I'm Alive!

Really I am I just stopped blogging for a bit there. Once in a while it all gets to be too much to keep up with and I take a break. The blog is the first to go. But there has been lots of things happening here. First off, we are moving!
About 2 months ago we heard the neighbors were moving. Since they are the only neighbors we have left that we like OK and we have talked about moving for quite a while now it was just the push we needed to get our house on the market. Lo and behold the house sold in less than 2 weeks! Yikes. Now BDiddy and I have no permanent plans yet beyond we are moving to the next town over to be living the the school district we have our kids in and slightly closer to our work. I will update you all when we have something to tell until then we are packing and planning for a summer full of transitions.Knitting wise I made a hat for my cousins baby, finished a shawl and am now working on a sweater for me.
Here are some pictures:This 3rd picture is the most accurate for color, I used my own Knit Me Now Sport-a-licious in Apple Tree and finished with Knit Picks Gloss sock in Cocoa since I ran out of my yarn at the end:( I like how it looks though with the brown solid on the edge it kind of grounds it for me. The pattern is Verdaia (Ravelry link) which was the first shawl pattern I saw and almost immediately cast on. I love it but I think next time I will use a solid or semi-solid because I seem to want a shawl in a solid more. Pretty easy pattern and well written. Good beginner pattern if you ask me.This is the baby hat I made for my cousin's baby. Another pattern I saw and cast on for right away. The pattern is Ella Rose's Pixie Bonnet you can find it here. The yarn is Araucania Atcama in a blue/ purple color. Very soft and I see it is discontinued now, too bad. It was pretty nice to knit with. I love the little button I found for this bonnet a little pink gem. Hope all of you are knitting away and looking forward to spring!

Araucania Atacama

Kid Crafts

Kids crafting has been on my mind lately, I think because I do lots and lots of crafting in my head and in my home. I was inspired by a few blogs out there which embrace the artist in each child. So here is our latest craft adventure.

Home made flags for the snow fort or castle. Easy Peasy.

Take some fabric , cut it to size, roll around one end of along dowel, staple or glue to the end and ta-da! Flags for all. Try it.

I thought you might like to see my kids eating dinner in their fort the other night too. They asked and I thought, "Why not?

Don't they look like they are having fun?

What do you mean I disappeared?

I'm sure it has nothing to do with this!


My Christmas Present from my hubby yes it is a floor loom and yes it is mine!

All Mine!!! Wahhhhhaaaa haaaaa haaaa!
Sorry evil laughter suppressed now:)

I have been immersed in how to work this puppy and despite the fact that this is the ugliest saddest looking project I am not afraid to show you what we have managed to weave here.


My KD worked for like 20 minutes last night all by himself on the last half of the woven project shown, he was thrilled with it. I was thrilled to hear him upstairs thumping and bumping away on the loom.

I see many more evenings of artistic expression coming out of this for the whole family. Any links to weaving instructions out there you know about would be greatly appreciated also.

There is lots of inspiration hanging around in my craft area now too. Like this


and this



Looking forward to using up some of the stash especially the things I can't think up a good use for. Hoping to make this cabinet a little emptier this year.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year with many fun and healthy days ahead.

Silver Scarf

Silver Scarf, originally uploaded by ImagineKnit.

Once in a while a project comes along and just speaks to you. This was one of them. I saw the pattern on Ravelry and instantly thought, Brita!

My middle sister has had a rough couple of years but this last year has I think been one of her best, she got married to a great guy finished school and worked in Alaska for the Forest Service.

The pattern is Drifted Pearls and you can find it on Ravelry. I thought the pattern was pretty well written but I did need to go down many needle sizes to get the look I wanted and it stated you needed 2 sizes of needles but not when to switch to the other size ( just used one size). Other than that not bad. I love the yarn I used which was British Mohair, Mohair Silk in granite. I got it from DBNY.com which if you don't want your stash to grow huge do NOT get on their mailing list!

I think Brita loved it, she wore it all day after I gave it to her:)

Hope you had a Happy Holiday!

XOXO
Senja

Once a Month Cooking (a review)

A little while ago I got this cook book. The idea of cooking once a month and having meals for dinner every night was really intriguing to me. So the other day I jumped in and tried a 2 week cycle from the cook book.
Since my son has been staying away from wheat lately due to tummy aches I thought I should try the Gluten Free Two Week cycle.
Here is a pic of the process. I followed the plan by shopping one day and cooking the next. I really liked the fact that this lays out all the steps for you with tips, pantry items needed and a grocery list. The next day I did the cooking. That went really well, I started around 9am and endied at 1:30pm. Some of the meals we have tried and liked include Chicken l'orange, meatloaf and I can't wait to try Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichokes and Olives. A few things have not been a hit with the family but I can see that it would be easy to swap out another meal in its place.

My kids have been less and less adventurous with their food lately and this is a great way for us to try new things. All the mixed meals go into the freezer until you are ready to make. The only thing I need to do is decide what to make and take it out in the morning so it is thawed. Some things I have thawed quickly right before cooking. Also the 2 week supply fit in my regular fridge freezer. You store everything in ziplock bags and if you are careful you could easily wash out the bags and reuse them, or use some non-disposable containers in their place.

I love this so far and hope to try it again with a whole month cycle after the holidays. With our busy schedule and my lack of love for cooking this is a wonderful solution to our nightly dillemma, "What's for dinner?"

Enjoying my children

The other night found us cuddled up on the couch watching a play put on by our 3 munchkins.

The general chaos of the show was a lot of fun to watch.
This was my favorite part of the show, Miss M and KD doing a news cast. Sooooo Funny and Cute!
Some socks I was making for Dad that are now going to be mine. My dad is getting mittens instead.

Wow how did the time get away from me? Lots of cooking and baking going on here lately. Next posting will talk about my new dinner plans:)

The Flu

The Flu hit our house last week. Well really it hit Noley and me, everyone else was fine. Which means I now am playing catch up this week with bill paying, house cleaning, laundry and blog pictures. Unfortunately I can't find the camera!

Back soon with pictures. Just letting you know we are still here.