Throw Back Thursday

This is back in August of 1998.  This was our first house we bought, on Stanford Avenue in La Mesa. The house had no stairs inside but you needed to climb two flights to get to the front door.  Veronica hadn't even started school yet and that little toe head Joey was only two.  Justine not even a twinkle in our eyes yet.

 I just love this picture.

And did ya notice my tomato plant on the landing?  Oh yeah, I got mad gardening skills, otherwise known as the "kiss of death".

Of course, that has never stopped me from having a veggie garden.

Ten on Tuesday

Today's Ten on Tuesday asks us to post our 10 favorite David Bowie songs, in light of his untimely passing this week.  I really like David Bowie but I don't think I could come up with 10 favorite songs only because I have never owned an album and only fell in love with what was played on the radio.  I do remember thinking he was kinda weird when I was a kid...and "there's no way that weird looking guy sang that song I love so much" (upon first seeing him, in all his glory).  Or course as I got older, I could appreciate his uniqueness and amazing talent but I had moved on to other genres, musically speaking.

So looking back in the archives (for 10onT) and since I'm new to this, I found one in December that might work better for me.  Hey, it's my blog, and I can do what I want, right?  Anyway here's the subject:

10 Things I Did in 2015 That Made Me Feel Proud

1.  I started my own yarn shop on Etsy!

2.  I helped my husband paint our new home on the inside.

3.  I feel proud that we got our Florida home sold and found a new home that is a perfect fit for us.  I really had a sense of patience during the house hunt. I was the calm one and Mike was the anxious one.  I had to talk him down from panic a couple times.  I had faith it would happen and we would find a place to call home...and it would be a great fit of us!

4.  I knit many beautiful things.  I am really proud that I finish what I start and wear what I knit.

5.  I am still planning meals and cooking for my family.  It's been a struggle to feel up to doing this but it is part of my job and eating out is expensive.  Here's the struggle...the kids have busy lives, they aren't always home and two nights a week Mike and I are out doing our own thing.  So planning (and getting things defrosted in time) is difficult.

6.  I have been able to handle a sticky situation or two that have come up in my business with professionalism and grace.  (With help from a friend on occasion.)

7.  I am working on being a better friend.  I really want my friends to know I love and care about them (and I'm paying attention).  I feel proud to be friends with these people and I hope I've done right by them...I think I have.

8.  Sounds funny to say but I'm proud of my positive attitude.  I really try to see the best in everything.  Maybe a bit "pollyanna" of me but I feel lighter, physically, when I'm in a positive frame of mind.

9.  I have tried to say YES more.  To open the possibility to more of everything in my life.  It is something I always work on.  Last year there was a lot of  saying yes and I'm proud of that.  (Sometimes I said yes and I should have said no...see #6.)

10. I am really proud that last year I ventured back into doing more art.  I painted, drew and colored last year.  I even took a drawing class to jump start things. I'm really proud of the hand painted cards I've made.  If you're lucky, you might have received one.  I also started an art journal.  Just pages in a journal with drawings, paintings, anything I want on them.

A page from my art journal.

A Must Read!

Happy Friday!  In the future I intend to show off my FOs on Finished Object Friday....but today, alas, no FOs.  Although I did finish knitting all pieces of the Pour Moi sweater I mentioned yesterday.  Blocking, three-needle BO of shoulders, front band to knit and seaming still remain but most knitters would consider this stage (all pieces knit) very close to done.  I know I do!

So I saw this article on Facebook today.  I want all my non-knitter readers (and knitter-readers, too, of course...but you may have already seen this on social media) to READ THIS.  I know it's intended for journalists but many non-knitters have the same crazy ideas and stereotypes in their heads about knitters.  And it's funny, too (and not just to knitters, I'm sure).

Anyway:  HERE'S THE ARTICLE 

Feel free to comment here about your thoughts after reading.  And if you want to learn to knit, I'll gladly teach you how.

And to all my knitter friends...happy knitting!

Throw Back Thursday

Some of you may recognize this photo.

Throw back to Christmas of 1999.

The first Christmas card with all three kids!

Veronica - 5 years old

Joey - 3 years old

Justine - 4 months

As insane as those days were, I miss them every day.

WIP Wednesday

WARNING:  If you're not a knitter, you might nod off reading today's post.

Do you know the knitting term WIPs?  WIP stands for Work In Progress.  Knitters know this all too well.  We always have WIPs going on...some of us more than others (present company included).  So, beginning of the new year and I'm thinking about ALL the knitting on deck to be stitched up this year.  Yarn, patterns, ideas...they're swimming around in my head, bumping into each other like crazy.  Sweaters in particular are on my mind.  I have three in progress and a bunch more in the queue, yarn bought and in the stash, just waiting their turn on the needles.  I know I can't and will not cast on any more sweaters till I finish the ones I'm already working on.  Go ahead and repeat as necessary that sentence if you're like me and have too many sweaters on the needles.  Go ahead, I'll wait.  Done?  Ok, once more now, to make sure it sinks in...

 Here are the three I'm working on:

 This is Rolling Rock.  It's worked top down and I'm about half way down the body, sleeves on hold.  I'm making it out of a Madelinetosh yarn, sport weight in a color called Mica which is light blues and grays.  

I also have two sweaters in progress in which my friend Teri and I are knitting together.  We're teaming up to knit about 10 sweaters (1 down, 9 to go) together.  She bought the yarn, I do the main part of the knitting and she does the sleeves.  Then we share the wear over the Fall/Winter months.

Fading Lines.  We're knitting this in a forest green Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock yarn.  The gradient for the front panel is really lovely.  Teri's gonna knit that part when I finish the body/sleeves.  I've finished the body and working on the first sleeve.

Pour Moi is the second of the two "team" sweaters.  It's knit in a worsted weight Madelinetosh yarn, color called Baltic...it is the most beautiful blue in the whole wide world!!!  This sweater is so close to being done...but yarn is running short so we may need another ball.  I should know soon.

I have yarn in the stash for another 4 sweaters I think, could possible be more.  I better get these done first. I'll work on Pour Moi today.  I wish it was done so I could wear it today...burr, baby it's cold outside!  Good motivation.

Ten on Tuesday

Ten on Tuesday.  Today, instead of resolutions for the New Year, Ten on Tuesday suggests, 5 things you want to do more and 5 things you want to do less.  So here goes:

1.  more drawing/painting
2.  less quick-to-judging
3.  less procrastinating
4.  more writing
5.  less hesitating
6.  more laughing
7.  less crying
8.  more moving
9.  more organizing
10.  less regretting


What's on your list?

FITF

Happy New Year!  2016?!?!

Let's all scratch our collective heads and say again, "Where did 2015 go?!"  A crazy year world wide and a crazy finish here at home.  I highly recommend not moving in the last couple months of the year, well, on that note, don't move at all if you can avoid it.  Very stressful.  Now that it's done and behind me, I'm much happier.  Still that last box in the house to unpack but just the one and that's good.  It's acting as a kind of table so at least it's useful.  Once the Christmas decorations get put away, it will be too.  I really hate taking down the Christmas decorations.  I love turning on the tree lights every morning and watching the lights on the house turn on every evening.  Today is going to be very cold so a good day to stay inside and work on stuff, like taking down decorations.  And bringing them back down to the basement. One problem.  There's a spider cricket in the basement, somewhere...I'm sure he's lying in wait for me to come down so he can scare the beejeezus out of me!  Oh, you want know what they look like do you?  You might be thinking, that Brenda, such a wimp, it's a cricket for goodness sake, nothing to be scared of...in fact, good luck to have them in your home in some countries.  The last one I saw up close was about 1 1/2 inches long (the body, not including the legs, mind you).  And by "up close" I mean about six feet away.

This is probably close to actual size.  You can freak out if you want.

Anyway, bugs aside, the holidays were great.  Great to have Veronica home with us for a couple weeks.  We did some fun stuff and I took some great pictures that were promptly deleted from my phone when I updated it to itunes and it back dated all my stuff on my phone to September.  Don't ask.  I hate itunes.

No resolutions this year.  I'm thinking about goals as far as my yarn business goes and other stuff, too.  Thinking, that's as far as I've got.

I seem to have come down with a terrible, wonderful case of starteritis.  I have so many knitting projects going it's ridiculous.  Starting another one today.  I don't stress too much about that, it's just knitting.  Eventually I'll finish them all.  Or start them all.  Whatever.

Like I said, it's gonna be cold today.  I have errands to run and a dog to walk so I'll be bundled up ala Randy Style (although I'm sure I'll be able to put MY arms down) and enjoying the chill.  Maybe some flurries tonight they say, too.  Ooooooo....I'm so excited!!  FITF!!  (Faith In The Flakes)