http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog Not Just Tilting at Windmills Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:26:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Just in the nick of time for chilly weather, a broken furnace and a head cold, I finished knitting a cozy new scarf. I love the colors. I love the yarn. I love its wavey-stripiness. The pattern is the chevron scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I used ... http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/10/hurrah-a-finished-project/ With the arrival of the colder weather, my family's inclination has been to slow down and take life easy. Robert's wandering around the house in a fleece jacket and Sam has actually been persuaded to wear socks when indoors. (He usually sheds them within seconds of entering the house. I ... http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/10/life-in-the-slow-lane/ Here's a perfectly wonderful way to start your day. Brew some good, strong coffee. Make a bowl of fruit salad. Whip up a batch of Pumpkin-Apple Muffins. Sit in a sunny spot. Read a novel. Enjoy the treats you prepared. http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/10/fresh-start/ Whenever the kids and I find a red envelope in our mailbox, we grow very excited. Whoops of joy and energetic dances have been known to occur at such discoveries. We look forward to watching sci-fi series (Star Trek) and humorous family flicks. It's not unheard of, but we generally ... http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/09/the-real-girl/ If brevity is the soul of wit, then my recent titles suggest I'm failing in the wit department. My kids, on the other hand, regularly spout comments that could be counted as witty if they understood why the adults in the house burst into laughter once they finished speaking. Afternoon in ... http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/09/of-housekeeping-bus-drivers-and-seattles-rampant-gorilla-problem/ It has grown downright chilly and damp in this part of the world. We've been harvesting lots of goodies from the garden: cucumbers, gigantic pattypan squash and these lovely Royal Burgundy beans: They're bush beans, which means you don't have to fuss with crazy creepers, they're very prettily colored and they ... http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/09/royal-burgundy-beans-apple-pie-and-the-stinky-cheese-man/ There was a time when our family hardly ever sat down together for a relaxed meal. When I was working, I returned home at about six in the evening and then drove to two different daycares to pick up the children.* Needless to say, those evenings were hectic. I was ... http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/09/dining-in-style/ I actually hummed to myself as I was sewing my first pair of pants with a zipper. Constructing the fly was like folding an origami animal. Fold here and fold there, stitch, and voila! An architectural masterpiece of cloth and thread emerges. It was so cool seeing how that especially ... http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/09/pride-goeth-before-a-fallor-dont-assume-anything/ I hardly ever have luck at thrift stores when I have a shopping list in hand. I never seem to find what I hope to find, but almost always discover something cool I hadn't planned on looking for. This morning, for instance, I thought I'd go to the thrift store ... http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/09/serendipity/ Just over a year ago, when I first started sewing, I came up with a list of things I wanted to make. At the very top of that list were new throw pillows, placemats and pot holders. In all that time, I've only managed to make one pillow.* The other ... http://www.quixoticpixels.com/blog/2008/09/feathering-my-nest/