Feathering My Nest

I've been watching these hyacinth florets open just a little bit more each day.

I like having the fragrance waft in my direction every now and again.

All of this vivacious, pink attitude is the antithesis of my calm, earthy, neutral-coloured room.

It's nice to shake things up now and again and to have something brightly beautiful to look at, if only for a moment here and there.

The hyacinths are a spot of pretty, while elsewhere I'm clearing shelves, reorganizing, and creating a mountain range of materials on my table. Funny how the things that came off the shelves don't all fit back on them again.

It's a pretty, disorderly, feathering-my-nest kind of day.

Time to get back to it.

Here's hoping you are enjoying yours.

Thank you for taking a few moments to visit.

☀Sunlit Sunday: Season 2, Week #8

Welcome to ☀Sunlit Sunday. 

I find that, for me, it makes a difference to look for the sunshine in any given week and to share some of it here. It reminds me that wintertime is my friend.

Do I hear some groaning in the background from those in my part of the hemisphere, or perhaps a chuckle from New Zealand and Australian readers who are in the midst of their summer? Work with me! Let's enjoy some pleasures of the season, whether the sun is in the sky or your heart.

Warm woolies, long underwear, mittens, tuques and hoods have a place in my world. Unlike chickadees, not all of us can get along with nothing but a fine display of feathers and a jaunty black cap for warmth.

I belong to a monthly hiking group. While exploring outdoors this week, we spotted rabbit and snowshoe hare tracks, those of a mink . . .

 and some belonging to a wolf or coyote. 

We left a few prints of our own as we trekked through the woods and over a frozen pond. As a retired outdoor education teacher, our leader had arranged for us to borrow some snowshoes. We had fun, despite a tumble or two into the soft snow.

It was well worth getting bundled up against the cold and spending a frosty morning outdoors in the sunshine. It was good for the soul!

There is a line from a famous song by Gilles Vigneault:

"Mon pays, ce n´est pas un pays, c´est l´hiver."

Translated: "My country is not a country, it's winter."

❇ ❈ ❅ ❄ ❆

A Little Knitted Baby Sweater

Although I've completed a couple of scarves this winter (here and here) some knitting projects have been lingering in baskets, incomplete. For a long time. For a very long time. Don't ask, just think back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

One piece of work was a baby sweater, known to me as "Neglected-Knitting-Project-1". It didn't get completed before the birth of one little girl and was put away. This week, I picked it up and sorted out where I'd left off, way back when.

There wasn't too much to do. A second sleeve was finished, then all of the bits and pieces of diamonds and ruffles were ready to be assembled.

The seams were sewn,

and the buttons were stitched into place.

Here's the result.

All I need now is the right little girl to wear it.

On to "Neglected-Knitting-Project-2"!

Does anyone else have a neglected project of some kind?

Note: This pattern is from a Canadian booklet published by Paton's, entitled Red, White and Blue. The sweater is called "Peplum Jacket". 

☀Sunlit Sunday: Season 2, Week #7

Welcome to the seventh ☀Sunlit Sunday of 2013. 

  

Last week was (with 26 participants from 6 countries) the largest gathering that has been hosted at this little wintertime rendezvous. It's always a pleasure to see the names of familiar bloggers and to welcome others joining in for the first time.

I don't know about you, but I find that a poached egg on half an English muffin has a pretty sunny look about it. At least, it does if it's keeping company with some greens, red peppers strips, a mushroom and a juicy tangerine.

Outdoors, there was also some sunshine this week. Clear blue skies alternated with the grey ones; moderation works for me.

I couldn't help but notice the lilac bush and dogwood shadows decorating the surface of the sparkling snow. When young, one of the sheer delights of childhood was being the first to set foot on fresh fallen frostiness. To be honest, there's still a certain thrill in it! 

 During the upcoming week, I hope you receive, 

and give, 

a little sunshine.

A Quick Knit

I'm feeling the need to provide a bright hue at the beginning of this post, as the photos that follow are much more subdued.  

Linger a moment, drink in the colour.

While I was away, I decided I needed a little project to pick up now and again and then finish at home. A couple of women were chatting in the yarn section of craft supply store, discussing scarves. I guess I missed the bit about how the ribbon-like yarn gets pulled across its width before you work with it. I had thought you knit it right off the ball; who knew there was another option? (Plenty of you, no doubt, but this yarn was new to me.)

Fortunately, I read the label before I began. 

A ruffled scarf is the final result.

It's not what I had pictured when I purchased the yarn, but I think the ruffles are growing on me!

Sometimes, it just feels good to make something.

Next up, knitting and purling a couple of incomplete baby sweaters 

(they have some colour)

and a cozy pullover for me.

Are you making anything these days? 

I'd appreciate the inspiration!

Thank you for your visits, comments, and "follows".

I'm pleased to be linking with Home at Rose Chintz Cottage.

☀Sunlit Sunday: Season 2, Week #6

These photos, by the way, are not of landscapes to be found near My Little Home and Garden, currently under a thick blanket of fresh snow, as my shovel can attest to this weekend.

Some of you already know that I made my first trip to Arizona recently, returning this past Wednesday night.

I found plenty of beauty in the desert and the mountains. These cacti are reaching their arms to the warm sun. One could argue that I did the same.

 Before leaving the state, someone asked me if I'd like to return.

Yes.

Of course, a bright, sunny, snowy winter day has its own charm, especially after hiring a young man to do a third round of shoveling!

One Quick Photo

Just one quick photo and a brief message to say that "Sunlit Sunday" will be up and running at 8 pm (EST) on Saturday. Thank you to all who participated during the past two weeks while I was away in Arizona. I appreciate that you kept things going.

New people are always welcome to join in this meme. See here for the details. Let's brighten up February together!

☀Sunlit Sunday: Season 2, Week #5

Hello from sunny Arizona, everyone! My little net book isn't letting me edit photos this evening, so here are a few straight out of the camera. These three were taken at the beautiful Boyce Thompson Arboretum. 

My first few days in this gorgeous state may have been cloudy and rainy, but all of that has changed. Sunny Arizona has a rugged beauty and I am having a wonderful time experiencing it!