Getting There...

We haven't been using the whole house yet. There is an upper level that will eventually be Parent Space. Well, probably mostly my space, as it will contain my massage table and sewing machine- but there will be room for Joel's stuff too.  But we wanted to do a bit of work on it before we got all moved in.

Not that we really had to, but we wanted to. When Joel pulled the carpet (which had to be done because of my allergies) he decided he did want to refinish the floors because there were some splintery spots.  This is what we started with:

This is what my floors look like upstairs now:

And the stairs- from the top:

Didn't he do a great job?! I absolutely love the look. The color is so pretty!

While he's been doing that, I've been doing my own work.

On the living room. This is a contrast shot, so you can see the difference between what it was and what it is now. The lighter color is what I put on.

This is the end result- contrast color walls on either side of the chimney, the other 3 walls a light beige:

To tie in the contrasting color- I put some on the back wall of the built-in storage alcove on the wall opposite the fireplace. And it just looks all homey now that I have some books on it too.

What is it about unpacking the books that makes a house turn into a home?

Now that I'm done with my painting in the living room, and Joel is done with the floors, I get to turn my attention to my room. Tomorrow, more painting. Hopefully this weekend, I can start moving the unpacked boxes to the upstairs and get them unpacked too!

Just Playing Around

We're moved!!! Thank you so much to everyone that came and helped!  You made our life so much easier; we really appreciate it.

We've been here for almost a week now. It is hard to believe that it's only been a week, and yet also hard to believe that it's already been a week. It has been a very busy week.

There are still boxes all over the place, but I have a few rooms that are box-free and look organized. It's a bit crowded still, as there is still one entire level of the house that we are not yet using. Joel is refinishing the floor as I type this. Then we will paint, then we will re-arrange; and then I will feel like I have tons of room!

I'm taking my time with the cleaning, unpacking and organizing. I am having a great time. In the midst of all the unpacking this week, I took some time to use some paint leftovers to do a little shelf makeover before I unpack the boxes of stuff that go on this shelf.

This is in process, but you can see the pink that this covered this little file shelf when it came to me:

 This is the almost finished product:

 I put some patterned Contac paper on the back, just for something pretty.  The inside of the shelf is a light green, and the outside is a dark green.

 With the shelves in it. You can't really see the patterning of the paper in the back here- my flash washed it out, but it's there.  It now fits the color scheme of my home better, and I had so much fun playing in the paint!

Now to get back to more mundane things- like cleaning the bathrooms....we have been here a week, after all. ;)

Moving......

Moving is fun! This is the current state of my living room:

Boxes everywhere. I have to fill them instantly, or they become forts.  But that's ok. With most of the toys packed, the kids have to have something to do!

Happy July 1st!

I have 2 patterns now available for individual purchase from Ravelry.com. These patterns were previously available only in the booklet "More Socks Inspired by the Lord of the Rings".  If you wanted them and not the others, now is your opportunity. Enjoy.

Eowyn:

Very fair was her face, and her long hair was like a river of gold. Slender and tall she was in her white robe girt with silver; but strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings.  Thus Aragorn for the first time in the full light of day beheld Eowyn, Lady of Rohan, and thought her fair, fair and cold, like a morning of pale spring that is not yet come to womanhood.


“…..’What do you fear, lady?’ he asked.
“’A cage,’ she said. ‘To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.’


“…..Faramir said: ‘….For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell….’


“’…I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.’”
The Lord of the Rings- JRR Tolkien


The colors of this sock gradually go from the gold of Eowyn's hair, to the red I imagine her to wear.  A fairly simple pattern, really, this sock is one of my favorites. The lace flowers and the smocking just seem to fit the mental image I have of Eowyn to perfection. I hope you like it too.




Faramir:

The brave Captain of Gondor who was of the highest quality (as proclaimed by Samwise the gardener) was
a “grave young man”. He did not desire to be a warrior, but because it was necessary, he did it well. He
was rewarded for his whole-hearted service by being made the Prince of Ithilien and receiving the hand of
Eowyn, Lady of Rohan, in marriage.

This is a simple lace pattern that starts together at the toe, splits to wrap around the ankle and meet again in the back of the leg.

Again, a deceptively simple sock to knit. I love the colors. TheUniqueSheep.com always comes up with the best colors for my designs.

Half Anniversary

This weekend, Joel and I were blessed to be able to run away for a little while and have a 12th Honeymoon. Even though it's not really our anniversary yet, this is when it worked out for us to go this time around. We try to do this every year. Just to reconnect and celebrate our marriage. It is a huge blessing every single time. We couldn't do it without Mom and my Sis. Thank you two, for being the best babysitters ever, and loving our kids.

This year, we went to the Oregon coast. Garibaldi. Where we stayed at the Garibaldi House Inn and Suites. It is a very nice place to stay. Highly recommend it. Very comfortable, good breakfast, nice people.

This was the view out our window:

This was the view in the opposite direction:

While I like the ocean view, the mountains are my favorite. This was a great place to get both. The Oregon coast is the best.

My date:

We went for a walk, and found this huge piece of driftwood that someone had obviously put a lot of work into:

It was a friendly dragon. Made of rivets, carvings, and stain. Very prettily done. So cool to find in a very out of the way place- that you can't get to in high tide.

We found where the otters lived, and they came surprisingly close to us.

Elk were hanging out on an island outside Wheeler, where we ate at the Tsunami Bar and Grill- a fantastic find. Very good food!

I even managed to get a shot of a Kingfisher. Such pretty colors!

It was a fabulous weekend. :D

Happy Father's Day!

About 12 years ago, I was talking to my Dad about my fiance'. My Dad gave me some very good advice. He said, "You don't need to ask yourself whether or not you want to spend the rest of your life with this man; you need to ask yourself, 'Do I want this man to be the father of my children?'."  So very true.

Thank you so much, Daddy, for all the amazing wisdom you have shared with me over the years. I am so incredibly blessed to have you for my father- and for my children's Grandpa.

I am also incredibly blessed for my children to have the father they have.

How wonderful it is to be surrounded by godly men that take their responsibilities seriously, and care for their families.  My Dad, my Father-in-law, my husband- what a legacy they are giving to my children. In a time when strong families are becoming rare, I am surrounded by men that know what it is to be a real man. To stand up for what is right, to keep working when it is hard, to give with no reward immediately returned.

Thank you to the men in my life. Happy Father's Day! I love you.

Summer!!!!

Ok, so it's not officially Summer yet, and if you look out my window today, you'll think I'm way off. It is a normal grey and cloudy Winter/Spring day in dear old weird Portland. But all the kids are done with all their school for the year, and it's starting to warm up- now that Rose Festival is over.

Ever notice that? Those of you in Oregon- Portland especially know what I'm talking about. The nice weather holds off being consistent until the Rose Festival is over. I think I remember one year in my 12 years in Portland where the Rose Parade got sun. All the rest of the years, it rained. And rained. And rained. Until the day after. Then the sun appears! That certainly happened this year! And we got 2 days of sun and the clouds came back today. But the forecast looks lovely. I am looking forward to the sun; and taking the kids to the park regularly.

They need to get out. We have a nice backyard, and we enjoy it, but a change of scenery is a good thing every now and then. Especially right now. My kids have had cabin fever for months.  And months. I think I have too....

I have not been knitting very much lately. In fact, in the last 4 weeks, I think I've averaged about 2 rows of knitting maybe every other day. That's not so good. I need to be knitting. In fact, I need to be knitting 2-4 hours per day. I have a lot of knitting to do in the next 6 months (not to mention what has to be done this month alone), and it's not going to do itself- unfortunately.

Normally, I love to knit. I knit every spare minute I get. Not just knitting though, designing. I like to be fully engaged in what I'm doing. I love a challenge. (Yes, I am competitive, why do you ask?) But lately.... the knitting I need to do-designing, I should say-is feeling like too much. Oh, I'm not working on crazy hard patterns (not really, after all, I'm not learning a new technique with these ones), or on itty-bitty needles, even. When I knit, I get to see growth in the pattern, and it's not boring. It's really just the right mix of challenge and boredom to keep me occupied. Normally.

But lately, I have so much on my plate that even boring knitting (as in plain stockinette in the round [yeah, if you're a knitter, you understand!] for 20 inches) sounds like too much to contemplate....

Last Friday, I tore apart our living room and dining room- literally took every thing out of them. And Joel came home after work to do a "screen and coat" on the hardwoods.  Then on Saturday evening, we put the dining room set, one couch, and my chair back. Oh, and my knitting basket, but I didn't actually touch it until today!  Our family room is crammed, and for once I can't park my van in the garage. But I'm not putting it back together any more than that. The bookshelves contents are in boxes, and there they will stay until August.

Today, the kids took down all posters and pictures off their walls and started sorting through their toys and choosing things they don't play with anymore to give away. Tomorrow, I'll sort through the rest of the books and pack up what we don't want to keep to take to Powell's books.

And so on it will go until my house is nothing but boxes. The end of July, we will take those boxes to a new home. And we are so excited!

Joel and I have moved a lot since we got married. This move will be our 12th. In almost 12 years of marriage. In 2012. I am really hoping this is it. I absolutely LOVE the house we are being blessed with. (It has a pantry. A big, beautiful pantry. I've never had a pantry before- and this one, well, this one is fantastic.) Joel calls it The Playground. The kids are going to love it. Not only does it have a large fenced yard (with gardening area) with a big concrete pad to ride their bikes on, it even has a treehouse. With a rope swing. And a garage already set up as a workshop for Joel. Every time I think about it, I almost cry. I can't believe how blessed we are. We have the most amazing God, and the best friends. I am just overwhelmed with how well we are taken care of. We hope to share some of those blessings from this new home.

So yeah, knitting is not in the forefront of my mind right now, I have to admit. And even when I do think about it, it's not usually with any desire to pick up the needles. Sort and pack yarn?? Sure! Design? Maybe in September....

So forgive the occasional blog silence this Summer. It's a very exciting Summer, and I'm a bit occupied at the moment....