People Watching . . . Farm Style

"Hey ya'll, gather around.  Look what the humans are doing!"

"Silly man, doncha know we would love to do that job for you!"

"Why is she taking our picture again? Crazy humans!"

Photo Shoot Out Takes

Getting just the right photo to show off

a knit is next to impossible for an amateur like me.

I suppose I could learn, but that would

take time away from knitting, and

we can't have that, can we? {grin}

So, as a result, I usually delete a bunch,

and keep a couple.

This time however, I kept them all.

My model was so entertaining.

And having so much fun, that 

when it came to it,

I just couldn't hit that red X.

I hope you enjoy my silly, sunny, funny little man.

{And his new sweater too!}

Queen:  Show mama your sleeves.
Prince:  I a big tiger!!

Queen:  Show mama your sleeves.
Prince:  I your cheeseburger!!

Queen:  Show mama your sleeves.
Prince:  I gonna show you one sleeve, mama, okay?
[Queen's side note: and apparently his tongue, too.]

Queen:  How about you lie down as still as a statue?
Prince:  Nope. I gonna lay like a big tiger!!

The Queen has an inspiration.
Queen:  Stand like you did for your preschool photo.
Prince:  Cheese!
The Queen really hopes his preschool photo
does not resemble the above.
It just doesn't get cheesier than this, my friends.

Queen:  Okay, last time, show mama your sleeves.
Prince:  Arrrrrrr!!
Queen collapses to the floor in a fit of
giggles and waves the white flag!!

Lots of Knits

.

Lots of "stuff" going on these days.

New windows going in the Castle.

New stray dog at the Castle.

New home for stray dog.

Same stray dog comes back to the Castle.

Skunks.

Soccer.

School.

Playing.

Making friends with the neighbor kids.

Hay baling.

Hay hauling.

Weeding.

State Fair attending.

Harvesting.

Hot Air Balloon admiring.

Each of the above could have it's own post.

And maybe someday.

We'll see how motivated I get!

But for now, let's get the important stuff.

The knitting.

Wild Vanilla for Princess #3

A wonderfully unique sleeveless sweater with
cables and fun shaping.
Yarn:  Knit Picks Andean Silk (sadly discontinued)
Pattern:  Wild Vanilla by Elena Nodel

Another lace shawl mystery knit.
I am addicted to these KAL's.
This one was knit from Dye For Yarn's Tussah silk.
Love, love, LOVE their yarn.
I used size 5 Muyuki glass triangular beads in a mix of blues.

Out of Darkness Shawl by Bev Gardiner

Her shawl patterns are excellent for beginning lace knitters.
Great, easy to understand instructions, with
gorgeous, end results.
The picot border took "for-esser" (as the Prince would say)
but was oh, so worth the day of binding off that it took!

A Week At the Castle Farm

It has been a busy week at the Castle Farm.  Lots of playing, weeding, fruit preserving, schooling, soccer ball dribbling and so on.  Fall must be on her way . . . Here is our week by the numbers.

One nectarine tree picked.

Two soccer practices.

Three batches of nectarine freezer jam.

Four front yard garden beds weeded.

Five days of schooling.

Six rows done on my mystery shawl. *sniff*

(Curse you, weeding!!)

Seven stints of mopping.

(Curse you, muddy dogs!!)

Eight (at least) loads of weeds hauled down to the "edge".

Nine wedges knit for my Spectra shawl.

(Love you soccer practice knitting!!)

Ten dehydrator trays of nectarine fruit leather. 

And now it is time to rest, and look forward to the fun next week will bring.  More soccer.  Applesauce making.  Friends to visit from far away.  Friends to visit from close by.  More school.  More knitting.  More weeding, ugh.  More knitting (a girl can dream right??).

Random picture from this summer.
I know when *I* think of SD,
camels always come to mind!!

Mmmm . . . Cake

Four little cakes

of scrumptiousness!

My favorite flavors too:

wool and silk

Fall just can't get here soon enough.

The sweet treats

pictured above are for a 

shawl (that cake of dark blue Tussah silk)

and a scarf (the medium blue and the multi-colored cakes).

A Knit A Week: Eye Candy Addition

Eye Candy you ask??

And I reply,

Is there better eye candy out there than

. . . .

my adorable boy buttoned into

the lovely, wooly goodness that

is Malabrigo Rios yarn.

I didn't think so!!

This knit is a test knit I did for Terri Kruse.

It is from her just released e-book

of knitting patterns:  "The Vintage Ice Cream Truck".

This is "Sammie".

Those cheeks, those widdle chubby hands!!

He's your cheeseburger.

I used the distraction of:
Where is Papa's Massey Ferguson?
to keep him still!

Adorable "dragon slayer" buttons from etsy seller:
TessaAnn.
Buy some of her amazing buttons, you
will not be disappointed!!

Overheard At Dinner

Queen:  Okay, how about you eat half of your chicken and we will call it good?

Princess #3:  I can't.

Queen:  quizzical pause

Princess #3: (in all non-sarcastic seriousness) There are three and you can't divide three in half, Mama.

Queen: (between giggles) That is correct . . . glad someone is paying attention during math!!  Now eat these pieces, my dear Miss Literal!!

Castle Randomness

We here at the Castle, just enjoyed a wonderful visit with my next youngest sister and her family! What a treat! Now, however, I am tired, a good, happy tired, so here are so random bits for you from the Castle Farm:

1. The wild blackberries are ripe. Super yum!

2. Four pies, one cobbler, one custard, and 5 gallon ziplocs worth of yumminess.

3. Lots of beautiful webs were seen in the bushes, the spiders on said webs, not so much.

4. Princess #1 and I did the best we could, but after a while we were pretty sure, that every rustle we heard was going to be Shelob (a little LOTR reference for you), so we hightailed it out of there with our berries.

5. The rustling was most likely the cows, but who could rightly say? {grin}

6. Speaking of the cows, we had our first fence go down today because of the bovines.

7. Fixing fence=not fun. I plan to reward the fixers with one of the previously mentioned blackberry pies and fresh whipped cream.

8. I am in the midst of another mystery knit. So far, the jury is out, but I will say this, super interesting knit! Pictures to come.

9. I am working on a giveaway here on the blog, it will of course, be knitting related, so stay tuned.

10. I ate a lot of mama humble pie this past week.

11. I despise that bitter taste it leaves in my mouth.

12. However, through the servings, I was reminded of an important parenting lesson. One that I was failing at, which is, simply, when you give instructions to your wee ones, it is important to explain how to do the task. For instance, if I tell my daughter to clean up her room, it may not get completed, because I didn't explain what my definition of a clean room is: put your clothes away, put your toys in the box, etc.

13. Laundry is calling my name.

14. Why does he have to be so blinking insistent?

15. Yes, my laundry is a he.

16. The goldfinches love the feeder on the deck, so do the house finches and the sparrows. And one little hummingbird keeps trying.

17. Guess, we need to make her some food too, and find a feeder.

18. Looks like the fencing crew is making their way home, better quick fold some laundry and slice the berry goodness. Thanks for putting up with the random, dear readers.

Happiness Can Be . . .

. . . having a friend say that they can't relate to what you are going through.

Let me explain.  I think that sometimes when I listen to a friend pour out her heart about whatever is going on in her life (kids, marriage, just plain life sucking), that I can have this tendency to be to quick to run a quick comparison of my own life (while listening, of course (ha!)), and as a result, too easily relate to the problems that she may be dealing with my own life experiences.

Granted as women, we tend to be helpers, it is how God wired us to be.  We want our friends to know that we have been there and that we "get" what they are going through, which don't get me wrong, is much needed, most of the time.  That being said, I have had friends share things that I don't get.  Horrible life experiences, that I have been spared thus far in my journey, things like miscarriage, marriages on the rocks, children with severe handicaps, and so on.  To them, I think beyond a listening ear, the best words I can give them are,

"I cannot relate to

what is going on in your life right now.

Tell me how to better understand." 

I heard those words last night from a friend, and it was a balm to my soul.  I am so glad that she can't relate, because I wouldn't wish what was discussed on anyone!!  But to hear those words was like a warm blanket of reassurance.  Even though she couldn't relate, she was invested enough in me, to want to hear about my journey.  And that was such a blessing.

Lots of Knits this Week

The Royals have returned home.

Home to the Farm.

A bit weird to have a new home to return to.

But oh so nice to be home.

Close to 4,000 miles of journey gives a knitter

lots of time to get projects done!

Specifically these two:

Langston, in Grace silk and wool yarn by Louisa Harding.
For Princess #2's 10th birthday.
{{Whew, got light-headed there a moment,
I just typed 10, as in two children in the double digits.}}
Pretty cables down the front, lots of pretty ruffles
at the cuffs and hem, perfect for my Princess.
Fun unicorn buttons from etsy seller, TessaAnn.
Her buttons are amazing pieces of art!

A plain old vanilla sock pattern from my head, using
afterthought heels so I could control the color pooling
  with the gusset and heel, in some wild,
crazy, super fun, self-striping yarn from
String Theory Colorworks.  Her yarns
are so cool.  This colorway is Cassiopeia dyed
on her Inertia sock base.

We have these two huge retaining walls in our back yard

on the way down to the garden, corrals, and river.

They were made for sock modeling!!

Here is another pair that I knit up for Princess #1,

modeled on our new fab sock modeling location!

So glad the oldest Princess scouted out this spot.

Don't you just love the little hearts on the heel!
Adorable-ness!

Princess #1 loves to mis-match her socks,
so mama obliged!!
These are called LoveSocks and were knit up in
Spud and Chloe fine sock yarn in the tutu and sassafras
color ways.  Very fun pair to knit up!

Happiness Is . . .

. . . living in denial.

I am making pie when I should be packing and organizing for this road trip.  And yesterday we made homemade ice cream from strawberries freshly picked from the garden.  I wonder what food creation I can come up with for tomorrow. {grin}

Don't worry, the knitting has begun to be thoughtfully packed, I have a sweater I'm knitting for car knitting, a pair of socks to finish for when I need a little easy something, and a fun hat or two that I am bringing along, just in case.

Mmmm . . . pie . . .

A Knit A Week

I know you have all been wondering,

so I will keep you in suspense no longer.

Yes! The Queen has been knitting.

Just not photographing very efficiently.

Here is Princess #1's Birthday sweater.

Yes, she turned 12.

No, I didn't document it on the blog.

Moving, apparently, is a time suck.

Who knew?! {grin}

She chose the Diana Cardigan, a pattern
from an Interweave Knits magazine.

This gorgeous young lady can't possibly be my baby!!
I swear I had her only yesterday . . .

The Details:

Pattern:  Diana Cardigan by Amy Miller

Yarns:  Three Irish Girls Cotton Rayon Sport

in the sweetmint color way for the main color.

And from the stash no less!!

I wish my photography skills could show off the 

beautiful sheen this yarn has--stunning.

Jill Draper Makes Stuff Aurora

in the sterling color way for the ruffles down the front

and on the sleeves

Verdict:  Gorgeous fit.  Fussy knit.  She loves the feel and shape.

We found some great vintage buttons on etsy

that really finish it off!!

The One Where I Begin to Brace Myself

It's that time of year already, again.
Two time zones = times 6!!

Vindication is Mine!!

Verb

1.

vindicate - show to be right by providing justification or proof

Less than 24 hours after our Castle listing

went "live", we got an offer.

Crazy!

Dear friends, I feel vindicated for all that painting I 

completed this past month.

Even if this offer doesn't pan out,

boy did it feel good to get one

so quickly!!

Happiness Is . . .

. . . a quiet morning with time to set up the spinning wheel. My first bit of handspun yarn looks like crapola, but I am having so much fun trying to figure it all out that I don't mind!

Today I chose peace instead of productivity.  

It was an excellent choice.

♥

The One Where I Go On and On About Painting

My first post from the Castle's new digs!

So we moved.

About 20 miles away.

To a 10 acre hobby farm.

Life has been hectic and crazy.

I think that I painted at least 1500 square feet 

of our old 2000 square foot Castle.

Apparently, potential buyers don't appreciate

personality color.

And boy did we have color.

A turquoise office/Princess #1's room.

A bubble gum pink princess room.

A checkerboard yellow/white bathroom.

A bright yellow kitchen.

Thankfully my red family room got the thumbs up!!

We also had the unexpected painting

in our sedate rooms.

You know, the one where you take off the curtains 

only to find, unsightly settling cracks,

and cat scratches,

so you have to repaint.

And since you can't get the color to match exactly.

You have to do the.entire.room.

Here's my personal favorite surprise paint job:

After you finish painstakingly painting the pink room, 

you look up only to see the vaulted,

oh yes, I said vaulted,

bedroom ceiling had been

painted by a drunken queen, I mean sailor. {grin}

Now it's time to do yoga on a ladder while

wielding a paint roller and dodging a ceiling fan.

Good times, my friends, good times.

However, it is done.

The realtor's sign is in the front yard.

He told me that my work was done,

and now it was his turn.

Music to my ears.

A Surefire Answer to Stress

Stress makes me do funny things.

Like obsess about learning to spin.

Spin yarn, that is.

General spinning around and getting nothing done, 

I already do quite well, thankyouverymuch.

So instead of doing all those little pesky

or maybe not so little pesky chores

associated with moving, 

I browse spinning wheels online.

I confer with friends who spin.

Asking lots of questions.

Which wheel is best?

What is a good price?

I borrow books from the library.

I think this looks like fun.

I find a listing for a used wheel.

Just the right one.

Just the right price.

I bite.

And now it sits.

Watching me patiently as I paint yet another wall.

Waiting to be set up at the Farm.

Will owning sheep be the next level of crazy?

No.

But I would like to make friends with someone who does.

More to come, dear readers, more to come.

Not *my* wheel, but one just like it!
It's a Lendrum, double treadle.
So pretty, and folds up nice and tidy.

A Quick Breath Before I Succumb to Paint Fumes

What has the Queen been up to you ask?

Tons of fun!

Painting trim.

Painting walls.

Painting doors.

Oooh, I get to prime now.

Yay!

So long cheerful kitchen.

Your bright yellow walls have lifted my spirits.

Daily.

Here is my kitchen circa 2007 during the remodel.

Success!!

My goal as a Mama! {grin}
Speaking of which, I should probably
add some $$ to the Royals' therapy jars.

In A Word

Several years ago, I was given a word.

Unbeknownst to the giver, 

this word changed my perspective on certain

aspects of my life that I had just

chalked up to "sometimes life sucks".

What word, you ask?

grief.

Grief has always meant to me sadness,

like over the loss of a loved one.
However, through the words of this wise woman,
I came to see it as a bigger word.
A more encompassing word.
It became my word.

She was talking about her son and his battle with cancer.
He was victorious, but she was grieving.
This caught my attention.
She said she mourned the loss of those years
of his young life that he spent getting well.
Instead of having a "normal" life,
they lived in and out of hospitals, waiting with bated breath
as to what the latest test results would bring.
And it broke her heart.

When she gave me these words I had
just begun feeding the Prince the supplemental bottles.

And I was angry. Well, heartbroken, really.

She told me that it was grief talking.
Grief that things didn't go as planned or pictured.

When she gave me these words I was just
entering the worst stretch of time
that I have ever had with my spirited child.

And I was frustrated and exhausted.
Already.
Little did I know . . .

This time, I knew it was grief talking.
Grief that this child has such huge hang-ups,
that I am still not sure will be overcome,
about such seemingly simple things, like getting dressed.
Grief that her siblings and I had to figure out how to graciously
deal with the temperament that God had given to this child,
rather than just sit back and enjoy the ride passively.

Her wise words gave me the understanding that I needed to be free to mourn.
And with that freedom has eventually come joy!

Psalm 30:11
You have turned my griefs into joy; you took off my sackcloth
and you clothed me with joy!