Plying All The Romney

My spinning mojo has really caught fire. After starting some singles out of 100% Romney last week, I spent all day Saturday playing outside with the kids and finishing the singles. I let them rest overnight and played the “mother’s day card” so I could drink wine and ply my yarn.

I really enjoy using my tensioned Kate. It helps prevent overspinning and having the singles fold back on themselves. The wine doesn’t hurt either!

Happy Spinning!!

Multitasking, Self Care Style

The chaos continues and I decided to take some time out for me this past weekend. My kids were visiting family and I had the TV to myself. It was glorious!

This self care session was brought to you by a class of red blend wine, some lavender scented candles and my Paintbox Socks, Take Two. The tubes are all done except for the afterthought heels. I did pause for a second to think “should I really be cutting my knitting while drinking wine” and then did it anyway!.

Happy Knitting!!

Soaking In The Last Of Summer

I snapped this photo a week or so ago. I was soaking in the last heat wave before temperatures started falling towards more Midwestern Fall appropriate range. We had a week of 95 degree plus temperatures and I was melting outside with the kids as they swang and swam merrily along.

I decided to do a little self care after the kids went to bed I headed back to the kiddie pool with wine, a good true crime podcast and SOLITUDE. I spent 45 minutes floating and watching the sunset. No one was screaming “MOMMY!!” or climbing all over me. I may have scared the neighbors with my true crime obsession but I came out the other side much more relaxed.

Happy Self Care!!

A Little Humor

I’m a little light on the knitting this week. So I decided to drop a little humor this Wednesday from my favorite local winery….

Prairie Fire winery has started bottling wine margaritas…they know my weakness. Happy Wednesday!!

Self Care Cocktails

In these times of change and only the necessities I’ve been challenged to make due with what I have around the house. Last work week was brutal in ways I cannot even explain. I’ve been working from home for a month and I think I think I’ve almost doubled the number of hours I put in a week and i’m farther behind than I’ve ever been. But I digress.

On Friday evening, I realized we had run out out of wine. I’ll pause for the gasps of horror. But I was nonetheless deterred. I googled recipes that would use up the odds and end of our very dusty liquor cabinet (leftover from the pre-Jellybean and PB days where we would have actual proper parties with stout beverages).

I had some standard vodka and some creme de cacao so my first lesson was a chocolate martini. I dusted off my cocktail shaker and drizzled some hershey’s in a frosted class….a promptly poured a double after the kids went to bed. It was delicious and just the trick to take the edge off a long week.

On Saturday night the hubby got in on the action. He told me he was going to surprise me and came downstairs with this lovely concoction! It was a pour man’s White Russian or as he called it a “salted caramel white russian”. Please excuse the lack of proper glasswear…we have two kids and there is a global pandemic, any glass will do in my book!

This was one was ice cubes with one part vodka and two parts salted caramel Kahlua all topped off with vanilla almond milk. (We save the cows milk for the kids since we aren’t always sure the store will be stocked). And you guys….this was AMAZING! It was like a cold salted caramel coffee. I will TOTALLY do this one again.

And the best part was we didn’t have to leave our house and we are using up bits and bobs that hopefully aren’t expired and will kill us. Either way, salud!!

Moms And Martinis

Everyone needs a tribe (or three). One of the tribes I have really gotten a lot of support and companionship from here lately is a group of moms I have met in and around my community. We are all working moms and try to get together for lunch once a month on a Friday. There are lawyers, bankers, advertising execs, sales managers and accountants so we aren’t always successful but at least two people manage to show up every month.

I decided that wasn’t enough, so quarterly we also meet up at a local restaurant for “Moms and Martinis” after we all put our kids to bed (or leave them with their respective fathers and smile all the way down the driveway).

I pulled out my Cheery Vanilla socks and knit a few rounds as I sipped my beer and the subsequent Lemon Drop Martini. None of the other Moms are especially fibery but they like me and don’t bat an eye at my knitting. I got to laugh, knit and drink with some fantastic ladies. I cannot wait for January to roll around for the next one!!

Do you have a tribe?

Self Care Renewed

I started the back portion of my Worsted Boxy last night. It was the hubby’s night for bath and bed so I pulled a bottle of one of my favorite local Kansas wine makers and went to town on some flat stockinette.

I haven’t looked yet this morning, but I’m pretty sure I did not suffer wine induced knitting oopsies. It was actually a very much needed calm evening. (And I busted out the crazy yoga pants that drive my husband crazy.) As I’m getting older (read more tired) I find that I’m getting better about self care and taking care of my needs just as much as I take care of others. Some days is a struggle but it’s always worth it.

Happy Knitting!!

This Week’s Meditation

Today’s meditation is brought to you by blush wine, knitting the hubby does the kids’ bedtime…

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I’m soooo close to separating for sleeves on my Autumn League Pullover, I can literally taste it! The initial neck shaping and raglan increases just whooshed by. But now it seems I knit and knit and knit but every time I measure I haven’t seem to have made any progress. I guess that is where the meditation comes in…

Happy Knitting!

Wine Time

I have the good fortune of making friends who happen to have cool jobs. My friends from my grad school days opened a winery about 5 years ago. Its Prairie Fire Winery located on I-70 west of Topeka. They make all their wine from only Kansas grown grapes. And last weekend they hosted a grape harvest event and I scored a ticket! Thought I would share a few photos from the event. Salud!

White wine sangria….mmm

Flint Hills view 

Me sweaty after harvest

The lovely grapes 

A robins nest tucked in the vines
The happy group!