Looking Back | May.

Today I'm looking back at May ... one last time ... through the lens of my daily photos.

I expected the blanket to dominate, so I was surprised to see a lot more than knitting! ...and a lot more blues skies than I remember (but surely my photos don't lie). I also realize I completely forgot to share an FO with y'all - Sunday the 6th, I debuted Bateaux Mouches.

The finished piece is just what I hoped it would be - a light, airy cloud. The girls in my knitting group are divided about what a great knit this is ... I love the endless rows of garter stitch and that it's one ball of yarn. It's perfect for traveling and for all those times your brain needs to work on something besides knitting, but your hands need something to do, too. I know I'll be knitting another one!

Happy Tuesday!

Three on Thursday | Haiku.

Joining in with Carole and friends today to share a three-line poem.

creamy blooms spread wide

atop glossy green, spreading

the scent of summer

Thanks to our 90+ degree stretch last weekend, the magnolias are starting to open. This tree is in the common area where Holly takes her evening walks. It smells wonderful!

Hope your week is going well ... here's to almost-Friday!

Looking Back | April.

Today, I have one last look at April ... through the lens of my daily photos.

That bright green knitting really dominates the show, doesn't it?! I'm very happy to have it finished and realize I never showed y'all how it turned out.

Marc definitely brings out the goofy in me!

But for me, the star was the family and friend time (including my best furry friend - who got groomed on the 10th), along with plenty of good food and some gorgeous spring blooms. April certainly lived up to my high expectations.  Now May has a hard act to follow; I hope it's up to the challenge!

Eye Candy Friday.

Partly in response to all the favorable comments about yesterday's blue sky blooms and partly because I know many of y'all are expecting snow in the next couple of days, I thought I'd share some more April Eye Candy.

I'm pretty sure the photo I shared yesterday is a wild azalea. Here's that same tree with its neighbor

and a portrait shot of those orange blooms.

These are the azaleas at the front of our neighborhood. I took these photos yesterday morning, anticipating that Masters-focused post.

From this morning's walk, here's the snowball viburnum I shared in Tuesday's March recap (this is what the "green hydrangea" turned into!)

and last - but by no means least - cherry blossoms. These blooms are showing up everywhere right now ... and our church grounds are covered in pink! When I left my small group meeting this morning, the light was just right for the pink

and one more #blueskybloom!

Wishing everyone a bloom-filled blue sky kind of weekend, with light, bright Spring-like thoughts (especially all of you who might see snow instead).

And a special shout-out to Carole who is running for Selectman in her town; tomorrow is election day and I know she appreciates all our support!

Looking Back | March.

March sure looks better through the lens of my daily photos than what I remember!

Full on Spring, for sure, including some fun with the portrait feature on my iPhone camera

in our neighborhood, March 29

outside our North Carolina cottage, March 20

and the last, faded bloom on the amaryllis.

March 16

There was also a lot of knitting, two great TV shows (Longmire and the new Queer Eye), a few more self portraits (thanks to Michelle's challenge at the beginning of the month) and a few other faces, including one very shaggy one on March 30.

I know y'all are ready to see Spring, too - hopefully she'll make an appearance for everyone this month!

Looking Back | January.

Looking back at January through the lens of my daily photos,

I'm struck by three things - crazy weather, a LOT of knitting! and a beautiful basket of amaryllis. The amaryllis is continuing its stunning show; here's what it looked like Saturday ... more buds and blooms!

And for maybe the first time ever, more coffee and tea than cocktails (one glass of wine on the 1st!) - and more photos of me and Holly than other people. Thank goodness I saw the boys on the 30th, or it would be just me and Holly! I'm pretty sure I can do a better job with both those things this month!

Looking Back | December.

Looking back at December through the lens of my daily photos,

I can't help but smile! Family (who are friends), a few cocktails, a delicious spread of cookies, reading, knitting (and one FO - that lovely bit of pinned out lace on the 23rd is the 2016 Mystery Shawl), plenty of twinkle lights ... and the beginning of this year's amaryllis watch.

My mom gifted each of us super fancy bulbs from Jackson & Perkins. I set mine out on December 1st and have been documenting their progress every Friday since then.

I'm positive I can really see those stalks growing! This week, I threaded the two taller ones through copper stakes (so pretty and practical ... but maybe not quite as charming as the knitting needles I had to use last year 😉) and I'm sure the 3rd one will need a stake in the next day or two.

week six

Last year, my two bulbs bloomed about a month apart - one at Christmas and the other later in January. Too soon to tell, but I think this year's bulbs are all on track for January. Stay tuned ... I plan to make this a Friday feature for a few more weeks!

Waterlogued - Streamlined (looking back at last year, I was reminded how much fun these photos were, too)

And whew, I think this is the last looking back post I have to share. The first weekend of 2018 seems like a good time to start looking ahead!

Wishing y'all a wonderful weekend ... stay warm!

Looking Back | November.

Looking back at November through the lens of my daily photos,

it's full on Fall! plus a few of my favorite people, knitting, great food and drink, and a bit of Christmas showing up toward month-end.

Daily blogging means I've posted most of these photos here already, but I do have two extra stories to share today.

First, the gift knitting (cleverly disguised back on the first) was finished, blocked and photographed on the 10th.

Some of you might even guess who it was for!

Happy 75th Honoré! Yellow is her favorite color ... and once you see her smile wearing it there's no doubt why!

thank you Honoré for letting me share the photo!
(ravelry details here)

And second, how about another holiday cocktail?! I took this photo on the 28th.

It's a slightly modified version of The Winter Cobbler. Of course I have bourbon; my sister gifted me a nice bottle of sherry for my birthday ... and told me to simply substitute leftover cranberry sauce for those last two ingredients. I'm still hoarding the last few spoonfuls of sauce from Thanksgiving and will definitely make a double batch at Christmas!

Cheers to you, November! You were a great month!

Looking Back | October.

Hello! I hope you're enjoying a peaceful Sunday, perhaps a bit more rested than usual thanks to that extra hour? I used that hour this morning to pull together my October photo-a-day mosaic. Wanna see?

Lots of Holly and home. Changing seasons. Knitting - a swatch, a few WIPs and several FOs. Family.  Friends. Two special birthday celebrations. and finally, both of my favorite little boys!

I'm reminded - yet again - how much I love this daily photo habit. One photo may not seem like much, but it can tell a story. And when I look at a month of them all together, I can't help but feel grateful ... and smile. 

My intention for NaBloPoMo Sundays is to share a selfie. Here's the one I took today.

My Never Say Never (aka Through the Loops Mystery Shawl 2017) debuted today. I'd planned and knitted the white and gold to be a Georgia Tech gameday piece, but I haven't had a Saturday opportunity to wear it. And given their season, I'm sure it appreciated a nice dress and a beautiful church service instead.

See you back here tomorrow!

Looking Back | September.

My heart is with the hundreds of folks who were caught in a madman's fire Sunday night. Unfortunately, prayers are not enough. My congressmen are getting an earful about gun control and I trust yours are too. The reports I read from Las Vegas this morning, then seeing the flag at the lake flying at half mast on our dark early walk gave me pause about the story I'd planned to share today. But I decided to move forward with it; I refuse to let hate and fear win.

So with that - here's a look back at September through the lens of my daily photos. 

Labor Day weekend, time with the boys, a new bible study, Charlie's third birthday, Hurricane Irma, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, 3,000 miles and seven states, a new home for Sara, time with Marc's family ... there is much to celebrate.

Here's one photo I never shared. This is the sunrise over Lake Wingra (which used to be in Sara's backyard) on Friday, September 15. A beautiful parting gift from Madison.

xo, M.

Five on Friday | In Pictures.

Trying to figure out what I would post about today, I realized I have five photos from this week that I haven't yet shared with y'all. Here you go!

 Alaska Cardigan ... done! (modeled photos coming from Alaska!)

a half scoop of coffee chip ice cream (for my summer bucket list)

Lauren and fabulous author Karen White (Lauren invited Karen - and me! - to her bookclub yesterday to talk about The Night the Lights Went Out ... and a lot of other things :-)

Alaska Hat & Mitts ... done!

... so of course I had to start another Alaska project (I still have 4-1/2 more days before I leave!)

Looking back on the week, I'm reminded - yet again - how powerful photos are to tell our stories. I'm so grateful to each of you for reading mine! Have a wonderful weekend. Take photos!

Looking Back | July 2017.

Today I'm looking back at July through the lens of my daily photos.

Another month "at home" made lots of room for friends, family, books and knitting. Four playdates with my favorite toddler (but none with his little brother ... sigh ... so much for "balance") and a very fun outing with Karen and Lydia. I finished a whopping ten books, two sweaters and a shawl (still need to try on the finished Tide Chart, and maybe snap a photo or two). Stole 2.0 is still on the needles and the cardigan - well, I blocked it last Tuesday and yep, it's still on the mat!

When I put together these collages, I'm always reminded about a story or two that I haven't shared. This month's surprise is a new 'do! Back on July 20, I had my hairdresser cut off about 6". This is my first real haircut since June 2015 and it was worth the wait.

The only "rule" I have for my daily photos is that I have to be the one who presses the button. So this photo (taken by my friend Sarah on July 24) didn't qualify. But it's a great ending to the knitting along series I'd been sharing on Mondays. Five of us from our Monday knitting group participated in the Through the Loops Mystery ... and we all finished!

that's me, upper right

What fun story did your July tell?

...and one more thing for all you knitters - a local young man is working on a project with Georgia Tech to explore technology solutions to help crafters. He's put together a very brief survey. Please click here if you have a few minutes to help him out.

Looking Back | June 2017.

Today I'm looking back at June through the lens of my daily photos. It was a surprisingly full month! No out of town trips left plenty of room for exploring closer to home, meet-ups with friends to walk or knit, FaceTime with friends who don't live nearby (that's Honoré's dear face on the 7th), and lots of walking, reading and knitting on my own.

also cocktails. That pretty drink on the 30th is a raspberry elderflower gin and tonic; it's delicious. I'm hoarding a few raspberries to make another batch this week. I followed the recipe pretty much as written except I omitted the simple syrup and used elderflower tonic just because I had some (I'm hoarding the last bottle of that as well).

I didn't realize until I compiled the collage this morning that there's no Charlie - yikes! Hopefully July will tell a more "balanced" story of my time with both boys. Maybe I'll even have a finished sweater (or two) to share as well, along with a few more book bingos!

Good thing it's a long month, right?!

Eye Candy Friday | A Morning in the Garden.

The Botanical Gardens feature prominently in my summer bucket list - not only to practice with my camera* but also to explore and play with Charlie. Tuesday morning, we did all of that! Katie took the day off, so we went with both boys (and a whole trunkful of gear :-)

There are morning programs in the newly opened Children's Garden every day. Tuesday is Garden Playtime with "hands-on learning and sensory stations."  There were at least a half dozen stations with real bugs, play dough, and hidden "bugs" for the children to find.

We thought Charlie would enjoy the Splash Pad, but I think it was his least fun activity of the entire morning!

iPhone photos - I didn't want to get my camera wet

His favorite activity just might've been the Family Restroom. He and his mom visited the Yellow Door and the Green Door ... and that's when I had little Sam and my finding light moment.

The main garden features The Curious Garden. It is indeed curious. and also very fun.

It was a very cloudy morning; the city skyline was barely visible. I certainly didn't have to worry about any sun flares! 

And we didn't have to worry about seeing everything on this one visit.  I'm already planning my next morning with Charlie and an evening with his mama and a few girlfriends for Cocktails in the Garden. 

Yummm, when I snagged that Cocktails link I saw those drinks - I'm definitely a gin girl, but I might just have to give vodka a try this weekend. That White Rose Kennedy looks awfully tempting!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ... and a few fulfilled temptations!

*I had the 24mm lens (with no filters) on my camera for the entire visit. It is a wonderfully lightweight lens for being out and about.