Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a single photo and share it ~

Ginny from small things

I haven't actually started knitting on my sock yet this week, but I did pull it out of the bag of UFOs that I have lying around.  Hopefully, this will be a pair of socks for me!  I started them a year or so ago, got scared when the pattern talked about picking up stitches, and set them aside. 

I have since knitted several pairs of socks and overcome this fear!  Yay!  So I am ready to complete this poor pair that's been sitting neglected for so long.

The yarn is Crystal Palace "Maisy" - made from corn fiber and nylon.  I thought that was pretty fun, and I figured that would make a sock to wear in the spring when you don't really need heavy wool socks.  At the rate I am going with these, I'll finish them by next spring!

I'm working my way through Pillars of the Earth for a second time.  I love this book!  It's my book club's book for this month, so I thought I had better refresh my brain a little bit.  It is getting all muddled up between Pillars and World Without End (which, if you didn't know is set in the same town, but a century or so later!).  I'm also watching the miniseries on Netflix, it's not too bad!

Keeping Score

I have gotten a lot done recently in my goal to simplify my stuff.

I cleaned out my kitchen cabinets.

I cleaned out my pantry - I have a large walk-in pantry.  No walk in closets, but a walk in pantry.  I know where my priorities are!

This week I got rid of (well, it's boxed up and ready to go to Goodwill):

4 flower vases
11 baby "accessories" (bottles, bibs, etc.)
1 fish bowl
4 candle holders/boxes of candles
1 microwave splatter cover (we don't have a microwave anymore!)
1 pretty autumn centerpiece that my cats keep eating and puking all over the house
3 kitchen appliances
6 cans of food to donate to the food bank (things that we just don't eat and I'm not sure why I have them!)

Plus a big bag of trash from the pantry and the spice cabinet.  No more MSG boullion.  Not sure why I had 4 jars, I never use the stuff!

That brings my grand total so far to: 82 items.

Doesn't seem like a lot, but my cabinets are thanking me right now.  Really, they are! 

Yarn Along

I'm joining up again with Ginny at small things

Working on a small project to keep my hands busy when I am watching the little one play.  The begining of a pair of mittens for her, she desperately needs new ones!  And now that we finally have a little snow, it will be nice to have some warm wool mittens to keep those little fingers warm.  They will match the hat I knitted for her last year - it still fits and should for quite a while with the rate E grows!

Not really reading anything right now.  Between Christmas and birthday I've been at my sewing machine constantly.  I do a lot of knitted gifts, but sewn ones are much faster, and when you have a little girl who insists upon wearing skirts and dresses every day, you have to be able to whip up a few quickly.  I am, however, perusing several books: Basic Montessori by David Gettman, to refresh my braing as we get back into the swing of things, The Essential Montessori by Elizabeth Hainstock, and Mothering Like the Father by Dianne Daniels.  Mrs. Daniels came and spoke to my MOPS group not too long ago, I found her speaking to be pretty inspiring.

Happy New Year!

Hello, 2011!

I'm ready to get back into the swing of things, I think.  Someone in our house turns 3 !!!! on Tuesday, and life can settle down back to normal after that.

I've been thinking of a few goals for the new year.  Do you make New Year's Resolutions?  I prefer to just think of it as long term goals for the year.  Things that I know it's going to take me more than a day or a week to accomplish.  I see a few bloggers writing about a word for the year, I like that idea.  I think I even used it last year, but I don't remember what my word was.  Things can change so much over a year!  Right now, the word that comes to my mind is simplify.  I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by stuff, responsibilities, activities, commitments.  I am hoping this year to simplify my life in general.

1. Simplify stuff!  I want to get rid of 2011 things in 2011.  I'll probably keep track of that here on the blog.  I don't think I'll track the things I throw away, only the things I donate, gift, or sell.

2. Simplify schedule.  Make sure we do preschool (Montessori time or otherwise) 2-3 times per week.  We started off great this school year, but have really started to slack!

3. Simplify health.  Eat breakfast and lunch every day!  I am horribly bad about snacking and never eating a real meal until dinner time.  And I wonder why I have no energy some days . . .

4. Simplify hobbies.  I joined a destash-along on craftster.org, I am really going to try to do my sewing and knitting from what I already have on hand.  I also joined a craftalong doing 50 projects in 2011 - I'm hoping this will help me to actually finish the projects that I start.  Unless they're a gift for someone, a lot of the time they don't get any further than planning and purchasing materials!  Hence the large fabric and yarn stash.

5. Simplify money.  This is the year we need to plan a budget for food/household expenses.  Hubby got a new job (yay!!!) but my hours keep getting cut at work when I need them the most.  So either it's budget and stick to it, or work more days out of the week.  Budget it is! 

I started cleaning out the house with my kitchen.  Today I boxed up 51 items for goodwill, mostly excess coffee mugs and sippy cups.  And I haven't even touched my pantry yet!  :)