Tag: Blogging

Family · Knitting · Random

Where’d Summer Go?

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I’m definitely stuck in summer mode.  I keep saying to myself “this summer, I’m going to ____________________”, as if it weren’t already September, the grands weren’t all back in school and the fall activities weren’t gearing up and the summer activities weren’t winding down.  Admittedly, it seemed that this particular summer was more hectic than usual with family togetherness, minor injuries (mostly mine) with my back reminding me off and on that I’m not as young as I used to be (really??). Ahhh, no real complaints here, just the impossibility of trying to fit a year’s worth of being together and a year’s worth of activities into a six to eight week time frame.  FYI – Half our grandkids and their corresponding parents live in Thailand — Bangkok to be exact and can make a trip back to the U.S. once a year, hence the compressed time frame.  The rest of the grands live locally – a good thing for a grandma who needs a grandkid fix every now and then.

Now, aren’t you just dying to see a photo of our little darlings???

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Five granddaughters and one grandson!

l-r: Harper, Emma, Shepherd, Charlee, Annabelle and Susannah, the one who started it all!

  IN MY STUDIO

I’m working on a series of small bottles that I’m enjoying a lot.  I have no plan when I sit down to throw, I just let my hands do their own thing.

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These are ready for their first firing in the next few days,

ON THE FIBER FRONT

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These are some singles I spun up.  I don’t feel like they are  crying out to be plied so aftere a nice wash and wind, I think they’ll make nice socks for someone!

The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it. Richard Bach

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Family

It’s Been A While, Hasn’t It?

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Here I am, attempting to jumpstart what used to be so easy, the habit of knocking out a blog post a couple of times a week and following the blogs I particularly enjoy, of which there are many – keeping up with what others are reading or knitting, baking or making music and/or just what’s going on outside the realm of Casa Coleman. I don’t know if you’ve missed me, but I’ve missed you and it feels good to be back.❤️

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The newest grand — then and now:

and we can’t forget big sisters…

OK everyone! It’s time to stop growing and changing – at least for a little while – I’m not finished loving this stage yet!

Now for the Bangkok branch update:

As you can see, they too are growing and changing much, much more quickly than I want!

NEXT INSTALLMENT – Knitting and throwing, ringing and reading and whatever else catches my fancy!

Whoever is happy will make others happy too. Anne Frank

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Knitting

Heads Up!, BFF

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BOLO

After months of “can I?”, “should I?”, “but I know next to nothing about”, “this makes me nervous”, “I’m definitely doing it!”, “maybe I should stick with what I know” and finally, “no guts, no glory”, I did it.  I have a website!  I do!  Mine!  Nothing much is going to change, it’s going to look different (I’ve been toying with the idea of changing the look of my blog for a while) and I’ll have a lot more options available, like using Javascript or HTML to add things I want my blog to contain, more storage, more security and since it’s my site, I’m the boss.

Since I know next to nothing or less about computers and codes and stuff, I decided to use Godaddy.com for site management, handling backup, security, updates, all the stuff that goes into maintaining a website.  I get to do all of the blogging fun stuff, I suppose it’s one of those “all of the pleasure, none of the guilt” things.

I’m hoping to go live with iknead2knit.com on Monday, 1/26/15 and plan on keeping iknead2knit.wordpress.com going for a little while, probably  mostly with links to the new site, hoping to make an easy transition.  As always, I’m always open to suggestions; I know there are a lot of bloggers who are old hands at this website stuff, and any tricks or tips will be appreciated.

GRAND ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

Up until the last month or so, the grands and Josie the Pug weren’t a good mix.  Not because she doesn’t like kids- she LOVES them- but her being who she is, a lot of dog in a small body, and very exuberant, with lots of snorting, the littles were intimidated, shrieking and running whenever she got a little too close.  This was more than a little upsetting for Mr. iknead and me, having to keep Josie and the grands separated, usually with Josie having to be either in her kennel, in another room or boarded.  So hard!  Anyhow, all this changed over the last month or so and now, the Papoose, the Sprout and Josie are the biggest, bestest friends forever!  Yeah, Mr. iknead and I are pretty much over the moon about it.  Look.

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How bout that!  Heaven for us all!

The trick is in what one emphasizes.  We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy.  The amount of work is the same.  Carlos Castaneda

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Knitting

Small Potatoes

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OH MY ACHING INBOX

Know what?  In the grand scheme of things, whether or not my internet is or is not working just really isn’t a big deal, it’s nothing and I’ve spent waaaay too much time and energy fussing and fuming about it.  I’ve been too busy bitching and moaning to do things that, to me, are much more important – like reading other blogs,commenting and responding to the comments others leave for me.  It’s not about pretty postings and perfect pics, it’s about community, connecting and communicating and really, it’s all good.

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.  Lao Tzu

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Knitting

Abundance

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SOUL FOOD

I’ve been sort of hit or miss with blogging these past few weeks, and I’ve missed sitting down and putting my thoughts in order and then onto paper or into my iPad.  I’ve been too busy painting or drawing (these are new things for me) or reading or knitting or baking or gardening or art journaling or throwing pots or grandmothering or any of the other things that grab my interest.  Here’s the perfect description for what I’m blessed with – an embarrassment of riches.  According to (all-knowing) Wiki, an embarrassment of riches is an idiom that means an overabundance of something, or too much of a good thing.  All these things do more than keep me occupied – they feed my soul, I guess you could say I have an embarrassment of blessings.  With all the above said, I think what I really mean is “Thanks, God, for everything”.

Now, moving along…

ON THE NEEDLES

A pair of Los Manos Locos or Crazy Monkey Socks, a twist on Cookie A’s awesome Monkey Socks, toe up and purl-less.

This colorway is called Java Jive and I’m loving how it’s knitting up.  You can find out more about this yarn here.

The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.  Carl Jung

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Knitting

Guess What Day It Is!, No Excuse and Read This Book

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“GUESS

What day it is!” says the hysterically funny camel on the commercial.  Never get tired of that one, makes me giggle every time.  No camels here, promise.  Today is the scheduled delivery day for this – my newest knitting acquisition:

A Baby Brother drum carder.  So, once again, I’m running a marathon between my front door and my knitting chair, jumping up and checking every time I hear or even think I hear a big truck in my neighborhood.  Can you tell I’m excited?

Much as I love spinning, I hate hand carding, prompting this newest purchase.  I still have a TON of alpaca from the Diamond State Fiber Fest that’s clean and ready to card and eventually, to spin.  Come on, mailman/Fedex man/UPS man!  Stop at my house!!!!

TIME FLIES

I knew it had been a while since my last post, six days, in fact and besides just laziness when I’m not caught up in regular daily stuff, I have no excuse.  For some reason, blogging just hasn’t been on my radar lately.  I think about doing it all the time, even jot down blog ideas, but for the past week or so, that’s as far as it’s gone.  (Gives herself a good talking to about idle hands being the devil’s workshop and all that).

BY THE BOOK

Best book I’ve read since I don’t know when:  The World’s Strongest Librarian.  Seriously.  Awesome. Book.   Run, don’t walk to wherever you get books and give it a preview.  I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me. (No joke).

TODAYS FEATURED GRAND

Babydiva letting Babydaddy share the stage –

A rare moment of stillness.  Is she beautiful or what?

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.  Napoleon Hill

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Knitting

Short and Sweet

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I’M BACK

With such a difficult week last week, I’ve let my blog slide and I can tell.  I’ve missed blogging and reading other’s blogs.  It’s good to be back.

GOING POTTY

Again, with all that’s gone on the last couple of weeks, I totally forgot to show off my first photoworthy wheel thrown pots.  So, without further ado, here they are.

Today’s a pottery class day.  Hopefully, I’ll have something to show off by the end of class – if I can remember to take a picture!

We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.  Aristotle

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Knitting

The one where I come clean

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about why I’ve not been blogging for the last few weeks.  To tell the truth, I’ve felt overwhelmingly overwhelmed for the past few weeks, what with my Dad’s cancer diagnosis and his passing, my Mom’s dementia and getting her transferred to a nursing home here in Little Rock, trying to get their home of nearly 50 years cleaned out and ready to sell, notifying everyone who needs to be notified about the huge changes, like the bank, insurance companies, retirement accounts and then getting the word out that Mom is being moved to Little Rock, getting mail forwarded, bills paid and the list seems endless.  I’m telling you, my Superwomen cape has taken a beating here the last little bit and is a little worse for the wear, so I gave it a well deserved mend and rest.  It’s back on now and I feel ready to jump back into my real life.  Mom is adjusting well to her new digs, the light at the end of the endless paperwork tunnel truly seems brighter and closer and I’ve learned (at least until next time) that the world won’t stop spinning on its axis if I don’t get everything crossed off my to do list every day. 

So, all in all, life is good, all of us are happy and healthy, with jobs and homes and food on the table.  Life really is lovely, I think. 

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.  Maori proverb

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Uncategorized

The one where I finished

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one of the best books I’ve listened to in a long time:  Dark Places, byGillian Flynn.  It kept me guessing until the very end.  I’m totally addicted to audiobooks, it goes along with my issues of always multi-tasking, but as much as I love them, sometimes I want to feel the weight of a book in my hands and smell the paper and ink.  I’ll probably always be a little old school for books, always on the lookout for odds and ends, my current favorite bookstore is Dickson Street Used Books in Fayetteville.  Can’t make a trip to the ‘ville without dropping by Dickson Street at least once.

I’ve had a challenge the past few weeks keeping up with my blog resolution.  Suffice it to say that that particular goal has fallen by the wayside.  Now I’m happy if I can get one entry posted every few days.  I’ve been running to and from my parents’ house, a three hour drive away, trying to tie up loose ends and just being there for my folks, making sure they’re (somewhat) OK.  All that, coupled with no internet access down in the wilds of southwest Arkansas, has my blogging on the back burner.  Sigh…..

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.  John A. Shedd (1859-1928)

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Knitting

The one where the first

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Slippery Sock is complete and I’ve started on the second.  I love the cables and the way the colors really pop.

Mr. Iknead got me a new Ipod for Mother’s Day, the newest model with 160 gigs.  I decided yesterday to knit a cozy for it, I’d like to keep it looking shiny and new as long as I can.  I decided on Doggerell Designs Dragonskin Itouch Cover, which is a free Ravelry download.  I’m not clear on the ins and outs of copyright infringement so I won’t post a photo, but it’s easy enough to check it out on Rav.  Speaking of Ipods, this is my third one and am still convinced that it’s the best investment electronics-wise (is that even a word?) I’ve ever made.  I keep mine going on the average of seven hours a day during the week, usually listening to audiobooks and music when I work out.  I’m reading/listening to an intriguing book at the moment, The Boy With the Cuckoo Clock Heart, by Mathias Malzieu.  It’s quirky and offbeat, two things I look for in books and now that I think about it, pretty much everything else.  The more oddball and eccentric, the better I like it.

I’ve been playing around with the idea of another blog and have just about decided to go for it, posting on Saturdays about things that interest me and grab my attention, freestyling I suppose you’d call it.  This idea is sounding better and better.  What am I waiting for?

The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, not touched, but are felt in the heart.  Helen Keller (1880-1968)

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