Cricket in a Biscuit

Startitis, like the cold, must have been going around this week! I cast on three new projects, all cowls, but all very different. The first was, Fear of Commitment , a chunky knit which can be styled in a variety of ways. Taking a "Selfish Saturday," I added stops at Caribou Coffee and JoAnn Fabrics to my usual errand run. I got the yarn, Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Tweed in Oatmeal, and buttons for the Fear of Commitment Cowl. Two buttons, one large art button and one toggle, tied together with stretchy cord act a shawl pin used to style the cowl. I started the cowl the same afternoon, and finished it late Saturday night. While I knit, Darren and I watched the new, Magnificent 7 — another selfish Saturday splurge. A fan of the classic, I had misgivings about a remake, but it was great! We enjoyed it very much. Darren said I have redeemed myself. The last movie I bought, Bone Tomahawk, was awful. Sadly so, because it had definite potential. The dialog was ...

January is well underway, and it is cold! When the temperature gets this low, our poor furnace struggles to keep up, which can make finding motivation to do more than cuddle under a blanket on the couch difficult. It is really hard some mornings to slip into those workout clothes and get started, but I'm keeping up with Hammer and Chisel * despite the chill. Into the third week now, I'm starting to see the progress and can feel it when I strap on my belt. Even better, I'm getting stronger! This week, I set a new personal best for both pull-ups (overhand) and chin-ups (underhand) with eleven each. I do use an assist band, but it is still a huge improvement. The quick and measurable increases in strength, balance and flexibility with Hammer and Chisel are quite empowering and why I love the program so much. Darren had to spend a couple nights away from home due to road conditions, and he noticed a difference in just the three days he was gone. Also seeing a lot of pr...

Usually, I am very conscious of the background. I try not to embarrass myself by posting pictures with lurking piles of laundry or dishes. The camera angle is calculated to avoid dirty windows and crumbs on the floor. Watching today's playback, I was mortified to see, not only is the over-filled garbage can visible, so are the dishes. Most of them are clean, but still. Also, my complexion is a mess, there's an inexplicable amount of sweat given how cold it is in here, and I'm interrupted several times. My first instinct was to redo the whole thing. But, you know what? This is the Dahlhouse. This is my reality. There are always dirty dishes waiting. Sometime today, I will get the clean ones put away and the dirty ones washed, probably just in time to start supper. Laundry is ongoing, and will never be finished. We are almost to the point where the kids can be left unattended long enough for me to fold it somewhere other than the living room, but we're not there ye...

After all the last minute rushing and prep, Christmas finally arrived! I hope yours was merry. We enjoyed time spent with family, and it was a happy holiday, indeed. With the gifts safely delivered, I can show you what I've been working on. The big knitting project which claimed not one, but two of my interchangeable cables was a baby blanket for my nephew, Cooper, who will be arriving this spring. The pattern by Marie Grace Smith is one I've been wanting to make forever, but I allow Darren's input on a lot of my baby projects, and he kept vetoing this one. One day, though, I walked into Jo-Ann Fabrics and these yarns just called to me. The pattern recommends a solid color, fingering weight. Of course, the yarn I chose is worsted weight, not even close to the same, but they were the perfect neutrals; it just seemed right. The nice thing about blankets, they are a simple shape, so the yarn weight really doesn't matter. Just knit until it is the right size. This blank...

Many years ago, there was a candy shop in Duluth, which was owned by my maternal great-grandfather. Though it has been closed for decades, the candy tradition has been passed down through the family. Every Christmas, we start churning out sweet treats by the pound, which is what I was busy doing this weekend. My sister and I happened to have the same weekend free — anyone else have totally insane December schedule this year?! — and we enjoyed spending the time with our mom. We all use the same core recipes: English toffee, caramel, and chocolate covered cherries, but over time we've each developed our own twist. Mine is sea salt toffee with dark chocolate. My sister likes to add turtles to her selection, and my brother's family has ventured into the white chocolate territory. Last year, my mom found the old family recipe for butterscotch, which was pretty good. I would not be sad if those became a regular feature! You're probably wondering if I'm going to share s...

There comes a time each year when I have to get real about what can actually be accomplished before Christmas. This week was that time. I create so much unneeded stress by trying to do all of the things; it is almost a relief to realize certain things are not going to happen and just let them go. It is possible I could finish my big knitting project by Christmas if I really commit. You might remember from last week , the project was derailed by an interchangeable cable failure. If there is one thing I want to finish in time, it is this project, so I found a way to keep knitting. It isn't pretty, but it works! Instead of one circular needle with a long cable, which would be ideal, I'm using three shorter needles. The first Frankensock , my answer to last week's sock woes, is finished. It fits, which is a nice change, but there is room for improvement. Observing all the feverish sock knitting as of late, the kids each requested a pair of socks for Christmas. That wi...

We are now fully into the holiday season, which, for us, means a lot of time in the car. Thanksgiving was a three-day affair with visits to each set of parents — I'm from a blended family, so I've got two sets. Of course, the eating was celebratory, and far from clean. Getting back on track this week has proven to be a challenge! Choosing to utilize, The 20s, has worked out very well. It has been much easier to stay on track with my workouts than it has with food. The workouts are 20 minutes each and exclusive to Beachbody on-demand. I made a schedule, which includes all the workouts from The 20s series and can be done within the 30-day free trial. The first two weeks look like this.  Oops! The last day of each week was cut off. Week 1 should end with Primal Body 1 by Derick, and Week 2 should end with Revival, beginner by Taylor.  So far, I've been really pleased with the variety and quality of the workouts. If you'd like to try it out, use the abo...