Way back in December, I was treated to a series of birthday treats, celebrations and events. The weekend showed me once again how fortunate I am to have people in my life who set aside time to celebrate with me.
It started with yoga, baked goods and a sushi lunch with my mom.
It included dinner out with Jamie and Sylvia.
And, of course, a day of Paul-planned surprises. I awoke to flowers and a vegetarian eggs benedict, salad and twice baked potato.
After breakfast, Paul, Uli and I headed out to a dog park we had never been to before.
Uli loved it and it was fun for us humans to have some new paths to explore.
From there, we went to the Science Museum for an Omnitheater movie about whales. Its a fun place to visit and the lobby is full of interactive displays.
The musical stairs are always a day-brightener, too!
I may or may not have eaten a birthday lunch that was centered around guacamole. So. Good.
After a stop home to drop Uli off (he napped in the car during the museum and lunch) and to open some presents (I got a juicer!), we went out to dinner.
Nicollet Island Inn, our dinner location this time was a bit of old school classy. While we were sitting at dinner, a horsedrawn carriage went past the window!
As has become customary, we asked for someone to take a picture of us and expected it to look wonky as it has in year's past. This one wasn't too terrible!
Then, just last week, one of the birthday gifts I was given happened! Lately, I have been into giving and receiving gifts that are more focused on shared experiences. My mom honored that with an awesome jewelry making class that we took together.
We got to learn a lot of skills including how to solder. My mom was a little skeptical but she shouldn't have been. Her skills were great and her project turned out just how she wanted!
Sarah of Quench Jewelry Arts was a great teacher and kept out class moving along on pace, so we all finished the night with our own fidget/spinner rings. Mine is on the top and my mom's is on the bottom of this photo:
In what has become an annual tradition, Jamie, Charleen and I got together to celebrate their birthdays, make soap, craft together and have an old school birthday sleepover.
This year we were really ambitious and made many batches. We learn a little more about the best way to do this each year and can fit in more batches each year. I am fortunate to have come away from the weekend with enough of this super gentle, goat's milk soap to tide me over until we do this again next year!
And, of course, we ate really well at Charleen's house. Our dinner included a sampling session of the many interesting ferments Charleen has been making. The surprising winner for me was fermented fennel. Putting that one on my list for next year's farmers' market season!
It really is a balance, you know. In my life and I am sure in yours too, there never seems to be enough time to fit it all in so you have to prioritize your responsibilities and do what you can to sprinkle in the lighter stuff whenever possible. For me, that means that lately this space isn't getting quite as much attention from me. I have wanted to be here. I have wanted to take more photos with my big camera. I have missed creating a record of the all of the great things (and some of the challenging things) that happen in my days.
As I get older, I have become more aware of how far I can push myself, of how much I can ask of myself. I have also become aware of what the consequences will be if and when I push too hard or pack too much in (Spoiler: I get sick and cranky). Time and time again, it has also been made clear to me how linked creativity (by this, I mean the act of creating something) is to my happiness, to my sense of balance and to what makes me feel like myself.
A few years ago, I took a Strengthsfinder assessment at work that put a frame around parts of myself I had never really pinpointed but that are at the core of who I am. I am not usually one to put much stock in inventories or assessments but this one really hit home for me! This assessment identifies your top 5 themes/strengths. My themes were: Achiever, Learner, Input, Responsibility, and Individualization. I've linked to the full explanation but let me do a little synopsis of the most relevant parts of these themes.
Achiever - You measure yourself by what you accomplish every single day of your life.
Learner - You are curious and have a strong desire to continually learn new things and skills.
Input - You like learning so much, you apparently had to get it on your list twice
Responsibility - You are only as good as your word. No excuses.
Individualization - You believe in individuals rather than generalizations and spend a lot of energy observing in attempts to understand each person.
Since the Achiever theme was the real lightbulb one for me, let me share their full explanation:
Your Achiever theme helps explain your drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by "every day" you mean every single day -- workdays, weekends, vacations. No matter how much you may feel you deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, you will feel dissatisfied. You have an internal fire burning inside you. It pushes you to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing you toward the next accomplishment. Your relentless need for achievement might not be logical. It might not even be focused. But it will always be with you. As an Achiever you must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings you the energy you need to work long hours without burning out. It is the jolt you can always count on to get you started on new tasks, new challenges. It is the power supply that causes you to set the pace and define the levels of productivity for your work group. It is the theme that keeps you moving.
Does this come across braggy? That is not my intention. What I am trying to say here is that my head is FULL to bursting with to do lists and projects and obligations nearly all of my waking hours. A little snippet from inside my head for you: I need to make sure I email that person that I said I would and do we have enough toilet paper and it really would be great to learn how to weld someday and I wonder if I forgot to do anything that I said I would get done at work today and wow there sure are a lot of weeds in the garden I can't believe I let it get that bad and it has been way too long since I have gotten together with them did I say I would host next and shouldn't I be making my own yogurt instead of buying it since I know how and it isn't too hard to do and by the way I had better write up that list of things to make for Christmas gifts so I am sure to get it done on time and I wonder what she meant when she said that and this article looks interesting and I should learn more about beekeeping and I really wish I was farther along with that dress because I am excited to wear it....and on and on and on. My brain works really hard to make sure I get a lot done and don't drop any balls in the process. It is really helpful but also demanding. Sometimes you just need a little peace and quiet, you know? I have literally told my own brain to SHUT IT! Thankfully, it is able to obey if the circumstances are right.
For someone who wants to learn, make and experience it all, it feels like there is a cost associated with choices. When you chose one road, there is another road not taken. This makes me a bit sad because it really would be great to feel like one person can do it all. But, well, that is just not possible. On the other hand, you can choose to focus on the joys of what you do get to do! I try to train myself to think that way.
So, in that spirit, I am finding myself migrating towards a new balance when it comes to sharing images and tidbits from my life online. I have been finding that I can use my slivers of time left after I work and take care of my family, my house and myself to learn and make things (and try to relax!) or I can blog. And, well, the other stuff is winning out. That is, except for in one area.
Six months ago I joined Instagram on a whim while riding the bus home. I thought I was going to use it to be a lurker and follow a few people. But, since then, I have found it to be a quick, easy and fun way to send out a little contribution to the worldwide web. It ended up being a slow and gentle segue into sharing small snippets more often there and writing big posts less often here. Don't worry, I am not going to stop blogging, but I am really loving the ease and image-based community on Instagram. If you are on Instagram and want to connect, I am @TrinKnitty
For those that might want to see what I am posting but not join yet another site, I added a little widget to my sidebar. The widget is a slideshow of my pictures. You can click on a picture to see the caption. I am currently only using my camera phone to take and post pictures there so my photography is limited, but you can't beat the ease and seamless nature of that setup.
I should mention, I don't use Twitter, so my social media sphere is pretty targeted (Facebook for friends and family, Goodreads for books, Pinterest for recipes, Ravelry for knitting projects, a Feedly full of favorite bloggers). One of the things that I am loving about Instagram is that it allows me to put my toes in a different stream of content. There are so many beautiful, inspiring, peaceful, exhilarating, clever images coming through my Instagram feed from people that I have no real life connection to.
For example, a few weeks ago, it seemed that a ton of people from different parts of the country (maybe world?) got taken with the same bug: the rope basket bug. And, not surprisingly, it bit me, too! I made a trip to the hardware store to pick up two bundles of rope to give it a try, playing with the methods of starting it, the length of the stitches, the thread color ending strategies and handles.
True to form for an achiever/learner, after my 2 test baskets, I went back to the store and stocked up on ropes of varying size and thicknesses. These are addictive and satisfying to make and the variations are endless! I am having visions of a rug, placements, coasters, stacking bowls, tote bags with leather handles, painted rope, naturally dyed rope, thread color variations, wall hangings...and more! Why am I bothering to list them all out?! Just go check this guy's work out.
I want to end this post by saying that while this all might add up to sound like I am ditching the blog, I am not. What I am hoping to do is feel less responsible about it. It probably won't feel any different for you, but it makes a big difference to me. I want to feel less like I should blog and more like I can blog. From now on, I will pop in here when the mood strikes, time allows and I've got something to say. I won't feel the need to apologize for being away so long and you'll hopefully be happy to see me. Here's to irresponsible blogging and poor camera phone pictures! Hmm. Perhaps it is obvious that marketing is not one of my strengths!
PS If you want to try your hand at making a rope basket, I like this quick tutorial.
PPS In a bit of serendipity, my blog widget that tracks geographic stats crashed and the data for the entire history of this blog was lost. A fitting time to wipe the slate clean, I guess. You might also notice that I reduced the content on the sidebar. The functionality of the blog lists has long been lackluster, so I nixed it. Let me know if there was anyone there you want to still read but can't find them now that I pulled the links. I'd be happy to point you in their direction.
PPPS Thanks for spending some of your precious time reading my words and giving me a place in your life whether we know each other in person or not. I value your presence.
Remember that thing about repeat projects that has been happening with me? I guess I am not over it yet because I made another repeat. This time I made a second one because the first one found a better fitting home than I could provide it with. More on that in a minute.
I think I got it right this time! I wish it had a few more rows, but I think I might be able to get it to stretch in that direction after a little wear.
This time of year is good timing for a cotton hat and this one fits well under my bike helmet!
She wore it recently when she and her mom Jamie came over to get in on some Shrinky Dink crafting time.
I feel a bit like a Shrinky Dink commercial this week! I swear they are not paying me for this praise. Here is a little before and after for you. The ones with the holes can be turned into jewelry or key chains or whatever else you might want to hang it from.
My Ravelry Project Here
Free Double Double Cloche Pattern Here
2015! As Crafternoon tradition dictates, I welcomed the first day of the new year with friends, knitting, tea and great food. Although not well documented, I assure you the year was properly greeted with a potluck brunch that favored the sweet over the savory. After the sugar-filled month of December, I think savory was what we were all craving.
This year I made beaded stitch markers as a gift to Crafternoon attendees. We usually have a mix of crafts, but this time everyone who came was a knitter so I hope the stitch markers bring a little sparkle to their notion bags. Inspiration credit goes to Jamie who, years ago, made me a set of beaded stitch markers that inspired this beadworking session of my own.
I am making a sweater for Paul, which marks the second such occasion in the 12 years we have been together. Between the holiday driving time and crafting gatherings, it has been coming along quickly!
With 2015, came a surprise. Another of our chickens started laying! We are supplementing light in the coop but doing so conservatively. A timer prompts the light to go on at 3am and off at 4pm, giving them about 13 hours of light. That amount of light is a bit shy of what is recommended to force laying. With that choice, we thought it unlikely that the other hens would start laying until the spring. Surprise! The addition happened this week and so far we have had 2 days where we have gotten 2 eggs.
I am thinking it is Camilla that has started laying because I am still holding out hope that Petunia will lay blue/green eggs. So far we can tell the difference between the eggs from the 2 layers due to slight differences in color, size and shape of the egg shells. As they settle into their rhythm, it is a rare day where we don't get an egg. With our newly acquired riches, I think it is time we start delving into the egg book Paul got for his birthday!
I hope this year provides you with happy surprises, good food and people to share it all with.
The last few months of the year are host to many significant birthdays and holidays in my friend and family circle. Here is a mega-enormous post to acknowledge some of those people and events:
First up: October! Jamie and I have been friends since elementary school so our families know each other pretty well and her mom Charleen is like another mom to me. Jamie, Charleen and I all have a slew of the same hobbies, which is how we came to find ourselves celebrating Jamie's birthday with a soapmaking, cooking, crafting sleepover!
Always remember to practice safe soapmaking, folks.
Our batch of mild, unscented goat's milk soap is finally aged enough that I am going to test a bar out this week. Fingers crossed that my skin likes it.
On to a packed November, including my sister Jessy's birthday!
We started the evening with a family dinner out followed by tickets to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra at the Ordway Theater. Our family does not regularly attend orchestra performances so this was a special way to celebrate Jessy's birthday by trying something new. Last year Jessy picked Whirly Ball and this year she picked a symphony. Who knows what will be next!
I was also motivated to sneak in a Crafternoon before the December holiday plans kick into high gear for everyone. I think this instance of Crafternoon might have broken an attendance record with 15 people. It required some creative positioning of tables in order to make a spot for everyone. It was so fun to have an abundance of laughter and creativity filling my house.
I think this Crafternoon might hold the record for youngest attendee with Molly at about 3 months old.
Being the one behind the camera means you rarely show up in front of the camera. If it wasn't for photographs of my finished knitting projects, there would be almost no photos of me. Paul and I are trying to be mindful of that and so he kindly snapped this shot while I was setting up for Crafternoon. On that platter are slices of Pumpkin Chocolate Marbled Bundt Cake, which is a recipe you should definitely make.
And, of course, Thanksgiving is in November, too! My mom hosted our extended family for a potluck meal. I have to say, our menu is getting better and better each year!
The pre-meal time also included pin-faced versions of 2nd cousins.
That little bit of sauerkraut on my plate? It has become a Thanksgiving tradition to taste test Uncle Bill's sauerkraut. It was a little young this year, but still delicious and expertly grated.
Usually there are a select few of us who take a nice, long walk between the meal and dessert, but this year was frigid and a walk was not deemed worth it. It didn't stop me from sampling a small slice from 3 of Michelle's decadent, homemade pies.
December! The month of my birth! I have been having a major craving to create a stash of homemade greeting cards. I floated a somewhat last minute idea of having a cardmaking gathering as a way to celebrate my birthday and it came together wonderfully!
As party hostess, my mom did the heavy lifting and I just got to show up with my supplies and hang with some of my favorite people while enjoying lunch and creating cards.
We pooled supplies and had a huge arsenal of options that spilled over on to the floor, another table and quite a few chairs. I was so into it that I went home after the party and made cards for the rest of the evening!
The birthday cupcakes were a fun surprise. I had no idea there was a Cupcake War winning bakery in my mom's town, but there is! The salted caramel one from Nadia Cakes was the best out of the 4 (FOUR!) I tasted.
I'd call myself a maker. More specifically: a knitter, an urban gardener, a food preserver, a cook, a baker, a reader, a photo taker, a budding sewist and an all-around dabbler. I enjoy using this space to record the things I see, make, eat, and do.
My husband and co-conspirator on the much linked to Mega Man hat. He is the house expert when it comes to all things with electrical cords/chargers and/or anything that requires configuring. When I first met Paul he was a smoker and a vegetarian. Now he is a non-smoker who enjoys making smoked meat in his BBQ. Paul recently dove headfirst into brewing beer and is quickly acquiring mad brewing skills. If you are really lucky, he will invite you to one of his Meat Meet Supper Club dinners or Beer Release parties.
Cast of Characters: Fanny
Fanny joined our family in 2008 and has been keeping our laps warm ever since then. When we met Fanny at a shelter in Boston, we thought she was a small, adult cat. We were wrong. She must have been less than a year old, because when we brought her home and fed her, she kept getting bigger and bigger and fluffier and fluffier. In addition to her stellar cuddling skills, Fanny’s claim to fame is that she is a polydactyl cat with a fused or “super” claw. We think she is super in every way.
Cast of Characters: Uli
Uli joined our family on Valentine's Day of 2015. We met him when he was just a few hours old and took him into our home at 7 weeks old. We are looking forward to many years of shared experiences and adventures with this inquisitive and energetic German Shorthaired Pointer pup.
Cast of Characters: Camilla Cordon Bleu
Camilla is our chicken with charm. She is usually the first one to come running to see if you have a treat for her. She is also the chicken most likely to be found perched somewhere she shouldn’t be or wandering off by herself to explore a new area first. Camilla is a Barred Rock, lays brown eggs and is the smallest bird in our flock.
Cast of Characters: Nellie Noodle Soup
Nellie is our bridge bird as she seems to hold the flock together. She usually roosts between Camilla and Petunia and can be found happily foraging alongside either one of them. The only thing that ruffles her feathers is finding herself alone. She is a Rhode Island Red and our biggest hen. Nellie is our first layer and lays brown eggs.
Cast of Characters: Petunia Pot Pie
Petunia is our crafty dodger. She is the hardest to catch and the last to be won over with treats. Her feathers are beautifully ornate which helps make up for her slightly bullyish attitude towards Camilla. She is an Ameraucana and and she lays light blue eggs for us.
In Memoriam: Tchazo
Tchazo, our Weimaraner, was born 3 days before Paul and I had our first date. During our first date, Paul and I egged each other on about getting dogs. Eight weeks later, Tchazo became a part of our lives. After almost 12 amazing years and countless adventures together, we said goodbye to Tchazo in 2014. Tchazo loved life, especially the parts that include eating, smelling, sunbathing, playing and cuddling on the bed. We will forever remember him and the lessons he taught us about joy.
In Memoriam: Jack
I adopted Jack at about the same time Paul bought Tchazo (see previous note about egging each other on), but since Tchazo was young and needed to stay with his mom for a few more weeks, Jack came into our house first. For a while, he HATED Tchazo but they eventually became 24-7 buddies. After nearly 11 years together, we had to put Jack down in March of 2013. Jack was a little crazy in the head, but we learned how to live with it. His favorite things included licking the floor, lying under the couch and gazing at me longingly. Jack was physically incapable of wagging his tail whilst being petted. I like to think it is because he was soaking up the love so intensely that it required his full concentration.
