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!

Five on Friday | The Crown.

I was late to this party, but ... finally, I watched The Crown. and yes, everyone was right - it's excellent. I loved pretty much everything about it. The story (of course! I'm a huge Anglophile and a real fan of Queen Elizabeth, especially since reading Andrew Marr's biography), the sets, the acting and the time period. Pure nostalgia (is that possible since I wasn't actually alive during the 1950's?), but a few episodes in, I started a list of things I wished were still around. And since it's Friday, here are my top five:

1. Telephone calls that aren't instantaneous. It took real effort to make a connection and it seems like the resulting conversations were more meaningful.

2. Silk scarves tied under the chin to keep the 'do in place. I could've used one today!

3. Hats. They really complete the outfit (for women and men).

4. Waists. and high-waisted trousers or full skirts to show them off.

5. Multi-stranded pearls. This one's a cheat since they're obviously still around...but they're certainly not as common in my everyday life as they are in Elizabeth's. Nevertheless, I've made a point of wearing mine more since I watched.

What was your favorite period element about the show? (or maybe there was something you really hated?) Please share.

Regardless, Happy Friday...and Happy Weekend!

Five on Friday | Today's Loves.

...daffodils. sadly not in my yard, but around my neighborhood there are huge plantings with dozens of blooms. It is hard not to smile when you see a field of daffodils.

also, 

chambray shirts. I own three, all (slightly!) different, and I've been wearing them in constant rotation. under sweaters, over cropped pants, with boots, with flats... and with all my knitted neckwear. It's a lesson in minimalism for me. Three shirts, two pairs of pants, a half dozen scarves...and I can be dressed for over a week!

Costco's Kirkland wines, especially their Napa Cabernet. I opened my last bottle of this tonight to accompany our tasty "leftovers and salad" menu (maybe I'll tell y'all next week about Marc's latest diet). I'm also hoping that the weather gods see that I'm drinking that last bottle of Cab and decide to send spring.

Longer days. I still feel like a slug in the morning (sunrise is after 7:30 am here!) but having it light at 7:45 pm while I type this almost makes up for that.

and finally, all the love, prayers and good wishes y'all have shared for my dad's recovery and the new little one who'll be joining our family next fall. thank you!

Happy Weekend! what are you loving TODAY?

Five on Friday | Signs of Spring.

…I'm back home and slowly (but surely) getting back into the groove. I timed my return well…I'm just in time for Spring! Here's a quick look at five sure signs of the new season.

Cherry trees in full bloom.

Daffodils!

Clearing skies after a rainy day.

Tiny shoots of green in the front bed.

And a short sleeved silk pullover on the needles.

 I hope it's getting sunny and warmer where you are, too! Happy Weekend!

Five on Friday | Good Things.

…oops, ran out of time to post this list yesterday, but I'm not going to let that stop me from calling it a Five on Friday! Finding it's helpful to spend a few minutes every morning thinking about the good things when there is so much going on right now that's…not so good*. This is the list from yesterday:

1. A warm sunshine-filled forecast for the weekend. Today it's supposed to get into the 70's.

2. Watching Jeopardy. My folks are huge fans of the show and I always enjoy catching up with it when I visit. This week there's a new big winner, Andrew Chu. I googled him yesterday and found this article about him live-tweeting the episodes. Kind of fun to follow along the drama!

3. Crossword puzzles. Another of my mom's favorite activities and a great way to pass hospital time. She regularly works the Wall Street Journal and New York Observer puzzles (on paper) and finished the ones she had last weekend. I figured there were probably lots of iPad apps and sure enough, we loaded the (free) New York Times app and have actually completed a few.

4. Waterloguing our morning walks. It's re-framed the walk for me, searching for the perfect view. I'm especially pleased with Thursday's (above) and Friday's (which the Waterlogue team favorited!)

5. Knitting. I'm making noticeable progress on multiple projects (despite the twinges in my shoulder). These two projects were barely started last weekend…and now they're more than half done!

Mink Mitts (a birthday gift for a special friend)

Sundry

How about you? What good did you find yesterday?

*my dad is still in the hospital and we have no idea when he'll be coming home or what the next steps will be. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and good wishes. They're helping more than you know!

five things (for June).

...inspired by my One Little Word. Play Grace*. have fun. be light-hearted. channel Grace Kelly.

welcoming sunshine and the colors of summer | june 4, 2013 in my front yard.

1. Get my camera out again. For the past 3+ months, I've been taking all my pictures with my phone. It's easy and "in the moment", but I'm ready for better. I used my camera to take the photo above (also used in the new Summer 2013 banner) and it took me a few tries to remember where the buttons were. Yikes!

2. Train for the Peachtree Road Race. It's a 4th of July tradition in Atlanta and I'm excited to take part for the first time ever, especially since Katie & I are running together. And while I'm not worried about the 10K distance, the heat and humidity (and the crowds) are going to be a challenge. So I'm lowering my expectations and running at least once a week in the mid-morning sunshine (which means temperatures in the mid-seventies). ...remembering the goal here is to have fun, not to set a record!

3. See The Great Gatsby. I re-read (listened actually, Tim Robbins did a wonderful job!) the book back in April to prepare. I know it hasn't gotten great reviews, but I don't care. I want to see it for myself on a big screen!

4. Read along with Books on the Nightstand the June short story.  I'm going to start by listening to it (I downloaded the New Yorker Fiction podcast from January, 2009 where it's read by Thomas McGuane). And I hope I love it because everything I'm seeing and hearing about James Salter's new book (All That Is) makes me want to dive right into everything he's written.

5. Watch Madmen Season 6. The first 10 episodes are queued up on the DVR just waiting for Marc's next trip to Asia...which starts on Monday. I can't wait to actually see firsthand everything I've been reading about, especially the costumes. and Bob Benson. and get myself caught up to join the millions of viewers who will be watching the season finale on June 23.

What are you hoping to enjoy this month?

*June's original intention was "See Grace"with actions related to photography, but the iPhonography class I found starts July 1. And just so happens that July's intention was all about Play, so I've swapped the two months.

five (favorite) things.

...today marks 67 days that I've taken and posted a daily photo prompted by fatmumslim. today's prompt is favo(u)rite. I guess it's been a great Friday because I had a hard time deciding what to even highlight. and that's when I decided I should probably just blog about five favorite things. a few photos later...I logged in to blogger and saw that my last five things post was also inspired by one of Chantelle's prompts (which led me down a bit of a rabbit hole to see if all the Friday prompts were "five things" types of prompts...and then I remembered the one about what's in my fridge. nope. it's just a coincidence...)

the post I shared on instagram. favorite flower in my favorite color.

in any event here are five of my favorite things about today.

1. Whole Foods is having a huge sale - today only - on tulips. three 10-stem bunches for $10. of course I bought the orange ones. ...and had a few that broke making this big bouquet. found the perfect spot for them.

on my desk...

2. Debbie, my assigned coach at the Y. I had my first coaching session with her first thing this morning. and I was pleasantly surprised. delighted even. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but she's a fit and active older person (like I see myself on the good days) and she really listened to me and made worthwhile suggestions about my fitness routine. I signed up for a follow-up appointment the first week of April so we can map out a strength training program.

3. I got to spend a big chunk of the day with Katie (and a bit with Sara and Rob) on wedding stuff. All of it went very well. and a lot of it was really delicious.

shared on instagram. petite desserts. um yum.

4. My new hot air popper works great (and since Marc's away ... my favorite spot really is a mess of knitting and papers and stuff, but it's OK).

yes, a half cup of kernels really does make a lot of popcorn!

...the rest of the counter.

5. I'm going to get this post done and then devote my evening to knitting. First up, the Thursday and Friday lessons from Ysolda's class...all about swatching. And then, DVR'd TV (have you seen Parade's End yet? I'm not getting my hopes up...too much!) and the first sleeve on Garance.

yarn rolled. needles ready. time to swatch!

What favorite moment(s) do you have to share from today?

five things.

from instagram - 22. making me smile (colorful ruffles on my ella coat and holly #alwaysholly)

...inspired by today's fmsphotoaday prompt, five things that are making me smile. my response to the prompt (above) was really spur-of-the-moment (and likely much influenced by the gray 40 degree drizzle that has been most of our weather of late) but it got me thinking about the bigger picture. and yes, there are many things making me smile. here are my five favorites right now.

Katie's "bach" girls

1. much of my recent absence here is because I spent the long holiday weekend in the North Carolina mountains, tagging along (with a few of my own friends) with Katie's bachelorette party. that's a story I'm still figuring out how to tell. but for now, every time I think of any part of it (except the 2 4+ hours I spent mourning the end of downton abbey season 3)...I smile.  and if I'm being honest with myself, I'm almost able to smile about those 2 4+ hours too.

yesterday's run

2. running with Katie. we've done our last three "long" training runs together at the greenway that's about midway between us. running for me has always been a solitary thing. me and the road. only very recently even me and the road and some music. and only in the last three weeks has it been me and the road and ... another person. she's a pace-master for sure and she has the equipment that makes me believe I really did run 8 miles at a 9:08 pace yesterday. I wish I were a few years younger so I could keep up without all the panting, but then I wouldn't have the absolute joy of sharing it with my daughter. so I smile.  (I'm also smiling this week because we paid attention to the weather forecast and the weather forecast was right and we ran our run yesterday. this morning was cold.wet.rain.with wind.)

3. a new friend (the wife of one of Marc's golfing buddies...I met her just a few months ago) and I started a joint board on Pinterest today. Ireland. I've never been, but it's green. and not hot. and full of history. and books. and knitting. and...golf. it's still early, but I have good feelings that this could be the BIG trip.

4. I spent a few hours online looking at dresses. I know! dresses! mother-of-the-bride dresses no less! but what's making me smile is that I found a LOT I liked (and in multiple email exchanges with Katie she approves) and I have a "date" with Kathie for next week to look in person. Katie has done such a great job with all the wedding stuff - really, it's done except for the little details that are always left for the last 12 weeks - and I hated that she was getting nervous about MY dress. more to come. I hope I'm not being unrealistic to think I can walk into Nordstrom's at 10am and walk out with a few dresses a few hours later!

5. the shop KAL's. not just the knitting time (we regularly meet on Friday afternoons and yes, part of this blog's happy attitude is that I finalized this list of 5 on my way home today), but the quality - and, being honest here, the quantity - of the projects. I was amazed this morning when I figured out we've done TWENTY ONE projects together. it's certainly not all because of me, but I've been the driver to keep it moving and I am.simply.astonished. at the breadth and depth of what we've done. Every single one of those KALs was a project that inspired multiple knitters to buy yarn, cast-on, and - hopefully - create something wonderful. and maybe learn a new skill. and likely make a new friend. I've completed 14 of the 21 and those projects are some of my most-favorite FO's. knitting with others is one of my favorite things about knitting. and being so proud of what we've accomplished makes me smile.

...yep, begging the question! what's making you smile right now? (if nothing else, I hope it's a weekend, looking forward to something FUN!)

five things.

...fun things I found/learned on twitter this week.

copyright Blue Sky

1. blue sky alpaca's latest patterns, inspired by F Scott Fitzgerald. He's been one of my favorite authors since high school and those little patterns from blue sky are A-Dorable. Rose Beck's Zelda Wrap (shown left) is the perfect embodiment of that Jazz Age soul...and it's kind of "epic". [I've already checked in with Theresa and we'll be getting the patterns and - hopefully - the new Metalico colors in at the shop soon.]

2. only four spots left in Ysolda's on-line Your Perfect Sweater class....and I grabbed one of them!

3. the Lizzie Bennet diaries. seriously fun!

4. the Commuter Knitter podcast. lots of knitting wrapped into a cute "driving" motif. from the 27 years I spent commuting, I love how she's making such productive use of the time...and her style and knitting stories are delightfully engaging. (also, she lives in Newtown, CT...and those stories are heart-wrenching. and real.)

5. ftw means "for the win". who knew...and now I do!

I'm still very much on the sidelines - really just consuming - with twitter...but there is much to learn and plenty to keep me busy just watching from the sidelines. and hopefully if I get a bit more time on the sidelines I'll feel more comfortable...to step out onto the field and play.

five things.

Mix No. 9, about 10% done

1. Apparently I'm developing a thing for epic projects. I finished the Annie Scarf and used up 966 yards of yarn. then immediately cast on Mix No. 9 (another thousand yard scarf/cowl; that's it to the left). I'm planning to knit another Panoramic Stole, but in laceweight; I have two skeins of Findlay Dappled which is about 1,600 yards total. and I'm smitten with Thorn and the Cornerstone Blanket. yes, smitten!

2. Bitten Word posted about Spiced Milk. Last month, I read the Good Things column that included the recipe, and wasn't excited at all. But now? I want to make it...and eat it with oatmeal. I also need the temperatures to cool off a bit to make a hot breakfast appealing. seriously - it's 63 degrees outside right now. it's January. it's freaky.

3. I love the mini albums that Becky Higgins released this week. I'm wondering if Katie's wedding weekend will be a mini-appropriate event to document? the album includes 80 4x6 and 80 3x4 slots. that seems like a lot...or maybe it's not enough?!

4. I'm a huge fan of Lisa Congdon's hand lettering. this week, she posted a quotation by Edgar Degas:

"Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things."

She talks embracing a "beginner mind"... to me, these words are a reminder that we can only grow when we step outside our comfort zone. that's scary and exciting at the same time.

5. I can't imagine ever getting a real tattoo. but I'd happily wear this one for a few days!

five things.

the not-secret knitting project. hope it grows a lot by the end of this weekend!

1. if I'd done a good job at yarn substitution for my annie scarf (the project shown above), I would've doubled the yarn in the border...but I didn't. and I'm ok with that.

2. yesterday was lovely. and I do love my daughters.

3. I will do a blog post about this house. next week. (promise :-)

4. katie and I ran four miles this morning. my first run in ... six weeks (maybe more). it was chilly but not freezing. except for my thumbs and my earlobes. enjoyed the run together and excited about "officially" training for the half marathon in march.

5. looking forward to decorating for christmas. this morning we sorted through all the boxes of "stuff" and I'm left with five. favorite ornaments, decorations, books, movies, "stuff"... can't wait to see how it all works in the new space.

five things.

8:30 pm thursday

1. I've seen a few five things friday posts pop up in my google reader. seems like a great idea...and sounds so much more planned than what it really is...a random list of five things!

2. the kitchen island is my new favorite place in the house. it's big enough that even my big messes don't fill it up! and the light is great. and it's in the middle of things so when marc's home, we can spend time together (most nights he's got his laptop open on the kitchen table, or he's on the couch watching tv - the island is talking distance to both).

3. my friend virginia came over last night. we shared a bottle of wine and talked for a few hours. it was wonderful to catch up. and she brought me that treat-filled (a gorgeous frame, vera bradley jumbo binder clips and a starbucks card - yes, she knows me very well!) pink bag for my birthday. 

4. yesterday's plans went completely by the wayside when we discovered on wednesday that our heat didn't work. I got things shuffled around (including an all-important hair appointment) and the heat is now fixed and today's schedule is super busy. holly & I are going for a walk, my parents are coming for  lunch and a look at the new house, I've got another all-important waxing appointment this afternoon, and a manicure.

5. good thing there's an extra day in my 50th year...I'm needing every last minute!