Purling Oaks

Happy 4th!

I've been busy!  As one would hope......... since months have passed since my last blog post!  

In late May, I traveled to Eagleville, MO to celebrate the life of my Great-Aunt Madolyn Richardson Jones.  The Angeline carved in the granite pictured above was her grandmother and one of the women I'm named for.  I am happy I made the trip south and that I had the company of my cousin, Vicky, for the drive.  We had some great conversations.  The country was lovely and although we had a bit of rain, the weather was outstanding--especially for the service that took place on a hilltop in lush northern Missouri.  Aunt Madolyn was an inspiring woman who lived to the age of 98 and one-half years.  She was such a positve influence in our family and she was active her entire life until the last month or three.   I know she will continue to shape my life.  Reconnecting (and connecting) with family was marvelous despite the cause of the gathering.  Madolyn's daughter, Cathy, is a weaver and we shared some good times talking about weaving.

There's been some weaving!  The blue is a length of wool in plain weave that may become a garment (of some sort) some day.  It was the first project on the Norwood.  I do love to weave.  I just need to be faster at warping and more constant at being in the studio.

A second weaving!  A shawl in Cascade 220 that feels quite cushy, which was my goal.  There's more 220 where that came from, so don't be shocked to see another one.

I'm also taking an online tapestry course that I need to catch up with!  Weaving, weaving!

The cats are all fine and love to hang out with me when they're not chasing rodents or enjoying the sunshine.  Dan says they're all "mama babies" since I retired.  What can I say?  :D  

My collection of good recipes continues to expand, as has my waist.  Disappointing that last bit, but it can be addressed with some effort and movement - I hope.  I've learned that retirement is great but it didn't magically eliminate my stress-eating.  I imagine somebody could have told me that.  Ha.

Have a safe and relaxing holiday long-weekend.  I know I'll endeavor to do just that.

 

Hello! Anyone home?

Yeah, I used to have this blog.......

 

2012 was quite a year......one I have absolutely no desire to repeat --- except I would like to keep the lessons learned and personal motivation derived from various happenings.  In the whole scheme of things, my 2012 "events" were actually pretty low-scale when compared to other folks' events.  I guess I just don't like any "events."  

So, here we are on the 12th day of January and I'm about ready to do some clothes shopping for work clothes.  My old stuff is old and is falling off me, which is really not the look I'm trying to project.  My goal is to get about 3 outfits worth today and keep my wardrobe small and flexible.  It helps that I'm working less than full-time and, frankly, I hope to be wearing slightly smaller clothes by summer or fall of this year.  I still have several pairs of jeans from my current body size in the back of the clothes (hope springs eternal - or something like that) so I'm fine on the personal casual stuff for a while.  Okay, I am wearing looser t-shirts right now--they're fine.  Really.

A year and a half ago, my scale showed a measurement for me over 30 pounds heavier than I am today.  Two-thirds of that amount was disposed of since the end of August.  After years of beating myself up for not being able to lose any significant weight on the classic weight loss regimens, I've finally found a method that works for me.  It is such a relief to find a method that my body responds to.  One size does not fit all, so if whole grain/calorie-counting/exerciseyourselfallday/whatever doesn't work for you, try something else!  I wish I would have earlier and saving all the negative internal-talk for something else.  I'm following real food/vegetable/meat/real fat method including no wheat or grains.  I'm eating moderate levels of carbs (vegies, starchy vegies) while working to my target weight range.  After that goal is met, I'll still follow the real food/primal/paleo method or some variation, just with different ratios of protein/fat/carbs.  I'm not 100% strict and enjoyed a gingerbread man or three this Christmas.  However, I can feel it physically and mentally when I'm "off-plan."  

So, my clothes shopping today should be a happier experience than one I would have had two years ago.  I would have gone in December, but I cannot shop when I have to hunt for a parking place.  

Well, that's my personal news for the beginning of the year.  My mom is feeling much better after having pneumonia last week but she's tough.  We're feeding her up with good food to support the continued healing.  Quite scary, that pneumonia!

Happy New Year and may we all enjoy a prosperous and joyful 2013!

 

Justified!

Hours spent browsing Pinterest.....JUSTIFIED!

'Twas the night before Christmas and, well, I was not in my 'kerchief nor was Dan in his cap.  We were returning from dashing through the snow to G'Ma S's house where we enjoyed Christmas Eve festivities.  I knew I need to bring a dish to our next stop tomorrow morning, but what?  (Yes, I did leave my plans open until less than 24 hours before the event.  I worked well under pressure, this time.)  For inspiration, I pulled out my iPhone to check my Pinterest boards.  Hmmm, the mexi-corn dip looked good....so we decided to stop in Columbus at the Pick N'Save and get the ingredients.  Oh you may have guessed my problem.  Being Christmas Eve, the grocery store had closed about 25 minutes ago!  Oh boy.  

Never fear, KwikTrip and Walgreens were open in Columbus..........although I had to make a few modestly creative substitutions.  :D  

Here's the resulting recipe that has been tested twice and won the Clean Bowl award each time:

Corn/Veggie/Taco Dip

One 7 oz can of Niblets corn, drained

1/3 of a 16.5 oz jar of Tostitos Chunky Salsa (medium) - drained a bit in a fine strainer

4 green onions, sliced thinly - both green and white parts

1/3 cup (or so) of chopped green pepper.  I also used a combo of red and green in one version-either works.

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon taco seasoning (I used Bold Taco from Penzey's)

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate at least two hours; overnight is better.  Serve with Fritos Scoops or some other sturdy-type chip.  The Pinterest version used a can of hot Rotel and a can of green chiles---things just.not.available at a KwikTrip or Walgreens on Christmas Eve in Wisconsin.   I do know that this version will be a must-do-again for me.

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I also made one of the cute projects I've seen on Pinterest - a little Clementine candle.  Since the pin did not link to instructions, I Googled "Clementine candle" and found the original reference and instructions.  I was entertained.....and it burned for about an hour.  Fun. 

 

I'm looking forward to what the new year will bring.  Six months ago, I thought I had a good idea of my immediate and mid-term future.  Ha.  Double Ha!  Have plans, my dear, but be flexible.  And healthy.  Healthy will take you places.

Happy New Year!

 

 

The good stuff

• It feels like it is finally Spring and I saw evidence when I walked around Friday and Saturday.  
• We bought some very nice ferns at the Poynette Farmers' Market.  
• Our front garden bed now has four new fern plants
• One of my spinning group is selling eggs!!  
• Cherry and pear trees are blooming and the apple trees are almost there.  
• Violets of at least three color variations can be found in the woods and grass near home.   (White, yellow, and purple---with a red-violet as a fourth for those that differentiate)  
• I saw my first scarlet tanager (EVER!) while walking with DH in the woods on Saturday.  I fell in love with their coloring when I was in Mrs. King's First Grade class.  
• I'm learning how to use Excel in Mac, which is different enough from Excel for Windows to be a challenge.  My spreadsheets are useful and that's what counts.
• I make a pretty darn good jambalaya, all things considered.
• It was a good (but short in some ways) weekend and it ended with a nice sunny day.
• I figured out what was wrong with the box that parses the TV feed and may have a replacement soon.
• Dan made us a nice Saturday dinner of fresh asparagus wrapped with bacon (broiled), dove braised with vegies (yum!), and small crab cakes.  

Have a good week.

More beachy goodness

Re-entry to the working life after vacation was brutal.  That description is a bit of an exaggeration....but not by much.  Obviously, I need a longer vacation!  :D  However, there are limits on some things so I'll just share another beach photo to recapture the mood.  

(iPhone shot - you don't know how many I took to get most of us in the photo)

 

Thanks to Carrie/Kitten for the request.  Did you know that she's moved her blog?  Did you see that she has a new hat to wear?  Go see the new "hat" she's wearing--I love it!  

Happy Monday!

California dreamin'

We had a great vacation!  (l-r:  Micah, Dan, me, Ramya, Eric)  California produced some nice sunny but coolish (for California) weather that was a nice change from snowy Wisconsin.  As always, Eric was a great host and we had great food including some fantastic Indian dishes by Ramya.  We enjoyed being able to spend time with Micah before he heads off to Army basic and OCS in May.  

If you ever get to Santa Barbara, the wine tasting is fun as is the beach.  I was able to walk in the Pacific Ocean and dream of walking on the beach every day.  (or at least once a year.......)

We also did some hiking and shooting up in the high desert.  It was a bit muddy since it had snowed the night before but the scenery was marvelous.

It was great to get away, have fun, and relax.  Changing locations is a good way to jump-start new ideas, which is good since this is a year of transition anyway.  Now I need to post this and jump in the car so I don't miss my flight back to the East Coast.  

Where in the world is Uncle David?*

*Disclaimer:  I don't have children and I don't know who Carmen Miranda Sandiego** (see the comments) is, but I like the phrase.  Yes, a poor excuse for using it as a post title but that's all I have for you folks. ETA:  **I think I should have googled this first.  :D  I'm guessing the second image is not quite the franchise but she looks like she's having fun.  And, really, both Carmens look like they know how to enjoy a vacation......

 

Here's another (hopefully full view) photo of last Saturday's dinner participants (well, 'cept for me.)  Uncle David is the guy on the right.  He's my father's youngest brother, having arrived on the scene when my dad was 16.  David's one of the larger-than-life 'Jones boys' in my life.  It just wouldn't be right to keep him excluded, although inadvertent.  (No thanks to my TypePad iPad app.)

We're a pretty happy bunch.  (Especially *after* a meal, if this photo says anything.....)

I don't have to be back at work until the last day of the month, (which sounds so long but, really, this is February) so I'm looking forward to seeing more family and some warmer weather.  I'm slowly working on a new sweater--the cold flu virus slowed me down. However, I'm recovering and have switched up my technique to picking rather than throwing in hopes of more efficient knitting.  I'm a bit surprised and happy that my purling is going smoothly.

The weather was lovely in DC this week and I came home to melting snow in Wisconsin.  Yay.  Everyone I talked with today was excited about seeing less snow, more lawn and more sunshine.  I'm excited too although we all know March can be very wintery.  

Well, I'm nattering.  Time to check the dryer anyway and to fold some clothes.  

Happy Friday!

And there was cake

We had a very nice, though slightly belated, birthday dinner with my mom on Saturday. (l to r: Mom, Kim's SO Bill, Dan, Cousin Kim, me, (Auntie) Lynn, (Uncle) David). The Roxy in Oshkosh has good food and lots of it. Kim made a yummy chocolate cake.

It seems ages ago although it is only Tuesday, just days later. I'm blaming the time distortion on my cold. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Now, to go soak my cold in a hot tub of water and hopefully run it off so I will enjoy some time off next week. (ETA: looks like my typepad app won't let me edit the photo.....just imagine my uncle over on the right---attached to his hand.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln*

Hai!

I've sipped and savored my first one and a half cups of coffee this morning.  Now to start working the keyboard.....

Here's a bit of catching up.....

Way back in January....but less than a month ago...I met up with Nora and some new-to-me friends in Watertown, Wisconsin, for a few hours of talking knitting, yarns, shoes, spinning and other things that knitters talk about when gathered.  It was a cold, sunny, and lovely day.  I brought along my spinning wheel since my ability to knit correctly and talk while making sense at the same time is challenged at times.  Nora described the day with more photos and details here.  Speaking of Nora....

She took to it quite well.  I know that our work to create a wheel spinner is not finished yet but we are so much closer after that day in January.  

Just a few days later in Washington, D.C., I had the great pleasure of meeting up with Angie (aka Lori-Angela) for a long lunch at a sandwich place just a block from my office.  She was visiting our capital city from western Canada with her husband who had the handy excuse of a convention to come to visit.  We share a name and, in fact, our husbands share a name, which is fun to mull.  She's a very productive knitter and I'm not, but we didn't let that stop us.  We had a lovely visit and a nice discussion of knitting-relating stuff and of transitions (which we're both experiencing).  The time went too quickly.  It was so nice to meet another "virtual" friend and have her materialize in real-time.  

 

I'm contemplating ripping Williamsro.  The time that it has been tucked away has moved me to different sweater likes for myself, although I still love the pattern, just not for me.  I'm considering a top-down cardigan, probably Laura Chau's pattern here and probably with the yarn from Williamsro although I do so love Noro Silk Garden.  My plan is developing.  I had considered using the yarn I won in the NMO funds drive over at our Stacey's (looks like I'm too late for a page linky) but the gauge I'm getting won't give me the quick (at least in my mind) or faster knit that a heavier weight than Silky Wool will give, although I love that yarn, too.  Yup, I did a gauge swatch.  I'll do another with Cash Iroha, maybe today on the drive north.

We're taking a day trip up to visit with my mom and family to celebrate her birthday, that was this past week Tuesday.  Happy Birthday, Mom!   I'm looking forward to our visit and better sign off to get myself ready to go.

 

Have a good weekend!

 

*This was the first thing that came to mind for a title.  Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow to get a project started and finished.  

A Good Weekend

This weekend was busy but nice. I saw my first Wisconsin snowfall of the season. Pretty, just under half a foot or so, and not too cold.

I also got a package from our Cookie (shutupandknit.typepad.com). (and yes, typepad's iPad app essyouseekayess regarding links.)

There were socks that fit perfectly knit with Fannie's Fingerling Weight sock yarn in the Old Roses colorway. Cookie said she used the Harris Tweed rib and Cookie Cutter Short Rows for the toes and heels. She knit them toe-up using Magic Loop, "of course," and used a sewn bind off. (I will have to look that up....not that I finish stuff that often, but just in case. *g*)

Cookie also tucked in a Minion wearing an orange vest for visibility and a very cute ribbed hat. Min investigated the snow and then tucked himself into my suitcase to see DC. He just noted that it feels pretty cold in DC, too! He also said something about some chocolate but I can't hear him since he's a bit muffled from jumping back into my suitcase.

Thank you, Cookie, for Min to keep me company and socks to keep me warm.

DH and I put up the Christmas tree and slept out in the addition two nights with the wood stove going all night, for fun. And it was. :D. We woke up to the snow, which was pretty neat, with it all sparkling and clean.

It was a good weekend.