peace activity

(not my words)

*mindfulness is our ability to be aware of what is going on both inside us and around us. it is the continuous awareness of our bodies, emotions, and thoughts. through mindfulness, we avoid harming ourselves and others, and we can work wonders. if we live mindfully in everyday life, walk mindfully, are full of love and caring, then we create a miracle and transform the world into a wonderful place*  thich nhat hanh.

these thoughts keep me company while hiking, running, bike riding, beach going, meditating... i've been knitting (hopefully mindfully) night and day too, i'm hoping to be finished before we leave for alaska next month. a young mother told me recently she looks forward to this season in her life, the one i'm in now where time is abundant. but then, she said, she'd miss her children. yes, i said, while nodding my head, smiling and thinking of thich's words. yes. 

*

finding gold

dear friends, it's been a good week here of ordinary and epic proportions...
~ dinner for one, me, common for summertime with husband working all the time. breakfast and fruit make a light anytime meal.
~ new wool, that's always exciting! and epic! found wood piece while on a run,
i liked it so much it ran home with me.
~ a thrift store find, a cute scissor + pincushion bird
~ summer storm sunset, very epic
~ thrift store again, a lovely vintage handmade drop spindle
~ thrift store dress with lace
~ secret knitting is moving along, up to chart d!
~ books about alaska *
~ another project bag made by my friend, in giraffe print! epic! thank you amy.
~ ordinary and epic room of mine
~ is this what it feels like to be a magpie? picking up shiny things to bring home to my nest? hee hee while on a bike ride i found this vw metal type emblem. (does anyone have a vw collection? let me know, i'll send it to you).


* i came home from work wednesday to a husband with a sly smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye (sorry honey, it was a manly twinkle)   
he : 'pack your bags, your going to alaska with your sister. in one month'
me : for the next twenty four hours   'REALLY?'  'what? no REALLY?' and a text from my sister,
SURPRISE!  :)
my sister has been planning an alaskan cruise for over a year. one of her party cancelled, she called my husband, secretly, together, they made new plans, for me. EPIC. really incredibly epic. we are going to be on land and sea, on trains and glaciers, buses and horses and a helicopter. now i have to find an epic way to thank them both. 

sea water

do you know the only thing better than making a tea leaves cardigan?

making one with a friend!

amy and i made the tea leaves cardigan by melissa la barre, hers in a pretty pink, mine in blue

i am not having amy talk into my hand, hee hee, we felt awkward standing there and pretending to hold flowers seemed a good way to feel at ease. you can see here how each sweater was customized with small changes. amy made the body of hers a little shorter, mine a bit longer. her sleeves are longer and mine are three quarter length.

but i made a mistake. i made mine a little too big.

oops!

i was hoping for a lot of positive ease, wanting a comfy sweater to throw on for early morning foggy cool walks on the beach (still have to add the afterthought pockets) 

the color of the wool matched the blues of the water and sky yesterday

sort of kind of too big tea leaves cardigan, that i don't have the heart to unravel

pattern:  madeline tosh tea leaves by melissa la barre
wool:  madeline tosh ~ tosh dk
colorway: well water
ravelry notes: here
amy has cleverly made her skirt, my dress is from here

reading: the last rhinos by lawrence anthony and graham spence. i've only just begun this book, but it's by the same authors of the elephant whisperer, which i really loved. oh! and i had an email from jonas in africa this very morning, he received the nkozi book!

joining with ginny, happy yarn along!

bits and pieces

hello! how was your week? here are a few bits and pieces from ours...

i've settled on a pattern for a secret gift i'm knitting. this isn't it though, so it's okay to show. i made a mistake on the piece above, not realizing till almost the end of the first chart (there are five altogether). after three attempts it's okay now. wish i could share. soon...

we (the grands and i) have been making trips to nurseries. emptying out his pockets on the dining table travis shared his finds. they were carefully arranged by his sister sadie.

his favorite color

i have plans to make our backyard a bit (a lot!) more inviting for an after wedding breakfast we'll be having here in september  :)

i was taking photos of travis's flowers here on the dining table when he began 'fixing' his lunch. almond butter, jam and popcorn sandwich

 smooshed down, as you do

 salad received the popcorn treatment too   :)

t & s also had their first junior lifeguard meet, they were both entered in the beach flags event. it was four short years ago i was watching my youngest child compete.

more wedding plans for my daughter, necessitating nursery and florist visits

it is becoming a reality. i thought about it today, wedding day = tears. oh dear.

i won a sweet giveaway. this was my lucky day, i love twysted thystle (i didn't know it before, but now i do). the balm is lovely, it's a perfect consistency and the smell is heavenly. the tea is almost too pretty to use with it's tiny rosebuds and herbs. thank you deborah (the herbalist) and heather (the artist). you can visit them and see all their products (and order) here.

and in the mail, a surprise gift from a friend. all the way from tasmania, evi found this book at an op shop, said she'd thought of me and popped it in the mail. goodness gracious evi, i'm so touched. it's a wonderful book, and it'll be treasured, and put to good use! thank you again.

and three little (but so important) things this week...

finally getting to meet my friends new baby! there he is on the left! he is the cutest blue eyed smiley little thing that i had to squeeze and kiss and kiss again. sigh. and something new and also exciting, sponsors on lori times five. i'll give a proper introduction at the first of the month, linda is a wonderfully talented knit designer and pattern writer and vistaprint makes amazing business cards and many other printed items. mamma 4earth and vistaprint can be found up on the sidebar. to visit, just click on the button. i'm so pleased and happy to have them both here! welcome welcome! 

xxx lori