merry, merry

Gifts of time and love 

are surely the basic ingredients of 

a truly merry Christmas.

~Peg Bracken 

I don't think I can say it better than that.

merry, merry!

happy, happy!

xo

still a thrill

When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I'll know I'm growing old. 

~Lady Bird Johnson  

We had a wee flurry of snow the other day. It was still a thrill to be sure!!

What are you doing on this penultimate Sunday of 2012?

We're grabbing a sweet moment of quietude after a very busy week. Reading and blogging with steaming coffee at hand ... the fur-kids are curled up and snoozing ... and musical playlists are shuffling along.

Just as it should be ... on the penultimate Sunday of 2012. 

I hope you're able to grab a wee spot of quiet this day, too!

xoxo

time enjoyed

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

~Marthe Troly-Curtin  

What is your favorite way to waste enjoy time?

Me?

Walking around the house with hope of capturing an image of Keeley.

Think snipe hunt.

sharing

Jiggers. Somebody spotted the goodies!

Did someone say goodies are were in the house??

Yep...the real thing this time!! 

I won a wee wager and ymmy donuts were my prize...of course a photoshoot came to mind...

...any excuse to make a decadent treat more so!

No amount of chocolate and treats eaten alone are as good as when shared with a friend...

...even a furry one.

There is no delight in owning anything unshared.

~Seneca  

merriment

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

~J.R.R. Tolkien  

When it's too dark to play outside, I make sure there is plenty of play going on inside!

Hah!

A friend turned me on to decorating cheerios to look like donuts. 

Perfect portion control...except for all the extra chocolate ganache!

Oy!

What are you going to do for play and merriment this weekend?

I hope you have a blast! xo

simplicity

A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life.

~Winston Churchill  

It's rainy and dark outside.

I'm playing with the camera inside.

Knitting, too.

There's been some snuggling with the kitties :)

Will return soon.

xo

What do you do to "lighten" these wet, dark days?

hostess with the mostess

Welcome ever smiles,

And farewell goes out sighing.

~William Shakespeare

A bittersweet farewell to Hostess cupcakes.

Yes...believe it or not...I have a soft spot in my heart for these well-preserved delights!

I looked in all the local stores and only found this one package remaining 

after hearing the news of the company's demise.

Sigh.

Happy Friday-eve!!

For what food does your heart have a soft spot!?
Do tell!!

giving thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are so grateful for so very much this year.
The good health of our family and friends is number one, two and three on the list to be sure!

Thank you, dear reader, for taking your time throughout the year
to stop by our humble corner of the virtual world
to share in our lives (knitterly and otherwise) and celebrations.

Mr. NK and I hope your holiday is blessed with an abundance of love and joy,

infinite time to spend with your family and friends,

and all things yummy!

xo

wonder

Wonder

rather than doubt

is the root of knowledge

~Abraham Joshua Heschel

Pomodoro socks designed by me in A Hundred Ravens Iachos  'jolnir'

second breakfast

What greater gift than the love of a cat.

~Charles Dickens

No new knitting progress, but

secret knitting is almost finished.

Leaves are mostly fallen and raked away.

Sky is gray.

Rain in the forecast.

A second breakfast sounds good. 

Aggie agrees.

Happy Weekend! xo

autumn dance

The one red leaf, the last of its clan, 

That dances as often as dance it can, 

Hanging so light, and hanging so high, 

On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge  

It's been a busy week. I'm ready for the weekend!
I have knitting, photography, an estate sale to visit,
 and a date night with Mr. NK planned
(hopefully we'll see the new 007 flick...I'll keep you posted!).

What about you...something fun on the calendar?

I hope you're all doing well! Happy Friday!
Happy weekend! xo

walking through autumn

You know what that little ball of yarn means, right?

Something new.

Well, kind of new.

New yarn (an STR mill end...really, a mill end, not a rare gem...you know who you are! LOL!).

And an old pattern.

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

~Henry David Thoreau  

Toasty Twist pattern by Teresa Fox in an STR 'mill end' (really!)

boo

When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,

May luck be yours on Halloween.

~Anonymous  

gratitude

All that we behold is full of blessings.

~William Wordsworth  

Thank you all so much for your sweet and thoughtful wishes for a happy birthday yesterday! 

You are the best!! And I'm so glad you enjoyed the baby pics :) 

I had a fabulous day! I knit, I ran, I did some gardening, I knit some more. 

I think there was a pumpkin spice latte in there, too!

And there was cake.

Two cakes actually. You can never have too much cake.

And some yummy, yummy mac 'n cheese.

My next year is off to a great start!!

refusing to grow old

Yep...it's that time of year, when I skip down memory lane...

my birthday.

I think these pictures say it all...

I've been very, very blessed to be

 

so well loved.

Then...and now.

What more could a girl want?

I takes a long time to grow old.

~Pablo Picasso  

A big thank you to my sister Jill (the sister on the right side in the "blue dress" photo) 

for scanning all these photos...next year you'll see the rest of them!! 

an autumn afternoon

I cannot endure to waste anything

as precious as autumn sunshine 

by staying in the house. 

So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne 

Happy Friday!!

We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day yesterday...rains are due to return today.

Boo.

Whatcha' got going on this weekend?! 

My agenda includes time with Mr. NK, family fun, knitting, and a long run!!

I hope you have a good 'un!! xo

energy

The energy of the mind is the essence of life.

~Aristotle  We did a little traveling this past weekend. I so love these wind turbines. Those little black spots are cows. Yep, those turbines are HUUUUGE! I hope you all had a great weekend and that your week is off to a grand start! Happy Tuesday!

transitions

Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson  

One day it's sunny, the next rainy.

Then sun again. 

Summer clothes have been packed away,

winter woolies have taken their place.

Autumn has truly landed.

Loving it.

What's up for you this weekend?

I'll be out and about, trying to keep out of trouble - knitting and camera in hand!

I hope you have a good 'un!! xo 

friday's face

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face.

~John Donne 

 

My computer seems to have died. Until I can fix it and can process new images again,

I thought I'd "re-Gail" you with images from past posts.

I hope you won't mind, too much.

 

What are you doing this weekend?

Whatever it is, I hope you have a great one! xo

 

This image was originally published here.

 

 



socktober

It just wouldn't be Socktober without a new pair of socks on the needles.

'Leaf Pile' from Lisa Souza...too perfect a color for Socktober.

Vorticity by Alice Yu.

Can't you just see whirling and swirling leaves in these socks?

As I gaze upon the sea! All the old romantic legends, all my dreams, come back to me.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



that time of year

I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility.

Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time.

~Robert Browning 

Cool mornings, warm days.

Bliss.

We collected the last of the vegetables this past weekend.

Just some flowers are left to grace our autumn garden.

Shorter days, chilly nights, and kitties in my lap.

Knitting time!!

arrival

Autumn's the mellow time.

~William Allingham

pomodoro

The tomatoes are from the garden...and what better way to celebrate the harvest than to start a new sock!

The yarn is from A Hundred Ravens in the color Jolnir...it is a perfect representation of the tomato crop! Love it.

The sock design is by me.

That's all I've got for now...I have a PSL inked into my calendar for today! woo hoo!

Happy September!! :)

With every deed you are sowing a seed, though the harvest you may not see.

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox  

Sock pattern by me in A Hundred Ravens Iachos yarn 'Jolnir'

autumn dreams

You know I'm an autumn girl.

And it's that time of year...autumn is just around the corner (happy dance)!!

Rule #23 in my little book of rules: Autumn starts September 1st.

I also have it on pretty good authority that pumpkin spiced lattes will start on September 4th.

Life is good!

The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream.

The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg,

and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs.

Dreams are the seedlings of realities.

~James Allen 

Autumn Dreams sock pattern by me in an STR mill end.

blossoms

 I hope you all had a great weekend!

The heat wave finally broke and I was able to go outside and do some photography.

The Sign of Four socks are finished. A little road trip helped to expedite finishing the last wee bit.

Happy Monday!

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.

~Henry Ward Beecher 

Sign of Four sock pattern by Anne Hanson in Zen Yarn Garden 'Lemon Meringue'

optimism

This weekend I'm going to stake up tomatoes, hopefully finish a sock, contemplate a new sock pattern, and just maybe (I'm very optimistic, you see!) I'll pull out the camera and photograph said socks! 

I hope you all have a great weekend!! xo

pixels 'n prose

change of pace

We took a little trip to the frog pond...no big deal...just a fit thing.

I really liked the pattern, but the sock was way too snug and I didn't want to fuss with adjustments.

Sigh.

Now I'm knitting another pair of Regan socks.

So far, so good. And fuss free!

I'm a happy camper!

97039

I had a good weekend, I hope you did, too!
No travel for me, except for around homebase.
If you went somewhere fun, I'd love to hear about it!

 I cleaned house, and organized various cupboards and drawers.
I gardened (the local nursery had its annuals on sale!).

I test-painted new colors for the trim and front door of the house (too fun!!).

I knit.
I breakfasted with a dear friend.

I skyped.

I'm rested and ready for the week.

Happy Monday!

garden of kindness

Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots,

Kind words are the flowers,

 

 Kind deeds are the fruits,

Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds,

 

Fill it with sunshine,

kind words and kind deeds.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow