Lotsa (Handwork) Irons In The Fire

The good news is that I've finally begun to enter my winter hibernation period of doing what relaxes and rejuvenates me.  The bad news is that we're now into February and the winter is no doubt more than half over.  Some of you may even be looking at spring time bulbs pushing up through the cold soil, but way up here near the Arctic, we will probably have snow covering the ground until a fer piece into April.  So I think I can still squeeze some time in for my winter hibernating mode.  That's my plan, and I'm going for it.

Gotta admit in the last couple of weeks I've gone a little crazy with starting new (and, like a good girl, attempting to finish some old) handwork projects.  My creative juices are bursting out all over.  (Not the best picture to paint, right?)

Here's a peek at what I'm trying to do all at once right now.  Or at least what I'd like to do all at once right now.

I made the little blue and white cross-stitch to hang on a cabinet or drawer handle last year.  It came out okay, but I am just not fond of pastels.  Therefore, I'm making another one with an oatmeal colored Aida cloth and dark green thread.

The idea came to me to do this stamped cross-stitch of a snowflake, frame it and hang in a small, narrow section of wall in the kitchen.  I'll prevail upon my daughter to mat and frame it since she's so good at that kind of thing.

This is going to be a couch quilt when finished.  I'm currently sewing the strips together.  The missing fourth strip is on the sewing machine as we speak.  Next is a narrow inner border and then a larger outer border.

I started this new spring time shower curtain last summer.  (Wonder why I never finished it?  Probably because I was never inside long enough to do so.)  But spring will be here before we know it (it always is), and I want to have it finished to hang then.  A problem came about because I was using scraps, bits and pieces of fabric for this project.  In doing so (using only fabric I have in my stash), it's possible I'll run short of something.  The "something" in this case is enough of the light green I used for the outer border.  I don't begin to have enough of it for the binding.  I'm trying to figure out if I can just hem the piece  somehow (it would be the front, the light batting and the backing) rather than using a fabric for the binding that detracts from the whole.

It's necessary for me to have something easy peasy on my knitting needles to keep my hands busy when sitting visiting and still being able to carry on a conversation.  It has to be really simple so I can do the two things at once.  (And maybe chew gum, too.)  Socks are my go-to project for that so a couple of mornings ago, I cast on this sock yarn before going to meet a friend for a catch-up session with each other.

It's been so hard (such suffering!) not to buy any new fabric (I have P-L-E-N-T-Y to use up) . . . but I done failed when I saw this.  (But, but, but, it was on sale!)  Wouldn't it be perfect for the backside of potholders?  Yep, I thought so, too.

On top of this, I'm currently reading two books at once (hope I don't hurt myself), and I'm reading out loud from another one to Papa Pea when we sit down together in the living room before bedtime at night.

Oh, I do love this time of year when I'm able to spend a good amount of time inside keeping my hands and head involved with projects like all of these.  It's a good thing.

In The Pantry

I'm a mad, crazy quilter and if it wouldn't look too strange, I'd have quilted wall hangings, both large and small, mounted on every available empty wall space throughout the house.  I've held myself back from doing that very thing and have, instead, put up all the quilted decorations I want in my pantry.

Below are ones I've had in there for quite a while.

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 Some time back, I made a few more as there is still lots of empty wall space for more small, colorful hangings here and there.

But I won't let myself put these new ones up until I'm completely done reorganizing and cleaning the whole pantry.  (Such will power!)

The pantry is a naturally cold room, located on the north side of our house, and I normally keep the blinds on the one window closed (opened them for the pics) to keep out both the light and any warmth from the outside (in the spring/summer/fall) that might be trying to seep in.

Of course, this time of year it's not a problem keeping the closed off room cool enough (i.e., cold) so I've been choosing warmer (warmer being defined as in the high 20s or low 30s outside) weather to work in there.  Obviously, we never let the inside temp of the pantry get down to freezing.  Sometimes in the coldest of winter we have to leave the door open a smidge over night.  It usually stays in the 40s and definitely feels cool when I walk into it;  just like I remember my grandma's pantry when I was growing up.

I can guarantee I won't be continuing my work in there today as the outside temp was 3° first thing this morning and is predicted to hit a high of 12°.  Think I'll find something else to occupy my time today.

Snowshoeing In The Woods

We went for a hike up into our woods this afternoon.

Papa Pea asked if I wanted to break trail or if he should.  I'm no dummy.  "Lead on!" I said.

This is a backward look at the trail and our tracks on the way to the top of our ridge, deep in the forest, miles from home.  (Absolute fabrication regarding the distance from home.)

Look at the "gnome dome" by the side of the trail.  Doesn't it look like that stump could be a sweet, little home for wee folks?  Can you see the door?  Hmmm, they must have gone to Arizona for the winter because there are no tracks going in or out of the little abode. 

Also saw this woodpecker condo in a dead standing tree.

Looking back up over my shoulder again to take this picture.  Although the trek up to the ridge is steep in parts, the leg of the trip on the return side is easy-peasy.  But one can't get over-enthused on this downhill portion or one will do a face-plant in the snow.  (Ask me how I know.)

We saw lots of tracks in the snow on our brisk jaunt.  Squirrel, rabbit, deer and most likely brush wolf as when you see a timber wolf track, it is BIG.  Never caught sight of any of the actual critters though.

Invigorating exercise and I could easily have settled on the couch and taken a little nap when we got back to the house.  But I was a good girl and dove back into the seed catalogs spread out on the kitchen table trying to figure out what seeds I need to order for this year's garden.

How Can One Fit More Into A Day's Time?

First off, let me say I'm not complaining.  I know I'm at a stage in my life where I'm more and more appreciative of all I have in just about every single aspect of my life.  Papa Pea and I have both worked hard (some would say too hard, but that's been our choice because of necessity . . . or, well, . . . choice) to get where we are today, no doubt about that, but it's all starting to pay off and feel really good.

I truly can't remember a time since we were married (way back in the Middle Ages) that the days dragged by.  And now, by golly, just when we've both decided to relax a bit and start doing all the things we've "put off until later," something weird is happening which seems to be causing the minutes and hours of each day to fly by at double speed.  If not faster.

Why is this?  We wake in the morning, get that first-of-the-day cuppa into our systems, discuss and sometimes make lists (the memory isn't what it used to be either) of what usual chores must be covered in the day, what move-ahead projects need to be worked on (please, can't we skip this part? . . . this is our hibernating/down time of year), and what we would like to do for rest, relaxation, recharging, rehabilitation . . . or the feeding of our souls.

Then, almost before we know it, the day is drawing to a close (already?!) and both of us are always sorry to see it happen because there are so darn many neat, satisfying, fulfilling things we didn't get to of the day.

Wanna see my "want-to-do" list of things I'm chomping at the bit to get into?  No?  Okay, you're excused and may feel free to leave.  But for anyone still here . . . 

So many books - How could anyone ever read all the interesting books available?  Even though I always have an audio book to listen to while doing mundane chores during the day, I love sitting down and reading a good book.

So much quilting - I love quilting. And I have enough fabric, patterns and ideas that, in all honesty, I will probably never be able to wade through it all before I croak.

So much knitting - Knitting was my first handwork love before I discovered quilting.  And I still enjoy doing it.  I purchased the yarn for a bee-yew-tee-ful knit afghan several months ago and am getting twitchy with the yearning to start knitting it.  (Just gotta finish this pair of socks on my needles first.)

Valentine's Day is coming - That means I need to make several dozen heart shaped sugar cookies for my daughter's small tribe of kiddies to decorate.  I've definitely created a job for myself in that they all look forward to plain sugar cookies supplied by Mama Pea to decorate for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc.  I think they like eating them, too.

Blogs - there are so many really good, enjoyable, informative, funny, uplifting blogs that I want to read and comment on.  Lately, I haven't been keeping with them as much as I'd like to do.  Must change that.

Letters to write - Although e-mails and other means of computerized correspondence are fine and have definite advantages, there's still nothing like getting a card or letter via snail mail.  I've been trying to do more of that.  Not succeeding to a great degree.  But trying.

Garden to plan - I'm more excited about the garden this year than I've been in a few years now.  I'm thinking it's because I've made the decision (and did a bit toward that end last year) to cut back on varieties and quantities to grow.  Try as we might, we're finding we two can't manage to eat or give away all of the produce from the four acres I usually plant.  (Okay, not quite that many acres.  It just seems like it sometimes.)

Pantry to clean and reorganize - I have a beautiful, big pantry and I've had a bee in my bonnet to get in there and change things a bit.  I know I've talked of this for some time now, but really want to do it.  (Papa Pea won't see me for several days once I get in there and go for it.)

Plans for summer - My better half and I need to sit down with paper, pencil and our (sensible) thinking caps on to make a list of this summer's upcoming projects.  The list is always waaaay too long and insurmountable (sigh) but if we start with the first of the prioritized "A" items . . . at least we'll know where to begin.  There are also summer recreational plans (yay!) to make.

I'm betting I could think of many more things to list, but that would be an exercise in futility.  All of the above illustrates some of the things I really want to do.  I'm appreciative of and grateful I have the opportunity and freedom to pick and choose what I attempt to fit into a day's time.  And I do have the choice so I'm really not complaining.  I just want to find a way to fit more into each day's time.  That's all.