Pumpkin Sunrise

I've been thinking about how we create good habits.  What makes us choose them and execute the steps to create them.  For me, everything starts out with a list.  When you write down what you want to achieve, seeing the goal on paper makes it real. Years ago, I wanted to pray more, start a journal, and incorporate exercise into my daily life.  The spiritual goal was quite easy.  I just started.  I had some prayer books and picked out what I wanted to read.  Over the years, I've added more prayers, readings and feel that I've met my goal that I set out so long ago. I have a list of people and intentions that are in my prayers. The journal writing was a bit trickier.  I used to journal when I was a teen and young adult.  I don't know why I quit.  I wanted to start up again and something stopped me.  Maybe I wanted perfection?  Maybe I thought my writing would be boring.  I really don't know.  I do remember though buying the perfect journal and the perfect

My knitting has been sparse.  I think that when summer is here and the kids are here off and on (the son is home for the summer).  I don't have as much knitting time.  Well, I guess I have to make an effort to have the knitting time!  My scrap blanket is slowly growing, I'm enjoying the process and this will be a very long project.  I haven't even knit through the first bag of left over bits!  My shawl  is a delightful knit and again, loving every stitch.  But this knit requires my full attention, hence the minimal progress. Did you see?  Are you surprised?  I finished David Copperfield  after a marathon reading session that lasted two days.  I just could not face another post saying "I'm still reading, blah blah blah"  So really I did it all for you my dear readers.  I sacrifice. Anyways, once the DC book was finished and yes, I did enjoy the book immensely, I picked out a book that was the thinnest with a pretty big font just so I could breeze throug

I think we bought too much mulch, as if ever there was a dilemma!  My husband has been spending his evenings spreading the mulch and the pile is getting smaller but there's still a pile.  Yesterday I grabbed the big camera which made Frodo dance and twirl.  He knows I'm going to walk about the yard.  He's well trained now, when I stop to shoot, he stops and waits patiently.  He is completely into capturing the beauty around us. My stump that is ever so slowly rotting away is a focal point in the front yard.  We were talking about when the right side will fall off, considering perhaps a betting pool.  You know how when there's a baby to be born, people will hazard a guess on the date, weight, and length.  We just want to bet on the date that stump of ours falls apart.  No one wants to put money down as of yet. Wild blackberries are on the edge of my woods, mostly too sour to eat, but every year we pop one in our mouths just to be sure.  The birds love our ge

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments  in the comment section with a link to your blog. This weekend was a celebration of my ordinary days.  The simple surroundings that I call home and that bring me the greatest joy.  On Friday I was officially caught up with my lists, chores and errands.   On Friday, my sister and brother in law arrived for a weekend visit and I am now faced again with a list of chores but the chores are so worth the visit.  We had a good time and ate lots of food and laughed. My weekend contained: -broiled asparagus,coleslaw, roasted potatoes and salmon (steak for them) on Friday night -grilled marinated lime chicken, risotto, green beans and a tossed salad yesterday -both nights we enjoyed pound cake with a strawberry sauce that my sister baked :) -a tiny bit of shopping, sitting on the back yard swing, and knitting! -finishing a

I've been back home almost a full week and I cannot begin to tell you the happiness I feel.  I don't remember always being a homebody but somehow along life's path I became one.  I loved my family vacation and seeing more of the south but boy oh boy, I do love home. While on a walk this week we spied (my husband and I) the little rabbit.  Guess what?  Frodo was off of his game, he didn't see it, smell it or notice the wee thing.  Sometimes I think he is becoming an old man.  I'm glad he's less obsessed with the hunting but he was cute when he did it. We finally went to our favorite greenhouse and bought some flowers and vegetables to plant.  We waited until after the trip so there would be less death in the garden, seedlings need tender loving vigilant care.  This cat was snoozing in the herb section and he gave me the one eye glare-so sweet! I'm back to walking the dirt road through the woods near my house, the edges are lined with wild rose

I have been working on this red rock canyon shawl  with every single chance I have since arriving home from vacation.  My time has been limited because vacations take at least a week to recover and to get caught up.  I wish I knew why!  Anyways, this is a wonderful knit for the knitter who is very comfortable in chart reading.  I'm nearing the end of another chart and getting giddy with the prospect of starting another chart! I don't need to tell you I'm still reading David Copperfield , do I?  I can tell you this, I love the book and the characters.  Also I can hazard a guess I might be done this week?  (or next week?).  Soon though, I will have other books to talk about.  I am glad that I'm reading this classic.  I believe I'll read more of novels by Dickens, but after a break :) what are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

As promised here are a few photos of our trip to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.  We stayed at Villamare Villas  and enjoyed our time at the beach.  We walked the beach twice a day and looked for shells. We drove to a marina (above) and walked about there.  We ate lots of good food and we walked some more. We drove to this lighthouse and walked around some more and ate more food.  Really I think vacations are all about walking and eating....well maybe for me! All over the island are bike paths that wind throughout different plantations and each evening my husband and I went out with cameras and peeked at homes and villas. This is a lagoon near where we stayed (above photo) and each time I walked passed I looked for the alligator that I wasn't permitted to touch or feed.  Never saw him :(  I was hoping! More beach views and all the umbrellas that are for rent which we did not rent, we prefer to lug our own umbrella and be different. The next

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments  in the comment section with a link to your blog. This weekend I -said "goodbye" to Hilton Head, the beach, sun and sand -said "hello" to my house (love being home!!) -road in the car forever because we live a very far way from Hilton Head -wasn't cranky in the car because I was going home :) (yes, I was cranky on the way down....) -avoided some mysterious bug or food illness that happened to my husband-phew! -told him what to eat when recovering-switching seamlessly into mother mode -face a pile of bills, receipts, and laundry -will be grocery shopping and going to Mass -will be enjoying the last day of the family being all together -will start sifting through the photos to share  How was your weekend? Please share your weekend link in the comments and if you can visit the other

I've been writing here on this blog for almost four years. I write for myself mostly but I also want to share with others my knitting, my entry into the empty nest lifestyle gracefully, the nature that surrounds me and savoring the every day moments. I think I would have loved the internet when my children were small while I was a stay at home mom, but it wasn't invented just yet.  I've made so many friends here on this blog, some I've known for years and some just a few weeks. I read all sorts of blog posts and have gained valuable information of beekeeping, chickens, small business start ups, and childrearing. I've traveled around the world while staying home and for this homebody that is just perfect for me. Each day I visit with you and catch one more glimpse of your lives as you do mine. This past week I've been in hilton head with my family for a vacation (yup).  A few months back I messaged Tracey from clover to see if we could possibly meet up

I've been furiously knitting the scrap blanket that I started last week. I'll start off by declaring that this is quite the addictive knitting project. I love picking out the next color and seeing how it looks to the adjacent color. So far so good. My son asked what I was knitting, then announced that he would like the blanket when it's done. A few days later my husband walked by and asked if it was his blanket. Um....I'm sorry but the blanket is mine :) Guess what?? I'm still, yes still, reading David Copperfield. I find it quite humorous and will chuckle at his descriptions of his first time being drunk and in love (not together).   Joining Ginny  and frontier dreams

                                                    Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments  in the comment section with a link to your blog.                                                                                                              Oh this weekend has been chock full of goodness. Over this weekend we celebrated our son's 21st birthday! I cannot believe he is 21, seems like yesterday (two decades ago) I went into labor on a memorial weekend.  At the time, we lived in the upper peninsula of Michigan. The daffodils were just starting to bloom and yes, there was snow on the ground-a wee bit, but still there. My first child was a four hour labor and he was a five hour labor, what a slowpoke :) He had donuts for his birthday cake since he's not a fan of mile high icing (!?!?). Luckily donuts come in a variety of ways and everyone had their fav