2013 Goals

We are continuing to have a wonderful time in WNY. I took a much longer walk last night and snacked on an icicle. I haven't done that in about 20 years! We're all pretty chill here today. The little kids are outside playing in the snow and the rest of us are leisurely going about our business (I'm trying to find the skein of alpaca I brought with me to cast on for a black Capitan hat). I had breakfast with my BFF (sans triplets. My DH is sick and I didn't want to risk passing the yucky germs onto the babies) and we grabbed lunch at Mighty Taco (SO GOOD! SO CHEAP! SO GOOD!)

Tonight, we'll play games and watch movies and wait until midnight so we can open the door and let the New Year in!

I have to say that 2012 was a great year for us! My favorite moment of the whole year is the picnic that my husband and I had on the family room floor in our new house an hour after the closing. Our family is in excellent health, we have a home large enough for all of us and then some, the kids are adjusting well to our new neighborhood, and we feel incredibly blessed.

My goals for this year were to read more and to knit more. I've done both of those things (my Nook has helped me to do both of them together!) My knitting goals for this year are a bit more concrete, so with a deep breath, here are my 2013 Knitting goals:

• Learn to knit in the Portuguese style
• I bought Andrea Wong's DVD and a knitting pin at Rhinebeck. I've seen others knit ridiculously fast with this method, so I think it's a good thing to learn.
• Knit 4 pairs of socks
•  I'd really like to make the goal 6, but I'm trying to be super conservative in my goals, so I can actually meet them! I have enough sock yarn in the stash to meet this goal and I really love handknit socks in the winter!
• Knit through my Rhinebeck stash before the festival in October (thus supporting the thesis that my stash acquisitions were entirely reasonable) (not that I'm going to get to go again this year, but I totally want to!)
• Participate in the Knitgirllls "Expand Your Horizons" Spinning Challenge
• This will be slightly easier for me given one of my Christmas presents, but we'll talk about that later this week.
• Knit 3 sweaters for myself (which pretty much accounts for the Rhinebeck stash)
• I would really like one of the sweaters to be the Starry Night Sweater from Knitpicks. I started it a long time ago, and it would be nice to finish it.
• Finish the Birthday Pi Shawl
• Another UFO that needs some time and attention. I might make one night a week a lace night.

 Do you have any knitting goals for 2013?

I wish you all a very blessed and happy new year!

Images of Christmas

I hope you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas! Our family had a wonderful time on Christmas Eve and Christmas. I received some very knitterly gifts, but I'll share them another time.

We left the 26th for my parents' house, but spent that night in a motel. The snow made the roads too difficult to drive! Thankfully, we arrived safely in time for brunch on the 27th and celebrated Christmas again with my family.

I'm very much enjoying being home. We've gone sledding every morning and I've taken walks every night. The kids are playing nicely with their toys and LOVING the snow.

Here are some pictures of our Christmas vacation:

A family of Snowmen wrapped candy bars

My Dad's Tree - at least a thousand ornaments and who knows how many lights

The street at night - my favorite time to take a walk

A pretty decorated pine

I hope that you're having a wonderful time this week as well!

Happy Holidays!

A Christmas Blessing....

May you feel the love that is Christmas
May peace reign in your heart and your home
May you experience real Christmas joy through Christ
May you remember that the baby grew up and gave the ultimate gift

If you'd like to know more about this gift, please click here.

Bardic Circle (Spoiler)

A few weeks ago I discovered Creature Comfort Craftworks' Bardic Circle Club. This is an every other month, pay as you go club for either yarn or fiber based upon some Shakespearean play. Since I've been wanting to try a club and the cost was very reasonable AND it was a good excuse to force myself to do some real quality reading, I signed up for the inaugural month. This month's colorway is called "Secrets Kept" and based on A Winter's Tale.

Today, my package arrived!

I can't tell you how excited I was to unwrap an early present!!!!

This is the yarn:

I think the colors are coming out pretty accurately, although the yarn may be ever so slightly more purple than this picture shows. These are totally MY colors!!! I chose the sock yarn base, so it's 460 yards of 75/25% merino/nylon yumminess. I'm not sure what I'll make with it yet. I think I'll rely on the play for some inspiration.

Besides that, I had a lovely day today relaxing at home with the kids, making dog biscuits for the black lab down the street, playing Just Dance on the Wii, and making some ornaments. I expect another chill day tomorrow. Just a little bit of wrapping to do, and I'm ready for Christmas!

Scenes from Around the House

In no particular order....

Stained glass cookies

 Chocolate crinkles (my favorite!)

The house lit up at night

 Cake pop bouquet

My Christmas Socks!

Christmas is Coming....

I'm on Christmas preparation overload. I think I'm totally fine in getting everything done, if I don't have to actually wrap anything. Add in the wrapping and I really have to start worrying about fitting in all of my Christmas movies (and where are all my cheesy Lifetime movies? Eve's Christmas, If You Believe, Comfort and Joy????? I LOVE these movies!!!)

I finally took a craptastic photo of one of my finished Christmas presents. Here is my MIL's Mulnomah Shawl:

I was nervous about its size when it came off the needles, but it blocked out to a little more than 50" across. It fits quite nicely over my shoulders and my MIL is much smaller than me, so I think it will be perfect!

I also finished a Norwegian Star hat for DH, but still have to block it and take some photos. I also finished a cardigan for Baby Girl's Bitty Baby last night, but again, it has to be blocked. That just leaves my Christmas stocking and Christmas socks to go (DH also needs a stocking, but he's not that jazzed about giving up his current one to get with the knit theme, so I've taken away the stress of knitting it this year). I'm turning the heel on my stocking now and I've completed one of my socks (my first afterthought heel sock!). I could easily add some fingerless gloves and dishcloths to my list, but I'm trying to resist!

Hopefully, I'll find the time to take some more pictures this coming week! I'm sure we'll be very busy. Besides all the normal getting ready for Christmas stuff, we're hosting an Eggnog and Cookie Open House on Friday. We thought it would be a great way to get to know some of our new neighbors a little better! Most of the cookies are baked, but there's a lot of cleaning to do! And I can't seem to remember what website I pulled my eggnog recipe from and of course, I've never written it down! Any suggestions?

Happy knitting!

Pre-Christmas Blahs

I've had every intention this week of getting some FO pictures and reporting on my Christmas knitting progress.

I have taken no pictures.

I have made 2 kinds of cookies (peanut clusters and krumkage, traditional Norwegian Christmas cookies). I have set up and decorated not one, but two Christmas trees (because when 6 of your new neighbors tell you how much they loved the tree the previous owner of your house put in the front 2nd floor window, you take the hint). I have hung lights outside the house, but on the front and back (really side) porch. I have almost all of my gift shopping done and am not really stressed about the three gifts I need to buy. I've bought wrapping paper and tape and as of right now, I know where my scissors are.

I have zero Christmas Spirit.

Zilch.

I LOVE Christmas. I love the carols and decorations. I love picking out presents for people I love (and even for some people I don't love). I love baking and crafting. This is our first Christmas in our HOUSE. Not an apartment, but our house! We can set up any decorations we like and no one can yell at us! Our tree is not in the dining room! We even have a mantle from which to hang our stockings!

Why can't I get excited?

I'm blaming it on the weather.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm, I have made knitterly progress.

I finished the Multnomah Shawl. I really thought it was going to be too small, but it blocked out beautifully. I've also knit a hat for my husband (although it still needs a pompom. I think) and I've knit all but the heel of my Christmas after-thought heel socks. I've also started the first of two Christmas stockings and a sweater for Bitty Baby. As far as knitting goes, I'm in pretty good shape. I'll do my best to take a picture or two of the FOs.

Maybe that will help my Christmas Spirit show up.