Today, a post on Facebook led me down the rabbit hole and I discovered this post from No Sidebar. I nearly cried at my desk as I read it on my lunch break because it hit home so very much. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to let go of past identities and the stuff that goes along with it. We spend years, even decades, carefully cultivating exterior facades to shape how we perceive ourselves and how we want others to perceive us. So, when we no longer have that same facade we’ve spent so long developing (because of a career change, family shift etc), it can be incredibly painful. In these…

Maybe if I make a point to blog my gift project progress, it’ll help keep me on track? Hats: 1/4 (maybe more, if I have time, but 4 is the minimum) Quilt blocks done: 2/48 (Oy.) Socks… to be honest, I have no idea who I’m even knitting these for, yet, but socks always seem like a lovely gift idea for those I love. The trouble, though, is knowing what size the recipient wears to knit them to the correct length. Ornaments made: A big, fat zero.    

56 days until my deadline on this quilt (right before Christmas). 48 blocks to make this up quilt. Even if I did one block a day, that won’t account for holidays where sewing isn’t possible, nor will it account for the time it will take me to quilt the beast on my tiny machine and then hand-stitch the binding up… it also doesn’t take into account that it’s supposed to be a Christmas gift and, therefore, a surprise even though he knows he’s getting a quilt (he asked for it, after all) so sewing too much of it around Declan isn’t going to be ideal. Do the math and factor…

Pattern: Easy as Pie, though knit without the edging Yarn: Handspun from some Fat Cat Knits fiber I realized, today, that I’m in a funk, so the goal of this weekend is some solid self care. Sunshine, making sure I eat (if you know me, you know that I constantly eat… that should have been my first tip that something was off), and spending some time doing the things I (usually) love. With the holidays coming up, and money being tight at the moment, I’m throwing myself into some gift knitting/sewing with the bazillion craft supplies I own. Probably more adventurous than I actually have the time and energy for,…

I don’t write here much, so I figured with a random day off of work I might as well show off the sweater I finished for the grandkid in the family. I feel like a giant slacker that this is the first handknit he’s going to get since he was born in December… but life is busy and I don’t get to knit as much as I used to.

I’m working on my 2nd attempt at macarons. I tried them a few weeks ago when I was feeling overwhelmed and like I needed to just… make something. The first batch wasn’t terrible, but obviously not right. With the long holiday weekend I figured I’d attempt them again, this time aging the egg whites. They’re still sitting, waiting to develop that “skin” before baking, but so far I think the texture from piping is much better than the last batch. I threw in some orange zest into these, because I love the combination of chocolate and orange, and I’m thinking maybe a white chocolate/orange filling if they turn out.  

I am generally a grinch about the holidays. It’s not the decor, or the songs, or the cookies – it’s the rushing around everywhere, the buying gifts for every damn person and their brother when you know that I know that you don’t need another candle/movie/whatever else it is that I finally settle on buying you because I feel obligated to give you a gift. Humbug. But having a child does stupid things to you, and this year I actually looked forward to the holidays a bit. The rush of the holidays was more stressful, despite my very organized Christmas spreadsheet, but we managed and it all led up to…