Happy New Year!

Another year has come and gone.  I’ve had many good and some not so good times, joy and sorrow, yesthe typical roller coaster of a life.  I’m grateful for good health, loving family and finding joy in the doing.  Knitting, my greatest love has given me so much pleasure.  I’ve managed to complete numerous projects that were on my to-do list and work on some that were totally unexpected, but I just had to tackle.  Kusha kusha scarf,

hazy moon scarf

 and Bella’s mittens

were all, OMG, I’ve just got to make these!

Time at the beach has been such a great stress reliever.  I’ve enjoyed strolling along the sand watching the sea do its thing. 

I’m looking forward to blogging away in 2010!

Christmas Eve

Today was a fun family day.  We finished up our last minute gift shopping and then hung out watching holiday movies.  One of my favorites 'I'll be home for Christmas' makes me laugh and brings me joy.
In the afternoon we headed to the kitchen for cookie making.  This year we made both regular chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.  We then asked each other which ones are best?  No one could decide as both were delicious!

I imagine these will all be gone by tomorrow!

Busy week ahead

Its upon us, yes the week of Christmas is here.  The children are out of school and excited with anticipation of the days to come.  I hope to enjoy every moment with my family and friends. May the coming year bring peace, love and joy to all.

Anthropolotree...

I can not believe it is a week till Christmas day.  It has come upon us so quickly.  I'm ready, well relatively speaking, I'm on target.  I've still much to do, but I have been pacing myself.  Still much knitting to complete, baking to be done and gifts to wrap.  I took this picture of our tree that we've decorated with sweet little ornaments.  Some of which I bought last year at the Anthropologie after Christmas sale.  So how fun is that?

Weather is here...

I awoke to the sound of rain this morning.  Such a lovely sound.  The wind played thru the chimes and created havoc all about the yard.  I'm happy to see weather.  Much needed and welcome.

I feel that indoor activities are allowed and encouraged.  So much to do with the holidays just 12 days away.  I've got the cards addressed, the house decorated and am in the middle of present preparation.

I'm excited when the UPS truck pulls into the driveway...What will arrive today?

Sneak peak...

I have been busy knitting these cute little Christmas ornaments; patterns are here-Berroco minutia

They are so much fun, and they are a super stash buster too.

I used pipe cleaners and bent/twisted them up to form the hangers.
I've got more to make so back at it!

December? How did that happen...

Here we are in the final month of the year 2009.  Wow, how can it be?
I've got ooodles to do before Christmas as I'm trying to make as many gifts as possible this year.

I start my morning, as always, checking my favorite blogs before rising.

And I did take time for a beach walk this morning and it was glorious!

I just love the way the waves were lapping along the shore.

This picture of the wave reminds me of one of my favorite knitting stitch patterns called 'feather & fan'.  Hope you have a great day exploring out there.

Time for thanks...

Well here it is, Thanksgiving weekend. And it just happens to be my favorite holiday.

A time to reflect about the people and things that are important in my life.

I am thankful for my sweet hubby and awesome children....
I am also thankful for my parents, siblings, extended family and wonderful friends.
I hope you all have a safe and happy Thankgiving where ever you are and what ever you do.

Textures...

Recently I started to take photographs of my knitting from a different perspective.  I had been so concerned with showing things I'd made so that I could see exactly what it was that I had made, i.e. sweater, scarf, etc. Then one day I really focused on the texture of the fabric I was creating and enjoying its beauty alone.  I think my love of photography opened this new mental eye.  Thank you camera!

Now I'm obsessed with knitting texture.  Each stitch pattern is so unique.  Stockingette, garter, entrelac, seed, the list goes on and on.  I am truly amazed at how much enjoyment I get from creating knitted fabric.

The feel of the yarn in my hands.  The clicking of the needles. The endless stream of thoughts that go thru my mind as I stitch along.  Endless learning and rewards...

Oh what a beautiful morning...

Wow, what a difference a day makes.  We went from sunny oh so hot to chilly and stormy rather quickly.

I really loved the way the ocean smelled this morning.  With the wind blowing and gusting the smell of salt air was intoxicating.  I enjoyed a relaxing beach walk and got to take in the beauty all around me.

I hope surfs up where ever you are this weekend.  Have a good one...

Day to play

Yesterday,  I spent a wonderful day with my daughter.  It isn't often I have the opportunity to spend time with her so it was a real treat. We took advantage of free Tuesday at the San Diego Museum of Art.  We toured the Photography museum and then the Botanical gardens was our focus for the morning.  I was looking for color, looking for sun flare opportunities and found both!

Happy Friday

Such a beautiful day.  Mild, sunny and crisp.  So happy we are headed into a weekend.
Knitting, and Playing around with Photoshop elements will occupy my time.

What will you do?  Have a great time...

Meandering thru the gardens

What a wonderful walk I had thru the SD Botanical gardens in Encinitas.
The morning was just perfect, blue skys, warm sunshine and greenery in every direction I looked.
This is such a special place and I had my camera at the ready at every turn.

My favorite area, as always, the Bamboo garden.  Spectacular!

Fairy Garden

This morning I worked thru the tutorial in a fairy garden.  It was so much fun.  I had some trouble as the instructions are for PC and I'm working with mac.  But, I'm still happy with what I was able to accomplish. I heart faces rocks! Thank you Michelle Johnson.

What do you think?

Such a great day

I've just finished up my Online photography course and I'm happy to report that it went really well.

So what have I learned? 

Courage - Just get out there and start taking photographs.

Read the manual - Hmm, much more educated on just what my camera is capable of.

Post/editing pictures - Photoshop elements isn't as scary as I first thought.  Starting to get the hang of it.

Resources - Lots of information on the Web, but it does take time to find it.

Flickr Group - Great fun posting pictures to a group and getting feedback.

Thanks to Rachel at Bloom a photo e course for such a great opportunity to improve my skills.

Amazing morning

This was such a beautiful morning for a beach walk.  The sun shining bright.  The waves crashing loudly on the shore and people walking about everywhere.  I just love the smell of salt in the air.  I'm always in awe of how lucky I am to live near the water and have such easy access for walking along the shore.

Still enjoying our never ending summer…

Well here we are in the last days of October and it is still hot here in southern California.  How much longer till we get a taste of fall or maybe a glimpse of winter?

I’m ready to pull the sweaters and uggs out of storage.  I’m still wearing flip-flops and capri’s.  Ha!  Believe me, I’m not complaining, I’m just ready for a season change.  I’ve seen some pretty cozy pictures on other blogs of bountiful pumpkin patches, colorful leaf piles and homemade goodies.  Oh well,

I’ll just enjoy this warm weather while it lasts.  Happy Friday.  Have a great weekend.

Walkabout

Today, wow the clouds in the sky are beautiful.  Funny, we don’t seem to have clouds all that often here in southern California.  When they do arrive, I love to go out and watch them float by.  All the white and grey fluffiness against the blue blue sky is breathtaking to witness.

Instead of heading to the gym, I brought my camera along for a morning walk. My quest; looking for color.

Here it is mid October and I found that there still is much color to be found if one looks.  After viewing these pictures I had taken at Buena Creek park, I felt the need to share.

Searching for treasure

Today I'm digging thru my stash drawers to see what I've saved for some future creation.
I found that I've got a few items that haven't seen the light of day in sometime.  Ribbon that I purchased long ago that I once had plans for.  What happened?

Flower coursages that I made and then put away until?

Stick and Hatpins that I purchased to put on my handmade hats then they too got stashed away.  Well, now that I've unearthed these beauties, I need to think again about their possible uses.  I love treasure hunting…

Blogging...

Surfing the Blogs has been way more fun then I ever imagined.  How have I lived without Blogs?

Tara Frey’s book ‘Blogging for Bliss’ has open up a world I didn’t even know existed.

Creative Blogs with their beautiful pictures and art filled journal entries has been awe inspiring to me. I find time zooms by when I’m viewing blogs, but I just can’t seem to stop. 

Since I was recently layed off from work, I find myself with a tad bit of time on my hands.  Lucky me.  I get to go out and take photos for my blog, walk the beach, work on my knitting projects and oh, yes, read my favorite blogs.

Welcome October!

Hooray for local summer

October or ‘local summer’ is my favorite time of year here in southern California.

Tourists are few and students are busy with classes and homework.  The beaches are welcoming and the water is still warm enough to beckon surfers, boogie boarders and swimmers alike.

The only crowds visible are flocks of seagulls clustering together near the shoreline.

This October I’m planning on spending as much of my free time as possible hanging out at the beach enjoying the feel of warm sand, the smell of salt drenched air and the sound of pounding surf; Paradise!

Photo Date No. 2

Another perfect Saturday…

This morning, after having cozy coffee with Rob, I ventured out on my second Photo date. 

During the week I had done a little more reading about my D40 camera. What I came to realize is that I’d mistakenly hit the exposure compensation button while changing the f stops on my camera during my first Photo date. That explains why last weeks pictures were so under exposed.

So armed with this new information, I ventured back to the flower garden behind the Carlsbad Historical society building on Beech street.  The lighting was nice, but the flowers were looking a little aged.  Hmm, they could use a little hair and makeup! 

I decided to take my time and circle around each grouping of roses until I found what I’d consider the shot.  It was fun to really LOOK at each flower and decide what I really wanted to focus on while looking thru the viewfinder. So here they are, my latest Pics...

Just a glimpse…

Well, I’ve finally accepted that I’m a daily commuter. The process of getting to acceptance included finding what I can call ‘good’ about the time I’m spending in the car going up and down the highway.  I consider myself fortunate that my commute is along the beautiful southern California coastline.  What I have discovered is that there are many beautiful vista’s to be seen east and west of the road.  Now its true that I can only take a quick peek, as I do need to stay focused on my driving.  I have found that even just a glimpse can make me smile, change my mood or bring me to a feeling of awe.

Some of my favorites include:

A wave crash on the shore, all foamy and white contrasting against the blue sky

The reflection of a green hillside in one of the glass like lagoons

The sun coming up over the eastern hills with the pink glow hovering just above and the lights of houses twinkling like stars

Low lying fog hugging valleys with palm tree tops popping up above looking like mop-heads

Flowers blooming along the center median

So my new daily quest is looking for the unusual, beautiful or otherwise interesting view.  Doing this helps to counteract the stress that rush hour traffic induces.

Dalia

Dalia
Originally uploaded by knitalatte1

Such a pretty face

Jamin

On my recent trip to Evans Washington to visit with my sister and her family, I learned a very important skill that I was otherwise lacking.  I now know how to make Golden plum jam.  I am very proud of this achievement.  It is so rewarding to put time and energy into a project that has an immediate reward.  I will be forever grateful to my sister Donna for teaching me.  We were able to enjoy the ‘fruits’ of our labor over and over again during my time there.  Pumpkin bread?  Must have Golden plum jam. English muffin? Much better with jam, Toast? Oh yes, gpj please!

Golden Plum Jam

4 1/2 cups of diced plums

7 1/2 cups of sugar

1 pouch of Certo (Premium liquid fruit pectin)

8 - 8oz. jars sterilized including lids

Before starting jam, fill water canner 1/2 full and heat so that when your jam is done it is ready to go into the canner.

Place 4 1/2 cups of diced plums in a large saucepan, heat on stove top to med/high and add a Tbsp of butter (to reduce foaming). Gradually add sugar about 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Cook until bubbles evenly, about 10 minutes. When full bubble, add pouch of pectin and cook until returns to a full boil and set timer for 1 minute. When timer goes off remove from stove and place near jars to be filled. Skim off any foam on top of jam.

Fill jars to 1/8th of top of jar. Wipe all jar tops down so will seal properly. Put lids on jars and using a jar tong insert sealed jars into canner filled halfway with water. Make sure jars are covered by at least an inch of water. Bring to a boil, once its a roaring boil set timer for 10 minutes. When timer goes off remove jars from canner with the jar-tongs and set on a counter covered with a towel. You should start to hear popping sounds, which means the lids are sealing. Test all jars after 24 hours by tapping lids to make sure they don't bounce back. Voila! Can store for up to 6 months.