what i like....

i don't know about you, but i know what i like.

and i know what i don't like.

i don't like algebra. i don't like trying to figure out complex fractions or the volume of a cylinder shaped object or using pi in math.

i don't like arguing with a 9 year old. i don't like feeling like the warden in my own prison... or maybe the dictator of my own little country.

i don't like trying to figure out what's for supper... AGAIN!

some of you may cry "whaaaaa, would you like some cheese with that whine?" ...

but i don't care. i'm not a huge complainer, but we all have our days.

we're coming into the home stretch, the countdown to summer break & it's by far the worst time of the year to be a home schooler, for me that is.

now on to what i DO like.

i like little pixies perched in trees...

i like boys making funny faces when their mother wants them serious...

i like quiet pensive little boys...

and i like cute but serious babies...

now, THESE are things i like.

a shopping we will go...

today, i am trekking to ft. wayne with my very best friend to attend the vera bradley outlet sale.

although i do own my fair share of vb, i am mostly going along for the ride, this will be my friend's first time to the sale & she's got a very specific list in mind. i think we will be on a mission.

we could not travel elsewhere without making a stop at a local yarn shop though! so i will be making my first stop at sarah jane's yarn shoppe.

i am so excited & hope that i find some treasures to add to my collection.

after these past few months of working on many little projects, i am dying to sink my teeth into a sweater, so i will have my eyes peeled for good deals suited to start a new project.

knitting mary jane slippers

finished these just in the nick of time for 2 special birthdays.

2 of my nieces who are sisters share the same birthday, just 2 years apart. so in the spirit of all things knitting, i made them these slippers.

i think they turned out pretty well.

they look a little funny & small, a bit mini-ish when they're not on the feet, but they are just as cute as a button when worn - trust me!


hopefully i can post some photos later of the girls wearing these!

crazy, or what?

ok, so am i the only wacko that hangs laundry in gale force winds?

i don't know about you, but out here in the deeter wind tunnel, laundry hanging is becoming a challenge!

over at my friend shannan's blog she posted this pretty little picture of her first load of laundry hung on the line, beautiful, picture perfect, with a cute little wicker basket (far & away from my cracked & aging ugly rubbermade baskets) and all i can get is this

literally, we were chasing clothes before they blew all the way out into the field!

and i kid you not, some of these clothes were dry before we finished hanging the whole load.

walk on the wild side people, live dangerously!

friday favorite: image of the day

i have been tossing around the idea of doing something to get myself more motivated to blog regularly & "friday favorite" is one of them.

i'm going to go through my photos, past & present, and start posting some of my favorites & why.

if there's a special story or a how-to involved, i'll also try to include that.

since it's so nice & warm today i thought i'd better clear out something that seems a little colder so i can head into warmer things next week!

this is my pick today because...

• it's my firstborn...that's reason enough, right?
• i don't take as many pics of him as i used to & this one turned out well, so it makes me happy!
• he's got on his dad's bears cap & it's so nice and colorful
• this image shows the little mustache that's starting & cracks me up while also sobering me up to the fact that my almost 13 yr old has a mustache!
• the image is relatively sharp & you can see me in the catchlights in his eyes, that just kind of gives mom one of those "awww" moments

*this image was shot @ f2.8, 1/640, iso 200 with a 50mm 1.4 lens (that by the way back focuses slightly & is therefore a beast to get tack sharp eyes with!)

how does your garden grow?

around here, we are getting into the gardening spirit...

we have onions, radishes & peas coming up (yay!) & we planted lettuce this past weekend.

this is our 4th year of "serious" gardening & canning. it's something we look forward to every spring. we work on this as a family & it's good for all of us. (minus the whining & complaining)

we learn something new each year... for instance:

• planting tomatoes in april is not a real good idea
• there really is such a thing as "too much of a good thing" when it comes to fertilizer
• being "tiller happy" can be bad for your perennials (goodbye asparagus & dill)
• spraying round-up on your strawberry beds because it will kill the weeds but not the strawberry plants is not actually true
• it's not worth it to plant leftover seeds from last year, especially if it's 8 rows of beans that you're going to have to replant anyway
• don't worry about your zucchini seeds starting, they ALWAYS come up

this weekend we piled into the car & went out to our favorite local gardening shop, country garden greenhouses over near cr 46 & cr 15 (it's a new paris address) to buy seeds ...just in case there's a shortage this year.

we got our bean, corn, cucumber & zucchini seeds & a few more onion starts because you never know... the 250 that we already have in the ground just might not be enough!

we'll wait a while yet to buy our plants (tomatoes, peppers, etc.) and plant them later in may. we've found that memorial day is a safe time to plant tomatoes without having to really fuss over them, so we'll do most of our seed planting before that, then tomatoes & picky things last.

canning (and freezing) has been hugely rewarding for us & has probably saved us more this past year than ever before. it does become a big job once summer is here, but we never regret it once all winter long.

so with planting & fresh fruits & veggies in mind, i am posting a recipe for something i made this weekend with some frozen zucchini from last summer's crop.

these zucchini brownies are so delicious, i think i'm going to go get one now & eat it while i write this up...

ok, i'm back...these are so good, my fingers are sticky & going to make a mess all over my keyboard, oh well...

zucchini brownies
1/2 c. oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. shredded zucchini
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, optional
+chocolate buttercream frosting if you really like to "rich" it up

preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease 9 x 13" pan. in large bowl, mix oil, sugar & vanilla. combine dry ingredients & stir into sugar mixture. fold in zucchini & nuts. spread evenly into pan. bake 25 minutes or until brownies spring back when touched, then they're done.

*these are more cake-like than heavy fudge-like brownies. try them, they're so good, i know that you'll like them!

ps, if you are going to freeze zucchini for something like this where you need it to be shredded, shred it first, then freeze it. i figured this out the hard way!

knitting crazy

ok, i haven't been blogging like i should...i know...i have been sidetracked, but in a good way.

i've been knitting... knitting like crazy... i am so in love with it! troy says "are you going to take any more pictures are or you just going to become a full-time knitter?"

so yes, i'm knitting a lot... but not too much. is there such a thing as too much knitting? i should think not!

so i am getting back to it...slowly.

i have good things to share...



these are a few of my latest accomplishments. guess who's been getting some new things to wear?

and this is just a peak...more things to come soon.

stay tuned...