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!

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 | February.

Yep, one more catching up post before I'm ready to move on to March! 

Today, I'm looking back at February through the lens of my daily photos:

I've already shared most of these photos here or on Instagram, but I'm still surprised by the story all 28 photos tell together - what a month! The trip to Mexico over the last week was planned, but I had no idea Marc would be such a willing participant in the photos! Then there were the little boys - breakfast on the 11th, followed by two whole days with little Sam on the 14th and 15th. First signs of spring ... and an amaryllis that looks just as lovely when the blooms fade (the 5th) as when they're just beginning (the 10th). 

That "just beginning" bud managed to hold off blooming until we were home and I've enjoyed watching it unfold over the past few days. Its first blossom was a most welcome sight this morning.

One photo I haven't shared here is from the 8th - my mom at her new front door:

We had a mini photoshoot that afternoon so she had a "new home" photo to share with her friends. I'm delighted with the photo (smiles, sunshine, forsythia wreath!), but mostly having my mom so close ... and getting settled. I fully expect her to be a regular feature in these monthly collages going forward - what a blessing!

There was also one part of my February that I purposely omitted from the collage. The 10 day #tblmindbodypilates challenge was something I wanted to accomplish, but I knew it would mostly happen while we were away. and of course I knew I'd want to have vacation photos fill those daily spots. I did take a daily photo to mark each workout (doubling up on days 5 & 6 when we were traveling) and made a mini-collage. 

Pilates with a beach view is definitely more fun than pilates in my living room - but The Balanced Life works great in both places! (although I'm not sure Holly would agree 😉)

And that's a wrap!

Cheers, February - you were wonderful ... but I'm ready to welcome March!

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.

Looking Back | August and Labor Day Weekend 2017.

Well hello Tuesday! I can't quite believe it was a week ago that we arrived back home from Alaska. My mom got home yesterday afternoon, after almost four weeks away; spending a few extra days with us at both ends of the trip provided more opportunities for family gatherings ... and recovering from the four-hour Alaska time difference and the red-eye flight home. For me the long weekend also gave me a chance to get started on the massive project that is sorting through 1,000+ photos and videos from our trip.

I started with my August photo-a-day.

Choosing one image to represent each of the 13 days I was gone was both a challenge and a wonderful reminder since most of the days had multiple stories (and at least dozens of photos). I plan to share a lot more here over the next few weeks, and if you followed along on Instagram (we tagged most of our photos with #alaska2017💙🚂 in memory of my dad, whose love of trains inspired several of our adventures) you've already seen a few highlights. For today, I have two short stories:

The first - from my summer bucket list - a whale near Juneau on August 20.

I'm not 100% positive, but I think that whale's name is Flame. I couldn't identify her fluke from my photo, but another woman on our excursion captured a much clearer image and our guide said it was Flame. (also, photographing whales is really hard - I probably have over a hundred photos of water "where the whale was")

And this one, from August 17.

My sister and I knitted our mom the same matching hat & mitts set that we both made for ourselves; Karen knitted the hat and I knitted the mitts. We gave them to her the second night of the cruise when it was starting to get chilly. She certainly appreciated them, but she never wore them (we're expecting she might have an opportunity - or two 😉 - this winter).

I also have a quick peek at the past weekend. It was another whirlwind.

Friday evening, we had a family gathering at Katie's. Saturday, I took my mom to the Botanical Garden (her first daylight visit and my first full-on blue sky visit in a while). She's planning to join when she moves and I know she'll enjoy it as much as I have. Sunday, I finally made it down to the lake in the daylight and started a pair of socks for Charlie (which he insisted on modeling on his hand, not his foot). Yesterday, I spent the morning working on photos (that image I captured is from the Collect app) and in the afternoon I babysat the boys while Katie and Rob attended the (oh-so-disappointing) Georgia Tech home opener. I shared some of that fun on Instagram.

...and just like that...it's Tuesday! Hope you enjoyed your weekend and here's to a great week!

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?!

Looking Back | May 2017.

Today I'm looking back at May through the lens of my daily photos. Apparently I have a thing for shadows?! It was certainly a great month to be outside, and inside, things were pretty fun too. Morning walks and runs, drinks with friends, countless games of Yahtzee, porch views, another epic knitting project, a few flowers and a handful of little boy smiles. Indeed it was a very good month.

and thanks to my mom, I have one more fun thing to share with y'all. You remember this?

The puzzle lovers in my family (a group which does not include me 😉) had a great time with it during our Memorial Day lake trip. The comments on the post where I shared an "in process" photo made my mom think one of y'all might like to give it a try.  If you'd like to have it, please let us know in the comments. We'll choose a winner and I'll mail it to you. It would be great to give this puzzle a(nother) happy home!

Happy Tuesday!

Looking Back | April 2017.

Today I'm looking back at April through the lens of my daily photos. Now I understand why it seems like the month just flew by! nearly every single day was full ... friends, travel, family, morning walks, and an epic knitting project. (also a record twelve selfies!)

I love how those two Wednesdays (first and third weeks) and the fourth Sunday stand out as moments of calm amidst all the activity. They're important reminders of how much I need that early morning time and an occasional walk by myself ... balance in all things (right, Kym?!)

What helps keep you balanced in the midst of crazy, full days?

Looking Back | March 2017.

Today we're looking back at March. I take these photos one day at a time and last month I even managed to keep up with organizing them (I have a folder in Photos for all the daily photos - makes it easy to remember which photo is "the one" for that day), but it wasn't until this morning that I made the collage. Seeing the month laid out like this, it gets me every.single.time.

We transitioned from winter sweaters, wooly cowls and boots to Friday afternoon walks with a beer and Saturday morning runs in shorts. I started a new Pilates practice and continued daily stitching.  It was a month full of blue skies, flowering trees, azaleas ... and smiling little boys.

I'm still writing April's story, but I think it's going to be really hard to top March!

Looking Back | Winter 2016.

I know many of you are still looking at Winter head on. But hopefully here in Georgia, Spring is here to stay - and that makes "looking back" at Winter a lot more fun!

The holiday season got off to a rocky start; apparently hanging that wreath on December 1 was just what I needed. Twinkle lights, little boys, another visit from Sara, along with plenty of cocktails and White Christmas with my favorite sister made for a beautiful month.

I love the juxtaposition of Florida with Atlanta in January. Those five days I spent at my mom's are such a contrast with the woolen knits and hats we were wearing here!

And February, well, I think it looks like a typical March (even the time I spent in Madison seemed spring-like).

On the knitting front, I count 12 WIPs, of which all but three have since become FOs. And I realize I'm way behind in sharing the finished projects now that Katie has gone back to work (Marc is willing, but he just doesn't "get" the knitting photos like she does). In any event, I'm hoping to do better. I'm weaving in the ends of my last "winter" sweater this morning and Sunday's forecast looks like it might be a perfect sweater day. We'll see.

I've now completed a year of sharing these collages three months at a time. I do love seeing the season all together, but I've gotten terrible at keeping up with them (as in I spent a few hours over the weekend pulling it all together). So I'm going to try monthly again. At least that way I won't be able to fall behind more than 31 (or so) days.

Here's to blue skies ... and looking forward to Spring!

Looking Back | Fall 2016.

Yes, I'm still taking daily photos ... and before we pass the mid-point of December, how about a look back at Fall.

Summer lingered well into October (sandals on the 20th!) and Winter made a few brief appearances (Charlie's hat and coat), but most of it is pure Fall:

• The arrival of little Sam on October 25th.
• Which means I've stayed home. No trips. My mom and Sara both traveled here over Thanksgiving, and I have proof of Mother's visit (Hi! on the 28th) but not Sara's... must do better when she's here for Christmas!
• Charlie turned two back in September. These three months-at-a-time views really show how fast he's growing!
• More reading (and no covered bingo card this year).
• No more evening knitting classes; my last one was October 13th and I haven't missed it. not even a little.
• Another birthday and another anniversary.
• Inspector Morse and Call the Midwife on Netflix, mostly accompanied by knitting.
• Nine WIPs, of which all but two (No Tails and Stole 2.0) became FOs.
• Crafting the advent calendar with Katie.
• November Sundays with the Timbered Choir.
• Another Georgia Tech win (vs. Georgia) on November 26th.
• A little bit of porch time.
• ...and apparently a diet of coffee, beer, wine and the occasional cocktail!

Now there's a chill in the air (really - it's below freezing this morning!), I'm listening to my holiday playlist and seeing the lights on the tree reflected on my computer screen. Signs of Winter for sure. Hope the new season is off to a bright start for you, too!

Looking Back | Spring 2016.

I think I'm going to start sharing these monthly collages less frequently. It's fun to see more than one month together at the same time. The things that change (like seasons, hairdo's and what Charlie's into) and the things that don't (Tuesdays with Charlie, Wednesdays with my sister, good food & drink, and plenty of books/reading and knitting) are more visible...and there's a lot more activity. Here's a look back at my Spring.

and a few of the things I noticed:

• a whopping TEN WIPs, of which eight subsequently became FOs. The Simple Tee (featured most recently on May 24) is now awaiting four seams...hopefully an FO soon. The Blue Baby Blanket (introduced on May 2) is about 3" long...I have a ways to go, but there's still plenty of time (I'm not worried!)
• I got back into running in April; love the lake views on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
• Yay for porch time. Friday afternoon beers. and blue skies.
• Spring blossoms gave way to full-on summer.
• Sweaters & boots became jeans & flats became sandals and bare feet in the grass.
• Travels to Florida with Katie & Charlie, then to New York with Sara, to South Carolina with the whole family and Lake Oconee with most of us (and my trusty iPhone tripod to take a group photo).

I'm excited to see what the next three months (full-on summer!) might bring.  More on that...tomorrow!

Looking Back | Sixty Days.

Marc's out for dinner. it's raining. my elbow needs a rest (as do my ears...more on that later!) and it's been over two months since I shared one of my photo-a-day collages. seems like the perfect time for a quick catch-up. how is it that sixty days can seem like so much time....or really, not much at all.

I created that January collage in early February - right on schedule! - but ... never found the right day to share it. Then as the days passed, it started to feel like those first two months were just blurring together. and now that it's March, sharing them together seems right.

Those first days of January seem like another year...but those weeks in Florida (starting on Sunday, January 17) still seem fresh...and sometimes raw. I'm reminded - for probably the millionth plus one time - how much I LOVE this daily photo habit.

I know regular readers will recognize most of these photos. Blue Sky Blooms from Florida and home. a few WIPs (and FOs :-), Charlie, Spring! ... and maybe even Mah Jong.

But that last Mah Jong photo (Monday, February 22) is new. That's my first "real" game, and me - winning! yep! a win!! - which might just explain why I'm totally hooked. (and why I didn't even pull out my knitting. not even once! the whole time we played).

2010 card - 3rd row down in the 13579 category

Now that we're three days into March, I find myself thinking about what moments I want to capture this month. What moment(s) would you want to save?