Pumpkin Sunrise

  I keep forgetting to show my progress on a cross stitch project I started last week or so. This is for our grandson and it might be an ornament to hang or a framed picture depending on which is easier for me. I am loving that the fabric is 14 Aida count and I can see it. Honestly, having older eyes is challenging. While I do enjoy the cross stitching and it reminds me of all the cross stitching in the past, knitting is my comfort zone. I don't really use my eyes for knitting like I do for cross stitching.  This week has been glorious weather. I walk daily early in the morning when the elementary school bus does its rounds and I eagerly wave to the bus driver and the kids. Actually I wave to just about everyone that passes. The air is crisp and fresh. So so beautiful.  On my walks, I try my best to be present. I go through my five senses to notice what is happening at the moment. For instance, I look for five different things, then listen for four different sounds, then feel thre

  How was your weekend? My weekend was blessedly calm and somewhat productive. I've been working on the grandson's first Christmas cross stitch ornament a little bit each day. I can see it so that makes the stitching all the more enjoyable. (14 count!) I also did the laundry and cleaning for the week. Fall is creeping in slowly, the leaves are changing, the days are shorter. I had my first cup of hot green tea in the afternoon yesterday. I'll be surprised if it gets super hot again, but then you never know with the weather. Frodo and Holly have been at it after weeks of keeping their distance from each other. Holly found a new snuggly sleeping place in the family room and Frodo found her. There was a ton of hissing and barking. I thought after that encounter Holly would be tired of Frodo and just stay out of the family room. No such luck!! The next two photos are Holly slinking in and staring at a sleeping Frodo! Then she decided to perch on the window sill and watch the ch

  Ah. September, how I enjoy you and welcome you in. I'm not a fan of summer but I try my best to enjoy what I do like about it. One of the best things about summer is that it leads to fall. And I am ready! My super early morning walks with Frodo are chilly most of the time. School is back in session and I wave to the school kids as they drive by in the yellow school bus. This weekend will be in the high 80s and I just don't care, I know it's the last hurrah even if it takes until October. This week has been so nice. I am thrilled that so far (fingers crossed) my husband  and I continue to remain healthy. May it continue. After the massive catch up from being out of town unexpectedly, I've settled into a comforting knitting routine. I've got some ideas for holiday knitting but I'm still sticking with my selfish 'for me' knitting this month. I will ponder the gift giving knitting only. September inspires me to reflect on the remaining tasks around the hou

  On Monday afternoon we spontaneously decided to go to Indiana to help our son and daughter in law as a virus (not covid) was shared in a staggered fashion and surprisingly it was two different viruses. How is that possible? Our grandson was fully recovered and as happy as can be. Our son was well until we left on Friday when he started a fever. Our daughter in law had the worst of it the whole time we were there. I did tons and tons of laundry, cleaning and cooking. My husband trimmed hedges and installed five smoke alarms in their purchased home. Since we live near a BIG city we were unable to board Frodo at the kennel (I miss living in the country, I never had that problem) so we packed up Frodo and brought him with us. He did surprisingly well! He acted like he loved the adventure. He's not a fan of riding in a car but if he sits on my lap for SEVEN hours straight he manages his dismay. Let's just say I did not knit, draw, paint or do anything creative, unless you count co

  Today I'm counting my blessings: - Frodo's groomer who 'gets' him and is so wonderful to him and gives him a great haircut - Frodo snuggles and Holly antics, both pets make me smile - phone chats with my children - living near family especially my sister! - my early morning routine - -my yarn stash which is massive and yet I can always buy more yarn, go figure - this little blogging community where we uplift each other and support one another, it is one of the best blessings the internet has provided - summer yielding to fall ( I know! it's crazy but the days are shortening and I've been putting a light on in the morning, we are getting closer to fall!) -  - BIG salads and no cooking days - dark chocolate - green decaf tea - my favorite mugs - a tidy house - my husband - this house - books - knitting - daydreaming - believing in the goodness of others - friendly waves of hello to total strangers on my walks - all the drivers who slow down and yield to me on my

  Good morning! Boy do I have a lot of catching up to do so grab your tea or coffee and let's begin! Last Wednesday our son, daughter in law and GRANDSON arrived for a three day visit! We haven't seen them since March and the visit was fantastic. Our little guy was friendly and full of smiles after a brief 'who the heck are you' look that was priceless. I fed him many bottles and changed very few diapers. (that is a great visit) They left on Saturday morning and I miss all of them already. I forgot how tiring babies can be and cannot remember where I had the energy to keep up with them. It took me 48 hours to recover from their stay. During their visit we went to the zoo and we had a family get together at our house. The other set of grandparents were able to attend and we had a grand time doting on the baby. Holly does NOT like babies. She hid under our bed until they were all asleep each day then came out begrudgingly.  Poor Holly!! Frodo thought the baby was here to

  Good morning! How are you on this wonderful Monday morning? The weekend was pretty good. I didn't do anything super exciting which is fine by me. The weather was fabulous on Saturday and super drippy rainy on Sunday.  I am thoroughly loving the flowering dogwood trees in the back yard. I've shared with you one photo but gosh my phone has so many. All of a sudden everything is green! Trees, bushes and lawns, the beginnings of the month of May are simply the best.  I worked a tiny bit on the cross stitch project which is so challenging for me since it's on linen. I know some of you say to keep at it but at one point I wanted to scrap the whole project and start over on Aida cloth. I resisted and will keep going. Sunday was all day rain and some rumbly thunder. I put on some piano music for Frodo and it seemed he didn't hear the thundering (he is afraid of thunder!). I might be onto something good. How was your weekend?

  We've been home for over a week and I just might be recovered from the travels. I am pleasantly back into the ordinary swing of things and doing the activities that bring me joy. Such as:   - walking daily, weather permitting - exercising - menu planning (not enjoyable but I do like to eat!) - knitting daily - easing in a bit of sketching and watercoloring - reading daily - trying my best to be PRESENT - journalling - connecting with family While it took me a week to get back into my daily groove, Frodo needed three days to recover from the kennel stay. He might have too much fun and bark more than he should. Thankfully he had a grooming appointment and looks dapper. I pulled out my little watercolor notebook and quickly sketched and painted some daffodils.  While the weather was spectacular these past few days, it looks like winter will edge back in and --gulp-- with it some snow showers. Oh March you do love to do this!! What  brings you joy?

After some ridiculously warm weather last weekend where it felt like summertime had arrived, the wild swings of Mother Nature are now taunting us with winter weather once again. We had about three inches of snow the other day, unpredicted I might add. The snow was beautiful. Tomorrow they are forecasting 3-6 inches of snow (trying to be more accurate in the guessing). No matter what, the birds continue to sing and the daffodils continue to grow. You and I both know it will melt quickly. Besides the weather swinging wildly, my knitting mojo has ramped up to normal production. Oh how wonderful it is to be knitting and enjoying my knitting. There is nothing like it in the world. I'm on the hunt for a baby sweater pattern and will probably use an old printed pattern that my mom used for when my kids were babies. I just have to locate the pattern! I finished reading, The Girl from the Train by Irma Joubert and it was really good. I wasn't expecting to be so engaged in the plot so th

This week we celebrated my husband's birthday by going to the Van Gogh Immersion Exhibit. We loved the experience but it was very short compared to what we thought the length would be (expectations can be brutal). Also to celebrate, we stopped at the local bakery for a treat and on the way home we picked up pizza and wings. We had a lovely time and we both were happy to be doing something cultural in Pittsburgh, one of the benefits of moving so close to the city. How have you been?  Winter keeps trying to be a big show-off but spring is edging her way in. The birds are singing, the daffodils are sprouting. We are warming up a little bit (but not today, brr). I love winter but I'm excited for spring time and some lighter clothe wearing. Even Frodo walks with a jaunt in his step when he doesn't wear his doggy coat. I am fully recovered from the stomach bug, for some reason fatigue was a huge factor for a week. Yesterday on my walk I felt like I had the energy to walk.  Can yo

  Good morning! How are you? The last time I posted I mentioned that my husband had the stomach bug last Saturday. After diligent sanitizing, social distancing in our house, I was blessed with the same virus on Tuesday (ugh!). I am feeling better every day but this virus has taken a lot out of me. Yesterday was the first day I was sitting upright and able to read and comprehend a book. I haven't done much knitting or anything else this past week. Eating food is a chore as well. I am getting too old for this! The above photo of me knitting maybe 4 rows on a second sock before exhaustion sets in once again and I set aside the knitting and resume reading a book. Frodo has been my constant companion, he is a funny little guy. The older he gets, the more clingy he becomes. He mainly sits beside me most of the time but does like to sit beside my husband as well. However he has to see me and gaze at me lovingly while fighting sleep across the room. And while he shows his age in some ways

  Lately I've been thinking about what brings me joy. I revisit this theme over and over throughout the year and try to tweak my days so they reflect what fills my bucket. My challenge is that I have many many things that bring me joy and trying to fit all of them into my days is nearly impossible. I keep a track of the following in my planner: knitting, journaling, sketching/watercoloring, reading and cross stitching. I'm not strict at what I do each day I just like to see how I end up allocating my time. Anyways, when I eat well and exercise daily I feel fantastic and that brings me joy. I keep track of those activities as well as daily meditation and yoga. Good health is a top priority for have a good day. Keeping my creative pursuits revolving in and out during my days makes for a delightful existence! Since moving here I've been managing any perceived stresses (usually self generated!). I want to sit down at the end of the day and feel like I enjoyed the day, lived it

  How was your weekend? Ours was quite cold, even Frodo has had enough of the frigid temperatures. Lucky for us today just might be above freezing! Yesterday around 3 pm, Frodo and I took a walk because it was warm -- 23 degrees -- what a weird mindset to think that that temperature is balmy. We bundled up and layered up. Frodo hates to wear sweaters and coats but I think he is coming around to the benefits of some cozy warmth. How do I know? Well he doesn't run away from me when I pull it off the hook. The coat he's wearing now I ordered from amazon and I think it keeps him toasty warm. Yesterday afternoon we attended our grand-nephew's first birthday party. How nice to be with a small family gathering to celebrate one year old. And I did not cook dinner since we at a big lunch - double bonus for me. My weekend mainly was reading and knitting but I didn't snap a photo of either of those activities so you are left with an early morning photo of my morning reads. 

  This week has been bitterly cold and yet Frodo and I keep trying to take a walk in spite of the weather adversity. He loves his walks but he doesn't remember his limitations (almost like me!). He is a glass half full kind of dog (unlike me, I'm trying to be more like him). On one walk we were approached by a loose dog then another loose dog by the same owner. I'm lucky I can pick Frodo up and wait for the mayhem to settle. This owner like many loose dog owners before him thinks Frodo is afraid and that is why I pick him up.  Sadly I pick Frodo up because he can get nasty with other dogs...I still love him and his 'spunky' attitude.  Since the weather is frigid, I am doing all the indoor activities. Lots of reading, knitting and I started a new cross stitch project. It's been fun circulating my brain amongst all of my hobbies, I'm lucky that my hobbies are vast and I rarely get bored.  I have a routine eye doctor visit early this morning, I'm hoping she