If we were having coffee ... I am still alive

This type of blog post is for when I have a lot of little things I want to share, or when I feel the need to catch up. 

So, grab your coffee/beverage of your choice. One of these days I'll actually take a photo of myself holding a cup of coffee for these posts. ... One day. ... But today is not that day. In the meantime, here is a picture of Tea Wisdom. 

If we were having coffee ... I'd say that for someone who talked pretty big a few months ago about writing more frequently, I sure haven't followed through on that. ...

February was an odd month for me.  I started out in awe of my new status of being a mom to a teenager.  I spent a lot of time reflecting on motherhood, in general, and how so many moms have motherhood in common, but our paths are all different. I feel like I'm at a point in my motherhood career that is not in line with many other moms I know.  Many have kids who are getting ready for college, or they are just starting their elementary school career, or are younger. Course, as I write this, I can think of at least three moms I know who have kids my son's age. Maybe it's attitude that makes me feel I'm sort of alone on this one. My attitude and theirs.  Hard to really explain.  Again, its that every path is unique aspect.

So, yeah. I'm the mom of a teenager now.  My son recently told me he thought that once he turned 13 he would somehow magically change.  He was happy to see that he didn't change and turn into a jerk, or something. I sort of wonder about some of the older kids at school then.

Time ebbed and flowed during February.  I felt life was moving so fast at times, then it slowed to a crawl. Then, it was March.  I spent most of February hibernating so there wasn't a whole lot to talk about anyways. March seems to be moving at a more steady pace.  I am surprised to realize it's the near end of the month now.

However, March has also been full of ... Babies!

This little one I had to play midwife with.  She got herself a little fan club among my Facebook friends.  She's off to her new home, however.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first batch of babies hatched out a couple weeks ago.  Our second batch is currently hatching out.  The next group will hatch out in less than a week. They are all so adorable and sweet.  Except for when the older chicks run on and over their siblings who just hatched out and are recovering.

We also took a day trip over to the Porkies in Upper Michigan. We went to the ski area and spent half the day there.  It was a gorgeous day.

Not too many people on the hill.  SO nice.

The bunny hill, where I spent most of my time.  If you look past the trees you can see Lake Superior.

While we were having lunch.  The ski area is big enough that you didn't see crowds of people waiting to go on the chair lift.

With the weather *finally* turning away from the darkness that is winter, I've been taking walks in the evenings again.  I've felt a recharge ever since the sun returned and the temps have moved above zero degrees.

 

 

 

If we were having coffee ... I'd mention how my creative muse seems to have gone on vacation.  I have lost my mojo on all things creative. This is part of why I haven't written.  If you are a crafty person and suddenly lose that desire, it SUCKS. Even working on a vanilla sock wasn't happening.  I tried working on a few simpler things and they did nothing to get the creative juices flowing.

So then I thought what I needed was something more complicated, to learn something new and engage my brain.

I cast on a cowl and learned a the herringbone crochet stitch.

Pattern:  Herringbone Infinity Shawl
Started: 2/22/18
Finished: 3/6/18
Hook:  H 5.00 mm
Yarn: Mandala yarn "Warlock " colorway
Color: Teal, burgundy, violet, tan, brown, green, and gold.

 I was so happy when I wrapped this beauty up.  Then I laid it down and realized I made it into a mobius type cowl.  Doh!  I still love it.

Okay, so maybe that didn't work out like I thought it would. It's all right.  I enjoyed working with the yarn and this was a really quick crochet project.

Prior to the cowl I decided to make some quick granny square dishcloths that were in Valentine colors. I had plenty of yarn leftover from the Valentine-themed dishcloths I made back in January.

 

 

I've been using these dishcloths as candle place mats.  They are so bright and cheerful that I can't bear to use them to wash dishes just yet.  

 

I really liked this yarn in the skein, but couldn't think of a pattern that would work with it, so I made another granny square dishcloth. 

I finished the vanilla socks I had been working on.   They are still sitting on the blockers. ... I haven't worn them yet.  

Vanilla socks

Started: 1/7/18

Finished: 2/4/18

Needle: US 1, 2.25 mm

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici, "Fanciful"

Color: Purples, pinks and blue. Lot #59925

 

I thought I'd try something a little more complicated for a dishcloth.  I cast on the Natte dishcloth, found over on the Knit Picks website

Natte Dishcloth

Started: 2/10/18

Finished: 2/16/18

Needle: U.S. Size 3.

Yarn: Cream color dishcloth 

Notes: If I make the pattern again I would use a larger needle size.

Currently on the needles is another vanilla sock. I haven't made much progress on it.

Vanilla sock
Started: 3/15/22
Finished:
Needle size: US size 1, 2.25 mm
Yarn: Knit Picks Felici "Tea Party"
Colors:  Pale blue, pale purple, pink and pale pink.

Good spring colors.  Just in time for Easter.

Two projects I would like to cast on are the Copilot Cowl, and the Lakeshore Scarf.

Yarn for the Copilot. I picked up another skein of Lion Brand Mandala yarn, in the "Genie" colorway.

 

For the Lakeshore Scarf, I have a skein of Knit Picks Stroll yarn in the "Great Lakes" hand painted yarn. I purchased this yarn with this pattern in mind.  I've had the pattern for a *really* long time. I'm excited to cast it on and work on it.  It's the type of pattern that might be just what I need to kick start my knitting mojo.

 If we were having coffee ... I'd tell you what I have been reading.

Still slowly working on Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. Not really enjoying it, so it's going slowly.

I went through a spurt of reading young adult books.

The Blackthorn Key - I recommend. If you are looking for a book for a young boy/tween, this is a good one. It's the first in a series.

Boxes for Katje - Good story, nice pictures. Suitable for all ages.

Homeless Bird - Quick story.  This one got to me a little bit. A story of a young bride in India, who is widowed shortly after being married, and abandoned by her mother-in-law in a city.  Main character does have a happily ever after.

Listening for Lions - Another good story that got to me.  I really enjoyed reading this one. I sort of wish there was a sequel.  I'd love to have an update on the main character's life after she went back to Africa.

If You Were Born a Kitten - Really sweet little picture book for young children.

The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus - Gorgeous drawings. If I remember correctly, they were watercolor.  There was so much going on in each image.

The Mary Celeste: An unsolved mystery from history - Very fact-filled.  If you are looking for a story, you may want to pass on this one.  If you like history, this is a book for you.

When You Reach Me - Go and get this story, right now. It was *so* good.

A Simple Murder - This was an audio book.  I admit I initially requested it because the main character is a weaver. The story is well written.

The Sign of the Beaver - I read this one in one evening.  I recommend it. In fact, I took pictures of passages I enjoyed, and shared them on Facebook. In no particular order ...

Every Heart a Doorway - This one is a bit tricky to sum up.  It was good writing.  But .... it felt like a quick gloss over, and not a whole lot of depth. It's also hard to really pin down the genre.  Mostly fantasy, maybe.  I honestly don't know if I'd recommend the story.

I also read the short story Revelation by Flannery O'Connor.  I am not a fan of her writing.  I read it for the Well-Read Mom's book club.

Currently I'm reading the Guardians of Ga'hoole series with my son.  It's slow going.

This line made me chuckle. I now quote the book series to my son and he says "Please don't," which really means, "I love when you quote the series, please keep doing so."

 

Well, that's my big update. ... Currently I'm in chicken mama mode.  A few other things going on are a purchase of a chicken plucker.  This is a *big* step for us.  We really enjoy having home grown chicken, but as anyone who has done this knows, it's a TON of work processing when it is time to harvest.

And ... we just put in order in for a cabinet incubator.  Now we can hatch out *all* the babies!

Oh, and another fun thing happened.

 

Baby kitties!

My mother-in-law was sort of adopted by this cat.  It's a bit complicated, so I won't get into it.  However, back in January, Miss Kitty apparently went into heat and met a gentleman friend.

The result is six adorable kitties.  They will need to find homes, when the time comes.  In the meantime, we are enjoying her adorableness.

So, until next time, thanks for stopping by!