We’re already over halfway through the month and I’m scratching my head to remember what I’ve done. Thank goodness for journaling and this blog, for giving me an excuse to document the passage of time. Things have happened, little moments that seem to vanish from our memories against the slow crawl of the clock forever ticking.
Miso napping on the mantle
Emma got her learner’s permit and we’ve already been out driving in parking lots a couple of times. There was a rush for her to get her permit because she had signed up for driver’s ed through the school. Only, she didn’t actually end up getting the class because more students then the school can accommodate signed up. The silver lining to this is we’ll sign her up for a private driving school to fit her schedule after school.
Watercolor for this month
She’s in no hurry since her free time for the time being is going to the marching band. She joined the color guard and even though it’s her first year, might have a solo. There’s a parent preview of the routine this Friday. In the spring, the band is going down to Florida to march in a parade. Seth is going to go along and chaperone. He’s also been volunteering already to help transport pit equipment.
Villains are Destined to Die volume 9
I returned to the office this week. I went back once before, but then they sent us home again. The first time we went back, I was an anxious mess about it. This time, I’ve been very zen about the whole thing. For one, I had already proven to myself I could do it once, and for another, I believe my mental health is better this time around. If I had to point to a reason for this, I’d say it was knitting. It helps me keep putting the things I can’t control into perspective. Besides, the only constant is change. It helps that I like my desk more this time around. I’m closer to windows now and my last desk had heavy foot traffic around it.
Picture I got to decorate my in office desk
Back to knitting, I finished Emma’s Cat Knit Pullover, plus a poncho and The Harris Hood. I’m really happy with all three. I had the coworker I’m knitting the striped sweater for try it on so I’ll know how long it needs to be. I’m going to add about two inches of body and then do an inch and a half ribbing. After that, it’ll be the sleeves. I bought the pattern for my next project. It’s called the Vilma something, maybe vest. It’ll be my first time attempting lace work.
Cat Knit Pullover
One mishap this week was shoe related. I discovered a brand I quite like, and ordered a pair through a reseller. I liked those so much, I order another style through a different reseller. They were delivered yesterday and are the most adorable leather slip on clogs. The only problem is one is a size eight, and the other and eight and a half. I had hoped the reseller had another pair, with the matches to my mismatched ones, but sadly she didn’t. She promptly refunded me, and I found another pair with a more red toned leather for ten dollars cheaper. Fingers crossed these ones work out. I’m still at a lose of what to do with the ones I got. It feels wrong to throw them away. I might try wearing them with a super thick sock on one foot.
Mochi coming to say hello
I have started writing again. I’m not going to give myself any deadlines, but I have to say I’m enjoying having a story play in my head again. Reading wise, I read volume nine of Villians are Destined to Die and loved it. I’m also doing an ACOTAR re-read since new books are coming soon.
Zach made me a smoothie
I’m off today. Since it was my first week back in the office, I took a day to help ease myself back in. It’s just past noon, and I’ve bed rotted, walked the dog, started laundry, weeded the back pathways, gone shopping, done an online order, and have written you. I figure that’s plenty productive for the day so I might stop now and be a lazy bum for the rest of it.
My knit poncho
Since writing the above, I finished out my week in the office, and worked another full week. So far, it hasn’t been a big deal at all. I’ve worked hard to make my space comfortable and it helped. There have been other unexpected perks. For one, Seth texted one day to tell me Kiba got sick and then found something dead in the backyard to roll around in. I felt lucky I wasn’t the pet parent dealing with that. Then, another day, a coworker cooked homemade Pho for us. It was SO, SO, SO good.
Lace Work Knit
I’ve managed to keep going to my weekly Mah Jong group. I was wondered if my social battery wouldn’t be able to handle it. I’ve also gotten to reclaim my den. I switched out my big office desk and two monitors for a much more subtle home office set up. It fits the room so much more, and it’s where I’m writing this post right now. I’m not a fan of the heat, so I’m thrilled summer is almost over and we’re about to enter the BER months (SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, and DecemBER). That’s all for now, see you next month.
We’re already half way through the month, and I figured it’d be smart to get this post started early. My friend Nasha, and designer of this website, is coming tomorrow and will be staying for the next week. We plan to go all over, so before I post this, I’ll be sure to update this with pics and details on what we got up to.
Watercolor
I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this before, but I don’t enjoy hot weather. If I’m outside, my mood can be determined by the current temperature and if I am in the shade or not. Given this information, it’s no surprise I’ve spent as little time as possible outside this month. The plants still living in my garden are doing so with little help from me. My weeds are flourishing, heatwave or no heatwave. Even if I found a weed I liked the look of, if I truly liked it, I bet its instinct to thrive under all circumstances would vanish and it would die.
Self-drafted Top
If the above sounded extremely pessimistic, please know the next bits will all be related to activities completed with air conditioning. I self drafted a shirt based off of a shirt I already own and am so excited with how it came out. I did the same with a dress, except I only had a picture to go off of. I had a friend from high school and her daughter over for lunch one afternoon. I tried making some sushi in an ice cube tray. By placing the rice first, and then the rest of the ingredients, you can use the tray to shape the sushi. I made California Roll style sushi, so I used crab, avocado, cucumber, kewpie mayo, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds after the rice. It worked great, only one sushi didn’t pop out of the tray.
Blue Knit Tee
Knitting wise, I finished my blue Seaside Tee. This is the third time I’ve knit this pattern, and it probably won’t be the last. I also started another Cat Knit Pullover for Emma. I’ve made it once before, but I wasn’t using the recommended yarn. Instead of sizing down, I mistakenly thought I needed to size up. The results are wearable, but barely. So far, while still not using the recommended yarn, this version is turning out so much better.
Cat Knit
Other than that, I’ve been watching a lot of soccer. The match between France and England was so much fun to watch. Spain and Argentina play today, and I’m hoping Spain will win.
Weyward
It’s the now 26th, and I’m happy to report, Spain won! There was only one team the entire tournament to score on team and I’m proud to say it was Belgium!
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter
My friend Nasha has been with me for the last week, and leaves tomorrow. It’s crazy how fast time flies when you’re with your favorite people. During her visit, we’ve been to Lewis Ginter, Yorktown, Maymont, and a pretty park by my house.
Lewis Ginter Japanese Garden
Today is Seth’s birthday. We’ve been taking it easy around the house to celebrate. Zach is making Chicken Parm tonight. It’ll be just the four of us since Emma has a marching band thing.
Yorktown
I’m currently typing all of this from a new laptop. The last successful update for my previous computer was from 2015 so I figured it was time.
Maymont Italian Garden
Not much on the agenda for now. I’m going to keep working on Emma’s sweater, and come August start the next page in my watercolor notebook. I have been, and will continue to journal on a weekly-ish basis. I also have things to sew and books to read. Plus, once the weather gets cooler, I will also have yummy things to bake.
Maymont Japanese Garden
Around the house, we need to drain and clean the hot tub to get it ready for fall. While it’s empty, we’re going to shift it a few inches so it will be more centered under the pergola. The stairs are still a work in progress. We need to sand the handrails, but want to do it outside once it’s not so hot out.
Self-drafted Dress
Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until my October post to find out, but we got our family Halloween costumes for the year. They are a lot of fun. Speaking of Halloween, Emma wants me to make her a Witch Hat Atelier costume to go trick or treating with her friends. I bought the fabric. We’ll see how making the costume goes. Luckily, trick or treating is at night so hopefully any imperfections will be less noticeable.
Hello June! Like the last couple of months, I’m getting a jump start on this post. Today is Juneteenth, a federal holiday to celebrate the date when slavery in this country ended for all of its citizens. It’s no secret there is still much to be done to end racial inequalities. Parts of the Voting Rights Act being undone is an example of this. There are systems that benefit by dividing us. Systems within our country, and also across the world. There is an international sporting event related to soccer going on right now. Not naming it because I’m not messing with trademarks. I’ve been watching, and not only because North America is hosting. I’ve watched the men’s and women’s tournaments for years. When it comes to sporting events, I prefer the every so often, with a whole bunch of teams participating ones.
Watercolor
Again, avoiding trademarks, there’s a big one with winter and summer games, and then a college basketball one that happens in March. One thing about this current international soccer tournament is since North America is hosting, there are many visitors from other countries here right now. I’ve loved watching their videos where they visit our shops and restaurants. The reactions to free refills have been especially fun. But, what I’ve loved most of all is how welcoming the actual people who live here are. It’s like maybe the leaders of all of these countries don’t want to get along, not the citizens.
Go Belgium!
My mom is Belgian, so I always cheer them on. So far, they’ve only played once and it ended in a tie. My Red Devils tee has seen me through four of these sporting tournaments. It’s starting to get a bit threadbare, but I still love it. I hope all of the teams play well. There have been some surprises so far which makes the matches exciting to watch.
My hand sewn jacket
I’ve been sewing this month. I made a fun vest out of this retro fabric I bought from an online fabric thrift store called Paper City Fabrics. I also made another pair of pants. I love them, except for the fact that the color kinda makes them look like scrub pants. I finally used some of my IKEA fabric and made a jacket. It’s modeled after a jacket I already own and love. Also, I decided to hand stitch the entire project. It took longer than it would have if I used my sewing machine, but I’m so proud of it.
My altered jean dress
I might hand sew more. One thing I really like about it, is being able to hand sew anywhere. My stitches are not uniform or very neat, luckily the fabric pattern is so chaotic, my stitch work blends right in. Another thing I did was alter a dress I already owned. This was also done by hand. I got the dress years ago at a consignment store and never actually wore it because it was too snug in the bust. I removed the sleeves, unstitched the side panels, and extended them with the fabric from the sleeves. Now, it’s a tank style jean dress I can wear.
A book I read
Knitting wise, I’m working on a sweater for a friend. Hopefully it will be done before it starts getting cool again. I like working on more than one project at a time though, so I think I will cast on and lightweight shirt. I have the yarn, and some patterns I’ve already done before. All I need to do is pick which one.
Another book I read
Seth painted our kitchen ceiling. We had a leak in the upstairs bathroom a few years ago. It was fixed, and the ceiling was patched, but it didn’t blend in well at all. The stairs are still in progress. We need to take off the one hand rail and sand it outside. The two smaller handrails need to be sanded inside. We’re procrastinating doing it to avoid the mess it’s going to make.
A third book I read
Since writing the above (same day). I have been to my mom’s, and fallen off a ladder. I’m fine, just sore and will likely have some new black and blues to show for it. It’s my own darn fault. I noticed some ivy growing into her gutters and decided I’d get it down. Well, I got it, and came down with it. Any big time physical activities for the weekend are now canceled while I take it easy and stick to something safer, like knitting.
In progress knit
Picking up where I left off, I had been knitting. I’m using some scrap yarn to make another Seaside Tee by Cocoa Amour Knits. I have a cream one, and this one will be blue. I’ve already knit so much, I’ve split for sleeves and am now on the body. Last year I made a Cat Knit sweater for Emma. I was using a heavier weight yarn and didn’t (still don’t) gauge swatch. It came out crazy, and I offered to remake it right away but she said she loved it. Well, she’s asked me to remake it now and I’m excited to do so. I have a better understanding of how to size up or down and pattern now if I’m not using the recommended needle/yarn weight.
Transplanted to my backyard and still alive!
I will finish the sweater I’m making for a friend, and my Seaside Tee before I start. She wants me to unwind her current sweater and use the same yarn. I’d rather start fresh so I’m going to buy some new yarn for it. There are some other things I’m my knitting wishlist I’m itching to cast on. I made a Sophie Hood last year, but I think I’d like to knit a simpler hood this year, and I want to make a poncho.
Mochi looking out the window
Another thing I’ve done this month, is health stuff. I had a cleaning at the dentist at the start of the month. Then, this past week, a mammogram and Pap smear. I had an annual physical in May, and I’m not due for another colonoscopy until 2027. Happy to report other than needing to up my good cholesterol, I have a clean bill of health. Please use this as a reminder to stay up to date on all of your check ups. It’s important for us to take care of ourselves.
Kiba looking back at me
It’s Saturday. Last week I was covering for someone at work and it is truly so nice to have zero plans (apart from posting you). I woke up early to see how Belgium played since their match was late. They are for sure advancing to the round of 32 which is a relief. Then, I lazed in bed and had a slow morning before I got up. Even with that, It’s barely after ten and I’ve already changed the sheets on our bed, got the laundry going, took an everything shower and am now sitting here writing with a me-made white chocolate mocha latte.
Miso being cute
Mochi is in front of me, sitting on my craft table and watching the bird feeder. Every so often, he turns back to meow at me to make sure I haven’t forgotten he’s there. Or maybe he’s trying to tell me about the cardinal or blue jay he saw. Kiba is on the loveseat napping, and Miso is somewhere else in the house, likely exploring. The only thing that could make this morning better is if it was raining. I love it when it rains. I was born in April, maybe the April showers saying imprinted itself on me.
I think I’ll end it here for June. See you next month!
Hello again. Here is my May wrap-up. I have read a bunch this month, and will include pics of the books I enjoyed. I’m not sure if I mentioned it here or not, but I haven’t ordered anything from a certain online retailer since the 10th of February. It’s embarrassing to admit how impossible I once thought that would be. Sewing-wise, I altered a hand-me-down men’s shirt to fit me, and added a cute collar I received as a gift. The collar was meant to be used as an add on accessory, but shifted whenever I tried wearing it. Attaching it to this shirt solves this problem for me. Not the first weekend, but I also made a vest to match my Chinese New Year tablecloth pants this month. The back came out busted looking, so I have a plan to make it look nicer. If I finish it before the month is over, I’ll include a pic. Lastly, I made a mock up for a jacket. To be fancy, I made it reversible. It’s not 100% done, but I love it so far.
Altered shirt
We also put up the pergola. When I say we, please know it was mainly Seth and Zach with Emma and I providing moral support, reading the directions, and holding up posts while they attached pieces to them. We used a kit I bought through Wayfair. The brand was Veikous and we got the 14 x 12ft one. Seth and I pre assembled as much as we could which helped. It took about 4 hours for them to put it up, and I’m thrilled with how it looks.
Pergola
Last month only had three weekends, while this month has five. It’s crazy how much we’ve been able to get done. On the second weekend of this month, I spent most of Saturday gardening. I asked for gift cards to Lowe’s for my birthday, and bought two planters, and a ton of plants. This summer, it will be five years since we moved here. The backyard has always been a work in progress.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies I made
Soil conditions plus lots of shade, made it hard to grow grass and other things that claimed to be shade loving. Then, we lost two evergreen trees after an aggressive (not planted by us) ivy took them over. The year before last, Emma and I added a fire pit area with a walking path to it, and extended another path. This helped take up some of the area where nothing would grow, and was also pretty.
My work in progress jacket
At this point, plant-wise my backyard is in maintenance mode while I wait for stuff to grow. I learned a saying about roses that might apply to other plants as well. It’s, the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap. I’m ready for all of my plants to leap. Of the eight milk jug planters I did over the winter, only three of them seem happy. I plan to try again next year, but maybe using a different method. At some point, maybe in July or August, we plan to drain and shift the hot tub six or so inches to the right so that it’s better centered in the space. Once it’s moved, all hot tub related goals for the year will be 100% done!
My watercolor from my workbook for this month
Now, before I write about what we worked on this weekend, you’ll need a backstory. While I love my house, there are things within it that irk me. Since we moved in, the part that has annoyed me the most, was our stairs. They were painted white by the previous owner. The treads and risers, both white. They were bright and inviting, but impossible to keep clean. Also, even with vacuuming daily, there was always at least a strand or two of hair from one of our four fur babies on them. Then, we learned under the white paint was dark grey paint. I tried touching up the paint when it got scratched, but couldn’t keep up with it.
Before pic of the stairs
Out of nowhere, a guy who did work on our last house, reached out to Seth to see if we needed any work done. Seth checked with me and, oh boy I did not hesitate to say the stairs. The glee I experienced in imagining my annoyance with these stairs would soon be coming to an end. All I needed was a quote. I’m pretty sure I would have agreed to almost any estimate, even in this economy. This guy ghosted us. He friggin fell off the face of the earth. I hope nothing bad happened to him, but I got all excited about not having white stairs anymore, and I was going to do something about it.
In progress stair pic
After doing some research, it seemed like a heat gun would be the safest way to strip the paint without making a giant mess. Even though video after video I watched showed home renovators using their heat guns inside (with proper protection), it didn’t end up working in our house because our smoke detectors are super sensitive. We even tried taking out the batteries and they still went off because they are actually hard wired to our electrical panel. Good news is, we will are in great shape early fire detection-wise, bad news is, no using a heat gun to remove multiple layers of paint.
A book I read this month
I’ve previously mentioned our four pets. They are the reason chemical stripping also isn’t on option. That left us with sanding. While messy, and it was incredibly messy, I’m kicking myself for not doing this sooner. Was the process fun? No. Did I break one sander and have to run to Lowe’s to buy another one six steps in? Yes. Are we 100% done? No. The side and back edges are so not done, plus the front bits of the bottom three or four steps, and the bits around the railing.
Another book I read this month
We did the bulk of the sanding yesterday, and I’m in no rush to finish it. I need to reenergize a bit first before I even think about it. Our eventual plan is to stain the treads to match the oak floors on the first floor, and then touch up the white paint on the risers. I want to leave the columns (is that what they’re called?) of the railing white, and sand and stain the top hand rails. It’ll be a fun game of sorts to guess the month it’ll all be done? Any takers? What to you think? This year, or next?
Another book I read
I think I’ve mentioned I have hyper fixation meals. I’m including a pic of the prep work for my overnight oats. Now, there are loads of recipes for these online, with tons of variations. This is just how I make mine, and the brands (pictured). I take 1/3 cup oats, 1 tablespoon, chia seeds, 1/4 cup ish of Greek yogurt, a cup ish of milk, and a heaping handful of frozen sliced strawberries. I measure with my heart so the above is all approximates. I have this for breakfast almost everyday. I microwave it for 1 minute, add chocolate syrup (I like the 5 ingredient Hersey’s simple syrup), and stir.
My overnight oat and Mochi
Gosh, it’s becoming very clear to me that there is no theme for these blog posts. Thing is, I’m cool with that. This blog, like me, is both scattered and focused. I’m including images of the books I read (and very much enjoyed) this month. One book I read was I want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee. Whilst reading, I learned of her passing. Knowing she was gone, changed the way I read this book. Now, her family has not disclosed the reason for her death, given the subject matter she wrote about, there is speculation.
Another book I read
I have never personally struggled with long term depression, short term, maybe. I can be socially anxious, I’ve struggled with stuttering when publicly speaking, or over sharing when I feel an awkward silence or a conversation ending. I pick apart things I’ve said after the fact and have had big time imposter syndrome over the years. Maybe my ability to navigate these is some formula of internal optimism, and having wonderful family and friends.
Another book I read
I saw a video where a guy was talking about wanting to call mom, but not his mom. No, that relationship was not nurturing, it was toxic and draining. In the comments people talked about the idea of wanting to go home as a concept, but for their situations a place like that not existing. I can call my mom, I call her all the time. We went to Scotland together last year. If I need her, she’ll come running and vice versa. Even though it isn’t the house I grew up in, wherever she is, is still home or a safe harbor. My first book was dedicated to her. I wasn’t planning on writing about my mom, but especially since it’s May and we celebrate Mother’s Day this month, it seems fitting.
I’m doing something different, we’ll see if it sticks. With the blog posts I’ve done this year, each one has acted as a monthly wrap up of sorts, being written on the last weekend of each month. Thing is, other than wanting to write a monthly blog post, there are no rules. It’s April, this can be the start of my April blog post, even if it is the 10th, and not the 26th.
Plus, I’ve already done a bunch this month and have stuff to write about even though it’s only a third of the way over. I, start to finish, sewed a pair of pants already (pictured above). These are the 4th pair of pants I’ve made using the Lane Pants pattern. The jury is out, but I might tweak the legs to be a smidge less wide. Otherwise, I love them. The fabric was a clearance Chinese New Year themed tablecloth I got for $7. They are red with golden fire horses. They are glorious and I’ve taken to calling them my fancy pants.
I’m still working on my Hanni cardigan. I got confused and started with the side of the button band where you have to make the buttonholes first, instead of the easier/minus the holes side. I’ve never done a double knit style band before. It took me a few tries to get going, but I’m over halfway and love the way it looks. It’d be cool if I finished it this month, but I’m in no hurry.
Of the eight milk jug greenhouses I made, I’ve transplanted five into pots. Two of them seem to not only have survived my clumsy first go at transplanting, but are thriving somehow. Two others are still alive but by no means happy about it, and the last one is on life support. The last one pains me in particular because the seeds were for coneflowers and they’re supposed to be a native plant where I am. I had two sets of seeds for them and I don’t think one set will even make it out of the jug. This is possibly my third attempt at this plant over the years and I’m not a fan.
My backyard is still coming along. I have snowball bushes (pictured below) that survived another winter and maybe even grew an inch. I have camellias as well. They lived, but haven’t grown at all. In the fall, I transplanted a very unhappy rhododendron and a happy, though overgrowing its pot, hydrangea. Both made it through the winter as well and seem to like their new homes. I’ve tried plant food/fertilizer, but whatever I plant, if it lives, tends to stay the size it was when I bought it, or smaller. My thumb, while far from green, isn’t black either. Is there a color to represent just keeping things alive?
Earlier in the year, I wrote about wanting to move our hot tub into our garage. A simple internet search made it clear to scrap that idea and leave it outside. Still, it’s sitting in a pretty focal spot of our yard and is not fitting in with the cottage garden I will someday have. Inspiration, by way of a killer sale, led me to get a pergola kit online. There are now three large boxes full of cedar wood in my garage. Not this weekend, but maybe next, we will attempt to put this thing together. When completed, it will be 10 by 12 feet and sit over our hot tub. Until then, my garage has never smelt better. If we are successful in building this, I’ll add a picture.
It’s now the 22nd of April, and I can include more updates to the above and some new stuff. For one, today is my wedding anniversary. Nineteen years ago today, Seth and I tied the knot. I think a true reflection on our marriage, with all of the ups and downs we’ve gone through over the years is, if I had it to do all over again, I’d still still say yes. To celebrate, I’m taking Emma to the dentist and working on this post.
Today, or more accurately, last night, we received confirmation that the Yes vote on redistricting for Virginia won! Hopefully, it means we are one step closer as a nation to balancing the current power dynamics in Washington, D.C. It’s nice to have a bit of good news with everything else going on.
Otherwise, here are some updates to the above. I’m not sure how I feel about my milk jug seeds. While my investment of $2 to $3 dollars a seed packet was minimal, I wonder if another container method would work better. Plus, I think some critter dug up one of my pots. As of today, I think only 4 or 5 of the original 8 might actually survive. If I use milk jugs again next year, I might try to fit smaller seed trays in them and then plant. I’m still thinking about it.
I’m happy to announce I finished my Hanni Cardigan. I love it and plan to wear the heck out of it, as long as Emma doesn’t steal it. She has made hints of her intention to do so. Sadly, in my excitement to finish it, I overdid it and have had to wear an elbow brace ever since. A knitting related injury is a clear sign of my current life priorities.
Seth and I have pre-assembled almost half of the slats that make up the top of the pergola. The other half need to be assembled as we’re building it. It likely won’t be up before the month is over because we’re waiting on our public utilities to mark any lines. This way we won’t accidentally hit anything when we install it. Speaking of the backyard, I learned about a Virginia Department of Forestry program to buy shrubs and trees for $3 each. You have to buy them in groups of 5. So, I am now the soon-to-be proud owner of 5 elderberry shrubs. They’re being shipped so I won’t know how big they are until I get them.
On Friday, Seth and I are going to see a musical at Emma’s school. She’s part of the tech crew and is convinced we’ll love it. Earlier this month we saw a comic as a family. Being together ended up being more fun than the jokes. I’ve been reading more and will include the covers of the ones I’ve read this month (pictured below). This month I also enjoyed a C-Drama I streamed call The Pursuit of Jade. It was great. Since then I’ve been watching some new anime including, Witch Hat Atelier, Always a Catch, and Ascendance of a Bookworm. I’ve also completed another page of my watercolor workbook.
I’m not sure if I’ll add anything else to this post before the end of the month. Though somewhat in random order, I’ve also included some fun pictures from the month. April, for our family, is busy with birthdays. The kittens turned one on the 4th. This is also my birthday month, along with my mom and mother-in-law. I’m turning forty-seven this month, and if anything, just grateful for the years I’ve had and the life I’ve lived.
