Snapshots on a Saturday

Well, actually, some of these pictures are from earlier in the week. I'm really good at the mug shots :)

I've entitled this series..."The Art of Bedhead".

Maybe "Someday I Won't Let Mama Always Take my Picture".

Or, "The Smiles - They Slay Me".

How about "I Just Want a Hug!".

Leftover bananas had to be made into something, so why not use chocolate? Yummy banana bread cooling on the counter:

Last but not least I am so blessed to have little girls that enjoy playing dress-up (big sister dressed the little ones):

Enjoy your Sunday tomorrow. TTFN!

Knitting and Reading

For the yarn along this week, we were asked what we are reading. Since I am not one of those talented individuals who can read WHILE knitting, I have turned to another method - listening and knitting. I like to listen to a sermon in the mornings before my kids get up, and my knitting progresses too. But, you cannot take this English major's love of the feel of a physical book. I have a good one going on right now that you can hopefully see in the picture.

This week I had some time "in town" after a doctor's appointment, so I picked up a few beautiful magazines. There is just something so fun about flipping through some inspirational articles. One of the magazines has a recipe for French macarons that I am so excited to try.

My knitting is coming along on the sweater (Moxie pullover). I'm not sure that it will be done by the first day of spring, but one can hope (and knit - yes knitting will help). The second picture shows progress as well as comparison to another sweater I knitted, and I want the new sweater to be just as long through the body. I'm almost there!

While taking these pictures in the early morning (to take part in the yarn along at Ginny's) my kids begged me to take their pictures. We are the masters of bedhead; I'm saving them for another post.

Have a warm and cozy day somewhere with a bit of knitting possibly, as it looks like we're in for some cold outside today in our neck of the woods. TTFN!

Knitting!

Cozy winter days means at least some knitting gets done! Almost daily I've been able to put in at least a few stitches. Since Christmas I've finished one sweater and started another (so thankful for Christmas giftcards to yarn shop!).

My current sweater is my favorite color (green) knit in the lovely Shepherd's Wool from a fiber mill in Michigan. Stonehedge Fiber Mill sounds like a fun place!

So, here is a picture of my WIP:

I really, really hope to finish this sweater before Spring (the actual calender date). We'll see! I'll keep you posted.

Oh, I tried a still life photo too :) It includes some of my favorite things like the beeswax I've been working with for my shop, eggs from my girls (new chicks ordered this week), coffee, and my knitting!

This is my first time participating in a yarn along!

Hope you have a cozy mid-week day!! TTFN!

Blog Swap

Boy was this a fun week! I received a package in the mail here at our new house, and what a package it was! I participated in a blog swap this month, and my little package was received by a new friend in CA. She writes about it here. It's fun to see pictures of my things in someone else's home!

So, back to my package :) My kids stood around (and helped) as we unwrapped each item - it was like my birthday or something! Each item is just something that I can use/love/enjoy. Here, let me show you a picture:

I cannot wait to get my fingers moving on that yarn! Thanks, Stephinie!! Thoses pictures on the right are actually gorgeous notecards that Stephinie makes/sells. Their quality is just wonderful; I think I might hang a few as art by my desk. That lavender satchet is going in my knitting bag :) Stephinie has a space here for her blog and shop. What fun!!

This was the first time I've participated in a blog swap. I would do it again in a hearbeat!!

Garden Plans

With all the cold weather, Big Fish and I find our thoughts turning to warmer times to come! With a lot of the unpacking accomplished, we have some spare minutes to sit and dream. Namely, we have been discussing the spring garden.

The property does not currently have a recent garden patch, so we must begin at the beginning. Turing the sod/grass over is a daunting job! We hope to start an area and work with the dirt as the season progresses.

Our immediate plans are to put in the plants/bushes/trees that will take some time to get established. We are eager, EA-GER, to see what the mature apple trees already on the property will do! We learned a lot when we tried to put in baby apple trees at our old house (deer are destructive - so very destructive and baby trees take forevah! to grow). While we recognize that everything has a price tag we hope to find some bigger trees/bushes to put around.

Here is a brief list: asparagus, rhubarb, grapevines, blueberry bushes, red raspberry bushes, and possibly a form of fruit tree (cherry? pear?). Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions or recommendations on this list? We hope to start with these things and then go from there as far as regular garden vegetables. It still might not be the year to put in canning amounts of tomatoes and beans.

The planting part is easy; it's the deer deterrents that seem to take the most time and money! Another summer project is to work on the pasture fence. Currently it will contain horses (electric wires), but we would like to work toward some goats (meat mainly - possibly a dairy goat). Goats are smart animals and very nimble. Their fencing needs are more involved.

Have you made it thus far? Whew....feel rather rambly right now. My last major list item is a kitchen herb garden. Basil and chives are used a lot around here, and I am determined to find a lavender that likes southwest PA. Oregano and mint have done fine for me in the past, but that mint can really turn into a menace with how much it spreads (maybe just a container?).

What are your spring thoughts? Who keeps a garden journal?

TTFN with a happy birthday to my love today...pumpkin cake is cooling and waiting the cream cheese frosting :)

Attempt at a Few Pictures

Sorry, no pictures of the new house yet! But! Big Fish gave me this fancy apparatus for Christmas that helps me transport pictures from my camera to the computer WITHOUT a cable. It's all in the microchips....I think. Me? Why yes, if you need any help with technical writing/descriptions; I'm your girl :)

So, without further ado, let's give this a shot:

Picture the first is my oldest baby with me at a Christmas performance of "The Nutcracker". It was wonderful; we even had brunch at a posh eatery beforehand replete with eggnog French toast and the like.

Picture the next is my mom with Lydia doing, you know, princess things. My kids love stickers - especially those sticker books that have repositionable (new word?) stickers.

Why can I not get the above picture to be straight? Arg!

Picture the last is of the baby warming her toes under the dog. The dog is mesmerized with the cookie in Susanna's hand. Susanna was way too busy to look at me.

Alas, there is no picture of my son today. Every picture has him with too much red-eye. I know! There is a red-eye reducer somewhere on my camera that I will have to find someday. Me and technology - we just click so well!!

So, if this all works, watch out for some photo shoots of the house/children/pets/whathaveyou.

What's this? Temperatures above freezing today!! TTFN!

Happy Valentine's Day

Business for Today (in no particular order):

O Cut out lots of paper hearts

O Help 4 small humans cut out paper hearts

O Pass out Princess and Spiderman candy boxes (the lengths stores go to now to doll up a box of chocolates - humorous - Spiderman chocolate?)

O Bake oatmeal raisin cookies for the man of the house

O Bake cherry pie bars for the rest of us

O Make cornbread to go along with our chili - attempt to turn the cornbread pink

O Clean up paper scraps from all.the.cutting (my kids would cut paper all day long! It's their favorite!)

O Build the very first fire in our fireplace in our new home

O Enjoy a glass of wine by the fire while watching something cheesy on Netflix with the man of the house.

O Thank you, Lord, for this day! Amen.