{this moment}

{this moment} - Joining Amanda in a Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Keeping Busy

I have been busy lately. Not the busy of running around town or hitting the lake. Summer in Arizona is similar to winter elsewhere. The little time spent outdoors is usually in the pool. Most of our days now are spent inside enjoying cool air conditioning. My busy has been in establishing new routines and rhythms. We had been busy exploring our new library, taking quick afternoon trips to the nearby museums, visiting friends who live just blocks away and staying up late. The last few weeks have been ones of finding our niche and relishing it.

The new house is becoming more of our home each day. Little things are added like the construction paper chain adorning our dining room, added by Aine in a fit of creativity. We are coming together again as a family to see and do. Part of the time is spent on the computer creating new code, exploring minecraft mods or watching documentaries. Other time is spent at the table eating meals together, entertaining and laughing, or watching the dog owners, just out the window, exercise their pets in the evening hours. Much more of our time now is spent creating, pulling out long forgotten mediums to create and enjoy.

This creating and settling into our home means a bit of knitting too. I seem to have found my mojo again. Last week I finished a shawl. I used a pattern that has been in my queue for years. I finally decided it was time to make one after seeing so many gorgeous ones through the Yarn Along. It is the Citron pattern from Knitty, however I added as many repeats as I had yarn. I used Kauni in a gradient colorway. I really love the colors, but the yarn is a bit more rustic than what I usually use. Once blocked it did soften up. I had it hanging in the doorway for a few days, and my mom happened to visit. She mentioned how pretty it was, so I gave it to her. I looks beautiful on her. I hope she wears it and enjoys it.

 

RAIN

It doesn't rain here often, and when it does we celebrate. This weekend brought quite a big thunderstorm and downpour. On Sunday morning, the kiddos and I headed out into the rain and splashed in the puddles, ran through the water and generally enjoyed the change in weather. When the annual precipitation is less than 10 inches, you must soak it all in. With the rain came a drop in temperature, so Dave opened the windows throughout the house. Somehow 83 degrees seemed cool. It was nice to get a bit of fresh air inside and a bit of moisture in this dry land. Is it wrong to hope for more?
(and yes, the dirt photos that look like a vacant lot are of our backyard--ripe for gardens, treeless treehouse and chickens. In due time.)

Location, location, location

Our new home is the perfect location for Fourth of July festivities. Fireworks colored the sky right above our house. The kiddos loved it. We didn't have to go anywhere. With a blanket spread across the ground, we mingled with neighbors, wore glow sticks and enjoyed family. Next year I think a big BBQ is on the agenda.

*Photo credit shared with Eamon and Aine.

Tiny Packages

Since moving into a new home, I have been busy unpacking and staging this chapter of our life. While moving and arranging, I found a few things in various stacks that I meant to mail to friends and family. I quickly set about fixing this oversight. Several trips have been made to the post office with a few more soon. The biggest items have been for the new babies arriving in our family this summer. We will be welcoming two nieces this year. In fact one made her appearance a bit early last week.

Usually babies born into our extended family are welcomed with handknits. However, a lot of my family lives where it is warm. The little lady, who arrived at the end of June, lives in sunny southern California, so her need for handknits is low. However, the next baby due lives in Michigan and will definitely need warmth. Earlier this year, my sister in love sent me a skein of yarn from the living history museum near her. I decided togive it back to her after making it into something for her fourth babe. I scoured Ravelry for just the right piece to use the 200 yards. I found a simple baby sweater and made it immediately.

The sweater knit up quickly, however my yarn soon ran out. I found a bit of rustic looking pink in my stash to use as trim. The look was perfect. Finding just the right buttons took a bit longer. I finally found some simple pink ones that coordinated well with the trim yarn. I am hoping it fits well and can keep my little niece warm. We shall see in a few more weeks!

I mentioned the other day about our source for audiobooks. The kiddos and I have been listening to the All of a Kind family series lately working our way through the series. Sometimes at home we will quickly listen to a Boxcar Children mystery. They really like those too. I started and finishedAbraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter while finishing the socks from last week's Yarn Along. Dave's brother (and the next expectant father) suggested that I read it. It is very far from my normal reading, but I found its historical context quite interesting. It isn't often that you can have a vampire novel about a former president that is surprisingly historically accurate.