Marie Grace Designs

Fake it 'til you make it...

Ya know, I spend a lot of my time pretending I know what I'm doing. In all honesty... I'm a bit slow on the up-take sometimes and I don't adjust to change well or quickly.

For real, I'm a bit low in the self-esteem department but I try really hard not to let it show. I am completely comfortable in my small group of true friends here in real life but beyond that... I'm pretty shell-shocked most of my waking hours.

It used to be that I blogged about a new yarn I bought, a new color I found, what I planned to knit with it, a new technique I learned, and sharing finished projects. The first time I posted a project I had winged with no pattern and got a comment asking me if I had written it down and if I would share it... the designing bug bit me hard and it was all over from there.

See, I've always known I would get married and have kids some day. It was all I ever wanted. Maybe that sounds really simple or like a cop-out to some, but really my childhood sucked and my family was far from stable so my biggest dream that seemed the furthest out of reach was a happy, stable family with a mama that reads stories and kisses her kids and a daddy that comes home every night and picks up his littlest for a hug right after he kisses the mama. Simple, but not easy. I do have it now, but we didn't get here on an easy path.

Anyway... even though I am eternally thankful of what I have I've always wanted a little more. I've been a mom since I was 19 so I never really explored that whole "what makes me... me" thing. When I was younger I loved to write (I was a horrible, belligerent student but even when I was failing high-school I had straight A's in Literature and Composition because I loved it). I thought maybe some day I'd be an author of some sort... maybe fiction, maybe kid's books. 

I've always planned to be home with my kids though I have worked from time to time when we needed the money. In the back of my mind I always tinkered with ideas that would help bring in cash while I still stayed home. I babysat other people's kids (no fun), I did some commissioned sewing here and there. Nothing really substantial.

I've often felt selfish for admitting that though I am about 90% fulfilled by my role as mom I still have that nagging 10% that wants something just for me. Some sort of challenge.... some sort of goal.

Knit designing fit the bill... and I couldn't be happier.

But at the same time so many things are different than I thought they'd be. I've been published, am currently working on things that will be published, have a fabulous distributor that is very supportive and a great relationship with several of my favorite yarn companies. Still, there are so many aspects of the business side of knit design and publishing that I'm still trying to get comfortable with.

I read blogs just as much as anybody else and I know all the same popular ones that you do. I read them and ogle at the pictures and the wittiness. I chat in some of the same groups as some of the popular designers and occasionally take part in a discussion though I'm usually quiet because honestly I still don't feel like I'm up-to-par with the other designers. Its like marching into a party I wasn't invited to.

I've had to learn more about editing, grading, formating, pdf making, attachment mailing, customer griping, deadline dreading stuff than I ever thought I would.

Dudes, I am a mom and a knitter... this design stuff scares the hell out of me!

So if time goes by and my blog is silent or much less than entertaining just know that its because I have a lot of laundry to do and need to go to the feed mill and the grocery store or I'm working on something I'm not allowed to show you and I haven't yet figured out how to be entertaining without a project to show or how to make a deadline project and a just-because project all at the same time.

I still get a knot on my gut every time I self publish a pattern and, in fact, I still get queasy every time I make a blog post. I'm too boring, too dull, misspelled something, forgot something, didn't explain something well enough, only told half a story.

So how far am I supposed to go with the whole fake it 'til you make it? I hate sitting here trying to figure out how to word some thing so I don't sound like a dork. Truth is... I'm a dork. I tell cheesy jokes (usually to the kids) have a warped sense of humor, am a neat-freak about some weird stuff and rely on Mac Daddy for a vast majority of my tech-issues for publishing. Quickbooks is eating me alive.

I can't run my own print jobs. Mac Daddy does them all. I hand him a purchase order and wander off to make dinner. 

The worst part of all of this is that I'm not sure where the line is between a designer who shares a bit of inside info and what crosses the line into I-just-ruined-my-budding-design-career-by-admitting-I-can't-use-my-own-printer.

All this stuff makes me brain-constipated and stops me in my tracks every time I sit at this dang computer with Typepad staring me in the face.

Ugh.

So today... I figured I'd just go ahead and throw it all up in the air to see where it would land. I really do need to go to the feed mill, the pet store, the grocery store, have laundry to do, schooling to do, the goat's hooves need trimmed, I have to clear off the rocking chair in my room because I keep throwing things on it, promised Tater I'd finish her Pooh jammies, promised the other kids I'd make their jammies soon, have a knit deadline, a yarn company project, a project to send for editing, hats to make for donation by Valentine's day, my taxes to finish preparing which includes continued work with Quickbooks, junior bowling league for the boys Saturday morning, a 4H leader meeting Saturday immediately after bowling, Flash's buddy coming to spend the night on Saturday, a print job to run, 2 doctor's appointments next week, a prescription to refill, and oh... did I mention... Mac Daddy is out of state for work for the next week.

I got a purchase order 2 days before Mac Daddy left and handed it off to him with a please, oh please, can you do this before you leave. He returned later to inform me that I would need to order ink before we could finish the print job. It takes 3 days for an ink order to get here so... you guessed it.. I have a print job to run and Mac Daddy is in Utah and I don't know how to use the big-fancy-business-investment-of-a-solid-ink-printer. Mac Daddy has it programmed with all this pre-set info stuff that boggles my mind. Can you say "screwed"?

(Should I be admitting to all this? The truth will set you free and all.)

Check out what he did for me before he left:

That's a screen shot of a really pretty step by step document (full color) that Mac Daddy made for me so I can run my print job. How cool is he!

And yes, thats Ravelry in the background, one of my customized groups/forum pages. (Could somebody please tell the Smockers that I have joined the group but there's like... ummm.. no activity and its breaking my heart. Where have all the smockers gone?!?

So, I'll be running a print job some time this weekend (please don't alert my distributor to this blog post) and I'll be insisting that Flash help. Nothing like making your 15 year old help run a small business.

The point to all this... I'm not as cool as a lot of other bloggers, I'm not as popular as most other designers... but I'm trying like hell. 

I don't ever want to get to the point where I forget the yarn and the feeling of squishing a new hank in my hands or stop enjoying putting swatches in my salad spinner.

I don't ever want anybody to think this juggling act is easy or that I have it all together. I can post some nice pictures and post a light and airy fluffy post and give you little snippets that make it all look just so but that's just not really me. Its too much pressure. I don't deal well with pressure, or change, or dust.

When you get right down to it... I love all this chaos even if it gets a little out of hand sometimes. I'm a happy camper. Great kids. Great man in my life. Good friends. Challenging sort-of-career and still going. And I'm thrilled to have readers and customers and finished projects on Ravelry. Its a real hoot and its a lot of work. I spent too much time reading other blogs and playing with yarn samples that I have no business playing with because I really should be finishing that deadline project and going over those charts so I can send them to my editor (who totally saves my butt time and again).

Knit on, people... knit on!

Jammie Pants and Tuck Likes Snow...

Seriously... who doesn't love comfy jammie pants?

I finally got around to making the pattern pieces for the Sleep Well jammie pattern for the kids. I had to get the child size package for the 2 younger kids and the adult package for the 2 older kids (as well as Mac Daddy and I) so there's a lot of pattern tracing going on to get all the different pieces cut in all the right sizes. Not to mention that we are all abnormally lanky so I need to use smaller sizes and add ridiculous amounts of length, no fault of the patterns, just my crazy tall family.

(As I'm typing this Tater came running in my room to yell about how FlyBoy stole her baby doll, hid it, and left peanuts in its place.)

For pattern tracing I love the sewer/landscaping cloth stuff from the hardware store that comes on big, wide rolls for a few bucks. A roll lasts forever and the "fabric" is easy to trace on, sturdy enough to be used over and over, and can be rolled or folded up to be put in a binder pocket.

I had hoped to whip out a jammie set for Tater in one sitting but only managed to finish the pants and half the top. She ran off with the pants already so I'm hoping to finish the top tonight (maybe). The fabric for the pants is a small chunk or a leftover classic Pooh print I scarfed from mom/s fabric stash... Mac Daddy has been entertaining himself my singing about how Mama is making Tater some Phooooooo-p pants.

We finally got a little bit of actual snow, maybe 3 or 4 inches, with a coating of crunchy ice to top it off. The schools were closed yesterday and on delay today which really has no impact on us but we still all watch as the big yellow bus drives by... I think we all stick our collective tongues out at it every time... immature I know, but honest.
Tucker couldn't be happier. He's grown into such a big lovable beast in such a short time. He loves colder weather and especially the snow. He now owns FlyBoy's old Nemo bed comforter which is positioned right inside the front door. He knows that when he comes in he has to stay on that blanket until he's dry which seems fine to him... he rolls and digs and snuggles into that blanket like a little kid taking an afternoon nap. I love that dog...






Thanks for all the compliments on the Flutter Down scarf and hat. It was really fun to design, sort of like doodling with yarn. Its a very satisfying knit and really not as difficult as it looks. After one full chart repeat it all sort of makes sense.

Flutter Down Scarf and Hat Knitting Pattern

I’ve always been fascinated with complex twisted stitch patterns. Normally worked in the round to avoid having to work crossings on wrong side rows, these beautifully meandering stitches leave behind the impression of embossed designs on old parchment. I couldn’t help but challenge myself to design an oversized scarf with these rich textures even if it meant working those tricky wrong side rows. I’m thrilled with the results and hope you will be as well. If you’re a bit wary you can knit the matching hat first, in the round, to familiarize yourself with the motifs.

I don't mind telling you that I had planned to have this pattern ready to go for fall '08. The rust color and the leaf design details were to be a herald for approaching change... in the trees and in the air.
Instead, this project turned into a comfort knit for me, not unlike comfort food on a cold, snowy day. Sadly, fall always seems to bring change in more than just the weather for me. 
I was glad to have this intricate knit occupying my hands and my thoughts, something to really dig into. 
 This is not scarf not for dressing up a jacket but for keeping warm from the first cool autumn breezes right through the winter's worst. Of course, you could make it shorter by working less chart repeats.
Speaking of charts... this is a charted design and I have included full charts (not pieces) for both the scarf and the hat. Full stitch instructions are included in the chart key for all the crossings both on the front side and the back side. Instructions are also given for knitters using a cable needle and those going without one.
 

Size:

One size.

Finished length can be altered by adding or subtracting chart repeats.

Finished Measurements

Scarf width measures about 10 inches after blocking.

Sample scarf measures 94 inches long after blocking.

Hat circumference measures 18 inches after blocking.

Yarn 

Vermont Organic Fiber Company’s

O~Wool Classic worsted

100% certified organic merino wool

3.5 ounces / 100 grams per hank

198 yards / 181 meters per hank

Approx. 4 hanks for scarf and 1 for hat.

Sample shown in color “Rust”

Needles

US#7 (4.5mm) needles.

US#7 (4.5mm) double point needles for hat.

Extras

Cable needle if desired, tapestry needle to weave yarn ends.

Skill level

Experienced.

Skills Needed

Working from a chart, working cable crossings and twist stitches on both the front and back of knitted piece.

Gauge

18 sts/25 rows= 4 inches over stockinette stitch.

 

Price: $6.00 

Your printable pattern will be immediately downloadable in Adobe PDF (v5.0 or later) format

Time out for eating...

I think one of my biggest hurdles when it comes to being busy and needing to get lots done in a relatively small amount of time is eating and cooking.

It can be difficult to keep a grocery budget, fix proper meals and fix them quickly. I'm always looking for ways to get things quicker without having to give up my self-imposed requirement of feeding myself and the crew whole fresh foods as much as possible. I refuse to succumb to boxed or frozen meals and that stuff in a can they refer to as ravioli is just wrong (IMHO).

Another big problem is making sure leftovers get used up. I can't stand having to throw away food that was just fine a few days ago but was forgotten about and sat in the fridge a bit too long.

I've had a plan for a new kitchen gadget brewing for a while and I finally bit the budget and sprung for it.

Meet my new best friend: A Breville sandwich/panini cooker grilling thinger!

Mac Daddy and I love to go to those over-priced fancy sandwich joints every now and then. You have to admit that "panini" sounds yummier than "leftover chicken sandwich" but all of a sudden they are one and the same!

Even plain old grilled cheese sandwiches are fancy, see...

All you have to do is plug it in so it heats up while you assemble a sandwich masterpiece. Its fast, low mess, and with minimal supervision even the younger kids can do most of the prep themselves.

It also cooks meats and slices of veggies on their own. I cooked 6 chicken fillets in about 4 minutes flat!

We lived on this thing alone all weekend. Grilled cheese with noodle soup, Mac Daddy made some sort of egg, cheese, bagel thing, and my favorite was apiece of chicken with some sliced portabellas, onion, and swiss... yum!

I can't wait to throw some fresh zucchini slices in there.

It was kind of pricey but I did a lot of investigating before I chose this one. The grill plates can be removed for easy and thorough cleaning, it has a flat plate that can be put in for grilling things that don't do well on the grid grill plates, adjustable temp control, it tilts to drain grease, and the top plate can be raised some you can put much thicker items in.

I think its worth it for the time it will save as well as the yummy creativity it has sparked. Its good to see the kids finding ways to use leftovers... Flyboy even made himself a chicken, cheese, flat bread quesadilla sort of thing.

And really... this does have a lot to do with knitting. Anything that will free up a bit more time for knitting/designing/writing/editing is okay by me.

See, I've been feeling a bit like a poser in the design department for a while now. The last quarter or so of 2008 sort of bit me in a bad way and I let everything slide. I found out I'm having some health issues I thought I was done with, my beloved grandmother passed away (her name was Grace), and all sorts of other things just had me going in unfocused circles.

I'm ready to get going again! I have a fresh pattern ready to go, another headed for editing, another headed for a publication soon, and much more!

What does all this mean?

It means... make your own sandwich! I have things to do!

:-)

I live on an island...

No... not that one... this one...


I don't know how other work at home moms to it but my guilt meter keeps me firmly planted in the center of the house where I am in plain sight of all the other beings that live here and can't function if they can't see me.
I do have a desk in the bedroom right next to my neat and tidy book shelves and across the room from the best view in the house. From the glass doors I can see the mountain and an open expanse of sky. I can sit in my lumbar-support swivel chair and keep some munchies and a cup a coffee on the desk and work in relative silence (unless, of course I decide to fire up iTunes because the Big Mac has the best speakers ever).
Well, the relative silence part is really a theory. If it is relatively silent while I'm in there its only for about 6 seconds.
As soon as I start sorting out grading charts or figuring out how to put short rows in a pattern so they make sense there's a knock at the door. Tater wants a drink, Flyboy wants to know where the rubber bands are, Doodle wants to call a friend and arrange a sleepover and Flash wants to know if he can watch a show off the DVR that he knows he's not allowed to watch (damn teenagers... always get ya when they think you're too busy to pay attention). 
In Tater's defense she can't reach the cups or the juice but there are 4 people other than me here that could get her a drink. Flyboy should know where the rubber bands are because he's the last one that had them. Doodle will inevitably plan a sleep over, pack a bag, and inform me that we're meeting in 20 minutes. Flash.. well, he's 15... enough said. 
Eventually, if you attempt to stay in the quiet room long enough... the littler ones forgo asking for help and go straight to the guilt factor.
Knock, knock.Who is it?It's me Mama... I drew a picture for you...Come on in...
The door flings open and in marches Tater with a big grin looking all proud of herself and presents me with this...

Tater explains to me that its a picture of me holding her the day she was born and Mac Daddy being all proud in the background.
(Guilt factor rising)

So long ago I gave up on trying to work in relative peace and instead took up residence on the kitchen island. I already hang out there most of the day while we do school work anyway so I may as well do my work there too. I can see the entire downstairs of the house (gotta love open floor plans), the front door, the front yard, and the driveway so I can keep a close eye on everything. I can also yell commands and know that everyone can hear me.

It puts a bit of a dent in my desire to have a neat and tidy existence but it sure does guarantee the counters will be clean... jelly on knitting charts doesn't work very well.

Its not all bad... the coffee pot is always within reach, the snack cabinet is an arms length away, and since I can see the driveway I can see when the mail comes... that way I can go get the yarn out of the mailbox right away.

This and that...

I'd love to show some knitting today but really I've got more paperwork to do than anything. There is a finished project on the blocking board and another one in the works but neither of them are something I can show just yet.

Since I like to have something to pick at throughout the day in between math lessons and reading history and there isn't any easy knitting on my needles I decided to pull out a smocking project I started a while ago. Funny thing is that I realized its almost the exact same color combo as the last smocking project I did. 

I don't know how much interest there might be but I plan to show more sewing and especially smocking here more often. Knitting is my first love and always will be but sewing is a great hobby as well and smocking is just fabulous. I really think smocking seems more complicated than it really is and I'd like to show how it can be simplified and used for things other than crazy elaborate churchy gowns and such. 
Not to mention... what could be better than a smocked summer dress with a matching knit cardigan?
Speaking of sewing and fabric... I really need to get my sewing cabinet organized. Things have been a bit messy since we moved here to the new house simply because I don't have nearly the room I had at the old house (not a complaint, just a factor). I used to have an entire sewing area complete with a sewing table and shelves for stuff. Now I have to put the sewing machine and everything that goes with it away when its not being used. I need to make this whole thing easier by being more organized.
One thing I'll admit to is keeping scraps.... yarn scraps, fabrics scraps, even paper scraps. Paper scraps  we keep in a drawer under all the other paper so the kids can dig in it when they need something. Yarn scraps I typically keep in zippy sandwich bags which protect them but still keep them visible.

Fabric scraps are a little different to store, at least for me. I like to be able to rummage through them but don't like a mess of scraps just thrown in a drawer. It gives me the profound urge to fold them all, which would just be silly.

Scraps come in all shapes and sizes... square pieces left from quilt pieces, curved pieces left from doll sewing, it would be impossible to fold them all in any sort of way that would keep them neat but also allow me to see them when I'mlooking for something in particular.

My solution is to roll and stow...

Lay out a scrap face down. If you have several scraps of the same fabric lay out the biggest one first and lay the other ones on top...

Fold everything toward the middle so that all the raw edges are in...

Then just roll it up. All the really small pieces are safe inside.
If you have a bunch of really small pieces that aren't even big enough to make a roll out of just lay several pieces together, overlapping so a little of each will show, and roll them up together...

Put all the rolls in pretty baskets. You'll be able to see them, move them around without messing up the whole pile, and they look pretty just sitting there.

See, I'm not really all that organized. I just really love to be surrounded by the yarns and fabrics that I love so much. Seeing them is inspiring and reminds me of all those projects I'd like to do. It makes me happy just to see my collections and all the colors and different fibers. 

Old vs Vintage...

I've never been what anybody would consider trendy or stylish or whatever. I don't know the first thing about "what's in" or "what's out". I sort of wish I understood what makes something new and fresh versus what makes it old and passe... not because it would really affect me just because it would be nice to know what the big secret is.

It seems that sewing is finally making a big resurgence, just like knitting did, and vintage fabrics are all the rage. I can't even count the number of articles I've read recently about reclaiming vintage fabrics from thrift stores and flea markets. There are also a plethora of fabric companies reproducing vintage style prints and colors. 

I'm really fascinated by this whole thing but what I'm trying to sort out is the difference between old and vintage. Trash vs treasure, perhaps.

Case in point...

My mom has boxes of what my sister and I call "ugly fabric". A vast majority of it is fabric that has been passed around since Great Grandma quit sewing. Some of it is just plain scary... old nylon and polyester blend slippery shiny stuff that makes your teeth hurt when you touch it and colors that could blind you on a sunny day. If you need to rough cut a pattern to make alterations before cutting into your good fabric you go to Mom to get ugly fabric and use that to mutilate until the shape is right. She has so much of it that even the kids from 4H know to ask her for fabric when they need it. Mom has an ugly fabric stash that rivals my yarn stash (both are pretty bad).

Well, I have 2 dress patterns I'd like to sew for Doodle (aka Daughter the Elder) and myself for this summer but I know mine will need ridiculous amounts of altercations alterations to fit properly. I'm 6 feet tall, long in the waist and the rise, have a small waist circumference, a small chest, and a round butt/hip area and wide shoulders (at least by the sewing pattern industry's definitions). I normally bypass dresses altogether an go with skirts and tops instead just because its so difficult to get a dress that fits me properly. By the time I find a size that fits around my middle sections the shoulders are too narrow and the lower quadrant of my rear is dangerously close to the hemline. Not good.

So anyway, I'm determined to make myself a dress pattern master this year and went to Mom over the weekend for some ugly fabric. The cool thing was that while we were digging through her stash of fabric (which is organized by color I'll have you know) there were all these "old, ugly" fabrics that I kept coming across that just made my little sewing heart all a flutter. Pretty prints, a few paisleys, some heavy fabrics that appeared to have been some sort of cushion covers at one time, and even bits and pieces that Great Grandma had apparently begun to cut for quilt pieces at one time. Definitely old... but definitely not ugly.

So I ended up coming home with 4 grocery bags full of fabric (it didn't even make a divot in Mom's stash... Dad was disappointed) and all sorts of visions for little quilts and homey stuff dancing around my head. Some of it is destined to be a dress master but the rest is just plain pretty. I'm going to wash and dry it all and anything that lives will go to the sewing cabinet for further thought. 

As far as I'm concerned... old is old but if somebody loves it it must be vintage. For me half of it is the pretty fabric and the other half is the fact that it came from Mom and she got it from Grammy who passed it on after Great Grandma passed on. See, I'm a step-kid and by the time I came around (I was a snotty teenager) Great Grandma was well past her prime and though I knew her I never really knew her. Still, this fabric is a welcome treasure and vintage to me.

This discovery of old vs vintage really couldn't have come at a better time, because really, I feel old. I've never really mentioned it here before but I have some medical issues that at times make me feel really physically old. I hate it and it makes me more angry than anything. I had surgery a few years ago that was supposed to fix it but as it turns out it wasn't what we thought and now its back and apparently its something I'll live with for the rest of my life. I've refused a second surgery, at least for now, and instead have a bottomless bottle of narcotics to keep me going. Great... whole foods, organic veggies, and narcotics. Not really what I planned.

Most days I manage and though I'm a bit slow in the morning I can shake it off and keep going. Some days I actually feel really good and can go to the barn myself and take care of the critters and hay bales and feed bags. Today... I feel like crap.

We aren't schooling today, my niece spent the night, a friend is coming to visit this afternoon, and I figured I'd knit a bit in between. I had an entire relaxing, fulfilling day planned, but I'm rather stiff and cranky and disappointed that I feel this way today. Could have something to do with the fact that I moved the sofas by myself yesterday to vacuum.

But, I've decided that today... I am not getting old... I am getting vintage.

The Brutal Art of Domesticity...

Well its Friday already and I haven't posted a thing all week. 

Its bitterly cold today, really bitterly cold.

I wish I had something really witty or interesting to share today. All I can say is its been a quiet week... a little bowling, one doctor's appointment, a trip to the feed store, and some new workbooks for Tater came in the mail.

I did get the new issue of Martha in the mail as well and Tater practically fell over herself when she saw the cupcakes on the cover... all laid out in the shape of a heart. I'm pretty sure we'll be sharing some Valentine crafts here soon whether I want to or not. 

I think I'm in a little bit of a funk. Maybe not a funk but more of a mind-eating analyzation of myself and my"domesticity".

See, I'm a bit of a book-clepto so when pictures of "The Gentle Art of Domesticity" began floating around I knew I had to have a copy even before I knew what it was about. I mean, it has pretty pictures of crafts and cakes and quilts so it must be worth having, right? 

Somehow I stumbled upon a thread on the www that was discussing the book and out of curiosity I began reading and before I knew it I was completely drawn in to what seems to be a feminist argument all sparked by this book. Who knew?

I guess it got me thinking about my life and why I feel the way I do about my own "domesticity" and maybe why I've made some of the choices I've made and how I feel about them now that I'm a little older and just a wee bit wiser. Actually... I accidentally wrote an entire dissertation on the subject this morning... it was blog post attempt #1 but it got all out of control and really, really long and has since been saved and stowed away safely. It would seem that I up-chucked a bunch of mothering/home-making/domesticity tension I didn't know I had. 

What it comes down to is that I'm all for woman's lib and equal rights and supporting woman who want something different than I want but you couldn't send me out of this house and into an office with a flaming crowbar. Nor do I see myself as meek, weak, or needing a man to run my life for me. Ho-hum.

So anyway, I leave you with a picture of knit Baby Bunny to go with knit Mama Bunny I made Tater for Christmas. I've already raved about these little knitted critters designed by Barbara Prime so I'll keep it short and say I still love them. I thought I'd be really clever and come up with a way to knit the bunny ears right onto the head instead of having to sew them later. Well, it worked but we have all noticed that this little bunny looks an awful lot like P-P-P-Piglet. I think its the ears.

Behind Baby Bunny is the red sweater I've been working on. Its a bottom up deal and I have both sleeves and the body to the point that I can put it all together so I can't wait to park my arse in my favorite chair for a few hours and get to it.

And the Cylons are coming... in just a few hours.. yea!

How creepy is that commercial clip where Roslin yells "I'm coming for all of you!" Ack!

Not quite...

Well, it wasn't exactly the 6 + inches we were hoping for. The sleds stayed in the garage and we used the broom rather than the shovel to clear the front walk.
I bet all those people who were at the grocery store on Friday pushing and hurrying and yelling "The sky is falling!" and buying up all the bread and canned food fell a little silly.
We hung around the house all day Saturday, just because we could, and spent some time together. Sappy.. I know, but it was nice just the same.
Fly Boy (aka Son The Younger) got a trebuchet kit for Christmas so a good part of the weekend was spent building it... which meant we watched a lot of glue dry. It was totally worth it, though. It was a real hoot flinging little wooden balls across the kitchen... right up until they decided to try glass marbles instead.


We also made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies and played cards...


There may not have been a mini blizzard outside but the thought of the lake with a layer of fresh snow on it was still inviting enough to convince us to strap on our boots and take a hike. I debated taking the camera but in the end I left it at home.
We walked my favorite new trail above the lake, the one that's so new it hasn't been marked by the park service yet and not too many people even know its there. It was smooth and quiet and undisturbed at least until we got there and the older kids entertained themselves by climbing off the trail to the top of the nearest ridge to have a look down the other side, with whoops and hollers all the way.
Tater was content to walk between Mac Daddy and I, holding on to us both with her fat mittened hands and getting a bit of help here and there.
A nice weekend all around. Hope yours was as well. Next time I'll take the camera.

Damn weather man...

So after all that ice, now he's got this thing going about how there's a "weather event" coming that will start late tonight and go clear into Sunday. The fun part is that its a toss up between more (oh, yes.... more) frozen slop or 6+ inches of white fluffy stuff.

It will depend on a front and a trough and the Ohio Valley and a Ouija Board and a chant or 2 but we're gonna get some sort of cold, wet something.

Seriously, this is Central Pa... can we just get some snow already!?

As much as I don't like snow this could be the perfect set-up. If it starts Friday night we could wake up Saturday morning to a pretty coating of fresh white snow. The kids could have cocoa and toast for breakfast then bundle up in woolens and boots and go tumbling out the door. No work for Mac Daddy.. no school for us... because it will be Saturday and snowy.

There could be snowballs and snow men and snow angels and pretty pictures of kids and geese with snowflakes fluttering down around them.

We could have pancakes for dinner. And more cocoa.

Or we'll get more frozen slop. Oy.

Either way I've got 2 new sewing books and some new cutesy fabric. I'm not usually one for the cutesy-fartsey fabric but I caved on this stuff when I saw the sheep. Its destined to be a little curtain for the little window above my kitchen sink... and a few hot pads and whatnot.

I did balance the cutesy-fartsey with a few yards of a natural linen though... winter knitting, spring sewing.

So here's to hoping for a great weekend, whatever it brings!