• Blog - Crafts - Creativity

    T Tuesday: mini vacation edition

    Hello and welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday. Last week I had mentioned a mini-vacation was on the schedule. We left Thursday morning and were about 20 mins from our finally destination when it started raining…pouring really.

    It was cold and rainy pretty much the whole time we were there which was a really big bummer. Mini-me and I passed the time by doing a puzzle and playing pictionary. Neither one of us slept very well that night so we got up before 5am…

    I made some coffee and picked up my knitting. Evidently I was tense or just out of practice because it was so dang tight I couldn’t continue. I pulled it all out and grabbed a crochet needle…

    I made three dishcloths in short order to leave at the cabin.

    Just as the weather was starting to clear, we headed out for a college visit that was almost an hour away.

    Mini-me had missed the tour I took J on a couple years ago. I knew right away that she’d love this college.  After hearing about it she wanted to visit on her own. I think its at the top of her list of schools.

    After our visit at Morris we headed back to the cabin. That evening we got to enjoy time with family and PUPPIES!

    I only have this one picture of the smallest of the dogs…all huskies. At one point I had two puppies on my lap and one of the big huskies trying to climb up too. Just call me the husky whisper I guess. It certainly was entertaining with 4 dogs running around.

    We headed home on Saturday morning since had other things going for Sunday and Monday…more on that next T stands for Tuesday.  As well as a garden update. It was off to a slow start but has really come a long way in the past week or so. Hopefully I’ll have some photos next week. Raining like crazy…again…as I write this.

    This week has appointments for me and a Costco trip with the neighbor. I gave up our membership to Costco when I started working since going on the weekends is less fun than poking your eyes out with a rusty fork. Lucky for me, I have a sweet neighbor who is willing to take me along or pick up a few items as needed. I honestly haven’t missed Costco as much as I thought I would and likely don’t spend as much when you figure waste and impulse items.

    I’m still working on reorganizing my craft area and supplies. Purging some stuff I’ll never, ever use. I’m sure over time there will be a thing or two I will have wished I saved…always happens. I just feel like we have too much stuff in general. I’m attempting to get rid of the extra; the clutter, the un-needed, un-wanted and un-loved. Not Marie Kondo style…that’s a little intense for me. But at my own pace with the end goal in mind…less stuff.

    What are you doing today?
  • Around home - Blog - Crafts - Creativity - Outdoors

    T Tuesday: snow day edition

    I am super late getting this posted. Yesterday was a scheduled day off for school although it’s highly likely that school would have been released early due to the blizzard that rolled through.  On the bright side…Mini-me took her knowledge test and got her learners permit yesterday. I let her drive a bit in a parking lot on our way home. It was crazy slippery already at 11am.

    (fyi…this will be a photo heavy post)

    Lets back up a bit….last week I was super excited about the Vikings playing for a spot in the Super Bowl. Yep…they lost. By a lot. It was almost as if they didn’t show up. Don’t get me wrong…I’m still a fan. Always a fan but I’m not going to lie it was disappointing.

    Me circa 1976 sporting a Vikings Fan club button.

    The game was so stressful to watch that I kept myself busy knitting Little Hats for Big Hearts

    When I switched to crochet the pattern got away from me. Not really sure what this might end up as…certainly not a hat.

    I’ve continued with the January photo challenge…this month is going really well and a fun challenge to think outside the box at times.

    13) floral

    14) faceless portrait….faceless portrait of a Vikings fan

    15) new….my new Vikings shirt

    16) wall….local tribute to Prince

    17) thoughtful

    18) cool

    19) paper….embarrassed to say only part of my collection

    20) reflection

    21) day off

    22) scenic…out for a drive at the start of the blizzard

    Last night we waited and waited and waited for the plow to go through so we could clear the driveway. The snow just kept coming getting deeper and deeper. Finally we heard it come barreling down the street at about 8:30. The four of us suited up and began to dig out.

    Fast forward to this morning…I get the call that school is delayed by 2 hours! Hooray! In the meantime Mr. G leaves for work.  Then I get an email to district staff telling us that school is now closed for the day. The kids were screaming for joy and passing the news along to their friends since the automated call had not come through yet. The joy was lost a bit when they realized the chore we still had in front of us….moving a ton more snow.

    The drifting sure looks pretty but makes crazy mounds of snow in other places.

    My garden is in the deep snow.

    The kids worked hard shoveling while I pulled the drifted snow off the roof.

    The struggle was real. We got a foot (30 mm) of snow in total that drifted in crazy ways.

    Since we were all tired and hungry I took the kids to breakfast. I had buckwheat pancakes. They were so good!! I was so hungry I almost forgot to snap my photo for T stands for Tuesday!

    What are you doing today?
  • Blog - Crafts - Creativity - Kitchen

    Interpretive crochet

    That’s what I decided to call my near inability to follow a pattern. I’ve decided that I’m ok with that. I crochet mainly for myself making dishcloths. My stemware really doesn’t care if I have too many or too few stitches. Why should I?interpretive crochet

    Honestly, I can and have followed a pattern…once for sure.  The green hexagonal dishcloth proves it. I’m pretty sure the purple one is correct as well. The rest of them..not so much.

    interpretive crochet

    I tend to crochet when I’m waiting or watching TV. I think its the TV that screws me up with the whole pattern thing. OH well. They are pretty and will certainly clean dishes so that’s all that matters.

    Incidentally…the purple yarn is the last of my cabbage dyed yarn.