Knitting: Reknit

To my readers who enjoy knitting, check out the article on NPR's website and the link to Reknit.  This mother and son duo make a great team.  The mother repurposes old knitted pieces and the son keeps his mother's company in the technology/web 2.0 loop with a great website and Facebook exposure.  What a great way to recylce and reuse!! 

I've been on a sewing kick recently but this story has given me new inspiration to knit something.

Happy knitting!

Sick of Being Sick, and Winter

It's that time of year... when sickness is bound to fall upon you in some way or another!  Tom and I both have head colds right now.  We've had our heads buried in tissues since Thursday and have a severe case of light sensitivity.  The first day we got sick we were at work and waited until the sun set before driving home to avoid teary eyes while driving.  I think... I hope... our head colds will dissipate sooner than later as we both have busy weeks ahead of us.


Tom is finally back to work for the first time since 2009!!  Last week was his first week back and he was warmly welcomed.  He had been working from home for about 2 weeks before returning, which helped him transition back into the work pace.  He was also going stir crazy while working from home, waiting like a dog at the door to go somewhere when I returned home from work.  I think Tom, his employer, and I are all happy he's back into the swing of things!


2010 has been flying by with very little time to take deep breaths and look around.  We recently had two major snowstorms that gave us a chance to relax at home and enjoy the moment for a change.  The past several winters have been very mild, so two snowstorms yielding 2+ feet a piece really caught us off guard!  The first major storm happened on a Saturday and although it stopped life for one day, things were pretty much back to normal by Monday.  The second major storm, however, happened on a Wednesday and shut down both the city government and the private sector for a day and a half.  It was the best snow day ever for both kids and adults!!!  I baked in preparation for a dinner party later in the week, watched movies, and filmed and photographed the snow falling outside.  This winter has definitely been one to remember!

Celebrating Love One Felt Heart at a Time

I love making crafts in celebration of Valentine's Day.  Last year I made pop-up cards and this year I experimented with felt material.  I got the idea for this project while watching "Julie and Julia."  There is a scene in the movie where Julia (Meryl Streep) hosts a party on Valentine's Day and she and her guests all wear red hearts.  My version of the hearts involves felt and file paper for the interfacing.  The hearts were worn by my family members with love.

Back in the Studio...

I took a matting and framing class this weekend at an independent art studio in Philadelphia.  It was great to be in a photography studio again.  The studio itself is a space in progress with a darkroom, computer work spaces, and a spacious gallery in transition for its next artist.

The matting portion of the class seemed like a lot of common sense at first, but once I started my practice runs, I realized just how much time is spent on the little details.  The end product - two of my food photographs matted and framed - was very rewarding.  I'm definitely going to put this new knowledge to use!

Happy 27th Birthday to Ivy!

We celebrated Ivy's 27th birthday this evening.  Ivy requested chicken alfredo with salad and cake for her bday dinner.  As usual, my mother made an excellent birthday dinner that we shared while talking about years past.  It was a lovely evening to be with family and a great way to ring in Ivy's 27th year of life.

Ivy and Mom

Mom gave Ivy a book authored and illustrated by the same artist who illustrated Ivy's favorite book while growing up, Amy the Dancing Bear

I made Ivy a clothes pin apron for when she hangs her washing on the clothes line in the summer months.  It was a fun project and a great learning experience!

Monday Morning Scones

Scones!  A simple and delicious treat.  The scones pictured below are cranberry/orange and turned out nicely.  I made some whipped cream to accompany them and found out that Thomas enjoys strawberry jam with his.  They turned out to be an enjoyable Monday morning treat.

In other news, guess what finally arrived???  My photo xmas cards I ordered from Shutterfly the first week of December last year!!  So, it turned out that it wasn't Shutterfly's mistake or USPS entirely.  USPS did deliver the cards on time, but put them in the wrong post box!  The man you received them dropped them off the other evening saying he tried to drop them off twice before but we weren't home.  Then they slipped through a crack in his car and he forgot about them until he saw them while cleaning out his car.  So, after I called Shutterfly and UPS and USPS to find out their whereabouts and eventually demanded a refund, they show up!

Living and Loving Life

Our year so far has been all about Thomas.  Well, really, all about his right knee!  As you know, he has a bacterial infection that is now under control and continuing to be monitored.  The theme of our year has been expect the unexpected.  The unexpected nature of this situation has really brought us together as a couple.  We realize just how much we love each other and our patience with one another is constantly being tested.  We knew that his medical situation was serious before it was properly diagnosed, but now that we know how close he was to potentially being dead, we appreciate life even more than before and aren't taking anything for granted!

knee pre operation

knee post operation