been a week… and I have arrived on Friday with a completed list! Yes, yes! All the sewing is done! I am closing in the the toe of the second red sock! And I have started on the Vacation List!
And I managed to stumble across a few things this week that are share worthy! So lets get started!
One —
As you all know, I love a good cocktail. I especially love the complex layers of flavor that an aperitif provides. (Think Aperol, Campari, Fernet Branca, Amaro, etc.) This week, I discovered Cynar (pronounced Chee-nahr) and I have a new love! It is made from artichokes(!!) along with some other ingredients and I think the flavor is not as bitter as Campari and Aperol… but it makes a delightfully complex cocktail. This week I made a Cynar Negroni (equal parts dry gin, sweet vermouth, and cynar) I liked it better than a “regular” Negroni, as did Steve. But my favorite of the week’s “Taste Testing” was the new to me Bensonhurst. (if you scroll down you will find the recipe here) We tried a number of different rye’s and our favorite was the smokier flavored Double Barrel Old George Rye from Grand Traverse Distillery. If you are looking for a new addition to your drink repertoire, I highly recommend Cynar!
Two —
A knitted skirt crossed my path this week and it has been rattling around my brain ever since. (Apparently others have been struck by this same phenomena!) Some years ago I knit a skirt (Ravelry Link) and I wore the absolute hell out of it and it was one of my most comfortable knits! I am contemplating… but I am not loving a skirt of a linen/cotton blend knitted fabric. I have had poor results with linen/linen blend knitted fabrics… they grow. So I am thinking that a wool/cotton blend might be smarter. (Hello, Coast… yes, I am thinking about you!) No swatching will happen before May… but I might be looking at colors!
Three —
I have prepared myself for a nationwide ban on Mifepristone… I mean really, does anyone think that a ruling delay to Friday at midnight could mean anything positive? My rage has reached the Off the Charts level. Some years ago I read The Power and recently I discovered that Amazon has made a series based on the book. I have watched a couple of episodes and admit to recently fantasizing about obtaining the power… I mean, a good jolt is what some of these people need, imo.
And that is all I have for this week! I will be back on Monday with my word update!
by Kat | Mar 24, 2023 | General, In This Moment
By March, the worst of the winter would be over. The snow would thaw, the rivers begin to run and the world would wake into itself again.
Not that year.
Winter hung in there, like an invalid refusing to die. Day after grey day the ice stayed hard; the world remained unfriendly and cold.”
― Neil Gaiman, Odd and the Frost Giants
This quote just feels right on this chilly, very gloomy morning. I know some of you have the *s* word in your forecast… sigh. And yet… I know spring is coming but I’d like it to hurry a bit!
Relieved —
About so many things… but lengthening days, two-nights in a row of sleep more than once (!!), chemistry that makes a difference (!!) certainly top the list. But also a return of my knitting mojo which was so out of sync at the beginning of the month. Also painting which completely halts all other thoughts…well… that might be the best relief of all.
Inspired —
By the creativity of others. I follow Jo Avery on IG and she never fails to inspire me, but her latest project is my newest obsession. I love the little quilt squares she shares on IG. And she has all the squares in her stories, if you are inclined to see the collection individually.
Finding Fun —
I treated myself with some new nail polishes… and gave myself a manicure! If the weather can’t be springy… well, my neon bright nails certainly are. This weekend… my toes will join in the fun when I break out the pedicure box for them! My feet might still have to wear shoes and socks, but there will be something fun underneath!
And, if there is a boon for insomnia… and granted, that is a mighty big if…because insomnia just sucks! Anyways, one thing kept percolating around my brain in the sea of sleeplessness… an Easter Gnome. That’s right… some sleepless inspiration… I have a Gnome that is soon to come to life. She will be springtime pastel colors and I have an idea for some delightful knitted eggs for her! I have two things that I must get done first… one sleeve (which I finished yesterday!) and that first Pi Sock… toe decreases starting in three… two… one!
And with that, I have some knitting to do! I hope that whatever the weather, you all have a great and rejuvenating weekend! See you all back here on Monday with my March Word Update!
by Kat | Mar 3, 2023 | General, In This Moment
The First March Friday… is very March-like. We have winds heading our way… and rain. And windy March days always, always brings Maurice Sendak’s Chicken Soup With Rice book to the forefront of my mind. I especially love the poem for March:
Or you could just listen to Carole King sing it here!
So bring on those winds… I am ready! Ha!
I did find some really wonderful things recently that I thought I’d share with you all. Little things that crossed my path that made me stop and look, listen, absorb, and yes… share!
First, I discovered a new, entirely delightful podcast from Colorado Public Radio – Terra Firma, which is hosted by CMarie Fuhrman. It falls very much into the Very Good Things Come in Very Small Packages category. Once a week, 7-10 minutes… and listening to it brings the very best kind of pause… you know, the one where you are having an insane day and you just need a breather. I have found this to be the best stress buster ever!
Second, I stumbled upon Candice Hicks by accident… and what a happy accident that was! Either way, I am utterly fascinated with this embroidery series she did: Notes For String Theory. This is so The Magic Of A Blank Page… no?
My final find was a boon for me, but I thought you might like it as well! Eons ago… and I mean eons… like back in the very early 2000’s, Chico’s sold an amazing linen shirt. They were spendy… $75 for a shirt was a lot for me… then especially. But I scrimped and saved and bought two of them – a glorious mustardy-green and a basic black. And they were truly workhorses. I still wear those shirts but they are looking… well, worn… especially the mustardy-green one that I wear most. For a couple of years I have been looking for a shirt pattern that emulates that shirt… the fit and the details. I feared I would have to attempt to make a pattern from one of my shirts… not a thing I really wanted to do because of all the pieces of a shirt. Well, Muna and broad inboxed me this week with their Tarawi Shirt pattern. It is *almost* identical. The shirt tails are the only thing not the same, but changing that would be so simple! The thing I love about Muna and broad was this sentence from their email: “We really wanted your body to be included!” Their patterns have the largest size range, multiple bra-cup sizes, and yes… even arm sizes… to ensure that you can sew something that fits your body.
And there you have it, friends… a few Friday Finds to start your weekend off! Have a good one and I will see you back here on Monday!
by Kat | Feb 24, 2023 | General, In This Moment
This week has been a Weather Roller Coaster… we have had temps in the 70’s and the 30’s. Let me just say that this mornings 30° felt bitterly cold after yesterday’s 72° and I was so glad that I had mitts tucked in the pockets of my coat for Sherman’s morning constitutional!
With just four more days of February, I really need to harness the looming closet chaos and rearrange my closet for “Transitional Wardrobe” season… you know the one where the temperature can fluctuate greatly from day to day. So you know what I am doing this weekend! Ha!
Reading… Again —
Signal Fires. Yes, I finished it this week. Yes, I immediately restarted it. This book! The threads that Shapiro begins to pull together as the story progresses… oh my. The writing is so, so good! The second time through, I am paying more attention to the threads and am in awe of how brilliantly this story is crafted. If you have not put this book on your “read soon” list… why not?
Inspired… by ME —
Yes, yes! I have all month long been thinking about my Authenticity Manifesto! Contemplating a manifesto for my word was the prompt from Ali Edwards this month and at first I was all wow… okay! And then I sat down to consider putting one together and it all my initial enthusiasm fell apart. BUT!! I did not let that defeat me! Instead I have spent the month contemplating things and before long I had ideas all over a page of my morning journal. I am eager to share this with you all on Monday, but I just have to say that my word that was feeling not quite right in January began singing to me in February. And this, my friends, is the joy of having a word to carry along with you during the year!
(in)Famous… Gifting —
I took great pleasure this month in matting and framing a couple of my watercolors to gift. I have long loved giving people things I have made, but they have always been wearable items… hand knit socks, scarves, mittens, hats, shawls, cowls, etc. But to give someone something they can hang on a wall is a first for me! I had no idea when I began this new craft how much I would love it! I have been practicing the techniques I am struggling with every morning… a sort of swatching, I suppose. It’s amazing what you can improve with just 15-20 minutes a day of practice! (There is a huge life lesson there… one that I should apply to so many things!)
This is one of the paintings I gifted this month. Who knew that rocks and water could be so delightful to paint!
Fearless… Cooking —
One thing I have become very adept at is adjusting recipes for what I currently have in my fridge and pantry, but that was not always the case. I believed recipes needed to be followed to the letter and if I did not have something… well, most times I did not make it. But, I had a daily routine of calling my nana while I was making dinner and she was a wonder… she could make something incredibly delicious out of practically nothing! And… she was a Master of Recipe Substitutions! So in our conversations, I would say “well, I was going to make this, but I don’t have any of that.” and she’d ask, well do you have x? y? z? and generally I’d have one of those. She eased me into learning how to make good substitutions… a thing that has served me very well over the years, and most especially in Pandemic Times! Ha! Well I used those skills again this week! Kym posted a soup recipe that looked amazing, but I had no kale (okay, I never have kale!!) but I am here to tell you that it is just as good with a can of diced tomatoes and a half of an avocado diced on top! Delish!
This soup was absolutely wonderful… even on a very warm evening!
And with that, dear friends, Happy Friday! Let the weekend begin!! See you all back here on Monday with my February word update!
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