Do people still make doilies?

I love doilies, so fine and intricate. It's what attracted me to crocheting in the first place, though a bit complex for me at the beginning. I persisted and got some great results.

They're used for decoration under vases or jug covers.

I saw some beautiful ones with butterflies. I hope to get that good.

Do you have proper doilies at home?

 I am in the middle of a giant one, which is on my list of unfinished projects.

Ice skating

It is very important to me to build good childhood memories with my child.  I like to do things that are out of the ordinary. So Ice-Skating we went. I wish I'd gone too for some bonding instead of just
watching. There will be no weekly visits, no early mornings or competitions.

Notice how she's wearing the gloves I made?

Just the thrill of trying something fun and learning a new skill.

It gets pretty cold on the ice, who knew?

Something that doesn't involve Internet or TV and involves exercise. Something that wont be forgotten in a hurry. I've never forgotten the few times I went as a child. Next time I will definitely put some skates on. Who said fun is just for kids? But it wont be for a while. 

Circular knitting

I Love the Camo wool

I'm a novice knitter, and I tend to take on challenges that exceed my capabilities. Circular knitting wasn't too bad, but definitely for someone more advanced, it was a bit stressful. I really want to learn to make socks, so making a beanie was my first project. It went ok except I got to almost the end and I realised I'd read the pattern wrong. No way was I undoing it, so my beanie turned out a little short. But I love it and wear it all the time. Even to bed sometimes.

Grow herbs if you can't grow any thing else.

Growing as many of my own fruit and vegetables  is a goal of mine. Current living arrangements mean that isn't possible. But there is no excuse for not having herbs at least!
So despite my neglect and the extremely strange weather.
I've managed to grow chives.

They might be the spring onions.

And my old favourite, parsley.

I've also got spring onions that have been growing for a very long time, and a potato plant grew from an old discarded potato and I got one decent sized potato so far. My daughter was impressed and said "Free potato. Mum we got a free potato". That pretty much sums it up, minus the fertiliser and mulch and whatever good gardeners (not me) put in their garden, it's free food! That's pretty awesome.

Meditation

Spirituality is an important part of life. It doesn't matter what your beliefs are, what matters is getting in touch with them. Not just believing and having faith, but living and feeling your beliefs. Meditation is a skill that helps you get in touch with whatever higher power you believe in. It quietens the mind, heals the body and gives you energy. As you learn to let go of thoughts and look past the ego you'll have insights to questions, see the big picture and feel peaceful. Sounds simple enough, but harder to put into practice. I'm still a long way off achieving a quiet mind.


One of my favourite meditations is a white light meditaton. To begin you need to sit in a comfortable chair with you back straight, head back and chin slightly tucked in. Feet should be flat on the floor. Hands should be resting on the lap relaxed with palms facing up if possible. Take a deep breath and say in your head "I'm now going to meditate" this serves as a cue for your body to relax into meditation each time. I prefer to breathe in and out through my nose, though most guides would say in through the nose and out thorugh the mouth.


Close your eyes and take a deep centring breath. Breathe in for a count of 5. Breathe out. Breathe in for a count of 5. Breathe out. Breathe in for a count of 5. Breathe out, continue to breathe in and out normally. Imagine a beam of white light streaming down from above and landing on the very top of your head. This light is warm and relaxing. Imagine the beam of light slowly moving down your head, releasing any muscle tension along the way. As the light moves across your skin you feel a warming sensation. The light spreads down your forehead over your ears and down the back of your head, releasing any tension. The light moves down to your neck and you feel a warming sensation. You notice how relaxed you are. Slowly the light moves down your torso and your back, warming and releasing muscle tension. Next the white light moves down your arms to your fingertips. Feel the warmth in your fingers. The light moves down your body, over your buttocks and pelvis, releasing any tension. Feel the warming light move down your legs, releasing tension as it goes. Finally feel the light pass over your feet to your toes. Feel the warmth in your toes.


Notice how you feel totally relaxed and calm. Breathe slow long breaths. allow thoughts to come and go. Visualise the white light totally convering your whole body and notice how you feel warm, safe and relaxed. Keep breathing and visualising for several minutes, then gradually return your attention to the room.


I used this meditation once when I was driving across country and sleeping in the car. I had stopped at a particular over night camp and for some reason I was really scared because someother group were making some noise. It was most likely innocent and I have had high anxiety levels. I wsa petrified and I wasn't getting any sleep. So I did this mediation, surrounding myself in white light, and also the car. I visualised a bubble of white light that surrounded the car, creating a safe environment. I felt better instantly and went to sleep.

Sausage faces

Real family bonding can happen over cooking. Teaching and involving children in cooking from an early age is vital. Cooking is an essential skill somewhat lost with take-away and opening packets. Cooking from scratch with kids is a teaching experience. They learn where food comes from, learn to measure and stir and see chemistry in action. It’s also fun and rewarding. When children are involved in cooking, they are more likely to eat it.

Having the occasional theme night and novelty foods is a great way to build family memories, have lots of fun and allows the children to be creative.

My daughter and I decided to have sausage face people one night. She planned for days exactly how she was going to make the faces, and was very excited.

 This is the result:
 

Simple, but fun. She decided to add tomato sauce teeth.

 

My daughter remembers this night fondly and often talks about it enthusiastically to anyone who will listen.

I made some gloves.

I am a novice at knitting. I learnt to knit as a child but I don’t remember doing anything but plain (knit). I decided purl knitting wasn’t too hard after all and knitted up a bunch of stuff. These gloves took me two days, which is quick, for me. The fingerless quality means I can do chores and typing easily

My pretty Pink Gloves

I made a few mistakes but they look good! Knitting is a great skill for both adults and children. My Grandfather used to knit and I didn’t think it was strange at all. Knitting your own items gives a feeling of satisfaction and you can control aspects such as what yarn type (and source it locally), what tension and even change the pattern slightly to fit better. For this pattern I used smaller needles and the gloves still turned out a bit big (I have small hands). I’m teaching my daughter the skill of knitting and she’s slowly getting it. The pride I have in passing skills down the generation is quite awe-inspiring to me.