Pumpkin Sunrise

  Gosh it seems like forever since I've talked to you and yet it's not even been five days. How are you? How was your Christmas if you celebrate Christmas? We had a quiet one, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I missed the kids but we managed to talk to them over the weekend. On Christmas Eve, we were invited to celebrate at my sister and brother in law's house with her son and son's family and our aunt and cousin. It was nice! We had lots and lots of good food and unwrapping of presents. Having my grand nephew who is almost one year old made the holiday more joyful. That evening my husband and I had a mini-miracle - Holly snuck in to snuggle up to my husband on his left side and then Frodo jumped up to snuggle on his right side. Look at Holly's dirty look!?! She is a hoot. I know you are wondering and NO Frodo did not realize that she is sitting there, if he did he would have chased her and barked at her and that is the Christmas miracle. I don't know what it is abo

How are you? Around here things are settling down in the daily schedule. All of my packages have been sent and I am officially done with holiday shopping! I'm looking forward to enjoying the lull between now and the New Year. I might do some Christmas baking, but then again, I might not.  These days what brings me comfort and joy are:  twinkle lights - slow and easy knitting -  talking with the kids - a crossed off to-do list -  sketching and doodling - knitting for myself for a change - knitting with really nice wool - simple dinners - bird watching through the kitchen window while I do some dishes - friendships in real life and on line - the kindness of others - outdoor holiday decorations - the colors red and green - fountain pens - journaling - aspirations for the new year - family living near by -  What brings you comfort and joy? Yesterday we went out for an early lunch at a cafe in a local town, it was nice to be out - we rarely are out anymore and I have to say it will be m

  How are you all doing? I'm doing great and am in the midst of the tail end of the Christmas knitting marathon. I might be down to one project.  I've been enjoying my bird feeder and identifying the birds that come to visit. And the new squirrel proof feeder does work! However it is not raccoon proof so we bring it in every single night. All I can say is at least it's not a BEAR. So far no bear sightings but never say never... The above photo is a snap of my Christmas junk journal that I whipped together with scrapbook paper and some Christmas cards. I'm joining in with Brie at Documented Journey on You Tube (she's on Instagram as well) with her Create December and daily prompts until the 25th.  The other evening, Miss Holly crept into the family room to sit by her beloved (aka not me) while Frodo was sleeping under the ottoman. Let me tell you this, she is one brave determined kitty. Luckily for us, Frodo is completely oblivious to her presence and it remained a

  Can you believe it will be Thanksgiving next week? I'm dazed. I have some Christmas gifts that have to be ready for that day so I'll be wrapping them and singing Christmas music. I continue to be on task for all of my knitting goals and what's even better, I'm enjoying all the knitting that I'm doing.  Around here I've been mulling over whether to put up one or two Christmas trees. Over the years I've simplified but lately 'going big' seems like a fun thing to do. Our big Christmas tree box was battered from the move so if I put up the tree then I can repair the box again. My big concern is Miss Holly and her investigative spirit. She is four years old, is she going to behave? She hasn't bothered with the cuckoo clock chains like I thought she would...but I just don't trust her! Around here my reading has been mostly about mindfulness for months and months. I plan to continue with that since being mindful keeps me happy.  However I've d

  Hello! How are you doing?  This past week I've been pondering about a mindfulness prompt in a book I'm reading throughout the year, A Year of Living Mindfully by Anna Black. It's a really nice book and I've enjoyed the prompts throughout this year. Anyways the prompt this week was to consider what you believe to be nourishing or draining. I've thought about this all week long. My obvious nourishing events are knitting and reading. But over the course of the week I've added some surprising concepts to the nourishing list and challenged my draining list. I had the opportunity to help my cousin at her house with her preparing for company this past week. I found helping her nourishing to me, an added bonus was making her very happy. I also initially considered walking 150 minutes draining because of the amount of time it takes to get that done and I'm not doing other 'things' but then I changed my mind because I am nourishing my physical health which i

  Good morning! How was your weekend? You know you are officially moved in when you hang your cuckoo clock. My husband's brother and sister in law gave us this clock from their time in Germany in the 1980's and it still runs perfectly. I love it! However, I'm afraid of Holly the cat being interested in it as well, so at night I stop the tick tocking, my husband thinks I'm ridiculous. Honestly, I'm thinking like a cat. After months of thinking about finding new salad dressings to make at home I ventured with a new tahini recipe, it was 'okay'. The garlic was a bit much and it was too thick to pour. So I'll be going back to the drawing board for some new ideas. I spent the majority of my weekend --- KNITTING. I started two new projects while still getting so close to the end of that never-ending shawl. I'm positive I'm on the last repeat but I've thought that many repeats ago. I snapped this photo of Holly looking at the world below from our be

  I love how Holly stuffs herself in this small cat perch. How are you? How was your weekend? I had a relaxing and restorative weekend. I did a lot of knitting on the never ending shawl  but with every single row I am one more row completed. I am thoroughly enjoying watching Autumn shove its way in while the remnants of Summer continue to cling desperately but unsuccessfully. My husband and I did a lot of walking and chose a different neighborhood route. I do appreciate all of my wooded secluded walks in my old town. It's been an adjustment living in a suburb with a lot of traffic. Twice a week we drive to a local park to walk where the traffic is scant, that is lovely. We are here almost three months and I am finally feeling like myself. It takes me a long time to adjust to change. Sunday I did all those pesky household chores and finished them in lightning speed so I could read my book and later do some more knitting. Dare I say my knitting mojo is back? I'd like to think so!

  Good morning! I'm sitting at my kitchen table early in the morning with a window opened and it's a bit brisk. I am in heaven. I know that next week the weather forecast is back into the 80's but I'll take these low 70's in a heart beat. How has your week been?  We drove to a local park twice this past week to walk a loop. The first time was without Frodo and the second time it was with Frodo. Each time was wonderful, I think Frodo liked the walk. We do walk in our neighborhood but there are more cars here than where we used to live, it's manageable but different to what we are used to doing. I've been trying to increase my exercise for all that heart healthy 'stuff'.  Besides walking, I'm either strength training or doing yoga in the mornings. It's felt really good getting back into the groove and I'm sure my body appreciates it. Around here, there's been lots of journalling, sketching, haiku writing and reading. The knitting, well

  Good morning! How is everyone? I've been chipping away at setting up my new studio/office and it's quite the challenge. Even though I decluttered like mad, I have too much stuff. It's funny, our new home is slightly bigger in square footage BUT we've downsized considerably because of storage space. The closets are so small which isn't a bad thing. My decluttering journey has not ended but begun. I am determined to thin out what I own regularly. I've saved tons of cards, programs and other memorable events for years for the kids growing up and for myself. I stuffed them in shoeboxes. My Big Plan is to go through them and toss what isn't necessary and maybe scrapbook or capture significant events or achievements. Ideally I want to be down to one box per person - the size of the box is to be determined. I also have some of my mother's memorabilia that needs attention. We are nearly done with unpacking. My jobs are done - I have a few boxes here and there

  This weekend is brought to you by two household pets and an elusive frog that posed ever so pretty for a photo while it was enjoying the abundant endless sunshine.  How was your weekend? Mine was packed full of household chores and tasks. It's too boring to list them but let's just be honest and say that checking off a long list is satisfying especially if you color code the list. The Great Declutter has taken a brief pause because my trunk is full of stuff and I have to get rid of that before I can load up again. Excuses come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Yesterday was brilliant sunshine and over 80 degrees. On our daily walk, I was wishing for capris instead of jeans, I was overdressed.  How was your weekend?

  Good morning! How are all of you? How has your week been?  Spring took a nose dive for a few days with temperatures in the forties. Good grief. I am thankful that my rhododendron blossoms survived. Within days, my flowering apple tree should be showing off. The older I get the more I like spring. I don't mind the cold blitzes all that much either. I'm hoping today we get out for a daily walk in sunshine. Frodo had a 'beauty' appointment and is looking ever so dapper. He shivers for two-three days from the conservative hair cut. He's such an old man, we just blanket him up and love him as his body adjusts. The knitting continues to be only at night time. I have officially started the Great Declutter this week. I worked mainly on thinning out the filing cabinet and the overflow of documents into SIX shoeboxes. I've made great progress and finished the last drawer yesterday. I'm now contemplating going through my clothing. I know once I start I will create a

  Good morning, how are you doing?  Today is looking to be a sunny day and that is a welcomed sight since it was overcast and blah for two days not to mention rainy as well. As you can see by my photos we still have snow on the ground but I'm confident that pile will disappear over the weekend.  I've been knitting only at nights now instead of during pockets of my day. Can't say why but I've been trying to read more in the afternoons and not multitask while I do my reading. My other reason to read more during the day is because when I read at night I fall asleep so quickly! I don't think I read more than a page or two and I have trouble remembering what I've read. I've decided to decrease the sugar I put in my coffee (again) and decrease the amount of salt I add to my food (again). Yesterday was a slow going morning drinking sad coffee. Today the same coffee tasted happier. About a year or so ago I worked at decreasing and eliminating the sugar I put in my g

  How was your weekend? My weekend was a quiet one - just the way I like them to be. Around here we are expected to get some warm temperatures mid week so I thought I'd document my wool sock wearing. Sure it will get cold again but we are edging towards less wool wearing. I'm giddy just thinking of what we should do with our warm days - do a trail? - eat outdoors at a bagel shop? -dust off the grill?  Yesterday we were able to finally get out for a walk. For the past 5 days it's been too windy. My husband hates windy days and I have to say I'm not a huge fan either. Our walk was in 100% sunshine and it was glorious to be breathing some fresh air and getting all the wiggles out. Holly has been enjoying watching the day break. Did you know we change the clocks this coming weekend? I was surprised that it crept up on me like that. Time is flying by. The residential deer below love to stare me and Frodo down. They act like the whole yard is theirs and snort at us. Silly gu