Works in Progress Wednesday

This is what I am currently working on:

I thought two at time would be faster-- it isn't

 A pair of socks for my sister.

This is taking longer than I expected

A scarf for my sister- the Pattern is Hitchhiker and is available on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hitchhiker.

The Granny Stripe blanket from Attic 24http://attic24.typepad.com/

It is impossible to be sad working on this blanket

A Christmas dishcloth that will most likely be finished next Christmas.

Festive

I am a very slow crocheter and knitter, but the only way to get faster is keep crocheting and knitting (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

Kim

Dear 2016

Dear 2016,
 Here we are on the first day of a brand new year and in spite of having another nasty cold I am feeling pretty optimistic. I am looking forward to seeing what this year holds. It is hard to believe it has been five years since I started this blog. When I started the Bumper was not yet born and now she is five. I am excited about watching her grow even more. I feel so fortunate that I get to share her adventures with her and I hope there will be plenty in 2016. This year am hoping to improve my knitting, crochet and sewing skills. I have several projects I have finished which have not yet been photographed. I am looking forward to finishing my second novel this year. I had to start all over at the end of November, but I don't mind because the story is stronger than it was before. I also want to improve my physical fitness. 2015 was a year of illness and inactivity. I want 2016 to be the year I get active. As always I want to grow closer to the Lord, but this year I am going to be more mindful of the example I am setting for the Bumper.
What are your hopes for the new year?

Happy New Year!
Kim

p.s. I also hope not to wash out for Vegan MoFo!

Tuesday's Are For Making

1. A dishcloth- knit out of Lily Sugar and Cream Cotton Colors

2. A cheerful blanket  using Stylecraft yarn and a pattern from Attic 24 

3. The infamous second sock, unfortunately I don't remember the name of the yarn only that I bought it at Hancock Fabrics
4. A page in a coloring book- when I get a spare moment I thought I'd give it a try
5. The novel 500 words worth- I am pleased, though hoping to up the creative output soon.

 These are all the things I am currently working on. Let me set one thing straight, though, I do not have vasts amounts of time to do these things. I do them on a catch as catch can basis. I can knit, crochet, sew or color in about 10 -15min increments, usually before bed. I carve out an hour a week for the writing, which is the only thing I do in a solid block in the morning. This also explains why it takes me a long time to finish a project. I enjoy doing these things, so I make time for them. Some days a little more or less gets done. If I am making time for exercise, then less gets done.
So what are you making?

Kim

Meatless Monday - Banana Bread

I thought about saving this meatless Monday post until September, but then I asked myself why I was waiting. I have no good reason.  This is my absolute favorite hands down go to recipe  for banana bread. It is a life saver in the hot summer months when banana ripen faster than we can eat or freeze them.  I use this recipe from Post Punk kitchen http://www.theppk.com/2007/10/banana-bread/.

When I first made it I did not have access for vegan margarine so I used 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup applesauce. I also reduced the sugar to one 1/2 cup of brown sugar. This time I made it with Earth Balance brand, and the Bumper and Nana liked it a lot. They also liked the addition of the chocolate chips on top.

It can be made ahead, made into muffins, and freezes well. What is not to love? It is Bumper tested and Pre-school approved. I can't really say more without sounding like a paid advertiser for Post Punk Kitchen, which I am not. The only bad thing I can say is that while making banana bread I did not get a lot of knitting or crochet done, so the sock, blanket and dishcloth are all still about the same size they were on Friday.

The Bumper has two more weeks of camp and then school starts. We are both ready. She is lonely and wants other kids to play with and I am ready to kick up the daily writing.

Kim

p.s. I am pretty sure I have blogged about this banana bread before, but it is seriously good enough to warrant another post.

Friday Check In

It is already August. Wow! We are making the most of our time before school starts in just three weeks. The Bumper has been in half day camp at our local YMCA. She loves it! She has made friends, played games, learned new songs, and gone swimming twice a week. The three hour break I get gives me time to run errands, clean house and write. I feel so much more like myself when I get to write.
We have been able to eat fresh tomatoes and green beans this week. I can not say enough how glad I am to be eating garden vegetable. The taste is worlds away from winter tomatoes that look pretty on the outside, but are soft, bland and mushy on the inside. Accorinding to Nana we should be feasting on these beauties well into September.
Speaking of September, I plan to participate in Vegan MoFo (Vegan Month of Food) again this year. I had so much fun last year I decided to give it another go. I like the challenge of coming up with recipes and blogging everyday.
On the craft front: second sock is getting longer, blanket has more stripes and dishcloth is almost finished.
Have a great weekend!
Kim

New Rule: No Hair Cuts Before Mom Has her Coffee

The Bumper cut her hair today and I am mad. I am crazy, sad, hurt frustrated mad, see red scream out loud so the neighbors cross to the other side of the street mad. I know she is only four and a half. I know it is only hair. I know it will grow back. I wish I could say I was the cool mom who took a sip of her coffee shrugged and said "Oh well, it will grow back. You cut it and now you have to live with it." Nope, not me, not by a long shot. I freaked out, lost it and went bonkers. I yelled at her, wanting to know why she would do such a thing. She said she wanted to be like her favorite Disney heroine, Mulan, who cuts her hair off  with a sword. I suppose I should be grateful she used scissors instead of a kitchen knife.

Here's the kicker though; yes I was upset because she lied to me when she got the scissors and told me she wanted to cut out paper shapes (she is allowed to do this) yes I was upset she disobeyed me because I have told her before not to cut her hair, but I was even more upset because she cut off all of her lovely baby curls. It is unreasonable and illogical, but it felt like a slap in the face. She looks so much like her father: his smile, his walk, his hair color. Everyone always comments on how she much she resembles him; except for the eyes-- she has my blue eyes, and the curls.

So when I saw her chopped off hair instead of a simple act off childish foolishness, I saw an act of defiance, rebellion and rejection of me. It hurt. A lot. When the Bumper saw the anger on my face, her eyes grew wide and she said in a small  voice "I did something bad didn't I?. I told her that yes she had. She did not say she was sorry, she said "I was wrong. Will you forgive me?"

How could I stay angry in the face of such a request? Especially when I think how often my Heavenly Father has forgiven me for my sins, for my disobedience, and my rebellion. I took my child in my arms and told her I still loved her and I did forgive her; but I was not going to take her to the hair shop, she would have to live with the haircut she gave herself. The Bumper asked me if her friends would laugh at her (and truly she does look a fright). I replied honestly that they probably would. She nodded once, squared her little shoulders, took my hand and set off for day camp.

Yeah I am still mad, but I am also proud that as little as she is, she is accepting the consequences for her actions. That is something some people never learn.

Now I am going to go knit to take the edge off.

Kim

Meatless Monday- Dessert

Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. Did I mention the chocolate? I wanted to bring a dessert to our fourth of July celebration, which started on the third and finished on the fifth (we take our parties seriously around here). So I headed over to my go to website for vegan desserts: Chocolate Covered Katie. I decided to try "The Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Pie"http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/09/06/the-ultimate-chocolate-fudge-pie/.

Wow just wow. The recipe name sounds like it will take a long time  and be super complicated, however making it was really easy; albeit messy. The Bumper loved helping stir in the melted chocolate chips and licking the spatula. I wish I had taken a picture, but my hands were too sticky at the time. It turned out rich and not too sweet. If you do not like dark chocolate then this is not for you. I happen to like both dark chocolate and desserts that are not too sweet. There were only two pieces left at the end of the night. The Bumper and Nana both loved it and neither guessed the secret ingredient. I'm not telling them what it was, because they do not have to know it wasn't as fattening as it tasted. I love it when I can make a dessert, besides fruit, that is reasonably healthy.

I used Enjoy Life brand semi-sweet vegan dark chocolate chips and I chose maple syrup as my sweetener, but I think agave or cane sugar would work just as well. I also used an accidentally vegan store bought crust, but now that I have a good food processor; the next time I make this I will make the date oat crust from scratch.

Kim
p.s.  sock two is slowly getting longer.

Hats, Socks and Down by the Riverside

Finished just in time!

A long way to go

Even though Summer has yet to start officially, we are in full holiday swing over here. The Bumper has had camp the past couple of weeks, which has allowed me to keep working on the novel and to finish up the baby hat I was making for a friends daughter in law, good thing too because the baby shower is this weekend and I just barely managed to pop it in a bag and send it with with my friend. It seems I have started something with the sock, once my sister saw the finished product; she asked for a pair of her own! I think I'll finish my pair first, but luckily for her I had a while back picked out the yarn I wanted to use if she ever asked me.

Into the woods

Down by the river

Around the bend

A couple of days ago Nana graciously offered to watch the Bumper and I went for a walk. I love walking and I love that I live where I can safely(for the most part) do so. As I went on this particular walk I made sure I stopped and looked at the beauty around me. The way I took some of my picture it looks like I live way out in the country. That is not so. I live in the city, not the city center, but not far from urbanized areas. I followed the trails that led through the woods and down by the river, and I thought about how the city I live in was once a major port, not as big as Baltimore, but having seen its fair share share of river traffic. On the day I took my walk the river stank. It was hot and humid, the river just sort of sat there stagnant and smelly. At one point I peered over the edge of the bridge to see if I could spot any fish. I did not see a single one. All of this made me sad, as pretty as the view was, I wanted it to be more than pretty; I wanted it to be alive.

Over the bridge

Environmentalism, and conservation are not buzz words to me, they are a part of how I live my life. My mother taught me the we should take care of the earth because it is one of God's gifts to us. I want the Bumper to grow up in a world with clean air and drinkable water. I want the woods to have wild animals in them; I want there to be forests period. When I walk I pick up trash that I see and put it in a trash can or recycle bin, I am teaching the Bumper to do the same. It may not make a difference in the grand scheme of things, but maybe it will.

Kim

Busy

School is out, and I am busy. Busy keeping up with the Bumper, busy knitting my second sock, busy making a hat and booties for a friend's daughter's baby, busy writing two short stories and a novel. I have been so busy that blogging has slipped way down on my priority list. I find that I miss it. So here I am back again.
The Bumper is also busy. She is busy painting, dancing in the rain, playing, running in the mud and just being a kid.
Nana is busy putting in the garden, emptying her office of twenty years, and trying to adjust to being retired.
Busy is good. Busy keeps me from being bored or dwelling on unpleasant thoughts, busy also prevents silly arguments and fruitless battles of will, but busy can have its downside. I have been so busy I have neglected my prayer time, the time I spend reading the Bible and being in the Lord's presence. It occurs to me that I shouldn't be quite so busy that I forget Jesus.  Yet once entered into I find busyness takes on a life of its' own. This summer I want to find balance between busy and still. Between construction and contemplation. No small feat when caring for a little person who wakes up busy and doesn't stop until she goes to sleep.  This weekend will be spent in busyness with friends and family, but I a going to try and slip away and be still for just a little while.

Kim

Meatless Monday and Knitting Victory

I may be repeating myself here on this edition of Meatless Monday, but for out church picnic on Sunday I made an apple crisp. It wasn't just any apple crisp, it was vegan. It was from the Post Punk Kitchen http://www.theppk.com/2007/10/apple-crisp/ and Isa has yet to fail me. Her recipe did not disappoint. I usually cut back the sugar in her desserts because I find that her sweet tooth is a little sweeter than mine. I did not tell anyone that it was vegan, since it did not contain any of the most popular allergens, I just put it on the table and walked away. This may be my pride and vanity speaking, but I was tickled that there was none left over at the end of the picnic. Nana even told me that the man sitting next to her raved about how yummy it was and when she told him it was vegan he asked her to explain so she said no animals were used or abused in the making of this dessert. It is nice when my family supports me!

Now on to other news. I have (dramatic drum roll please): finished the sock! Yep, I can hardly believe myself, but it is done and it looks like a sock and it fits! I am so pleased and I feel such a sense of accomplishment I can hardly contain myself. Just so I can keep up the momentum I have already cast on its mate. This counts as part of Meatless Monday because I used a nylon-polyester blend yarn. I am starting to feel like a real knitter.


Kim
p.s. Now that I have finished a sock both Nana and the Bumper are requesting a pair. What have I gotten myself into?

WIP Wenesday

I wanted this to be a wordless Wednesday with nothing but the pictures of my finished craft projects, but as I did not finish any of them that is not going to happen. So what I have instead is a W.I.P. (Works In Progress)Wednesday. A jumble of all the things I current have on the needles/hook or in my notebooks.

First up is a plain knit dishcloth. I started this sometime last year with the idea that I needed to refresh my knitting skill and re-learn the essentials: cast on, cast off, knit and purl. I pick it up when I want to practice a stitch to improve my speed.

Next is a crochet doll blanket that I started when the Bumper was a year old. It was supposed to be a baby blanket for her, but it turns out she grew faster than I could crochet.

Then come the hats; the green is still on the hook, but I have finished two yellow ones.

For a lark I picked up a drop spindle kit at the Ocean City fiber festival, because why not learn how to spin while I am at it?

There is of course the ever present sock.

And because I have a terminal case of start-itis something new. Can you guess what?

Lest anyone think that my start-itis limits itself to the fiber arts rest assured it invades other parts of my life.  I carry around a spiral bound notebook crammed almost to capacity with the beginnings of short stories, poems, and novel ideas.

These are the things I am working on, I hope to finish all of them; in the meantime I am enjoying the creative process.

Kim

Could it be that Spring is just around the corner?

First to Bloom

Mother Nature gave us  a break this week and we have had spring like temperatures the last few days and if you as me not a moment to soon. I am more than ready for spring, ready to be outside, ready for more daylight and walks in the park. I live in a place where the winter's don't typically get very cold for an extended period of time so we don't have the proper clothing to be outside for long. Knowing the Mid Atlantic region, however, I know better than to be lulled into a sense of complacency.

There are Buds on the Tree!

Today the Bumper and her friends finally after what seemed like forever, although was really only about a month, were able to have outside recess and because the Bumper had a good report from her teacher she went on the playground after school as well. It did my heart good to see her racing at breakneck speed to join her friends on the jungle gym and slide. Hearing her laugh and squeal with glee as she shot down the slide and swung ALL BY HERSELF on the swings made the rough patch of the last two days fade into memory like a bad dream. I let her play for over an hour whilst I chatted with some of the other mothers and it felt good for me to have adult conversation. We took a kite out for the first time over the weekend. The Bumper loved it, even if she felt a little disappointed the wind was not quite strong enough to bear the kite aloft for more than a few minutes at a time. Fortunately we live near the beach and Nana has promised this summer to take the Bumper kite flying near the ocean.

Nana and the Bumper Checking the Garden Hose

Now that the ground has started to thaw, Nana and the Bumper have started getting the garden ready for spring planting. In the next few weeks they will be prepping the vegetable garden and the flowerbeds. The bulbs we planted last autumn should be starting to push their way through to the surface and I can hardly wait for our walk way to be lined with daffodils. We did plan tulip bulbs last autumn as well, but have sneaking suspicion the moles have used them for a winter feast. One of the more unpleasant tasks has been ridding the greenhouse of our feline squatters. In fairness we did not want the cats to perish in the harsh storms, but enough is enough! Mint, parsley, and basil can survive many things, but the territorial markings of male cats are not one of them. Since warmer weather is once again upon us the cats must vacate.

They don't look like much now wait a few weeks!

Surprisingly one of the vegetables to survive were the carrots the Bumper planted last summer. They were not quite big enough to eat. This year they are ready and we have been pulling them and crunching on them as often as we can. I am not sure which pleases me more: eating the tasty carrots or the happiness in the Bumper's eyes when she declares: "Look what I grew Mom!" She is learning the pleasure of growing, preparing and eating fresh food. There is no price tag to be put on such a thing.

Third Hat

It is starting to resemble a sock.

I am in the slog of the sock. I am so very near the toe, but not quite there yet. I have almost finished a third baby hat; as soon as I have done up a fourth I will send them off.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today is St. Patrick's feast day. The Bumper's school celebrated yesterday so there is green glitter everywhere in the house. We don't typically celebrate the holiday very much, yes there is Irish in my ancestry, but it is kind of way back there. The Bumper has requested some green themed foods so I am whipping up an avocado mousse or maybe some green beans sauteed in garlic. I am also mindful of the Christians who are in parts of the world who are being persecuted. The Christianizing of Ireland came at price, and in spite of what the legends say it was not entirely peaceful. I wear green in both celebration and remembrance.

Kim

Snow and Cold and Ice and a little Knitting

The Bumper has been delighted by the weather of the last few days. It snowed and it was a  decent enough amount to play in, and clean enough to scoop some out and pour maple syrup over. I was even able to introduce the Bumper to the joys of sledding. She loved it, and I am thrilled she did. I used to enjoyed the same thing when I was small, watching her I had a silly proud grin plastered all over my face. We made the afore mentioned syrup snow, and the Bumper declared it was her favorite part of being snowed in. The syrup snow is my attempt at maple syrup candy.  Neither the Bumper nor I are patient enough to boil the syrup before hand. The syrup doesn't get hard but it is still fun to make and eat.

 The birds decided a little snow would not keep them from the feeders and we were treated to an array of blackbirds, wrens, starlings, blue-jays, and cardinals. I am not sure who has had more fun bird watching the Bumper and I or the cat. Although I confess when we have grown tired of watching the birds it is quite funny to watch the cat watch the birds. Her tail twitches and she makes weird bleating meow noises.

The Bumper has an appointment with Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in March. One of the tests they have requested of us is a 24hour urinalysis. Really? On a 4year old? I had been putting off this task, but I need not have worried. She thought it was great fun to go somewhere besides the potty and she wanted to watch me pour the contents into the collection jug. I think I have a budding scientist on my hands.

All this cold weather has meant we have spent a great deal of time indoors, much to the Bumper's dismay; I have made some more sock progress ,it is starting to resemble an actual sock, and another baby hat is almost off the hook.

We are busy keeping warm and enjoying the time off from school, except for the sledding and a swim lesson we have not ventured out. I am eagerly awaiting spring.

Kim

Meatless Monday - Roasted Vegetables

When I was a kid I thought God created Brussels sprouts for the sole purpose of giving parents a torture tool to use against their children. A bit dramatic perhaps, but it pretty much sums up how I felt about these members of the cabbage family until well into adulthood. I didn't like them and I felt pretty sure I never would. I was wrong, I just hadn't had them cooked the "right" way. I had only ever had them steamed: plain or thinly disguised under some sort of creamy sauce. That my friends is no way to treat a nutritional powerhouse. It turns out that the adult me adores them roasted. In fact when they are roasted I can snack on them all day long and some broccoli, pepper, and onions results in a full blown flavor party.

First pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F
Slice the sprouts in half
Add in broccoli, peppers , and onions or what ever you fancy
Coat with one 1-2Tbs olive oil
2Tsp of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl the spread in a shallow baking dish or on a cookie tray
Put in the oven for 10- 20min ( watch carefully as oven temps vary) until the vegetables are crispy on the out side and chewy inside.
Wait for them to cool ( this is very important as the Bumper found out when she tried to grab the broccoli) and munch away.

This is a short entry, and if I have done roasted  vegetable before: I can only say they are good enough to deserve a second shot. We are busy hunkering down and waiting for the snowstorm to hit the mid-Atlantic. The last "snowstorm" was a let down, but that has not dampened any of the Bumper's enthusiasm. She wants to go out and try to catch snowflakes with her tongue as soon as it starts to fall. I may just join her.

I went to my first knitting club meeting yesterday, and I will be writing up that post very soon because I cannot believe it took me this long to find a group and am I glad I did!

P.S. On the sock front: I turned the heel! Doing the happy dance, oh yeah!
P.P.S. My camera ran out of battery life before I could upload any photos, but I hope to have some later in the week.

Leaving, Getting Together, and Coming Home

Quilts on Display in a West Virgina rest stop

I was all set to post a lovely little piece about a woodsy walk we took a couple of Sunday's ago, but then Real Life got in the way. The Bumper Nana and I spent most of this week up in Illinois. Nana's youngest brother, my Uncle LV, passed away and we went to the funeral. First we had to go to Baltimore, to have the Bumper checked out for the disorder her father had. So far the test results have been inconclusive. We left from Baltimore right after her appointment and ran smack into a snowstorm in West Virginia. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with US geography. West Virginia is mountainous. In the day driving though the Appalachians is beautiful. At night in a snowstorm it is treacherous. We wisely decided to stay the night in a hotel. Fortunately the place we stayed had plenty of room. The Bumper was thrilled. Not only did she get to build a tiny snowman in the parking lot, she got to frolic and splash in the tub, which when you are four is a very big deal. The snowfall had stopped by morning and we we able to be on our way again.

Our refuge in the storm

It is fun to throw snowballs at Mom!

Icy roads

We stopped briefly to visit some friends of Nana's who live in Ohio  at around 4:00pm and then we back on the road. Eight hours later we arrived in St. Louis and realized it was far too late to wake up my Aunt J and Uncle N. We called the hotel at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, and they had just one room left! We were quite grateful.

One room left and we took it!

The next day we connected with Aunt J and Uncle N and the cousins and we all headed up to Saint Ann IL together. The littlest cousins (the Bumper included) thought this was the best road trip/sleep over ever. They laughed and played with each other so much they did not want to go to sleep that night!

I will not say much about the funeral except that it was moving, and I learned a lot about my Uncle LV whom I did not know very well. He would have been very proud at the way his family conducted themselves. His boys, now grown men with wives and spoke lovingly of him, and treated their mother with gentle respect; attending to her needs without being pushy or intrusive. My grown cousins' children got on quite well with the Bumper and even though they all met for the first time that day they became fast friends. Seeing our children interact, reminded us of how long it has been since the family last got together. No promises were made, but I sense a family reunion coming up.

Hangus the well traveled kangaroo.

We did not have much time to spend, and while the adults were somber and mindful of the occasion, the Bumper and her cousins made the most of their time together! They played dress up, rode bikes, jumped on the trampoline, and helped did holes in the front yard (Aunt J wasn't to happy with the kids on that one!).

On this trip we spend a lot of time in the car. It is 8-10 hours to Ohio from where we live and then another 8-10 hours to St. Louis, MO.  Toward the end it became hard for the Bumper to sit still and she want to stop at every rest area we passed. The last time we were out that way the Bumper was younger and slept most of the time, not on this trip! She spent most of it singing songs, looking out the window, and talking to her stuffed kangaroo (for whom I provide the voice) Hangus. When we finally returned home late Wednesday night the Bumper exclaimed: It is good to be home and sleep in my own room with my own sheets!

I echo the sentiment. Even though seeing extended family is always good, the sadness of the event overshadowed the visit. Because the Bumper is older now, she does not sleep as easily in strange places, she became scared a number of times and I stayed awake to comfort her. Watching her fall asleep so easily the other night made my night more restful too.

So now we are home, and trying to get back into our routine, the Bumper is back in school and I will begin training for my first 5k run/walk.

p.s. the sock marches on.