Thrifted Lately

I haven’t ben to the thrift store in a while, but had some donations (ironically, for downsizing towards something closer to minimalism, but of course when I’m there… I have a look) and I found these beautiful beaded deer skin moccasins for $2.  Too small for K, saving for a next baby (no, not pregnant), but I love them so much.  They are unbelievably soft.  I also found some pants for K, a blue silk dress that I cannot for the life of me take a decent picture of, and a shadow box for G who has been wanting one for military things.   

We went to the river tonight for an evening walk and I failed to take a sunset picture, but this one from dusk still reminds me of the moment.  Overall it was a productive weekend, books read, toys strewn about and put away and repeated many times, electrical fixed up in the garage to close a building permit (super fun), laundry done, kitchen clean.  

Ready (sort of) for a new week to begin.

Listening to: Leave something behind - Sean Rowe  

Today

K has been sick all weekend, so we have been lying low: holding, rocking, reading, wearing, driving aimlessly through backroads to let her have a nap, because stopping at a red light would wake her up, and napping without the car was just not gonna happen.

Two moments I want to remember from this afternoon: napping in the Ergo (has been awhile since she napped in a wrap or carry), and her picking out every single bird on this page of one of her new favorite books (the one from Santa), and proclaiming for each one “bird... bird... bird.”

Knit, read, repeat

Well, we are 11 days into January and I’m still finishing Christmas things (are the Christmas projects ever done before Christmas?).  This year I made two tiny versions of the Softies from Posie Gets Cozy to be ornaments and I love how they came out.  K loves them as well, but to be honest her favorite ornaments are still the birds.

For the pattern, I just photocopied the regular pattern at 58%, but you could do any size.  The only limitation would be the thickness of the felt not translating well to a super tiny one, but still there are so many possibilities.

The baby Juniper kitty has a little pink velvet dress to match K’s Christmas dress – calling her June berry.  She has little embroidered paws to match the felt paws I added to Juniper kitty from her birthday.  I knit a tiny Clara dress for each doe, calling them both Snowdrop doe for Christmas connotations, and just finally finished last night.

I started working on these last spring, mostly on late nights where I stay up after K goes to bed to decompress and to make.  I should be sleeping, but often, no matter how tired I am, I need time to make things first, and so slowly the nights and the stitches add up, and things get finished.

So that’s the knitting.  I’ve really only been reading children’s books this year, and this one is so sweet.  The little bear wonders where all the colors have gone in the snow, and each animal brings objects for the snow tree that symbolize something to remember or to be thankful for in each season.

Knitting and reading with G Sheller.

Colder Weather

It has been down in the 20s for most of the week, and we are bundling layers on layers to venture outside. Most of the snow we got melted before the freeze, but parts of my commute are still through snow dusted trees and it adds a sort of magic to having to drive to work in the dark and drive home in the dark.

Keeping a toddler warm is not an easy task as she delights in ripping off hats, mittens, shoes, blankets.  These have been our favorites since about September, but more than ever now with the added chill.

Mittens that really stay on, Bogg boots (fleece lined, and waterproof!), Carters fleece pjs (I was a late convert to these since I prefer natural fiber in general, but these are just so good. K is crazy about this set because they have monkeys on them), and the JJ Cole Bundle Me Toddler – so, so, so good for the stroller. We zip the top part off as a blanket in the car seat for really cold days.

Taking stock

2016 was a challenging year in many ways, but within our nuclear group of family and close friends, it has been a wonderful year of adventure and growth and simply of enjoying each other’s company. I hope for the same from 2017.

My 2016 wish list, and progress

• More sleep – It’s better, but not great.  
• Camping – Yes! We went three times.  
• Baby book progress – I bought some paper and made some notes and piles of scraps and things, so… that counts, right?
• More home movies – Not as many as I wish I had, but we did a few.
• Minimalism – Nope! We tripled our square footage of living space this year, not to mention got a garage, and rapidly expanded our stuff to fit into the spaces we acquired. Oops. We are still reorganizing, and finding the right place for each or our things as well as letting go of what is no longer needed. It’s hard to know what baby/kid things should be saved for the next one vs. what can move on. In the last few days we have pulled a car load of donations to go become someone else’s thrifted treasure and it feels good to move the clutter out.

My 2017 wish list (in addition to everything again from last year)

• Stop using the kitchen counter as storage space / landing zone for everything that comes in the house. Really, I need to work on all downstairs surfaces, but the kitchen is the hardest.
• Backpacking – Now that I am no longer exclusively pumping and K isn’t reliant on bottles, the need for electricity and clean running water won’t hold us back from adventure. I’m hoping to go backpacking at least once this year.
• Finish painting the inside of the house, and add more pictures and color. We’re still unpacking… so decorating has not happened yet. This is the year.

Listening to: Mairi Campbell’s rendition of Auld Lang Syne, looking back and forward.