2012 FINISHES

2012 proved to be a slow finish it up year for me. yes, i did finish maybe 5 other things not pictured 

but over all it was not my usual productivity. 

hoping 2013 i will really get my mojo in full swing. 

i have plans to finish, completely finish 4 projects that have been dogging me for years. yes i have those, actually more than 4, but for 2013 i will finish 4 of them.

also i am planning a huge garden!

wanting to grow 50% of our food this summer.

and i think i will add 2 chickens to the yard.

that is not fully planned out yet but working on it and mr.p.

what are your plans for 2013?

not new year resolutions- 

just plans rolling around in your head.

getting ready for our big family dinner on monday.

putting somethings away so other Christmasy things can come out,

such as the Lenox plates.

they are so sweat gracing my china hutch.

so far i have been non-stressed this year

and loving it.

it is one nice thing about having older children,

we are all far more into the family and friends dinner

than all the hoopla Christmas has become.

all of us being fairly good cooks and bakers,

it is a good 10 lb. weight gain day.

my family is very blessed that we all enjoy each other's company and will spend Christmas Eve and day eating, lounging and laughing.

we will however have one child missing...he will be in chicago with my side of the family

and greatly missed here in colorado.

are you ready?

happy holidays

merry christmas

now it's time to head over to my sister's for the cookie baking day extravaganza ;o)

YARN ALONG

slowly getting through knitting my whippoorwill, 

needed to wind more yarn to complete the scarf.

i find something very satisfying about winding yarn. 

i love the " balls " of yarn

they stack so nicely.

i wish i could fill the table with wound yarn

i think i would leave it on the table as decorations

it seems to me that sitting and looking at a table of colorful wound yarn would be very soothing.

i'm also just finishing up the second pair of boot leggings.

these are a fun knit,

a little fuzzy to start them but after the start nothing but mindless knitting.

a great knit to watch a christmas movie.

reading taproot and zone 4 magazines.

taproot is a first for me and i am impressed with the writing.

i have really enjoyed the article about trees and their age.

it's heart breaking to have any of these old trees cut down.

zone 4 i bought to start the dreaming of the garden possibilities.

never too soon to be planning one's next garden.

please join me over with me
Yarn Along
with ginny

A WEEK AWAY

christmas is a week away and i feel ready !

however....

i keep fighting off ideas, grand ideas of let me make this { insert some crazy project that under good conditions i would need a month to complete }. 

when simplifying the holidays i have more time to think-

more time to think means more time to dream up grandiose projects.

not what simplifying the season is meant for.

i want time to just relax, enjoy and spend time with people that are important to me and my family.

i sure wouldn't mind a little of this either ;)

oh yeah, i need to work on a grateful heart

being content with what is.......

i have a tree ! a very different tree, the first of it's kind to pass over the threshold of my door.

yup, it is a fake, faker tree from china......ugh!

i hang my head in shame ;(.

some years i am so excited to get the house ready for christmas but sadly not this year.

oh i'm excited for our family gathering and christmas eve dinner at the house.

now that is always fun and i love, love us all getting together.

it just that this year i have people on my mind,

people here

people  living in other parts of the country

people no longer here with us...

and filling the house with a lot of bling just seemed..... overwhelming to me.

so i put out a few simple things.

i think after { maybe before } christmas i am going to go through christmas boxes and goodwill decorations i no longer want or will ever use.

i have some mighty big ugly candles down in those boxes.

my hope is by decorating with only a few lovelies it will keep me focus on what i really think is important

people !

people i care deeply about.

{ oh and about that fake tree...

it is small 

was half price

i looked for a live small tree but refused to pay the price,  only to throw it out in two and a half weeks.

i would rather give that money to the homeless man standing at the corner.

[ and yes he did get some money]

so that is the story of how and why i now have a small, very small fake china made tree...

whew---glad i got that off my chest }.

how are you getting ready for christmas?

WELL THIS IS.........

what i do when under the weather.

i took a picture of me wearing a knitted scarf to prove to me that i was cold really cold !

something i have not felt for maybe 8 years now.

and i must say i not only loved wearing the scarf but i'm dreaming of turtle necks again.

and since all i can down today is tea i thought why not make it as pleasant as possible !

so out came those lovely english tea cups of eric's grandmother.

and yes more blocked scarfs....

on the other up side of having stomach flu---

it is so much easier now than when having to care for small children at the same time.

i'm going to go and lie down again now ;o/

YARN ALONG

yup it is wednesday again......yippie-

that means it is yarn along day

and i have something completed.

totally finished these boot stirrups on sunday.

i mean all the finishing work is done....weaving in all ends neatly.

i'm not great at finishing work with knitting,

not sure why but am making an honest effort to be timely and have a nice looking finale project.

started another pair of stirrups on sunday afternoon.
{ sorry about the blurry pics. but that is how i'm feeling today...
the stomach flu has arrived at my house...ugh }

my amish christmas read was ok.

i only finished the first story in the book.

it proved to be the average amish story

but these are always good for a plot of forgiveness and redemption.

something that is always worth reading for me.

linking up with
yarn along

IN PICTURES { the first week of december }

YARN ALONG

knitting some church mouse boot leggings with stirrups.

how fun is that ?

i have two pairs to knit before christmas, 

but have no intention on getting stressed out about finishing on time ;0

my family is use to my delayed gift giving.

most christmas's i loose { forget where i have hidden presents }

and days, weeks, months and even at times the following christmas they get the forgotten gift.

it's just the way i roll around here.

last week after reading yarn along one of the blogs said she is only reading christmas books during the holiday season.

i thought what a great idea and out i went to get christmas books.

starting with 

a plain and simple christmas

of course it has an amish flair!

what are you knitting and reading?

linking up with ginny and

yarn along

WEEK-END

i had a slow week-end, cleaning knitting sewing and hanging out with eric..

{ my best friend }.

on sunday afternoon i went out east on the open plains to help a friend sew for her baby that is coming any day now.

oh the joy and the miracle happening looking at a mom getting ready to deliver.

we made diaper covers, { yes she loves and is concerned about the environment and is going to do her part for her children and use cloth diapers. keeping the land fill free of paper/disposable diapers. i commend her for her thoughtfulness ;) }.

on the way home the sun was a glow in the west due to the fern lake fire in rocky national park.

beautiful but sad.

i saw the front of 

business week magazine recently and in bold print....

"it's global warming stupid"

it's time to pay attention!!!

YARN ALONG

wednesday is now one of my favorite days...

why ?

because i'm in love with yarn along.

this past weekend has been a knitty 4 days with thanksgiving and all.

the simple  little baby sweater pattern i found on a blog

it is your basic top down yoke sweater.

their are several different patterns on ravelry.

the shawl is one i have been looking at for some time and decided i need to knit this for me.

whippoorwill

madalintosh sock weight 

have been trying to get some reading in but i seem very slow.

always something else to do and i have never learned to knit and read.

walk and cast on....even walk and knit but sadly not knit and read.

i have read Lorna Landvik books and she always made me laugh

so am having high hopes for this one.

will be visiting around yarn along after work

looking forward to seeing what is going on in your knitting world.

YARN ALONG

YARN ALONG and PIES

yes it is thanksgiving

and in my family that means PIES

lots of PIES

when i was growing up the wednesday before thanksgiving we all would gather in the kitchen and make pies

anywhere from 7 to 10 pies

{ i come from a VERY LARGE family }

this was a favorite tradition in my family and apparently it is in the genes.

caitlin opened a pie business which means----

thanksgiving and we are making pies.

50 last night,

yes a record for me and my aching back.

we were up to our eyeballs in flour and fillings

and it was a great time.

no one cried or had a melt down,

we were grateful to have GIBBS 

{ caitlin is using their kitchen }.

here are a few pics of 

me oh my pies

first major pie baking night.

sweet caitlin had to be at the bellevue bean to open this morning too.

good thing she is young ;o)

apple and cherry all locally bought

i hear the produce man is very good to look at.

haven't had the pleasure yet

but their is always the christmas marathon pie baking...

 since the pie thing has been non-stop for over a week,

prepping all last week and 

baking this week

i have had little time to knit or do much of anything.

but walking to GIBBS yesterday i decided it would be a good time to cast on for a baby sweater.

it went well.

amazing what one can do if one really feels the need

to knit.

i was even able to get through nine rows before collapsing in bed last night.

more pies

please everyone have a wonderful safe thanksgiving.

YARN ALONG

http://www.meohmypie.com/