Stop and smell the flowers

The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives.

Louise Hay
Ryan set up the waterfall for me yesterday. The sound of trickling water is so soothing as I sit here and type.
Thank you Cindy for being so kind to take me to Flower World yesterday and plant up my pots.


Was up at Cindy's a few weeks ago. Sammy in his new cut getting ready to go to the trainers.
Their newest unnamed colt who's adorable.


I love barn swallows.




Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.

Helen Keller


Very cute bag I bought on Etsy. Only $12 and Swedish colors to boot !
Little Sisters Creations

Earlier in the week met with Kristin and Tuulia. A fun morning of spinning, knitting, dyeing, and talk of Mr. Darcy who makes at least two of us drool !



Thanks Kristin for overdyeing this tweedy alpaca for me. Love the electric blue.

Life in general

The sun feels so good today. I have five days off to revel in it. For whatever reason my nerves are shot and the last few days even Inga couldn't make me smile. Sunshine should help though. Tried to putter outside this morning and groom DC and Sherman. Cheery Welsh poppies are blooming all over the backyard. My landscaping plan is the "Back to Nature" look !


Took a great mitten class from Tuulia
at the museum.

Aili's mittens
It's a fun and fast pattern. Used my all time favorite general purpose yarn Berocco Ultra Alpaca. It's heavenly soft and I didn't realize until I got to class that I chose Finnish colors !

Some of the samples she brought to show us.

My favorite- Kainuu mittens

Mother's Day

It's quiet here today. Ryan is at work, Marc is sleeping, and Anna is babysitting next door. No big plans for the day except for a nice dinner of Fettuccine and Clam Sauce, amongst other things, prepared by them. I like these kind of low key days.

This is Ryan's latest. He will be entering it into the Night of the Arts Snohomish School District wide arts contest later this month. It's from a photo taken on a 4H cross country ski trip from a few years ago. It's lovely of course !


Started yet more projects. The mitten is knit from yarn given to me by Heather, who brought it back from Cortes Island. Borrowed ideas from Ravelry taken from the Instant and Lovikka mittens. I don't have much confidence trying to come up with little design ideas myself. Tried to embroider it with Ullcentrum yarn from a pattern in "Scandinavian Embroidery by Edith Nielsen". Not sure if I like the way it's turning out but then again I'm pretty self critical.



The inspiration for this scarf was from a lace mat in the Finland Room at the Museum.
I'm using Crystal Palace Yarns - Panda Wool "Ultramarine" I hope I can keep on track for this project. Having a pharmaceutical lobotomy kinda makes it a challenge !!
Would love to become proficient with lace knitting someday.






















Olwena AKA Wennie, Wenners, Wrenniekins, Wenster, Cutesy girl, and my little Corgi.
Goofy names thought up by all of us.
She loves to "play toy". Wanted to capture the joy on her face when she brought me this sock to play tug of war and fetch with. Ahem.... bad habit to promote ripping up socks and all :) She doesn't do it very often but with that happy face she can get away with it ! She's pretty spoiled. Did someone say Cesar Millan ?

Hope springs eternal

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.

Rachel Carson






Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

Marcel Proust

Life

Here's another proud mother moment. Ryan's painting, the one he entered in the Junior Federal Duck Stamp Contest, came in second out of 178. WOW, it almost got to go to Washington, DC. Pretty cool. It's now hanging at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Time for a field trip !


Anna and two of her cousins are taking Swedish lessons at the Museum. Their enthusiasm is so cute. Anna has Post It notes all over the house. This one made me laugh.It's kinda hard to see but she put one on a fading tulip I had here in a vase.


I've fallen way behind in posting pictures. These were taken at a B&B knitters meeting. Linda's Noro Felted fish, Kristin's hand dyed, Navajo Plied sock, Katie wearing a shawl knit by Kristin of dyed reclaimed yarn, and Katie's felted slippers.







I LOVE this little knitting bag from ZigZagStitches on Etsy.com



My second skein that I've spun. It's brown lambs wool which I bought thru the Oregon Wool Growers. It's very soft and luxurious. It did have quite a bit of vegetative matter in it though.

It's been very hard emotionally the last two weeks. God, it hurts alot. When will this ever subside ?


WHEN I compare
What I have lost with what I have gained,
What I have missed with what attained,
Little room do I find for pride.

I am aware
How many days have been idly spent;
How like an arrow the good intent
Has fallen short or been turned aside.

But who shall dare
To measure loss and gain in this wise?
Defeat may be victory in disguise;
The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow