simplicity and ivory soap

I've always associated memories with scents. Yesterday I was brought back to Sunday night baths as a kid after getting all dirty playing outside in the yard. The scent of Ivory soap. What a flashback. I loved it. Reminded me of making mudpies, playing in the woods in the yard, riding bikes, boat rides, laying in the grass, climbing the pine tree in the front yard, or the apple tree. Simpler times. The label on the soap even read...

"Simplicity is the essence of happiness."

Upon looking closer I found that each bar of soap in the pack has a different "simple" statement.

The next bar reads...

"The road to a friend's house is never long, and the directions are simple."

How nice! A wonderful reminder of my "one little word" this year...

SIMPLICITY.

monday gratitudes

Today I am grateful for...

• houseplants
• how owls remind me of Grammy
• sun
• the end of the semester
• students who make my job amazing
• strawberries & blackberries
• good coffee
• time in the morning
• sun in the window
• sleep
• late night talks
• container gardens
• knitting
• my sister
• support
• my laptop
• lemonade

Off to the college for another "last class" of the semester. Have lots of grading to do and things to wrap up. Loving this summer-like weather! It makes me happy. Finally caught up on some of my sleep though I went to bed much too late.

Thinking of stopping at Barnes & Noble on the way to work. Need a good, somewhat light book to read. Any suggestions?

Happy Monday!

summer in spring

flowering tree - April 2009

It has been a very long week and not-so-great start to the weekend but all is good now. I have some errands and stuff to catch up on today before the start of another very busy week with end of the semester/graduation stuff coming up. We have truly had summer in spring here in Massachusetts. I got some new chair cushions yesterday and hope to get a side table for my balcony today. Now that all our bags of belongings are off the balcony and {mostly} put away I can fix it up like I did last year. I'd like to get a few flowers out there too today. It sounds like this nice weather, though cooler, is going to continue this week. Yesterday was my 1st official "flip-flop-wearing-day." Yeah! Definately a mood booster. Well...off to finish laundry and get some other things done before I go out.

Happy Sunday!

Patriot's Day Gratitude List

Today I am grateful for..

• Patriot's Day
• memories of going to Aunt Esta's to watch the Boston Marathon for my entire childhood
• the sunday knitting circle.
• walks in the woods.
• birds singing.
• pens.
• music.
• normalcy returning.
• chicken pot pie.
• clean sheets and pillowcases.
• inspiration to get me through
• planting flowers and veggies on my balcony to look forward to.
• my parents being good and present when I was growing up.
• colors.
• "In Memory" at the Vietnam Wall and Uncle Lauri.

Happy Monday!

sunny sunday

shades of grey - beach rocks ~ April 2009

Putting the some of our pieces of our apartment back together after getting word from the ext that we can start putting our stuff away. I'm nervous the problem will come back or not be gone. But SO EXCITED to be living {somewhat} normally again after almost 4 months!

Also have a pile...or I should say box...of papers/journals to read and grade for my classes I teach. Plus 7 senior theses to read in prep for watching thier presentations on Friday.

Lots of work.

Didn't get as much done yesterday as I wanted to {needed to}. So today I will do more. Also going to my weekly knitting circle at my LYS after visiting my family. I haven't done much knitting all week. So I'm looking forward to working on my sweater.

But for now...off to start cleaning!

Happy Sunday!

stop. slow down. be present.

An empty beach

Today was such a busy, rushed day. I rushed through a busy day at work. Rushed to get home and cook a quick supper before Cary went off to work. Rushed.

I needed to stop. Breathe. I told myself I would do that today.

So after he left I took a walk down the boulevard. It was so cold with the wind off the water. Refreshing though. I sat on a quiet rock for few minutes. Then exercised with the rest of my walk. Saw people walking their dogs. A Husky playing catch along the water edge. Saw boats coming in. The tide washing in on the rocks. People walking after thier days. Cars going by. The sun getting lower. The wind getting colder.

It helped me to slow down even by walking quickly in the wind.

Noticing things around me. Feeling present. Prioritizing what is important. Wishing I hadn't rushed through cooking supper and didn't really just enjoy the little time I had to spend with Cary. Wishing I had not been so frantic to get "things done."

I will do better tomorrow...

monday gratitudes

Today I am grateful for...

1. Spring flowers in the house. Tulips & Daffodils make me happy.
2. English Muffins with butter.
3. Starbucks coffee in my Easter basket.
4. Piles and piles of Easter candy.
5. A late start to my Monday.
6. A more relaxed Monday as compared to last week.
7. The sun.
8. My family.
9. Blue Willow china.
10. My contacts.
11. Running water.
12. Faith.
13. My co-workers at the college.
14. The time I have with Cary before he goes to AL.
15. Dishwashers.

Happy Monday!

Easter

tulips on my kitchen table

Sending everyone wishes for a Happy Easter. Spent some nice time with Cary and my family today. After Cary went off to work and my Dad was driving my brother back to college - I spent time with my mom and sister and watched Slumdog Millionare. Makes you feel grateful for what you have watching that movie.

Thinking of what is important.

I'm feeling nostalgic today.

Memories of childhood, Easter dresses, playing outside, first warm days of Spring. I think I have been feeling so crummy about situations lately and trying desparately to feel grateful...then guilty when the junk consumes me.

But today I feel grateful.

Grateful for the nice childhood I had and the place I can still go back to. Home. Here's my random memories of this time of year as a kid...

• Easter dresses and white patent leather shoes...that most importantly had to make noise when I walked...a nice grown-up clicking sound on the wood floor.
• Making mudpies for dad in my playhouse...pine-needles, water from the brook and sawdust from Dad's work made the best recipes.
• Walks to the mill.
• Marathon Monday at Aunt Esta's House on Windemere Road. Every year. Every year of Mom's childhood too. Patriot's Day just isnt' the same without that long ride to Newton to watch the runners and see the Aunts.
• Raking leaves.
• One day I remember it wasn't warm enough yet. Mom and Dad were raking leaves outside and I found the shopping bag with some new Spring/Summer clothes for me and I put them on and went outside. I wasn't supposed too...and it really wasn't warm enough. But they were so pretty and new! I'm still like that...
• Bike rides with Rachel (my cousin and childhood best friend), playing in the brook, running around the house, picking daisies.
• Lilacs.
• Taking a long bike ride with Rachel from Grammy's to the local farmstand to buy a plant...rode all the way back and planted our single Impatient in the shade garden near Grammy's window. Our attempt at competing with Grandfather's amazing garden!

Wow. Time flies. What are your favorite childhood memories of this time of year?

Happy Easter and Happy Sunday!

simplicity

Got myself this necklace at a store near my work this week. A treat. "Simplify" was my "one little word" for 2009. Plus the idea of the dandelion fluff...making wishes...letting them go...important messages for me/us to hold on to.

Looking forward to some fun and relaxation today. This has been a very up-down, stressful work week. Fortunately I have today, "Good Friday" off. And we are celebrating Cary's birthday since he had to work on his real birthday and birthday weekend last week. Probably going to lunch and a movie.

Also hoping we can stop at Trader Joe's. I really want an Easter Lily and some tulips. Really want to brighten up the apartment. I am cautiously optimistic that we are nearing the end of our apartment nightmare. Still living with the bags but I will decorate around them!

I've also gotten a lot done on my first knitted sweater! It is going faster than I thought it would. Having such fun with it. Spent some time at my LYS Tuesday for a "free knit night" and actually got a lot done on it. I am loving going to those knit nights. Fun, laughing, learning from some talented knitters. It is an hour and a half of escape for me. I love it.

Well...later I'll try and post a picture of the gigantic Easter basket Cary put together for my family. So thoughtful! It was all his idea and he bought the stuff and put it together while I was at work yesterday. Loads of coffee, candy, teas, crackers, ...stuff for each person in my family. He was like a little kid all proud of his work!

Well...off to check out some of my favorite blogs.

Happy Friday!

monday gratitudes

April 2008 - Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester, MA

Monday Gratitudes:
Today I am grateful...

1. Cary and I just got tickets to see Sara Evans in August! We never do stuff like that.
2. I'm going to work at the college today and it's opening day at Fenway.
3. for my friend who I had lunch with yesterday.
4. for the knitting group I go to on Sundays...laughing, relaxation,...
5. for coffee.
6. I only owe a small amount on my taxes. It could be worse. (this is a hard gratitude...I was so hoping to get money back to by a new camera...but it was my own fault/mistake)
7. for a knitting project to focus on.
8. that Cary is home and for his dedications and sacrifices.
9. to have enough...money, food, love.
10. for jelly beans...the Jelly Belly kind!

Happy Monday!

my weekend

I did this for 52Q on Wednesday. The day Cary and I met with our landlord. It was such a stressful day and it was helpful to focus on this for a few minutes during lunch. It is something that I'm trying to focus on today. I cleaned the apartment -around all the bags- and tried to organize as best as I can. I took lots of pictures of my current knitting projects and recent 52Q ATC's. Missing my scrapbooking so much. I got my new issue of CK in the mail and I haven't been reading the last few issues because it makes me sad that I can't really get at my supplies.

Yesterday was so packed full of stuff. I didn't really have time to do anything for me except spend an hour in Barnes & Noble...got a few books, etc. I had to make two presentations at the college yesterday for Revisit Day and grocery shopping, laundry, etc. I was going from 6am - 10pm. So much for a day off! Oh well. I got a lot done that had to be done.

But...I will be positive today. And more relaxed. Just taking my time after cleaning this am. I have my knitting circle at my LYS later today and hopefully a visit with my family.

So...let me share a bit of two projects I'm working on.

Here's the beginnings of my sweater...


As you can see...it is really just the beginnings! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this yarn and the color. It is so soft and easy to work with.

Here's the dishcloth I started last week with the same yarn in a different color...

This is the most complicated lace I have tried to do so far. Having some trouble with it so it's slow going. The green you can see is a "lifeline"...a contrasting peice of yarn holding the stitches in a row so if I screw up I can rip it out to that point. What a wonderful inventions! I have used my lifelines many times so far!

Well...I'm off to read a few blogs, shower and go out into the nice Spring day I hear we are having. And so looking forward to Cary coming home from Guard tonight! I haven't really talked to him since Friday since he's staying in a barrack this time and the man refuses to own a cell phone. I miss him...

Happy Sunday

birthdays, crazyness and knitting

Cary with his wise-guy smile - August 08 - my family reunion

Today is my guy's birthday! It has been a rushed one. He opened his gift for me at 3am this morning when he got home from work...tonight we made a rushed dinner between 4:30 and 5:30 when he left for work again. Salmon and steak. Hmm...This weekend he's off to Maine for guard...he's preparing for OCS (Officer Candidate School) in Alabama this summer. So we will extend his birthday to next weekend :) Sometimes I think about how lucky I am to have found him and vice versa. We lived 400 miles apart and we really shouldn't have met. Fate is real. He makes me laugh and smile and look at the lighter things in life. I am lucky. Happy Birthday to him!

Today has been unbelievable crazy busy at work. Then tomorrow at my other job I have so many meetings and then the class I teach. Saturday will be another full work day. I am looking forward to Sunday! But I can't complain. Cary is working through his birthday and straight through to next weekend.

On to some fun news. My mom was able to get some tickets to the U2 concert in September. I tried this past monday but they were sold out so quickly. So they added a show and she got them! Cary won't join us for this one...he's not a big fan. But today I saw that Sara Evans is having a concert in August and we are going to try for tickets this Monday. He's never been to a concert and we rarely spend money of that sort of stuff. I'm excited. Except Cary keeps teasing....he has a little crush on Sara....and says I might want to reconsider bringing him to her concert!

I'm breathing a sigh of relief after using my assertiveness this past week regarding the apartment. Still ongoing but it feels good to stand up for ourselves.

Meanwhile...I cast on my first sweater last night! No pictures of it...it is from the Spring/Summer 09 Knit Simple...in a very soft pretty aqua (#18 below)...

I can't wait to get into this project! This yarn is so soft and nice to work with. And I treated myself to my first nice pair of needles. Hopefully I can take some pictures of my progress this weekend. I also finished a few more of my ATC's for Emily Falconbridge's 52Q ....

Well I'm off to have a peice of birthday cake and do some knitting!

Happy Thursday!