Enchanted Mama

Celebrate::

I'm off to celebrate with one of the dear ones in my life.  He turns thirty and I wouldn't miss making him a cake and honoring him all day for a second.  I'll be back here on Tuesday.  

Have a lovely weekend!  Let's all play a bit shall we?    

Kellen

Vision Boards::

Vision Boards always seem to have a bit of magic to them.  

The way they are done makes thinking and getting in the way of the creative process less likely.  You rip/tear/cut out pictures as quickly as possible.  If you start to think about it, you rip faster.  The idea is to find things that you are drawn to and not try to figure out why.  

Then, just as quickly you throw them all down on paper/card stock/old cardboard in random fashion.  How ever you are moved to do so.  

Set them up and step back.  

 

This is the moment of "magic" for me.  I never quite know what they will come out to be.  I imagine I'll have an idea but they are NEVER what I thought, thank goodness.  

With 2012 a month in already, I thought it would be good to get a bit of Clarity.  Vision.  Inspiration.  

My one vision board turned into four.  Yes, four.  Each one with its own distinct meaning.  

 

I'm still pondering what they all mean...or how they may work in my life.  

The added bonus is using all the superfluous catalogs that show up at my door.  I feel a bit better about them when I can turn those catalogs into something that inspires me.

Have you tried vision boards before?  Do you find they work for you?  What other things do you do to find inspiration in your life?  

 

Shimmer::

I've started a new sweater with yarn I found in New York at the Vogue Knitting Live Marketplace.  It's luscious.  It's sparkly.  It's just what I want to wear.  Right now.  

I can't seem to knit it fast enough.  Granted, the yarn only arrived a few days ago, but I really would have liked to be wearing it yesterday.  Do you suppose my expectations are a wee bit high?

Also, what's hard to see is the slight, but not scratchy, shimmer in this yarn.  Yes, shimmer.  Not too much.  Not too little.  It's really rather fabulous.  

So now to the REAL problem... 

I spent some time with my knitting group, my two dear friends, yesterday attempting to knit while deflecting my bouncy four year old and knowing that any moment the baby would be up and ready to play.  

So, I'm telling them how I thought that the pattern might have some mistakes.  That I was knitting and when I would get to one side with the lace there was always something not quite right.  

Wrong in fact.  I looked back again and again unable to figure out where the issue was coming from.  

Yet, I'm getting better at a little imperfection in my knitting and decided to KNIT ON!  I did.  Yet, every time I came around there was some issue with either not enough stitches or too many or something.  

This is the conversation I'm having with my friends and they are nodding in all the appropriate places and letting me talk it out.  As I'm doing that I realize that one side of the lace doesn't look so bad.  In fact, it was pretty darn close to the pattern and what it was supposed to look like.  

The other side not so much.  

We decided that I would turn it around and put the "not so right part" on the back where in all honesty no one would even notice.  

Our time was up.  We all departed to gather children from school.  Snack.  Homework.  Dinner.  Baths.  Books.  Kisses.  Lights out.  Dinner dishes.  Locate the mittens, coats and hats for the morning.  Finally, I'm on the couch knitting again.  

The clock reads 10:00 p.m. and it's then and only then, that I realize the huge blunder that is mine.  One side of the sweater is fine.  The other not so fine.  Each knit from the same lace pattern.  The problem...not the pattern but the pompous knitter with the needles.  

Yes. 

So, I did the only thing I could think of....I kept knitting. Just faster as though somehow the mistake would disappear if I knit on further.  That somehow I would outrun that blunder by shear will of yarn.  

Today?  Well, I finished the first twenty five rows.  I felt as though if I squished and tucked here and there it would work.  Yup, that was my plan.  I began to straighten out the yarn on the needles preparing to remove the markers and head up the front with the next lace pattern when I saw it.  

The twist.  

The twist, that the whole time I'd been worrying about the lace pattern being incorrect, I never noticed.  The common mistake of ingenue knitters.  I twisted my cast-on.  I TWISTED MY CAST-ON!  

<insert gasp here>

So, for you non-knitters out there this is not something you want to do.  In fact, its frowned upon in knitting a sweater because you will have a big huge twist in the sweater.  Awkward.  Like someone who's tucked their sweater into their underwear kind of awkward.

 

So, the plea went out to my friends via email this morning and it read something like...

...Amateur knitter on the loose....Rookie mistake being made...Should I try and steek it (straws, I was grasping at straws here)...What should I do?  

And, in perfect form the response was unanimously "Rip it out, start over, yours in sympathy."  Cuz, that's how we roll.  There might have been a thank goodness you weren't fifty rows in which I nodded my head in agreement that it could have been even worse.  

So, that's what I did. I ripped it out.  The sweater that I wanted to be wearing two days ago is now a pile of crinkly yarn on the table in front of me.  hmm.  

So, I suppose you know where I'll be in my free time, on the couch knitting when everything else is done for the day.  

I won't make the same mistakes again.  Well, that's probably not accurate.  I will more than likely just make different mistakes.  But, I hope in the long run I will love this sweater even more because of it all.  

At least in an ideal world.   

 

***Notes on Ravelry*** 

Pause::

Yesterday morning as I rushed out the door to get the children to school on time, slipping through the ice, carrying the cello, gym shoes and someones lunch box, I wished for the hundredth time that we had left earlier.  

Why, when leaving for school at the same time each morning, does it always seem to be a scramble in the last five minutes?!!??  Backpacks flying.  Someone isn't finished with breakfast.  Someone else hasn't even thought to brush their teeth, put on their shoes or find their gloves.  Every morning.

Our big daddy's been down and out since Saturday because of a "long-underwear-back-wrenching-situation".  Though, if you ask him, he's attempting to come up with a better story...like a guy and a thing and some sort of scuffle, you know.  So we were on our own in terms of an extra pair of hands.  

I slip into the front seat of the car and throw my purse down beside me.  One look in the rear view mirror shows all the children, phew, in their seats so I start up the engine.  Instinctively I reach up to hit the defrost and wipers at the same time when I see the ice crystals clinging to the windshield.  

Just sitting there looking amazing.  

So there we are--late, rushing, wishing for more time.  I paused.  Thought briefly and then pulled out a camera to capture the light.  I breathe.  Inhale beauty.  Mother Nature leaving her own type of message. 

 

It's been cold.  Rosy cheeks.  Toe numbing.  Snow, Melting, Freezing, Snowing again, kind of weather.  Ridiculously cold and quite dreary.  Yet, when the sun finally decided to peek through there it was, A Winter Wonderland. 

That was the moment.  Ice crystals on my windshield back-lit by the sun.  That was when I slowed down.  December can be about remembering to wait and watch.  To see what is literally right in front of us.   

 

And, that's what I did.  With all the children in the back staring at this mama, I took a breath and recognized the magnificence around me.  Then just as quickly, I focused on the road, the clock and delivering my girl to school while still driving in a sane manner.  

Note to self...She was there on time.  

In fact, we all got to the places we needed to be and I remembered that moment all day.  Happier.  Probably even more productive.  So there.  Proof for myself that pausing can make a BIG difference.  Even if my daughter had been late.

I'm attempting to hold onto that beauty as I traverse another day in this holiday season.  Wishing for more time.  Wondering why I didn't start sooner.  Knowing that it comes the same time each year.  Oh my... 

How is December treating you?  

I hope she's being kind....

 

All Week::

I've had a post in mind all week.  Things I wanted to talk about.  Pieces I thought were important to write down.  

Instead, I've had many opportunities to stay away.  Feeling a bit flung into the middle of November.  Do you know that most people are talking about the holidays, now?  Plans.  Projects.  Time Left. 

Normally, I might be one of those.  An early start on things allows for more time to enjoy.  For some reason though, the return from my inspirational week has left me a bit, well, completely and totally overwhelmed.  

I honestly can't believe that its the middle of November.  I can't believe that all the projects and ideas I've had are now on the clock.  Ticking down the days until the holidays.  I don't like this.  I usually have a check in this time of year to see what I can realistically finish and what will have to wait.  

Instead, I cast on for four new knitting projects on Wednesday.  I know.  

Still, I'm wondering how I will get all the things done that I would like to.  I'm wondering why it takes so long after traveling to settle back into a routine.  And, I'm not even talking about the laundry.  

I've been absorbing all that I gathered last week and instead of feeling inspired and in the moment I'm thinking WAY. TOO. MUCH.

So, this is where I've been...

 

I could go on, but instead, let me share a few projects in my knitting basket right now.  

All Inspired by beautiful yarn.  

The yarn above was found while visiting with my dear friend last week.  She picked my up from the airport and we enjoyed lunch in one of Julia Child's favorite restaurants and then hit the yarn shop.

I found this fabulous blue toned yarn and knew it needed to be one of my four pairs of socks for the year.  I'm currently looking for a great pattern.  Any suggestions?   

My friend and I hand rolled this skein while chatting, laughing, and dropping the ball at least twice.  The owner of the store was lovely and helpful but adamant about how to roll a ball by hand.  I wasn't listening and I got into trouble.  

People, one must roll the yarn over one's fingers to keep the yarn from stretching!  Did you know that?

When the owner told me this my petulant teenager came out and I didn't do it.  Just because.  From behind a bookcase she saw I wasn't winding it correctly and made sure to let me know what she thought about that.  Granted it was in a very nice way but still.  whoa.  

In the end...she was right.  Plus, it looks so lovely with hunks of yarn wound together don't you think?

 

The next project will be a ribbed Cape.  

The yarn is a hand-woven bulky from a little old lady in Oregon.  I met her and she is little and quite old so I feel comfortable calling her that.

Already, I'm loving the pattern even though I've decided to work it from the top down instead of the bottom up in case I run out of yarn.  Only three skeins of "delightfulness".   

The yarn was in the stash so I'm loving it even more.

 

A scarf in this pattern for the earthy colored yarn.  I haven't made anything with the linen stitch before yet, I'm enjoying it already.  A great way to use up the odds and ends of your sock yarn while creating a unique and comfortable scarf to wear.  This will be a holiday gift if I'm lucky!

 

The delightful purple is a knit along that I'm doing with my dear friend who helped wind that first ball. We found her yarn while visiting the yarn shop together.

My yarn was the result of some stash diving.  So far, it's great to work with.  

And, as my friend is also using purple we will be "Mitchy-Matchy".  Uh-humm, Isn't that cute?  I suppose for that reason alone it's good we don't live in the same town!  

So there you have it.  I'm headed into the weekend hoping for more clarity.  Recognizing that a week of half days at school probably meant not much would get done.  Realizing that as soon as I dump about twenty things off the to-be-knit list I'll be much happier.  

I'll do that next week.  This weekend I'll still pretend that I can finish them all.  

It will be more fun that way!

What are your plans for the weekend?  

 

 

Last Week::

Last week I nervously boarded a plane, by myself, for an adventure.  

A journey that I wasn't sure I could do.  I wondered until the moment I turned away from the car and my family at the airport if I had it in me.  Hence, the lack of letting you all know where I would be.  I wasn't sure myself.   

I met with a small group of lovely women and spent loads of time writing, brainstorming, laughing and being present in the "right now".

It really is beyond words and even now I'm unsure of all the aspects that will inevitably filter into my life.  Traveling away from my family to "just be me" was more challenging than I thought.  

The baby, whom I'd yet to leave, was home with the big daddy.  She was nurtured, cared for and fed from the stores of milk I left behind and she had a fantastic time.  

It all worked out.  exhale.  

 

Now I'm home, having had a relaxing Sunday, and I'm attempting to gather all that I learned this past week. 

I've learned that it's important to have time for ourselves.  Time to think, listen, and just be.  There were moments initially when I didn't quite know what to do without someone else to tend to.  

"You mean it's only about me for these few days?"  wow.  

So, by day two I'd settled in.  I became inspired.  I rushed out of the shower, practically wrapped in a towel, to write down an idea I didn't want to lose with much laughter from my new friends.  

I learned that I need time out in nature.  This I have known, but it was even more apparent as the days went on.  Time to breathe the fresh air.  Put my feet in the sand and walk through the beauty of mother nature.  

Ideas abound.  My spirit calms.  I feel more sure of my balance point.  

 

I learned that inspiration comes in many places.  Most of the time it's in between all the other things that I do--When I'm driving, upon waking, while knitting, or making my children a quesadilla.  

No matter what, it's there if I look. 

This inspiration and adventure was an incredibly thoughful birthday gift from the Big Daddy.  Time to put down on paper all that I've been talking to him about for years.  He gave me the gift of time.  Grateful doesn't even begin to describe it.  

Even as I write this I find it hard to believe.  I was focused, inspired and now I'm ready to embark on another type of adventure.  

It's thrilling.

 

I even made new friends.  Found crazy similiaritites with my roomie.  Laughed and discovered a new understanding of "what I want in this moment".  I uncovered, please excuse my "cheesball-ness", a bit more of "me".

So. Grateful. 

 

Finally I learned, as I endured an epic travel day home--with unpredictable weather and cancelled flights, that flexibility is important.  Patience a virtue.  Humor crucial.  

I will need these on my journey.  

The path, that was a mystery before I left, all turned out okay.  Memories were made.  Plans created.  My family there to welcome me home.  

It all worked out.  exhale.  

 

I feel that this will be one of those moments I look back on as, "The moment when I honored my wishes and made steps toward making them a reality."

Isn't that what we all want?  

Are you making your wishes a reality today?  

 

 

Chocolate::

Please do not be confused by the lack of sophistication or decoration on this cake.  Inside lurks the most tasty cake "not from a box" that the big daddy made for me on my birthday.  

It. was. delicious.

With Ms.Ina's recipe  my guy created such yumminess I hardly know what to say otherwise.  And just so you know, this cake has coffee in it to bring out the chocolate.  hello.  

Enough said.  

 

My birthday, one of those that keeps you on your toes, kept me aware so that I could fully absorb the message.  To watch where to be grateful and where to let feeling wash over me.  

A birthday that I know will provide such insight...later.  

A good day.  A hard day.  A day well spent. 

 

More than anything I'm grateful to my little family for placing the rainbow bridge at the foot of the stairs, a crown to wear at breakfast, the perfect color silly putty for me, as that seems to be a new tradition, and for the love they shared in so many different ways.  

To the family and friends who called, sent cards and cupcakes full of good wishes, Thank you.  

To all those friends out there in the virtual world through Ravelry, Twitter, Instagram and Email what richness!  Thank you for taking a moment to wish this gal a Happy Birthday.  

I so appreciate all the kindness.  

I look forward to the next year and "the 39 things". 

Here's wishing I could have shared this cake...because you woulda' loved it!

 

 

38 things to do before I turn 39::

Yes, it's that time of year again.  My birthday is today.  

In years past I have told you "36 things".  I have told you what I would be doing "today".

This year I thought it would be interesting to name 38 things I want to do before I turn 39.

So here it goes...  

 

1. Eat a homemade chocolate cake ala the big daddy with LOTS of candles for my birthday.  

2. Take a series of six salsa dancing classes. 

3. String twinkle lights somewhere unlikely.

4. Finish reading all of Jane Austen's books. 

5. Learn more about natural dyes and the plants to make them.

6. Make hula hoops with my children and their cousins over the holidays.

7. Knit four pairs of socks. 

8. Document a week with photographs.

9. Instigate a yarn-storming extravaganza. 

10. Watch Anne of Green Gables with my oldest girl. 

11. Visit Prince Edward Island.  

12. Get certified to scuba dive.

13. Expand my garden next summer and use all the space available. 

14. Begin my own sourdough starter and then bake some bread.    

15. Knit eight items using yarn only from my stash. 

16. See a Musical in New York.   

17. Make a fairy costume. 

18. Listen to a local folk band. 

19. Sew some new skirts for myself.

20. Write about my children once a month so I remember the moments. 

21. Invite the neighbors over for soup night.

22. Decorate gingerbread houses.

23. Sleep through the night.

24. Camp at Yosemite.

25. Have a family game night.

26. Spend time swimming in the ocean.

27. Finish the BIG writing projects.

28. Explore natural lighting photography.

29. Write twenty hand-written letters.  Especially for friends who love receiving them. 

30. Decorate bikes and have our own parade. 

31. Create a photo book for my children. 

32. Help organize a knit-a-thon. 

33. Leave secret messages in chalk for others to find.    

34. Take the children and our watercolor paints out into nature. 

35. Sample six different foods that I've never tried before.  

36. Serve a meal, outside, with no utensils.  Spaghetti and meatballs?

37. Wear shorts next summer.

38. Knit myself three sweaters.  A knitter should own some knitwear, just sayin'.

 ***One to grow on*** Double hula hooping!  

 

What are some of your "things" for the next year?  I'd love to know...

 

 *list idea from the lovely list maven herself*

I've been::

:: Thinking that I don't have enough hands to knit all the projects I have going right now.  Most knitters lament.  I have too many ideas where knitting is concerned to be realistic and think clearly.  This is a problem since knitting time seems to be few and far between these days.   

:: Pondering where I will take these ideas next and loving the possibilities.

 

:: Writing a lot--In a journal, on the computer, and on small scraps of paper at night.  Yes, there are plans I tell you.  

:: Planning with a dear friend how to make the most of our individual creative ventures.  Loving the notes back and forth full of ideas and things to remember.  

:: Making a schedule for the Fall so that as school begins again I will be ready to tackle some new ventures.

 

:: Being in the moment with my children to absorb the last adventures of Summer.  Hoping to do all the things we had planned and also know when to drop the plan and just enjoy.  

:: Laughing at my ever-energetic three year old who has lots of interesting things to say.

:: Loving the treasures that he brings my way, "just for you, no one else" he says.

 

:: Listening to the sounds in the evening.  The wildlife outside that sings so clear and strong in the summer evenings.  

:: Wishing to avoid yet another mosquito bite while enjoying said "evenings".   

 

:: Attempting to feel better about not being here as often as I would like.  As Summer flies by I want to remember that I played and laughed more than anything else.  

:: Remembering that the reason I started this blog was to spend more time capturing those moments of fun and to find magic in the everyday.  

:: Trying to get more sleep which proves difficult for this here night owl.

:: Contemplating the idea that early mornings are the time to be awake and creative.  As the day is opening up instead of the nighttime when it's closing down.  What do you think about that? 

 

What are you doing these last days of Summer?  Please share as I would love to know...

 

Happy Thursday to you all.  

 

Hoop Love::

I have a new love, or an old love as the case may be.  

Hoop Dance. 

At the beginning of the summer I began hoop classes and I discovered that I love them.  Love them I tell you.

I've talked about hoops before and our deep love for them as a family.  

But, this feels different somehow.   

 

There is a whole world out there of hoop dancers.  

Some dance with fire.  

Some with led lights in their hoops.  

Some with multiple hoops at one time.

And some, with old school hoops made from tubing you find at the hardware store.  

There's a freedom that one can experience in the presence of other hoopers.  Finding peace in the center of your hoop.  

I don't know that it would be that way for everyone but I know I've discovered something that really works for me.  

 

The amazing feeling of freedom and joy.  

I just know that when I hula hoop, I smile.  I laugh.  I have loads of fun.   

There must be something about it then...something that works, right?  

 

So here's to hooping on the beach and a bit of shadow art.  

I believe the last shadow art I shared was here.

 

Have a lovely weekend!