Rain and Resolutions...

While last YEAR may have been lost... there were some POUNDS FOUND... and some regular exercise LOST along with the year!  I resolved to start out with walking to help FIND my way home...

Home to feeling like myself...

Carrying 17 extra pounds... all packed on in one year... Doesn't feel like home...

I am on my way HOME...  and 36 degree rainy weather did NOT stop me from taking those first steps yesterday.  I've been thinking a lot the past few days about feeling like my life has had more than a chapter closing...  I feel like a book in a series is finished. 

The next one has begun...

This was Amanda and me enjoying Christmas Morning Mimosas...

Today, I'm offering a toast to each of you and cheers to whatever your resolve is for 2015!!  I'll be finding my way HOME... I hope you FIND whatever you need and want this coming year.

Finding to FOUND:  2015

blessings ~ tanna

blessings ~ tanna

The Found Year

While 2014 may have been The Lost Year, there was a new found love... crochet.  I'd been acquainted with crochet as a child though only briefly.  These two projects, particularly the afghan, delved me into a headlong romance with the old art.

Though it will never replace knitting for me, crochet is somehow simpler... more soothing... faster than knitting.  And, it allows a slightly different approach to color.  I've needed simpler... and more soothing.  {smile}

More info on the afghan here and the pillow here.

Karen (from Pumpkin Sunrise), thank you for your comment about 2015 being the FOUND year.  I love that!  As a matter of fact, I am choosing my "word" for 2015 to be FOUND... even as I type the letters, there is a deep stirring in my soul.  I think that is a good sign we're on to something!!  Thank you again. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!!  May it be a year for each of us to seek and find... to live intentionally and not just by the seat of our pants... Oh, that sounds good!! 

blessings ~ tanna

So Long to 2014

I am officially referring to 2014 as The Lost Year.  It has flown past and I feel like I have been in an abyss of sorts missing out on "real life"... even though the life I was living WAS my "real life"!!!   Ha!  Can't say that I will be sorry to see this year end and a fresh one begin!!

My Knitting/Crochet Review  coming up for this year will be a little skimpy (though there will be plenty of these little Therapy Baskets).  It is somehow fitting that the very last project of 2014 would be one more Chunky Crocheted Basket by Elizabeth Trantham ... a hot pink one by special request of a very, very loved little person.  Still one of the most satisfying quick little projects I've ever done.  =)  If you need some instant therapy, this is your pattern.

I'm going to try to boot-camp myself back into blogging with a post a day through January.  That's not the ONLY boot camp I need, if you know what I mean!!  But, I'll start here... ;)

Amen, amen and amen... Family is awesomely wonderful.  Period.  Lumps, bumps, smiles, laughter, tears, sickness, health, good and bad... We have had an amazing December... even if the Flu Grinch did try to steal our joy.

I'm settling in with a cup of hot tea (thank you, Little Men and Co.) to visit awhile...

Here's to a New Year filled with just the right things to grow us like God plans.

blessings ~ tanna

Crazy Hair -- Crazy Times

 Roo Bear wanted me to make "Crazy Hair" for him... He added the face.  This is just how I FEEL ON THE INSIDE!  Crazy!  ;)

In the midst of the last phase of the remodeling, I made a trip to Virginia to enjoy Halloween with the Little Men & Co. because I had made a promise to this one, my Alex.  Yep, I believe keeping promises is important...  Even when the timing is inconvenient.  And, you have to have the carpenter un-do part of what was done while you were busy keeping that promise.  Yep, very important.

Is that not the cutest Triceratops you have ever seen????  I was so lucky to be there for the Halloween Parade at the boys' school.  CUTE!  I tell you!  LOTS of cute little pranksters!

It was a cold, rainy Halloween night in Virginia... but, the rain did not dampen our fun!! 

It is hard to say good-bye to these two...  They always make their Noni feel so very loved.  But, the crazy life was calling...

The last of the remodel crew finished up this past week.  Hallelujah!  I painted a bit more yesterday and have another little paint project in the queue... Sheetrock dust continues to pop up after multiple cleanings... Seems it always takes awhile to get it all out.  But, I'm happy with the progress.  We still need a couple of light fixtures... however, it is time to finally get all settled.  I will be happy when all the boxes are unpacked... all the rooms furnished... things on the wall... rugs on the floors... AND I CAN KNIT AND BLOG IN PEACE!  LOL! 

So much time had passed since my last post and there is so much left to do... I had been considering just staying out of Blogland... Then, out of the blue today, I ran into Shug, who I only know through her blog.  It was SO GOOD to see her... and I felt the tug of all the friendships I have enjoyed... and missed... and, well, here I am.  I may be sporadic for a bit longer, but I know I will eventually be back in a more regular way.  Shug, thank you!!! 

blessings and hugs ~ tanna

And, the beat goes on...

Wow.  I'd forgotten how different the kitchen looks from the time we closed on this home until now.  I went back to find a photo of these shelves to show what they were before we took them out.  I was reminded of how much the kitchen has changed.

We needed extra eating space more than we needed more bookshelves.  So, all the shelving and end pieces were removed.  Which means the tile had to be redone also.  Luckily, there were enough extra pieces in the attic. 

Corbels were added to support the quartz countertop.  I wanted something very simple and that would least interfere with leg room.

So far, it only has a coat of primer.  The lower cabinets are also getting a coat of Mega Greige, one shade darker than they were.

And, the wainscoting in the dining room is up...

And primed!!  Woo hoo!   Then paint... and a new chandelier... There are two other projects in the works, too.  I hope to be able to share the "AFTERS" soon.

And, the beat goes on... on and on and on....

I'm heading to see the Little Men tomorrow.  Hopefully, all the plans will continue without a glitch in my absence!   Being able to receive photos on your phone is a wonderful thing.

"You decide what it is you want to accomplish and then you lay out your plans to get there, and then you just do it.  It's pretty straightforward."  ~ Nancy Ditz

Pretty straightforward... in my experience, there are always a few detours to be navigated.  Still, it is a matter of just doing it and keeping moving. 

blessings ~ tanna

Pumpkin Patch...

This past Sunday afternoon we tagged along with family and friends for a pumpkin patch visit!!  I LOVE pumpkins, mums and all the fun that Fall brings... Leading right up to my favorite holiday... Thanksgiving. 

Fall brings bright, clear, sunny days... Cool in the mornings and warm in the afternoons...

 

The little pumpkin patch was so nice... There were ducks to feed...

 

Hula hoops to be hula-ed...

Swings to swirl...

Pickles to be enjoyed... in cool eating spots...

All under the watchful eyes of Dad and Pop Pop...

 

But, most of all, there were pumpkins... and more pumpkins... and more pumpkins... I am part of a long line of pumpkin and Fall lovers... My Mom's house is brimming over with pumpkins this time of year... So is my daughter's...

 

And, Little B ran herself DOWN hauling pumpkin... after pumpkin... after pumpkin... to the wagon while her Dad tried to discreetly remove some of her harvest... 

 

Zack said she fell asleep on the way home only to wake up saying, "Pumpkin!!"  I think the continuity of the long line of pumpkin lovers is insured into the next generation... ;)

 

"If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves."

~ Maria Edgeworth

 

blessings and Happy Fall wishes ~ tanna

 

 

Obsessions, Trunk Shows and Noro Love...

My newest OBSESSION:  Fox Paws by Xandy Peters.  This is a trial swatch with some leftover yarn.
Great lace tip needles are a MUST.  I've gotten a new pair of Hiya Hiya Sharps to use with the DK weight yarn I will be attempting to use (the above is in a fingering weight of leftovers).  More to be revealed... I hope.

Rose Path, our amazing local yarn shop, had a wonderful trunk show of hand-dyed yarns, Theodora's Pearls by Jennifer Thompson Miller.  Don't you just love seeing all those beautiful colors!

Plus, there were all kinds of projects to touch and see!

Judi and Sherri are sporting some of their beautiful knits.  Sherri is responsible for getting me on the basket binge.  ;)

I enjoyed the immersion in color and design... and being surrounded by such creative sistas-of-the-yarn-love!

You can tell by that smile on my face I was enjoying myself!  And, I was enjoying this latest knit:  Espenson by Cirilia Rose.  Details on Ravelry here.  FUN piece to wear!  The Noro Taiyo is a perfect combination of cotton, silk and wool.  Soft and colorful.  Big, comfortable FUN.  EASY knit.

It has been a frenzy of preparation to start the LAST phase of this remodel.  We had a week delay on the inside, but they started on the outside last week!  Yea!  I am looking forward to the finish line one of these days! 

Well, I hear workers pulling up outside... the rain has stopped.  So back to it!!

Blessings to all ~ tanna