Cotton Candy, Farmer's Market and Good News

I finished this shawl last Sunday evening.  I wish you could feel it... so soft, so light, so squishy!  Details are here on Ravelry:  South Bay Shawl. 

One of my knitting friends, Becky, had these wonderful soaps and knitted cloths for sale at the Lindale Farmer's Market.  The soap smells heavenly and she has done such a nice job of packaging them, too!!  A fun little prize or gift.

My Beloved and I celebrated news of some good test results!  Good health is deeply appreciated these days.  Especially for my Beloved. 

Hope each of you have something wonderful to celebrate this week...

"To be kind to all, to like many and love a few, to be needed and wanted by those we love, is certainly the nearest we can come to happiness." 
~ Mary Roberts Rinehart

blessings ~ tanna

Muddy Fields and Sweet Victory

I can't begin to tell you how much MORE rain we've had than USUAL... EVERYTHING is muddy!  Our sweet Karsyn is not much for getting dirty...

But, she pressed on valiantly!  You can tell this was early in the game... Most of her uniform is still green.  ;)

Miss B and Daddy watched intently from the sidelines...

 

Mostly, she was just happy to be in her favorite spot in the world (though when her Noni sat the camera down she did steal some sweet snuggles and sugars).

 

 

I love small town Texas life... In the end, sportsmanship trumps. 

 

blessings ~ tanna

Bruised...

If you look closely, you can see where the rain bruised this beautiful blossom...

Even though the rain will lend life to the plant... it bruised it on the way.

Well, that's kind of how I feel about the exercise DVD that I've been doing... bruising but beneficial. Over the past decade, I've gradually traded a very active lifestyle for a very sedentary one.  Not good for the body, people.

I've traded interests of running and golf and gardening... for knitting and painting and blogging.  It has taken its toll.  At the first of this year, I started back walking... then added a yoga DVD... now, I've added an exercise DVD.  THANKFULLY, my daughter started doing this DVD at the same time I did... and knowing she is suffering, too, but keeping on has helped me keep going.

Recently, I read that only 30 minutes of increased activity a day can make a huge difference... even if you get it in small doses of 10 minutes at a time.  And, that CONVENIENCE is the number one factor of whether people will stay with an exercise program.  A DVD in the privacy of my own living room has been a good thing for me and I can vouch that increasing my activity is making a world of difference in how I feel.  The "Sitting is the New Smoking" campaign bears a ton of weight... literally and figuratively.  So, I guess what I'm sayin' is that I would encourage anyone and everyone to get up and get moving...

So that when it comes time for those sedentary endeavors... we will feel good.  ;)

I've had this beautiful skein of gradient merino wool and silk blend... over 1000 yards of deliciousness... for quite awhile.

Finally decided on a pattern for it and a shawl is in progress... I did laugh with my yarn buddies that it may look like I'm wearing a giant doily when I'm finished! It feels heavenly though... so, I think I'm going to love it.  Hope to share the finished shawl soon.  =)

Even ten minutes is a good start...

blessings ~ tanna

Snippets of Joy

Have I mentioned that I love getting snippets of joy via text? Yeah, many, many times. But, they always make me smile! My sweet daughter-in-law sent this photo of our grandgirls.  =)

And, my daughter sent this one of the boys on a little R&R at a Wolf Lodge.  =)

This one I sent myself.  Shot while sitting at a stop light in Tyler... Just gotta smile at these beautiful roses!

It is the little things that create joy in our lives...

blessings ~ tanna

Hounds of Light

Best photography class ever!  This past two weekends, I took a Basic Digital Photography class from Hounds of Light in Tyler.

These photos were all shot in the field exercise session after the classroom presentations.

I am a bit hesitant about sharing these photos as examples of the class.  These guys are wicked smart about photography and able to covey it in a way that is extremely understandable for the novice. And, though I get it, I still need to practice it to get better.  ;)

The Manual setting on my camera was like some kind of hoodoo voodoo until the light came on regarding how changing the aperture, the shutter speed and the ISO can so dramatically change a shot...

Blurred water... using a slow shutter speed and stopped down aperture.  ISO constant at 100.

Same spot using a faster shutter speed... and opened up aperture.

Fast shutter... open aperture... If I had been willing to raise the ISO, I could have gotten even more "freeze the moment" kind of a shot.

Slow shutter... stopped down aperture.  These are all hand-held shots... so, not the best quality, but a great lesson on how it all works.

Bottom line is this:  If you are close enough to Tyler and are interested in understanding your camera, this is an excellent class.  They will be offering it again in the fall.  You can get on their mailing list from their blog (they don't post often, but there are some great exercises available there).

Hounds of Light:  Dolph Miller and John Johansson

Now, if the sun would just come out!  ha!

blessings ~ tanna

Bohemian Oasis, a Good Read and Our Handsome Alex

Assembly project number two is complete!  The Bohemian Oasis (free pattern) is finished!  I love the weight of the Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn (and this helped decrease my stash of yarn) for the squares and the Madelinetosh light that I used to connect them.  Laura, thank you again for helping me get them in order.

Monique, of Table de la Nana, suggested this good read:  The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker.  I'm enjoying it so much I've already ordered the sequel.  Thank you, Monique.

Oh, how I love the colors of Noro... and Madelinetosh...

Actually... the color of lots of yarns... ha!

Our handsome Alex was dressed for one of his friend's Royal Birthday Party this past weekend. While it still breaks my heart not to be there to see him in person... all dressed up for the ball, I am most grateful for texted photos!  Oh, I love this child.

"Women forget all they don't want to remember and remember everything they don't want to forget."
~Zora Neal Hurston

blessings ~ tanna

The Chandelier

The Chandelier is up and I'm happy with it... for now.

There are at least five pounds of shiny baubles and bling that went on... and then, came off...

I seem to only be able to tolerate simple lines...

And, I am moving VERY slowly in finishing up this room... it is STILL a work-in-progress.

So, for now the bauble and bling are in a drawer... who knows, maybe one day soon they will be back on again.  I ordered the chandelier from Overstock.com.  One piece was broken, but they replaced it very promptly (after we finally understood each other regarding WHICH piece was broken).

It was much, much less expensive than the one from Pottery Barn I had been pining for... taking that into consideration, there is a lot to be said for the old saying, "You get what you pay for."  ;)

Even though I'm going slowly... the dining room has come a long way from when we bought this house last year.  Just getting that carpet off the floor was a big improvement!  I'll do more photos to include the hardwood flooring  I if when I ever "finish". Ha!

 

Just couldn't have gotten that chandelier hung without my helper.  Have I mentioned that I adore my children?  ;)  Thank you, Zachary!! 

"Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force.  The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward, and we want to sit in their radius.  When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand."
~ Karl Menninger

blessings ~ tanna