It’s Tuesday. My hands are chapped.
Knitting: I ripped out the socks AGAIN, but finally think I have them down and they’ll hopefully be done by the end of the week. Then I’m going to see if I can get pairs done for the kids’ Easter baskets. The sheep is on hold.
Watching: I started watching Better Things per Kari and Rita‘s recommendation but only got two episodes in before trying an episode of Atypical which just grabbed me. (Jesse is even watching it from time to time which is a sure signal that it’s good TV. He almost NEVER watches television.) I’m sure I’ll come back to it. We’ve also been doing random movie nights. Watched Big Hero 6 for probably the 1,598th time and I still love it.
Reading: I know I said Boys and Sex was on my list, but I needed something a little lighter. So I read Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert and Do You Mind if I Cancel? (Things that Still Annoy Me) by Gary Janetti. Next up is The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes which is Violet’s “Mom and Daughter” book club pick and I need to have that done by the end of this weekend.
Making: Brownies, elderberry syrup (because having some kitchen medicine around can’t hurt), beans and rice, sweet potato and black bean quesadillas, friendship bracelets, cards (my mom sent a kit she put together), and schedules that are promptly ignored. (Thankfully, we are currently on “spring break”.)
Listening to: The Sweetest Summer and Peaceful Guitar (slow and mellow set the tone for happy mornings), I usually find something poppier for the afternoon. Brené Brown’s new podcast is on my list.
I know I haven’t said much here about COVID-19. I don’t know if I will. It’s not that I don’t have feelings about it’s impact on my life, it’s just that…I don’t have much to say about them. I’m thankful every single day that we all remain healthy. I wish I had bought more hand cream and not just more soap.
So…what are you reading, watching, making, listening to, or whatever other -ing you feel like sharing?
Hi Kate,
I’m glad to see a post from you and to know you’re doing well. Friendship bracelets, marble chutes, puzzles…your photos have transported me back ten years 🙂 . (My older kids still enjoy puzzles, but my youngest doesn’t, so puzzles don’t come out unless they’re home.) I love your office/craft room! What a beautiful desk you have.
I’ve been trying to keep busy as best I can, but I feel discombobulated and haven’t been able to get going on my spring cleaning as I wanted to. I finished my youngest son’s socks and cast on another pair for my daughter. I also started knitting elbow patches so I can mend a sweater. (The patches have short rows, so now I finally understand what those are!) I’m two-thirds through The Woman in White. I’m enjoying it, but I’m just not finding much time to read. (I don’t actually know what is filling my time, tbh. Hand washing, maybe?) My son and I have been getting out for long walks every day, and I’m looking forward to being able to work in the garden soon.
Violet and I are the puzzlers here. And to be honest, mostly Violet. The desk is IKEA and I LOVE it. You can raise or lower it (so it can be standing height) and underneath it has a spot for my sewing machine in it’s case on one side and my camera bag on the other.
I completely understand feeling discombobulated and finding it hard to get bigger things done AND not knowing where the days went. (And thank you for saying that – I find that to be true of me as well!)
I love that you’re knitting elbow patches for a sweater. That sounds LOVELY.
Hope you and yours are staying healthy!!
I love your pictures so much. This and your Instagram account is helping my cause, right now.
Better Things gets better, no pun intended. Although I started season two last night and the first two episodes were okay. But I trust that Pamela Adlon won’t let me down.
Peaceful Guitar is MY jam too!
I am adding The Sweetest Summer to my library…
Hi Kari!! Thank you! I quite liked Better Things – the mom especially. I know I’ll come back to it!
I’m glad to hear I’m helping your cause because you help mine too!! Times like these – we gotta stick together!
I saw that schedule somewhere and loved it. I didn’t print it out though, figuring we’re two adults here so certainly we can self-schedule. So far we have.
Your house is beautiful, btw. I like your photos of the colorful things going on with your family inside your home. Oddly it’s pics like those that make me feel the most calm about our current situation.
I’ve been focusing on blogland this past week. More than usual. And I’ve been cooking our meals using what we have here which has been a fun experience in creativity. And I’ve been going for leisurely afternoon walks.
Hi Ally!! My favorites of the schedules going around were the funny ones. Right now, my kids’ are on spring break so we are self-scheduling but we’ll have to change it up a bit when my kids start up next week.
And thank you for your lovely comments about my home. We’re homebodies in the best of times and I like a cozy nest.
Stay well, Ally!!
Oh, I can’t believe I missed this post! I kept looking and looking, and then…bam, you sneak one in on me when I’m not.
I always love these glimpses into your home and life. I have the same Ikea desk, and I also keep my sewing machine where you do. 🙂 I have been nesting like crazy this week. Finally finished painting my bedroom, and I’m looking forward to cleaning up my office (where the desk lives) later today. I bought a set of watercolor paints right before we all went into lockdown, and your photo here is inspiring me to think about busting them out today. It’s so odd/weird, but even with all the extra time I’ve had the past two weeks, I still don’t seem to have enough to do all the things I want to do. I am not complaining! I am grateful for so many things right now. But it’s odd. You know how some people say their stuff expands to fill whatever amount of space they have available? I think my life of things I want to do works the same way.
I will say that Better Things didn’t grab me at first. I watched an episode or two and I wasn’t sold, but for some reason I went back to it, and then I was hooked. I grew to really love Sam. (Her girls? Not so much, except for Duke.) I’ve just started Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu). I listened to the audiobook a few years ago, and it was really good, one of the better ones I’ve listened to. I think I like the show, but I’m only one episode in. Reese Witherspoon lays it on a little thick with her character. Would like to see more nuance there. There was definitely more nuance in the book, at least as I remember it. I really love Awkard, though. Wish there were new episodes, as I’m not finding much I like to watch, and I like to have something playing when I’m stitching. I’m on my second house embroidery now. I salvaged the first one. I think I’m going to make a neighborhood.
You’re also inspiring me to make a place for a puzzle table. In my previous house, I had a great one. This house is much smaller, and I haven’t had one, but I do have a table and I think I have a spot in which to put it.
It’s so good to hear from you and see this slices of your life. I might need to get on instagram so I can get some hits from you more often. Take care! Write soon! I love not hearing about the pandemic.
Hi Rita!! So many good things in your comment. I agree with you whole heartedly that our list of things we’d like to do grows longer the more time we have. I’ve long ago accepted that I will never read enough books or knit enough socks (or anything else for the matter) or paint enough in my sketchbook or whatever…and I’m so grateful for that.
I loved the Little Fires Everywhere book and have it on my list to watch. Before the lockdown, a group of us were going to meet every other week to watch it in our jammies, but I might have to see about doing a virtual date because you’re right – it is nice to have something going while stitching and we just finished Atypical last night. I absolutely LOVED it.
I love the idea of embroidering a whole neighborhood!! Hope you’ll continue to share pictures as you go along!
I’m going to try and be better about posting. My schedule is a little more wonky with the kids home, but it’s nice to have connection to the outside world. 🙂 You take care too!!
I have a small group of two other friends and we’ve been having a weekly happy hour via Zoom, and I highly recommend it. Not as good as true face to face, but a heckuva lot better than nothing. I’ll try to share some photos on Sunday.