Sunday afternoon reading

In the chair, in the sun, with a good book.

Its nice to be able to sit in the sun and soak up some of the heat through the window.

When the Sushi's over

Lunch out with the work team can be nice, if not over-done.

When are chores good?

When your 13 year old does them!

I love that I don't have to do all the chores anymore and even though I wish she was two years old again, I can see the bright side of her growing older sometimes.

Winter Quince Blossom

December's sock club yarn was Winter Quince Blossom. With white, pink, purple and green this sock yarn depicts a snow-covered, flowering tree.

I can't wait to see how this knits up.

Homework time

Nothing like a nice, quiet evening with kids doing homework . . .

unless its a night with no homework to do!




How long until Friday?

Sick kid

Its sad when you think you're going to play your first basketball game and you get sick instead.

Moms wish they could fix these things but all we can do is make tea and be soothing.

The end of the scarf club

It was a sad day when I made the decision to end the scarf club, but it was done (mostly) in the interest of finance.

Also, see this scarf that was the last club shipment I received in November? I'm not sure that I would ever wear that, it looks more like home decor.

I will use the lovely Nashua Handknits Cilantro (70% cotton/30% poly blend) in soft green for some other deserving project.

It was certainly fun while it lasted, making a new scarf each month. I've found that scarves are a great wardrobe accessory in addition to warm outerwear. Many of my scarves got outings this winter and were worn to work. Many others found new homes as they were gifted at Christmas.

The sock club is now the focus of the regular knitting until finances improve and I can buy other new yarn.

Winter day

Today's snow was enough for some lucky child to make a decent-sized snowman.

Violet

Thank goodness these plants decide to bloom in January! It would be an otherwise grey month without them.

Bunco

It was Bunco night with the girls. Once a month, every third Tuesday, wine and friends and dice.

Club news

November's sock club shipment was an interesting take on a colorway. We got four different shades of color in four mini-skeins. It may be difficult to tell in the photo but those are four shades of brown from beige to dark.

I wasn't too sure what to do with this in the beginning but I think I have an idea now. I think I will make a hat that will start at the brim with the lighter shade and have all four gradations of color up to the tip-top in the darkest shade. If there is yarn left over, a matching pair of mittens to fit a 10 year old boy would be a nice addition.

I finally finished October's yarn for November knitting and have a new pair of Monkey socks.

Rainy days and Mondays . . .

. . it was both of those today.

But it could have been worse and I'm glad to be home and ready to curl up in my jammies and sit on the couch and go to bed early!!

Weekend cooking

I spent a lot of time on my feet this weekend. Now my refrigerator is filled with great food, and I shouldn't have to take much time in the morning this week packing my lunch.

Thanks goodness for my crockpot and Mollie Katzen.

Bloom

I'm calling it my 'January cactus'.

It kind of missed the Christmas bloom cycle but its not too late. At least it gets full attention now and doesn't have to compete with the Christmas tree.

Taco Stand Friday

Every Friday for at least the last five years, if not more (I can't remember), I've had lunch at The Taco Stand with my friend Heidi. I always get the nachos, with black beans.

We started out walking from work, at noon on Fridays when we worked together back in 2004. Since then its been through the seasons, through new employers, through other friends or family that have joined us, through thick and thin, that's just Friday - nachos at Taco Stand, with Heidi.

I can always count on nachos for lunch on Friday.

Do you have a long-standing date like that?

Thank goodness for lunch breaks

Day 1 - A self-portrait to start the year. Photo taken in the bathroom at work in the hospital. I can't think of a less-inspired way to begin a stimulating, new project.

The cats woke me up EARLY and by that I mean before 5:00. I guess they thought they hadn't had enough to eat and wanted me to rectify the situation. I was not prepared to do so at that hour and so I stayed in bed but slept fitfully after that (due to the cat's consistent reminders that I had not assisted them yet) consequently getting out of bed too late to wash my hair. So with no make-up on winter's pale skin, this ugly stress pimple on my forehead, and my limp hair up in a clip, I went off to a day of rigid tedium, completely without creative inspiration. The only thing to make me feel cheerful is the pretty, yellow sweater - a Christmas gift from mom and dad.

When I think about what I give to this job and what I get from it, I'm not surprised its such a struggle to be inventive and articulate on my blog.

But some days, when I take a lunch break, I leave the windowless, fluorescent-lighted office, and go sit in an easy chair in a lobby with floor to ceiling windows and knit and listen to podcasts in natural light. Its very uplifting and I feel like a different person from the person who sits in that windowless, fluorescent-lighted office. I feel like myself, actually. I'm not really sure who that other person is. Probably someone who's so worried about dress codes, HIPAA regulations, being a contractor (outsider) instead of an employee (team member), and all that other stuff that she doesn't feel free to just be herself. Its always so hard to go back to work after lunch.

A new year - a new adventure

The end of the day, the beginning of a new year. This is my first post of 2010 and the first for quite a while, as a matter of fact. The holidays sort of took up the room in my brain reserved for creativity. Blogging took a back-burner as I focused on other things and I didn't have the extra brain power to be creative. Now I'm back on a (hopefully) more consistent basis. Inspiration came to me today after reading some other blogs that I enjoy.

I'm not much of a resolution-maker at New Years as I find its too much pressure to try to do something new, specific, and measurable 'from now on'. It usually backfires and I quit the new thing altogether. I prefer making small changes that can become habits over time. However, in the spirit of starting the new year on a fresh note I'm going to start a project that will consist of a small action, repeated daily, to create a body of work for my blog.

The photos I took, and posted on this blog, on Christmas day made me feel happy. They were slices of the day and help me remember that peaceful morning. That's why when I read about the Project 365 I decided to participate. This way, even if I don't have the creativity to write a full blog post, I can at least post a picture and catalog my days. At the end of the year, I can look back and remember the moments and perhaps become a better photographer at the same time. And my blog and readers will not feel neglected as they do from time to time when my brain fills up with other responsibilities.

So look for a daily photo as I attempt to chronicle moments in each day, whether ordinary or extra-ordinary, throughout 2010.