{ This Moment }

Joining Amanda from Soulemama for This Moment. A single photo from the week, a moment I wish to pause, savor, and remember.

Truthful Tuesday: Learning to chill

I have an issue with chillin'. I can't seem to just sit still and let stuff be. I ruminate A LOT, and fuss with stuff and I am FOREVER picking up or doing something. Even on days when I swear to myself I will just let things be, I can't seem to help myself... I am up messing with things.
And my poor brain, it never gets a break. I am never an empty vessel of calm thoughts or no thoughts. Things are always flying around in there, flitting from one thought to the next, "what about this? no wait, what about this? NO wait, what about THAT!?" I told Mike the other day that thank goodness for my uncontrollable thoughts, because that is why this house is not a disaster zone. To quiet my mind (sorta kinda) I keep my body busy cleaning, ALWAYS cleaning something. When there are family issues, watch out! I am after those bathrooms, scrubbing toilets is as good as scrubbing my mind (not that my house can pass a white glove test by any stretch).
I so desperately want to just be able to put my feet up, have a nice cup of tea, and knit something, or read a book, or laugh with the kids, or have a chat with my dear lover... and yet day after day after day for at least a good decade, I am all over the place. I keep searching for that ONE magic thing... that thing that will do the trick that will help me chill. That book, or rhythm, or schedule or SOMETHING!!! It is so elusive, the chill.
And, yet, I will still search for it. The ability to just sit and enjoy the chaos of life instead of forever trying to tame it.

Weekending

Joining Amanda from The Habit of Being for weekending...

This weekend started out Friday after we decided to skip park and stay home and chill, I think now that maybe we should have gone to the park. The kids about drove me nuts with their bickering, BUT Friday ended on a high note with dinner out by the fire pit. Roasting hot dogs over open flames is always something the boys love doing. Of course, if they could only get the fire safety element firmly planted in their heads it would be a heck of a lot less stressful for daddy and I.
I made the choice of NOT getting dressed and declaring I was doing NOTHING at all on Saturday except knitting baby socks and watching some Netflix, maybe I would make dinner... if everyone was lucky. After having spent 4+ hours cleaning on Thursday, then driving across town to do Halloween at a friend's hood, walking about a million miles (ok, not really), dealing with bickering all Friday and more house work and feeling as if my pelvis might just crumble to bits (darn relaxin) I was just gonna sit and chill. And you know what... I mostly did. And it was wonderful. An old friend was in town with her son and they came over for a bit, Logan and H hung out and played music and K and I talked and caught up with each other. It was great. I even made The Pioneer Woman's Corn and Cheese soup (which was so freaking tasty).
Sunday was spent with Mike and the boys making a film short... so amazing how much work must go into 2 minutes of edited film. They had a blast doing it, and that is what really matters.

* Gratitude Sunday *

Joining Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday. Sunday's heart felt tradition. A time ti slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.

~ Having a wonderfully ghoulish, candy filled Halloween with friends.
~ After 4 hours of serious cleaning, having my house spic and span for a couple hours on Thursday
~ Pioneer Woman's corn and cheese soup... YUM!
~ RAIN! Even if it lasted all of 15 minutes, it was cold even
~ A visit from a dear friend. I miss her so much, it was so great to sit and talk for a few hours on Saturday
~ My yarny goodness arriving in the mail on Saturday... so many knits to start
~ Holiday plans in the making, gift ideas forming, shopping plans looming
~ Having Fiona and Rowan all snuggled in bed with me in the mornings
~ Hot cocoa with marshmallows
~ Time spent outside
~ Lovely visit at a friend's house during the week, how she has people over all the time I will never know... but she does it so gracefully and it is so wonderful to spend time talking with her

Knitting

hats, baby sweaters, socks, and cowls

close up on rowan's rainbow cowl

fiona's socks

i went a bit hat nuts... most were knit in one weekend

baby vest that i just finished, needs to be blocked and buttons added

sweater i knitted for fiona (not sure why the pic keeps showing up sideways)

close up on the sweet heart buttons (again, not sure why it won't show up straight)

This is all the stuff I knit while I was (mostly) off line for three weeks. 4 pairs of socks (three for the baby), two cowls (rainbow one for Rowan), 7 hats (casting on another hat, this one for the baby, as soon as I write this), two sweaters (one for the baby and one for Fiona), two baby sweater vests (one still needs to be blocked and buttons added).
Fell totally in love with Amanda Soule's favorite hat pattern and now I know that pattern by heart! I could make that hat every day. I also love knitting up super simple cowls and adding lovely Wooly Moss Root buttons. And baby socks! Oh, the baby socks. They are such a dream to knit up, so rewarding to start in the morning casting on a sock and having a wee bitty pair of socks finished before bed.
My holiday knitting plans have changed, so I am just going to knit whatever I like and give it away if the mood seems right. I will be knitting a few more baby items, because well... they are so darn sweet.
The best part about all these knits... it was all stash yarn! WooHoo! So, of course I had to reward myself with a bit of fluffy mail. Can't wait for my yarn goodness to arrive.

Hello again

fiona playing

caelan with a chicken

what we saw on our walk around tempe town lake

on the bridge (the blur is logan in mid jump)

building a boat with alleyway found materials

sheep at the state fair

walking the midway

at the animated ice age exhibit

eating cotton candy for the first time

wild rides

art

rainbow colors

some finished paintings

reading outside with a cup of cocoa

more painting

calk drawing in the front yard

our cat

mastering the scooter

at the pumpkin festival

prizes

big pumpkin

caelan

rowan's staged dramatic photo

our new pet "Bob" the betta fish

 After much drama we stopped computer usage for a good part of the month of October. The first few days there was a whole heck of a lot of drama (and not all by the kids if I am truly honest), but then things settled and we found a new groove. A lovely, happy luddite groove of books, and bikes, and scooters, and family adventures. We discovered a sweet little park just up the street that Mike would take the kids to in the evenings some days. We walked around Tempe Town Lake, went to the state fair, the pumpkin festival at the Desert Botanical Gardens. There was loads of book reading, I knitted like a wild woman, Rowan mastered his scooter fear and now rides that thing like a pro. Sagan and Logan's evening "bro time" actually involved them interacting with each other not staring at computer screens. Bedtimes became earlier and the kids actually got up around 8 am instead of 11 am. There were many complaints of boredom, but just as many new things to do discovered... it is amazing what happens when you turn off the computer. I am so glad we did.
Of course now it is back, BUT with some caveats. No late night iPod, computer only three days a week, and as much time outside as humanly possible.
*  I will be sharing my knits on the next Yarn Along day

* Gratitude Sunday *

Joining Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday. A heartfelt Sunday tradition. A time to slowdown, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.

~ Taking most of the month of October and being OFF the computer
~ The last few nights finding a wee bit of time for myself to process some wild emotions
~ Bad "B" movies
~ Having lots of time to knit and read
~ Watching my children rediscover passions that had been lost due to too much time on the computer
~ The cleansing aspect of tears
~ Avocado
~ Not having the air conditioner on for 3 weeks now
~ Re-learning to just let stuff be
~ Watching Fiona Rosy play
~ Lovely mornings outside with the kids
~ Eggs
~ Easy peasy no-kneed bread recipe
~ A cleaned up back yard
~ A gentle and loving husband who is riding these wild emotional waves that I seem to be stuck in