5 things...

Still quiet, but I have picked up my camera this past week.

Please visit Habit this month to see so many wonderful photographers.

There is some good stuff over there.

Happy Thanksgiving

Grateful for all that I have in my life.

...

I seem to have lost my voice.

It's as if I go one step forward and at least three back.

I don't want to come here and complain about everything, yet I know if I do people will understand.

Instead, I'm quiet.

I'm knitting.

and reading.

and starting to think about making the holidays a special time.

The mornings have been cold but the days warmer than usual for this time of year.

I'm in the car....a lot, but not as much as I use to be since Ryan gave up hockey.

Which was a good decision.

I don't pick up my camera as near as often as I should.

But, I'm looking forward to photographing a young mom's twin boys.

They are two and they make me yearn for the time my guys were two.

So that's it for tonight.

I'm listening to a viola and a trumpet as I write this. 

So I guess things are good, if they are at least practicing.

Just popping in....

I'll be back soon. I will. I promise!

But for now, go check out Matt's photography over at Flickr. He's taking a photography class at school. It's great to see the world from the perspective of a sixteen year old young man.

Making...

What's that you say?

Did I hear you say that, "She actually knit something?"

Yep, I did.  

Well, to be exact, I finished this sweater way back in June.  All it needed was the button.

It sat in my knitting basket all summer just daring at me to make a decision on button placement.

I went back and forth and finally settled on the option below

Bottom line: I LOVE this sweater.

Specs:

Nuss by Cirilia Rose for Berroco

 This sweater was started over a year ago.

I had a difficult time with the first front panel and set it down to ponder my difficulties.

It sat for a long while as I pondered and knit other things.

 But then I got on a finishing spree and went to town on Nuss.  It's provided me with the right amount of attention that I did not get bored.

 The recommended yarn is Berocco Blackstone Tweed.

I had some Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed sitting in my stash.

I swatched and it fit the bill.

 I had a hard time deciding on button placement. The original pattern calls for tiny buttons down the bodice.  Many of the sweaters that I looked at on Ravelry showed pulling when the buttons were attached.

My sister-in-law, Julie, helped me make my final decision   The button was found at an antique show/flea market this past summer.

This sweater will be worn a lot this winter.  It's has just the right amount of ease and the opening in front does not make for an overly warm sweater.

Just perfect!

PS: My photog was free and I had to go with the fact that my hair wasn't combed nor did I have any make-up on.  But, hey! I'm good with that. I'm just glad this sweater is finally finished!

5 things...

Yet again I've stayed away from this space for too long.  It's just that I thought with having teens I would have so much more time to do things for me, yet I find myself busier than ever. Along with that busyness, come the mother's worry of helping them along to good choices.  Some days it can be exhilarating and some days it's just plain exhausting. So what have we been up to:

 1. Second year of AP global social studies.  College level course given to sophomores and freshmen.  We are in round two of this hell.  We all hate this course for what it does to our family dynamics.  Matt's stuck with it because it's this or the water down version of the course.  No honors course to choose from.  

 2. Ryan gave up hockey this year. There are various reasons, but the main one is that he is just burned out at the age of thirteen.  I could get into the whole politics of the hockey program...but I won't, I want my Monday to be free of stress.

 3.  I'm struggling with time management.  It's been difficult as of late.  I think I have it all figured out and then something pops up and changes everything.  Having a hard time going with the flow.

 4.  I've started running again.  There is a young man on Matt's team that consistently comes in last every. single. cross country race.  Yet, when he crosses the finish line, he always has a smile on his face and he raises his hands in a salute.  It's inspiring to watch and gives me the motivation to plod on.

5. This is what I live with.

Enjoy your week everyone!

Links I Love...

It's beginning to look like Fall around these parts.  The trees aren't as colorful this year as the lack of water has taken a toll on the them. It seems as if the leaves are just turning an ugly shade of brown and then dropping. In fact, I noticed the leaves dropping in August.  Unheard of around here!

The interwebs are slowly changing seasons too.  Halloween and comfort foods are starting to pop up all over the place.  The feel of hibernation is starting to set in.  It feels good to sleep under a couple of blankets and the early darkness helps to settle us into a good school routine.

Enjoy my favorites of the week and I hope you all have a great weekend.

 Hoping to find some late season sweet corn to make this yummy soup this weekend.

If I can find time, I'm making some of these.  How simple! I can picture wearing it with a jet black turtleneck.

Awesome idea!

Love this baby sweater.  On my list of go-to baby knits...for gifts...not for me!

Fashion week fever has hit yet again. I would have to say of all the designers that I've seen, Marc Jacobs was my favorite.  Loved everything I saw from him.

Making...

Remember these? Well, they have been finished for awhile.  Just got him to try them on for me.  I had all of three seconds to take pictures.  I have no details.  

 I lost the ball bands along the way.

 I'm just glad they are done.

 And yes, of course Ryan picked out his shag rug. 

 This here is the my Simplest Sweater.

Which now has been ripped out.

You know when you knit something and you just get that awful feeling that something is not right, yet you continue to knit on, hoping that feeling will go away.

It didn't. Everything was way too small.  I could have given it away, but I love the color.  I still have two balls of yarn left.  I'm going to go up a needle size and take my chances. 

Wish me luck!

5 things...

Well, hello!

I didn't think I would be away that long and I'm still not sure how often I will be back.  Life has been busy and we've all been settling into a routine now that school has started again.  I think the change in the weather, going to bed at a reasonable time and exercising for all has made for happier people in our home.

 1. We finished our summer in the Adirondacks.  This was our fourteenth summer at the same place and I would have to say our best.  The boys brought a friend along which kept the fighting at a minimum.  We all had a ton of fun and even I,had time to relax!

 2.  Both boys are in the high school now.  Yes, our eighth grade is included with the twelfth graders.  It  seems to work out okay.  Ryan is happy to be back in the same school as his brother.

 3.  I've been reading a lot more.  I need to update my sidebar.  If you are a member of Goodreads, you can find me over there.  

 4. Sports are back in our house.  Matt is running cross country and Ryan is just starting up hockey.  The cross country I enjoy-the hockey makes me break out in panic attacks.  It's not my favorite pastime anymore. 

5.  If you are still reading....thanks for sticking with me.  Hopefully, I will be here more times than not.  

Enjoy the week!

I had a birthday...

or in other words:

"This is what 50 (yikes) looks like."

I found myself approaching this birthday in a not so nice way. In fact I was really dreading it.  When I hit 20, 30 and 40 I was busy, busy.  In the midst of college, teaching and then parenting. And while I'm still in the midst of parenting, my kids don't need me as often as they did and I find myself with a lot of down time, hence, the wondering of what I want to do with the rest of my life, which leads me to gasp at the fact that I'm 50!

So, what I found myself doing over the last few months is reflecting on this great journey and thinking about where it will lead me next. 

So I thought:

When I was 10, I was a tween. Hoping to be the next Olga Korbet or Cathy Rigby.  

When I was 20 I had met my husband, who wouldn't become my husband for quite some time. I was too busy playing partying to be serious about anything. 

I remember turning 30 and still thinking that I wasn't ready to settle down.  Andy was back in my life and this time it was for good.

And then all of a sudden I was 40.  We had a great party in the Adirondacks.  All my favorite people were there...and I was sicker than a dog with the flu.  Matt and Ryan were only 5 and 3 and so excited.

I always thought I wanted a big bash for my 50th.  But as it grew closer I just wanted quiet. To celebrate with my favorite people.  My close friends took me out for a surprise dinner, my brother and sister-in-law came for a summer time visit and I quietly celebrated my day overlooking the mountains and the lake in the Adirondacks.

I'm not sure where I will travel this decade, but I do know that when I reach the other side I will have both boys out of school.  It will be an exciting time for our family. It will be a time where Andy and I will be back to just us. I'm looking forward to watching the boys grow and become young men with their own dreams. I'm looking forward to my independence and where it might lead me.

So 50, welcome and play nice.

I'll Be Back Soon....

I'm still basking in our last hurrah of the summer season.  I'll hurry back as I have so much to share!

See you soon!

Back to School...

...with the Schoolhouse Tunic.

I figured I might as well sew this up.  I cut the pieces way back in June, before the boys were out of school.

It sat around and collected dust while I languished the summer away eating bonbons and laying in the sun carting my boys around to their various activities.

 I sewed it out of lightweight cotton and I made the extra small.

The pattern says to sew 5/8 " seams but next time I might go to 1/2" just to have a bit more ease.

 I have to say that I really am proud of this one.  

Of course, there are mistakes because I misread the pattern, but those will be fixed on the next one.

 I'm thinking a soft, lightweight denim or corduroy.

Add some tights, boots and a long scarf! 

Perfect autumn outfit!

 One modification that I made was to place only one pleat in the center of the skirt rather than have a bit more boxy look with two.

I saw this one and knew that it would work better with my body type.

 So now it's your turn!  Go, buy the pattern and get sewing!

If I can do it, you most certainly can!

San Francisco:part two

As we all know traveling with children can be fun and exhausting at the same time.  My husband and I have made it a point to show the boys as much as possible before they are out on their own.  They are confident travelers and appreciate a new experience when offered to them.

The last few year that we have vacationed we stepped away from the hotel model and have rented through VRBO.  Renting a home offers us the space that we all need at the end of a long day exploring.

 Last year, when we traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming we were lucky enough to find a beautiful home overlooking the town of Jackson.

 This year, we immersed the boys into city living by renting a two level apartment right in the middle of San Francisco.  Again, the space and the privacy of their own room helped to eliminate the nastiness that can occur at the end of a long day.

 I'm always a bit nervous to send off the check or charge my credit card to someone I don't know.  But VRBO has a good advice page on being safe with the people you rent from. It's a good thing to always try to speak to the owners on the phone first to make sure they are legitimate. 

 Unfortunately, we ended up in a hotel for the last two nights of our trip because of scheduling.  And, as always, even with having connecting rooms, the hotel demons were out and the sharing of a room did not go as nicely as our stay in the apartment.  What is it, with kids and hotels?

So, if you are planning a trip soon, check out this alternative to hotel stays.  I think you might be pleasantly surprised!

We went West....

to San Francisco!

And I believe, we all left our hearts there!

Be back soon!