There are only two ways to live your life.
One is though nothing is a miracle.
The other is though everything is a miracle.
-- Albert Einstein
Happy Thanksgiving!
28 November 2013
26 November 2013
Little Things
Today's Ten on Tuesday prompt is:
Ten Things I Am Thankful For
I have a lot of things to be thankful for, and I'm sure if you are reading this, you do as well. Everyone, everywhere has something - even if not ten things they could list. And some of the things I'm thankful for are what I think of as obvious choices (at least for me): family, food, a job, clothing on my back, etc.
So I have decided that I am going to list ten of the little things I am thankful for, and may not think about on any regular given day. Because they deserve some attention, too!
1. Deodorant/toothpaste. I know that it shouldn't matter if someone smells bad, if they are a good person, etc., and I know that this is a First World Issue, but I will admit here and now that if someone smells unpleasant, it's really hard for me to deal with them. I can, and I do, and I've never ignored someone completely because they don't have access to deodorant and/or toothpaste. Nonetheless, I am glad it exists, and thankful that most people use it.
2. The fireplace in our house. When we decided to buy a house, we made a list of things that it HAD to have, and then other things that would be nice, but are in no way necessary. A fireplace was on the second list. Neither of us had lived in houses with fireplaces before, so it's not like we had any expectations. As it turned out, the house we bought has two fireplaces - one in the living room, and one in our bedroom. Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas seem extra special and cozy because we are sitting by the fireplace, and seeing it and hearing the crackle are the best. And with things going the way they are, I can imagine a time in the near future when use of a fireplace will not be allowed due to air pollution concerns, so I want to enjoy it while I can!
3. Stuffing. Yes, I could make it other times of the year, but I don't. That's part of what makes it so special. I would marry stuffing if I could.
4. Seasons. I love the changes in the seasons. I would never want to live someplace where the weather is always the same. Especially if that weather is always hot ... ;-)
5. Tea. I do drink coffee on occasion, and of course you probably know my fondness for other, er, "libations" if you are a regular reader, but next to water, the other thing I don't think I could give up completely is tea. I am somewhat picky about the tea that I like, though not a tea snob. But it is truly a comfort beverage for me, and does whatever I need it to do. In the morning, it helps me feel more awake, in the evening it helps me feel relaxed, when it's iced, it quenches my thirst and helps cool me off. I might have to divorce stuffing and marry tea instead ...
6. Music. Even if I am just singing to myself in my head, music is a constant companion, and always has been.
7. Words. Language. Without it, there would be no books, poetry, lyrics, etc. There are few things more wonderful than well-placed, well-written sentences or phrases.
8. Senses. I am so fortunate to have all of my senses functioning. It makes me realize that the world is more fantastic than I can ever truly realize.
9. Laughter. A world where I couldn't laugh or hear others laugh would not be worth living in, in my opinion.
10. Animals. All of them, even those I may not like as much as others, or that scare me. But seeing a bird in a tree, or even seeing the occasional rat in the park* is reassuring to me. I like knowing that the universe is not just about people.
And there you go. They may be "little" in some ways, but all of these things are as important to me as the big things.
May all of us have a good combination of the two in our lives!
*Please note: I do not seek out rats in the park, any more than they do me. And, I do not have any desire to invite one home. I just think it's good that they have someplace to be rats ...
22 November 2013
Five Favorites for This Friday
Well, I am happy to see the weekend, let me tell you. I woke up this morning with a terrible headache and a sore throat, neither of which are completely gone, but are also not as bad as they were. I knew if I could power through the work day, I'd be set. And I did!
This week was a busy one, and even though it wasn't all great, there were definite high points, some listed below.
1 & 2. Monday was The Tim's birthday (#1), and both of us took the day off (#2). It was nice to have an extra day, and to not have any specific plans. We just hung out, watched movies, drank wine, and went out to dinner. Not bad.
3. Related to that, I finished the hat I had been knitting for him, even though I'd figured I wouldn't! (More details in a later post.)
4. Pip slept next to me under the covers twice this week. He is a sweetheart, but when he sleeps right next to you, he wakes up a couple of times, and gives you a rub with his face. It might bother/freak out some people, but I think it is adorable and love that he does it.
5. Last night, my yarn shop co-worker Andrea and I went to teach beginning knitting to a women's studies group at a local university. We had a group of eight very enthusiastic (and some what nervous) women, and at the end of the two hours, all of them had mastered the knit stitch at a minimum. Only a couple of them had ever even tried knitting before, so they were mostly brand new. They did so well, and it was so much fun! Apparently there was even a waiting list! So who knows, maybe we'll be asked back sometime.
This weekend I'm hoping to play catch-up with some projects around the house and otherwise, and am actually really glad that I don't have any specific commitments. What about you? Any good things worth noting for the week, and/or exciting plans?
Whatever the weekend may or may not hold, I hope you have a great one!
This week was a busy one, and even though it wasn't all great, there were definite high points, some listed below.
1 & 2. Monday was The Tim's birthday (#1), and both of us took the day off (#2). It was nice to have an extra day, and to not have any specific plans. We just hung out, watched movies, drank wine, and went out to dinner. Not bad.
3. Related to that, I finished the hat I had been knitting for him, even though I'd figured I wouldn't! (More details in a later post.)
4. Pip slept next to me under the covers twice this week. He is a sweetheart, but when he sleeps right next to you, he wakes up a couple of times, and gives you a rub with his face. It might bother/freak out some people, but I think it is adorable and love that he does it.
5. Last night, my yarn shop co-worker Andrea and I went to teach beginning knitting to a women's studies group at a local university. We had a group of eight very enthusiastic (and some what nervous) women, and at the end of the two hours, all of them had mastered the knit stitch at a minimum. Only a couple of them had ever even tried knitting before, so they were mostly brand new. They did so well, and it was so much fun! Apparently there was even a waiting list! So who knows, maybe we'll be asked back sometime.
This weekend I'm hoping to play catch-up with some projects around the house and otherwise, and am actually really glad that I don't have any specific commitments. What about you? Any good things worth noting for the week, and/or exciting plans?
Whatever the weekend may or may not hold, I hope you have a great one!
19 November 2013
The Purple Blob
A few months ago, I signed up for a Christmas-themed swap on Ravelry. I enjoy swaps, probably because I love getting stuff in the mail, and also because I've been fortunate to have never been burned, participating in one.**
In the beginning, it was just The Purple Blob, but it turned out to be the 3-5-7 Hat:
Knit three rows/purl three rows; then knit five rows/purl five rows; then knit seven rows/purl seven rows; repeat until you are afraid you are going to run out of yarn, and then decrease, and bind off.
I think it turned out pretty well, though it doesn't completely cover the wearer's ears (well, it doesn't cover my ears anyway). But it is purple, it is bulky, and the knit/purl combs give it texture. That's what she asked for, if you recall.
Details:
Project: 3-5-7 Hat aka The Purple Blob
Source: My brain
Yarn: O-Wool Legacy Bulky; colorway, Cabbage
Needles: US9
Comments: As I mentioned, it probably could have been a little bit longer, but I didn't want to run out of yarn. The Legacy Bulky is a nice yarn, and the pattern I made up was easy enough to do while watching TV and still required attention to remember when to go from knits to purls. I think I may try a version - maybe in another weight yarn - and keep notes while I knit, so that I can share the information with anyone who is interested (and now I'm sure you'll all be waiting with bated breath, right???). I am pleased that I was able to translate something from my brain to the needles, which is something that I wouldn't have had a clue how to do even as recently as a few years ago.
Now I need only to mail the package, and hope she likes it. But even if she doesn't for some reason, I tried, right?
**There was the time I participated in a swap, where one of the things we were supposed to send was some tea. My partner was in England, so imagine my surprise/dismay when I opened up the package and there was a box of LIPTON tea!
One of the rules is that you must knit something for your swap partner, and there was a questionnaire to give you info, hints on favorite colors, etc. My swap partner said that her favorite color was purple, that she liked bulky knits, and texture. I decided to knit a hat. Of course, then every single pattern I looked at called for two skeins of bulky yarn, but seemed to only use a small bit of the second skein. I couldn't really afford two skeins, so I decided to try my hand at knitting a hat using one skein, and got started.
At first, I was just going to do a knit three rows/purl three rows pattern, but as I started, I decided to change it a little. After a little more than a week, I had a completed hat, that I thought looked very acceptable.
In the beginning, it was just The Purple Blob, but it turned out to be the 3-5-7 Hat:
Add a jaunty tassel on the top, and voila!
I think it turned out pretty well, though it doesn't completely cover the wearer's ears (well, it doesn't cover my ears anyway). But it is purple, it is bulky, and the knit/purl combs give it texture. That's what she asked for, if you recall.
Details:
Project: 3-5-7 Hat aka The Purple Blob
Source: My brain
Yarn: O-Wool Legacy Bulky; colorway, Cabbage
Needles: US9
Comments: As I mentioned, it probably could have been a little bit longer, but I didn't want to run out of yarn. The Legacy Bulky is a nice yarn, and the pattern I made up was easy enough to do while watching TV and still required attention to remember when to go from knits to purls. I think I may try a version - maybe in another weight yarn - and keep notes while I knit, so that I can share the information with anyone who is interested (and now I'm sure you'll all be waiting with bated breath, right???). I am pleased that I was able to translate something from my brain to the needles, which is something that I wouldn't have had a clue how to do even as recently as a few years ago.
Now I need only to mail the package, and hope she likes it. But even if she doesn't for some reason, I tried, right?
**There was the time I participated in a swap, where one of the things we were supposed to send was some tea. My partner was in England, so imagine my surprise/dismay when I opened up the package and there was a box of LIPTON tea!
15 November 2013
Five Favorite [Links] for This Friday
This week, I wanted to do something a little bit different with my Friday favorites. As you may or may not remember, when Google Reader died, I signed myself up with Bloglovin. Because it was different, it was "hard" to use at first, but now I am quite happy with it. However, much more than before, I tend to keep things that interest me marked as "unread." I realized the other day that the ones I had were ones I thought worth sharing, and decided to save them for today.
So here are some links that I thought you might enjoy, find useful to know, learn something new from reading. Enjoy.
1. I know a lot of people have stopped sending holiday cards through the mail, due to postage rates, worries about wasting paper, or just because they no longer feel it's necessary. I love sending and receiving paper cards, so I was happy to find out that you can send them to St. Jude Children's Hospital where they can be happily repurposed. And since they use all cards, all year round, there's never a bad time to pass yours along! Even a cynic like me approves of this idea.
2. The other day on her blog, Steph posted this. Even a slowpoke knitter like myself can make some tiny hats, and if they do some good, even better! So take a break from your big projects, and use a few minutes to knit a little hat to make others aware of this aspect of their world they have likely not considered.
3. What's On Your Bookshelf? (for people like me, who love to snoop ...)
4. This is something every pet owner should read, if you are ever likely to take your pet with you in the car. It was on our local news the other night, and it seems like something we should all know.
5. It's not the Elf on the Shelf ... but this made me laugh out loud, I have to say!
And on that note, have a lovely weekend! I hope you have all found at least five things that you like, have been interesting, or have made you laugh this week.
So here are some links that I thought you might enjoy, find useful to know, learn something new from reading. Enjoy.
1. I know a lot of people have stopped sending holiday cards through the mail, due to postage rates, worries about wasting paper, or just because they no longer feel it's necessary. I love sending and receiving paper cards, so I was happy to find out that you can send them to St. Jude Children's Hospital where they can be happily repurposed. And since they use all cards, all year round, there's never a bad time to pass yours along! Even a cynic like me approves of this idea.
2. The other day on her blog, Steph posted this. Even a slowpoke knitter like myself can make some tiny hats, and if they do some good, even better! So take a break from your big projects, and use a few minutes to knit a little hat to make others aware of this aspect of their world they have likely not considered.
3. What's On Your Bookshelf? (for people like me, who love to snoop ...)
4. This is something every pet owner should read, if you are ever likely to take your pet with you in the car. It was on our local news the other night, and it seems like something we should all know.
5. It's not the Elf on the Shelf ... but this made me laugh out loud, I have to say!
And on that note, have a lovely weekend! I hope you have all found at least five things that you like, have been interesting, or have made you laugh this week.
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