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

Where is Spring ?

Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, ''I'm going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that's tough. I am going to snow anyway.''

Maya Angelou
1928-, African-American poet, Writer, Performer

What ?


I don't remember ever seeing snow this late in the year. They predicted around an inch of snow and yesterday it dumped 8". It is now melting but it's still snowing in fits and spurts. The blue luminous light of it at night upon the heavy laden branches was beautiful. Wish I could have captured it with my camera

















The power was out this morning. I'm so thankful for this little Norwegian propane stove which works no matter what. Atop it is a raku piece Ryan made years ago in 4H. It's supposed to be a Wood Duck. He can't understand why I want to keep it. I love everything my children create and it's too precious to throw away.
















I LOVE Corgi's. Wennie is not a shining example of the intelligence of the breed.We all think she's adorable though and that makes up for the times she seems to be one brick short of a load. I love my dogs as they are always glad to see me no matter what.

Lord, please let me be half the woman my dog thinks I am

unknown




Cats are smarter than dogs. You can not get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.

Jeff Valdez






Fan, det var dumt. Wennie had her own little fiber fest. In this case she was smarter than I am !








This is my idea of a mid-life crisis. No red Ferrari for me but a cute little bug.
My first car was a 69' and I loved it. A wave of nostalgia swept over me last week and I found this 74' on Craigslist. Anna helped me buy it. She needs alot of work but I'm hoping Bjorn will be able to fix it bit by bit.
I picked up Ryan from work last week to which he had to say it was the smallest car he's ever been in. It's not quite a clown car but close ! Her name is Inga !

Confession

It's been sixteen days since my last cup of coffee...............
My acupuncturist and health coach Dr. Martin has been after me for three months to give up coffee. WHAT Doc ? I'm half Swedish and I live in the PNW ! You're killing me here. It's sacrilege to even broach the subject ! For the greater good I acquiesced, but I sure do miss a good hot cup of coffee, especially on a cold and snowy day.












Spring Hope (A Rispetto)

As sky turns blue in early spring
with warming sun of nature's call
the earth in thaw begins to sing
and rumbles sprouts both big and small.

When first they come full bursting through,
all bold and green in their debut;
such innocence of fresh new life
brings hope to man through earthly strife.

Pamela A. Lamppa


Cindy and I went to Karen's for a knit and spin night a few weekends ago. Cindy had shaved the heads of a few of her yearling miniature horses and saved the hair. It's very soft and downy. Karen is spinning some here. It might have to be blended with wool for optimum results. Fun though to think we might have mini yarn to knit with.











Ryan's lastest oil painting is of a Pintail. He enters the Junior Federal Duck Stamp contest every year but this will be his last. Perhaps he will continue in the Adult Division. Wow, for a kid who doesn't spend much time working on his craft he does pretty well.

Spring has sprung

In Life's Garden

Count your garden by the flowers
Never by the leaves that fall;
Count your days by golden hours;
Don't remember clouds at all;
Count your nights by stars not shadows
Count your life by smiles not tears.
And to bring you joy this day
Count your age by friends not years.
Author Unknown







What a life !! Betsy relaxing with Ry. She is quite the snugga puppy.
She and I are soul mates as we love to eat too much, expend little energy, and relax on the comfy couch !

















My second attempt at spinning using the Merino roving given to me by Heidi at the Artful Ewe when I bought my Kromski wheel.










The 2009 Nordic Knitting Conference is in the beginning stages. Teachers lined up so far are Pat Brunner, Beth Brown-Reinsel, Nancy Bush, Marianne Isager, and Katarina Brieditis. This is very exciting !!!!!!!!!!!!!