Time to Get the Chicken!

Who remembers the "It's time to make the donuts" commercial? (Should I just say, who's over 50?) 

I hear that donut maker in my head every time it's time to do something...like make dinner, decorate for a holiday or swap out the summer/winter items in our storage cubby in the garage...which it is nearly time to do, but not quite yet.

It has snowed on Mother's Day in Northeast Ohio... just sayin'.

What it IS time for this week is Easter decorating,  and I'm getting ready. I've started with some Yoshi eggs, before dots:

and after dots: 

They've turned out well, but they are a little big for my knick knack bowl at work (which is currently full of shamrocks and clover and candy):

So I'm also knitting covers for some smaller, speckled egg decorations, using leftover sock yarns. 

I've thought about writing up both patterns, but there's nothing particularly clever about them. Well, I take that back...the Yoshi eggs open to be stuffed! 

You know what else it's time for? It's time to take out the Easter chicken! 

I bought this as a centerpiece before I had a good table to display it on! Now that I do, I bring it out every year for the Easter season. (There are even treats inside!)

Is it time to do anything special in your house? Is love to hear about it! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Soured?

During the pandemic years, many people made sourdough bread...for fun. Dutch ovens and proofing baskets and mason jars were purchased, and there were varying degrees of success posted to social media. So, when I was offered a sourdough starter, I gladly accepted. 

And then I made sourdough, with varying degrees of success,  though I did not buy any new equipment to make that happen. Mostly, I enjoyed the process, and the bread...the bread that sometimes took two days to prepare for the baking. Two, labor-intensive days of measuring and mixing and checking and folding and checking and shaping and resting before baking, with constants stops to wash the sticky dough (and all of the moisture) from my fingers and hands. 

The bread is good, but I'm not sure it's worth the 48-hours of attention I've lost to it. It's really more of a hobby than a recipe.

Today, as the snow continued to gracefully and lightly accumulate, 

I made French bread with yeast. It took about three hours, and the most labor-intensive part was 8-10 minutes of kneading. This bread will be every bit as good as the sourdough, and we will gobble up every crumb over the next few days...yummm! 

Some things are worth hours and days of my time and attention...like a handknit sweater, or pair of socks...

Or watching my grandkids jump off the end of the slide in the backyard, until they have tired of shouting, "Watch me! Look at me, Gramma!"

I'm not really soured on sourdough, but I think I'll save my attention for knitting and playtime and recipes for French bread (and sweet rolls and fresh, white bread).

If you have a starter, and you look forward to making and eating sourdough regularly, I am so glad for you and your bread hobby! If you'd ever like to learn to knit or crochet, I'd be happy to help you get started with that hobby, too.

Whatever you give your time to, may it bring you great joy! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Sometimes, my joy comes from a
ceramic chicken dish on the table.

November?

When did this happen?

Last week, as far as I know, I was writing something about snowpocolypse and setting goals for my knitting...then I think I took a nap...and now it is November? Just a few weeks ago, I am sure it cannot have been more than that, I was putting away the Christmas tree and starting my January sweater, and now it is time to start planning my next January sweater? When did this happen???

Maybe it was the #MondayswithAiden that made it go so fast. Just last week he was the tiniest, newest member of our family, all baby fat and snuggles, all the time...

...and now he is off and running! 

I mean walking...

No...I mean running!!!

But still snuggling a bit, here and there, too...but there is little recent evidence of this, because I am not good at the art of the selphie. See Exhibit A:

That right there is me not even knowing I was taking a picture, let alone pointing it in the right direction. Luckily, Dollface did not get this gene, and neither did her boy! See Exhibit B:

But I digress...I think I was saying something about how quickly this year is flying by, right? Right. Is it just me, friends? Or are all of you ready for the holidays looming on the horizon with yet another new year just two months away?

Perhaps I should just give in and put up the darn tree! Once I get that out of the way, then I could just knit in peace while I wait...no! Must. Be. Strong. Turkey, then tree. Turkey, then tree. Turkey, then tree. OMGosh! I HAVE TO BUY A TURKEY!!! IT IS NOVEMBER!!! Am I the only one freaking out here?!? 

Wait. I know what to do. I'll knit a monster. Yes, that will help. Pardon me, friends...and welcome to November. I will just be over here, knitting monsters and trying not to lose my mind...how will you be keeping it together?

Whatever works for you, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Photo evidence that I can selphie...kinda! lol!

Day Three

Today is day three that I am not working. I am not out of a job, just between jobs, as I told you about on Saturday. Also, I should not say that I am not "working"...I am simply not going to work. I have a list of things to work on, and I am making my way through that list, slowly but surely. There are regular things to be done, like paying bills. There are neglected things I have not done in a long time, because I have been busy at work, things like really scrubbing down the bathroom and kitchen. Finally, there are things that I am longing to do in my time off, like binge watching 6 seasons of Downton Abbey while eating bonbons, as a properly kept woman in the middle of life might do. lol!

So far, I have made some good progress on the list, but I seem to keep adding items as I go. Some things I have enjoyed, like hanging the wind chimes my local knitting group gave us in remembrance of Sweetie's sister and brother. Others, notsomuch... Yesterday, I cleaned the bathroom so hard that I my quads are killing me this morning. I am not even sure how that happens! There were no weights involved...just me, the vacuum cleaner (with all of its accessories), a very scrubby sponge and all the normal cleaning products. 

But in between the "chores" I have completed during this "vacation time," I have also done some fun things! I did hang the wind chimes, and I also flung open the windows so that I could hear them while I worked. Every time they ring, I remember that I am loved, and so were they. 

I have done some knitting with catonlap, but not much...

I think the most fun thing I have done so far is to pack the birthday box including 20 packing bunnies! They really do multiply. I think I vaguely remember putting two in there to start, but just look what happened...

I have a friend who assures me that it is quite impossible, genetically speaking, for two bunnies to create 18 more, so that there are 5 individual colors produced along the way. I hear what she is saying, this is junior high level biology, dominant and recessive genes and all... However, we are talking about Red Heart Super Saver yarn, and I think most crafters would agree that this yarn has some "special" qualities...and in the world of acrylic yarns, anything is possible, don'tcha think? lol!

Sorry about that. I could not resist reminding you about the shorts. Those shorts are one of the things I carry in my head for times that I need to smile. I have thought of them often these past few weeks, and they never disappoint. I always smile!

This is the point where I usually say, "Now off to work with me!," but today I think I will get back to that list! The kitchen is jealous of the bathroom, and I have a desperate need to balance our budget, which I have neglected to do for nearly a year. There is also likely to be some knitting. Yes, knitting is one of the things I should have put on the list. I should always include knitting on my list of things to do today.

What is on your "to-do list" today? Whatever it is, I hope that you make progress, get things done, and that you still have time to knit.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Baby Steps

One thing they've told me, time and again, is that healing is going to take baby steps forward...and it has. But even though it seems to me that my progress is slow, I know that I am healing well, and I am grateful for that. :)

I'm slowly transitioning from the walker 

to a cane, as I am able. 

I am more able in the morning and early afternoon, and with a fresh dose of painkillers, but I am more and more able to walk more and more with the cane each day. I am also trying to walk a little more, and sit a little less, with each day, and I am feeling pretty strong most of the time!

Still, I sit a lot, and I am not back to work quite yet, so the knitting (and the cats) have been a very appreciated addition to my days at home. 

As with my hip, my knitting seems to be taking baby steps along the way. My big accomplishment seems to be hat knitting, with one in worsted cotton

and one in fingering wool finished this week.

Simple knitting, stuff I can do with my eyes closed (which happens occasionally, to be sure - the naps do tend to ambush me following physical therapy!), but satisfying projects that become finished objects, nonetheless. So satisfying that I have now cast on a simple pair of stripey socks as well, and I am looking forward to seeing them fly from my needles!

That's the thing about progress...sometimes you can see it, like in a newly finished object, bound off and gifted to a thankful recipient. Other times, you just trust that progress is there, sight unseen...as I trust that my hip is improving when I can make it all the way around the block without stopping to rest, taking in the sights of my lovely little neighborhood along the way!

Long story short (too late, I know), the hip is doing well, I am doing well, and I am thankful for each day that I open my eyes and take a breath, even if I'm in pain. There's too much life to be lived, and pain is often part of that life, so I might as well keep on putting one foot in front of the other. I hope that you are doing the same, and that you are also finding some joy in the journey of this life!

Thanks for stopping by, and knit in good health!

Pray First, Pay Later

First of all, Happy 2015! I hope that this year brings more of what you're looking for, and less of what you're not, and I hope that you will Knit in Good Health! I also hope that you will find the time to foster relationships and be kind. Kindness doesn't take much time, but kindness changes lives, in as little as 17 minutes...
-------------------------
It was just 17 minutes. A little more than a quarter of an hour. A little less than a third. It was a tiny portion of my day, but God had me there for a reason. I'm so glad I didn't miss it...

I went to Office Max on Friday morning, a not so unusual start to my work day. While I was there, waiting for a 24 x 36, color poster print job to process, I noticed an old man...he was also waiting for a print job. The clerk waiting on us was new-ish to the job (less than 3 months, he had told me a bit earlier), and he seemed to be having a difficult time communicating with the old man, but I kind of just ignored it. I was sitting in a nearby chair, keeping an eye on the poster as it printed, and checking Facebook on my phone.

Then, my poster came off the printer, and the clerk called me back to the desk to pay. The old man was in the way, and he showed no signs of moving, but I wasn't in a big hurry. I did not try to rush him, just stood quietly next to him as he collected himself and some papers into the file folder in front of him. The clerk seemed a little antsy, but he caught my eye, gestured to the credit card reader and mouthed the words, "No hurry. Whenever you're ready." The old man and I were currently his only customers.

I knew that his print job was none of my business, but the old man turned to me and said sheepishly, through an accent I couldn't place (Polish I think), "I'm so sorry. I will get out of your way. It's just that I have to get this done for my funeral at 2 o'clock." He pointed to the folder. "My wife died last week, and there is so much to do today..." At this, I looked more closely at the folder, still open, where I saw a color photo of his wife and the words to How Great Thou Art and another hymn taped in place, along with a shaky, hand-written obituary on the right side of the page. He just kept looking down at the folder.

"I'm sorry," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, and his eyes welled with tears. 

"57 years!," he replied, with pride in his voice. "She was 93 years old, and I took care of her. No," he paused, "we took care of each other. We lived through World War II, we traveled to 48 states. I loved her with all that I am, and now I am alone." At this, he motioned with a weathered index finger to a poem on the back of the paper. It was copied from an announcement printed for their 50th wedding anniversary in 2007. The last lines of the poem were, and he read them aloud,

----"The view ahead is one of the best - 

-----Just a little further, and then we can rest.

-----We move more slowly, but together still, 

-----Let me hold your hand, as we go downhill."

-------------------------(Peggy Cameron King)

"Now, I can not hold her hand anymore," he continued in that accent that was definite, but not too thick. "57 years, and I don't think I have cried at all. Today, I can not stop crying." He turned away, and I offered all that I had, which was just a tissue, and my heart was broken for him.

He told me of their son, who needed full-time care due to brain damage sustained in some kind of accident long ago. He told me they had always taken care of this boy, now a man who needs diapers and cannot speak, but they took care of him and loved him together. Their love for each other, and for their son, was obviously epic. Love that was a choice, honored through good times and bad, in sickness and health, for richer and poorer...57 years of epic love blinded me as he talked about his beautiful wife and their beautiful life. Now, he was on his own. For the first time in 57 years, he was alone.

I stood there and talked with him for a few minutes more, mostly listening. I remarked that I thought his choice of hymns was perfect, then I asked if I could pray with him. He agreed, so I did. I placed one of my suddenly young-looking, 46-year-old hands between his weathered palms, and the other on his sagging shoulder. I prayed a portion of the 23rd Psalm, and asked God to give him strength and peace, in Jesus's name. The old man crumpled into my arms, and we wept together. 

He shared a bit more, then thanked me for the gift of my time. Through his own tears, he promised to also pray for me and my family, "...that God's richest blessings would come to you all." I cannot begin to imagine his grief today, but I know that he and his wife love the Lord, and each other. They loved with an epic love, and I am thankful that he shared a portion of his story with me. It is rare to get a glimpse of love that big here, on earth. I gave him one final hug, paid for my poster, and promised that I would be praying for him today and in the weeks to come. I will keep my promise.

I did have some knitting to talk about, but that will have to wait for another day. Today, I want to remind everyone, everywhere, to never underestimate the impact a few minutes can make. A little time, a sympathetic ear, and perhaps a prayer can really do a lot to encourage a fellow human being who may be struggling in shadows we know nothing about. 

PS - the whole time, that new clerk kept catching my eye, and saying, "No hurry. Whenever you're ready." Thanks, Lord, for giving me time to to pray for a stranger this morning. How Great Thou Art, indeed. 

Is it really?

This is the theme of the next Parenting Group meeting at my church:It's easy to get lost in all the activity when you're a woman/mom/gramma and you work full time. Lately, for Pretty anyway, it's also easy to get lost in the muddledness that is my brain. . .work stuff, home stuff, planning for a summer wedding for one kid, a fall deployment for another, a new baby to coo and marvel over, knitting (and other) projects that scream, "Why aren't you spending your time with me?!?" Lost is how I was feeling much of last week. . .humming Welcome to the Jungle in the office, and Crazy Train the rest of the time.

That's right. Pretty rocks.
Orrrrr. . .at least, she used to. . .you know, back in the day. . .

So, even though I wasn't feeling that time is on my side when I posted that first picture, I decided to just keep going, and you know what? As I think about it, I did get to sleep in until 9:30am this morning. . .and there is really nothing solid on my calender for this fine-and-sunny-Saturday. . .soooo, I guess that time IS on my side. Who'd a thunk it? And since I apparently have so much time, I think I am gonna go marvel at my granddaughter's pictures again. . .here's one for you, too! (Just in case you have a bunch-o'time today, and you need a sweet baby to marvel at for a moment. . .because I'm generous like that. . .you're welcome!)

This morning, Peanut is modeling the lovely Spring Garden Tee that her grandmother knit for her in soft cotton yarn, the color of a watermelon shell. . .

Time is on your side, too. . .I am sure that it is. Sometimes you just need a moment (and a couple extra hours of sleep) to figure out where it is. . .I hope that you get that moment today, and I also hope that you have some time to do whatever it is that you love.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Summer Vacation!!!

Now that I am a "Grown-Up" (stop laughing!!!), I just don't get as excited about the words "Summer Vacation" as I used to. . . Even when Army Boy and College Girl were in school, I sometimes got excited about Summer Vacation, with it's trips to the pool, and baseball games, and the generally more flexible schedule. It was hard, especially when I had a job (part-time, tho, and also very flexible), because I just did not feel as "free" as they appeared to be. sigh!

This year, my first year working full-time ever, I really looked forward to this week of Vacation in the Summer! It started with the family 4th of July picnic at my in-laws' house. . .

Eventually, just about everyone was sitting in the shade. It just got too hot to move or be anywhere in the sun! But we all had a lot of fun!

Monday was technically a holiday, so my friend Flora had to wait until Tuesday before she could be sent along to her next destination, in Virginia Beach! I packed her up with a little tea bag, that she and her next hostess will hopefully enjoy while sitting quietly in an air-conditioned space!

I tried to talk her into staying for the trip to Amish Country that Sweetie and I went on yesterday, but she said we were just nuts if we wanted to go anywhere in all this heat! I think the heat indexes were 100 degrees F, or higher! But we have A/C in the car, so we dropped her at the post office, and headed for a simpler time. I took my purple, cabled socks to knit in the car, so I had the choice to look at this for the whole trip. . .

Or look at this. To tell you the truth, it was a hard choice. I know it was hot out there, but from the comfort of my air-conditioned automobile, the scenery gave me the feeling that I was more in touch with nature. . .with the simpler life of a people who seem left behind at first glance, but then again, maybe they have the right idea.

I mean, one stop inside an Amish bakery, or a cheese factory, or even a restaurant and you get the feeling that these folks know how to live. They work hard. They dress modestly, even in a heat wave, and yet they never look uncomfortable. They smile easily. They cook with and eat real butter, and cream, and meat, fresh vegetables and fruit, and eggs. The Amish know when to work, and when to rest, they cherish family time, and shun technology because it interrupts what they find most precious. . .and they don't blog.

I might have been able to make it in an Amish community before Ravelry, and Etsy, and my blog adventure. . .but these days, I am happy just to go there for the day and shop. Sweetie and I occasionally talk about an overnight trip, but I would have to insist on flush-toilets at the very least! A "roughin' it" kinda gal, I am not!

But I do know how to relax! And I am doing a LOT of relaxing this week, too! Here is where that sock ended just before we pulled into the drive after our Amish adventure:

Approximately 162 miles of knitting took that sock from just over half-baked to almost done! I finished the sock in the next hour, and I started on the second. Then I switched over to the Harumi Cardigan (no new pictures, sorry!), and I am well into the lace - Yay! For the next few days, there will be knitting, visiting with Army Boy, Wifey-Poo, College Girl and Best-Beau, perhaps a little reading and probably more shopping (it IS vacation, right?).

I hope that you are enjoying your summer, and resting a little more when and where you can.

Knit in Good Health!

Something Borrowed. . .

Wednesdays are for waxing poetic. . .apparently. . .and since we have started the "Something" theme, I will just continue with Something Borrowed. . .

And the thing I think I borrow the most is time.
Time is finite, even when it seems to go on forever, there is always an end. An end to the drive, and end to the day, an end to the vacation, an end to childhood, even an end to this life. Time is finite, but what we do with it can last through generations.

Time spent with children, quality time full of love and learning and life, creates kids who grow up knowing how to share their lives with others. Time spent with spouses, laughing and loving and living well, creates strong marriages. Time spent with extended families, aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents, creates an enriched experience and teaches future generations their heritage. Time spent with friends, who are the same and different, creates and defines a "me" I can love through my relationships with them.

Time spent together with people is finite, and we should always make the most of it, because we don't know how much time we have left. Make the most of your time by spending it wisely, and sometimes it seems like you get a little time back at the end of the day even! Yay!

I am thankful for the time I have, and for whatever time I have left. Each morning, I thank God for a brand new day and for another chance to spend time with the people around me. Being thankful keeps me from being overwhelmed by the trials and tribulations and the what-I-have-to-do-today, and it also helps me to remember that this life is not all about me, even when I think it should be! Thankful for time to spend is a good place to be.

And when I am in a good place, and I have enjoyed using my borrowed time on family and friends, do you know what else I like to do? That's right!. . .and I have been knitting quite a bit in my down time lately. I have knit on the Monk Sock #2. . .yay! I started sock #2! And I have turned the heel on sock #2! And I should finish sock #2 before the end of May! Yay!
And, because I have a lot of yarn to be thankful for, I am thankful for a recent bout of cast-on-itis that has resulted in the first half of a Shapely Tank Top! I am using the Araucania Ulmo Multy yarn that I got on my April field trip with the girls. As I start each new ball, I see that the color varies quite a bit (it is hand-dyed yarn, after all), and I probably should have alternated balls during the knitting, but I did not. So far, I love how it's coming out, even despite the color variation! I may add sleeves. . .I am pretty sure I will have enough for short, cap sleeves, but I have not made my final decision.
So, now that I have told you about the socks and the sweater, I am off to spend some more of my borrowed time in this life. . .in the meantime, I hope that you will Knit in Good Health!