Pumpkin Sunrise

May.  May is the month of Mary.  May is the month of true spring blossoms, Holy Communions, Confirmations, Mother's Day and Memorial day.  There is so much to celebrate during this transitional month and each year that it rolls around I love it more. My grandmother (my dad's mom)  celebrated her birthday in May and for some reason I think of her, she loved when family visited for her birthday and for Mother's day.  Her gardens were teeming with spring bulb blossoms and the air was sweeter while sitting on her porch swing suspended on bouncy springs.  We would swing and bounce, swing and bounce. Dogwoods are my favorite flowering spring tree, I think.  I love their airy blooms and the way each flower tilts up to the sky saying hello to the sun.  Luckily, I have many of these trees sprinkled throughout my property that were placed by mother nature with the help of breezes. On Wednesday, I fully recovered from my NYC trip.  I confess that I did take one teeny

Since I was out of town over a three day weekend, you can imagine that I had little time to knit or read.  However, I have been knitting here and there the past few days while catching up on chores and errands.  I've made some progress on my baby blanket .  I love the ease of the knit, so easy and mindless! I've been flipping through the newest issue of Taproot  during my days.  I continue to read short stories of Flannery O'Connor and Persuasion by Jane Austen.  All good reads and full of interest although I must say a contemporary novel is on my horizon, but I haven't picked it yet. What have you been knitting and reading this week? 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. My favorite aunt treated us all to a girls only trip to NYC.  My daughter and I joined up with my Aunt, my sister, two cousins and my one cousin's two daughters and we spent three nights two days doing everything that could be squeezed in.  I'm exhausted!! :: I rode a taxi, bus, subway, water taxi and a ferry.  :: I saw the rockettes and the lion king (!!!) :: I was in the Upper West side, midtown, Battery Park, SoHo and Staten island. :: I rode through the Lincoln tunnels to get there but didn't for coming home...GPS...you're crafty :: Time Square is too crowded :: I loved the dogs of NYC--so many being walked by their owners. :: I am sore from head to toe and had to take more medicines. :: My aunt was really really happy and that m

I'm posting early today because tomorrow is kind of hectic and I wanted to not forget.  Forgetting seems to be something I do frequently as I age.  Luckily most of the stuff I forget can be remedied. This week I've welcomed spring weather and iced tea brewing season.  My husband loves lots and lots of lemon in his iced tea and I love to look at lots and lots of lemons in a bowl.  A match made in heaven. Lists.  We all have them, goals we would like to achieve, grocery items, errands to run, tasks to complete.  I think nowadays we have lists daily that need our attention.  My mother kept a notebook in her purse with her lists.  I thought she was kind of silly.  Can't you remember that???  Oh my, now I look at my lists and realize, um, no I cannot remember that. She kept a list of my children's clothing sizes, what they wanted for Christmas, pattern ideas, errands, and fabric measurements.  She wrote menu ideas, recipes, and tasks.  Later when she was ill, she wr

Even though I'm knee deep in a Hitofude cardigan knit, I cast on a new project.  I'm making a blanket for my nephew's baby and went into deep yarn stash to find this worsted weight cotton.  I love this simple garter stitch rib pattern and how effortlessly the blanket is knitting up. I am reading short stories by Flannery O'Connor.  I bought this book last year while on vacation and it's been patiently waiting for me to start reading.  I guess I'd like to read one short story a week as a personal reading goal.  I want to savor the writing.  On my kindle I'm reading Persuasion by Jane Austen and haven't made as much progress as I'd like. What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

Good morning all, how are you?  I'm doing great even though it's been days since the sun beamed its rays for more than a minute or two.  I never thought that sunshine was so important to me, but apparently it is.  I'm craving it. Lucky for me, I have my knitting and boy have I been knitting a lot.  I finished all the repeats for the sleeves of my Hitofude cardigan and today will be the undoing of my provisional cast on.  This is the crocheted provisional cast on that I looked up in my 211 ways to cast on and bind off book because the last sweater I just used scrap yarn and improvised.  I do not recommend improvising, it will be your downfall. If something is worth doing right, well, do it the right way, right??  Where was my smarter self when I needed her? And because many of you asked to see my new favorite tea mug, here she is!  (I think tea mugs would be a she).  I have had many mugs of tea and so far I'm tickled.  I love the wide base so I can p

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. My weekend was a full one.  We attended two festivals in our local area.  I was on the hunt for my new favorite pottery mug and did find it.  Bliss!  We had a slice of pizza and later some super healthy french fries.  I walked my feet off and was exhausted by the time we were home mid afternoon.  The weather was chilly and I was wishing for that sun to peek out. After a quick dinner, we headed to my husband's new office to finish up filing and hanging diplomas.  We were fast and furious!  In the evening I made great progress on knitting my cardigan while watching an episode of Selfridges. Today was Mass, and lucky for me, the baby sat right in front of me.  I can honestly say I cannot remember the sermon, I was too busy watching him bounce, drop toys for me to pick up and just

Don't let these photos of daffodils lead you to believe that spring has been staying around this week.  Yesterday I saw snow...yep.  That is a first for my daughter's birthday, SNOW.  Poor Frodo was shivering while we were outside, even he cannot believe this cold spring.  However, another warm up is in the forecast and I'm focusing on the flowers and the trees that are welcoming the long daylight hours by sprouting blooming and greening up my views. We've chosen paint colors for the main level and early May will be the 'big job'.  I'm the prep gal and the cleaner upper gal.  Luckily my husband will paint as long as there is music playing, sounds like a match made in heaven.  I have high hopes that we can finish in a week, but if not that's okay. Yesterday we drove to our daughter's town to have a celebratory birthday dinner with her.  In the fall, she and her soon to be husband will be moving to the west coast for his post doc.  I will mis

Progress on my second hitofude cardigan is coming along slowly.  This past week, I haven't had much knitting time, the weather called me by name and I was outside being active instead of inside knitting away.  I'm over half way with the first stage of the pattern. I'm currently reading Shipping News  which continues to be a slow read for me.  Every once in a while something happens and renews my interest to keep on reading.  It would help if I read during the day when I wasn't tired!  I'm also savoring this magazine Bella Grace , the photography and words are inspirational and I see many instagram friends in the pages.  Lovely :) What are you knitting and reading this week? 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. Can a weekend be delicious??  Mine certainly was.  The weather was spectacular, blue skies, warm air, truly a welcome sight.  Every window is opened and and the house has been freshened up.  Luckily my allergies are behaving and at night I fall asleep listening to the night sounds.  The older I get the more I appreciate spring. Saturday : farmer's market : fresh loaf of bread : country drives : pesto pasta : grilled chicken : new umbrella for the patio : getting HOT on a walk (what is that feeling?) : window washing : salads : phone calls from the kids : visiting the local park Sunday : Mass : Laundry : putting away wool shawls and scarves : washing wool sweaters : bare feet : washing lettuce : crossword puzzles : reading : doodling with the camera : knitting :

Spring has arrived this week in full force.  Each day while I'm outside I see new growth and green.  The maple trees are about to sprout their leaves and the air combined with the sunshine feels different.  Hopeful, fresh and abundant.  Has spring arrived for you? Each season I find myself writing out some goals, ideas and tasks that need my attention.  I yearn for inspiring activities to fill my time and my soul.  This season my focus will be about health.  For physical health, I've been marking new recipes and ideas to try new foods at least twice before I make a judgement.  How easy it is for me to fall into a rut of sameness.  Sameness is my balm for feeling secure but spring heralds in a need to shake up the routine. Another physical health goal is to continue my walking.  I have two routes that are alternated at whim but maybe this spring, we will venture to new roads.  Unfortunately loose dogs in the neighborhood will dictate how adventurous we are. Most impo