We really needed a day like this.





Hope your weekend is filled with everything you need.

I don't know about you, but I couldn't be happier that it is Friday. A beautiful, warm, sunny Friday at that. And the start of a long weekend. Where lunches don't have to be packed again until Tuesday. I love that. I've just been busy over here with that long, never ending, always growing "before school is out" list. 
I am lucky to be involved in twelve square: Twelve women make twelve quilts in twelve months in a virtual quilting bee.
Each month a different quilter mails out fabric to the other members of the quilting bee. Everyone makes a quilt square using that fabric and fabric from their stash, according to some specification, but also bringing their own unique voice to the square. The squares are mailed back to the originator and they have the makings for a full quilt!

I sort of hesitate to show you our new cookie jar because we found it at target on the clearance shelf. I checked on line and didn't see it.... but maybe your store may still have a few.
We are really diggin' this over here, as we love anything with chalk.
I can always trick them with an empty sign. (I'm sure they will be on to that quickly.)
And if you are a trucker then you may be in luck.

I e-mailed my mom this photo earlier this week:
You see, I ask my mom advice on almost everything.  My sisters and I have nicknamed my mother Jeeves.  And when we need to know an answer to anything we don't know, we say, "better call Jeeves".    It is amazing how she always knows the answer.  I truly am so very blessed to have her.

Charlie was having a craving for peanut butter cookies.  So, if you're craving a peanut butter cookie involving a little chocolate action, you should try these.  

My sister drew a name for her wedding dress, Jennifer (blogless?) if you could e-mail my sister, Michelle, at mdflys at cfl dot rr dot com with your address, she will be happy to send it to you. I really hope the dress works. And that the beginning to this chapter to your life will be wonderful.
Have you visited habit yet?  A blog about capturing actual bits of everyday life... and to celebrate life through photos and words.  I'm so excited to be guest blogging over there for the month of May. 

Plisse has been giving me quite a few fits lately.  I've moved onto the pleated section of the body, but every time my mind would wander or one of my kids would try to talk to me, I would get off pattern.  I actually had about 5 inches of the body completed, and decided to rip it back and start over.  I searched for every stinkin' marker I had and put one in between each pleat. SO much easier.  Although a little annoying, I wish I would have done that the first time around.
On the weeks I don't try a new cookie recipe, I make the old standby.  Chocolate Chips.  This week I made them twice.  They are made so often that the recipe is etched in my brain.  I can fly in the door 30 minutes before the bus gets my kids home and have these ready.  It is just the nestle toll house recipe except that I use bread flour and add 1/2 cup and add an extra tsp of vanilla.2 3/4 cups of bread flour :: 1 tsp baking soda :: 1 tsp salt :: 1 cup butter, softened :: 3/4 cup sugar :: 3/4 cup packed brown sugar :: 2 tsp vanilla extract  :: 2 large eggs :: chips and nuts....optional :: bake 350˚ for 11-13 min.

There are some amazing giveaways going on in blogland right now.
Nicole has some gorgeous yarn.
Katie has some beautiful amy butler fabric.

Lucy posted the pattern for her emerald fingerless mittens.  Of course, moments later I was searching through my stash.  I found a grey yarn with the correct gauge, perfect.  Unfortunately, the yarn is a little fuzzy and the cable/bobble pattern was lost.  However, a fabulous pattern that I will most definitely make again.  What's that?  The scarf?  Oh, I LOVE it, too!  I bought it here. 
And a little behind the scenes photo for you.  I usually have one of my three assistants work the remote.  They can work it like champs.  Charlie doesn't like my music (which is constantly blaring through the house) and as he was snapping away he was also sneaking back to turn off the music.  Busted!
Look what is also busted.  I dropped the cookie jar this morning just as the lightening hit and our electricity went off. 

Spring is here, pretty much in full force around here.
Fall is my absolute favorite season, hands down.  With summer and winter coming close behind.  (Yes, I love winter.  I think it must be for the knitting.) And then comes spring.  What is there not to love about spring?  Pink trees, that green lush grass, flowers that have been underground for months, popping up like gifts. And lets not forget how nice it is to eat dinner in the daylight and wake up to sunshine.  Yep, I am pretty much loving that it is finally spring.  
We all loved our cookie of the week.  So much so that I am making them again, today.  For the third time.  Sandy posted this recipe for shortbread meltaways last week.  But they will be forever referred to as "Sandy's shortbread meltaway cookies" in our house.  

Remember the package pillows a few posts back?
Well, I put together a "how to" and you will be able to find it here and over there, 

Again it went too fast.
Again we spent time doing the things we love to do. 
I read a book. (Love.)
We watched for things.
She wore a yellow polka dot bikini.....and my hat.
Someone kicked sand on plisse.  And that made me very happy.  Hopefully I even brought a few flecks home.

I am sure you are all familiar with the "keep calm and carry on" posters, right?  I love that one.  And truly try to live that way.  But when I saw this on Jenna's flickr page, I was all over it.  You can download it and print it.  I downloaded the original size and printed it on a piece of white card stock. I had a frame (from target) waiting for prints of the kids.  But it was just so perfect for this. Within minutes I had it framed.  Kerstin changed the color in picnik.  So, go ahead, get excited and make one.
Our cookie of the week was an oatmeal chocolate chip.  Rosemary e-mailed me the recipe letting me know it was one of her family's favorites (and told me I could share).  Truly one of the most delicious oatmeal cookies I have made.  This will definitely be in heavy rotation over here.  

So, I am the type of knitter that feels most comfortable with one big project on the needles. I can do one big project and one small (1 sweater and 1 small something) but that really is my comfort zone.  I truly lose sleep when I have too many projects started. Crazy, I know. Usually, I resist the temptation to start something new. Lately, not so much.  I have four things on the needles. That sort of makes me nervous.
Number 1: I knit with six others (non-bloggers) once a week.  I have for years.  And we decided to do a little knit-a-long. So, last week I cast on for the wool bam boo rickrack pullover. This project will be slow going as I hand out the starting/stopping points.  Last week I gave them an eight row assignment.  (See, this one will take a while.)  
Number 2: I ordered another cone of the habu merino for my kusha kusha scarf, because I ran short. It arrived last week.  (Darn.)  This may seem like a "little" project, but knitting with string sort of turns this into a big project.
Number 3:  My plisse.  Yes.  The project that has captured my attention.  Above is a shot of half of the back and one sleeve.  The construction of the Hanne Falkenberg sweaters are what keep you going.  Keep you wanting more.  Mostly done in one piece with very little finishing.  Gotta love that.

There was knitting this weekend.  My new favorite "go to" baby gift set.
I have been making the Dulaan Hat for a couple of years and just found the link on Ravelry. Using size 10 1/2 needles and a ball of Lambs Pride Bulky, you can knit that hat in an hour.  With the remaining yarn I make thumbless mittens joined by an i-cord. The i-cord was my favorite on my kids mittens.  Heck.  I wish they would still let me put i-cords on their mittens.  I can't stand searching for lost mittens.

A while ago, (almost fifteen months ago) I posted a photo that had a pillow package sitting on a chair. I received e-mails asking about that pillow. I feel terrible that I am just getting around to letting you know about this.
About twelve years ago, I made about ten of those pillows.  Red and green metallics with gold bows.  They come out every Christmas and are placed around the house and used as decorations.  And toys.  The kids have used them for a number of things like playing store, practicing their bow tying techniques and playing catch. 

What will a 20"x58" piece of fabric get you?  A new skirt for your little girl in about 30 minutes.  Okay.  It took me an hour but that is because I tried to get the lint out of my sewing machine and couldn't figure out how to put the darn thing back together.  All fixed now and ready to make a few more of these.  No pattern necessary.  Just sew the salvage edge with right sides together (this will be a back seam). Make a casing that will hold a 2" piece of elastic, leaving an opening to feed elastic.  Feed elastic through.  Sew opening closed.  And voila.  A new bright, happy polka-dot skirt.  Libby thought she wanted an unfinished edge on the bottom but changed her mind and now wants it to be hemmed.  So, a 1" hem it will get.

While spending some time with my friend, Jennifer, she mentioned that I haven't shared one of her favorite cookies with you. We used to make these a lot and loved them.
So yesterday, I decided to whip some up.  However, something has happened.  My relationship with the orange blossoms has changed.  It took me about six cookies to decide if I still liked them.  After the sixth one, I knew. My feelings for them changed.  I felt sick.  Seriously too many blossoms. 
I couldn't believe it, but I decided to give them another go this morning.  And then it hit me. They have a little bitter taste.  I guess from the zest.  And it was a definite.  I don't think I will ever be able to eat another orange blossom.  But my kids like them.  (Two out of three.) And just in case you think you may like them, here you go:

Last Sunday, my favorite eleven year old taught a knitting class. All family members were required to attend.
It took Libby over an hour to set up.  Gathering books, projects, yarn and needles.  Setting up a refreshment table.  Most important to lure the boys.
And speaking of those boys.  They were less than cooperative.  Wrestling and throwing balls all through class.  Libby didn't seem to mind though.  She stayed completely focused.  I think she was just happy to have humans to teach,  as she usually teaches school in this room to 23 invisible children.  

It just so happens that my new project is green.  

Oh, green.
You are just so easy to spy in my kitchen.
Having two out of three kids that will eat this makes me pretty darn happy.

So, I am home from Utah with a few more laugh lines and a bunch of great memories.  The skiing was fantastic.  I have never skied in Utah and now may have a new favorite spot; Alta Ski resort.  It is absolutely beautiful with wide open slopes and NO snowboarders.  Don't get me wrong, I think snowboarders are some of the coolest dudes out there.  But it was just so nice not to have the roar of that board flying up from behind you.