It’s a lot of pictures, I know. It’s been a lot of days. I’ll sum up. I celebrated my birthday in Michigan. Violet celebrated being fully vaccinated with shopping and lunch at a restaurant. Abram celebrated turning twelve with his first dose of vaccine. Days are full of summer school and camps and swimming at the community pool. The garden is neglected. My flower baskets are dry and dying because we have baby birds (and because I forget about them but let’s blame the birds). I do not take one second of this normalcy for granted and have spent a good portion of the last month happy crying. In fact, just typing that sentence made me emotional. Let’s talk things.

Knitting: I should have the pair Jesse promised on blockers by the end of this week. I’ve already picked out the yarn and pattern for my next pair. I also purchased a pattern for a sock yarn sweater which may be wishful thinking. When not working on socks, I’ve been knitting dishcloths.

Reading: Davenport reads aplenty!! Majesty by Katharine McGee, What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins, Shipped by Angie Hockman, The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. I’m currently reading Pretty Things by Janelle Brown. I liked What Comes After and The Four Winds. I haven’t been doing a good job with my Audible reads. I’m going to try and listen while puttering or knitting.

Watching: The Handmaids Tale (Hulu) which is so dark and disturbing but fantastic. Violet and I watched Moxie (Netflix) which I thought was heavy handed but enjoyable (Violet loved). I’m looking forward to the new seasons of Ted Lasso (Apple) and Atypical (Netflix).

Making: I need to spend some time on the Chicago cross stitch if I’m ever going to get that finished. Violet and Abram both learned to water ski. They made it look easy so I tried. It wasn’t easy. I haven’t decided if I’m going to try again. I’m trying to get back into a morning person routine. I was doing so well (and noticed a big improvement in my mood) but rejoined social media and have been scrolling too late into the night. I need to break the bad habit snowball and just go to bed.

So that’s me. I hope you are enjoying your summer and staying safe and healthy. Tell me about your -ings?(especially book recommendations if you have them!)

1. Stay cigarette free. (Over one year and counting!).
2. Finish the Chicago embroidery project.
3. Have the embroidered cities framed and hung.
4. Fill a box of socks for me (with at least three different patterns).
5. Knit a sweater.
6. Organize the photos I have printed.
7. Practice unapologetic self-confidence.
8. Reframe my mom’s graduation picture.
9. Hang pictures in upstairs hallway.
10. Get a mole screen.
11. Get a mammogram.
12. Tend the garden.
13. Go to Michigan.
14. Take a one week family vacation, just the four of us.
15. Go on a one-on-one weekend with each of my kiddos.
16. Take a one week vacation for myself.
17. Get a (paying) job.
18. Floss.
19. Complete the bathroom remodel.
20. Host Champsgiving-Thanksgiving.
21. Keep practicing manicure skills.
22. Complete a 100 day project.
23. Reach my goal for the 2021 goodreads reading challenge.
24. Fill a sketchbook with creative messes.
25. Celebrate mistakes (mine and others).
26. Switch my office/Violet’s bedroom.
27. Take a downhill skiing lesson.
28. Do a kitchen cupboard/cabinet purge.
29. Go to a theater performance.
30. Return the dining room-school room back to a dining room (but with a bar cart full of games/puzzles).
31. Buy myself a pretty pair of not drugstore/gas station/Target sunglasses.
32. Take impeccable care of my skin.
33. Try something new in knitting. (Bobbles?)
34. Cultivate a comfortable, welcoming home.
35. Establish (at least) every-other week dates with Jesse.
36. Purge/Recycle excess technology.
37. Update the family recipe box/binder.
38. Get at least a silver (15 active days) in my monthly activity challenge every month.
39. Zero pop.
40. Put together/refine the home maintenance binder & checklists.
41. Celebrate my people.
42. Learn how to use the boat/backup the trailer with proficiency.
43. Relish everyday accomplishments.

Birthday posts from 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42. (I guess I was too busy celebrating 41.)

It’s spring. Turtles in crazy numbers warm themselves on fallen logs. My crab apples have flowered and lost their flowers. I relished the mornings of sitting on my porch drinking coffee and listening to it HUM with bees. We started the garden. The seeds and a few of the starts are in, but we have a few more yet to arrive. This year we’re doing nasturtium, broccoli, bush beans, beets, radish, a whole bunch of different peppers, lettuce, spinach, pumpkin, melon, peas and carrots. I also am experimenting with some hanging basket strawberries.

I think I’m meant to live on a little farm. When I was very young (before I turned four), my mom and dad had a little hobby farm that they were fixing up. According to my mom the barn was in better condition than the house when they bought it, but my Grandpa was a brick mason and carpenter and my dad worked for a lumber yard, and I come from people who have never been afraid of hard work. Everyone pitched in and made it a lovely little home. I still drive by it when I’m home and think that if I could pick anywhere in the world to live, I’d buy that little white house where a wooden baby swing once hung from the laundry line posts. The bathroom had these little wooden shutters with white knobs on the bottom of the interior window – very of the era – and one of my first memories is playing with them and enjoying the changing angles of the light. Is it silly that a home I’ve lived in for less than a tenth of my life (and of a tenth where memories are more likely stories I’ve heard than actual memories) is also the one I look at the most fondly? If so, I’m silly.

Speaking of, I’m (hopefully) heading to Michigan yet this week to see my grandmother who managed to beat a really horrible bout of COVID but spent a month in the hospital and is now in a rehabilitation facility. The building itself is in quarantine, so I can’t actually go in to visit her, but I’ll see her through a window and talk on the phone. It isn’t perfect but it’s better than being a whole state away. I’m hoping I’ll be able to see her in her own home later this summer yet.

Abram finished his track season last week. I even managed to get one picture (just the one) from the season. It’s been really fun to watch him. He kept working, and bringing down his time, and running his race. I’m so proud of him.

Okay, on to things.

Reading: Finished The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, and What Comes After by JoAnne Thompkins. Currently reading The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. For my birthday, Jesse and I are heading out of town to a cabin that has no cable or wifi, so I’m hoping that I’ll get lots of books read.

Knitting: Still working on Jesse’s friend’s sock. Just started the foot of the first one. I’ve been switching it up with some dishcloth knitting.

Watching: Violet and I watched Moxie on Netflix this last week. It may have been a little too heavy handed for me, but the message was good, but we both appreciated all the representation and enjoyed it. I’m still watching The Handsmaid’s Tale. It’s really, really dark and not all family friendly which keeps me from binging which is good.

Making: I rejoined Instagram. I think I’m going to try and do a one photo a day project. Maybe. I may also delete my account in a month. I don’t know. I make no promises. Still working (too slowly) on my Chicago cross stitch project. I’ve been thinking of trying to find a new theme. The company that made mine no longer makes or supports their WordPress themes but I can’t seem to find anything I like. In the meantime, I just played with some fonts and I’m going to be adding some color to the black and white of it all. I may break some things. Please be patient. Also: I need to get back into the habit of cooking. Any good quick and easy dinner suggestions?

And that’s about all! What’s new with you? What are you -ing?