Getting Organized, Planning Knitting Projects, and Reading On

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Right now unfortunately I don't have any knitting I am working on. I still haven't found my pattern for the socks that was on the yarn sleeve. I have plans to knit my husband a scarf he asked for one. Today I looked up a pattern and ordered yarn for that project and hoping I have some progress to share with you next week! I also added a skein of yarn to knit myself a hat afterwards and want to knit Evan something after those two projects are complete. It has been slow around here lately and was just so cold this past week in Toronto. I have been busy with Evan playing, doing painting and colouring, and preparing his snacks and meals. It has been cold so mostly staying in with him lately and once it warms up a bit we can resume our outdoor walks. We went on one this past weekend it was so nice to go out as a family on a walk outside to the mall.

I have been continuing to read It Starts with us by Colleen Hoover and almost done. I have been enjoying reading about the character's lives and relationships continuing on from It Ends with Us. I have also been reading the Whole- Brain child by Daniel Siegel and Tina Bryson. It is so informative and there are some really good tips on working through issues with your child and encouraging them to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Something I want to learn about for when Evan is older and to help him work through emotional and tough times.

I have been feeling like decluttering lately and getting some new furniture and baskets to organize Evan's toys. I bought a big basket from Loblaws in their Life at Home collection. It is a good open rope basket we can throw his toys in to tidy up and he likes looking into it to find toys. I had a smaller one that is beside it in the photo and use it for stuffed animals now. He got a lot of toys for Christmas and also as his toy collection grows I just want to be ready to store them.

For my knitting I have been on the fence about getting a 3 tier cart. I think it would be perfect to store my yarn and knitting projects and knitting bags. There is one at Michaels and found one on Amazon. I will probably buy it soon. I have my knitting scattered everywhere right now it used to live mostly in the second bedroom that is now Evan's room. Now it is in bags and my knitting is in a few spots. I think a shelf would also be good. 

Photo source

Millie and Evan have been good. Evan is 14 months old tomorrow and he is so fun and so busy. He is a toddler now walking a lot and babbling.  He keeps us on our toes. Millie is busy too and wants to play a lot once Evan is down for bedtime and naptime.

I have been trying to work on my puzzle again and Millie keeps jumping up onto the table with me and attacking the pieces. I have decided to do the puzzle when she is napping or busy somewhere else. This puzzle I started when I was at the end of my pregnancy with Evan and I did the middle parts before the edges were done so the pieces just got everywhere and I have a roll up mat that doesn't keep the pieces together very well. So the other day I decided to take apart the middle pieces and just work on the edges. I should be in better shape with the puzzle soon and it will stay together better.

I hope you are doing well and thank you for visiting my blog today! What are you working on and reading this week?

Weekend Baking, Reading and Thoughts

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This weekend went by fast and I enjoyed visiting with family and having some time to relax. On Saturday I baked banana bread using the "best banana bread recipe" from the website Mom on Timeout. It was so delicious and fun to bake again and the whole house always smells so good with baking bread in our home.

I visited my sister on Sunday, it was nice spending time with her and seeing my nephew. He is getting big! He is 10 months old now and it is so fun to hang out with him. I visited my mom and dad afterwards and spent time with the cats as well. Moo snuggled with me it was so nice spending time with them again too.

I was reading Expecting Better by Emily Oster. It was a very informative book and it is so interesting reading more and more about pregnancy and trends. I am also reading Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid and getting more into the story.

I have been watching the invasion of Russia to Ukraine lately, and it is so upsetting seeing what is going on and it needs to stop. I really hope there is an end to this war and it doesn't escalate and get worse and spread to other countries. It really is creating fear and uneasiness. I really feel so sorry for Ukrainians and hope that this ends for them soon in the best outcome. My work is matching donations to the Red Cross and I am donating towards this cause to help in a way that I can.

Thank you for visiting my blog today,  I hope that you have a great weekend and good start to your week!

Knitted Earbud Pouch, Updates, and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It snowed here a lot in Toronto all day Monday and into the night. We got 15 centimeters of snow. I was able to leave work on Monday in the early afternoon to work from home which was nice. Once I was inside and out of the snow, it was okay that it was a winter wonderland outside and pretty when looking out the window. Today I was also able to work from home and avoid the snowy roads for a little while longer. The streets are still not plowed properly on some side streets and cars are getting stuck in the snow. I am hoping tomorrow will be better when I drive.

I finished knitting a small pouch for my earbuds using a pattern called Earbud Pouch by Mary Keenan found on Ravelry. It was the perfect quick knitting project I was looking for. I needed somewhere to put my earbuds instead of just throwing them into my bag to take to work which gets them all tangled or I lose them. Now with this pouch I will be able to keep them from tangling together and they are more compact. The yarn I used for this project is Manos Del Uruguay yarn in the colorway Happy. I had some leftover from when I knitted the fingerless mittens using this yarn. I love the white with the pops of color in the yarn.

Lots of room inside for the earbuds

Pouch with the earbuds fully inside

I have been working on knitting the fingerless mittens for my mom and will be gifting them to her soon. I will be looking at some yarn projects on Ravelry to figure out what I will make next and then will be heading to Michael's soon to buy some yarn. I am due for a yarn shopping trip.

I have been reading Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty and cannot wait to read what happens next. I am so interested in the characters, their stories, and what will happen to them on this retreat. I have also been reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie every morning for about a week. I am applying the principles I am learning from the book in my daily life. I like reading it in the morning because then I can think of the tips when I am going about my day and how to best interact with others in a respectful way. I finished reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and have been loving my mornings since applying the steps to have a miracle morning. I will be sharing my experience with the miracle morning in a blog post soon.

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and Small Things for Yarn Along.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! What are you making and reading this week?

Have a great day

Books I Received for Christmas

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. I have been getting back into the routine of regular daily life after the busy and wonderful holidays. I also have been trying to cut back on sugar and get back to eating somewhat healthily. I wanted to share with you the books I received for Christmas this year. Receiving books always makes me feel excited and full of hope for new beginnings and to take something special from each one. I usually ask for both fiction novels and also books I can journal in or that inspire me to live a great life in the New Year. This year I received both books I asked for and some others that I saw in the store or were gifted to me as a surprise.

1. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

I received the book Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty for Christmas and have really been enjoying it. I like the description of the house they are staying in and I love all the wonderful descriptions of both the outdoor and indoor setting. Moriarty does such a good job at making you feel like you can see exactly what is going on and it feels like a movie you can't wait to un-pause every time you pick the book back up again. I like the characters already and find them interesting and each with their own struggles and quirks.

2. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult. 

This one has been on the best seller list for quite awhile now and it really piqued my interest. The subject matter is serious of a shooting and all that occurs in that situation. I am so curious about this
book and to see where Picoult takes this topic.

3. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory 

This book is about a man and a woman who first get stuck in the elevator together, and the man is
looking for a date to a wedding and asks the woman to be his date as his fake girlfriend. It sounds like it will be really funny and heartwarming as well.

4. A Year of Living Happily: Week-by-Week Activities to Unlock the Secrets of a Happier Way of Being by Lois Blyth

This book looks like it will be an amazing tool for me to keep living positively and seeking happiness in 2019 and future years. I saw this one while Christmas shopping with my mom and sister and my mom bought it for me because I got excited about it. Thanks Mom! The book starts with an introduction on happiness which I have read a bit of on Christmas Day. Then there are activities for each week. This week's activity is "looking for happiness" and the task is to start a happiness journal to record three things each day that brings you joy and pleasure. I started this last night and wrote a few things for each day this week that made me happy and it has been a great practice. It is much like a gratitude journal, which I have found so helpful in the past in focusing on the positive instead of the negative.

5. Superfood Smoothies by Julie Morris

This book is jam packed with so many amazing smoothie recipes. It includes 100 different recipes to try and I will make an effort to try most of them. I really enjoy making the banana peanut butter smoothie I have mentioned on the blog before but want to expand my horizons with trying new
smoothie recipes. I will be trying one of these recipes out next week! My Fiance bought this for me for Christmas so I should make him one too!

I am looking forward to this year for reading because I have received some amazing new books and I always have my eye on more amazing reads. I love perusing Goodreads which I helps me to discover the next book I want to read. I love looking at the Goodreads awards at the end of the year and deciding what to read based on nominations as well as the winners. The site got me interested in Nine Perfect Strangers and A Spark of Light.

I am still knitting away at the mittens and the second mitten is almost done. I am looking forward to sharing them with you when they are finished and gifted to my mom.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! Please let me know in the comments below what books you received as gifts, purchased for the New Year, are excited to read, or are reading right now.

Have a great day!