Short Story Long

2012-01-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time!

2012-01-27T20:35:00.002-07:00

Hope you get some!

365+1

2012-01-25T10:47:00.001-07:00

Scott and Lana

We arrive at day 25 of the new year. I have managed to keep up with my Project 365+1 fairly well, although I have missed a couple of days already! Better than last year, though. Here's my picture from Saturday (above), when I took some family pictures of my friend Lana, and her family. And they'll be adding to their brood, as you might be able to tell. I love this picture of Lana; I think it illustrates how she is full of joy.

So this 366 thing. I can't figure out what it's supposed to be. It's definitely not my best work to have to get a picture everyday. Yesterday I was sick, and completely forgot. I think this is supposed to make you a little more conscientious about using your camera. Yeah, I don't have that problem. It probably drives some of my friends and family nuts when they see me coming with my camera. Again. But anyway, I'm going to keep on until I figure out what I'm doing. If you want to see my whole set, it's right here.

LBC

2012-01-13T13:19:00.002-07:00

Can I just tell you again how much I love knitting? I LOVE knitting! As much as I enjoy quilting, I have just not connected to any local quilters like I have knitters. I think I need to take a quilting class one of these days. (I still love my quilting blog friends, though!) One of the people I've had the good fortune to meet through knitting is Dianne Nash of Windy Vally Muskox yarns. I've been teaching Beginning Knitting at my LYS and had two of Dianne's aunts in my class last spring. Our class of six ladies (plus me) went out for fun after the last session, and since Dianne was in town she joined us. Since then, I have become great friends with this fun group of ladies - we even have a new little baby to pass around! Most recently, I had the opportunity to design a new pattern for WVM with their delicious Luxury Blend. Part qiviut (muskox fiber), part silk, and a pinch of wool, the Luxury Blend is warm, soft, and well, luxurious! Just ask Natalie, who modeled for me on a cool Colorado afternoon!!

The Little Black Capelet pattern will be available exclusively through Windy Valley Muskox, and is debuting this weekend at Vogue Knitting Live. My friend Julie is going to be wearing this piece, and all of Dianne's fabulous aunts will be at the show, draped in qiviut. If you're there, stop by and say hi. They will also be at Stitches West in February.

I've been doing lots of knitting, as you could probably all guess. Finally I can post just about everything I've done since August - confidential patterns have been revealed and all birthday and Christmas gifts have been given! I'll be posting about all my latest projects very soon. Make sure you come back, I know you'll want to see my pirate hat - people keep trying to steal it off my head!

The Winter Garden

2012-01-07T12:47:00.001-07:00

We had a couple of good snows in December. I was happy to see, once it all melted this past week, that several of my herbs are still alive and edible; parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, actually! And we still have onions and carrots that may be edible if they don't get too wet.

One of my Christmas gifts was The Winter Harvest Handbook. I have read several chapters and am enjoying and learning, although I am not sure the concepts are all that feasible in a little back yard garden; it's geared more toward a for-profit type project. However, I am encouraged to try and extend my growing season, both through planting smarter as well as starting seeds inside and covering plants during frosts. I will be planting peas again sometime in February - next month! He talks at length about sunlight hours, and how many European people have covered winter gardens, but Americans at the same latitude think there's not enough light; an interesting point.

This morning, we went to visit a friend who supplies us with free horse manure. I bet you can guess how excited my kids were to leave cartoons to go rake manure in the cold! Except for the whining, it was a pretty fun little family outing. Already, the manure is spread over some of the beds and mixed into the compost, thanks to BFJ. I know all the yummy veggies we get this summer are going to make it worth all the work!

366:3

2012-01-03T23:09:00.003-07:00

Here's my third day of the 365+1 project; I will link to the whole set on Flickr on another day, or you can click My Flickr over there on the right.

One of the best things I ever heard come out of another person's mouth...

When asked about competing against his friends, I once heard someone say, "My success does not depend on another person's failure." If only we all believed in being our best instead of just beating the people around us, what a world that would be! I bet you'd be surprised who said it. Care to guess?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

I usually start the New Year in a place of tranquility, with plans for the future already in motion.

Last night I started the New Year in a car, almost home but not quite, tired and feeling like we'd stayed too long but left too soon, and not knowing whether we would be finding the house dark or light. We didn't have any power when we'd left, and as it turned out, didn't when we arrived home seven hours later. However, I remind my self that while I may have had many failings today, it is simply one of seven New Days I get every week and my New Year can start tomorrow. It's all going to be okay.

I was talking to a friend earlier today and sort of decided, subconsciously, that I'm going to attempt a Project: 365. Though of course this year it will be 365+1. I thought I was going to do this last January, but on Day 3 or 4, I found my pictures so far so dismal that I immediately quit. I have a much different perspective on photography now than I did just a year ago so it will be a different experience this time.

I feel bad that my poor little blog was neglected over the joyous season of Christmas but I'm not going to dwell on that. What I will do is share a few pictures from the past month with you. Hope you enjoy, and that you are off to a wonderful start on your own year!

A New Tradition

2011-12-13T23:05:00.004-07:00

Somewhere in the last few years I stumbled across someone who had Christmas Quilts. The quilts came out on December 1st and graced the beds only in December. What fun! I thought knitting a blanket would be faster than quilting, so I began last September (2010) on this blanket. It is wide enough to cover our couch end to end - that's about seven feet, so all my boys can snuggle under it while watching a Christmas movie. It is about four and a half feet long. It took me a year! I would have liked it to be a little more square but after a year, I just wanted to be done. We got the blanket out sometime around Thanksgiving and it has definitely gotten some snuggling but I think I've used it the most!

If you are curious about the details you can find more information on my Ravelry project page, including how many skeins (14) it took.

Traditions New and Old

2011-12-05T16:01:00.002-07:00

When I was little, my brother, sister, and I always got to sleep under the Christmas tree the first night it was up in our house. We did not start this tradition right away with our kids, but last year it came up in conversation and my kids wanted to do it. The kids slept under the tree last year; this year, we all slept in the living room last night, even though it was a school night!

Last Friday we joined my brother's family at my parents' in the mountains to cut a Christmas tree down. While we were there, we got some Christmas pillowcases from my mom, a newish tradition she started a few years ago. I had told her that I was trying to stay with red, green, and brown for all my decorations so she found this cute fabric. I love them!

How about you? Any out-of-the-ordinary holiday traditions at your house? Come on, I know you want to share! In fact, if you post about it and tell me, I'll link to your post. Let me know!

Family Pictures

2011-11-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

It's family picture time! How do I know this? Because I've been taking family pictures like crazy! I'm hoping to squeeze in some of my own soon. I love family pictures, no matter what people look like, no matter if the kids are all looking or smiling at the same time. It's this moment, and every moment is perfect in its own way. Know what I mean?

Photo Scavenger Hunt: October

2011-11-16T19:23:00.002-07:00

graffitti

black cat

She'll sit all evening next to BFJ but try to catch her outside with good lighting and she runs around the yard. Finally I caught her between a screen and a dirty window! I like it, though.

heritage

Hand written notes in the end pages of my grandfather's Bible. It is currently being rebound for my uncle by Denver Bookbinding, and they are keeping all the end pages.

candlelit

In a candleholder my dad made.

crunchy leaves

fog/mist

Since I don't live near much water that would lead to fog or mist, I had to settle for foggy car windows.

golden

pumpkin

The white, the gold colored ones, and the little oranges in the foreground are all from our garden!

something eerie or creepy

I ran into Frank the Rabbit (from Donnie Darko; I still don't understand that movie) at the end of a haunted house for kids. None of the creatures jumped out, which I guess was the kid part. Personally, I found the silent watching more unnerving!

sunset

I failed to capture 'river' and 'witch's hat/broomstick.' I searched through my four years and 23,000+ pictures for a river of any kind and did not find one! We have creeks around here. No witches either.

Oh Here's My Blog!

2011-11-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Was I gone awhile? A few of you wrote to ask if I was alright, thank you! You may have thought I lost my way. I guess I did. I was stressed / depressed through most of October and I was too busy, but now I'm not. So there you go. So I'm back! Two good things have happened to me recently. One is that I have done some reevaluating of my life, and have trimmed back a few things that... just aren't as important as the time they were taking. I'm increasing my margins, as my dad would say. The second thing is that my parents came for a visit, which is funny because they don't live that far away, but they came for a couple of days. (We wanted them to.) They were willing to do whatever I wanted so that included helping me get my car to the mechanic, some decorative woodwork that needed touching up, making Christmas neckties for the guys, making cookies, reading with the boys, and so on. Sometimes you just need your parents around!!

I have taken a renewed interest in the monthly photo scavenger hunt and I'm determined to have a strong finish. Wish me luck; I think I've only hit all twelve items for the month twice, and that was back in the spring. I'll post some of those another day. For now, here's a picture that makes me giddy: we are still eating out of our garden in November! Still growing: carrots, onions, parsley, sage, rosemary and mint.

Families

2011-10-22T23:59:00.001-06:00

I love taking family photos! It's so fun to see people spending time laughing with their kids. Here are a few groups I've had the priviledge of shooting in the past month. You may have seen one or two of these on my Flickr page but I'm having so much fun with them that I thought I'd do a little post here, too.

Hello Fall

2011-10-22T11:25:00.000-06:00

I'm enjoying a delicious tea that my mother-in-law recommended while BFJ is loading the back of the garage with firewood, and turning my garden beds over for the winter; two boys are watching cartoons, and one is coloring. Someone pointed me to the perfect barn and giant tree for my afternoon photoshoot. This evening, I'm invited to a birthday party for one of my favorite little girls. If I were just binding off the perfect sweater, or sewing down the binding on a sweet little quilt, it would be a flawless fall day.

Pumpkin Time!

2011-10-17T09:34:00.000-06:00

It's almost jack-o-lantern time!

Are you working on a Halloween costume? I would love to hear about it!

Fall Knitting

2011-10-12T17:53:00.000-06:00

I've gotten several knitting projects finished up lately. I have not taken the time to post about them because most are gifts, but maybe I'll take a moment this week to get some pictures of those that aren't or have already been given. Or make something for myself? Hope you're all enjoying your fall preparations!

something to think about

2011-10-09T12:14:00.002-06:00

I know you can't believe everything you read on the internet but what if. And I know that 83 experiments won't convince everyone. But what if you knew for sure, that this is true? Would it change your lifestyle, or would you just think, "that's too bad," and continue on?

Am I a lone reed?

2011-10-07T19:37:00.004-06:00

"Kathleen, you are a lone reed. You are a lone reed, standing tall, waving boldly in the corrupt sands of commerce." -Frank Navasky

Do you ever have that thing where you say something out loud, and the moment the words leave your lips, you wish you hadn't said it out loud? Almost like you jinxed it, even if you don't believe in jinxes? I just had to go and say that my word for this year is 'contentment.' What I have been struck with this week, several times, is the irony that I am seemingly alone, or perhaps one of very few people, looking to have deep, meaningful connections with real friends.

I invited every friend I have that a) lives in my relative corner of the world that I b) thought would be interested, to join us in some of our traditional fall festivities. With the exception of my parents, and one VERY wonderful pair of friends, everyone has declined. Everyone is too busy, or in too much of a hurry. The kicker is that several of them has since mentioned that they went ahead and did it without us. So the idea was good....

Several events of this year have resurfaced in my concious mind, and I don't know what they add up to.

I had a date with a friend; I arrived at our meet-up where I proceeded to sit and wait for 35 minutes without any sign of her. Finally, I decided that something unforeseen must have happened so I went back to my car, and there she was - talking to another friend. And she informed me that if I just had a cell phone, this wouldn't have happened. It was my fault.

I have a friend who on one hand, has repeatedly said she loves my pictures, but on the other hand has said that if she had to pay for my pictures she would take her own because, "I just can't justify paying for pictures." Then she went and bought a camera that cost twice as much as my first digital SLR.

And don't even get me started on that popular networking website everyone belongs to! Thanks to a tip from one of my younger cousins, I was the first person I knew with an account. But it got to the point where I realized that "friending" had very little to do with friendship, so I quit. And of course, I have not been invited to some things because people have to "go out of their way" to invite me.

I love blogs, I love Ravelry, and I love Flickr. But I want to look someone in the eye, hear their voice, see emotions on their face. I want to go see a friend's local band because I knew they were good back when no one had heard of them, and not because I'm networking. I don't want someone to say to me, "Okay, you can be right," because, frankly, they don't care either way. I want friends who don't answer their phone in the middle of our conversation, because the conversation we're having is satisfying. And I want a friend who accepted my invitation not only because it was a good idea, but because they knew I'd be there.

I feel like I'm wading knee-deep against the blowing sands of commerce, and technology. I guess I'm having a midlife crisis.

Red Corn

2011-10-02T09:39:00.000-06:00

In trying to persuade loads of friends to go with us to Miller Farms, I looked all over for pictures I've taken, and did not find many. I will be sure to take many this year. In the meantime, as we were making Mr. Shagnasty yesterday, we discovered a previously untouched pile of indian corn from last year's excursion to the Farms.

We don't have loads of friends, but we do have a select few of the best!

On the schedule for today: church, lunch, applebutter-making.

Making

2011-10-01T16:27:00.000-06:00

One person woke me up this morning singing, "We get to decorate for Halloween today." The next person plotted to find some branches. Yet another sewed...

We borrowed a shirt from this Grandpa, some pants from that Grandpa, and a couple of buttons from Marie. Not quite done, but meet Ukulele Threadneedle Shagnasty.

More to come...?

black and white

2011-09-30T10:35:00.002-06:00

Decorating for Fall

2011-09-28T15:38:00.000-06:00

One of my kids asked today if we could put up the "nut line." I'm laughing hysterically inside!

September

2011-09-26T10:40:00.000-06:00

September is drawing to a close.

Here is my 'harvest' picture for the photo scavenger hunt. Have any good tomatoes recipes or canning tips??

Trains Go By

2011-09-18T19:52:00.004-06:00

Today, we went to a train party. A model train party. Isn't it fun to have friends who do things you would never have thought of?

ETA: Someone asked if I have more pictures so hopefully they'll check back. Here's the rest of what I shot, on Flickr. (If you are not familiar with Flickr, let me just point out that you should click on the first thumbnail picture, and then click it again, and then "Next," so you can view all the pictures large on black; so much better that way!)

Maybe I should go back with a tripod and get some more pictures! Do you think they would notice me slinking through the yard and basement?

'm'

2011-09-14T12:28:00.000-06:00

M is for marigolds, which remind me of my mom. As a child, I thought they were so orange, and not fancy. But then I became a gardener, and realized that, like my mom, some things have a hidden value, which I never appreciated growing up.

Stranger 4/100

2011-09-12T15:25:00.000-06:00

Advice

2011-09-11T20:24:00.005-06:00

Perhaps it is the voice of experience talking:

Speed: You know mint toothpaste? Don't ever put it in your eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a different note, I made the mistake (?) of eliminating everything from my blog yesterday to make it poignant, and now I cannot reload the / any picture on my header. UGH.

REMEMBER.

2011-09-10T08:05:00.001-06:00

Red Sunflowers

2011-09-05T11:44:00.003-06:00

I had such a great response to my red sunflowers last year, that I planted all the rest of the seeds this year. They are such beautiful flowers.

This morning, as I was talking pictures in the garden, the Bruise shared with me that his teacher told him there are not red sunflowers. I asked for a clarification on that. Apparently, he had added to a discussion about sunflowers, "...and red ones." To which she replied, "You mean tulips or roses. Sunflowers are not red." Guess who will be learning something at school tomorrow!

Fresh Berries

2011-09-02T10:49:00.000-06:00

Fresh Strawberry Syrup

Ingredients:
1 c sugar
1 c water
1 1/2 c mashed fresh strawberries

Directions:
In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Add strawberries and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pancakes or waffles.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com.

I visited Berry Patch Farms again with a couple of friends. This time, I left triumphantly with a whole flat full of strawberries, and a few pints of raspberries. I could have picked more, but you know, I did have to pay for them!

From this:

We now have one bottle of syrup, three pints of raspberry jam, at least six pints of strawberry jam plus more on the stove now, eight little packs for lunches, and several snacks on the go. Yum!

100 Strangers

2011-08-31T19:35:00.002-06:00

My latest photo venture.

1/100 John George. To read more about it, click on the picture!

Stitch

2011-08-30T22:28:00.001-06:00

My cat, Stitch. We also have a black cat, Trixie, but she slinks in the shadows.

Live Theater

2011-08-27T21:05:00.004-06:00

Today, at the last minute, we decided that we would go, afterall, to the open house at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. We got there too late for the free lunch and prizes, but we had a lot of fun looking around.

Set minature for To Kill a Mockingbird. How small is this miniature? That is my smallest child's blurry head in the foreground.

Costumes from Dracula were out for everyone to look at:

Sketches of Jacob, and Marley (dead these seven ye-ahs):

A set miniature for A Christmas Carol:

A huge splurge for our holidays, and one we haven't indulged in for a few years, we've already got our tickets for A Christmas Carol. I might not have gotten them, I might have just thought about it, but if you buy them in July, you can get them half price! And this year, we are taking the boys. I am SO excited!

We also missed the backstage tours, which I was really bummed about, but we did get to see how they make 'snow' and got to explore a few areas that are normally closed. I asked if they needed volunteers in set design and was told, "Um... not really." Oh. Maybe I will check back in a few months to see... just in case.

New Hat for Fall!!

2011-08-22T18:06:00.000-06:00

The Addison Hat is now available for sale on Ravelry here. Several of my wonderful friends test knit this for me, and one of them even bought the pattern even though I said I would give it to her. Aren't knitters nice?!

And in answer to Anna's (and possibly others') question about the shop on Larimer, I don't remember what the name of it was but everything was French-, wine-, or dish-related, so I could have spun around with a blindfold on, reached my hand out, and found a good gift for my mother-in-law! If I think of the name, I will post it.

a funny little shop on Larimer St.

2011-08-21T23:15:00.002-06:00

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me

2011-08-17T12:07:00.001-06:00

Okay, not millions, but whenever I think of peaches, I think of that song. My kids are learning to sing it. One batch of Spiced Peach Preserves:

I can't figure out what I altered last year but I didn't use a vanilla bean - don't have any; instead, I used a dash or two of vanilla extract. I wish I had more peaches for more batches but alas! other members of the house wanted some fresh. We also made some of Guy Fieri's Cin-Ful Peach Cobbler, which was delicious. A very big hit with everyone! I left out the cranberries (didn't have any) and if I had it to do over, I would leave out the almonds as well; I didn't think they added anything.

Guitar

2011-08-16T17:56:00.001-06:00

My favorite client (my husband) is selling his guitar, so of course I was happy to take some pictures for him.

Things We Saw On Our Sunday Walk

2011-08-14T17:57:00.000-06:00

Summer Treats

2011-08-13T19:00:00.002-06:00

Berry Patch Farms - lots of flowers, not so many berries, yet!

Last week, we went to Berry Patch Farms as we did last year. We should have waited another week or two, we were not allowed to pick berries to our heart's content, only two pints per... We thought that was two per family but some people nearby apparently interpreted that as two per half person. Anyway, we did not get enough to make a batch of jam. We did get enough you-pick-it basil for some delicious pesto. I don't know why I waited so long to make my own, I LOVE basil.

So no berries, but luckily, my friend Judy had called me a month ago asking if I wanted in on some peaches. Yesterday, our twenty pound box arrived. The boys all wanted to eat them out of the box; not me, I don't like the whole fuzz thing. Today, we are making our first batch of peach preserves for the year. YUM. Thank goodness for blogging: I could not find the recipe I used last year until I looked to see if I had posted a link. Yes, I did! (It's the last link in the text.) It's so delicious, that's the only word for it. That little zing of lemon makes the whole pot sing. I have to keep getting another clean spoon for one more little taste. One more. Just one more. Okay, one more.

My father-in-law was in town this morning and stopped by with some eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes from their garden - we haven't had many red tomatoes yet, but they live a couple hours south of us. I don't know if I've ever eaten eggplant; we're going to have eggplant parmesan tomorrow for dinner.

From our own garden, we've made a batch of pickles and eaten several cucumbers, onions, peppers, and lots of herbs. I just picked an acorn squash today - and I didn't even plant any! We had some volunteers hiding in the cucumbers and I didn't realize until this week that they were different. I love eating out of the garden. If you have one, you know exactly what I mean. By the way, thank you Peggy, for suggesting it every year until I finally planted that first zucchini!

Tidbits of August

2011-08-09T09:45:00.000-06:00

I realized yesterday that August always seems to be a lovely month. It's still summer, a few days or weeks left to sleep in, but the garden is starting to produce more veggies, there's a nip in the evening air, and the looming school year makes the last days more valuable. When I woke up this morning, I needed a blanket so I could stay in bed a little longer. Mmmmmm blankets. Mmmmmm sweaters, I am looking forward to September, too.

We spent as much time as we could holding our new baby cousin while she was here. I knew my kids would love her; they LOVED her. They posed for pictures with her every day, even if she was crying. Everyone got a turn holding her just before she left.

We had several birthdays to celebrate so my parents took us all to Casa Bonita, where we took in a puppet show, survived Black Bart's Cave, and won tons of tickets in the arcade. And ate a lot of sopapillas - yum. I wish I had paid more attention in Speech Class in high school, someone gave a speech on making sopapillas!

Do I need to tell you what's coming up next?

I've got to run but before I do, a couple more pictures of the baby. And her parents. Yes, I made her a silly hat, that's what aunts are for.

New Pattern - the Addison Hat!

2011-08-05T11:58:00.001-06:00

I've been knitting like crazy but can't show you much - samples that are secret until they are published, and presents that are secret until Christmas. I've been wanting to show you all the fun but I just can't yet! But finally, a little something for you. It's been a while since I've had the inspiration and time to put together my own pattern. I'm so excited about this hat! I hope you like it too...

I've been teaching the beginning knitting class at my local yarn shop and approached the owner about a new pattern to teach - the last one was cute but has been on the schedule for a year or more. She requested slipped stitch colorwork and I thought that was a great suggestion. It's a little slouchy to keep you extra warm, not to mention stylish. An i-cord is woven through the eyelets around the bottom allowing you to adjust the size, and finishes with a bow in the back. My sister was in town this week so I took the opportunity to catch one of my favorite models!

I've also knit up some cabled mittens but not sure what I'm going to do with that pattern just yet. I hope to have the Addison Hat pattern published within the next seven days - I'll let you know!

Pattern: Addison Hat

Size: S/M, L

Yarn: Cascade 220 in Vermeer Blue (9419), Vandyke Brown (7822), and Beige (8021)

You can find a few more details and pictures on my Ravelry project page here.

Summer Pictures

2011-08-03T14:05:00.000-06:00

Announcement of the Day

2011-07-20T16:20:00.002-06:00

"When the real Santa was alive, he was nocturnal." - the Bruise

June Photo Scavenger Hunt

2011-07-16T19:53:00.001-06:00

something with your town's name on it

(chalk drawing at the Chalk Art Festival)

wheel trim

architectural detail

cheese

night

tree branches

cutlery

a farm animal

view outside my door

Items I neglected to shoot were 'an elephant', 'a childhood memory', and 'something that starts with z...'. I had something in mind for all of these, just didn't get it done. Yet.

Blogger told me a couple of days ago that I had exceeded my upload quota, so I have put off updating my blog. In order to prove to BFJ that there's a problem, I did this whole post - without any problem. Of course.

Summertime

2011-07-12T19:36:00.001-06:00

I saw a quote yesterday on someone's blog to the affect of 'children spell love t-i-m-e,' so when I saw that mine were getting antsy today, I found some things in the closet that had belonged to dear Marie, or g.g., as they called her. (Great-grandma.) Because I know, summer can seem boring while you're in it, and so fleeting later. I taught them Chinese Checkers; I hate to tell you that I won but no one would listen to my strategy recommendations! Then they taught me Pirate Code. And then two looked through all the wonderful marbles while two of us had a nap.

Meeting the Baby

2011-07-09T21:05:00.001-06:00

I had the opportunity to drive down to Oklahoma and meet my new niece! My dad and I drove down to my sister's, my mom was already there. We spent the night, and then the three of us left Wednesday to drive home. It was a very short trip and I wish I could have had plenty of time to do a couple different photo shoots, but I had three little boys waiting for me back home. I was very happy to have this little window of time to meet my niece while she's still brand new. Considering I was there less than 24 hours, I did get to hold her a lot, and I got some great pictures, like this one of her holding my mom's finger.

I knitted a fun little photo prop thing that I had seen in some cute pictures, but unfortunately that project did not result in good pictures. I think that there was a lot of variables that I just did not have time to fix.

My dad and I had a lot of fun on the trip south, looking for items on the Photo Scavenger Hunt list. I got out at a rest stop to get a picture of "fields" and almost stepped on a bullsnake - aghh! With about 24 hours in the car, I got a lot of knitting done! We passed this wind farm in Kansas. It's hard to tell how gigantic these big windmills are, then you see the tiny cows!

Sweet Land of Liberty

2011-07-04T00:58:00.002-06:00

Happy July 4th!

2011-07-01T18:33:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite holidays; my favorite flag. Sorry it's backward, I was standing on the wrong side.

BabyPants Arrives!

2011-06-29T15:41:00.002-06:00

For anyone wondering, my sister had a baby girl this week!!! I had to wait until she had a chance to tell a few people before I could post it on my blog. Baby A came in weighing eight pounds, nine ounces. From what I hear, she had more hair than her mother did at birth, which isn't saying much :)

A Wren's Nest Farm

2011-06-27T23:50:00.001-06:00

Last week my three boys and I went to visit my in-laws down south. My mother-in-law has been telling me about this farm she likes to visit and while we were nearby, we got a chance to see it for ourselves. A Wren's Nest Farm is a cute place with lots of flowers, veggies and animals. And very helpful proprietors! They have chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, at least one duck, and a couple of rabbits. We had fun seeing all the animals, and petting a few. Paul and Tammy offer apprenticeships for people interested in learning about their trade. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that not only do they raise goats and sheep for fiber, but Tammy also spins, dyes and knits! She showed us the fiber soaking in her big sink. There is also a little store on the premises with lots of interesting handmade, vintage, and organic items, including roving, fresh eggs, and handmade soap. $2 per dozen for farm fresh, organic eggs! Can you believe that?

I was also happy for this opportunity to round out my pictures of 'a farm animal' - an item on this month's Photo Scavenger Hunt. Now, I have to narrow it down to one!

Hens also have combs; did you know that? I didn't!

How do you like the fur-tipped ears on this rabbit?! They are so soft. Paul told us they brush the rabbits regularly (daily) to get the fiber (fur). The sheep and goats are sheared once a year.

We left with some soap; if I had thought to bring my cooler, I would have also gone home with some eggs, but I was not sure how that would be on the long, hot drive home.

Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma, for taking us, and Paul and Tammy for showing us around!

$14.50

2011-06-24T21:03:00.002-06:00

Today, the boys and I went garage saleing:
$
4     black stool - never enough chairs here.
.50 tin measuring cup
2    pair of license plates and a vintage childrens' book with great illustrations
2    vintage camera, book for #1 boy, and a present - secret, of course!
0    old stereo cabinet
2    three costumes, a pair of shoes, and they threw in a pair of license plates
4    blue jar

We started out with everyone wanting to buy everything at every stop but we worked on being savvy junkers and just looking for specific things we collect, we need, we'd really use. It was fun to see them getting the hang of it: a book in a series we were already reading, for example. Pretty good troopers. We also got strawberry lemonade from a classmate sitting on the corner. It is our policy to buy lemonade from kids on corners whenever possible.

costume:

precious time

2011-06-24T00:38:00.003-06:00

are we wasting all our precious time chasing dollars, chasing dimes?

Stuff Here

2011-06-21T23:58:00.002-06:00

I recently met someone that BFJ has known since high school. After exploring his strange and wonderful house, which includes two different pairs of pet pheasants, handcrafted knives, and a treehouse above the roof, I left with a little handful of treasures. One day they'll adorn some handmade hats:

On a completely different note, the sage is doing wonderfully...

We visited my parents last week, and I had a fun little walk with Zoom and the camera...

In the garden at our house, I neglected to harvest this onion from Candace last year; now it's about ready to bloom!

Roses

2011-06-18T09:57:00.001-06:00

Don Juan

Distant Drums

I love the smell of flowers in my garden; especially roses and lilacs. They remind me of happy childhood moments.

Summer Food

2011-06-13T19:42:00.004-06:00

Don't you just love the culinary bounty of summer?

My sister introduced us to Snickers Surprise Fruit Salad awhile back; it's always a hit at potlucks! Here's what you need to make it.

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 package of instant vanilla pudding

1 Snickers bar*

1 big bowl of seasonal fruit such as berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries), grapes, stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, cherries) apples and pears, kiwi. Melons and citrus fruits are not ideal.

Rinse fruit and drain thoroughly. Cut fruit into bite-size pieces and combine in large bowl. Open pudding mix, discard instructions; stir dry pudding into tub of Cool Whip. (You may want to do this in a bigger bowl.) Combine thoroughly. Stir Cool Whip mixture into fruit, stir well. Cut Snickers into several small bite-size pieces and stir into salad. Garnish with additional fruit if desired. Cover and chill. Serve!

The fun part is if you don't tell people what's in it, and someone says, "Does this have chocolate in it?" Of course, *you have to be careful about allergies so I usually ask whether anyone has nut allergies before I make it. You can substitute other candy bars such as Milky Way if you have peanut allergies or to your preference.

May Photo Scavenger Hunt

2011-06-10T16:15:00.001-06:00

a butterfly

a bicycle

a red door

a cartoon character

an emergency vehicle

think vintage!

something blue - I couldn't choose between the blue flowers and the blue house.

a street light

texture

sign of the zodiac (scorpio)

an interesting local building - the Mayan theater, neat on the inside, too.

a black and white portrait

June Wedding

2011-06-07T23:51:00.004-06:00

I shot a bunch of pictures at a friend's wedding over the weekend. If you want to see more, ~~I'll post a link to my Flickr set once I get the rest of the pictures posted!~~ here's a link to the set on Flickr: click here.

Denver Chalk Art Festival 2011

2011-06-05T22:56:00.004-06:00

Every year there is a chalk art festival in LoDo (lower downtown.) Often we miss it but this time we caught the very end, which was great for seeing finished pieces. Unfortunately, there were so many people crowded up next to the edges that we missed several great drawings, trying to manuever through the crowd. However, I was justified in insisting we catch this when Zoom pulled out his sketch pad when we got home and started drawing.

I like how this girl is watching herself being drawn...

You could definitely tell who the chalk artists were:

To see my whole set of pictures, check out my flickr set, and while you are there you can type "Denver chalk art" into the Search box and see all the drawings and artists that other people captured. I especially like the drawing of the cows, there are pictures at several stages, but we didn't see that one while we were there.

A Tale of Two Ironing Boards

2011-06-04T09:07:00.003-06:00

I had two ironing boards, neither of which worked well. The cover on the one on the left was loose and slid around during ironing. This is especially frustrating when trying to press sleeves. The board on the right had a very thin pad and grid marks from the metal would often show up on clothes being pressed. What happens when you don't have a decent ironing board? Clothes that need to be ironed pile up until little boys grow out of them!

I finally took a cue from Anna and decided to make my own cover. I considered the two boards and picked the one that worked better for me (the one that does not screech when being opened!) and measured the length - approximately 56". I was hoping it would be under 42" so that I would not have to buy so much yardage, but alas! that is not the case.

I went to JoAnn's and perused their decorator weight fabrics - the cheaper ones, not the designer labels, and selected a print I thought would be fun, since I will be staring at this board for many hours, catching up on my ironing! I bought two yards, as well as 3 1/2 yards of elastic cording - way too much, as it turns out, but I'm sure it'll come in handy with some other project.

I washed and pressed (on the floor) my fabric and laid it wrong-side-up on the floor. I set my ironing board top-down on top of it, and cut around the board leaving a 2" allowance. I also cut a batting layer using this method, with about a quarter inch allowance. Sorry, no pictures. I pressed the edge of my decorator fabric under (again on the floor) a quarter inch, then folded it over an inch and pinned all the way around, leaving a one-inch space on the flat end to pull the cord through. I sewed all the way around using a surger-looking stitch. I threaded the cord through with a handy safety pin. Layering the batting and then the top fabric on my board, I pulled the cord tight and tied a knot, and voila! No more ironing on the floor!! Anna said I needed to post about it, so here you go, the final look:

The other board is going to charity. If you are interested in recovering your ironing board, you should read Anna's post, also; she did hers in a slightly different way. I have a lot of fabric left over; I'll probably use it to make a fabric basket for the laundry room, or clothespins.

April Photo Scavenger Hunt

2011-06-03T00:14:00.006-06:00

I did not end up with all the pictures for April. It's shameful, we have a whole month to find them! When I have missed items from a month, or not been satisfied with the final result, I have continued to look for those items until I have a satisfactory picture. The only exception was 'lorry (or big truck)' from February. I just could not sink my imagination into that one. So without further ado, April... for now.

April showers

I thought this was going to be a difficult item but as it turned out, we had several rainstorms this past April.

breakfast

A leisure Saturday breakfast at LaMar's Donuts; a special treat. Decisions, decisions...

your camera

Okay, this should be easy, right? The mirror shot seemed too obvious, and taking a picture with any other camera means I'm not using the camera I'm shooting. I couldn't decide how to do this so... it's still on the list. Yes, I do overthink things quite often. That's why I tell long stories.

a set of keys

I looked up the April list while I was at my sister's house and she immediately said she had a set of keys I could shoot. These keys belonged to my grandpa, Eldred, and I'm sure he actually knew what they went to at one time!

an interesting shop name

I could not decide what "interesting" meant so I landed on this as I was walking by one day.

a cross

Or several. We went to a mediavel / Scottish sort of event that had lots of Celtic crosses everywhere, but that was too easy. I had to think outside the box!

a church

As many churches as I drive by in a given week, this should be another easy one but again, that was too easy. There are several churches in the Denver area that I'd love to shoot but sometimes you just can't pull over to take pictures. This one was on my list, also, and I was going to be in the relative neighborhood. It is St. Malo's Catholic Church in Allenspark, Colorado. I visited it with Aunt Banana and Uncle Radish!

eggs

I noticed that my neighbor had decorated her tree, just as I was on the hunt for some eggs!

something yellow

Finally, my own daffodils.

a sculpture

Somehow, I just did not have this on my radar. Still on the list.

something to do with Shakespeare (the bard's birthday is April 23rd)

I was searching the internet for a local Shakespearean festival (that should be near his birthday, shouldn't it?) but never did find anything. I stumbled on this plate at an antiques mall and came back the next day with my camera!

something to mark St. George's Day (also April 23rd)

Do you know, I actually know some St. Georges. I could not figure out exactly what would represent St. George's Day, as I had never heard of it. I had permission to post pictures of my friends the St. Georges, but then I saw some St. George's Day pictures on the Flickr blog and they all had red crosses. I was at a festival a couple of weeks ago and noticed this flag inside the door of a bar. The waitress there thought it was hilarious that I was taking pictures of the bar. I never did figure out what was so funny, I take pictures of almost everything!

And there you have it, my take on the April list, complete with descriptions that could be short but indeed are often long.

If you want to join in this month, the June list has just been posted at Postcards from the P. P., at the very bottom of the post. If you stop by, you can see Kathy's pictures for May. You can also see the whole Flickr group by clicking here. I'll bee back shortly with my own results for May!

Thank You

2011-05-30T18:46:00.000-06:00

Thank you, Ray, Steve, Jim, Scott, Brian, Heidi, Michelle, Bob, Dean, George, and all of you out there, defending our country and protecting the freedom of people around the world. Happy Memorial Day.

March Photo Scavenger Hunt

2011-05-27T12:53:00.000-06:00

I'm way behind, aren't I? I didn't realize I hadn't posted March's pictures. I guess I'll have to post the April pictures tomorrow and hopefully I'll get to the May pictures before the end of the month!

a lion

a rainbow

something green

an empty chair

something sentimental
This bomber jacket belonged to my grandpa, Ray, who was a pilot in WWII. He painted a bomb on the back for every mission he flew with the crew of The Miss-Fitt. He said the only time the plane was shot was when he was on leave and someone else was flying it! He passed away several years ago and now my sister has the jacket.

peeling paint

a collection

a ring

My wedding ring, and the ring my grandmother wore.

a fancy gate

a shadow

something as old as I am (baby book)

a lamb (well, as close as I found)

Paper Boat

2011-05-20T07:37:00.000-06:00

It's rained so much the last few days that you could float a paper boat in the buckets that a boy left out to catch rain water.

Someone Else Needs a Miracle

2011-05-19T15:56:00.002-06:00

I was going to tell you all about my awesome day shooting photos with my friend Amber. But when I logged on to Blogger to post here, I saw my friend Stephanie had updated her blog. Today, I would rather direct you to her blog and the loss that has struck her family, and ask you to pray for her nephew, Garrett. To get the whole story, scroll down to Stephanie's post entitled Please....

May Rushing By

2011-05-18T07:51:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day

2011-05-06T22:12:00.005-06:00

I have been planning to write some blog posts about the artists in my family and ending with a grand finale of my mom, who, despite her modesty and lack of venues to apply her talents, is really pretty artistic. (If you've known my mom very long, you know where I get my mad skills, right, Teresa?) However, I have not gotten to those posts so I will just take this opportunity to tell you about my mom in general. I don't want to get too mushy but I think you'll see how great she is without me having to go too far in that direction.

My mom has played the piano for many more years than I've been alive, and taught me to play. From the age of about four until I was old enough to join the band at school, and switched to flute, my mom gave me piano lessons. In junior high, I had a teacher who also happened to be the school choir director. When she found out my mom played piano, she asked if my mom would play for the choir when they performed in concerts, and my mom did that. I don'tknow that she got paid for that, and she didn't even have any kids in the choirs.

My mom draws really neat stuff with pastels. I remember one time in church, while my dad preached, my mom drew a picture of what he was talking about and at the end of the sermon she had a finished illustration. She drew it right there in front of a live audience. And that picture hung in his study for many years. I don't think she's ever gotten paid for any of the stuff she's drawn or painted, she just does it for fun.

My mom makes fresh bread, prom dresses, wedding veils and curtains. My mom did not pick out a single detail of my wedding. Or my sister's. She might have nudged a teensy bit, but she let us plan our own weddings and do exactly what we wanted.

My mom is a gracious hostess. I can't remember my parents ever saying no to someone at the door. I can't say my house is always as clean and welcoming as the home I grew up in, but I try to tell people to just stop by. Growing up, I thought that everyone just had people show up at the door. I found at as an adult that a lot of people don't like that! My mom is also a gracious guest. She never complains about the bed, the food, the noise. She's just happy to visit.

My mom is a crocheter, and has crocheted beautiful blankets for all of my boys. When she realized the big holes in the lacey blanket she'd made for my second baby were catching his little toes, she crocheted him another one. My kids love the blankets that Nana made them, and grab them whenever they see them in the clean laundry. I try to rotate them out now and then to save wear and tear, but I know she doesn't mind if they're used.

If you read that last chapter in Proverbs about a virtuous woman, that's my mom. She's prepared; she's got lots of food in the house in case people stop by. She's humble and giving and loving. I know she has had her share of hurt and tragedy but she chooses to look at the bright side of life, almost all of the time.

My mom will drive ten hours one way to paint a nursery for her granddaughter-to-be. My mom loves daisies and roses. My mom LOVES handknit socks, and tells everyone she knows about the wonderful socks her daughter makes. Then she will write a thank you note about how wonderful they are to the daughter. And she faithfully reads her daughter's blog, and is a regular commentor. Top that!

I could go on and on but I think you're getting the picture! I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day. If your mom is gone, if you're a mom and your kids don't appreciate you, that's okay. It's still a day you're alive. Enjoy it!

Thanks Mom.

In Very Local News...

2011-05-03T07:33:00.000-06:00

Apparently we have turkey vultures nesting on our street, and I don't mean just two! They are pretty big for neighborhood birds. BFJ told me that the only way he'd be happier is if they were living in our tree. No thanks, I like my cats. I do think it is kind of funny that they are nesting in this particular spot; this lot, which is probably about a fifth of an acre, has upwards of fifty trees - and a house, of course. I'm surprised nothing like this has happened before!

Do you see them both?

God bless America, land that I love.

2011-05-01T22:50:00.002-06:00

Happy May Day!

2011-05-01T09:24:00.000-06:00

I usually really enjoy April but this year it was brutal! We had several rounds of strep and infections and more rain than I can remember having in April for a long time. The rain is good but the garden's been muddy and not much has been planted. Between contract knitting and photo sessions (six, at least!) I haven't had much time to edit my own pictures or blog. I do like taking pictures, though, for just about any reason. I am behind on the scavenger hunt but I did see the royal wedding live. And now only four weeks of school left! I see my priorities shifting this week, though, and -hopefully- lots getting done. I'll post my scavenger hunt pictures once I get done sorting through them. Come back soon!

Monday's Photos

2011-04-21T15:31:00.000-06:00

I met up with designer Marly Bird and models Natalie and Kendra, in Boulder last Monday. Remember this bridge from the photo scavenger hunt? (Speaking of the psh, I'm still taking votes on A Shadow if you are so inclined!)

A lot of the pieces and pictures I shot are top secret for now, but two of Marly's designs have already been published. You can find more information about them on her blog.

Your Morning "Awwww"

2011-04-20T07:44:00.000-06:00

As many squirrels as we have in our yard, I've never seen a baby one - til yesterday!

my morning so far.

2011-04-14T11:18:00.001-06:00

A Shadow

2011-04-12T08:09:00.005-06:00

Thank you for all the compliments on my photos and my subjects from the last two posts!

March was a crazy month. I will just spare the details but suffice it to say that I did not get done what I would have liked, including a birthday book, anything St. Patrick's Day, seed starting, sewing, and the March Photo Scavenger Hunt. I commented on Anna's set, and she replied, encouraging me to do the hunt anyway. I decided she was right, I should do them. I am working on both March and April this month. As we found in February, this has been a fun family activity. One of the items for March was a shadow, so all five of us collaborated on this set. Which do you like best?? Seriously; tell me. I just can't decide!

This reminds me. If I can go so far as to say my photographs are art, as we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and just deciding what you like qualifies you to vote. I have heard people say they don't understand why millions more people vote on American Idol than our real political elections. I think everyone should vote at the real elections, but obviously many feel so overwhelmed by the weight of our pencil marks for the people writing our country's history; as opposed to the winning singer. And then, yes, some are just lazy. This is just a fun vote, okay? I'll post the winner to my final March flickr set but no pressure, the others will remain in my hard drive!

Baby on the Way

2011-04-09T22:44:00.002-06:00

My mom and I (and a friend) drove down to Oklahoma to see my sister (and the friend's daughter). It was a really fun trip. My primary reason for going was to take maternity pictures of my sister. It's not every day you know an expectant mother who will let you take all sorts of crazy pictures of her! Despite the fact that it is her pregnancy, my sister was a good sport and took all my directions. Since my mom was there also, I thought we should get her in a few pictures. This picture just about shows how sweet a person my mom is.

If you want to see a few more of my sister, there's a set here on my Flickr page.

Sisterpants

2011-04-04T21:01:00.001-06:00

At First...

2011-03-24T15:12:00.000-06:00

At first there was one. Now there are two! I knew that allium bulbs could, with time, begin to produce more than one flower per year, I just didn't know when that would be. I don't know if I can emphasize enough how much I enjoy this plant. It was probably my best $10 purchase ever!

Short

2011-03-22T17:54:00.000-06:00

BFJ informs me that my last post was waaaayyy tooooo loooong for him to wade through, so I'll keep this one very short! And by the way, thank you to all of you who read my blog, whether you read to the very long end or not, and thank you if you comment, either in the comments or by email or phone. I really like you!

The best thing I've learned to say this year is, "I'll have to think about it."

That Book I'm Readng

2011-03-15T16:40:00.006-06:00

Finally, the post about the book I'm reading!! I'm reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. In truth, I am working on / have read more than one book in the last month or so, but this is the one to which I have referred. More on other books later.

But first, a picture, a sneak preview for the March Photo Scavenger Hunt. Chives! I said it before, they're the first thing up in the garden each year.

Now back to the book. A wise, elder friend who grew up in a farming community gave me this book. She does not share my interest in gardening, but happens to be an expert on nutrition. I tried to read it directly, but I had a hard time getting past the first chapter, and finally put it down. That was at least a year ago! Somehow, perhaps in anticipation of a new garden, I came back around to this book and picked it up again. Since I had pretty much read the first chapter, I skimmed it again and then moved on to the second chapter. Little by little I have been engrossed by this book and the word that comes to mind when I think of this book is 'savor.' It has a lot of deep reaching information, it's not a page turner in that sense, although I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it. So I haven't finished it but I wanted to go ahead and share it with you anyway.

One passage I read recently that gave me pause was in the chapter entitled Slow Food Nations where she talks about a farming friend who has two pieces of land. One has been farmed organically, forever. The other has been farmed without chemicals by this farmer but was "conventionally farmed" by the previous tenant. She writes, "Now David treated both sides identically, but even after a decade, the corn on the forever-organic side stood taller and greener." Ten years! It takes more than ten years to restore... this is making me think long and hard about what gets sprayed around my garden nevermind in it.

Okay, that makes it sound like this book is about organic gardening. I guess it is, but the primary point of this book is eating local, and taking some control over where and who your food comes from. Defining local might be somewhat ambiguous, but for this family, they decided to "eat local" for one year, and for them that meant "within their county." Might depend on your county! This also means eating things in season, instead of tropical fruit shipped across many miles, or strawberries in winter. I actually live in a somewhat rural county, with several farms, but I think for me local is going to be within the Denver metro area, and hopefully lots from my own backyard and family and friends. We got some beef last year from one of my parents' neighbors. That was not local to us, but we see my parents regularly, so didn't really have to go out of our way just for the meat. My mother-in-law keeps raving about her local, organic pork, so maybe sometime this summer we'll get some of that when we're visiting. I don't know if ranching has a "season." I haven't committed to eating completely locally, but here's how this book / concept has affected me:

I am now buying "cage free" eggs produced at a local farm.
I am rethinking my garden for this year - what will I get the most use out of for my square footage? Pumpkins are going the wrong direction - too much space taken up for a few fruits we can't eat. I think I will put them in an iffy patch of the yard, and if they thrive, bonus, but the Garden will be for edible plants that share the sun better.
This also goes for the zucchini plant. Although it is edible, it shaded out most of the peppers and herbs nearby, and will be relegated to a far corner of the lawn. I expect this will not offend it much, zucchinis are very hardy around here.
I'm giving more thought to where I buy my seeds from.
I'm considering saving some seeds next year; definitely planning to will affect what I plant.
I'm considering making cheese! Although I don't like cheese at all. My thoughts are, perhaps I will like it a bit more if I appreciate the effort it takes to make it, and the ingredients, and if not, other people in the house will enjoy it. It may be nice in dishes that I already eat, where it is not the spotlight, i.e. pizza.
I made bread! And plan to make more.
I'm hoping to buy ladybugs and praying mantis this year.
I'm planning to grow something I've never had before, perhaps swiss chard.
Not buying fruit out of season, i.e. strawberries from Chile.
Savoring the cherries when they're in season - one of the few items not available in our local grocery store year round..

There's got to be more, but I'll end with

I'm working now to find recipes for canning and freezing. Today, we opened our last jar of homemade preserves. That means that for the last seven months, my kids' PBJs have been made with only homemade Js - and most of that was organic! The only exception may be that I did buy some apples from the store, and I can't remember if they were organic. We do still have some plum conserve in the basement. I don't feel I made good use of the plums, but I did not find any plum jam recipes on the internet. I don't want that to happen again. If you know of a good plum recip, please help us all out and leave a link in the comments.

In line with this book, I saw a special edition of Birds & Blooms magazine on the newsstand called Grow It, Eat It. This magazine, still available as of today, has several things I needed, like more than one recipe for a given garden veggie, growing information for the same veggies, and information on blanching and freezing.

Okay, time to make dinner. Happy garden planning, or just happy day if you're not a gardener!

Art and Artists

2011-03-12T02:51:00.002-07:00

I love art, all kinds - photography, knitting, culinary, movies, literature, painting, you get the idea.

I also LOVE music. I played a couple different instruments growing up, as did everyone in my house, and my husband plays bass. This is something I am happy to see my children seem to have a natural aptitude for. But before we had kids, I went to lots gigs with BFJ and his band. They frequently shared the stage with Love.45. I love seeing this band play, they are fun and really tight. (If you don't know what that means in musical terms, I don't really know how to explain it except I guess it is the opposite of sloppy.) BFJ mentioned to me last week that they had recently gotten back together so I made a point to go see them last night. They sounded as great as ever. And of course, I brought my camera.

I love the intimacy of local bands, people I know, and a stage you can walk up to. And they'd know who I was if I ran into them on the street. Back when I met them, I could not believe some of the slop being played on the radio compared to these guys and I know, like all of us artists, they'd like to be spending more time on their craft and less time at a job that just pays the bills, but paying the bills is part of life.

Someone recently asked why I had upgraded to a pro Flickr account so I'll answered that question. I upgraded so that I could do things like upload 20 - 30 pictures of a band, send them a link, and share them with the world without having to spend time sending them files on email or burning a disc. I feel like I've already got my money's worth.

On a very slightly different note, BFJ and I have been making good use of the documentary catagory on Netflix and have seen lots of great art about art, including:

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Grudgingly, I watched this movie at BFJ's insistance but ended up agreeing it was a great film. It was up for an Academy Award for Best Documentary last month but did not win. The primary subject matter is street artists. In not so many words, it asks some poignant questions about what defines art. I believe this has some language, so not for kids.

Picture Me: A Model's Diary
I watched this from a photographer's point of view. I enjoyed seeing inside the fashion world but this is definitely not for kids and does show some of the grittier parts of the modeling world. Luckily the main model seems to be pretty grounded. I don't know what credits her boyfriend had by the time he edited this piece, but he started filming as a recent film grad and I thought it was well planned, well shot and well edited.

Rock Prophecies
The subject of this film is legendary music photographer Robert Knight. The film covers some of his historic images as well as his support of music and musicians, and follows his efforts to get more involved in music by connecting unknown talents with the people who can make them stars. From an historical art point of view, I really enjoyed it. This film is also peppered with rock icons and their music.

It Might Get Loud
We actually watched this one last year but it belongs on this list. It's a simple premise, three guitar giants in the same room. If you like storytelling musicians, check this one out. My favorite scene was watching Jack White construct a guitar with an old board, a Coke bottle and a guitar string. (Oh come on, click the link, it's not even two minutes long.)

In keeping with our enjoyment of watching art being created, we recently discovered Face Off on the SciFi channel. (The link is for episodes on Hulu and probably will not be good for more than a few weeks.) This eight-part series is a contest, in the vein of Project Runway, for special effects make-up artists. I find it fascinating that each of these people are so talented in several art disciplines, including building a concept, sculpting, painting, and also textiles. We have let our kids watch some pieces of this show, after we have watched it first. The finale is next Wednesday so jump on that!

I hope you're inspired today. Go make some art!

Homemade Bread

2011-03-08T22:23:00.001-07:00

Today, I made the Basic Hearth Bread from The Bread Bible. Apparently I have a few things to learn about yeast and / or altitude. Despite the non-rise fail, my kids ate it up and asked to have this kind of bread all the time. We are working on making more food thanks to that book I'm reading and never post about. (One of these days, a book post.) What I like about The Bread Bible is that it is so comprehensive, you will really know every aspect of bread making, once you read it. The thing I don't like is, it is so comprehensive, it will take a long time to read it, and sort out what I want to do. The bread tasted great, however the outside was veeeerrrrry crunchy. I guess no one minded!

George

2011-03-05T17:09:00.001-07:00

My neighbor, George, died last week. I didn't know him that well, but by all accounts he was a wonderful person. I had the privilege of attending his funeral on Friday. George and his wife both served in WWII and he was buried with military honors.

On behalf of a grateful nation, we present to you this flag of the United States of America, as a token of our appreciation for the faithful and honorable service rendered by your father.

Successful Hunt

2011-03-01T08:24:00.002-07:00

I was mostly successful with the photo scavenger hunt. There are some subjects I had a hard time get a pleasing picture of but I had a deadline, so here are my final pictures:

a bridge

something with stripes

a musical instrument

a big lorry/truck

I had to look up 'lorry' to make sure I knew what we were talking about. I have lots of pictures of trucks, none that I really liked, this one was... not the worst.

round clock face

We actually have a round clock in our house, but it's kinda boring. As we were driving through the Hill area of Boulder I spotted this and insisted that BFJ pull over. We actually had a nice little adventure, exploring a nearby skateboard shop, and getting some drinks. I thought the boys were all going to go for hot cocoa but instead they had italian sodas.

'your shoes'

I am not really a shoe person. I love shoes, but it's just too expensive a hobby for my lifestyle. If I had the shoes of my dreams, I would get some Fluevogs, like the Mollie Johnsons, or some three-buckle boots.

park bench

a newspaper headline

A lot of other hunters have more timely headlines, but we don't get the big local paper. We get the little local paper.

a 'post box'

eyes

I found these in a drawer of my great-grandmother's Singer.

something heart shaped

something red

To see the whole set of everyone's pictures you can go to the Flickr group page here.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

2011-02-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

The fellas and I have been enjoying the challenge of finding the items on the photo scavenger hunt. We went up to Boulder today and scouted around at this park I'd been to fifteen years ago. There were lots of dry creek beds and bridges to go under. I joined the hunt in February but went and found a lot of the items on the January list, also. I don't quite have all the items for the February list yet. I have one thing that I have not shot at all, but I keep looking for better ideas for the ones I have shot. I plan to post my top pick for each item on Monday. Here's a link to my January photo scavenger hunt set on Flickr, if you are interested.

Watching Superman

2011-02-20T20:13:00.002-07:00

BFJ: Here's where Superman reveals himself to the world.
Speed: Is he really good at yelling?

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T21:35:00.002-07:00

Flowers for all my blog friends!

I believe I mentioned I have been going through my photos. Over the last month, I have deleted several thousands and am freeing up space for new pictures! I am also taking the time to organize them a bit; I'm renaming them and tagging them to make it easier to find pictures in the future. It has been fun to look through all the old pictures. I have also enjoyed all the green and growing pictures. This week we here in Denver are supposed to have highs in the 60s everyday. I am looking forward to that!

On a slightly different note, I recently upgraded my flickr account to "pro" but haven't known quite what to use it for. This evening, I was enjoying the soundtrack of Il Postino while I had a slideshow going of garden pictures, and I thought, "Hey, I should download some of these to my flickr account." I thought you might enjoy seeing them too. Here are some pictures from 2008 in my mother-in-law's garden. I will add a set of pictures from my own garden soon, too.

In regards to the Il Postino soundtrack: The first half of the soundtrack is poetry; the musical half of the may be my all time favorite soundtrack. I can just imagine sipping a drink at a french or italian cafe while reading a book, and of course there would be such music in the background.

Snowy Garden

2011-02-08T09:53:00.001-07:00

Refreshed

2011-02-04T21:28:00.004-07:00

Refreshed living room paint. After:

Before:

FYI, my house was not built in the '20s, it's a few decades newer than that. The new paint is Mineral from Behr (Home Depot). Loved the two-in-one primer/paint, it covered really well in two coats. It's a beige-gray, and although I knew it was going to be lighter than the green, I definitely expected it to look like colored walls. Alas! the only reason I know for sure it is not white is because the mantel is white. Other than that, I love the new airy quality it has brought. I repainted the black parts of the fireplace (including the brass door frames), and am planning to paint the brick surround. I was going to paint it white but now I wonder if it will be camoflaged, so I'm thinking perhaps white wash. What do you think I should do? Since I haven't decided yet it has not gotten done. It definitely has to be painted, BFJ and I were a bit liberal when we re-mortared the bricks. Oops.

You may or may not have noticed that I refreshed my blog header. I also added a bunch of blogs to the sidebar. I find artistic blogs so inspiring, whether they are cooking, photography, knitting, paper crafts, or other arts. Check 'em out; I hope you discover a new blog to tickle your fancy!

Speaking of family news, my sister and her husband are expecting a little girl in early summer! If you know of any fabulous baby-related knitting patterns, please let me know. I am on the lookout. If you know of any fabulous crochet patterns, you can send those too, as Nana is looking for projects also. I am also on the hunt for the perfect cardigan or other sweater to knit myself; I have my eye on a couple from the latest issue of Knitscene. Red, of course.

I was going to do the 365 project but I missed several days in January because I simply had the blahs and could not get myself out in the winter light. I may start another month. In the meantime, I am thinking of doing the photo scavenger hunt. I wish I'd started that in January, I know an ideal tombstone or two!

PS Thanks for all your comments on Finding Contentment!

Finding Contentment

2011-01-29T19:01:00.003-07:00

I was telling a friend about some money concerns last week, and she told me that the years when her family had no money were her best childhood years. It's like the people who refer to The Depression as the "good ol' days." Priorities shift and you realize what is really important.

I guess that got me thinking about the simple pleasures in my memories. My best memories of our courtship were the simple things... eating chinese food while watching t.v., getting Slurpees, walking around downtown (that's where we met), and as I was driving through Denver on the way to a meeting this morning, I was reminded of one time when we had a picnic at Cheesman Park. I got home this afternoon, and there was an air of lethargy in the house so I forced all my grumpy men into the car. We took some sandwiches and a blanket and went to Cheesman Park. It was a warm January day but it is still January. One child was shivering before we even had our food unwrapped, so we ate quickly. Before we loaded back up in the car, we decided to take a little walk to the acropolis. Pretty soon, we forgot all about being cold as we strolled through the park. On our way along the path, we discovered a playground where BFJ had played as a child. We sat on the see-saw, took some pictures - it was beautiful light. Then I went over to the swing and swung. And remembered what it was like to be a child. And whooped on the way up, and my kids laughed, and swung, and my husband got to use the camera.

And on the way back to the car, I remembered one of my best days as a child, when my dad was stationed at Fort Bragg, and my family went to the park by the officers' club and swung on the swings. I remember the light, late afternoon like today's, and hope that this day will be in my kids' memories when they grow up.

Word.

2011-01-24T21:12:00.008-07:00

You know those people who have a word for the year? Yeah, I'm one of those people. My word came to me in December, I knew exactly what it was going to be. I even said it out loud on, New Year's Eve, to someone other than my husband. What's my word? contentment.

Somewhere, in the first few days of the year, I saw a post about word(s)-of-the-year and everyone left their own word in the comments. Many people had similar words about striving toward new and great goals, but only one person had one like mine. Jillayne's word was content. I commented on Jillayne's blog, and she replied. And then I realized that I didn't know exactly what I meant by contentment. In the meantime, I had joined a group on Ravelry based on The Compact, about using what you have instead of buying more, which I thought went right along with my word. But as everyone was talking about not spending money, I realized that was not my goal at all. Mind you, the goals of the group are worthy goals, they just weren't what I'd been thinking of. I wondered, what do I mean? And simultaneously Jillayne's email made me wonder, what does contentment meant to me? So I've been pondering, and I've finally come back around to what my original, albeit unspoken, goal was. I want to find contentment with me. Oh I've got lots of ways I could improve. Lots. But for this year, I am going to work on being happy with who I am, and where I am now. I am going to stop worrying that I'm getting wrinkles, or that other people have cleaner houses and more disposable income, or jobs with titles and business cards.

Due to dwindling harddrive memory, I have been going through my 30,000 pictures and moving as much as possible to a secondary harddrive. I've seen a lot of old pictures of myself, and I realize that (I should probably be a blonde but otherwise,) I'm really okay with who I am. And while I, like many of you, sometimes cringe when my picture is taken (why didn't I put on make up today?), my kids need to know that I'm content with who I am. So that's my word.

October - that's the last time a picture was taken of just me. Here I am eating a Honeycrisp apple recommended by Candace and I wanted her to know how much I enjoyed it - so much I had to take a picture of me eating it!

Funny, when I started writing a post tonight, I thought it was going to be about the book I'm reading; maybe next time.

BBR Photo Shoot Reveals

2011-01-18T00:32:00.001-07:00

Now that the patterns have been released, I can finally show you more from my photo shoots last October. Marly, Natalie and I had fun zipping around town taking pictures of the latest Bijou Basin Ranch patterns knit up in their latest new colors! I especially liked this set at the 'Pec (El Chapultepec, famous for "hot burritos and cool jazz.") As always, Natalie was a great model. Natalie also brought along several bags and pieces of jewelry from her friends at The Sassy Factory.

The bright colors of this wall really brought out the brilliance of the yarn.

...and I loved the taxi-hailing pictures.

Marly designed this piece and Natalie spotted this red and orange art installation. I ended up with some of the red yarn, you know how I feel about red!

Later in the week, Marly and I met up with Ashley to shoot the remaining pieces, including this sky blue top. I purposely tracked down this blue building I frequently drive by.

If I had to pick a second favorite color, it would likely be green. I like the warmth of this color, especially.

I think this is one of my favorite pieces of the set. I love the idea that it has sleeves, but you can wrap up in it too. Sounds perfect!

For more information about the yarn, patterns, and designers, check out the whole collection at Bijou Basin's website.

Ice

2011-01-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

Winter finally arrived in the Denver Metro area, a week or two after Christmas. I took this photo of a lovely ice sculpture which was forming under the leaky downspout last week.

Finale!

2011-01-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

Finally! I tried several times to download this picture, I don't know why it wouldn't load. Anyway, the finale of my handmade gifts!

My mother-in-law had forwarded me an email about our foremothers' necessity of aprons and all the things they were used for, and she said she could use one. I took the hint! Immediately, I found a cute pattern at the fabric store but it took me over an hour to find three fabrics that I thought would go well together. The pattern actually calls for four; I couldn't find a fourth but as the fourth was for the lining I got the appropriate yardage from one of the first three. The pattern came together pretty easily considering I had left this to the very end to sit down and do. I thought it turned out really cute. I like the button, too!

Pattern: McCall's Retro Aprons, M5643

Fabrics various.

I just may sew more things this year. Hopefully some new curtains are next!

Handmade Gifts

2010-12-30T15:09:00.002-07:00

I really enjoy making gifts for other people but I wonder how the receivers feel. I know there are some people who really like a handmade gift and appreciate the effort and time that went into it, but on the downside, when you get a handmade gift that just "isn't you" or doesn't fit, there's no exchanging it. This year, I tried to keep my handmade gift projects limited to people I thought would enjoy them the most, or things specifically mentioned. The exception is that I can't help making cute little sweaters for my niece and goddaughter, so I think they are going to be stuck with some crazy-Aunt-Karen gifts! Hopefully when they're old enough to start telling me what they want, I will not take it personally. Or maybe they'll think my stuff's wicked-awesome fashion and ask for more! Anyway, here are my handmade gifts for the year.

Saroyan for Kristina

As you can tell from the photos, I finished it last spring! I have always wanted to try one of Liz's patterns and really enjoyed this one. It is written in a way that allows you to make the shawl as wide and as long as you want. I went by the yarn I had and it ended up between a scarf and a shawl but will keep your neck nice and warm! It is sort of the shape of my favorite scarf. I knitted a sample out of this yarn for Marly in 2009 and wanted to knit another project with it. Wool gives this yarn stability and the bamboo content gives the yarn a nice sheen and more warmth. I was thinking of Kristina when I started this project and when I got done, it seemed like it definitely wanted to belong to her!

Pattern: Saroyan by Liz Abinante - free!

Yarn: Bamboo Ewe from Debbie Stoller, Lipstick red
Ravelry details here.

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Socks for my mom

My mom loves handknit socks so I had intended to make her more than one pair through the year but I just did not have the time. However, I did start this pair for her in August. I traded Dawn some pictures of her Autism hat pattern for this yarn. It was nice to work with. The pattern is from Sensational Knitted Socks and the only problem I had is that I misplaced the book after the first sock. Now I could have borrowed this book from several different friends, had I not altered the pattern slightly. Agh! I did manage to get the second sock knit up by following the first sock. Unfortunately I did not have these done by present-opening time but I finished them before I left my mom's house. (I also had to undo my cast on row because the cuff was too tight. I just put all the stitches on needles as I undid the row, and bound it back off with the EZ Sewn Bind off. I really like this bind off, it's flexible; here's a video if you want to see it.)

Pattern: 3x3 Cable with Moss Stitch by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Louet Gems in Charcoal from Ms.Yarn
Ravelry details here.

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Eyelet Sweater for my niece

Wow, this post has lots of craft drama! This project was no exception! Someone gave me this yarn and I thought the texture was really fun. I found this sweater online and thought it looked like a fun knit. I swatched my yarn and my gauge was a little small so I thought I would knit my own size between the sizes available. This would probably have been fine if I had picked the right sizes to work between but when I tried it on her in November, somehow I made it too small! I had enough yarn to start over so I did, and the second time I went by the 3T size. Since I knew the pattern already, it came together really quickly. I used vintage buttons of my grandmother's for the closure. I don't actually know that this sweater fit my niece, but hopefully it does!

Pattern: Eloise Eyelet Sweater by Lion Brand Yarn - free if you sign up to their website
Yarn: JoAnn Sensations Stellina, red, 3 1/2 balls
Ravelry link.

And my finally project was not a knit! I wrote it all up but I am having a lot of problems getting my pictures to load and this one is absolutely refusing. I'll see if I can post it later.

*In weather today, we've had snow falling ALL DAY! Finally.

**And on a personal note, BFJ and I have been married fifteen years this week. And he's still my best friend.

Winding Down

2010-12-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

As Christmas was winding down, I enjoyed the very last of my Holiday Tea in my new Alice cup.

I'm looking forward to the clean slate of a new year.

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Crafter's kids: someone put a fabric swatch on Baby Jesus.

I hope you are having a merry and meaningful day!

Random Review Friday: Independent Lens, Between the Folds

2010-12-23T22:53:00.003-07:00

(It's not quite Friday but almost...)

Last Friday, as I previously mentioned, BFJ took the day off from work, and we had a leisurely lunch out. We sat down at a table where someone had left a newspaper, and I happened across an article about the movie Between the Folds. It sounded like a great film for our whole family so we looked it up that evening on Netflix and called the boys in to watch. I couldn't believe how much moaning and groaning there was! I told them they had to watch the first ten minutes and then they could leave. I'm pleased to tell you that they all stayed to the end! Origami is the subject of this movie, but it's not just about paper cranes. This documentary really speaks to the ingenuity of art and the human mind. During the middle of the film, Speed got up and brought back a stack of copy paper and began folding and folding. I knew this movie would connect with him especially. Many aspects of origami are showcased in this film, beginning with three different artists (I was transfixed by Eric Joisel's work), and moving on to other topics such as the scientific applications of origami, papermaking, and sculptures with just one fold. There are so many different avenues of art within this one medium. We all really enjoyed this movie.

If you don't have access to Netflix or other place to rent it, I understand it will soon be on PBS's Independent Lens series on television. Keep your eye out for it!

ETA: Sally commented that it will be airing on PBS on January 18 and the DVD is available now. See comments for a link.

Coincedentally, I made this bow last week prior to seeing the film. I don't know if I'll have time to make more but it was kind of fun. I like making my own... everything! You might have noticed that about me. You can see a few more on Allsorts (what a pretty blog!) and find detailed directions for the bow at Craft Ideas. Good luck making your own!

One more day! One more day! One more day! One more day!

Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-21T01:09:00.000-07:00

Did you stay up to watch the lunar eclipse? Zoom kept reminding me that it was tonight, and wanted me to wake him up, so I did. Hey, no school this week anyway!

Here's my first picture, before I woke him up.

And a little later... These two pictures are basically the same time but different exposure. In the second one, you can see how the moon is turning red. You can see a star in the left third of the picture, toward the bottom.

Here it is almost complete. Again at the longer exposure first to see the red (and with stars), and then the same phase but shorter exposure to see the eclipse!

And then we were having so much fun that we decided to try and shoot Orion. I can't believe I got such good pictures, I've actually learned something about photography! I know lots of people have great pictures of constellations and the moon but this is the first time I've ever gotten better pictures than I expected, instead of much worse.

And one final picture of the eclipsed moon with stars.

SO MUCH FUN. Totally worth getting up for, I'm glad he asked me to do it!

More December

2010-12-19T19:06:00.001-07:00

I finally got a picture of some snow on the garden fence. After a few hours, it was gone.

The best Christmas gift we've gotten so far (okay, the only one) was the roast from Aunt Mary, packed with dry ice! BFJ happened to take the day off Friday and we spent several minutes putting chunks of the dry ice in a glass of water. We saved the rest in the freezer to show the boys, but by the time they got home from school, it had disappeared! I guess we should have left it in the packaging.

I finished a gift for someone from school, and already delivered it, it's the Just Enough Ruffles scarf from Laura Chou. I have one, and I love it, so I knew it would be a good gift!

I have several other projects in the works and hope to get them all done before Christmas, except one. I started a blanket for my boys, a snuggle-on-the-couch-watching-cartoons sort of blanket, but I have had other things going on and missed my goal of December 1, so it has been on the back burner.

I'll have to show the rest of them to you next week!

December Moments

2010-12-11T21:58:00.005-07:00

First, thank you for your thoughtful comments about holiday stress. I have been enjoying my month since I last posted. Sometimes it's about frame of mind!

Secondly, Anna asked whether it wasn't time for a picture of my garden in the snow, so I took this picture yesterday morning. We have had three snows this fall, and each time I think I'll wait until it piles up a little, but by the time an hour has passed, the snow is all gone. I guess I should be watering the yard still; we could be having some nice green grass!

I've mentioned my mom's homemade soup recipe. We've had lots of runny noses and sore throats around here lately, and when I saw my sister-in-law Thursday morning, she was also sick. I knew it was time to make some chicken noodle soup. My niece helped me roll out the noodles.

She also had fun getting her hands floury like Aunt Karen was doing.

After my sister-in-law was feeling better, she brought me the most delicious smelling lemony candle for making her some soup. Wasn't that nice? Lemon is definitely one of my favorite scents: it's the smell of summer lemonade, clean house, fresh ingredients.

Yesterday evening, we went out to dinner with some friends and had a great time just visiting. I had some fajitas with excellent guacomole and Mexian Coca-Cola. It was so fun, eating and laughing. And one of these friends gave me my first birthday present of the year, some Godiva chocolates! I love chocolate.

This morning we went to my cousin's house for the sixth annual family brunch on my mom's side. Some highlights of the gift exchange are pictured below:

Aunt Banana started out with the Gopher, which she used to pick up trash for several minutes until it was stolen by Aunt Carol.

My dad did end up with the Handerpants - underpants for your hands. I guess every body part needs an extra layer of clothing at this time of year?

And Uncle Radish (he's married to Aunt Banana) will show up to the next party with bells on - bells on his shorts, that is!

There was lots of good food. We hear next year there'll be food judging so luckily we have a year to plan our dish. There were prizes for December birthdays, and this reminds me to wish my mother-in-law a Happy Birthday!

The afternoon wrapped up with a trip to the theater to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I really enjoyed sinking into this movie, the fantasy, the beautiful boat, the regal costumes. As with most books made into movies, not all the details fit into two hours, but it was a fun family movie. And then, more wonderful birthday gifts! I left the party with a plate of Aunt Sharol's peppermint cheesecake brownies. Think I'll end the day with a few bites!

Now If Only I Had a Catchy Title.

2010-12-08T11:19:00.001-07:00

New "wreath" for the bathroom. Someone asked if I decorate every room, and I don't, but I decided to!

As I look back through the more than 30,000 (literally!) pictures I have in my files, there is a distinct lack of images from the holidays and winter. Is it because I like shooting outside, and it is cold during winter? Or is it because of the light? Or lack of inviting scenery? Perhaps it is because I haven’t taken the time to pause and notice the details like I do during other seasons. When I discover a new, beautiful blog, I frequently go back through their archives from Decembers past, hoping for inspiring pictures, and general eye candy. I have been perusing my usual faves this year, hoping for lots of red and green, but there isn’t as much as I expected. Is this because everyone’s keeping secrets ‘til Christmas? I had been thinking about this at the beginning of the season and intended to post pictures of all my best, most fun, most beautiful.

However, I have struggled to get here and post the past couple weeks because the joy is lacking. I have had two or three personal confrontations that have turned defensive. Every time, I was so taken aback. I don’t know how I get so blindsided, and why does this always happen at Christmas? People are always saying how they are stressed out with money, and relatives, and so on. Well I don’t like it! I am not going to take it! Besides this being my holiday along with everyone else, my birthday is next week. And I want to like this month of crafts and surprises and visits. I can’t help that I’m getting old but I really enjoy life and so many things about it. Every day holds wonders. I like having birthdays! So people with mean words coming out of your mouths, step aside. I am not going to hear you anymore this month. There; I just had to “say it out loud.”

I am resolved to declutter my life from commitments I should have said no to, or that are simply too much for today. For one thing, I’ll have more time to make chocolatey cookies with my kids! I’m going to let go of the bitterness I have that my Photoshop is no longer compatible with my operating system. I’m not going to feel guilty if people give me weird things for gifts, especially strangers. Gifts don’t always define love. Sometimes they are just supposed to be fun. Sometimes it is a bridge from someone who doesn’t really know you, but wishes they did.

I don’t like whiney bloggers. I think that negativity begets negativity. But, I do enjoy a funny rant, and sometimes, I need to be informed. It’s got to be clever, succinct or to a point. So my point? I know the meaning of Christmas: Jesus loves me.

I’m just going to laugh out loud when they least expect it. Maybe that will remind someone nearby that life is FUN. And I invite you to do it too.

PS Natalie, I love shopping for you. I never know what to buy you, but it makes me appreciate all the aqua things and orange things and sparkly things that I don’t usually look at :).