Friday FO Post: Yule See It Every Year

Hello and Happy Friday! I wanted to share a major FO with you, as I get ready to pack it away until cooler weather comes.

You may remember seeing this starting point:

And then when I finished the colorwork yoke, and was proud of myself, I had to show all of you!

Once I got to the point where I had a little bit of the body done after separating for the sleeves, I decided to knit the sleeves next. 

And then, it was an FO:

Project: Yule See It Every Year

Pattern: Yule Do, by Isabell Kraemer

Yarn: Kelbourne Woolens Scout in the colorway Natural; Life In the Long Grass DK Twist in the colorway Wolf Green

Needles: US 2.5/3 mm; US3/3.25 mm

Modifications: I ended up making the sleeves slightly longer than the pattern called for, and added three rows of the green on the bottom of the cuffs, just because I thought the sweater needed a little bit more green.

Notes: I had seen this pattern when it first came out, and had wanted to give it a try, because I do love me a Christmas sweater. But I'd never done a colorwork yoke before, so I kept saying that I needed to wait. Then at the beginning of 2024, I told myself that my goal for the year was to try knitting a sweater with a colorwork yoke. 

Then, as you may remember, we took a weekend trip to NYC in March for my birthday. We visited a little shop in Greenwich Village - West Village Knit & Needle - and I saw the green yarn. Well, it was St. Patrick's Day, and Life In the Long Grass yarn is from Ireland ... and I realized that I could use it for the colorwork yoke in this pattern, so that would be my plan!

I originally started at the end of October with this pattern, but was having trouble with the it (user error, the pattern is actually very clear). So I ripped out and started again early in November. I finished the yoke and realized there was no way in the universe this sucker would be finished by Christmastime. So I put it away for a while. News flash: when you don't work on a project, nothing happens! 🙄

I picked it up again around the end of February, and decided to try and finish by St. Patrick's Day. Knitted on it a bit, and then put it down again. (See News flash above. Sigh.) But then I picked it back up again after about 10 days and decided that my new - and hopefully final - goal would be the end of March.

I finished all of the knitting on March 31! And I was really proud of myself! Then I tried it on, and ... the sleeves were too short. Not ridiculously too short, but short enough that I was worried it would just bother me. So I ripped out the cuffs to the end of the main color, and then knit them longer, still adding the three rows of green at the end. Then I tried it on again, and the sleeves were just right. So that part was finished by April 2. 

I wove in the ends and blocked it, and then it sat folded on my dresser until I could get The Tim to take a photo of me wearing it. Then we got stupidly hot days, all in a row. The thought of even putting it on for ten minutes made me feel sweaty. So the other day, when I was putting away my heavy winter things, I just added it to that. If you want a "modeled" photo, you'll just have to wait until fall/winter to see it.

I loved making this, and love the finished sweater. The Kelbourne Woolens Scout is such wonderful yarn, and I absolutely love the Life In the Long Grass yarn. If I could afford to knit with them every time, I would!

I will likely wear this sweater for the first time next year at Christmastime, just because that was the original intention. But I'll also wear it after that too, since though I'm calling it a Christmas sweater, it's not so in-your-face-holiday that wearing it in say, February, would be weird.

And here are my "technicalities" - 1. Technically, I did fulfill my goal of doing a colorwork yoke sweater - and the yoke was finished during 2024; and, 2. Technically, it was finished by the end of March ... there was just a little bit of tweaking that had to be done after that.

In any case, now I have a new sweater to wear later this year, and it will be one I knit myself! I'm ridiculously proud of myself, and though I will definitely try a colorwork pattern again, it probably won't happen right away. 😃

***

This weekend is of course Mother's Day here in the U.S.  And I've already been told "Happy Mother's Day" about ten times this week, which annually irritates the living heck out of me, because why does being a female automatically mean you are a mother? The Tim says that leading up to and on Father's Day *no one* has ever wished him a "Happy Father's Day." 

I could go on, but won't.

Anyway, if you are someone's mother/grandmother/stepmother/mother figure, I do sincerely wish you a Happy Mother's Day, and I hope you get to enjoy the day and not have to do everything for everyone just because. 

If, like me, you are not a mother and your own mother is no longer with us, I hope you have a lovely, enjoyable weekend, and can spend it doing things you enjoy. 

Happy Weekend to all, no matter who, what, or where you are!

First FO of 2025!

Hello from very cold and little bit snowy Philadelphia! I hope if you are in the cold/snow areas, you are managing to stay warm. 

I am happy to share my first FO of 2025 with you. I can't remember if I showed you anything when I started or not, but I do remember that I posted this picture on Instagram:

Project: Twelve Days of Christmas Socks

Pattern: basic vanilla sock with some texture on the leg (see notes)

Yarn: Loch Briar Knits Un-Twisted Sister base, colorway Christmas Bark

Needles: US size 1/2.25 mm

Notes: I bought this yarn in late 2023, when I saw it knit up on the Loch Briar Knits podcast on YouTube. And I knew I wouldn't get to knitting it then, but I purposely left it out so that I would make a pair of Christmas socks this year. 

Well, I had a lot going on and never got to it before Christmas, but on Christmas Day in the afternoon while The Tim was starting on our dinner, I sat down and cast on for a pair of socks. I decided since I was starting them on the First Day of Christmas, and it was Christmas-themed yarn, I would call them my Twelve Days of Christmas socks. I knew I wouldn't finish the pair in those twelve days - though I am proud of myself, because I finished the first sock on January 6, the twelfth day!

I just did a 2 x 2 rib for the cuffs, and then a texture pattern that I liked and had seen the Crazy Sock Lady do - two rows knit, two rows knit 2, purl 2. It makes a nice look, and is easy to remember.

I love the finished socks, though I do kinda wish I'd just knit them plain, because I love the look of the way the yarn is on the foot, which is stockinette. But I'm still happy with the pair, and have tucked them away to wear next year at Christmastime.

The yarn is really lovely to work with, and I will definitely buy some of her yarn again. Though at the moment, I'm trying to work from my stash for a while.

I have a bit more the half of the skein left, so I may make a two-tone Musselburgh for myself (no, not yet for The Tim, just don't talk about it!), because I just love the way the yarn knits up, and at some point I want to make a Musselburgh for myself anyway.

*****

We had a nice, if expensive, weekend. Our third floor sink faucet stopped working, and the drain backed up. So we had to call a plumber, and get a new faucet, etc., which of course cost a lot of money, and means that the next big project we have planned will wait a while. But a) I like the new faucet much better than the old one, and b) it is WONDERFUL to have a drain that works again!

Other than that, we put away the Christmas decorations, and The Tim took the tree to be recycled/composted. We sweated through the Eagles game yesterday, and were thrilled that they won. And otherwise just watched some shows we'd recorded and cozied up with the kit kats.

All day today, knowing that it is the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I've had his quote about not judging people on the color of their skin, but rather on the content of their character in my head. 

I wonder why that particular one is so relevant to me at this moment in time  ... 

Keep warm, and keep going. We have to be ready to save ourselves starting today.

Last Cast On of 2024

Hello and I hope for all of you celebrating a holiday season, that it has been a good one so far for you. Ours has been lovely.

I thought I'd show you my final cast-on of 2024. Late in the afternoon on Christmas Day, I cast on this sock. I'd been wanting to get a sock going for a while, but between finshing up a gift for The Tim, and then all of the other preparations, I didn't get to it. So I decided to start while I was sitting in the living room and he was in the kitchen fixing our Christmas dinner. 

I got the cuff started on Christmas, and have made some good progress, even since this photo was taken. I'm getting ready to do the heel, and deciding between a heel flap and gusset or a shadow wrap heel. I'm liking the way the yarn is knitting up. And since I started this pair of socks on the first day of Christmas, I'm calling them my 12 Days of Christmas Socks. (Not that they will be finished in 12 days ...)

Have you started any new projects? I have some ideas swirling around in my head of how/what/why I want to knit this coming year, but they are not yet completely clear, so I'm going to work on organizing a very loose plan.

Today I had a DEXA scan - my favorite medical test! You just show up, lie still on a table for a little while, and you're on your way!  You don't even have to change your clothes. 😊 I'm not so sure that I'll get great results this time, but that won't be a surprise.

As for the rest of the day, I want to put away some of my gifts, and pay some bills, so as usual, it's a life of glamour and excitement that I doubt many of you can imagine ...

Enjoy your day!

Feels Like Christmas!

Well, at least Christmases as a kid - no snow, though. But it's cold and sunny and bright, which is just perfect.

Our weekend was pretty quiet. We both did little finishing up things to be ready for Christmas, so that the house finally really looks like it's ready to celebrate. This morning I finished any wrapping that I had left, mostly things for the kit kats. 

This afternoon, I'm finishing the last few rows of a top of a hat that I'm making for The Tim for Christmas. It was kind of a last-minute decision, and I had decided that if it wasn't finished in time, I wasn't going to worry about it. But as I said, I realized that I have just a few rows, and then some ends to weave in so I'll finish that up this afternoon.

I've been working away on my sweater, which I had sincerely hoped could be a Christmas sweater, but which I also knew meant that realistically, I should have started in September. But I haven't knit on it much anyway lately, since I've been waiting for a longer needle to arrive. I was just getting frustrated because the needle I was using, which was one I already had, was fine but making me nuts because I had to squish the stitches onto it and it was a pain to keep doing that. My longer needle finally arrived today (that's what happens when you order during the holidays!), so I can return to working on it and get it finished. Technically, it can easily just be a winter sweater, but I'd really hoped it would be a Christmas sweater. And next year, it will be. 😊

I'm pleased because I got a notification yesterday that the last "outstanding" box of gifts I'd send out had been delivered. So that worked out nicely. The rest have been at their destinations for a while.

I also keep getting reports on how successful the little Advent calendar I made for Penn and Oden, my great-niece and great-nephew, has been. Apparently they were/are fascinated by the 50-cent and the dollar coins that have been in a couple of the stockings. So The Tim was right to suggest that. Apparently Oden - who is six- keeps asking my niece Julie if she thinks they will be able to spend "that big money." Which just cracks me up!

So that's the state of things here right now. I hope if you got any snow, it wasn't too much for anything you needed/wanted to do. And if you are also someplace cold, I hope you can stay cozy!

Enjoy the rest of your day, and have a good Christmas Eve Eve (that's especially for you, Kym!)

Festive Friday Photo

Yesterday morning first thing I walked up to the Trader Joe's near us for some specific things related to their Christmas product lines. It was a clear, sunny, cold day and so a pleasant trip back and forth. On my way home, when I got to the corner of the block before ours, I noticed these Christmas ornaments in the trees in front of one of the houses on the street. I know a lot of the photo is in shadow, but you can see them well enough to get the idea. I don't know if they recently put them up or if they have been there, and I've missed them, but I really like the whole idea. So festive, and I have to think that they make everyone smile when they see them.

Today's plans include baking, wrapping, and checking to make sure that I have everything I wanted to have for both The Tim and the kitties. If not, I still have a few days to get them. I know that I need to get some special food for the cats to have their "Christmas dinner" but that's pretty much a no-brainer and really easy to do. I feel pretty well set otherwise. Though I have to admit that I love to go out and walk around during these last few days leading up to Christmas Day, looking at decorations and enjoying the energy, so I'd be venturing out of the house regardless.

Do you have any weekend plans? We just have a few things to finish up around the house, and The Tim will probably wrap some of the gifts he has, since he'll be at work on both Monday and Tuesday for the regular hours. Sunday is supposed to be super cold, so that's gonna be a good day to be cozy inside with Christmastime things and feelings.

Whatever you are up to, I hope you can stay warm and enjoy your weekend. Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere, so we'll see what this winter has in store for us. I am quite possibly the only person who hopes it will not be a wimpy winter - I'm sick of those! 

Take care, and I'll see you again soon.

Slightly Thrown Off But No Problem

Hello and yes I'm still here! No big issues, but you know how sometimes you get slightly off track and it's no big deal, but suddenly you are completely off track? Well that was me the past couple of days. Sadly, it was just a change in my routine and because I am such a creature of habit (and old), it just started a series of small dumb things that threw me for a bit of a loop. But now I'm back on track. At least for today. Or even for the next few hours ... 

If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw this photo, but I'm sharing it here anyway. On my way to my volunteer gig yesterday, I saw this house and I had to stop and take a picture!

Now I can truly appreciate the beauty of subtle and elegant Christmas decorations, I can. They really do look lovely and so quietly celebratory. But I have to admit that decorations that scream WE ARE CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS make my heart happy! As I said on Instagram, my inner Clark Griswold rejoiced when I saw this.

My biggest worry is that I sure hope they have that inflatable anchored well on to the roof, because one strong wind, and that sucker could end up in New Jersey ... 

Anyway, over the weekend we finished our tree and decorations. So now I want to clean up everything so we look nice and shiny going forward to Christmas Day. I had planned to do part of it - a *really* small part - yesterday afternoon. I mean it's the easiest part of my cleaning routine, and takes less than half an hour. But due to the fact that I had an appt in the afternoon, I was completely thrown off from my usual routine (see: creature of habit, old), and could not face the effort of extra energy. So that will be the first thing I get out of the way today, and then the rest will follow. I will be thrilled once it is finished, and that is my motivation to do it all TODAY.

On Sunday afternoon, we were finishing up decorating the tree, and between the fact that it was noisy with opening boxes and things, and the fact that The Tim was also doing it and he is so LOUD, Esme escaped upstairs because it was all too much for her. She decided to hang out with other Christmas characters in the guest room.

I guess sometimes you just need some friends who know how to keep quiet. 💞

How Are You Doing?

Hello, I hope this finds you being cozy and taking care of yourselves. The cold or whatever it was that I had seems to at last be starting to move along. The last two nights I've actually been able to sleep three hours in a row, which is a major accomplishment. That's the most sleep I've been able to get for about two weeks. So I've decided I'm on the departing end of being sick, and boy am I glad! For a couple of days, I have to admit that I was concerned it was more than just a cold.

Anyway, it put me behind on what I was hoping to do, and where I hoped to go, etc. and that is annoying. But I can't change anything about it, so I'm trying my best to just go along.

Today is supposed to be rainy around here, but I am hoping to go out during a calm period to pick up something that I ordered and stop at a local market for a few things that I can only find there that we like to have for the holiday season. Yes, I could wait until tomorrow, and will if I have to, but you know how it is when you get something in your brain and want to take care of it RIGHT THEN. 

I thought about doing some cleaning around the house, but I'm going to be digging into various boxes of decorations and ornaments, so that would just be a waste of my time and energy. I'll clean up after the boxes have returned to the basement. There have been years when I have thought Oh well, I'll do it now and then just pick up once the boxes are back downstairs, and let me tell you, that did not work well at all. I ended up doing a major clean twice, and well, nope! Live and learn, you know.

Not much to report, since I have been down for the count. But I'm hoping to get back into the swing of everything starting today. I am less tired than I have been and don't have to spend all of my time coughing violently and/or blowing my nose, so I feel like I can actually enjoy a day of doing holiday things. 

I hope your day goes well, and that you can avoid getting whatever I had, which seems to be traveling around and visiting everyone I know. No one welcomes that kind of holiday guest!

Festive Friday FO: Broken Garter Scarf

Hello and happy first Friday of December! Our original plan was to go to Baltimore this weekend to be with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat. We were really looking forward to kicking things off with them. But I have had a killer cold and the sore throat from hell since Monday. My Covid test was negative, so I guess it's just an awful cold. I have been so miserable, and though the medicine the doctor gave to me is helping, I knew that it would be a bad idea to still go. I still feel awful, and overnights are the worst. So I if I have to be sick, I'm staying home.

Oh well, a couple of extra days to rest and take my time with Christmastime things.

Do you remember these photos from last November/early December?

 

It was the start of a scarf I was making for The Tim for Christmas. However, I got to a certain point and realized I had not paid close enough attention to the pattern, and one way or another, it was not going to be ready for Christmas. So it got put away until I decided what to do.

Project: Broken Garter Scarf for Tim

Pattern: Broken Garter Scarf - a store pattern from Loop. There are solid color patterns that are similar on Ravelry, you'd just need to decide how to change around the colors.

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed in the following colorways: Rage (150), Alabaster (197), Seasalter (178), Lotus Leaf (205), Cinnamon (356)

Needles: US 6/4mm

Modifications/Notes: Well, OK I did modify the pattern, but not intentionally. The pattern tells you to do two rows (1-2) with one color, then two rows (3-4) with the next. Then it says to repeat rows 1-4 40 times. Well, when I "finished" with the last color combination, the scarf was not long enough to go around a neck even once. 

Yep, you guessed it - I was supposed to have *80* rows in each section, but I only had 40 rows. Sigh.

No way was I gonna rip it out, even once I decided I didn't need it for Christmas. Because that was already a lot of knitting. So I decided to do the "last" part for 80 rows, and then repeat the other colors and number of rows on the other side. So the middle would be one long section, and the "sides" so to speak, would match.

I finished knitting and weaving in the ends around the middle of November, and I like it. I think I would like it better if I'd done the pattern as written, but I'd also like a million dollars, you know?

I still think it looks nice, and I know that The Tim will like it. That's all that really counts.

I like the colors I chose, but I have to tell you, the red shade (aka 'Rage') is my favorite! Not just the shade of red, but the name - Rage! I enjoyed telling people I was knitting with rage ... Maybe a Rage Sweater is in my future???

It's a little bit wrinkled from being stored in the project bag, but 1) it's a scarf, it's not going to be perfect anyway, and 2) again, it's a scarf, so it's not going to be laid out perfectly when it's worn.

It was an enjoyable knit for the most part, except when I'd be going along and would realize that I had not changed colors - but that's my lack of attention, not a problem with the pattern. 

And now the knitted gift for The Tim is finished and will be ready to wrap. A year late, but then again, Christmas comes every year, you know?

Happy December!

Hello and welcome to December - which is really feeling like December here in Philadelphia. The weather is very cold, but mostly bright, which is just so nice! I'm at home today rather than at my volunteer gig, because right now there are no kitties at the location where I volunteer! Everyone was adopted over the weekend, which is good news. But it does mean that I have to stay home and annoy my own kitties this morning. 😉

Thanks for going along with me yesterday when I posted the photo of our old cardboard wreath, the symbol of the start of Christmastime in our house. I was especially happy that KSD noticed, since I know she gets as much of a charge out of it as I do. When we first bought that decoration, we were living in married  student housing at the University of Notre Dame, and had gotten married the October before that Christmas. Yesterday, I did an inflation tally, and thought you'd enjoy my findings.

When we bought that cardboard wreath in 1978, at the equivalent of what would probably be a dollar store today, it was priced at 39 cents (you can still see the price pencilled faintly on the back). If we wanted to buy that same decoration today, it would cost us - are you ready for this? - a WHOPPING $1.89! 

IS NOTHING SACRED????? 

Yesterday morning I ventured out and stopped at Sephora and Barnes and Noble, to find some gifts for some nieces and to get a couple of books for birthday gifts. My one set of nieces have birthdays on December 18, December 25 (aka Lizmas), and December 29. A lot of people just ignore their birthdays - you know, the "This is for your birthday and Christmas," but I grew up with a mother whose birthday was December 2, and she said that *her* mother insisted that if you were born in December, you still deserved an actual birthday. So that is the way it works. Anyway, I had complete success, and that made me happy for the rest of the day, I have to say.

Today's agenda includes paying a couple of bills, and digging out Christmas cards to get ready. I know we have some, and I want to make sure that we have stamps, etc. Yes, I still send Christmas cards. Maybe not as many as before, since I have had many people tell me in no uncertain terms that they do NOT want a paper card, and who do I think I am, sending cards when the earth is already so polluted. So I just don't send anything to them. But sending cards and receiving cards gives me a lot of joy, and I always recycle ours or use parts of them for gift tags for the next year, so I feel it's OK. 

I'll probably also get out some "easy" decorations - you know, pillows and such that you have for around the house that you don't need to set aside a day to unwrap and organize.

Of course, there will also be knitting and reading. And the taking of cough syrup, since I started with a chest cold on Sunday, and coughed my way through the night last night. 😡

As I mentioned above, yesterday was my mom's birthday. Last night, The Tim and I were drinking a birthday toast to her, and I was saying that if she were still here, she would be 106 years old. And The Tim said, "Oh God, she'd still be getting me to find her cane for her 50 times a day!" and we had a good laugh, because she would "lose" her cane all of the time. And then she'd say, "Tim, I've lost my cane/that person has my cane,* will you help me find it," and he would say, "Geraldine, it's right in front of you," and she would respond, "Oh for God's sake!" and the two of them would have the best laugh about it.

Whereas, if The Tim wasn't around, and it was only the two of us, she would say the same thing to me, and I would say - in a completely normal tone of voice - "Mom, it's right in front of you," and she would say in a truly annoyed fashion, "Well, no one likes a smart ass."

Sometimes you're just not the favorite, and you have to live with that. 😂

*whenever she would "lose" her cane, if we were out somewhere and someone else near us also had a cane, she was always convinced they it was hers and they had taken it ...

It's Time

IFKYK. 

(This year with our new door!)

Almost a Wrap

 

It's true. In a couple of days, we'll say goodbye to 2023, whether or not we want to do that. Whether it's been a good year, a bad year, or just a regular year, the next one is coming and will bring its own packaging along with it.

But before that happens, today is my niece Amanda's 50th birthday! She will be celebrating with her husband just the way she wants to, with a weekend in Rehoboth Beach. They have some favorite places there, and she said that rather than a party, going there was the best way she could imagine to welcome her fiftieth year. This pleases me, because she deserves to spend a special birthday in a special place. When you have a birthday so soon after Christmas, a lot of people just forget about it, because they are over celebrations, or they are busy looking forward to New Year's Eve. So I can't wait to hear about her wonderful birthday weekend!

Also today is Holiday Cheeseball making day! I usually make it during the week between Christmas and New Year's, and since I finally found some nice blue cheese (why was that so hard this year??), today it will happen and it will have a couple of days to blend the flavors before we break into it for New Year's Eve.

Am I happy to see the year end? This year has been a mix of good and bad, but the most important and best part of it is that we have been together all year, and we added Miss Esmeralda to our family. Any year that we are all still together is a good year, no matter what else does or does not happen. So I'm not necessarily happy to move on to the new year because there are no guarantees it will be the same in that regard. We have to hope for the best.

Having said that, no year is all good or all bad, so 2024 will bring what it wants to bring. I hope it will be mostly good things, but I have no expectations that it will be perfect. I already know of a couple of things that I am happily anticipating, and that's always a good way to start a new year.

Here's hoping that the remainder of 2023 will be kind to you and that at a minimum, most of 2024 will have good things coming your way.

Oh and also - enjoy New Year's Eve, because:

12/31/23

Right??? 

The Fun of Christmas Day

Christmas Day was a good one at our house. It was clear when we came downstairs that Santa had decided the kitties were good in the past year - look at this haul!

Christmas morning, I lit the candle I had purchased from a local rescue group - look at the name of the scent, Christmas Tails! 😊

 

Alfie and Pip were up first, and giving us the stink-eye to come and help them open their packages.

Pip inspected everything, and then went and sat next to his stocking!

Everything was a big hit, but the most exciting kitty gift was this cardboard Christmas barn, where the floors were scratching pads. (It was very poorly put together by me. Fortunately, cats don't care.)

Pip checked it out first.

Then Milo took a turn.

Then both of them were in there!

At various points in the day, there were different combinations of cats in the Christmas barn. A few skirmishes, when someone would decide they wanted it all to themselves, but nothing major. And there were plenty of other distractions to keep everyone occupied.

Esme: Well, crap he's in there, I can't go in. (If you look closely, you can see Milo's face in the upper window.)'

Disapproving girl.

Everyone had a wonderful day, and the nicest thing is that we all had the chance to be together the whole time. The Tim and I also did well, gift-wise, and we agreed it was a nice, long, relaxing day and an overall success. 

Today it's rainy here, so very conducive to just staying inside and enjoying Christmastime. I'll probably do a few smallish things that I want to accomplish, but otherwise, I'm just going to enjoy a quiet, cozy, rainy day. 

Interrupted occasionally by disagreements over who gets to be inside the Christmas barn when ... 😉

Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve 2023 - Love

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."

- Roy L. Smith

Wishes

 

"If wishes were fishes and cattle were kings, 

The world would be full of wonderful things."

- Unknown

I'm sure that plenty of you are busy today - either at your job (last day before the holiday weekend!), or preparing for guests, packing for a trip, etc. But no matter what, here is what I wish for you in the following days.

IF you are traveling, may your trip be uneventful and safe.

IF you are expecting guests, may your house be as good-looking as you want it to be, and may you be looking forward to seeing those on their way.

IF you are cooking and baking, may every recipe be a success, and may your stove and dishwasher be in good repair.

IF you are responsible for some event - a holiday concert, and cookie swap, a food drive - may it be a success and as stress-free as possible.

IF you still have gifts to wrap or put together, may you have a lot of coffee to keep you going until that is accomplished.

IF you still have gifts to buy, may you have good luck.

IF you have to work on the holiday, may the workday go by quickly and be as quiet as possible.

IF you are lonely, may you find a friend, even if it's just a childhood stuffed animal who shares your memories.

IF you are sad, may the day land gently.

IF you are missing someone, may memories of them comfort you.

IF you are alone, may your own company keep you company.

IF you are excited, may you enjoy every minute of anticipation.

IF you are dreading being around people that you don't like, may they have to cancel their plans.

IF you are feeling overwhelmed, may you find a few moments to gather yourself.

IF you are surrounded by dumbasses, may they all go home early.

IF you are feeling loved, may you enjoy the warmth of its embrace.

IF you are feeling happy, may you always.

IF you don't celebrate Christmas, may you at least enjoy a spirit of good-will towards others, and hopefully a long weekend.

IF you feel that the past year was awful, may the next one be better.

IF you are still able to be present, enjoy your life, and celebrate that you are above ground, may all the happiness in the world be yours.

IF you have read this far, may this weekend and the coming days be what you want, when you want it, and may your happiness stay with you long after.

Winter Solstice 2023

Happy Winter Solstice!

One of my most favorite days. I know for some people it's their favorite day because it means the days will get longer, but for me it's the fact that it's the shortest amount of daylight all year. You know me - I love the darkness and the cold weather!

I don't mind telling you that I have been having a bit of a hard time lately. Mostly because of my own brain, to be honest (oh my brain - my best friend and worst enemy all at once!). Grumpy people are getting to me, and I usually don't let that happen, but there seem to be more people this year, and they seem to be grumpier. I am good at managing to keep the world and its problems in their own place, but it's really hard to tune out those surrounding you. 

BUT - today, on the Winter Solstice, I am going to pretend that all of those people do not exist. I'm meeting my friend Louise for lunch. I'm going to wrap a couple of gifts. I'm going to get ingredients to do some baking tomorrow. I'm going to set out the last of the Christmas things to go on the tree tonight. I'm going to take my time and enjoy the day with the kitties. Tonight, we'll have a good evening with The Tim, finishing the tree decorations, lighting some candles, and toasting the solstice!

Tomorrow - I'm going to dust around and clean things up so it looks as nice as it's likely to ever look around here. 😊 I'm going to clean up my nails and give myself a manicure. I'm going to wrap more gifts, and do the baking mentioned above. And of course, more cuddling with the kitties. Another nice evening with The Tim and the kit kats, and we are ready for the weekend!

And the whole time I'm at home doing things, guess what? Christmas music! 

I remember as a kid, whenever I would be in a bad mood/feeling grumpy, my mom would always say, "Well, that's fine, but let everyone else enjoy themselves even if you aren't. You have no business ruining someone else's day." 

So as of right now, I'm done with the grumps. And I've decided that since I don't absolutely *have* to be around grumpy people (I'm off work and so it's easier to avoid dealing with other humans in general), I'm going to make myself feel better. And I hope to use this as a lesson for next year and/or whenever I need it, to make a way to find my own happy and fun. Whenever I can remember to take myself and make it MY world instead of everyone else's, I do much better. 

So my wish for you this Winter Solstice is that you can do the same. Enjoy some light in the darkness, and make your own world the way you want it to be. It works.

Third Sunday of Advent 2023 - Joy

 Do few things but do them well, simple joys are holy. 

- Francis of Assisi

Time To Do My Own Thing

As of yesterday, all of the packages to be mailed to others are on their way, which is a good feeling. Not just because it means hopefully they will arrive to the recipients in time for Christmas Day, but because now it means that I can just do my own thing going forward. I've decided this must be how Santa feels once the sleigh is loaded up and ready to go. 😊

This evening and tomorrow we are [finally] going to decorate our tree. Every year, we get our tree pretty early in December, and at some point then The Tim puts the lights on it. And then it sits ... and sits ... until he feels like he has the energy to help me decorate it. Frankly it makes me nuts, but since he does enjoy getting it ready as much as I do, I'm not going to suddenly do it myself. He is just such a low energy person. Not that I am a whirlwind, but compared to him maybe I am! So we'll do some tonight after dinner, and finish tomorrow, and then finally we will be able to enjoy it! I can't wait.

This has been a busy week, with work, a dentist appt (thankfully just a cleaning), a haircut appt, and laundry. Today I have one more load of towels in the dryer, but the rest of the day is all mine. So I think I'll take a walk this afternoon, and I do need to clean the bathrooms, but I'm doing that this morning so it's done and over. 

I also plan to do some more knitting on The Tim's scarf. Here's a really poor photo of what I have at this point:

I've added in the fourth color (the camel shade at the top), so I'm actually moving along pretty well. This is a somewhat addictive knit, so I think I won't have any trouble finishing it by Christmas. It's also at the moment the main project I'm knitting, so it has that advantage as well.

I also want to check a couple of recipes to see if I need to get anything from the grocery store to begin some of my holiday baking. I don't make a lot, since it's just the two of us, but we both have some favorites and "specialties" so it's not the holidays without those.

*****

I have a funny story that I remembered the other day that I thought I'd share. For those of you who don't know, we are vegetarian. We have been for about 25 years. But when we first moved to Philadelphia, we still ate meat. We had a neighbor downstairs in our apartment building who was overall a very nice woman, but a militant vegan - you know, the type who feels no compunction about pointing out everyone's evil habits, etc. 

Well, like I said, she was overall nice and she had two cats of her own. We were going home to WV and Pittsburgh for Christmas visits with our families, and I asked her if she would mind coming upstairs twice a day to feed our cat Molly Bloom and our canary Edward Hopper. She was more than happy to do so.

When we returned, since we knew she wouldn't take any payment, we offered to take her out to dinner. We found a restaurant that would offer something she could eat, etc., and we all headed out there. She ordered some kind of elaborate salad, I'm pretty sure I ordered a pasta dish, and The Tim ordered roast chicken. Our food arrived, and as The Tim went to take his first bite, she said very pointedly, "I hope you know that your dinner used to have a face." And without missing a beat, he replied:

"Well, your lettuce used to have a head."

I cracked up and to her credit, so did the neighbor, and she said, 'Touche." The rest of the dinner went smoothly and pleasantly, and though she would still often annoy us with her criticism, she would also laugh every time we reminded her of this event.

I have to say that for my part, I'm impressed that The Tim had such a quick, perfect response. That's the kind of thing I'd come up with two weeks after the fact and wish I'd been able to say, you know?

I can't remember what led me to this memory, but I thought it might give you a chuckle.

I hope you have a good weekend, and find something to chuckle about - it is the holiday season after all, we should be enjoying ourselves!

It Comes Every Year

 ... but I'm not talking about Christmastime, exactly. No, today I'm talking about something that happened at Christmastime and that every year when the anniversary rolls around, makes me even angrier.

Every single year, when this day comes and I am reminded by these photos what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School, first I get unbelievably sad, and then angrier than ever. These children and adults died because someone had a gun. They were slaughtered for no reason whatsoever. They were killed because they showed up that day for work and for school. I'm guessing they were all excited for the holidays for many reasons, and going about their day as usual because let's face it, if anyplace adheres to a schedule, it's elementary school, right?

When it happened, everyone was not just shocked, but grief stricken, and it seemed like it coudn't be real. Politicians had so many statements about it, talked about so many thoughts and prayers, the need for mental health services, etc., etc., etc. President Obama had tears in his eyes as he talked about it (which of course some mocked and criticized him for, because of course they did).

And nothing happened. The families and parents formed organizations and have worked tirelessly to bring about real change, visiting legislators and pleading for better gun laws. But what has been the result?

Zip. Nothing. Zero. More shootings. Every single day, every single place, and the same politicians send their thoughts and prayers. There are even those who claim that Sandy Hook was a hoax, and never happened.

Now, thoughts and prayers are valid things, if you ask me. That is, if you are actually saying prayers and sending good thoughts to someone. It is often the only way that you can "contribute" particularly in some situations. And I think it lets people know that you wish them peace, send love, whatever. BUT I think for too many people, it's become an excuse to do nothing else. Similar to an automatic "How are you" when you see someone, and you don't really want them to start telling you how they are.  

The sad truth of it is, as some people have said, "If Congress didn't act to mandate gun control after Sandy Hook, and the slaughter of innocent children, they are unlikely to do it anytime soon." And though I don't think that means we should give up, it seems like this is the case right now.

So more school shootings happen. More innocent people are killed because they have the sheer audacity to live their lives by going to work, going to school, attending a parade, just leaving their homes. It happens in small quiet towns, and in large cities, and it happens to nice people not just terrible people or those people who might be "asking for it." 

And yes, there are terrible and untreated mental health issues happening in this country. That is undeniable. But if people with those issues didn't have such easy access to guns, particularly assault weapons, a lot more people would be able to enjoy Christmastime with their friends and families.

I have two issues that are my current top concerns - guns and reproductive rights (and fortunately for you, I'm not talking about that one today!). If people want to or feel they need to own  a gun, make it necessary for them to prove they are responsible citizens. And make it so that no private citizen can own an assault weapon. Personally, I find it hard to believe that an individual needs an assault rifle, and frankly if they do actually have that NEED, I think there need to be a lot of steps taken before it's even considered OK.

This is of course all my own opinion. Because you know, it's my blog. But every year, right smack in the middle of Christmastime, we are reminded that there are families for whom Christmastime can never have the same happy feeling and wonder that it did at one time. 

And it's all because of a guy with a gun. One guy.

It comes every year.

Second Sunday of Advent 2023 - Peace

Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
Breathe out whole buildings
And flocks of redwing blackbirds.

Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fall and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.

Wage peace with your listening:
hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools:
flower seeds, clothespins, clean rivers.

Make soup.
Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit and make a hat.

Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
Imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty or the gesture of a fish.
Swim for the other side.

Wage peace.

Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious.
Have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Don’t wait another minute.

-Mary Oliver, Wage Peace

Christmastime Friday Funny

This is one I've seen before, and may have even shared before, but it's a favorite. ❤ 

Today is going to be busy with a few things to pick up this a.m., and then I plan to wrap some gifts to send this afternoon. I like wrapping gifts - I get myself situated with the things I need, put on some holiday music or some Vlogmas podcasts, make myself a nice cup of tea, and I'm off!

This weekend our only specific plan is to decorate our tree. I have already put out 99% of the rest of our decorations (some are in boxes with ornaments), so that's all that's left. I'm guessing that The Tim may do some baking on Sunday while I'm at work, and I'm hoping to start my baking next week. Although I have it in my head for today or tomorrow to make some gingerbread muffins, so I may get a head start on that, we'll see. 

What about you? Anything exciting happening at your house? Whatever is or is not happening, I hope your weekend is a good one!