Yarn Along

Joining Ginny at Small Things for the weekly Wednesday "Yarn Along"

Wooly Moss Roots is having an end of October 20% off sale, so I had to get a few sets of buttons. I have been pining for some for such a long time. They are so lovely. I need to find just the right project for them. I am thinking of making a sweater vest for Sagan and using the three yellowish buttons.

Logan's vest is coming along nicely. Somehow my color switch is off just a wee bit. Thankfully that is sort of in the arm pit. Although it is bugging the stuff out of me. I might frog the whole thing and start over if there is time. I still have to add the ribbing around the shoulders and around the neck. I have never really done anything like that before... picking up stitches, I am a bit worried I will mess it up. I am saving it until I have a few hours to just work on it uninterrupted, which will probably be this weekend.

I started on Cae's vest. I really like this simple design, I think it show cases the lovely yarn. I am sort of winging it on the pattern a bit as the free pattern was only for size 5/6 and he is bigger than that, so I keep measuring him and holding it to his back. LOL He is pretty sure something is up.

Here is the yarn for Sagan's sweater vest. It is a DK weight tweed. It is so lovely and warm. I just can't seem to decide on which pattern to use. I want to maybe do a button up so I can use some of those lovely buttons (like I said), but I haven't found one that just says "This is Sagan's sweater vest"!
I am reading some more on Waldorf math. Such an interesting way to approach math. So different from how I was taught.

And this is were I love to knit, sitting in my beloved rocker and looking out the window... or maybe at my wee sleeping girl snoozing on the sofa...

~ Recipe Tuesday ~

~ APPLE SAUCE ~

We went apple picking a few weeks ago. It was alot of fun, buts sadly most of the apples that were left were Granny Smith, and some pretty tart Granny Smith at that. The boys just are not fans of face puckering apples. So Most of the apples were made in to either apple butter or this amazingly tasty apple sauce. I wish now I had made more of the sauce, it turned out so nice.

peel, core and chop up enough apples to fill a 6 qt soup pot

1/4 cup of honey (it is optional, but it was nice with the super tart apples)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp of vanilla

2 cups water

Stick all of the ingredients in a 6 qt soup pot. Cook on medium for a bit (until the water starts to boil, BUT does not burn all away), then turn to simmer and simmer for 3-4 hours. Mash up apples with a potato masher for chunky apple sauce OR use an immersion blender for smoother apple sauce. Enjoy hot off the stove, or cool and put in fridge for up to 5 days, OR it freezes really nicely and tastes wonderful when thawed. 

* Gratitude Sunday *

Joining Taryn from "Wooly Moss Roots" in a Sunday heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, reflect, and be grateful. A list of gratitudes.

~ beautiful days at the park with our friends
~ homemade applesauce, warm off the stove
~ listening to Journey on the record player
~ finding time to knit (and frog) my holiday knits
~ feeling stronger
~ having to cooler off and the windows open most of the day
~ playing with Fiona
~ beef stew
~ making a down payment on the cabin for Christmas!!

Photos from the week

making day of the dead skulls with clay

fiona being cute

cae on his scooter

cae and fiona talking

all the apples cae and i peeled and cut up for apple sauce

in line for the hay ride at the DBG pumpkin festival

rowan picking out his pumpkin

the band

sagan working on face designs

fiona decorating her pumpkin

fiona loved her pumpkin

petting the sweet goat

cae and row decorating their pumpkins with friends

the pumpkin patch kids

Life is just good right now.

{ this moment }

Joining Amanda Soule of Soulemama for a weekly ritual. A single photograph from the week, a moment I wish to pause, savor, and remember.

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny from Small Things for the weekly Yarn Along.

cap and mittens for new nephew

cap and mittens for SIL's niece's baby

finished shawl for mom's co-worker

FINALLY finished fiona's pebble vest 

pebble and cap for nephew... with buttons!

what i am reading and knitting right now

the ever growing sweater vest

finally finished fiona's woolies

she calls them her "woowees"

Last Saturday I whipped out a couple baby caps and sets of baby mittens for a baby shower that was thrown on that Sunday. I used this pattern for the green hat and both sets of mittens and sort of winged it on the other hat. I finished up the shawl for my mom's co-worker and I just love how it came up, so big, lacy and cozy. After some serious time I got buttons for Fiona's pebble vest and my nephew's pebble vest and they look so cute. Fiona's loves her pebble, which I am so happy about.
I am working and working on the sweater vest, which I noticed was waaaay to big for Caelan. It was also to big for Sagan, so I guess Logan (my 14 year old son) will be getting that for Christmas. Which got me thinking about all the kids holiday gifts, I decided to knit all the bigger boys similar sweater vests (but that will actually fit them). AND!!! I was inspired by this sweeeet pattern, I am going to knit one for each of the kids (the boys all matching and Fiona and Audrey matching). I think they will look super cute. AND, I was able to finish up the pink and red woolies I had started some time ago for Fiona. They fit and she likes them alot. I just love knitting things for people who like them.
I am reading "Seven Times the Sun" which I have read before, but it has been years. It is still as good as I remember. 

*Gratitude Sunday*

Joining Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots for a weekly tradition. A Heart felt Sunday tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes...

~ my brand new nephew Zachary
~ Park days with friends
~ dates with coconut butter
~ good friends
~ time to knit and sew this past week
~ secret holiday gift making
~ booking our holiday get away!
~ a computer free week
~ canned apple butter
~ watching the kids expand when the computer was off limits for a week.
~ Caelan finishing his very first chapter book
~ chocolate chili
~ sleep

Manic Monday

After much talk the boys and I have decided to take a week long sabbatical from the computer... and I have to do it too. (eeeep). Although honestly, I could use it as well. You know how it is, you get on the computer to just check your emails, or maybe catch up on a little blog reading... you know for like, maybe 30 minutes and then BAM two hours has passed.
Friday evening I was complaining weeping to my dear husband that I just can't seem to get everything done in a day. I can't do all the knitting I want to do, get those sewing projects done, read ANYTHING, get to organizing our homeschooling in any meaningful way, I just seem to have too many irons in the fire. WHy can't I get all my stuff done? I get up early, I am home all day, why I am always feeling like at the end of a day I just didn't do anything? Well, because honestly, I spend a bit more time on the computer then I care to admit. You can't get all your things done if you fanny is sitting on the sofa with a laptop on your lap. (If only I had a time turner.)
So starting today, NO COMPUTER until Sunday. Man, that seems like a million years from now (does that mean I am addicted??) In the mean time, I will be knitting and sewing holiday gifts, reading some books and hanging with my boys.
I hope you all have a beautiful week.

* Gratitude Sunday *

I am joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for a beautiful weekly ritual of practicing gratitude. A time to slow down,  to reflect, to be grateful.

Through out this week, I have been grateful for...

~ getting a taste of fall in Sedona and at Howard's Orchard in Catalina

~ my dear husband starting to feel just as good as I have been feeling

~ Rowan's infectious laugh

~ Logan's piano practice

~ my sister in law's impending birth (and all those lovely baby knits!)

~ a few days in the upper 70's, low 80's. 

~ planning our winter get away

~ apple butter

~ lifting weights

~ second chances

~ early mornings outside by the garden

~ sweet potatoes with avocado

Thursday and Friday

Thursday

Thursday the kids and I went to Catalina to visit Howard's Orchard (I would post a link, except the man has no website!) We were a bit late in the season to be picking apples, all that was left were granny smith. Still, it was so much fun. The kids had to climb ladders and the trees themselves to get the good apples hidden way up high. After about an hour of picking the kids had gathered 33lbs of apples! I have a nice big crock pot full up of apples doing it's thing turning from tart lovely green apples, in to delicious spicy, sweet apple butter. (the best part of that recipe is no peeling is necessary!)

Friday

Friday we got daddy to take the day off of work and we headed up north to Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon to see if we could spy some lovely fall colors. We were a few weeks too early, just a smattering of reds, pinks, and golds, but oh so nice to see. We picked a doosy of a day, temperatures were a wee bit chilly for us and it rained off and on, still we managed three creek crossing and a 2 hour hike. The boys did great, but they tend to do that when they get to run and frolic and climb and jump and just be wild little elves all day long. I have to say Sedona is one of my favorite places, your driving along enjoying the lovely scenery and then BAM there it is, those beautiful red rocks. It knocks me out every time.