Dance with it..

It's New Year's Eve. There is snow on the ground and we are all tucked in by the wood stove for the evening. I find my mind drifting... Things that need to be done.. like the laundry... Where had December gone? This month has slipped away from me. Job changes. New routines. I find myself wondering - how will I fit it all in? Then I came across this picture and I smiled. No automatic washing machines for these ladies and yet, they got it all done.

I just started reading Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life (Jenna Woginrich). The book has been in "the stack" since summer and I am just starting to wade my way into the "winter reading project." Something she said stuck in my head..

"Accept where you are today, and working toward what's ahead, is the best you can do."

"Find your own happiness and dance with it"

~Jenna Woginrich~

I am thankful for all of you - my friends.

Looking forward to dancing with you in the year to come!

Happy New Year!

Posted photos from the book:

Women of the West

Luchetti & Olwell

Christmas Eve

This is my grandfather Wilbert and his sister Olga in front of the Christmas tree around 1914~

My great-grandfather would pull the wooden parlor doors and decorate the tree on Christmas Eve. We have two copies of this photo, one with the candles lit on the tree and one without. The quality of this one was better.. but I love the one with the candles lit.

The note on the back of the photo says that Grandpa and Olga ate all the legs off the gingerbread men on the tree. No wonder he is smiling! If they were only still around to ask them about it...

Wishing you a Christmas full of magic, merriment, and a bit of gingerbread too!

Merry Christmas!

HoHoHo-The-Chickens-Hate-Snow

We awoke to the first real snow of the season today. I was anxious to see what the ladies would think of the new ground cover...

"After you,

No darling, after you,

After you,

No after you....."

This went on for quite a while.

"Ick.

Cold.

Are you kidding?

What is this stuff?

Where not coming out in this?

What...NO BOOTS?

What are you trying to do to us?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

Needless to say, the ladies didn't come out today.

Coffee Busters

We are coffee drinkers. Big coffee drinkers.

My dishcloths are a mess because of it. Sorry looking, always soaking in the laundry bucket, full of stains, bleached out patches of pathetic rags. A family friend gave my mom a couple of lovely knitted dishcloths a few months ago. I looked up a pattern on Ravelry and fell in love with this one:

Basic Corner to Corner Diagonal Dishcloth - with extra pointy corners.

Extremely easy and fast to knit. Perfect for evening knitting by the fire while watching a movie. I chose a few different colored cotton yarns in shades of BROWN to help hide the coffee stains!!

I am still trying to finish up a few Christmas gifts. Thought I'd post this as there won't be dishcloths heading out with Santa this year. Hoping to get the knitted gifts I've started done to avoid "Christmas in July"... which has been known to happen around here! One week until Christmas and I still don't have the tree up. Maybe tonight? Happy Friday to you..

Still here..

It's time for a long overdue post.

I'm still here.

Hanging on by my apron straps.

It's all good.. but there are times where life takes you away. Thank you for all your kind notes and for sticking with me. This adorable apron was an early birthday gift from my mother-in-law last month. It was made by her very talented friend Betty (PS - Thanks Betty - I love it!!) Perfect for a Beegirl buzzing around the kitchen...

Wishing everyone a great week!

More soon...