by Kat | May 31, 2019 | General, Looking Back
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.
by Kat | May 24, 2019 | General, In This Moment
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!
by Kat | May 20, 2019 | General, In This Moment
A normal weekend – that is what I wished for and I’d say that was exactly what I got!
FriYAY Happy Hour made me very happy – we sat outside, and it was so lovely! And, can I just say that my new favorite drink might be a gin martini… that Bombay Sapphire is amazing stuff!
Saturday was full – so full! A trip to Costco, some yard work, and I then I decided to reorganized my “craft room” to accommodate sewing machines being out all.the.time! It took all afternoon and a good chunk of the evening. It just needs a few odds and ends put away, which I hope to finish up today. Fortunately, dinner was super simple! Fresh asparagus and some amazing shrimp we picked up from our Costco trip – Steve grilled all of it and it was just so delicious.
My son sent a picture of the dog he is fostering – Sam (the feet, in case you did not know, lol) and Bowser (on the left) feel completely at home with Shakespeare (who Sam is calling Shake) – or maybe it is Shake that feels completely at home with them. I have my fingers crossed that I will soon have a new grand-dog to love!
Sunday morning, Steve did some more yard work – and really – all the heaving lifting yard work! He moved our fire pit to its new home…which allowed for the patio heater to move to its new place. We just have a few final things to finish up and the summer living areas will be all set. The temps got a bit warm and muggy on Sunday, so we cranked on the AC – which thankfully is now fully operational!
We closed out the weekend with a simple Sunday Happy Hour (inside this time and with AC!) in preparation for the GoT finale… no spoilers here, so I can’t tell you if those eight questions were answered! Sorry!! However, I will say that I was very happy with how the series ended.
My weekend hope that remains unfulfilled was to finish that blasted shawl, but I barely knit a stitch all weekend! However, I am working at the PA election tomorrow, which is a local primary election so sadly, it should not be too busy so I am hopeful to finish it then!
How was your weekend? I hope it was awesome!
by Kat | May 17, 2019 | General, In This Moment
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!
by Kat | May 9, 2019 | General, In This Moment
I am joining Carole and friends today to share with you three things today!
It feels so good to almost be back to my normal routine (Steve still has a couple of days of vacation left this week) but it was especially wonderful to sleep in my own bed last night! I really love the little “cottage” we stay at in Interlochen, but that bed… and there is just something about sleeping in your own space, amirite? I get more restful sleep for sure! But as we are still technically “on vacation” – my things today are all about what’s happening around here as we wind down our vacation with a few days of stay-cation!
Thing One:
Asparagus is IN at my local Farm Market! These are my favorite words ever! And, we plan to head there to load up! When the asparagus is in, it is almost all we eat, and my mouth is just watering thinking about it!
Thing Two:
This weekend is Mother’s Day and Steve is going to the Three Rivers Quilt Show with me… okay, maybe he is going to the casino while I go to the Quilt Show, lol. I am super excited to see it because one of the knitters from Tuesday night has a quilt entered!
Thing Three:
Spring continues in my world – I came home to find my iris blooming and this year the display is fantastic! My rose bushes are covered in buds and I am excited to see that some of the poppy seeds I planted much earlier this spring are also growing! But the craziest thing of all is the volume of “helicopters” that cover my lawn (front and back!) from our maple tree. I am not sure what that means regarding weather – but they are a carpet on my lawn and my tree is still loaded with them!
There you have the things that are filling my brain but what’s on your list today?
P.S. I know I have a back log of comments and blogs to catch up on! I hope to get caught up over the weekend! XO
