A GOOD LIFE

A good life is when
you assume nothing,
do more, need less,
smile often, dream big,
laugh a lot, and realize
how blessed you are.

The weather has been amazing
here, so much so that on my
morning walks I have needed
to wear long sleeves, and while
I know it won't last I am loving
it!

A good friend came for a visit
and brought over the prettiest
pot of mums that I tried to
photograph, but  Flat Kevin kept
photo bombing my pictures.

Because of the cooler temperatures
I spent a lot of time this week in
the kitchen puttering around.
Cheesy grits, leftover oatmeal-
chocolate chip muffins[ well, these
were for Alex, I don't eat chocolate
chips, I just don't like the taste],chai tea,
vegetable fried rice. Heavier dishes
than I normally eat, but my body
seems to be craving them and I try to
listen to what my body needs,
when I do I feel better.

The pears are ripe and I am happy
to say the squirrels left me quite
a few. I have plans to put a few
jars away for a cold winter's day.

I pulled out the never ending blanket
and maybe this year will be the year
I finally cast off.

I was able to spend some time with three
of my guys which doesn't happen often
since they all work so much. They
always bring a smile to my face and
make laugh, just wish the rest of my
family could have been here too.

I talked with my daughter, and Emerson
on the phone. They are loving Germany
and are very happy so that makes my
mama [Olie] heart happy.

I don't have any plans for the weekend,
I will just have to wait to see what
the world brings.

Enjoy your days my friends!

Much love,
Tracey
XO

SOFT WORLD

"It is what I was born for-to look,
to listen, to lose myself inside this
soft world. "

~ Mary Oliver

It has been such a peaceful,
beautiful week.

The lilies are blooming,
and the blueberries are beginning
to slowly ripen.

I have been getting in over 10, 000
steps before breakfast which makes
me want to walk more and more just
to beat my number each day.

I discovered on lone apple growing
on the apple tree and I am keeping
a close eye on it..squirrels beware!

I have introduced dairy back into my
life and have been snacking on 'mock
cinnabon....cottage cheese, a drizzle of
maple syrup, lots of cinnamon and a
few tablespoons of chopped pecans.

Homemade toothpaste is a first for me,
but I must say I like it. It doesn't foam
like 'store bought' toothpaste, but I do
like how it cleans my teeth.

I knit a wee pair of socks for Porter,
and then woke very early so we
could drive two hours to deliver
them in person and to soak up a little
baby love.  Porter really is a sweet,
happy baby.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Much love,
Tracey
XO

SLOW DOWN

Just slow down. Slow
down your speech. Slow
down your breathing.
Slow down your walking.
Slow down your eating.
And let this slower, steadier
pace perfume your mind.
Just slow down.

~ Doko

Just a few random photos
from my week.

I slowed down, enjoying
calm, peace filled days.
Long walks.
Digging in my garden.
Finding a surprise in my
blueberry bush....smart
mama Cardinal.
Picking wildflowers just
like the ones I picked when
I was little.
Watching pretty sunsets.
Playing in my kitchen, feeling
inspired from  Heather's class.
Knitting the toe of my sock,
only to rip it out and start over:
not sure what I did!

Wishing my first baby and only
girl a Happy, Happy Birthday
today. Thirty two years went
by too fast, it feels like yesterday.
I love you!

Have a great weekend.
Love,
Tracey
XO

HONEYSUCKLES

When you're passin' by....flowers drop and sigh
And i know the reason why
You're much sweeter....goodness knows
Honeysuckle....

~ Louis Armstrong

I knew as soon as I
walked outside this
morning after a night
of rain and smelled
the sweet scent that
filled the air it was
time, the honeysuckle's
are ready.
It's time to make a
few batches of honeysuckle
cordial. I have plans to
try honeysuckle ice cream
and I think honeysuckle
goats milk yogurt sounds
pretty good too.  Oh, it's time
to play!

Do you pick honeysuckles?

From:: Local Milk

Honeysuckle Cordial

yields 3 cups
So here’s the basic building block recipe, it’s basically a
honeysuckle simple syrup with the addition of citric acid
& lemon. The citric acid acts as a preservative and also
cuts the sweetness with a pleasant tart taste.

Ingredients

4 cups honeysuckle blossoms, picked over & rinsed
3 cups water
3 cups sugar[ I am using honey in place of sugar]
1 tsp citric acid (I found this in the supplement section at Wholefoods)
1/2 a lemon, zested & sliced thin

Cooking Directions

Bring water & sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve all the
sugar. Pour hot syrup over the flowers in a heatproof
container. Stir in the citric acid, lemon zest, and the thin
slices of lemon. Let steep, covered, on the counter until
it reaches room temperature then place it in the fridge
and let it steep over night, totaling 24 hours. Strain
through cheese cloth or a very fine mesh sieve.
Store in the fridge.

USING MY TIME

"I would rather be ashes than dust.
I would rather that my sparkle burn out
in a brilliant blaze than it should be
stifled by dry-rot . I would rather be
a superb meteor, every atom of me
in magnificent glow, than a sleepy
and permanent planet. The function
of [wo]man is to live, not to exist. I
shall not waste my days trying to
prolong them. I shall use my time.

~ Jack London

 

This week....

 

It has felt like summer here

with temperatures in the mid

to high 80's, but I am holding

off turning on the a/c because,

well, it's only April.

 

The tree pollen is extremely high

so I have been using my neti pot

faithfully and am drinking cups

of green tea with local honey and

lemon. There have been a few

sleepless nights, a lot of coughing,

and a lost voice, but things

are turning around and I am feeling

much better.

 

Last week I watched an alligator turtle,

the first I've seen in awhile and then

I spied another this week. I do love

their little faces, but I know not to

touch them, they are a wee bit mean.

 

I've made quinoa patties twice this

week, along with peanut thai sauce

served over buckwheat noodles. 
My favorite this week was peppermint patties,

although I took the lazy route and just

added a dollop of dark chocolate to

each square.

 

There was  a long distance call from a dear

friend making me wish we lived a lot closer

than we do. I started my photography lessons,

and am having a lot of fun, even with having

to do homework.  I am dreaming of traveling

this January on a fun trip to pet the whales

because I just have an overwhelming urge

to do so, doesn't it sound like fun?

 

What about you, did you have a good week?

 

Much love,

Tracey

XO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



YARN ALONG

"The one thing that you have that nobody
else has is you. Your voice, your mind,
your story, your vision. So write and draw
and build and play and dance and live [and
knit] as only you can."

~Neil Gaiman

 

 

I am working on two projects this week,

the first is an sofa arm cover for a dear

friend who has a white sofa and a grey

cat.  I am using Paton's Grace yarn in

Natural and basically am just knitting

a long rectangle with a small ribbing

around the edge...easy, easy.

 

My second project is a sock using the

beautiful yarn I won from a giveaway

hosted by the lovely Donna of Knit1Spin2.

For this sock I cast on 64 stitches on size 1

dpn's and am doing a knit 3, purl 1 pattern

all the to the toes.

 

My reading this week is really good.  I am

reading Sister, a novel .

It is the story written in letter form from

one sister to another describing the events

of what takes place when one of them

is missing. The setting is in London so

it's interesting to read the differences of

how they look for missing people compared

to the US.  So far I am loving it and I

am hoping the ending is as good as the

beginning, I will let you know.  

 

Joining Ginny.