look. Look! LOOK!

OK.  Sorry about that.  I'm just a little bit excited.  I hope everyone is doing well and having a wonderful week.  Mine has been FAB!!  This fabulousness started last week.  I know some of you know that I've been wanting to learn how to spin for a while, but classes are usually while I'm at work or during times when I have prior family obligations...and then there is the cost of the wheels - Yikes!  A dear sweet lady (Hello Alice! *Waving *) suggested that I contact my local spinning guild and I'm so glad I listened to her!

I started snooping around on the internet last week and found the contact for my local spinning guild. Lo and behold, she lives in my little town!!  Kismet! I say this, because my town is this little dot between two much larger cities and most people involved in this type of thing live in the cities.  Anyway, I picked up the phone and gave her a call.  I spoke to her very nice husband who was kind enough to relay a message and I spoke to her last Thursday.

Everything has been moving very quickly since then.  Natalie invited me to the Guild meeting on Sunday where I met some very talented ladies. They all made spinning look so incredibly easy as they sat there chatting, drinking their tea and spinning away on their wheels.  I also watched a woman use a spindle and it was so very mesmerizing.

After attending this meeting, I was more enthusiastic than ever. Natalie invited me over to her house last night, sat me down at a wheel and the lessons began. I have to tell you, when you are doing this for the first time, it's a bit tricky.  If you hold on to the fibers too long, it will twist too much and break.  If you don't hold onto it long enough, it's really lumpy and uneven.  I like to call this mess "artisan yarn." Also, when you are sitting in someone's studio (more on that in a minute) that you've just met, you have a tendency to be on your best behavior.  Ask anyone who knows me and they'll be the first to tell you, when I get frustrated, I have quite the potty mouth.  Some people call it "colorful" language.  It doesn't matter what you call it, it's not something that makes a very good impression.  On top of that, it's a little nerve racking to try something new with an audience right there.  Natalie generously let me borrow the wheel in the picture, just to see if I want to pursue this any further. She also gave me some lovely green and blue roving to practice with.  She sent me home with both and I produced.....

Ta Da!! It is far from perfect.  It's too twisted in some areas and not twisted enough in others.  This artisan yarn of mine is actually a mess, but I did it and I can't tell you how pleased I am!  Given time, I think I might actually get the hang of this! There is something very soothing and meditative about the process and I can see why so many people enjoy doing it...not to mention the satisfaction.

Now, about Natalie's studio....OH EM GEE!  I think I'm in love!  It's this lovely, large room with plenty of widows.  The walls, floors and cabinets are all white, but there is plenty of color.  She has three or four looms, several spinning wheels and a wall FULL of yarn and roving. It was like she had her on personal little yarn store right there at the end of the hallway.  I hope I didn't gawk too much.  She had these lovely little blue and white rugs on the floor that she wove from old blue jeans. And then there was Rosco.  I will admit that I am the worst with dog breeds, so I won't even try, but I have to say he had the sweetest temperament and biggest brown eyes ever - Just a love.

All in all, it has been a really successful week. Hope your week is as well!

{Magic of the Mundane}

Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."

This lovely white monster is my dishwasher.  Most kitchens have them as standard equipment these days. It is emptied and refilled on a daily basis, sometime more than once.

This is a sink full of dirty dishes.  This happens on a daily basis as well.  It is my sons' duty to empty the dishwasher and fill it up every day.  It is my duty to remember to turn the dishwasher on at night before I go to bed so that we wake up to clean dishes.  Sometimes, this mama forgets.  So imagine my pleasant surprise this morning, when I found the dishwasher running because someone is looking out for their mama....now that's magic.

Happy Monday!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

I don't know who loves who the most.

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Last Minute...and Sooo Slow

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their sweet comments and emails from this past weekend.  It meant the world to me and was like a great big "mama hug."  As my boys get older, life gets more difficult, disappointments are bigger and my hugs and kisses won't make it go away...not that they would allow either in public. But to be blunt, it sucks.  As their mama, I want to fix everything and it's very difficult to stand back and let them come to terms with it themselves.  There is no art to letting go, it's more like a slow amputation.

Alrighty then....now that I've managed to depress everyone, let's move on to some yarn goodness.  I finally broke down and bought a couple of books.  I've been coveting them for a while now and finally succumbed to the urge...thank you Amazon.  The books are Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson of Purl Soho fame.  If you haven't ever checked this place out, I'm telling you to do so now.  Such a cool website and I can only imagine how awesome the actual brick or mortar is.  Also, they have a wonderful blog with free patterns called The Purl Bee...Love this! Anyway, I just love giving hand made gifts, so these books thrill me.  And they are so timely because a special someone has a birthday Friday and Car Guy reminded me yesterday...Yikes!  This particular person truly appreciates hand made gifts, so who am I to disappoint?

I'm making Kim's Hat with some left over yarn from the shawl I made for this same person for Christmas...so if she sees this, dead give away...oops! I'm making the simple rolled brim hat and when it's done, I'll probably add a little crocheted embellishment just to spruce it up a bit. Because everyone needs a little sprucing :)  This particular hat is in the two to four hour chapter, but for me it should be in the four to six hour chapter.  I am possibly the slowest knitter on the planet.  It's a little aggravating.  I can crochet a hat up in one evening...about one to two hours depending on the stitch.  Not knitting. Nope.  I cast this bad boy on last night and after working on it for a couple of hours, I have three inches...so I'm averaging  an inch and a half an hour.....sloooooowwww.  Here's hoping I get it done in time.

I'm also working on the Lady Kina sweater. This is a top down sweater and it's the first one I've ever done.  The pattern is for cap sleeves, but I want long sleeves so the stitches that would have been used for the cap sleeves are on stitch holders and I'll go pick them back up after I finish the body.  This is all experimental for me, so we'll see how it goes.  Dear Lady Kina was set to the side last night in favor of Kim's Hat.  Hope she's not a jealous lady.

Eventually I hope to learn to spin.  Car Guy thinks I'm batty, but there has got to be a great deal of satisfaction in the whole process. So if any one out there has a used, working spinning wheel, hook a girl up...with a reasonable price :)  Holy Cow! Have you seen how expensive those things are? 

So there you have it.  This is my world right now. Just grabbing moments here and there and knitting along. Hope everyone is enjoying their week!  Hold on, the weekend is almost here!

{Magic of the Mundane}



Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."



My messy kitchen...this is something that happens on a regular basis as I do cook for my family quite a bit.  As with most mama's this is one of the most important thought out processes I go through.  Yesterday I made a huge pot of chili and let it simmer most of the day until is was perfect.  Usually when I look at the mess I create, I heave the deep sigh and dig in to clean it up.  But yesterday was a little different.  I had all my men home (husband and sons) safe and sound and enjoying the chili and being together. No one rushed off to be anywhere because of the not so mundane...

Snow!  Finally, after months of watching everyone else get snow, we got some too.  Last year by this time, we'd had 9 inches.  Now that's not the norm around here, but not getting any snow at all until the middle of February is not the norm either.

So today, I'm celebrating the mess that comes from this. The mess of making chili...the chopped onions, peppers, garlic, etc that somehow end up on the floor and countertops instead of in the pot (I'm a messy chef).  The mess of the dirty dishes from several bowls of chili eaten during the day that can make it to the sink, but not the dishwasher that is less that a foot away (Hello?!?!).  The mess of the wet patches of floor from frozen shoes thawing out. The mess that is life that we so take for granted.  There are some tough times in life, like Saturday, and some wonderful, beautiful time, like yesterday.  Celebrate the mess that is your life because there is beauty in the chaos.



Broken Hearted

 Today was such a difficult day. There were great victories and heart wrenching defeats.

Today I watched my oldest son and several of his teammates wrestle the last matches of their high school career and it was devastating.  

I've watched these boys go from awkward, terrified freshmen wrestlers to strong, confident young men. They are an amazing group of young men, so there for each other with support whether they win or lose. But today was particularly difficult as we had four seniors that will not be going to the state wrestling tournament. Some of them made it last year and got so close this year, but just didn't quite get there. 

It breaks a mama's heart to see these boys so crushed. To know how hard they worked and hoped and dreamed.  To watch "E" kiss his fingers then touch the mat one last time.  To watch them struggle with their pride and their tears and have to hold back your own because it would just make it harder for them to keep their heads up if they saw you crying for them.

"From long hair and little weights." They've come a long way and I'm so very proud.  Ride hard and rest easy.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Just one of the cute things a man finds to show he loves me.

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Yea!

I had to pop in to say hello and share some wonderful news.  Some of it is personal and some suites me personally, which will make sense once all is shared...

This first is that Number One Son qualified for the regional wrestling tournament!!  I am so proud of him! He has worked hard for this and being that this is his senior year, I love that he's doing well. So this weekend, we will be in a hot, stinky gym cheering our son and his teammates on.  A total of 10 wrestlers from his high school made it to regionals.  In my opinion, as an unbiased mama (ahem), that is pretty dang impressive.

The next bit of news comes from two blogs I follow and it is directly related to getting back to basics and finding the joy in simple living.

The first is Laura Emily...she has opened an Etsy store called Good Earth Living.  She opened it in January and I wanted to give her a chance to get everything settled and ready before I said anything...because you know I have such a huge following that this will crash the Etsy server.  Not!  However, when I see something I believe in, I like to share it.  Laura Emily is a certified Holistic Wellness Coach, so she knows what she's doing and her store has a nice selection of natural balms, supplemental tinctures, soap nuts and room sprays.  I personally believe in the practice of natural healing as I have seen some amazing things accomplished by it through herbs, juicing, whole foods, etc.  Go by and take a gander at her stuff - You might just see something you like!

The other is from Amanda Soule.  She has a wonderful blog that I've mentioned before (as in every Friday) and she is the author of three lovely books.  Now she has delved into the magazine business.  Taproot is her latest venture. This magazine is dedicated to those of us who are trying to find our way back to being our own suppliers rather than just consumers, of getting back to basics and a simpler, fuller life.  For me personally, this is a very timely publication and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Just another thing to go check out.

So there you have it - The things that have made me smile today.  Hope you enjoy!

FYI - These little blurbs, on this tiny space, in the vastness that we call the blogosphere, are of my own accord and are not paid advertisements.  I'm just spreading the word.  You know, the whole grass roots movement of word of mouth man....(said in a really laid back hippy kind of way)

{Magic of the Mundane}



Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane.  This is such a wonderful idea and so totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple.  It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic.  So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."  I know I'm guilty of it. So with that in mind, my magic moment for today is....drum roll please.....

Breakfast.  More specifically, Sunday Morning Breakfast.  As the boys have gotten older, and our lives have gotten busier, sitting down together for a meal has gotten more difficult. So every Sunday morning we have breakfast together.  Usually, because it's A LOT cheaper, I cook. And let me tell you, cooking for two teenage boys is no small feat because they eat their weight in food.  But this is the time that we all sit together, discuss our week and have quality time.  I count on this to feel connected with my family.  Now don't get me wrong, we usually have dinner together several times a week, but someone is always going, so the meal is usually rushed. 

My Sunday routine is to get up before The Boys, fix breakfast and then go wake them up...usually with the threat that someone (their father) is going to eat their bacon...or sausage...or whatever else I might have prepared. Then we sit down together and eat, talk, laugh and pester, and just enjoy each others company.   Number One Son will be going to college next year, so I have to grab these moments while I can.

These Sunday mornings help center my world.  It's just breakfast, but it is definitely magic.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Cross your fingers....

Tomorrow is finally my day in court for my traffic violation from 2009.  I'm sure I'll have to pay a heavy fine, but otherwise should be just fine. I seriously doubt that I'll have to do any hard jail time and might get off with time served....Ha Ha. I probably won't get to check out everyone's {this moment} posts until this weekend, but I will get there :) Please keep your fingers crossed that all goes well and I'll keep you posted!

I Often Wonder

Hello everyone!  Hope you are doing well this week.  I'm afraid that sickness has invaded our home.  Car Guy actually stayed home from work Monday and Tuesday.  I think I can count on my fingers how many times he done that in the last twenty years.  Then Number Two Son came down with it and stayed home yesterday and today.  It's not the flu, but has many flu like symptoms....fever, sniffles, coughing, minus the actual getting sick part. Number One Son and I feel like we're in a sick ward.  Maybe I should buy us some masks....

Having sick ones at home makes me wonder about the paths we take in our lives and what would have happened if I'd taken a different one.  I'm not talking about the "what if I hadn't married my husband" type of path either.  That one was a given as far as I'm concerned, as was having my children.  Those were decisions made that I would never change or wonder about. But what if I had stayed on the same path that I was on in college?

I was raised in the suburbs, but I had the benefit of going to my Aunt and Uncle's as a child.  They didn't live on a farm, but they had around 400 acres of land and I absolutely adored it.  My Aunt had a lovely garden and my Uncle kept bees. I remember going there as a child and having meals with fresh vegetables from the garden and running amok with my cousins. It was wonderful.

We also had a neighbor that had a farm not far from the house.  He would go every evening when he got home from his office job to take care of the cows.  He had a donkey/mule (don't remember which) called Beauty that no one could ride...but he/she could pull a plow like nobody's business.  Sometimes, if we were lucky, he'd take us kids with him.  We'd "help" him feed the cows and play in the hay barn.

I went on to college and my slight hippy tendencies became stronger, though slightly muffled by the eighties. By the time my husband met me I was "crunchy", but not a full blown "granola."  I think he found it amusing.  I enjoyed camping and hiking. I had long (to my butt) blond hair, lived in blue jeans but wore makeup. (Hello, can you say vain?)  I had a mouth that would make a sailor proud and wouldn't take crap off anyone.  The only thing that's changed since then is my hair has gotten darker and slightly shorter with age.  I probably dress more hippy now than I did then, but I still live in blue jeans.  My eating habits are slowly working their way back to how I ate then too - Lots of fruits and veggies and very little meat (mostly chicken and fish).  But during all this, there was a little part of me that wanted to go back the neighbor's farm or my Aunt and Uncle's place.

I've always appreciated what I call the "home arts" of knitting, crocheting, sewing, cooking, canning, etc.  I grew up with it all around me, I just didn't learn a lot of it until I was older...and this is where I start to wonder.  What if I'd paid more attention and learned younger?  What if I'd spent more time in the garden, or the kitchen for that matter, with either one of my grandmothers?  Would I have picked up gardening?  Would I have taken these skills with me? Would I have been the cool but quirky mom that knows how to make or do anything their kids needed while everyone else's mom was taking on corporate America?  Would it have changed the way I raised my boys? Probably. I don't know if it would have been better, possibly just different. And there are no guarantees that they would have taken anything away from it or if they would have been just as oblivious to it as I was, but I wonder.

I know that "what ifs" are often a waste of time, but sometimes I just can't help it.  Sometimes I want to quit my job and ask my Aunt if I could build a little house on her land, support myself with a garden and some farm animals and maybe raise Alpacas...and bless her heart, she'd probably welcome me with open arms. The older I get, the more appealing it sounds. And I think Car Guy is starting to agree with me, just a little.  I'm afraid it will have to wait a while though. We've two boys that have no desire to live "out in the middle of nowhere" and we need to keep working as they want to go to college. I'll give them that, but once they're done....

Does This Happen To You?

So, I've been diligently knitting on a towel for a couple of weeks now and it is going soooo  s   l   o  w.  Argh!  Why is that?  I so want to finish it, but it just doesn't seem to be moving?  I feel like I'm going to be eternally stuck at 12.5 inches on this thing.  At first, I was so excited.  I was learning something new and it's such a pretty pattern.  My first lament was "Am I was ever going to be able to memorize the stitch pattern?" (Answer - No) Now I'm just trying to finish it.

Well, I finally got disgusted with it this past weekend.  We were sitting in yet another wrestling tournament (Number One Son came in fourth!!) and I was still knitting this darn towel.  I was so bored - *yawn* This particular tournament was fairly well organized (SHOCKER!) and we were done at a reasonable time.  I believe we were home by around 4:00 pm....Total shocker. And I pulled out the towel and I know I looked at it with total dread - insert heavy sigh here. That's when I decided I needed a respite from it. Don't worry, I'll finish it because it's important to me, but I just won't finish it right now.

So what did I do, you ask?  (This is so bad)  I started something else. I didn't pick up my incarceration socks and complete them....or any other item that I should be completing -  like hemming a friend's curtains that I've had for a month.  Noooooo.....I went through my stash and found a pretty gray yarn and decided to start a sweater...the Lady Kina...you know, because I have nothing better to do.

Why did I do this?!?!  Has this ever happened to you? Any great insight would be greatly appreciated because I'm feeling a little sheepish...kind of like when you're eating a cookie and you haven't finished yet and you catch yourself reaching for another....Oh.  You don't do that?  Never mind.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Looks like someone wants some strawberries!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Busy Week

Hello everyone!  Hope you are having a good week.  Ours has been very busy. It started on Monday with dinner at the newest Biscuit's house. 

Oh! I've been asked what a Biscuit is so here's a quick explanation.  Biscuits are a wonderful group of women that meet once a week to knit, crochet, laugh, get rowdy, get disapproving looks in restaurants, etc.  Ultimately, Biscuits are the best support group a girl could have.  I met these girls about a year ago and they have become some of the best friends.  We don't judge, just love.  It's a wonderful thing...and we like new members.  Doesn't matter how old you are, what you do for a living or if you crochet or knit...we'll let you join us. But we'll eventually turn you into a hooker if you're not careful  : )

Anyway...we had dinner at Sparkle's house Monday - a delish pasta free lasagna and a cake made with a can of Cheerwine...I kid you not.  It's the first soft drink I've had in ages, but it doesn't really count since I didn't drink it, right?!? All of the food was wonderful and hanging out with a few Biscuits is always good. Sparkle is the latest addition.  Mel picked her up at the gym....Lol!

Last night, we had a wrestling match. Number Two Son wrestled JV and pinned his opponent and Number One Son wrestled Varsity and won his match based on points.  I was so proud of my boys! Tomorrow night is another wrestling match against one of our most hated rivals and Saturday is another wrestling tournament

Tonight, is our regularly scheduled Biscuit Night.  I think we'll be meeting at my house instead of Panera's.  This way we can be as loud and obnoxious as we want....Car Guy and the Boys can't say anything about that because boys are always louder and more obnoxious than girls...that's my story and I'm sticking too it.

I have been slowly working on a knitted gift for my sister-in-law's mother.  This sweet lady used to be an avid knitter.  From what I gather, she no longer knits...not sure why, but when she found out that I did, she packed up all of her needles, hooks and yarn and sent them my way.  How incredibly sweet! So I'm making her a Guest Towel.  It seems to be moving along pretty good.  I'm sure, for a more experienced knitter, it would go a lot faster.  I seem to get most of it done at the wrestling tournaments we go to each weekend. I hope to finish it this weekend, so I can get it into the mail to her.  I'm using Peaches & Cream Cotton yarn. I'll take pictures of it when it's all done and blocked.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  Things should slow down a little bit after wrestling season is over.  It's really funny, I complain about how busy it keeps us, but once the season is over, I'll miss it terribly...especially since this is Number One Son's senior year. *sniff, sniff* They grow up so fast.  See you Friday!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

My sweet serious boy being silly for just a moment.

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Not a Food Blog

OK, this is not a food blog.  It's never going to be one.  I love cooking and am told I'm pretty good at it but when I cook I have to be efficient.  I have two teenage boys and a husband with very full schedules, so I have to make sure that I can get food on the table sooner rather than later.  That means I don't have a lot of time for photo taking and staging and making things look pretty.  Let's face it, I'm also not the best photographer either.  I get lucky sometimes, but more often than not, my photos are mediocre at best.  And I'm okay with that.  I learned a long time ago that we all can't be good at everything.

Yes, this is my pantry...loving my mason jars!

That being said, in my quest for getting back to simple (and getting back to me), one of the places I have to do a little revamping is in my kitchen. I thought I'd share our progress so far. It started this past weekend when we had sausage and lentils over brown rice.  All the ingredients were purchased at our local co-op.  We aren't members, but I'm seriously thinking about it.  The only downside is that they are getting ready to move the store, which will make it about a 1/2 hour away.  We have a farmers market pretty close, but I'm really wanting to make sure that there aren't a lot of chemicals (translates to pesticides and hormones) which I can't guarantee at either of our farmers markets....anyway, I digress.  Car guy was not thrilled with the idea of lentils because he had them once (really?!?!) and didn't care for them.   I told him that he hadn't had mine....he said it was pretty tasty :)

Yum!

Last night was another simple, healthy meal.  We are southerners and as such, we love all things fried....which is absolutely terrible but so yummy.  Also, I'm in a house of males, so giving up meat is not an option. This just means I have to rethink how a cook.  I decided to inflict cruel and unusual punishment on said males and made a salad to go with dinner. (No the salad didn't have bananas in it. Those are for The Boys to help prevent leg cramps when wrestling.)  I have to start with baby steps so we had romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and a little cheese.  

We also had roasted potatoes and baked chicken.  I lightly breaded the chicken by rinsing it and rolling it in bread crumbs.  It gives the illusion of frying. The potatoes were drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with some spices.  This was great because they could cook in the oven at the same time while I made the salad.

Ta Da!  There it is.  Simple, healthy and delicious.  I hope I can keep it up.

We are going to have a garden this spring.  It's the first one we've ever had so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, particularly since I have a tar black thumb when it comes to plants.  I have a tendency to kill them.  One thing I was told was to plant basil in between your tomato plants to keep the rodents out.  Who'd a thunk it? So all you prolific gardeners out there, tell me what you know. We live in the south, so I'll probably have to water my garden on a regular, if not daily, basis.  I know that tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers do really well - as do a lot of herbs. But other than that, I don't know. What about lettuce, potatoes, carrots, etc.  I could go on and on.  I don't expect this first garden to be a smashing success, but I am hoping to have a little something to show for my efforts. 

Finally, last Friday night was Senior Night at the wrestling match.  This is when all seniors are recognized for their contribution to the team.  Number One Son was a four year starter and regional qualifier.  I was so very proud of him.  At the ceremony, each senior presents his mother with some flowers and a kiss on the check.  I don't have any pictures to show because I don't allow pictures to be taken when I'm trying real hard not to blubber like an idiot, so I'll just show you the flowers.  There was some baby's breath as well, but I have little kitties that like to eat it, so it "hit the can" when we go home. 

I would love to hear your thoughts/ideas for my garden.  As I said, I so totally do NOT know what I'm doing, so any help would be appreciated :)  Also, don't get used to this daily posting thing.  You caught me on a good day :)  Hope yours is good as well.

Finding Peace

There are so many things going on in my life that have left me very pensive. Things that are not mine to discuss but have had an impact on my life. Things that make me want to find me, find purpose again and find peace. None of which is going to be easy.

You've heard me make reference before to being a "hippy chick."  I used to eat healthy food, get plenty of sleep and live quite simply.  Somewhere along the way, I've lost that.  I got caught up in life and "things"....Things I don't need, but have convinced myself I want, which somehow translated itself into need. So things are going to change around here.  I'm going to find that inner hippy chick and reacquaint myself with her.  I'm going to find strength in what I know is good.  I'm going to trust my heart and listening to it more carefully. And I'm going to find the woman I was supposed to be.  No more drama.  No more stress. Pleasure in the simple thing. A lot more laughter and friends because lets face it, life is too short to put up with a lot of crap.

Hope your week is wonderful and YOU find pleasure in the simple things.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Simple Prayers....

Well, it's happened.  At the age of 18, Number One Son finally got his drivers license. So this morning I watched as he and Number Two Son got into the deathtrap car and headed to school -  for what felt like the first time - as this mama watched, squeezing the life out of her tube of mascara.  I literally felt like a new mom putting her children on the school bus for kindergarten for the very first time....Will they get there OK?  Will they be safe? How long will it take them to get there.....Yikes! What am I going to do next year when he heads off to college?  I'm not ready! What happened to my sweet cherubic red headed angel? Who is the 6'2" stranger air kissing my cheek as he slides out the door with a barely intelligible "love you Mom" and a huge grin on his face that screams "FREEDOM!"  How do you get 10 lbs of waterproof mascara off your hands because you squeezed the tube so hard? *sigh*

So all I ask for today...and for the rest of his life...are for your simple prayers...good mojo, safe vibes, whatever you do...to be sent to this boy and his brother for their safety.  And happiness.  And success.  And love......

Thank you for putting up with this mama's fraught nerves.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words  - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Happy Friday!!

One last cuddle.

 Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

In and Out

I try not to get philosophical here too often, but sometimes the events in life just kind of take me there.  I've been thinking a lot about how people come in and out of our lives and the impact they have.

Some people come in like a bolt of lightening - all flash and sizzle - and then leave burn marks as they blaze out.  For whatever reason, these marks can heal quickly since they weren't there long enough to sink in.

Others quietly enter with a shy smile and gentle supportive hand.  They can leave just as quietly, but leave a profound hole because they were so deeply entrenched in every day life leaving  those moments of  "Oh! I'll have to tell.....oh, wait...."

Then there are the ones that remove themselves and leave us  trying to figure out why...what did I do?  Did I hurt them?  Don't they like me anymore? When it's actually that their lives have just changed and it's time for them to move on.

I've discovered that knitting and crochet are very much like this.  The needle/hook goes in and out, the yarn wraps around them, producing a rich fabric.  Sometimes stitches get dropped or skipped, leaving a hole, but the fabric remains strong.  Once it's done, there is a garment full of colors and stories...When I made that my sister-in-law was pregnant with her fourth child, my oldest was a senior in high school....We might like some of the garments better than others, but they have all enriched our lives. They've kept us warm and protected at some point. They each had something to offer even if they wear out or no longer fit.  They all had a purpose.

I hope all your "garments" have enriched your life and you take from them what you need to keep and let go of the rest.

Quietly Knitting

Hello everyone!  Hope you are doing well.  Things have been kind of quiet here, which is a good thing after my little crime spree. I haven't picked my sock back up yet.  I'm dreading ripping those few rows out.  I thought about leaving them as a reminder of my time in the big house.  What do you think? 

Since then, I've been pretty busy with my knitting. I have made two items that are...are you ready for this....of my own design?!?!  How cool is that?  I've only designed a few other things and those items were some crocheted bits for my sainted mother, so I'm totally jazzed by this.  The first item is a hat that is a late Christmas present for my sister-in-law.  I'm not going to post any pictures of it until she gets it.  I think that's only fair since it is her hat.  I will say that the yarn played a great role in the design.  You'll understand when I finally show you.

The other item I designed is something for me.  Sometimes my hands get cold at work and I've found that I don't type very well with gloves or mittens on, so I've made myself some mitts.  I looked around at some patterns and everything that I found, while beautiful, just wasn't exactly what I wanted. So I sat down with my needles and some yarn and came up with this:

What do you think?  I embroidered the little flowers on there too.  If you can't tell, I've never done any embroidery before, so it shows.  But that's OK.  The cuffs have a  little faux cable that doesn't really show up that well because the yarn is so dark. Bu all in all, I'm pretty pleased.

We did have a wrestling tournament this past weekend.  Neither boy wrestled but our school hosted, so we parents had to bring food for the hospitality room and do various other tasks to help out.  That makes for a long day. We also have a match tonight, so cross your fingers.  It's Number One Son's first match in a while so I hope he comes up with a win. Number Two Son has a few more days of recovery for his cauliflower ear before he can return.  I know that they both have missed the actual competition.

So that's pretty much it.  Keeping a low profile and trying to stay out of trouble. Hope all is well in your world!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words  - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Happy Friday!!

Missing the warmth of the decorations already.

 Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Happy New Year! NOT!

I hope every one's New Year started out beautifully!  I was able to spend mine with great friends and family, so I couldn't hope for anything better in the coming year.  As with everyone else, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on 2011 now that it's done and, as much as I hate to rush this life, I'm glad to say it's done....

~~~~~~~~ This post has been interrupted by life ~~~~~~~~~

Well crap! This was started early Tuesday morning.  I was optimistic and ready for the New Year.  I just knew that 2012 was going to be better. Then I went to take The Boys to wrestling practice and it rapidly went down hill.

I was driving down the highway and was pulled over by the county's finest.  The police officer informed me that the tag was expired on my car. I explained that the tag was expired because the car won't pass inspection because of a problem with the emission equipment. She told me to wait. She went back to her car and played on her computer and talked on her radio.  I called a friend that has a son on the wrestling team and she agreed to take The Boys to practice. As I was talking to my friend the officer came back to the car, asked me to get off of the phone and step out of the car.  I did as I was asked. Then I was asked to place my hand on the trunk of my car and she proceeded to handcuff me and tell me I was being taken down town....

"What?!?!  EXCUSE ME?  You are doing what? Why?  There must be some mistake?! "

"No ma'am, there is a warrant for your arrest for failure to appear."

"Appear for what?"

"A court appearance for a traffic violation."

"You've got to be #$%^%$# kidding me?!"

At which point I was literally "cuffed and stuffed"  into the sheriff's car and taken downtown - Not one of my finer moments.  It was just adding insult to injury, as I was riding down the road behind the protective plexi glass barrier, to watch the officer type on her computer while going 60 mph.  Part of me felt like pulling a Barney Fife and shouting "citizens arrest!" because I know that can't be legal.

Anyway.....Once we got to the jail, she lightened up, removed the hand cuffs, gave me my phone and let me call Car Guy.  I guess she looked me up and realized that I have no record and am not a hardened criminal.  The warrant for my arrest was for a failure to appear for a speeding ticket in...wait for it.....2009.  So Car Guy had to come get me, pay bond and I had to promise to appear in court in February. I was not booked, finger printed, photographed or anything else, so I don't have a record.  I got to stay in the "holding" room the entire time I was there. The whole thing was a unique experience that I don't EVER want to have again.

The really funny thing about all this was the look on the police officer's face when she gave me back my purse and I asked if it was alright if I knitted while I waited. "Ummm...OK."  So there I sat, in the cold concrete holding room of the jailhouse, knitting a sock on my dpn's. Periodically, she'd peek out there and just watch with a completely befuddled expression. Of course, I'm going to have to rip out the rows that I did because they are a complete mess and my tension was all over the place, but it did help calm me and that was worth it.

Car Guy picked me up and bundled me home all safe and sound.  My Boys aren't sure what to think of the whole experience, but I did learn a few things...

:: My husband is a wonderfully sweet man (I knew this already, it was just reinforced).  He wasn't mad at me because he had to leave work, pay money we really couldn't afford for a stupid, forgetful mistake on my part.  He just wanted to know why they had to put handcuffs on "possibly one of the sweetest women on the planet."  Bless him.

:: My Cheese Biscuits are the BEST. They laughed with me, offered support, hand holding, bail money and even said they'd go to court on my appointed day and sit in the front row and knit as a show of solidarity.  I LOVE these ladies.  They have enriched my life immensely.

:: A good sense of humor in a time of crisis is invaluable.

:: Home is possibly one of the most wonderful places to be after a bad day.

:: Hugs from your family can make you feel 100% better.

:: Things will look better from a distance...like the next day.

So Happy New Year to you all.  I have a pretty good idea, if this is any indication, that 2012 isn't going to be a dull year...Hop on and enjoy the ride!