Archive | Uncategorized RSS feed for this section

We are back.  What turned out to be a 15 hour trip to Florida last Tuesday was a much more pleasant 12 hour journey back to our new home.  I am always astonished at how our children can last that long in a car without making much of a fuss other than to ask for food, water and how much longer.  They are amazing, my babies and they make me so proud.  Even Matthew during our trip there and our trip back was patient and happy.  He and two of my little ones did have a turbulent tummy in the mountains and we went through a few clothing changes because of it but then a little sweetness to settle the tummy and we were back on the road.

It is so very good to be back.  My entire time in our old home in Florida felt so emotionally challenging.  I kept feeling like that is where we should be but as soon as we walked in through our door here, we all felt it.  This is home, slowly but surely.  After a quick meal and everyone pitching in to unload the van, we all settled in to a warm house and we are all happy happy as my Eddie says.

15 hours plus 12…yeah that was a lot of time.  I cast on a Pebble vest for Matthew, you can find the pattern here.  By the time I got to Florida, it was done.  Of course my favorite part of weaving in ends (not!) needs to be done and it needs to be blocked but I love the way the Father’s Grey Peacefleece yarn lends its rustic charm to this pattern.

I figured that I might finish it during the trip so I brought another hank of Peacefleece in a beige tone to start a pair of longies to go with it.  Well, I intended on using my own crochet Bucket Seat longies pattern, but left it in my studio.  Since I have never put it on Ravelry, I had to go it alone and decided to knit one without a pattern.  A fly by the seat of my longies kind of deal, ya know?  Longies are pretty simple, all you need to know is how many stitches go around the waist, I chose 80, then rib a waistline, knit the body until it’s long enough to fit over the diaper, divide for legs and work the legs.  Really simple.

I could have finished it except that I ran out of yarn so I will be back tomorrow to share it with you.  If I can get some testers then I will post the pattern.  It’s very easy, I promise.

I hope your holiday was wonderfully delicious and full of love and joy.  Now, I am off to replenish our pantry and refrigerator.  These kids are hungry.

I finally found the box that holds all my boots.  Funny how a little thing like a pair of boots (or two, OK, four) can suddenly make your once bare looking closet feel like it is full of possibility.  With this nippy weather and mornings full of frost, a pair of boots really does make my day.  Last week, while mourning the missing box of said boots, I decided to come up with a pair of boot cuffs.  I cast on a  half a dozen times but once I would start a lace pattern, it would all look wrong to me.  I pulled out my lace pattern book and tried three or four which were all frogged.  I did complete this one in yellow but it will never get a mate because I really don’t like it and I took bad notes so probably couldn’t redo it even if I wanted to. Most of that work was done sitting next to the woodstove encouraging Eddie (who is in charge of keeping that fire going) as he tried different methods of starting the fire.  The good news is that Eddie has gotten working the woodstove down to a science so if there is any down time, you can find me there, right in front of it most likely surrounded by little ones looking for a snuggly place to play.  I have moved my tea kettle to the top of the woodstove and tea has become quite the popular thing around here now since there is most always water going in the kettle.  For me, right now, it’s coconut oolong tea given to me by my Alex, oh how I miss her.

I am now working on a simpler style of boot cuff, no lace except perhaps around the top edge, hmmm maybe in a white cotton thread or perhaps a light beige.  We will see.

Today, I have a date with an apple peeler and my favorite soup pot (aka canning pot) to make about 20 pounds of apples into apple butter.  I am blessed to have my friend Charlei’s recipe which our kids loved when she gifted us a jar this summer.  It does not look like any of the apples we got at Huber Farms will make it into apple sauce since the kids have raided the variety I bought to make it.  Apples with peanut butter, apples with hazelnut spread, apples with well, everything.  I hope to perhaps can up some apples for pie making later on and perhaps we will have to make another visit to the farm to get some applesauce canned after all.

I am yarning along with Ginny this week after not having the time to do so for quite a while.  I guess life is finally slowing down as my knitting basket has a half dozen started projects in it already.  I plan to knit today while the apple butter cooks though I need to hone in my apple ninja skills to keep those kids away from the rest of my apples.  50 pounds I purchased, really!  Those kids and their apples.

Thank you for all your comments and emails about our new larder.  Alot of you sent emails about what all is in those jars, why we keep our eggs on the counter, what meals me make and I will answer those questions in a few days…promise.  Oh and thanks for all the love on the free chalkboard labels tutorial, I can’t wait to see what you all do with that.