Unraveling and stitching together again

When speaking to friends about what led up to my headaches, I've found myself increasingly using the term "unraveling."  Back in December I felt more physically broken but now as the pain has receded and I resume normal activities, I've had time to reflect on 2014.  It was a slow process of not taking care of myself that led to this unraveling.

There's no reason to detail why or what I did or didn't do but that it happened. And then one day I started getting headaches. And they just didn't stop.  My body was saying "enough."

But here's what I have realized. Unraveling isn't such a bad thing. Because when you unravel a sweater, you still have a ball of yarn.  And that yarn can become anything.  It is full of potential. It could be another sweater, a vest, a hat and mitten set, a pair of socks, part of a warm afghan.  It could be knit tightly, loosely or just right.  A ball of yarn can be anything.

And so, that's me.  An unraveled Marisa.  Ready to be stitched back together.  I'm doing swatches. Getting my supplies.  Exploring my options.  Modifying patterns.  Writing my own directions.  I'm full of potential.

I just have to remind myself, that this is about the process, not the finished product.

And yes, my ball of yarn is pink.  Hot pink.

Be well.  Happy stitching.

Stitching with Lucy

A few days ago I was stitching along when Lucy scooted up next to me and said "teach me."  I was doing a fairly complex background stitch but I slowed down to show her how the stitches slanted to the right when working left to right and then to the left when working right to left. The needle skips a couple of "holes" to create longer stitches.  "I want to do that.  I want to do what you do."

Yesterday we stopped into our local store where they were having a trunk show of some lovely designs. Lucy picked out a Valentine canvas and lots of metallic thread. To my delight it was pink but I knew better than to say anything lest she change all the colors to black!

When returned home, I retrieved a practice canvas for her to review the basics of basket weave and continental stitch.  She quickly remembered the stitches.  We then settled into the day bed in the sewing room, turned on the Ott Lite, set up a pair of little scissors and a needle threader and got to work. With a needle in my hand, I directed her hands where to go.  After a few stitches, she confidently began placing the thread on her own, in her own way.  I gently guided her, reminding myself that this wasn't about the finished product, but about the process.

And it's also about continuing the legacy.  I come from a long line of stitchers: Quilting, sewing, embroidery, beading, needlepoint.  Every stitch I take, connects me with the women who came before me.  By teaching Lucy, I am connecting her with them as well, sharing our secret language of stitching. She is communing with her past as well as creating memories for her future.  

The stitch you take is in the past, but the product you make lasts into the future.  Sharing our knowledge and skills is a gift we give to ourselves and our children.

Stitch on.

Stitch by numbers - aka, Needlepoint

I've tried needlepoint countless times (pun intended.)  As a kid, I couldn't seem to keep track of where I stopped my last stitch and ended up with a ridge on the canvas.  I tried again after I got married when my mother gave me a canvas complete with needles, yarn and fabric for the back.  It was a large pink bow.  I worked on it for a bit but got bored.  And to be honest, I didn't really like the design, sorry Mom.

I jumped into needlepoint again about 8 years ago during a round of IVF.  I'd knit my way through the infertility treatments that resulted in Lucy but I didn't find that knitting was much comfort this time around.  Plus, I had Lucy to keep track of, so counting stitches and worrying about dropped stitches was more than I could handle.  So I picked out an adorable painted canvas of a little girl's dress.  It was part of a larger collection.  I envisioned completing all of them, having them framed and hanging in Lucy's room.  I pulled out my little cheat sheet from the kit my mom gave me and got to work.                                      

But instead of relaxing, it was frustrating.  Needlepoint is worked on a grid.  Each "cross" of the warp and weft is painted with a color coordinating to suggested thread color.  My dress was full of rounded flowers and ruffled edges.    I would sit for what seemed like hours staring at one of these crosses that was half white and half yellow trying to figure out if I should stitch white for a daisy petal or yellow for the daisy's center.  Sometimes I would just give up, and go back to stitching the background, where I didn't have to make a judgement call.  I longed for the ease of knit one, purl two.  

The IVF cycle failed.  I rolled the canvas up and stuck it in the back of a cabinet along with other UFOs such as lace baby blankets, crocheted granny squares, felted wee people.  Every once in a while I would pull it out and stitch a bit only to lose interest, again rolling it up and placing it back with its other lonely friends.

A couple of years ago, all of that changed.  I saw a canvas that I just had to have.  A jolly Santa donning a colorful turban.  My heart said it was time.  Time to needlepoint.  So I bought it.  When I got home I dug out my Needlepoint book and set to work only to become quickly frustrated by my continue indecisiveness over what color to use when two colors seemed possible.

Then, Eureka!  The local needlepoint store had a trunk show of the most adorable Lilly-inspired canvases.  I bought one that came with a stitch guide.  Obsession set it.  It was completed in a matter of weeks.  Another one was purchased.  Then another.  I was on a roll.  

I quickly realized that this was an expensive hobby so I ordered every book ever written on the topic of finishing needlepoint and taught myself how to block my canvases, finish them and make my own cording.

That old hesitation of which color to use was gone.  The words of a friend came back to me: "Needlepoint is easy.  It's like paint by numbers but with thread."  And she's right.  I love it because I can pick it up and out it down without worrying about losing my place.  It can be rolled up and tucked into a purse.  It can be pulled out in a carpool line, at a swim meet, on the train, a bus, during Sunday afternoon football-watching.  

And now, it's not related to anything sad or bad.  It's just fun.  And when I'm finished, I have the pleasure of knowing I made something from start to finish all by myself.  

It might just be time to pull that little dress out of the cabinet.  I'm certain I can figure out when to stitch white and when to stitch yellow.  That IVF cycle didn't result in a baby but there's no reason it can't result in an adorable little needlepointed baby dress to hang in my room.

Happy Stitching!

2015 - the year to write

People don't write anymore.  They don't write thank you notes.  They don't write emails.  They don't write birthday cards.

But what's weird, is that they do write short little comments on twitter.  tags on instragram.  tons and tons and tons of texts.  They write comments on websites.  They write comments on friends' facebook pages.

They also don't call.  Or return calls.  Or leave messages or listen to messages.

Truthfully, in all of this, I'm referring to myself. Though I am working on the thank-you note thing.

In 2013 I took a journaling class and loved it.  I journaled daily.  I explored all sorts of stuff.  But then I felt like I had no time to do it.  But I used to.  Where had the time gone?  I'm not working longer hours.  Lucy actually has a longer school day.  I hardly cook.  My attention to housekeeping is minimal.

So what was I doing that took up all of this time?

I was reading comments on FB.  Writing comments on FB.  Visiting buzzfeed.  taking a quiz or maybe two (three.)  Reading the NYTimes, reading the most emailed articles on the NYTimes.  Reading the top comments of the most emailed articles on the NYTimes.

Each action was maybe a minute or two.  But these minutes added up and probably totalled 30-45 minutes - the amount of time I felt I didn't have to write.

now what?

Do I just unplug, write just for the heck of it? I think maybe yes, at least for a bit.

You see, 2014 was a really crappy year for many reasons.  Nothing that I'm going to detail here.  For the most part, everything has worked out and is going to be ok but in the midst of it all my body kind of rebelled against me.

My stomach was a mess for a bit.

My knee started hurting.

And then, at the end of October, I had my first visual migraine aura, a few days later, another one followed by another followed by a headache that never went away.  And then on my birthday a headache that scared me, my husband and Lucy.  Since then, I've seen doctors, massages therapists, an acupuncturist, my pharmacist knows me by my first name and my head has been run through a scanner.

The one thing I kept thinking is, if I could just write, if I could find the time to write, then maybe this would be better.  If I could get the stress out of my shoulders, through my arms, my hands, my fingertips and on to a page, then maybe it would be better.

But the headaches changed my sense of time.  It made things speed up and go slow.  Life was either blurry or ultra-clear.  The meds cause me to lose words sometimes or that could be due to being in my 40's.  And sometimes I'm tired, which could also be due to the fact that I'm human.

I used to think that exercise was the magic bullet to wellness and I still think it's pretty important and food is too.  But now I'm beginning to realize that we need to give ourselves time.  Maybe just some extra time and space to be - ok, well that's a post for another day....

Back to this.  So, my headaches are getting better.  Or rather, my head, neck and shoulders are getting better.  I'm starting to think I can be a human most of the time.  But I need to take these moments to figure out what it is that I want to do.  I can't just sit around and look at Buzzfeed all day.  Just not fulfilling, interesting yes, fulfilling, no.

I'm making a plan.

Write.  Every day.  Here.  Could be complete nonsense.  Could be about my love of the color pink.  Or my hatred of the word "moist."  Or perhaps my favorite book ("The Summer Book" by Tova Jansson if you must know.)  Or my intense love of all things Portland, OR.

The writing won't be awesome.  Not something to publish.  No longer do I long for HuffPo to pick up one of my posts for their site.  I'm not going to be a famous craft blogger.  Or mommy blogger. Probably never going to publish a book.  Or get that PhD.  I'm just going to do my thing. And focus on healing my head.

That's it for now.  I've got some needlepointing to do.  Another pink ornament of course.  It's less that 12 months to go until Christmas and there's lots of stitching and enjoying to be done.

What I've been doing instead of writing

I get up in the morning thinking I will write.  But first I scan Facebook.  When nothing is there, I go through my email.  When that’s complete, I head on over to The Weather Channel to see what’s in store for today - should I wear short sleeves or long sleeves?  Sandals or sneakers? What’s the weather in Maine? Oklahoma? How much rain have we had this month? Is it going to rain today? Then, once I decide what to wear, I click on the home button and make my way to the NYTimes where I read a few editorials and a bunch of comments on editorials.  I consider writing a comment but then decide to instead post something to Facebook about an article I read.  Then I scan Facebook again and find some cute pictures of guinea pigs which I email to a friend and my daughter. I hop over to the photographer's website and look at her other pictures of guinea pigs.  And some pictures of ladybugs.  Very cute.  Then I check my email again and delete a bunch of promotional emails except the ones from the Gap and Purl Soho and Bernina.  I’ll go back to those at another time.  Then I start thinking about what I am going to wear and click over to the Nordstrom's website and check out the designer sale.  I put a few things in my cart then google the items to see if there are better prices on another site, which there aren’t.  But I'm not sure what size I need so I decide to go back to my cart later.  Then I decide to check out Barney’s to see if there are any PRADA shoes on clearance.   Nope.  Which is ok because I haven't liked the last 3 or 4 seasons of PRADA shoes anyway.  What was the weather again? 

Core Exercises Part Two

This week for in my Core for Beginners Workshop I focused on exercises using stability balls as well as medicine balls or Bosu Soft Fitness Balls.  For beginners I'm also a big fan of the Bosu Ballast Balls as they are a bit more stable due to the weight of the sand.  There are lots of sites with great stability ball exercises but I think this one is particularly awesome! You have to register to have access but it is worth it.

These exercises may be mixed with the exercises from last week.  I recommend 2 - 3 sets of 10-15 reps for each exercise.

Bridge Press with feet on ball
Bridge Hamstring Curl
Reverse Crunch
Quadruped with abs on ball
Side Plank 
Side Leg Lifts on ball
Windshield Wipers with calves on ball
Standing Russian Twist with either medicine ball or stability ball
Standing Side Bends with or without light weights

Also, if you are looking for a good exercise app, try Sworkit.  Easy to use and great variety.

Get moving!

What Do We Mean When We Talk about Core?

The gym where I work is offering trainer workshops for the month of January and I was asked to come up with a topic to present.  After a few days I settled on "Core for Beginners."

These days fitness people throw around the word "core" the way the fitness people of the past used the word "abs."  But what is "The Core" and why is it important?

Core:

A simple way to think about your core is to think of it as your body's center. You can also think of it as your body's base from which your extremities extend.  Your head, arms and legs are attached to your core.

In a spiritual sense, you can also think of your core as your heart's center or your "core beliefs."

In fitness, your core is the basic musculature that supports your pelvis and your spine.  It's role is to provide stability to you in movement.  Essentially your core muscles allow you to move your body in a variety of ways (planes of movement.)

Muscles of the Core

There are four basic muscles groups of the core.

• Abdominals: rectus abdominus, the tranverse abdominus and the internal and external obliques
• Spine: erector spinae and multifidus 
• Pelvic floor 
• Hip gluteus maximus and rectus, quadriceps, psoas

This is a pretty basic list.  For more detail you can visit an anatomy website.

Exercises for the Core

Truthfully, any dynamic movement will involve the core.  But if you want to specifically work the core, then there are an infinite number of exercises that will strengthen the muscles that support your body.  Below is a listing of mat exercises that can be done at home or in the gym.  These are my favorites and all of my clients are quite familiar with them.

• Bridge
• Dead Bug
• Quadreped - same as dead bug but on hands and knees
• Plank - start on hands, progress to forearms
• Side Plank - start with one knee down
• Toe Taps
• Reverse Crunches 
• Segmental Rotation 
• Superman
• Thread the Needle

And, please, always maintain a neutral spine to protect your back.  The easiest way to to that: keep you head on the floor!!!

Check back next week for a second list of exercises using exercise balls and other equipment.

Be well and get active.

Changing and Adapting and Enjoying the Process

There is no doubt that the seasons are changing – the leaves are falling, there’s a chill in the air and the skies are grey.  It happens every year but it always seems to catch me by surprise.  However this predictable change is also quite comforting.  I know that cooler weather is coming, what I need to do to adapt to it and approximately how long it will last.

So, what does this have to do with fitness and wellness?  In a direct way, these changes bring challenges to our ability to take care of ourselves.  Parties, food, and the disruption in our routines all come with the fall and winter holidays.  But we know this is going to happen because it happens every year. Therefore we can plan for it, adapt our habits and enjoy the process knowing that these seasonal fitness challenges will end.

However, I want you to consider changing how you view this time of year.  Rather than focusing on filling it with food and libations, focus on filling it with laughter and friendship.  Rather than rushing from store to store for last minute items, take time for a walk outdoors and enjoy Mother Nature as she goes through her ritual.  Rather than feeling constantly overwhelmed, set your intention to enjoy the opportunity to celebrate holidays with your friends and loved ones.

Start planning now for the challenges ahead so that you can enjoy the present moment.  Be aware of your triggers.  Be kind to yourself. 

The point of fitness and wellness is to be able to enjoy your life.  Have fun.  Celebrate.  Jump in a pile of leaves.  Throw a football with your kids or grand kids.  Meet a good friend for a cup of coffee.  Make a healthy vegetable stew to keep you warm on a cool night. 

Because this time will pass and the season will change again.  Don’t worry, the best part is, you get to do it again next year. 

Be well

Serenity and Change.

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other."
This prayer came into my head this morning.  And it got me thinking about how we all try to change ourselves and our bodies.  Increasingly as a society we have accepted surgical modification as a way to either preserve beauty or to enhance it.  But what are the things we can really change without the assistance of a medical professional?
I cannot change my height but I can change how tall I stand. I cannot change the size of my feet but I can change how rooted they are to the ground. I cannot change the color of my eyes but I can change what they see. I cannot change the shape of my mouth but I can change the words the come out of it. I cannot change the length of my fingers but I can change the frequency of their touch. I cannot change the placement of my heart but I can change how I often I extend it to others. I cannot change my IQ but I can grow my emotional intelligence. I cannot change the fact that my body needs food as fuel but I can change the quality and quantity of the fuel and how frequently I refuel.
And a fun one:
I cannot change my LOVE of chocolate but I can change the frequency with which I eat it.
Be well.

Jamming on a Rainy Afternoon

I love jam.  And rhubarb. And Strawberries. 

Since Tropical Storm Andrea is sitting over New Jersey right now I decided to combine the last two to make the first one.  I had all the supplies on hand except pectin so I searched the web and found a recipe made without pectin.  You can find the original link here - I modified it a bit because I had 3 1/2 cups rhubarb and 2 1/2 cups strawberries.  But, I figured the ratio was 3 cups fruit to 2 cups sugar so I used 4 cups sugar total.  After 20 minutes of continuous boiling it was ready.  Perfection.  Setting up beautifully as I write.  Generally I don't process my jam for canning so this will just go in the fridge and most likely be gone in a month or so!

Make something sweet today and keep dry.

A little pink to start the day

The nice thing about people knowing of my obsession with pink is that loveliness like this occasionally shows up at my house. 

Getting the Rush Again

Four years ago when I committed to getting in shape I would get these "rushes" of adrenaline about 45 minutes into an intense workout.  This is often termed a "runner's high."  It felt like this: a rush of heat, then cool then a complete sense of calm and relief.  Then I could go about another 15 or 20 minutes and then my body was finished.  I felt tired and energized all at once.  To describe the experience as awesome is an understatement.

Over time this euphoria occurred less and less.  A kettle bell workout was about the only thing that would trigger the high and even so it wasn't consistent.  I suppose the good news was that I was getting in better shape, the bad news was that I was missing my euphoric rush

On the other hand, I had a general sense of peace after every workout, everyday.  I assumed that I was no longer going to experience the rush because I was living the the benefit of regular physical activity.  My body had adapted.

Until yesterday.

I'll be honest, I've been working out but hardly as intensely as I probably could.  My exercises have been like brushing my teeth a few months after seeing the dentist - I still did it but probably not for as long as I should or with as much attention to detail.

Back to yesterday.

At the gym we have a new trainer who's a few years younger than I am and in much better shape.  A couple of weeks ago I showed her some core exercises for postpartum moms and she showed me a few good exercises for the shoulder and upper back.  We discussed working out together in the future.  I was both terrified and excited by the prospect of exercising with her.

So, we made a date to train.  I let her decide what we would do.  She showed me two workouts she had designed.  Both looked like the work of the devil.  

"Which one do you want to do?" she asked.

"You pick," I replied.  I did not want to be responsible for picking my own method of torture.  I felt a little sick already.

"Ok, we'll do this one," she said showing me a sheet with a mixture of cardio, core, and full body exercises.  ugh.

OMG, what had I done? 

To be honest, my fear was that either a) everyone would see in real time just how bad of shape I was in or b) my certification as a trainer would be proven fraudulent or worse, c) I would vomit on the floor of the weight room.

Fortunately, none of the above happened.  Though I had to modify a couple of the exercises for my knee and achy shoulder, I kept up and I completed the entire set of exercises.  Plus, about 30 minutes in, I got THE RUSH!  Just like old times: an all-over sweat, heat then coolness with a surge of both energy and peace.  

So, I think we'll do it again next week.

But I'm still letting her pick the workout.  

Want to give the workout a try?  Well, here you go....

100 jumping jacks -(I did 75)

12 high knee lifts with elbow - each leg

12 single leg box step ups - each leg

12 single leg dead lifts - each leg

12 reverse lunge with single arm cable row - each leg

Then, this is where the fun begins:

For 10 minutes, do the following without rest if possible - I took breaks for water. And I used an assisted pull up machine.  After 3 sets, I switched to dips which may explain why my triceps ache a bit today!

12 pull ups/chin ups

12 ball crunches

We're not finished yet!  For another 10 minutes:

12 inverted rows using smith machine

12 pushed ups with pike - I did mine on an exercise ball.  After 24 I switched to regular push-ups.

But wait, there's more!

2 minute sprint on treadmill.  Rest 90 seconds.  Repeat 2 minute sprint.

Stretch.  Hydrate.  

Be well and have fun.

     

How do you caffeinate?

My husband and I are kind of coffee fanatics. In our house there are no fewer than 8 ways to make coffee. Depending on my mood and the beans available I  choose how best to make my brew. 

Large party: plug in percolator that makes about 30 cups dunkin donuts

Smaller gathering: kitchen aid drip with Starbucks pike roast

Sunday breakfast for two: Bodum French press (glass or stainless steel) using Small World Love Blend

Quick hit: nespresso pod

Longer hit: nespresso soy latte 

A bit more time: Stove top Moka with Illy coffee

Traveling: pour over with French roast

Feeling retro: Stovetop ceramic percolator  

In storage for my future mid-century weekend retreat: Francis Francis mint green espresso maker. 

Clearly we are not the only ones who are this obsessed!

Putting it all together

I recently celebrated 13 years of marriage to my husband, Mitch.  It got me thinking about the early days of our courtship and something I said to him after just a few months of dating.  But first let me back up a bit.

Before I met Mitch I felt like I could only share parts of myself with certain people.  My nursing colleagues got the feminist interested in women's health.  My radio friends got the quirky indie music lover. My knitting friends got the yarn-obsessed stitcher.  My groovy friends got the yoga and spirituality dabbler.  A few guys at the gym witnessed my dead lifts and bench presses.  Another group of guys helped me buy comic books.  And then there were my fellow cinemophiles, bibliophiles and fashion-followers.

And so one day I said to Mitch, "I don't make sense. I'm all these different parts.  I like to shop at Saks but I read comic books and wear pink Birkenstocks."

His response, "It all makes sense to me.  You're Marisa."

And that's how I knew I had met the love of my life.

But yet 16 years later I am doing the same thing.  I parse out different parts of me to different groups and in so doing I often feel fragmented.  Plus I was doing it here, in the blogosphere.  I had one blog for crafting, another for fitness/wellness and I was just about to create another for dilettantism.

And then I thought, why can't I just be all of this in one space?  Where I can be me, Marisa.

Obviously I can and this blog, my original one, is the perfect place for it.  Here I will explore multiple themes: Creating, Exploring, Growing, Parenting, Thinking.

There will no overall theme other than my own interests and reflexions on life. 

Come along with me and let's have some fun.  It's a new day.

xoxo,
Me

So many books. So little time.

I saw this today at Barnes and Noble. 

Holy smokes!  I remember a time when the entire needlework section was a couple of shelves. Now it goes on forever. Embroidery, knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, felting, tatting, smacking, ribbon work. Crazy. 

Honestly most of these books have similar projects. Lots of aprons, many hats and socks and the requisite baby bag. 

But they still overwhelm me. I wish I had more time to stitch and create. 

So for now, I will dream of creating. And enjoy every minute of it. 

Happy Stitching. 

A Welcomed Surprise

I don't buy many knitting/sewing/embroidery books these days.  Most seem to be much like those that came before.  Aprons, one-skein projects, quick gifts, baby gifts and more aprons.  Not that I don't appreciate the work and creativity that goes into writing and publishing craft books - I just don't need to own them when I have a rather larger collection already.

And then every once in a while I come across a book that completely surprises me.  The book pictured at the left is just that!  I actually found it in the craft section, not sewing or embroidery.  I initially figured it was more of the same until I opened it and realized that the projects are arranged by color and include both drawings for embroidery and cross-stitch charts!  And, these motifs are modern, lovely and fun.  The projects are whimsical and useful though no sewing instruction are included.  But I can find basic instruction for most of the finished projects in one of the many books that I already own.

So of course, I had to take this one home with me.  And for the last few hours I have been turning the pages while thinking about my next project.  A cross-stitch sampler perhaps or maybe just a simply embellished pillow.  The designs have an aesthetic that seem classic, as though you once saw them on your grandmother's bed or maybe on one of her dishtowels.  That's what made the book jump out at me - the longing for something from the past and an opportunity to make it new again.

After this post, I plan to pull out my collection of DMC thread and that fine Irish linen I've been saving for a few years.  For this project I want instant gratification so I'll probably start with a simple cross-stitched sachet.  A heart.  In pink, of course.

Happy Stitching!

It's been too long

It's not that I haven't been knitting or sewing, it's just that I haven't been writing about it.  Of course, I do spend a lot of time over here and my new professional experiences are taking up much of my time but knitting will always be my first love.

In fact, I've finished a few projects recently and picked up a few UFO's including a shawl from Two Old Bags and a pair of socks that need to be darned.  The shawl I started when I was pregnant with Lucy nearly 7 years ago.  I bought the yarn at my first visit to Maryland Sheep and Wool literally wrangling it out of the hands of another knitter....  But, my focus shifted to my pregnancy and then to Lucy and then to knitting and sewing for Lucy and then to maybe making another baby, nursing my husband through an illness, losing a pregnancy, starting a new job in Philly, leaving that job and then entering an entirely new profession.  But, despite all of the ups and downs, that shawl has been waiting patiently for me to return.  And so I have and can't believe how quickly the pattern has come back to me.

I'm hoping to be over here more but without the pressure to create and publish photos and witticisms.  This is a place to document my musings on creating needlework not just for those who are here now but for those who will be here many years after I am gone.

Be well.

Yummy Cookies

Chocolate chip cranberry oatmeal cookies, originally uploaded by stitchingpink.

This is one of my very favorite cookie recipes from this book though I have modified it quite a bit and provide the recipe below. These are not your typical oatmeal cookies - they are filled with chocolate chips, cranberries and, if you like, walnuts or pecans. Today I omitted the nuts because we are taking them to a picnic but if I'm just making these for us, I like to add chopped pecans.

Heat oven to 350.

2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups oatmeal - not quick cooking
1 cup flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or more if you like)
1 cup chopped nuts - walnuts or pecans.

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time then vanilla. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl then mix with butter/sugar mixture. Last add chocolate chips, dried cranberries and nuts if you like.

I use a small ice cream scoop which is about 2 tsp. Space at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Make sure they cook through - these are good really crispy.

Makes about 4 to 5 dozen.

Enjoy.

Flowers from the farm

Flowers from the farm, originally uploaded by stitchingpink.

Yesterday I made it to the farm early before the humidity really picked up. Luckily for me our farm share allowed me to cut 30 flowers. I have a thing for snapdragons so I made my way to them first picking only those with pink and orange hues of course. Then I walked over to the zinnias where I found myself immersed in a sea of vibrantly colored flowers with honey bees and butterflies dancing from bloom to bloom. I took my time finding the perfect ones to accompany the snapdragons, allowing the bees to finish their business before snipping the stem. More than once I stood and watched a large yellow and black butterfly flap her wings on the perfect bloom - she seemed to have the exact same taste in flowers as mine!

Once home, I cut a few of the remaining pink hydrangea blooms from the bush outside my front door. I then haphazardly arranged my bounty in an old milk glass pitcher, placed the arrangement in a spot where I could enjoy them and sat down to read my new book. All in all a lovely morning.

Enjoy.

You can see last year's arrangement here

This is on my to-do list

From Amy Butler's latest pattern collection - knits!  Love the simplicity, the color and the yarns are also luscious.  Definitely on my knitting to-do list for the winter!