by Kat | Apr 29, 2014 | General, Making
I am great at starting projects, but not so great at finishing them. Recently I completed two projects; one a very fun mystery-knit-along which I started last year but moving got in the way of its completion. The other, I am sad to say, had been languishing on the needles for a good number of years.
First up is Germinate – a design by Kirsten Kapur the creative mind of Through the Loops.
I really enjoyed this pattern a tremendous amount. It is a very well written pattern and an incredibly striking design. It was the first pattern I have completed by TTL but it will not be my last!
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by Kat | Apr 7, 2014 | General
Last week there was a birthday in our house, so I got out the cake pans and scoured cookbooks and the internet for a recipe that looked interesting. The request was for a “yellow” cake – so I found this butter cake recipe and I followed it exactly. The results were good, but next time I would tweak the ingredients a bit – I like a moister cake. However, for frost-ability this cake scored very high marks!
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by Kat | Jan 15, 2014 | General
I am bringing the “year of making” to as many aspects of my life as I possibly can, and one very easy way for me to do this is through the meals I make. With some very simple ingredients – farm fresh eggs, milk, cheese, and some diced ham, you can have a very elegant but entirely satisfying dinner. I have based my recipe on Hubert Keller’s recipe for the same. Ham and Cheese Soufflé
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by Kat | Jan 10, 2014 | General
As 2013 wound down, I found myself ready for a new chapter in my life. I found work to be wholly unfulfilling and as I saw the company I worked for spiraling into disaster, I made a bold decision to say goodbye and control my destiny – rather than follow something I no longer believed in. My BFF had worked hard to find a house and he had success in October, so the decision seemed right to move to a new city and start a new chapter of life.
I gave my notice at work and began the process of sorting out my life – both materially and mentally. There was much sorting and shedding of things, and let me tell you how good that felt. I went through things I had not looked at in years and each day the piles grew – keep, donate, throw away. It was cathartic. I also shed the thought that I needed to be in West Michigan – a new adventure was in order. Each day, I felt better and better about my decision.
Having the stress of work removed from my life was so incredible. When you are in the midst of chaos, you do not notice how riotous it is – something that was unbelievably apparent in the days following my departure. I was sleeping better, eating better, and feeling better. Without a doubt, I had made the right decision about leaving. There was no looking back with regrets at all.
Now, gentle reader, I do not want you to think that there were not moments of panic – because there surely were. As with all change, even for a girl who embraces it whole-heartedly, there were moments of doubt. Nevertheless, as November 18 drew closer – I was ready for the movers to arrive. My life, in the sum of several dozen boxes, was packed and ready for a new home.
One thing I was not prepared for was how challenging it would be to be cohabitating with someone after being “on my own” for such a long time. It was a month of pure hell for both of us, I am afraid. I can honestly say I behaved like a spoiled brat. It took some introspection on changing the only thing I could control – me. I needed an attitude adjustment times ten! They say with age comes wisdom – well, let me tell you that is not always true. I had not an ounce of wisdom and was not even acting my age! However, the New Year found us walking together on the same path – baby steps, to be sure, but walking nonetheless.
I am so incredibly fortunate to be in this time and space with a person who is allowing me the freedom to figure out what I want to do. I have found a yarn shop I quite enjoy. I am making some new friends and I am spending my days doing new and comforting things. One thing I know is that there will be lots of “more” here – more cooking, more baking, more knitting, more photography, and as the days of the New Year unfold, you will find me writing again, spinning again, and perhaps doing a bit of weaving now and then.
Come along with me as my year unfolds. It is sure to be an interesting and fun journey.
by Kat | May 8, 2012 | General
Maurice Sendak died today. A light in my world extinguished.
In January it’s so nice
While slipping on the sliding ice
To sip hot chicken soup with rice
Sipping once, sipping twice
Sipping chicken soup with rice
Long ago, a little brown haired girl was learning to read, sitting in the cafeteria with a school aide. Dick and Jane running were no fun at all – but Chicken Soup with Rice captured her imagination.
Reading skills quickly advanced, and with it came bigger books the little brown haired girl was growing up.
Soon, the little brown haired girl was little no more. Maurice Sendak tucked away in some corner of her mind with other childhood memories.
Before long, the brown haired girl had children of her own. She introduced Maurice to her little ones, and they loved him as she did.
We “paddled” down the Chicken soup-y Nile and Whooped about Witches, Goblins, and Ghosts. We marveled in our baubled and bangled Christmas tree. Maurice in his gentle wisdom opened our minds to looking at things in unexpected ways.
He reminded us that even when we grow old it is important to nurture the child.
I told you once, I told you twice
All seasons of the year are nice
For eating chicken soup with rice.
Farewell Maurice. You left this world a better place. Thank you…
