Category Archives: Nature

This and That for Saturday!

Hi all! Did you have a nice Groundhog Day? Yep, he saw his shadow—another 6 weeks of winter. I’m betting winter will extend past that 6 week mark, maybe 10 weeks! What do you think?

My husband and I spent yesterday evening watching the movie “Groundhog Day”. It was filmed in a nearby town that we frequently visit. We had fun trying to pick out the filming spots and what is there now. The filming probably took place in 1992, so things have changed. My husband is really good at spotting the areas, not me so much. The bed and breakfast that Bill Murray stayed in was recently sold. In case you are curious as to what it looks like you can see that here. I don’t believe they filmed inside, but definitely outside. I think it operated as a bed and breakfast for a while, but not sure what it is currently being used for.

This little orchid blossom is just opening this very morning! She’s itty bitty, and is one of three buds on a short stem. This is my last remaining phalaenopsis orchid plant. 😦 I must say that that’s a very good reason to visit a somewhat local orchid greenhouse. It’s huge (4 acres!) and makes you feel as if you’re on a tropical vacation.

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My stack of cowls is growing. I just finished the white one. My next cowl will be the Bobble Cowl by Joji Locatelli. It is much longer than these three, so will be on my needles for awhile. I want to dye a skein of fingering weight merino single ply in a very light tonal or barely there gradient. Sorry dollies, I know this skein was meant for you.

As for dolly stuff, I will be embroidering today. See, I’m all set up and ready to go. Once I get started I will be fine—no more procrastinating.

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Oh, one more thing… I didn’t start out collecting doll books, but as you can see it is turning into that. I don’t think I can pass up a book with the word “doll” in the title or a doll illustration on the cover. “House of Dolls” just arrived last week, and is my tiniest book yet. A few of these books have been recommended by some of you. Thank you! I’ve enjoyed them all very much and reread them often. Any more suggestions? 🙂

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I still have to share my heart sachets with you. Tomorrow, I will try. This post is already all over the place.

Wishing you all a great Saturday!

Thank you so much for spending some time with me today. ❤

Busy, But Beautiful Time of the Year

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My daughter got home last Friday night. This fall she has been flying home from school as her “ride” graduated in the spring. It’s super quick which makes up for the increased cost.

It’s so nice to say that it feels like she’s been home a long time and it hasn’t even been a week yet. I’m hoping her entire break passes this slowly.

So far we’ve done Christmas shopping, baked cookies, watched movies, and caught up with news. Yesterday evening we baked Birds’ Nest and Snowball cookies; last Saturday I made Snickerdoodles. I think we’re set with cookies, don’t you? If you’d like to see our Christmas cookie baking from 2014, it is here.

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We’ve properly tested the cookies; all are delicious. 😉 Our favorite—the Birds’ Nest cookies with peach Bonne Maman preserves. The peach flavor adds a tiny bit of tartness, yum. This is a recipe my mom made from when I was a little girl. If anyone cares for the recipe let me know and I’ll include it in a blog post.

The morning light was magical this morning. The light changes so quickly, and my camera was right here! Got it!

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This (above) turned to this (below) in a matter of minutes.

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And out our front window…

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Maybe some day I’ll dye a skein of yarn called “Winter Sunrise”. The colors in nature are ever changing and beyond beautiful.

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My last phalaenopsis orchid plant has produced a stem of buds. It’s still pretty tiny; I can’t wait until it blooms. This is the orchid we had found in a broken planter at the end of our driveway a couple of years ago. We think someone put it on the roof of their car and took off; it looked like it had been a gift.

A great way to start the morning—coffee, a cookie, and a little knitting.

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I hope you all enjoy this last Wednesday before Christmas. Geez, cannot believe it! Other than me going for a walk, we are staying home today (I think) and will most likely do some gift wrapping. I’m going to try and finish knitting this little merino cap for the Little Darlings too. Not sure what else we’ll do today.

Thank you for stopping by today, my friends! ❤

It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

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Hello! What a beautiful morning we have here in northern Illinois! It snowed last night, only a tiny bit, but enough to make everything white and beautiful, and oh so peaceful. The front porch light was on, and it was still dark when I took this photo. It’s so magical.

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And as light comes to the day, so do the birds come for breakfast.

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I love learning something new this time of year. This year sock knitting has caught my interest. Sock knitting seems like something impossibly hard, so I knew I needed a visual class to learn. So far this Craftsy class by Susan B. Anderson has taught me Judy’s magic cast on, which is how she starts the sock. I have the toe completed, and am now knitting away at lengthening the foot. Slowing down the lessons has helped me a lot, and Susan is very thorough. I have no doubts that I’ll be able to figure out how to make the whole sock.

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This past week I baked another apple crumble. If you need dessert, like we seem to in our house, this is one of the healthier (Is there such a thing?) ones—lots of apples, oatmeal, nuts, and little sugar. My recipe is from here, but I keep adapting it. I found that half the topping seems to work fine for 2 pounds of sliced apples. We prefer lots of baked apple yumminess and not super sweet—you can eat more that way. 😉

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Even though I have no photos to show you, I have been working on dolly things. One dress needs a new sweater, and one cape/cuddle cap set needs a new dress. Sometimes things don’t go as planned.

I hope you all have a most festive weekend. Take it slow, and enjoy every moment.

Ah, it’s snowing again here, big white flakes! Bye for now, my friends.

❤