Pumpkin Sunrise

Today my son returns to his apartment, gosh, the past two weeks flew by.  I sit and stare at him and wonder how fast time marches on.  I remember writing here about his tennis matches and band concerts. This past week, I scanned many photos of my daughter growing up.  Each and every photo I remembered where we were and what we were doing.  I watched her grow as we moved from house to house and so many photos we are smiling and laughing. I also noticed how when her brother was born she acquired a best friend.  I was hard pressed finding a photo of just her after that. I also saw many family members who are no longer with us, these people helped shape who I am and also my children.  I am grateful for that clever person who invented photography.  Of stopping time forever and capturing a moment.  I'm also grateful to the people who invented portable cameras and the digital file.  Let's not forget the scanner inventor and photo editing software engineer. Hopefully next week

I couldn't resist, I cast on a new project.  Now let me just say that I've finished a project so there was extra room in the knitting bag.   Yesterday I posted about the baby blanket that is folded and waiting to be wrapped up.  I saw this cowl pattern two weeks ago and knew I would have to cast on soon.  Ravelry notes are here . I've been reading Persuasion by Jane Austen and it's been a little slow going for me.  I'll blame my son who is still here visiting, okay?  I'm into the story but when I read a classic, I find I cannot zip and skim read.  I have to concentrate.  I read before I go to sleep and as you well may know, my concentration is thin. However, I'm not starting any new novels until this one is done! What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

My knitting has been quite busy these days and so have my days in general.  My son has been visiting and my knitting time quite limited.  I'm not complaining.  However, I did finish this sweet adorable blanket! Ravelry notes are here .  This pattern is quite easy and great for a beginner.  Also the pattern rows are quick to memorize.  That means you can talk and knit at the same time, an added bonus. Sometime next week, I'll be wrapping up the gift along with the sweater I made earlier this year.

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. I can never pass up a pretty floor, can you?  My weekend was kind of nice and slow and wonderful. We celebrated my son's birthday yesterday with carrot cake and I know you all asked for the recipe last Friday and I must confess, um...it's from a box (gasp!). Here is sweet Frodo, oh he is a joy! This morning there was a guinea hen in our yard!  Funny, we do not have anyone in the neighborhood that owns them.  I think maybe it went back "home" or it's hiding in the woods.  What a strange crazy day this has been.  Right now it's thunderstorming and looks all gloomy outside.  I've made a cup of tea and will be knitting. How was your weekend??

As I sit here and type this, I'm waiting for the AC guy to call me back.  Our outside unit (whatever that thing is called) is running all the time since yesterday afternoon.  I'm pretty sure that is not good.  At least I have AC right now.  I hope that it can be fixed or replaced or whatever it takes  Remember when my water pump for the house broken, oh the sadness I felt.  I could have cried buckets of tears and that was on New Year's Day a holiday!! When we were living in Texas our AC broke TWICE.  Of course it was during 90+ degree weather as well.  We were too poor to go to a hotel so we had to tough it out... The house was incredibly hot and I was incredibly miserable. Anyways, have you noticed that "poof" spring is in full swing and hinting at those summer days?  I walked yesterday and the woods were the greenest green if that's possible.  May was such a lovely month, I'm sure June will be just as fine. Tomorrow is my son's birthda

I finished this shawl last week before the company came and went. As you know this is my fifth (?!) citron shawl and I could knit it again.  The pattern is the best kind for talking and being distracted as long as it's not an increase row.  Such a forgiving pattern. I used  Zauberball lace  and loved the way it felt while knitting and how it blocked. My only complaint is that there was a break in the gradient colorway and so instead of black to gray to white, the company tied black to white omitting the gray.  I don't think that it matters now that it's knit up. Today is hot and humid and echoing signs of summer.  I'm holding a winter shawl...Oh the anticipation to wear this when there's a nip in the air. Ravelry notes are here .

I have been furiously working on the baby blanket this past week.  The simplicity is soothing since my home has been filled with kids visiting and wedding planning.  Yup.  We are getting closer to the July date and more items are added to my "to do" list each time I walk by. I don't know about you, but I get more motivated to tackle that list and have great joy crossing items off. I am still reading the second book of the Stone Gap Series by AdrianaTriagiani Big Cherry Holler.   I am enjoying the story so far.  I picked up the new issue of Bella Grace  and Mingle .  The first is for nurturing my soul and the second magazine is for some ideas for the luncheon I'll be hosting the day after the wedding. 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. This weekend I went to with my family to hickory run state park  where we visited boulder field .  The kids walked all the way to the end while my husband and I sat with Frodo.  Who LOVED being at the park. Sadly in the past couple of weeks vandals spray painted numerous boulders.  We have through the years visited this park whenever we have out of town company and sometimes we just took the kids for fun. Frodo truly believes that everyone is put on this earth to say "hello" to him :) We picnicked but I did not photo that...too busy eating food. We walked a stretch of road that is less traveled, all you could hear was the rushing water in the nearby stream and birds.  I find I use my phone camera all the time because of convenience.  When I use the

I cannot believe that the painting was one week ago.  Bright splashes of color that seemed bold and unreal when they were first applied now seem like they've been here for months.  I adore the green that I was skeptical about.  Each morning when I wake up and start the coffee, I sit and write in my journal and enjoy the new feeling in the kitchen.  Old lady green?  Never. Above those nasty kitchen cabinets (you know, the dust and grime collection area) I rescued my tiny collection of apothecary jars that I picked up here and there throughout our marriage.  I decided to clean them, fill them and display them.  My favorite is the orange lentils.  In the others are two varieties of popcorn and petite white lentils.  Whenever I am in Pittsburgh and in a Whole Foods store,  I load up on "rare to me" seeds and grains.  I would love a Whole Foods store near me but the closest is Philly area and that is not close enough. Moving along on my long list of "things t

I've been daydreaming of new knitting projects, some lace weight cardigans that "go" with my pieces already in the closet.  Airy lightweight sweaters.  Sigh.  I am NOT casting on anything new until something, anything is finished!  As I type this, my citron is ever so close to being finished, hopefully today.  Once that is off the needles, I'm tackling the hitofude cardigan and the baby blanket . The painting week really through my knitting productivity off course. My reading has changed, I'm on book two of the Big Stone Gap series by Adriana Trigiani.  So so so good.  I love how the book is about a community and the events.  I've read this book before (Big Cherry Holler) but luckily I do not remember the plot.  So I'm guessing it will read as a new read, an extra bonus for me! 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. My weekend was kind of nice, was yours?  As I sit here typing this post, the sun is shining outside and the birds are singing away.  All of the trees and bushes are green, even the ones around our house that the deer mowed down through the winter.  I believe they will look completely healthy green by the wedding.  I hope so, I really don't want to rip all of them out.  But then again, I don't want dead bushes in my yard. Fingers crossed!! Our daughter was visiting for the weekend and we got out and walked.  Frodo was thrilled to be outside as well. The bulk of the painting is finished.  PHEW.  My husband did the majority of the work, God bless him.  He is a driven possessed painter; he worked until 9 p.m. sometimes.  So now we have those spots where paint is not su