Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Yarn Along - Portland Winter Hat, Weeks 1-4
Salutations! Obviously one of my favorite things is
reading, but I'm also very fond of knitting. Ginny over at Small Things
hosts a lovely little weekly link-up where we showcase what we're
working on and what we're reading. Once you're done here, head on over
and see what everyone else is up to!
Monday, February 9, 2015
52 Lists, Week 6
Happy Monday! Welcome to my 52 Lists Project, wherein I
feature one list every week for 2015. To join in with your own list,
scroll down to the link at the bottom, print out your own list, and then
share it however you wish!
Week 6: List the Ways in Which You Can Love Others
This list is far from complete but these are some of the concrete ways I am trying to be more loving this year. I should probably hang copies of this list in strategic locations to remind myself of them...
These are the attitudes I'm trying to implement that make me remember to be love at all times. I'm far from perfect and being a positive person is something I really struggle with, so this is a good list for me to be focusing on.
What about you? How do you show people you care? What are some ways you can be a little more loving every day? Let me know in comments or with a list of your own!
Love, love, love
Willow
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Week 6: List the Ways in Which You Can Love Others
This list is far from complete but these are some of the concrete ways I am trying to be more loving this year. I should probably hang copies of this list in strategic locations to remind myself of them...
- Be more patient
- Be encouraging - the world has enough critics already
- Try to see the positives, especially when I don't feel like it
- Leave lovely comments on my favorite blogs
- Be sincere when asking, "How are you?"
- Give gifts just because
- Send greeting cards just because
- Remember birthdays with snail mail birthday cards
- Send flowers to Mom
- Be a useful, patient employee to Dad
- Listen more, talk less
- Be gracious
- Dress to impress
- Speak kindly
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- Be generous
- Be hospitable
- Give my full attention
- Don't complain - be grateful
- Write thank you notes for little things
- Show up for work in a good mood and ready to get work done
- Take sisters on coffee dates
- Pray for people who piss me off
- Smile and say "Hi!"
These are the attitudes I'm trying to implement that make me remember to be love at all times. I'm far from perfect and being a positive person is something I really struggle with, so this is a good list for me to be focusing on.
What about you? How do you show people you care? What are some ways you can be a little more loving every day? Let me know in comments or with a list of your own!
Love, love, love
Willow
For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little
categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea
Seal's site to see more!
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Monday, February 2, 2015
52 Lists, Week 5
*I'm in Salem today! I'm coming home tonight but I wanted to post this ahead of time anyway.*
Week 5: List What You Are Grateful For
This list is always long, and always feels incomplete or insufficient because so, so much in my life is so very good (even when I can't really see it).
- I LIVE ALONE NOW!!!
- I can afford my rent
- I have a stable, well-paying job that allows me some flexibility
- I have the time and energy to keep my home cleaner
- I have space to keep my books
- Gatsby
- Catholic bloggers
- my knitting friends
- I have a reliable car
- extra babysitting jobs
- Vlogbrothers videos
- my Catholic faith
- penpals
- counting my sisters among my closest friends
- still having health insurance and affordable healthcare
- music, art, literature, and dancing - and growing up with parents who exposed their children to culture and the arts
- my large, crazy, beautiful extended family
- mini-vacations to Salem, OR
- the opportunity to travel so much when I was younger
- living in a world where there are Christmases
- living in a world where books are so accessible (and becoming more and more accessible to more and more people!)
So there's my list! It is, of course, far from complete. I feel like it's pretty obvious that I'm grateful for the roof over my head and the fact that I know how to read and was educated and live in the 21st century with all its conveniences and modern medicine and on and on and on. I wanted this list to be really specific and pared down a little, if that makes sense.
What are you grateful for? What specific blessings can you not imagine living without? Let me know in comments or with a list of your own!
Happy Monday, brave ones....
Love,
Willow
For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little
categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea
Seal's site to see more!
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Yarn Along - Wildflowers Cardigan, Week 3
Greetings! Obviously one of favorite things is reading, but I also
quite love knitting. Ginny over at Small Things hosts a lovely little
link-up so once you're done here go visit and see what everyone else is
up to.
Gosh, I can't believe it's only been 3 weeks. It feels like so much longer. It feels as though this cardigan is all I do anymore. (It really isn't; I've been doing a ton of cleaning and organizing at home but I'm still trying to get as much knitting done as possible to keep up with our self-imposed deadlines.)
Our goal is to be completely finished with the back by next Thursday. My personal goal is to be done a bit sooner than that. I've started the armhole shaping and making sure to count my stitches and mark my rows off very carefully because this is one of the parts that I really don't want to screw up.
I finished The Kings of Clonmel on Monday night and it was so good. I quickly moved on to the next one, Halt's Peril and finished it on Tuesday afternoon and jumped right into The Emperor of Nihon-Ja. It's so good. I have a few criticisms of the writing at this point in the series but I'll save those for my more thorough review of the books. I'm so deeply invested in this series that I'm just gonna power through and there are only 2 left after this one!
I'm headed to exotic Salem, OR on Friday at dark o'clock in the morning and until Monday night and I'm really excited. I'm bringing my knitting and I can't decide if I'll bring the last two Ranger's Apprentice books or if I'll bring my Kindle instead... It's such a hard decision! I'll probably bring my Kindle, though. In any case, I'm ready for 4 days of rainy, cold weather and completely thrilled to see my northern relatives and wander around town enjoying the cherry blossoms. My parents are keeping an eye on Gatsby and my house so I don't have to worry about that, thank goodness.
Our goal is to be completely finished with the back by next Thursday. My personal goal is to be done a bit sooner than that. I've started the armhole shaping and making sure to count my stitches and mark my rows off very carefully because this is one of the parts that I really don't want to screw up.
I finished The Kings of Clonmel on Monday night and it was so good. I quickly moved on to the next one, Halt's Peril and finished it on Tuesday afternoon and jumped right into The Emperor of Nihon-Ja. It's so good. I have a few criticisms of the writing at this point in the series but I'll save those for my more thorough review of the books. I'm so deeply invested in this series that I'm just gonna power through and there are only 2 left after this one!
I'm headed to exotic Salem, OR on Friday at dark o'clock in the morning and until Monday night and I'm really excited. I'm bringing my knitting and I can't decide if I'll bring the last two Ranger's Apprentice books or if I'll bring my Kindle instead... It's such a hard decision! I'll probably bring my Kindle, though. In any case, I'm ready for 4 days of rainy, cold weather and completely thrilled to see my northern relatives and wander around town enjoying the cherry blossoms. My parents are keeping an eye on Gatsby and my house so I don't have to worry about that, thank goodness.
If you want to know what else I've got on my needles, head on over to my Ravelry page for a look-see.
That's
it for me today. What have you been knitting and reading lately? Let
me know in comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone
else is up to!
Love,
Willow
*Author's Note: The Yarn Along
button in this post is property of Ginny Sheller and is used with permission.
All other images used in this post as well as text are
(c)Whitney Miller and may be used only with my express permission. See my About
Page for details.*
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Yarn Along - Wildflowers Cardigan, Week 2
Greetings! Obviously one of favorite things is reading, but I also
quite love knitting. Ginny over at Small Things hosts a lovely little
link-up so once you're done here go visit and see what everyone else is
up to.
Week 2 of the Wildflowers Cardigan looks like this:
Maybe someday I'll get decent light in my living room so my pictures suck less...
That's 49 rows of stockinette, people! 10 inches! I've been averaging 10-20 rows a night when I put on my serious face and buckle down on it (which has been about 5 nights out of 7 in the last 2 weeks, so not bad). Tomorrow we meet for our 3rd official session at Karen's and I plan to either start decreasing for armholes then or by Saturday morning at the latest.
I had to do a bit of tinking on Saturday (so frustrating!) but by Sunday I was back on track and realized I should've been putting lifelines in every 20 rows but I wasn't. Don't worry - there are a bunch of lifelines in, now. It's a little time-consuming but I'd rather take the time to put them in rather than have to rip back farther than absolutely necessary if catastrophe strikes later.
Reading:
Since I've been really putting my nose to the knitting I haven't been reading a whole lot in the evenings, though I am still getting about 2 chapters in right before bed on The Kings of Clonmel, the next book in Ranger's Apprentice. This is the 2nd book in the series that's completely new to me so it's very exciting to be on this new adventure; my dreams are certainly more interesting.
But for knitting, I need to listen to something, and I realized while babysitting last Friday night that I downloaded but failed to listen to Sarah Mackenzie's podcasts of the Read Aloud Revival. Guys, they are so, so good. These podcasts are so inspiring and encouraging. Even without kids of my own, as an adult who wants a little extra something intellectually now that I'm out of school I'm finding so much inspiration to start reading challenging or different books without the intimidation factor looming large. It's hard to explain but if you like books at all you should absolutely go and at least listen to episode 1.
If you want to know what else I've got on my needles, head on over to my Ravelry page for a look-see.
That's
it for me today. What have you been knitting and reading lately? Let
me know in comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone
else is up to!
Love,
Willow
*Author's Note: The Yarn Along
button in this post is property of Ginny Sheller and is used with permission.
All other images used in this post as well as text are
(c)Whitney Miller and may be used only with my express permission. See my About
Page for details.*
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Yarn Along - Wildflowers Cardigan
Greetings! Obviously one of favorite things is reading, but I also
quite love knitting. Ginny over at Small Things hosts a lovely little
link-up so once you're done here go visit and see what everyone else is
up to.
Here we are, week 1 of my Wildflowers cardigan. Karen, Jaimie, Therese, Lorene, and I are finally on our way to making this lovely cardigan from Coastal Knits. We started choosing yarns and swatching for gauge back in December, shortly before Christmas. We gave our gauge swatches to dear Karen who kindly helped us figure out what size needles and what size of the pattern we would need to work to achieve our desired size cardigan. Then we met up last Friday night to cast on and get to work.
I cheated a little by casting on some of my 222 stitches the night before (in my defense, I can't count worth anything so I knew I'd need to count and count and count again once I'd cast on), and I also started knitting one of my pocket linings. The others got their stitches cast on and we began working on the edge since the sweater is bottom-up.
The edging. Oh my goodness. It's one of those things where you have to count very carefully and put your wine down and focus and shush the people around you. It's not difficult but it required a great deal of focus. It also required me to completely rip out what I'd done and start over.
We met up on Saturday afternoon to finish the edging (which I'd caught up to that morning), put in a lifeline, and confirm our meeting schedule. We intend to be finished by April 30th. I've got a lot more knitting to do...
The yarn is a new line my LYS is carrying: Berroco's Folio is a DK/sport weight yarn that's baby alpaca and rayon and while it's working up a little fuzzier than I'd really like, it feels good running through my fingers, isn't too splitty, and looks like it will have gorgeous drape when I'm done. I'll let you know in April if it was worth the money.
So last week I talked about Thrift Books and how much I love them, right? Well three more books in the Ranger's Apprentice series came yesterday so I spent more of my evening reading instead of knitting. I finished The Sorcerer of the North in a little less than 3 hours. This was partly because I'd read it before, and partly because it's not a very long book. Then I started reading The Siege of Macindaw but forced myself to quit after about 13 chapters because I had a headache and was very sleepy. I need to come up with a system that allows me to read a chapter for every 4 or 5 rows I knit, otherwise I won't finish my cardigan or my reading list.
If you want to know what else I've got on my needles, head on over to my Ravelry page for a look-see.
That's it for me today. What have you been knitting and reading lately? Let me know in comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone else is up to!
Love,
Willow
Here we are, week 1 of my Wildflowers cardigan. Karen, Jaimie, Therese, Lorene, and I are finally on our way to making this lovely cardigan from Coastal Knits. We started choosing yarns and swatching for gauge back in December, shortly before Christmas. We gave our gauge swatches to dear Karen who kindly helped us figure out what size needles and what size of the pattern we would need to work to achieve our desired size cardigan. Then we met up last Friday night to cast on and get to work.
I cheated a little by casting on some of my 222 stitches the night before (in my defense, I can't count worth anything so I knew I'd need to count and count and count again once I'd cast on), and I also started knitting one of my pocket linings. The others got their stitches cast on and we began working on the edge since the sweater is bottom-up.
Someday I'll take better photos
The edging. Oh my goodness. It's one of those things where you have to count very carefully and put your wine down and focus and shush the people around you. It's not difficult but it required a great deal of focus. It also required me to completely rip out what I'd done and start over.
We met up on Saturday afternoon to finish the edging (which I'd caught up to that morning), put in a lifeline, and confirm our meeting schedule. We intend to be finished by April 30th. I've got a lot more knitting to do...
This is what 31 finished rows looks like. 123 rows to go...
The yarn is a new line my LYS is carrying: Berroco's Folio is a DK/sport weight yarn that's baby alpaca and rayon and while it's working up a little fuzzier than I'd really like, it feels good running through my fingers, isn't too splitty, and looks like it will have gorgeous drape when I'm done. I'll let you know in April if it was worth the money.
So last week I talked about Thrift Books and how much I love them, right? Well three more books in the Ranger's Apprentice series came yesterday so I spent more of my evening reading instead of knitting. I finished The Sorcerer of the North in a little less than 3 hours. This was partly because I'd read it before, and partly because it's not a very long book. Then I started reading The Siege of Macindaw but forced myself to quit after about 13 chapters because I had a headache and was very sleepy. I need to come up with a system that allows me to read a chapter for every 4 or 5 rows I knit, otherwise I won't finish my cardigan or my reading list.
The first three in the series - gorgeous hardcovers!
That's it for me today. What have you been knitting and reading lately? Let me know in comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone else is up to!
Love,
Willow
*Author's Note: The Yarn Along
button in this post is property of Ginny Sheller and is used with permission.
All other images used in this post as well as text are
(c)Whitney Miller and may be used only with my express permission. See my About
Page for details.*
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Yarn Along - "I Left my Heart in Hogsmeade" Cowl
Greetings! Obviously one of favorite things is reading, but I also
quite love knitting. Ginny over at Small Things hosts a lovely little
link-up so once you're done here go visit and see what everyone else is
up to.
This week, in knitting news, I've started working on yet another cables & eyelets cowl, this time for myself. I initially intended to use this yarn to knit up a hat to go with my cousin's Christmas cowl but I instead decided to keep it for myself. The yarn is super soft and knits up really nicely and feels a little bit heavier than a worsted weight but every time I say that people assure me that it's not.
The yarn is simplinatural by HiKoo. It's baby alpaca and merino wool with a bit of mulberry silk mixed in. Basically this yarn is delicious. And the name of the color is "Camel" and I like that it's a natural feeling color. I love bright yarns but something with as much texture as this cowl usually gets (with the cables and lace) it needs something a bit more neutral.
I'm using size 5 needles so the yarn is knitting up nice and dense (but not so dense that I'm having a hard time working with it).
Reading:
I recently discovered Thrift Books through a blogger on Tumblr (can't remember who, though - sorry!) and successfully ordered a bunch of hardcover YA novels for less than $4 EACH. Is that freaking amazing or what??? So I've begun re-reading The Ranger's Apprentice series since the series wasn't complete when I stopped working at the bookstore, so I didn't get to finish reading it for free.
You can read my brief review of the first book in the series HERE.
But even more exciting (really, Willow? What's more exciting than inexpensive, gently used hardcovers!?), on Friday night we start working on the Wildflower Cardigan. When I say "we" I mean me, Jaimie, Karen, Therese, and Lorene. I'm so excited! Jaimie and I have been longing to do this cardigan for almost two years and now we're finally going to start! I'll post all about it next week...
Love,
Willow
This week, in knitting news, I've started working on yet another cables & eyelets cowl, this time for myself. I initially intended to use this yarn to knit up a hat to go with my cousin's Christmas cowl but I instead decided to keep it for myself. The yarn is super soft and knits up really nicely and feels a little bit heavier than a worsted weight but every time I say that people assure me that it's not.
The yarn is simplinatural by HiKoo. It's baby alpaca and merino wool with a bit of mulberry silk mixed in. Basically this yarn is delicious. And the name of the color is "Camel" and I like that it's a natural feeling color. I love bright yarns but something with as much texture as this cowl usually gets (with the cables and lace) it needs something a bit more neutral.
I'm using size 5 needles so the yarn is knitting up nice and dense (but not so dense that I'm having a hard time working with it).
Reading:
I recently discovered Thrift Books through a blogger on Tumblr (can't remember who, though - sorry!) and successfully ordered a bunch of hardcover YA novels for less than $4 EACH. Is that freaking amazing or what??? So I've begun re-reading The Ranger's Apprentice series since the series wasn't complete when I stopped working at the bookstore, so I didn't get to finish reading it for free.
You can read my brief review of the first book in the series HERE.
But even more exciting (really, Willow? What's more exciting than inexpensive, gently used hardcovers!?), on Friday night we start working on the Wildflower Cardigan. When I say "we" I mean me, Jaimie, Karen, Therese, and Lorene. I'm so excited! Jaimie and I have been longing to do this cardigan for almost two years and now we're finally going to start! I'll post all about it next week...
If
you want to know what else I've got on my needles, head on over to my Ravelry
page for a look-see.
That's
it for me today. What have you been knitting and reading lately? Let me know in
comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone else is up to!
Love,
Willow
*Author's Note: The Yarn Along
button in this post is property of Ginny Sheller and is used with permission.
All other images used in this post as well as text are
(c)Whitney Miller and may be used only with my express permission. See my About
Page for details.*
**Also, I once again apologize if the font in this post doesn't match the font in my other posts. There is something seriously wonky with my template and I'm still trying to figure it out/fix it. Sorry if it's irritating!**
**Also, I once again apologize if the font in this post doesn't match the font in my other posts. There is something seriously wonky with my template and I'm still trying to figure it out/fix it. Sorry if it's irritating!**
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Yarn Along - Scarlet Mitts
Greetings! Obviously one of favorite things is reading, but I also
quite love knitting. Ginny over at Small Things hosts a lovely little
link-up so once you're done here go visit and see what everyone else is
up to.
So I got this gorgeous baby alpaca over a year ago with the intention of making the Malabrigo Hand Thingies (I can't make this up). The whole shop was making them and the baby alpaca yarn was the ticket. It's so soft, knits up so nicely, and feels so good. The pattern is simple but not boring so it's a great project to step you into starting more intermediate projects if you're ready to move past scarves.
But because I'm an idiot, I did two stupid things.
1) I only knit up one last year. Then I got distracted so I'm finally finishing the pair.
2) The second one I knit too tight. Like, waaaaaaay too tight. I don't know what was wrong with me but I seriously mucked up this bit. I'm debating whether or not I want to re-make it, just rip it all out and start over (even though I've technically already bound off). It only took me a week of half-hearted knitting to make the one so maybe I can get them done soon. *Update: I knit another hand thingy (I now have 3) in a size 8 and oh the difference! I'm currently working on a 4th on the size 8 needle and need to weave in ends on the others.*
The bright red is such a fun, festive color, too, and I have a ton left, so I could conceivably make a hat to go with my mitts! We'll see how ambitious I'm feeling when we get there. I'm pretty much done with Christmas knitting unless I crochet hats for my niece and nephew. I may make them mini-mitts as well but we'll see how ambitious I'm feeling. I don't think we'll be seeing them until after Christmas so perhaps I'll give them to them after the New Year?
If you want to know what else I've got on my needles, head on over to my Ravelry page for a look-see.
Reading: After my uncle moved out 2 weeks ago (did I fail to mention that I live alone!!!! ? It's awesome.) the internet has been no-worky. There's a cord/cable issue that has yet to be fully resolved.
In any case, I finished listening to the Audible audio of Neil Gaiman reading his novel Neverwhere and it was wonderful. I also finished listening to Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale and have moved on to Love Letters to the Dead. It sounds way more morbid than it actually is. It's pretty good so far.
That's it for me today. What have you been knitting and reading lately? Let me know in comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone else is up to!
Since I likely won't post another Yarn Along until after the new year, here's a fun little holiday-ish collage I made on PicMonkey (which is really, really fun to play with!). Happy New Year and may you all have a very blessed Christmas.
Love,
Willow
P.S. I'm not sure what's going on with my font in this post - the changes may or may not be reflected in the finished post. Sorry if it looks wonky - working on fixing it!
But because I'm an idiot, I did two stupid things.
1) I only knit up one last year. Then I got distracted so I'm finally finishing the pair.
2) The second one I knit too tight. Like, waaaaaaay too tight. I don't know what was wrong with me but I seriously mucked up this bit. I'm debating whether or not I want to re-make it, just rip it all out and start over (even though I've technically already bound off). It only took me a week of half-hearted knitting to make the one so maybe I can get them done soon. *Update: I knit another hand thingy (I now have 3) in a size 8 and oh the difference! I'm currently working on a 4th on the size 8 needle and need to weave in ends on the others.*
The bright red is such a fun, festive color, too, and I have a ton left, so I could conceivably make a hat to go with my mitts! We'll see how ambitious I'm feeling when we get there. I'm pretty much done with Christmas knitting unless I crochet hats for my niece and nephew. I may make them mini-mitts as well but we'll see how ambitious I'm feeling. I don't think we'll be seeing them until after Christmas so perhaps I'll give them to them after the New Year?
Not sure if he can smell the alpaca or the lotion I was wearing before I put them on
If you want to know what else I've got on my needles, head on over to my Ravelry page for a look-see.
Apparently they were also tasty... Goofy cat.
Reading: After my uncle moved out 2 weeks ago (did I fail to mention that I live alone!!!! ? It's awesome.) the internet has been no-worky. There's a cord/cable issue that has yet to be fully resolved.
![Love Letters to the Dead | [Ava Dellaira]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M5clGLZpL._SL300_.jpg "Love Letters to the Dead | [Ava Dellaira]") |
| Audible |
That's it for me today. What have you been knitting and reading lately? Let me know in comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone else is up to!
Since I likely won't post another Yarn Along until after the new year, here's a fun little holiday-ish collage I made on PicMonkey (which is really, really fun to play with!). Happy New Year and may you all have a very blessed Christmas.
Love,
Willow
P.S. I'm not sure what's going on with my font in this post - the changes may or may not be reflected in the finished post. Sorry if it looks wonky - working on fixing it!
*Author's Note: The Yarn Along
button in this post is property of Ginny Sheller and is used with permission.
The image of Love Letters to the Dead audio version is taken from the Audible website and used for illustrative purposes only. All other images used in this post as well as text are
(c)Whitney Miller and may be used only with my express permission. See my About
Page for details.*
Friday, December 12, 2014
Pinteresting, Vol. 10
Happy Friday and welcome to Pinteresting! The part of the
show where I roundup my favorite pins from this week and share them
with the world. I pin recipes, decorating ideas, religious stuff,
teaching thoughts, funny stuff from Tumblr, kids' activities, crafting
ideas, knitting/crochet patterns, and cute cat pictures.
1)
Are these not unspeakably cute??? The link from the pin links to a place where you can buy a kit, but you can also download the free pattern if you want to make your own and bedazzle 'em yourself. I'm gonna keep pinning Christmas stuff until Epiphany, y'all. Christmas is gooooood stuff. :)
2)
I need this in a big, bad way. It's everything I want in winter apparel: it's comfy, neutral colored, features a cute kitty, and has a sassy saying on it which will ensure my singleness! For more on my forays into the world of romance (HA) visit this post.
4)
I adore Haley Stewart at Carrots for Michaelmas. This post is one of many reasons why. I've got quite a bit of housework to get done before I can really enjoy Christmas (if you had my mother breathing down your neck, you would, too) and it's become rather a begrudging mountain of "I don't wanna." But, with a slight change of attitude and some small happy-making touches, housework isn't such a hassle. I would know, because I employed some of these things last night and got a whole slew of tidying done between 7:30 and 9pm. I even vacuumed! The whole house!
5)
*hem hem* THESE COOKIES. These cookies are your reward for making it to the end of this post because Sweet Jesus are they good. I made them last year as gifts for my office friends and neighbors and you bet your bum I'm making them again this year. They were a hit, they taste fantastic, and while they were baking my whole house smelled like Christmas. If you don't like mint or chocolate they are not for you (and I'm not for you, I mean really, what's not to love!?) but they're awesome. The recipe was posted at House Unseen by the lovely Dwija last year around this time, but because I needed the recipe for this weekend, I went digging through her archives to find it and pin it. The pin links to her post from last December. She got it from one of her daughters' books.
That's it for this week's edition of Pinteresting! I always enjoy curating my favorite, most recent pins. If you're not currently on Pinterest, make sure you take a moment to say goodbye to your loved ones before you log on, because there's no going back! You can follow me on Pinterest (any or all of my boards, find your cup of tea) HERE. Happy weekend!
1)
Are these not unspeakably cute??? The link from the pin links to a place where you can buy a kit, but you can also download the free pattern if you want to make your own and bedazzle 'em yourself. I'm gonna keep pinning Christmas stuff until Epiphany, y'all. Christmas is gooooood stuff. :)
2)
Ah, the adhesive hook, a renter's best friend. I've struggled with our trash bags in the kitchen trash can for a while now and tried every type and manner of taping I could think of and eventually just gave up and now just let it slip and endure the frustration. With this handy hack, though, perhaps others don't have to! Upon reflection, this hack won't work because my kitchen bin puts the liner inside an inner tube of trash can, which sounds weird but it's what I've got to work with. If I ever get a more traditional/standard bin like a normal person I'll definitely switch to this hack.
3)
4)
I adore Haley Stewart at Carrots for Michaelmas. This post is one of many reasons why. I've got quite a bit of housework to get done before I can really enjoy Christmas (if you had my mother breathing down your neck, you would, too) and it's become rather a begrudging mountain of "I don't wanna." But, with a slight change of attitude and some small happy-making touches, housework isn't such a hassle. I would know, because I employed some of these things last night and got a whole slew of tidying done between 7:30 and 9pm. I even vacuumed! The whole house!
5)
We don't do a whole lot of makeup talk here at Infinite, but every once-in-a-while I pin stuff and really like it and go to Walgreen's and buy it and end up really really liking it. This is kind of the reverse of that process. (Though I did pin another makeup-y thing that I then went out and purchased here.) I got this matte balm about 2 weeks ago and I can't stop wearing it. It comes out as a darker berry color on me instead of this pretty pink but I love it. The rich berry color isn't too dark but still feels on point for winter (whatever that means).
*hem hem* THESE COOKIES. These cookies are your reward for making it to the end of this post because Sweet Jesus are they good. I made them last year as gifts for my office friends and neighbors and you bet your bum I'm making them again this year. They were a hit, they taste fantastic, and while they were baking my whole house smelled like Christmas. If you don't like mint or chocolate they are not for you (and I'm not for you, I mean really, what's not to love!?) but they're awesome. The recipe was posted at House Unseen by the lovely Dwija last year around this time, but because I needed the recipe for this weekend, I went digging through her archives to find it and pin it. The pin links to her post from last December. She got it from one of her daughters' books.
That's it for this week's edition of Pinteresting! I always enjoy curating my favorite, most recent pins. If you're not currently on Pinterest, make sure you take a moment to say goodbye to your loved ones before you log on, because there's no going back! You can follow me on Pinterest (any or all of my boards, find your cup of tea) HERE. Happy weekend!
love,
Willow
**Author's
Note: None of the images in this post are my property. I have borrowed
them from Pinterest and made my best effort to ensure that the Pinterest
pages linked to link to an original source. If you see your work here
and want it taken down please see my About page and contact me. Thank
you for not suing.**
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
52 Lists - Week Eight
This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new
list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm
inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!
Week 8 - List Your Favorite Albums
This was hard! Not because I love music so much it was hard to choose (although that was part of it), but because most of my favorite "albums" are mix CDs my friends made me in high school and college. Things that can never be purchased on iTunes or in the discount bin at a record store. These albums defined so many big life moments for me and the people that made them put a lot of love and thought and "oh, Willow would *love* this..." into them. But this is the listing of my favorite albums that you can buy on iTunes. I checked.
+ Fearless by Taylor Swift + Greatest Hits by Jim Croce + Blue by Joni Mitchell + Fly by The Dixie Chicks + From Under the Cork Tree by Fallout Boy + Andy Grammer by himself + American Idiot by Greenday + Foiled and Amazing by Blue October + Everything In Transit by Jack's Mannequin + Nothing Left to Lose by Matt Kearney + 21 by Adele + Interventions and Lullabies by The Format + Third Eye Blind and Ursa Major by Third Eye Blind + Siren Song of the Counter Culture by Rise Against + Dudu by Tarkan + On a Clear Night by Missy Higgins + We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things by Jason Mraz + The Piano Guys by themselves + A Lesson in Romantics by Mayday Parade + Hideaway by The Weepies + For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
Do you remember your first album? Bet you can't guess which one was mine...
Happy Listening!
Willow
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Week 8 - List Your Favorite Albums
This was hard! Not because I love music so much it was hard to choose (although that was part of it), but because most of my favorite "albums" are mix CDs my friends made me in high school and college. Things that can never be purchased on iTunes or in the discount bin at a record store. These albums defined so many big life moments for me and the people that made them put a lot of love and thought and "oh, Willow would *love* this..." into them. But this is the listing of my favorite albums that you can buy on iTunes. I checked.
+ Fearless by Taylor Swift + Greatest Hits by Jim Croce + Blue by Joni Mitchell + Fly by The Dixie Chicks + From Under the Cork Tree by Fallout Boy + Andy Grammer by himself + American Idiot by Greenday + Foiled and Amazing by Blue October + Everything In Transit by Jack's Mannequin + Nothing Left to Lose by Matt Kearney + 21 by Adele + Interventions and Lullabies by The Format + Third Eye Blind and Ursa Major by Third Eye Blind + Siren Song of the Counter Culture by Rise Against + Dudu by Tarkan + On a Clear Night by Missy Higgins + We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things by Jason Mraz + The Piano Guys by themselves + A Lesson in Romantics by Mayday Parade + Hideaway by The Weepies + For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
 |
| you know you love my terrible photography skills |
Do you remember your first album? Bet you can't guess which one was mine...
Happy Listening!
Willow
For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little
categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea
Seal's site to see more!
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
52 Lists - Week Seven
This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new
list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm
inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!
Week 7 - List Things that Make You Feel Healthy - Mind, Body & Soul
Health is a big thing these days, and now that I'm entering my mid-20s (cue freak-out montage), my health is becoming something I'm more interested in. Eating broccoli used to be a chore - now I'm really good at sneaking veggies into a variety of dishes. I even floss now! And a few years ago, I had to do a lot of quick-learning about how to take care of my mind and spirit in addition to caring for my physical well-being. Here's my list:
Mind:
+ reading challenging or thought-provoking books + discussing books or theology with friends + writing letters + long drives + brain games +watching Vlogbrothers "Thoughts from Places" videos + reading blogs that present clear arguments on various topics that allow me to think critically + getting my daily work done and the satisfaction of being productive +getting my thoughts and reflections out in my journal
Body:
+ getting plenty of sleep + drinking water + taking vitamins + going for walks by myself + drinking tea (green) + riding my bike around the neighborhood + stretching in the morning and before bed + making sure to get fruits or veggies in at every meal and snack break + doing yoga + dancing while I clean the house
Soul:
+ long baths + watching movies that genuinely make me laugh + staying up late or getting up early to read, write, and pray + listening to happy music + being fully present at mass and adoration + buying flowers for the kitchen table + hugs + singing + dancing with abandon + saying the Rosary
So those are the things that make me feel like a healthy individual. What healthy habits can you work into your day? I'm gonna go drink a nice, tall glass of water.
Cheers,
Willow
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Week 7 - List Things that Make You Feel Healthy - Mind, Body & Soul
Health is a big thing these days, and now that I'm entering my mid-20s (cue freak-out montage), my health is becoming something I'm more interested in. Eating broccoli used to be a chore - now I'm really good at sneaking veggies into a variety of dishes. I even floss now! And a few years ago, I had to do a lot of quick-learning about how to take care of my mind and spirit in addition to caring for my physical well-being. Here's my list:
Mind:
+ reading challenging or thought-provoking books + discussing books or theology with friends + writing letters + long drives + brain games +watching Vlogbrothers "Thoughts from Places" videos + reading blogs that present clear arguments on various topics that allow me to think critically + getting my daily work done and the satisfaction of being productive +getting my thoughts and reflections out in my journal
Body:
+ getting plenty of sleep + drinking water + taking vitamins + going for walks by myself + drinking tea (green) + riding my bike around the neighborhood + stretching in the morning and before bed + making sure to get fruits or veggies in at every meal and snack break + doing yoga + dancing while I clean the house
Soul:
+ long baths + watching movies that genuinely make me laugh + staying up late or getting up early to read, write, and pray + listening to happy music + being fully present at mass and adoration + buying flowers for the kitchen table + hugs + singing + dancing with abandon + saying the Rosary
 |
| sorry again for the bad lighting - I keep trying to fix them but then they go fuzzy and... well, iPhones probably aren't the best blog photographers |
So those are the things that make me feel like a healthy individual. What healthy habits can you work into your day? I'm gonna go drink a nice, tall glass of water.
Cheers,
Willow
For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little
categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea
Seal's site to see more!
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
52 Lists - Week Six
This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new
list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm
inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!
Week 6 - List the Ways in which You can Love Others
Loving others. It sounds so easy, but this list required a lot of creative thinking. I know a lot of people who are linking up with this mostly go specific - which is great - but I wanted to think of more general, everyday ways to love others. There are some that are very specific, but a lot of them are just daily reminders that I need to be more conscious of. The list:
+ exercise patience - don't yell or be sarcastic + be encouraging + be optimistic and positive - even when I don't want to be + be sincere when asking "How are you?" + give gifts just because + let cars merge + pray for people who annoy/upset/are not loving to me + send my mom flowers + be a useful employee to Dad + focus more on listening and less on talking + be gracious + give people the benefit of the doubt +call people on their birthday + be giving/generous + give my full attention + don't complain - be grateful + write thank you notes for little things +get to work on time or early + take Oma out to lunch + be fun, understanding, and a good role model to my sisters + compliment freely and sincerely (and often!)
Wow, a lot of these are mostly about just being more positive. Admittedly, I do tend to be more on the doom and gloom side of things, and I do think I should complain less.
How are you going to be loving this week?
Looooooooooove,
Willow
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Week 6 - List the Ways in which You can Love Others
Loving others. It sounds so easy, but this list required a lot of creative thinking. I know a lot of people who are linking up with this mostly go specific - which is great - but I wanted to think of more general, everyday ways to love others. There are some that are very specific, but a lot of them are just daily reminders that I need to be more conscious of. The list:
+ exercise patience - don't yell or be sarcastic + be encouraging + be optimistic and positive - even when I don't want to be + be sincere when asking "How are you?" + give gifts just because + let cars merge + pray for people who annoy/upset/are not loving to me + send my mom flowers + be a useful employee to Dad + focus more on listening and less on talking + be gracious + give people the benefit of the doubt +call people on their birthday + be giving/generous + give my full attention + don't complain - be grateful + write thank you notes for little things +get to work on time or early + take Oma out to lunch + be fun, understanding, and a good role model to my sisters + compliment freely and sincerely (and often!)
 |
| sorry for the fuzzy photo |
Wow, a lot of these are mostly about just being more positive. Admittedly, I do tend to be more on the doom and gloom side of things, and I do think I should complain less.
How are you going to be loving this week?
Looooooooooove,
Willow
For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little
categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea
Seal's site to see more!
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
52 Lists - Week Five
This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new
list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm
inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!
Week 5: List What You Are Grateful For
Things I'm grateful for - always something so important. With this list the thoughts just kept on coming, so I tried to be a bit creative. Obviously I'm thankful for my life, for being alive and living in a country where I have so much freedom (it's not perfect but it's better than other places) and having a family that loves me (even if they don't always show it) and so on and so forth. This was all around a really good exercise in looking at things I take for granted - other than having clean, running water and indoor plumbing. So here's my list:
+ having a nice place to live + cheap rent (thanks, Mom & Dad) + living in a beautiful city near a pretty park + having space to keep my grandmother's furniture and all my books +my job, with flexible hours, a mostly easy-going boss, and being allowed to bring my cat to work + getting paid well enough to pay bills and buy food + having a (mostly) reliable car + my best friend and resident fuzzball, Gatsby + having the time and opportunity to supplement my income with babysitting jobs + having one of those babysitting jobs run for almost 4 years and being treated like part of their family + the awesomeness of the Vlogbrothers + being able to count my little sisters amongst my closest friends + having health insurance and access to health care + my Catholic faith + clean water, electricity, internet & telephone access, and other modern amenities + penpals + music, art, literature, dancing, and the privilege of growing up with those things + parents who believe in the importance of exposing their children to culture and the arts + getting to be part of my niece and nephew's lives + having a large, crazy, beautiful extended family + that I got the opportunity to travel across Western Europe with my mom, my best friend, and some awesome tour guides at only 17 + my exceptional education (thanks, Mom & Dad!) + beautiful days, unforgettable nights + stars and moonlight + hope + a world where there are Christmases
So, so much to be grateful for - what an amazing life it is. Of course this list isn't complete, but I was beginning to run out of room on my paper, as you can see.
What are you grateful for? What are the things that remind you how incredible life is?
Peace love and thanksgiving,
Willow
Bonus take:
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Week 5: List What You Are Grateful For
Things I'm grateful for - always something so important. With this list the thoughts just kept on coming, so I tried to be a bit creative. Obviously I'm thankful for my life, for being alive and living in a country where I have so much freedom (it's not perfect but it's better than other places) and having a family that loves me (even if they don't always show it) and so on and so forth. This was all around a really good exercise in looking at things I take for granted - other than having clean, running water and indoor plumbing. So here's my list:
+ having a nice place to live + cheap rent (thanks, Mom & Dad) + living in a beautiful city near a pretty park + having space to keep my grandmother's furniture and all my books +my job, with flexible hours, a mostly easy-going boss, and being allowed to bring my cat to work + getting paid well enough to pay bills and buy food + having a (mostly) reliable car + my best friend and resident fuzzball, Gatsby + having the time and opportunity to supplement my income with babysitting jobs + having one of those babysitting jobs run for almost 4 years and being treated like part of their family + the awesomeness of the Vlogbrothers + being able to count my little sisters amongst my closest friends + having health insurance and access to health care + my Catholic faith + clean water, electricity, internet & telephone access, and other modern amenities + penpals + music, art, literature, dancing, and the privilege of growing up with those things + parents who believe in the importance of exposing their children to culture and the arts + getting to be part of my niece and nephew's lives + having a large, crazy, beautiful extended family + that I got the opportunity to travel across Western Europe with my mom, my best friend, and some awesome tour guides at only 17 + my exceptional education (thanks, Mom & Dad!) + beautiful days, unforgettable nights + stars and moonlight + hope + a world where there are Christmases
 |
| I couldn't get a really clear photos of this list because of a certain furry someone. See below. |
So, so much to be grateful for - what an amazing life it is. Of course this list isn't complete, but I was beginning to run out of room on my paper, as you can see.
What are you grateful for? What are the things that remind you how incredible life is?
Peace love and thanksgiving,
Willow
Bonus take:
 |
| Every time I use my phone to take pictures, he needs to be involved. |
For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little
categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea
Seal's site to see more!
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Book Review: Tell the Wolves I'm Home
Stats:
# of pages: 355
Publication Date: 2012
Publisher: Originally published in hardcover in the United States by The Dial Press, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., in 2012
My Copy: 2013 Dial Press Trade Paperback Edition - Target Book Club Pick with Reading Group Guide (6 pages)
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
52 Lists - Week Four
This year I'm participating in Moorea Seal's 52 Lists project - a new
list every week this year! Since I love making lists of things, I'm
inflicting them on all of you. Head on over to her site HERE to check out all the lovely lists or join in yourself!
Week 4 - List Your Current & Future Goals and Dreams
Goals and dreams: I've got a lot of them. This list was an interesting way to look at my goals in the sense of small picture and big picture; things I want to accomplish soon with concrete certainty and my someday-maybe pipe dreams. My "Current" list is stuff I want to accomplish by the end of 2014 (unless I specified some other end date), whereas my "Future" list is mostly on the dreams side of things rather than the goals side. You know what I mean. Here's my list:
CURRENT:
+ finish deep cleaning and organizing the condo, and have my room consistently tidy by Christmas (this is a serious goal because I am rubbish at home/space organization)
+ save enough money to be able to cover rent when Gary moves out
+ polish 3 poems to submit to literary magazines by the end of summer
+ organize and catalog the library this summer
+ get into a solid routine of exercising every day (I'm making progress on this one!)
+ write up a bunch of blog posts and work up to posting every week (the photo says every day, but what I meant to add - thoughts faster than pen! - was to write every day)
+ meet new people and make new friends
FUTURE:
+ be a recognized, fiscally solvent writer
+ own a small house with a yellow kitchen, a garden, chickens, and a library [and a cat] (this little dream of mine has been in place for ages. I can't explain my obsession with having a sunny yellow kitchen, but it's ingrained in the dream. So's the window over the kitchen sink with lacy white curtains that looks into the garden. I'm a dreamer...)
+ share my life with someone I love
+ have children
+ live in a foreign country (possibly the U.K. or Germany) for at least 6 months or longer
+ see my niece and nephew baptized in the Catholic Church (ah, we've entered the pipe dream section of this list)
+ have tea with Francesca Lia Block
+ read thousands of really good books
+ start a literacy foundation
+ reform Catholic religious education/catechism instruction across the country (another dream I've had for a long, long time)
+ inspire someone
+ change the world
+ become a saint (formal canonization not required)
So, what are your goals for the rest of 2014? What are your dreams for the future? Do you dream of garden bungalows with yellow kitchens and blue libraries or something different? Let me know in comments....
Peace, love, and daydreams,
Willow
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
Week 4 - List Your Current & Future Goals and Dreams
Goals and dreams: I've got a lot of them. This list was an interesting way to look at my goals in the sense of small picture and big picture; things I want to accomplish soon with concrete certainty and my someday-maybe pipe dreams. My "Current" list is stuff I want to accomplish by the end of 2014 (unless I specified some other end date), whereas my "Future" list is mostly on the dreams side of things rather than the goals side. You know what I mean. Here's my list:
CURRENT:
+ finish deep cleaning and organizing the condo, and have my room consistently tidy by Christmas (this is a serious goal because I am rubbish at home/space organization)
+ save enough money to be able to cover rent when Gary moves out
+ polish 3 poems to submit to literary magazines by the end of summer
+ organize and catalog the library this summer
+ get into a solid routine of exercising every day (I'm making progress on this one!)
+ write up a bunch of blog posts and work up to posting every week (the photo says every day, but what I meant to add - thoughts faster than pen! - was to write every day)
+ meet new people and make new friends
 |
| those colorful bits of paper are from my Happy Thoughts Jar |
+ be a recognized, fiscally solvent writer
+ own a small house with a yellow kitchen, a garden, chickens, and a library [and a cat] (this little dream of mine has been in place for ages. I can't explain my obsession with having a sunny yellow kitchen, but it's ingrained in the dream. So's the window over the kitchen sink with lacy white curtains that looks into the garden. I'm a dreamer...)
+ share my life with someone I love
+ have children
+ live in a foreign country (possibly the U.K. or Germany) for at least 6 months or longer
+ see my niece and nephew baptized in the Catholic Church (ah, we've entered the pipe dream section of this list)
+ have tea with Francesca Lia Block
+ read thousands of really good books
+ start a literacy foundation
+ reform Catholic religious education/catechism instruction across the country (another dream I've had for a long, long time)
+ inspire someone
+ change the world
+ become a saint (formal canonization not required)
So, what are your goals for the rest of 2014? What are your dreams for the future? Do you dream of garden bungalows with yellow kitchens and blue libraries or something different? Let me know in comments....
Peace, love, and daydreams,
Willow
For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little
categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea
Seal's site to see more!
Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html
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