We are celebrating Halloween in Disneyland today!
This is the last weekend of our marathon vacationing. While it’s been super fun, I am definitely excited to spend next weekend at home! This week I finish another bottle cozy, share a HO, show off my yarny purchases, discuss the power of prayer, and love on some more Neflix originals. Enjoy!
Finished Objects
I finished a second Classic Bottle Cozy while on vacation in Michigan last weekend. This one is for me– I just love the purple from Woolen Boon. These cozies work up super quickly. Several of my testers finished their cozies in a day or two. This pattern will be available on Ravelry next week!
WIP’s- Focus Projects
I’ve fallen behind in the Coles River CAL, but I did put some work into this crochet shawl this week. The alpaca blend I’m working with is just dreamy. I love a simple crochet project to give my hands a break from knitting and to feel really productive. My Coles River Kerchief is well on it’s way to being an FO real soon.
I’ve made some great progress on my September socks the past two football Saturdays. I knit the entire foot during the Oregon Ducks game three weeks ago. Then, last weekend I turned the heel in the morning at our hotel in Michigan; I finished the leg and cuff of the sock at the SMU vs. Michigan game! I’ve started the second sock now. Since this is just a plain vanilla thing, it will be perfect to carry around Disneyland this weekend.
Something New
While we went to Michigan for football last weekend, I definitely was scoping out the yarn scene. I had my heart set on going to Spun Ann Arbor– and my wish came true! We ended up within walking distance of the shop; so while my husband and his friend tottered off to a brewery, I made my way to Spun!
It was such a spectacular store. The people were kind and helpful. The yarn selection was stunning. I would highly recommend visiting if you’re ever in Ann Arbor. While I coveted their selection of Brooklyn Tweed and Shibui, I didn’t have anything specific on my shopping list. So, I went for a couple unique skeins that I knew I couldn’t find elsewhere.
The first was a local hand-dyer who created colorways after each of the shop workers’ pets. I bought a “Molly” skein. Apparently, Molly is a sweetheart Pitbull whose coloring is so fair that she sometimes looks pink! The second skein was a super-soft marled crazy thing. There were so many skeins to choose from. Each are unique and made with mill ends. I’m so pleased with my yarn purchases!
What God’s Teaching Me
This week I was shown the power of prayer. After feeling super stressed-out on Tuesday, I asked for some suggestions on how to bounce back on Instagram. My Instagram friends came through! Many suggested tea, sweets, knitting, walks, or baths– all of which I took them up on. Several said they would pray for me.
It seems like prayer would be an obvious answer to a difficult situation, but sometimes when you’re drowning in the moment, you forget. Those people who said they would pray for me woke me up! Maybe I can’t do anything to change my circumstance, but I know someone who can- God.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7
So while soaking in a hot bath {per Instagram tips}, I prayed. I prayed for myself to keep calm and to look for the positive. I prayed for specific teachers at my school to feel refreshed and renewed. I prayed for my administrators– because I know if I think I’m feeling stressed, that they are experiencing a greater weight. I prayed for the kids at my school, that they would know that when they walk in each day that they are loved.
After these prayers, I felt pressure lift off immediately. The most amazing part was when I walked into school the next day. A co-worker that I prayed specifically for said they felt calmer. That is the power or prayer, people!
What We’re Cooking
A couple weeks back I made my favorite Tamale Bake and froze a second batch to eat later. Since we were out of town all weekend, this was the perfect time to thaw and eat the casserole. I ran into some problems though.
Last time, I forgot to buy cornbread mix and ended up making the cornbread from scratch- no problem! This time… we didn’t have any eggs. While there are two grocery stores right across the street, I already had showered, put on pajamas, and slathered on a face mask. So I looked up egg substitutes and discovered I could use a little extra milk to make up for the missing egg.
Maybe this would have worked had I been baking cornbread alone, but the result for the topping was a beautiful browned top… and a doughy inside. So sad! One success however, was that I added an extra tablespoon of sugar to the cornbread mix and it was the right amount of sweet. Little wins!
Kent came to the rescue on Wednesday night when he grilled some barbecue chicken. Yummy!
What I’m Loving
We are going to rename this section for the time being to “What I’m Loving“. I haven’t been the best reader lately. I’ve been multi-tasking like crazy and going to bed exhausted- which is when I usually read. Plus, we’ve been out of town a lot and I’ve chosen to watch shows while we travel.
I’d still like to share the entertainment I’ve been consuming- mostly in the form of podcasts and Netflix shows. This past weekend I downloaded two Netflix originals to watch on the plane. Both are romantic teenage comedies… and feature the same actor in the supporting role- haha! He’s handsome though, so I can’t complain.
Sierra Burgess is a Loser turned out to be much better than the preview. While the plot was mostly as expected, there were some surprises. The popular girl’s token secret flaw was unexpected and comical. The heart throb’s touching characteristic really was sweet. You know yourself best, but I think you’ll like this one!
The second movie really looked terrible in previews, but since I liked the previous Netflix original and another one two weeks ago, I tried it. To All the Boys I Loved Before really did have me laughing. Maybe I didn’t pay attention to the preview enough because the entire premise was not as I expected. The main character, Lara Jean, is innocent and funny. This was another cute movie that I’d totally watch again.