Yarn Along Shrug

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~



I'm trying not to miss out on the Yarn Along today, trying to get back into a blogging habit but it means I'll have to go out to my car to get my knitting project!

This week, I'm working, sporadically, on a Simple Shrug that I can keep in the car for those spare minutes during day trips. It's very simple, perfect for the car. And since I'm doing a lot of hand sewing in the house, the car is the best place to keep my current knit!

The yarn is an mohair acrylic blend that I recently acquired for free. (Someone donated a huge amount of old yarn for our AHG troop's Warm Up America project, but can use only acrylic for that. These 2 skeins of what looks like a really old label are actually very nice. I'm enjoying the project and I love the soft green. Winning!

I finished listening to All the Light We Cannot See the other day. I knew absolutely nothing about it, but I requested it since it has been so popular in the past year. Pulitzer Prize winner, eh? I did enjoy the story---WWII has always been a favorite subject---but I have a couple of bones to pick with the author. First, I'm not a fan of verbizing nouns. (I know, I just did it.) Ugh. The whole book is full of nouns-turned-verbs in an effort to make the language more colorful and picturesque. It seemed very elementary to me, and don't editors care about that sort of thing? Or do they just chalk it up to "style"? It was a constant distraction from the story as I would hear it and then start thinking about I would re-write the same sentence to create the same scene without using made-up words. Then I had to rewind....it got old. Second, it felt as if there were a half-dozen or more epilogues at the end. I like a story to be wrapped up, and I love knowing what happened to the main characters, but this seemed excessive. It was as if he wasn't sure where or how to end the book and his editor didn't bother to say..."Here. This is a good spot to wrap it up!"

I don't consider myself a fabulous writer, by any means, but some of the stuff that makes it past editors these days in books or newspapers boggles my mind. Am I the only one who feels this way?

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else is reading! I'm sure that I chose that book based on seeing it in many Yarn Alongs. Yarns Along? Editor? ;-)

{PHFR} Winter Edition

Linking up with the ladies at Like Mother Like Daughter

I started this post on January 29, and never finished it! I don't know what's up with me and blogging these days; it doesn't seem to be much of a priority, even though I generally enjoy sharing. I guess life is busy and I have other priorities. Say hi and tell me what's up with you!
{pretty}

Pretty yarn that I got for Christmas is turning into a pair of socks for me. Although, halfway through the second sock they seem to be on hiatus! Something else caught my eye. You know how it is! This yarn, though, is really weird; I've never seen yarn like this that is a completely different color in the sunlight. The blues turn into a greenish gray, so I'm not actually sure what color they are. What do you see? Of course, this is an indoor picture so they probably look blue.

{happy}

I was having a bad day when I started this, so I sat down with my remote control, Netflix, and my new pompom maker. Pompoms are fun and good for the soul. ;-)

{funny}

Pip wanted a Beardo for his birthday, so everyone had to try it on. Katie wore it best. 

{real}

I love this wool mitten. Did I show it to you when I made it (them)? Well, I lost one at the March for Life in DC. I had them on over my fleece gloves, but if I wanted to use my phone, I had to take off the mitten. Did that several times, and somehow I lost one. I'm pretty sure I have some more yarn, so I should be able to make another. They were really nice and warm. :-(

Our winter seems to be almost over. Lots of 60+ degree days in the forecast. I may not need my wool mittens much more for a while.

Sock Knitting

           

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

My goal was to finish these socks by yesterday, but no such luck. I've tried, but maybe I underestimated how long it takes me to knit a sock. I thought it was a pair in a week, but it seems to be closer to one week per sock! I also expected them to be shorter than they are turning out to be---the ball of yarn doesn't seem to get any smaller no matter how hard I knit!

Well, I have lots of time for knitting today, so if I don't get distracted by Brooklyn or the crochet project I brought, I might be able to start the second sock. I don't think I will get to wear them for the winter weather this weekend, but I tried!

Oh, and Brooklyn? Loved the movie, loving the book as well.

Friday Funday Quick Takes

~Linking up with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum. Drop in for more Quick Takes. ~

I seem to be having such a hard time getting back into the blogging groove! I guess because it's Birthday Month around here, and after Christmas we've been celebrating birthdays and doing a lot of planning for American Heritage Girls. It's been fairly busy and I'm hoping to take down the Christmas decorations tomorrow! Today, though, I thought I would give you a little snapshot, or seven, of what my day has been like. :-)

1. 8:00 a.m. Dropped off Pip for school after an extra-long, extra-rainy drive. Seriously yucky weather, and I'm really disappointed in Google for telling me that today was just going to be 'cloudy'!
2. 9:00 a.m. After sitting in the car at Chik Fil A, in the pouring rain, knitting and checking FB for an hour while Meg sleeps, it's time to try to rouse her!
3. 10:00 a.m. I've had coffee and hash browns and she is working on her homework while I check my blogs, email, and work on my sock.
4. 11:00 a.m. We've chatted with the lovely, German hostess for a little bit about knitting and local yarn shops, and Meg is about out of work to do. She still has math, but her old-fashioned, wooden pencils broke and don't come with replacement leads.
5. 12:00 p.m. In lieu of math, we have spent the last hour planning an AHG event that she is in charge of executing. We've researched, come up with an email, a flyer, a schedule of events, and even put together a crossword puzzle for one of the activities. I love online puzzle makers! They have always added a little extra fun to homeschooling. So, now we'll order a little lunch for Pip and myself before heading out to school. (Meg ate at some point in the morning!)
6. 1:00 p.m. We delivered Pip's lunch, and Meg has her 2 Friday classes, art and drama. I wait. Usually, I walk with a friend and then knit the last hour or so. Today was just knitting and chatting with other moms and admins.
7. 4:00 p.m. Finally home and fried from my long, tiring day! It would be better if I had gotten that hourlong walk in, but alas. When I got home my Fitbit read 748 steps!!!! It's going to be really hard to hit 10,000 today! Even yesterday's 12,000+ won't make up for that.

I hope your day was sunnier and filled with much more movement than mine. Tell me what you did today. Have a great 3-day weekend!

An Epiphany Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

Happy New Year!

Blessed Feast of the Epiphany!

Happy birthday to my 4th child who turns 20 today!

I feel as if I have been in a cave----a Christmassy cave, but a cave, nonetheless---since December 25! Visiting with family, celebrating, unwinding from all the activity and stress before Christmas (and during Christmas) has been great, but I have been avoiding most responsibilities, email, and the outside world, in general. I have this tendency to turn inward and let everything else go in order to focus on family or the holiday.

Annnd, now we are back to the real world! All the decorations are still up and I love it. Saturday afternoon we will probably take down the sad-looking, needle-dropping tree, but everything else will likely wait until I have spare moments here and there. I like to linger over the process, if I can.

Oh, but you stopped in for a Yarn Along, didn't you! I started (and restarted) (and restarted) this Age of Brass and Steam kerchief with a skein that I got for Christmas. It's Madelinetosh tosh dk in the Steam Age colorway---which I thought very appropriate for the Brass and Steam kerchief. What's funny is that I got a skein of sock yarn from Malabrigo in almost the exact same colors! That one is wound up into 2 balls ready to start a pair of socks for moi.

Lately, I've mostly been reading magazines at night since we just got a subscription to InStyle magazine. Over Christmas I listened to The Girl on the Train which was a very good mystery. Rachel, the girl on the train, has a miserable commute to and from London every day and makes up a story about a couple who lives near the tracks at one of the stops. She sees them often enough that when the woman of the house disappears, Rachel has some help to offer the police. I would be interested to see it made into a movie if someone could do justice to the voyeuristic perspective offered and keep the mystery going. I was pretty surprised by the outcome!

Advent Yarn Along

           

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

It's a busy Advent season, but taking time out to recharge with a fun Star Wars hat, The Empire Strikes Back video, and chocolate is important. Especially if the hat is a Christmas present. ;-)

We are reading Caryll Houselander's The Reed of God every night at dinner. I don't know if everyone loves it as much as I do, but it's full of wisdom about emptying ourselves, making room for God within us, and saying 'yes' even to all the little mundane things God asks of us.

The Force Awakens Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

When I saw this pattern, I impulsively ordered enough yarn to make a couple of hats. I went down a couple of needle sizes to make a child's hat, and I'm praying that it will not be too small. While instarsia is fun, it can cause a lot of pain in the hands from switching yarns so frequently, so I hope this work isn't wasted. That is what I accomplished just in one day---which, for me, is pretty good!

I'm back to reading My Badass Book of Saints at night. "Hearing" my friend's voice as I read and learning about new saints combined with modern heroines is a joy. 

A Knitter's Dream

I had a family funeral to attend on Thursday in Oklahoma City for my mother's brother, a kind and loving man who had the gentlest heart. God rest his soul.

I expected to have a half-day of airline flights, at least 9 hours in the car, and another half-day of flying in which to knit all this yarn. I was totally prepared for hours and hours of sitting!

Unfortunately, I always forget that I'm not a super-speedy knitter, and FB is more attractive than it should be. I expected to finish the purple mitts in a couple of hours, but I think I ripped out a couple of inches TWICE. Gave up on that and decided to start the brown shawl with my hand spun. That was going well, but required too much pattern reading for the car. As you can see, I didn't get anywhere close to finishing that travel-stash. j

I better spend a little more time thinking about projects and planning before I make any holiday road trips!

It's Really Fall! Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

~~~ The epic, two, solid weeks of rain have ended. The sun is out, and the temps are seasonal---cold overnight and warming to around 60 during the day.  Thanks be to God!

I did finish an awesome book that I'm happy to tell you about, instead of simply the occasional update that I read for 5 minutes every night! Excited?

I finished The Boys in the Boat about the 8-man crew team from the University of Washington that made it to the 1936 Olympic Games which were held in Hitler's sanitized Nazi Germany. They are considered to be the greatest 8-man crew in history.

While the story focuses on one particular rower, Joe Rantz,  his poverty, virtual abandonment by his father, who struggles to not only survive, but also put himself through college, there is plenty of background on the other team members, the coach, and the craftsman who built their shells. All of the boys who were finally selected to be part of this crew---a match made in heaven, you might say---had something in common which forged an incredible bond. That bond made history. The story culminates with the dramatic final race in Berlin. I wish I'd seen it! In fact, there are videos on YouTube of the race, along with re-enactments after the race. If you admire grit and determination, you will like this!

For fun, and as a little change of pace, I crocheted up this infinity cowl. It is chunky and cozy! It's in the shop.

Finished Objects

A friend requested some fingerless mitts that she could wear at the office. She wanted them "thumb-less" also, so that she could push them up, off her hands and not have a thumb poking out, or just take them off altogether. The brown pair is elbow length, as requested, and the purply-blue pair is not quite that long, simply because I thought she might like another option.

70% acrylic for washability---which I think one would want at the office, and 30% wool for warmth.

Minimalist Blogging

For a while now I have joked with friends about my goal of becoming a "minimalist blogger"----not one who rarely posts, as I do, but one whose posts are short and sweet. I always feel too rushed to write a well thought out article worthy of sharing, so I end up just chit-chatting, which isn't exactly newsworthy or shareworthy. Lately, I have not had the time or inclination for that, either, but I find that I don't really want to quit altogether. Strange, but true. So, I'm going to give the minimalist blogging a try and see how that develops.


How do you feel about blog posts? Do you like long articles or short snippets that you can get through quickly? NB: I am relying on your comments here! ;-) Please comment and let me know what kind of posts you like, in general. Not just from me, but anyone.

~~~

I whipped up these mittens last week out of Paton's Classic Wool. Made to fit my hands, they seem a little long in the fingers, but that may be true of all mittens. I know that mittens have been made out of pure wool for ages, but these will definitely felt if I make too many snowballs with them! Maybe that would be a good thing?

Renovation Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

Decluttering and minimizing is on my mind. Not surprising considering the state of the house. I'm constantly looking around, wondering how I can best use the space in the basement, and contemplating what to get rid of.

What am I thankful for?

The sound of men working in the basement! Yay! 

What’s going on in school?

Columbus Day holiday! Everyone is happy to have a day off, and I am happy to have my college boy home for part of his fall break.

What’s on the needles?

Last night I picked up my Westport Shawl that I had put down weeks ago when I messed up the lace. I finally had time to tink (un-knit stitch by stitch) 4 rows until I undid the mistake and could resume knitting. After only 3 rows of knitting, I messed it up again, and I have just. had. it. with this pattern! It's gorgeous and it seems to be well-written, but I must not have the patience or concentration skills necessary these days to work on such an intense design. So, now I'm looking for something else to do with these two beautiful skeins.

What’s special about this week?

They are beginning (and ending?) the installation of our new basement floors today. Ever since the sewage backup in May the house has been a disaster (actually, before that, since we moved half the house down to the basement for new floors up here). There is clutter everywhere and I'm learning to live with it. That is frightening to me. Since there's so little "cleaning" that can be done, I'm getting seriously out of the habit!

What am I reading?

I've reached the halfway mark in The Boys in the Boat! I'm really tempted to stay up well past my bedtime every night and keep reading.

I'm also at the end of The Maze Runner audiobook, and I don't know if I'll have any quiet time for a few days to finish it. But once the floors are finished and I can get down there to caulk and paint baseboards, I'll have lots of time to finish that one and start the next!

What am I praying about?

• Our country
• For all our priest and deacons
• an end to abortion and, especially, Planned Parenthood
• for all the beautiful people suffering chronic pain and from illnesses like cancer

What projects are happening at home?

LOL. Basement, decluttering, cleaning...

xo,
Sara

Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

My knitting project is getting closer and closer to the end, but these last rows seem interminable! I guess that's not too far from reality when you increase every other row by four stitches. Nevertheless, the yarn is getting smaller---I'm certain that I shall knit my last two rows of blue today (or whenever I get to knit!).

Instead of knitting, while I await the flooring delivery men, I am sitting in my front yard storing up vitamin D for the winter. And attending to my much-neglected blog via the Blogger app on my phone. I finished my painting session for the day (I'm tired and clean-up is too much twice in one day!), so I'm taking a break.

Knitting will resume shortly when I have had enough sun (soon---it's hot out here!), and I will listen to my current read which has kept me quite entertained during marathon painting sessions:  The Maze Runner. We've seen both movies, but I thought reading the books might help fill in some of the gaps in the story.

Did you know that there is a wealth of audiobooks available on YouTube? 

Update: I have good intentions about blogging, but then I get distracted by reality. Darn it. ;-)  I'm going to go ahead and post this anyway, even though I've already updated the flooring situation in my Quick Takes a few minutes ago. Go read that one, too! :-) 

xo,
Sara

October Quick Takes

~Linking up with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum. Drop in for more Quick Takes. ~

1.

True Confessions: I started this post LAST Friday and wasn't able to finish it, so I'm updating and, hopefully, coming up with a few more takes to make it to seven!

2.
Sitting at Chik-fil-A on Day 8 of the Whole30 diet while Meg does her schoolwork. There's pretty much nothing here that I can eat, so I'm gritting my teeth and drinking decaf. I don't mind just drinking decaf, but I can't stand their coffee. And I probably could have some french fries without too much guilt but I don't think that would really help the cause. (Another True Confession: I had french fries today because they're fried in peanut oil, momentarily, and conveniently, forgetting that peanuts are legumes and forbidden.)

3.
What's the cause, you ask? Aside from the never-ending quest to lose weight, it's to get the sugar and junk out of my life. Lately, my diet has been getting worse and worse, and I haven't put on more than a pound or 2, but they always invite their friends over, don't they? They find a happy place and invite everyone over for a rave. Pretty soon, someone needs to call the cops....That's the Whole30. :-)

4.
"Rika-Chicka", as one of my babies famously called this place, has the nicest employees. There's a lovely German lady who visits with us every time we come, chats with me about my knitting, and even brings free coffee! I shouldn't complain that it tastes bad.

5.
Meg and I made our 2nd of the 9 First Friday's today last week. We started because our schedule lends itself to the devotion right now, but I can see that it will be a struggle to continue if our schedule changes. I'm praying that God will grant the graces necessary to persevere! As I have had a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for nearly 14 years, now, (My Margaret Mary will be 14 in January!), it's about time I attempted to make the 9 First Fridays. One of the great things about the parish we have been attending on Fridays is that the pastor actually stops to pray the Litany to the Sacred Heart and an Act of Consecration. It's a lovely start to the day.

6.

Our flooring arrived much more quickly than I expected, and the installer is faster than I expected, so installation starts on Monday---maybe even finishes! We had to hold him back a bit to have time to empty the basement. We've begun, but there will be a big push tomorrow to bring everything upstairs. I'll be so happy to have the next phase completed! It will still take time to get everything purged and put away, but I like that part a lot better than the messy painting and packing.

7.
So excited! I just sold another item from my Etsy shop Rosy Knits. I really need to knit more to add to the shop. I've been preoccupied with other things this summer. Like floors. ;-)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

xo,

Sara

Quiet Time Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I'm sitting in my quiet spot in the middle of Stations of the Cross while Pip is in a meeting. Today I got my blanket out of the car to sit on since the grass here is unbelievably spiky. I hope they're not intentionally discouraging folks from using this space! The quiet was disturbed for a few minutes by a Religious Ed class taking a tour to learn about the Stations. But I don't mind. Since I actually get very little knitting done here, I need to be prepared to hike around the grounds next week as other parents are doing. It will eventually be too chilly to sit still, anyway.

Finished my little blanket that needs a blocking. It's soft and cozy, but smaller than I would like. I may need to turn it into a Book Blankey and put it in the shop.

I started reading The One Thing is Three, by Fr. Michael Gaitley, today. I love his books and find them inspirational, so I'm looking forward to it.

The Boys in the Boat is still on my nightstand and I am enjoying that every night. Every morning I am tempted to bring it downstairs, but then I won't get anything done!

First of Fall Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

I'm excited that the Holy Father is here! Our country needs a good dose of his holy influence; we are so far from being the great country that we used to be. People are lost and unhappy and don't even know it.

What am I thankful for?

I'm thankful for a lovely visit to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Alabama last weekend. A group from our AHG troop made an overnight visit; mothers and daughters were able to spend time together as we toured the incredibly beautiful and peaceful grounds. The last time I was there, the main church was complete, but they've added several new buildings including a replica of the Lourdes grotto, the St. John Paul II Eucharistic center, a gift shop, and the Barn--- a home for the men who belong to the Knights of the Eucharist. This Shrine is an incredible gift to the Church and the surrounding community. Located an hour north of Birmingham, the quiet countryside is a perfect backdrop for this peaceful community of servants of the Lord.

One of the first things we saw on our tour of the Shrine was the door that young postulants knock on to be admitted to the community. Meg was fascinated by that door! She mentioned wanting to go through it so many times that I suggested, maybe, Jesus was calling her to serve Him in that way.

What’s going on in school?

Spirit Week! Meg and Pip are both excited not to wear uniforms every day and stressed by the options they are given.

What’s on the needles?

I'm so close to finishing my afghan! I'm on the last skein of yarn, so the end is in sight, but I haven't felt the urge to work on it, because I want to finish my Stripe Study Shawl. I'm on the border, finally, but I stopped the stripes one stripe short-----My contrasting color was almost gone and I did not feel like playing that game of yarn chicken! If I lost, I would have been unraveling a lot of wrap-and-turns, which would have been a nuisance. I'm thinking of---no, I actually started----putting a few thin stripes of the blue in the variegated border to use it up. It will be pretty, and I can't wait to see it blocked, but I have a hard time believing that it is going to expand to be the size of the picture in the pattern!

What’s special about this week?

My two oldest, Katie and Brendan, had birthdays last weekend. I can't wait to go visit them in a couple of days to celebrate! Two birthday celebrations back to back used to be so stressful, and now....it's not. All you young moms, stop being frazzled by it all and enjoy the chaos while it lasts!

Spirit Week and Homecoming at school. I guess this is the first year we can actually have a "Homecoming" dance since there were 4 graduates last May!

What am I reading?

I am still reading, very slowly, The Boys in the Boat. Since knitting is my daytime recreational activity, reading is just 5 minutes per night at bedtime. Unfortunately, i have approximately 20 books on the desk in my room waiting to be read, and I promised not to add to it....but I somehow acquired two more books at the Shrine last weekend! Oops! :-)

What am I praying about?

• Pope Francis's visit to the US
• Our country
• An end to Planned Parenthood. We pray for an end to abortion all the time, but it has always existed, and always will in some form or another, but our government can (and should) stop paying for the wholesale slaughter of babies and the sale of their body parts.

What projects are happening at home?

I'm not finished painting all the upstairs trim, but I bought paint for the basement bedrooms and I'm going to start that as soon as I finish this post. We are still struggling with the final decision about the basement floors because of cost, but I hope we get it figured out quickly. I'm ready to have this done!

xo,
Sara

***Linking up with Ginny and Leila today!***

PHFR on the Cusp of Fall

Linking up with the ladies at Like Mother Like Daughter
{pretty}

The weather here has been spec.tac.ular! Perfect temps and no humidity! Because it is all about the humidity. 

My friend and I usually walk around the park near our school, but the other day we chose to scout out the surrounding area, since we had less time. The lovely, new City Hall has this picturesque walkway behind it where did a lap. Unfortunately, we couldn't walk all the way around as they are still doing construction, but it was a wonderful little surprise!

{happy}

I sat here yesterday marveling at the amount of property our parish has----that's the church spire you can in see in the distance of the 3rd photo. I started out in my car, waiting for Pip to get out of a meeting, but I had to escape the dude in the car next to me blasting his self-help audio for God and everyone to hear! He had his windows up, but I could hear it, literally, halfway across the huge parking lot! Going as far away as I could, I found myself in the middle of the Stations of the Cross. When my boys were scouts a few years ago, we helped install the pavers, but I haven't spent any time here since then. I didn't realize how lovely it is with the grass, benches, and open spaces. Full disclosure: I usually pray the Stations outdoors at another parish, not this one. It's a long story. ;-)

{funny}

"Waiting for Tom"

Cleaning Tom's bedroom after his departure for his sophomore year of college left me in a bit of a funk. To make myself laugh, I set his giant, stuffed Sully in the window to wait for him. (He got that yearrrrrs ago!) It was pretty funny/creepy to pull into the driveway and see him glaring down at us! It made me laugh, but maybe I'm the only one, because Tom moved him when he came home for the weekend. Drat!

{real}

Pip started archery lessons this year. He had some experience from Boy Scout camp, and we had gotten him a junior-size bow a couple of years ago (before his growth spurt!), but he needed another, adult-sized one for the classes. Since we began this endeavor, we're becoming good buddies with the archery expert at the sporting goods store! We've got the new bow adjusted to fit our growing young man, and yesterday we acquired a couple of little necessities like arrows and a target. I'm proud to say that since Pip started a job early in the year, he paid for his bow himself. I believe that since he invested a large chunk of his own money, that's why his bow is safely stored in his room instead of in the garage! Our man in the archery department is going to fix us up with a fantastic deal on a case soon. 

After we got home with the target and the arrows, Pip offered me the opportunity to do a little shooting with him. The bow pulls at 51 lb. and I couldn't do it! :'-(  I'm going to have to work on my upper body strength because I really like archery  shooting stuff. :-) That's my normally latent adventurous side surfacing. Do you have one of those???