Yarn Along: Alligator and a Woodland Sprite

Joining the Yarn Along today with Ginny over at Small Things.

I finished knitting this Woodland Sprite Bonnet back in October but felt like it needed a little more warmth so it was sitting in my sewing room(pantry) being neglected over the holidays. I finally sewed the flannel lining that I had been intending to do for many months. It turned out a bit big but that means she can wear it for many years to come. It is such a cute pattern. I took a zillion pictures of it you can see more and find the details for the pattern here.

I am currently working on an Alligator Scarf for my son. This is a fun knit and a really well written pattern. My youngest daughter wants on now too, in pink. I think this pattern will also make a great gift for my nephews. I think I may shorten it a few rows so I don't have to buy another skein of yarn although that might be cutting it close as you can see in the above photo there is not much left to work with.

My son insists that this alligator is going to need so eyes so I was thinking of needle felting a pair of eyeballs for it. Hopefully next week I can show you the finished project.

 I am currently reading the Good Life Lab: Radical Experiments in Hands-On Living by Wendy Jehanara Tremayne. I love reading about alternative life styles, especially off the grid homesteads. This book is so inspiring! It is about a couple that moved from New York City to New Mexico to build a homestead from scratch using found materials and scrap and learning along the way. This book is also filled with beautiful illustrations, and fun little do it yourself tips and recipes. To learn more about her lifestyle and building techniques you can go here to her blog Holy Scrap (isn't that a great name?).
I have been reading about alternative home building for several years and I think it would be so much fun and so satisfying to create your home from scratch. Recently my Dad sent me a link to this house called "The Mushroom House" in the Wisconsin woods( I am originally from Wisconsin). I have to say I would love to restore a place like this, it has so much potential. It would be the project of a lifetime, that is for sure.

I also wanted to share some beautiful Children's books we have been reading around here. As an aspiring Children's Book Illustrator I have a bit of an obsession with them. They inspire me just as much as they did when I was little.
Sun Bread By Elisa Kleven is a sweet colorful book about animals who bake bread to lift their spirits get out of their winter blues. While they are celebrating the wonderful bread they wake the sun from it's sleep. They end up sharing their bread with the sun. It even has a recipe on the back cover so a little child can make their own sun bread. We are borrowing this from the library but I think we might have to get a copy to keep. It is so sweet.

 

Another Children's Book we are enjoying is called Knitty Kitty by David Elliott. This story is about a  Mama kitty who knits to keep her kittens cozy but the kittens find someone else who needs the handknits more than they do. I love the illustrations, they make me miss my childhood in Wisconsin, playing in the snow.

 

What are you reading and knitting? Join along in the Yarn Along!

Soaking in the Sun

                                                                 

    

A much needed fresh start

I am not sad to say goodbye to 2014. It was probably my hardest year yet and after several not so great years I have reached my breaking point.  I need to make some major changes,a fresh start.

Chronic stress and putting myself last has taken a serious toll, I tried to push through the last several years, though depression, isolation, exhaustion and chronic health issues. I put myself last for so long that I am now paying the consequences and dealing with an autoimmune condition. 

 In a span of three years I have lost the ability to look forward to things as I once did. I guess that is just part of being in a funk. It is really hard to get out of once your in it, especially with out any help. I  lost the motivation to pursue my dreams and goals and had been living day by day, some times just barely making it through the day.

But on a bright note, I feel things are finally starting to look up. I am regaining my motivation to make the changes.and some really major changes are going to need to happen this year. I have an issue with change in the past,  avoiding it at all costs. Even when things are not working and I am miserable, I just suck it up an barrel through. That is no way to live. 

I am welcoming the new year and a new way of looking at my life. I don't have to constantly sacrifice myself for my family. I don't have to always put myself last. 

I am looking forward to change, at last.

Seven Times Around the Sun

Can you tell he decorated his own cake?

 Happy Birthday to my sweet Solomon. The arrival of your birth was the reason I started this blog over seven years ago. To share the news of your arrival with friends and family that live far away.Time goes by way to quickly for this Mama of yours. 

Even though you are a big kid now, and in 1st grade,you still let me call you my boyfriend,and still write me love notes. Your are smart and creative and would still rather build a cardboard robot than play a video game on the computer. You are a great reader and are reading way above the expected grade level in school. You changed your favorite color from yellow to blue. You actually enjoyed going to the dentist and declare that your future career of choice.

You are a blessing to my life and I am grateful to be your Mama every single day. I am so glad I started this blog because I can go back and watch you grow through the years any time I want.What a special guy you are! I love you so and can't wait to see what the future holds for you.