Day 1.

Leave! Oh, because of the black cloud of curse over our head you will not really want to leave, because Dear Jim will have been up all night and morning barfing.  Wait and pack.

Dinnertime– Feeling a bit human.  I GET TO DRIVE THE NEW CAR! YIPEEEEE! Leave.

Night time–  ROSIE, who had the barf-plague from Christmas eve through Christmas day, falls off the wagon and resumes barfing all across VA.  Stop in Chester, VA.  Only 11 hours to go!!!!

Today we are going to see palm trees and get warmer– and that’s good.

I am still under the spell of the bad germs….

I still have much to do around here, but wanted to share with you something very beautiful that I have been enjoying this “Holiday Blog Season”…

Margaret Oomen of resurrection fern is an amazing tornado of creativity and joyous observation.  There was honestly a time not too long ago when I could not even keep up with her posts!

Her posts this month have been so very awesome.  She is such a creative woman.  I really don’t know where she finds the time or inspiration for it all– bewitched is all I can figure.   And what she posts is often just plain bewitching.  This post in particular totally took me.  So beautiful and so simple, and such a beautiful idea.

Lace and Ice

Then she posted this movie which is so incredibly lovely that I wanted to share it with anyone not familiar with her blog.

Isn’t that THE awesome??

I would have loved to try this, but a.) no doilies, b.) too warm. OH RIGHT, this morning we woke up to the tundra outside.  My rhodie leaves are curled up like pencils!  Alas and alack… still no doilies.  I will keep enjoying this little movie though and wish I could visit their graceful performance in person.

Here’s a little present for you.  Better a  little late than never, right?  I made these gift tags and would love to share them with you for the Holidays.  The .pdfs are on they’re own pages to the right—>

I had so much fun witht the “inner monologue” ones that Amy Karol at Angry Chicken shared last year.  I was finishing up my monthly sketchbook pages last night and felt inspired to make some too.

Here are your gnome-garden variety ones::

And then a little Twilight snuggle for those similarly obsessed::

I wish you the Merriest EVER– have a great time with friends and family.  Be safe wherever you travel.  We are off to Florida 2 days after Christmas for another adventure.

More soon!

Had a bad stomach virus hanging over us like a black cloud.  It came and rained on me last night… Sad when being sick is like a workout!!  My stomach muscles hurt so bad just to laugh or cough.  It’s been through half the family now-and with the proximity of Christmas, I hope it stops here.  This was hot on the tail of the OTHER bad virus on the menu at school– the respiratory one.  It’s been a rough week or 2 here.  I am looking forward to some r&r over the holiday break!

Here are my last yarns up for grabs before said Holidays…  I really like these.  They  are moody and gorgeous.  Per  usual– click on them to teletransport to Etsy.

Twilight ( yep, more)

Violet Baudelaire

And Steampunk Sparklekiss ( My new stage name)

Despite of the plague, the house is pretty clean, and tomorrow it is on to present making MANIA.  More as it happens!!

Just a quick update–  you can visit them by clicking on the mosaic!

Mon amour,  Clancy Frankenbacon , tagged me as it for this thing called a meme– it’s like a mind-virus…

A meme is any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.Wikipedia.

I think I am supposed to infect you all– so here goes–

We’ve heard that five servings of fruits and veggies every day keeps us healthy.  But, what about our mental health?

Andy Gibson has started a meme asking bloggers about their five-a-day to staying mentally healthy as part of the Mindapples Five-A-Day Campaign:  Mindapples is a social movement to promote individual self-management of mental wellbeing. The original “5-a-day” campaign encouraged people to take care of their physical health through simple daily activities, and we want to do the same thing for mental health. We aim to create a stigma-free public debate about mental wellbeing, simply by asking everybody the question: “What’s your five-a-day?”

It gives me great pleasure to invite you to join the Mindapples project and tell the world, what’s your five a day?

Here’s how it works:

• Write a post telling your readers five things you do that help keep you mentally well (and answer any of the other survey questions too if you like)
• Link to the Mindapples site www.mindapples.org
• Invite five blog-friends to do the same (if you want to)

And that’s it.

So, what are my top five things to do every day, or every week to stay mentally healthy?

This is making a huge assumption that I AM mentally healthy, which I am expecting a prickly and hysterical rash of comments on….

( Me, In my mind today.  Erm, most days, actually.)

Here are my five daily goals/strategies (at the moment). Please be aware that this is a sliver of what a perfect life is for me– not my state of grace on a daily basis!!

1. Stay connected. In every way I can.  I have a bit of a “floating off into the ether” issue–( I think there was a fairie in the woodpile somewhere along the line) so I work each day to stay connected to friends, family, my husband, reality, the present .  I am a bit of a wacko worrier, so I try to remind myself to just “be here now”.  This has gotten easier with aging, but still something I have to remember to do.  My kids and family are great saviors in this area as well.  When I am not being swept away with parenting frustration and annoyance–

( HA!  Never miss a moment for a great  Twilight quote–  Edward: “You’re awfully small to be so hugely irritating.” — Breaking Dawn  )

the 2 poppets have the power to amaze me and fill me with so much love and adoration as to make me ache or spontaneously combust. When I am dazzled by a moment of their pure innocence or intense love, or raw observation– it yanks me right into what is truly essential and valuable in life.

2.  Do something.  Again with the ether.  I get distracted. I procrastinate.  I make a LOT  of lists.  Nevertheless I need to fight the compulsion to float around and instead, CREATE.  Art, handwork, crafts, cooking, reading, gardening, photography…. Any of these will do.  All about living an ART-FULL life, artfully.  That’s the thing… whatever the thing is you do– to do it artfully and be engaged.  I suppose I could and should try to translate this more to the mundanity of life– cleaning etc. But THAT’S and whole ‘nutha mind virus.

3. Be HOPEFUL. I swing a schizophrenic arc between blissfully positive and positively Eyore. If and when I notice the swing towards irritable and dour, I try to make myself jump ( or crawl) on over to the sunnier side of the street.  Or take a nap.  Both help.  Nothing good comes of depression and negativity.  Ever.  Well it has been responsible for some brilliant writing and art through the years… but in general, for me, not so much. Along with this goes LAUGHTER.  I do enjoy me some laughter. I am blessed with quite a few people in my life who can get me laughing so that I am hissing like a Mugsy.  They are bawdy, irreverent and at times shocking.  JIm and the 2 Erins are on the top of this heap. I am thankful for you all.

4. Put a stone in the soup. You remember the beloved book from childhood right?  Life needs a little garnish to improve the flavor.  I try to find inspiration each day– I get this through noticing the gorgeous world and life around me, reading books/blogs/enjoying the internet and it’s great resources, talking to others about interesting things, experimenting, exploring and ponderance of all-of-it.  This usually leads me to fits of my own creativity and….

5.  LOVE. Love. love. All of it and everyone.

I am going to tag  some lady energy.   Women that I very much admire - some from up close and some from afar- because I am really very interested in your answers.   Respondez vous s’il vous plait These are some people/blogs of wonder, which inspire me.  I am tagging more than 5, because well, I am greedy like that.

ERIN @ Quadruple Lutz, Chas. and C.S. Jewell (PLEASE!)@ Angryelvis, Lexi@ Pluckyfluff,   Lizz@ red dirt mother and Margie@resurrectionfern, Rachel Marie @ KnittyDirtygirl, Sarah @ the Homestead, Adrian @ Hello Yarn , and Jacki @ YarnZombie, Jacey @ Insubordiknit, ANd last but not least Lynn the  YarnWench

“Yeah, it’s an off day when I don’t get somebody telling me how edible I smell.” —- Bella Swan Twilight

I Just could not bear to keep this one to myself.

On the drive to and from NC we listened to The Anansi Boys by the bewitching Neil Gaiman.  It is read by   Lenny Henry and was magical and captivating.  ALL of us loved it.  We’d get in the car and even Rosie would say ” Turn on Fat Charlie!”.  LH was as wonderful to listen to as Jim Dale ( of the Harry Potter audio books) for me.  I loved it.  I recommend it as a listen just so you can hear the many wonderful voices of this man.  Here is a quick plot line a la Amazon–

Adult/High School–Charles Fat Charlie Nancy leads a normal, boring existence in London. However, when he calls the U.S. to invite his estranged father to his wedding, he learns that the man just died. After jetting off to Florida for the funeral, Charlie not only discovers a brother he didn’t know he had, but also learns that his father was the West African trickster god, Anansi. Charlie’s brother, who possesses his own magical powers, later visits him at home and spins Charlie’s life out of control, getting him fired, sleeping with his fiancée, and even getting him arrested for a white-collar crime. Charlie fights back with assistance from other gods, and that’s when the real trouble begins. They lead the brothers into adventures that are at times scary or downright hysterical. At first Charlie is overwhelmed by this new world, but he is Anansi’s son and shows just as much flair for trickery as his brother. With its quirky, inventive fantasy, this is a real treat for Gaiman’s fans. Here, he writes with a fuller sense of character. Focusing on a smaller cast gives him the room to breathe life into these figures. Anansi is also a story about fathers, sons, and brothers and how difficult it can be to get along even when they are so similar. Darkly funny and heartwarming to the end, this book is an addictive read not easily forgotten.

Thanks to Clancy Frankenbacon for bringing that along.  It is a big part of the adventure-memory for me now.  Lighthouses, beach days, knitting and Spider-Gods I love when a book just permeates life like that; it all gets jumbled up and intertwined with your days.  Magic.

That leads me to Coraline.

Called “An Adventure To Weird For Words” and carrying the message ” Be Careful What You Wish For,” Neil Gaiman  also has this wonderful and creepy book called Coraline.  Marigold has been equally obsessed and terrified by it since her dear Berman sisters introduced it years ago.   For those not familiar with it, here is an Amazonian quip–

Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house–a house so huge that other people live in it, too… round, old former actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers (”We trod the boards, luvvy”) and the mustachioed old man under the roof (”‘The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,’ said the man upstairs, ‘is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed.’”) Coraline contents herself for weeks with exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomes bored–so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that–sometimes blocked with a wall of bricks–opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe. Now, if you’re thinking fondly of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, you’re on the wrong track. Neil Gaiman’s Coraline is far darker, far stranger, playing on our deepest fears. And, like Roald Dahl’s work, it is delicious. What’s on the other side of the door? A distorted-mirror world, containing presumably everything Coraline has ever dreamed of… people who pronounce her name correctly (not “Caroline”), delicious meals (not like her father’s overblown “recipes”), an unusually pink and green bedroom (not like her dull one), and plenty of horrible (very un-boring) marvels, like a man made out of live rats. The creepiest part, however, is her mirrored parents, her “other mother” and her “other father”–people who look just like her own parents, but with big, shiny, black button eyes, paper-white skin… and a keen desire to keep her on their side of the door. To make creepy creepier, Coraline has been illustrated masterfully in scritchy, terrifying ink drawings by British mixed-media artist and Sandman cover illustrator Dave McKean. This delightful, funny, haunting, scary as heck, fairy-tale novel is about as fine as they come. Highly recommended. 

The funny and amazing thing is that this turns into a KNITTING CONTENT POST here!

They are making Coraline into a movie!  They seem to be REALLY farming kids/young adult lit. right now for movies… I don’t mind as long as they do it well!  Beats the Disney-formula works any day! Have a look at this –

Now, have a look at THIS! ( Erin-of-the-animals, your head is about to explode)

Althea Crome is one of my knitting heroines.  Because I am fatally afflicted with an adoration of all-things- tiny and because she is one crazy and talented knitter!  I LOVE her.  She has been featured in the subversive knitting show that was local last year or so.  She also has a great site called Bugknits where you can gaze at  her mad-knitting for hours.  Things like this

So a chance to see her work, in a movie by a director I admire, and one about a book and author I dig– WOW!  Can’t wait!  Wanted to share it up!

Check out Mr. Gaiman’s Stardust too!

sweet dreams to you all!

Tomorrow is all about what dyed in my kitchen today.  Boy does it smell! ( Sorry Clancy.)

Hey y’all.

I am busy busy busy over here in the gnomegarden, working on some exciting new developments.

I’ve gotten a bunch of wool dyed and just gotten in a box of more exotic stuff that I am excited to dye and work into my spinnings.

Speaking of– I’ll be appearing live and fibery at Cloverhill Yarn Shop on Sunday from 1-5.  First I’ll be doing a spinning demonstration and selling loads of gnome-made things– Yarn, Jewelry, and a little bit of all the magic I can gather. IT ALL MUST GO! MAD DAWN’S Yarn event. lol.  Really though, come on in and see me– or send friends if you think they might be interested.  At 4pm I’ll be teaching a class on needle felting Holiday Ornaments.  There is still room in the class!

I can’t even begin to think about Christmas yet– which is sort of sad being that is so close.  It’ll come to me, like a mack truck too.

Other news in my world is that I am going to be back at Cloverhill during the day, beginning after the Holidays.  I’ll be there Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays.  I’ll also be teaching a knitting class at the Painting Workshop/ Reisterstown on Thursdays.  Let me know if you know of anyone that might be interested!  Lastly– The Painting Workshop will also be hosting a Sit and Knit night now.  (Well it won’t actually begin until after the Holidays.)  Sunday nights from 6-8 come on over and knit, chat and laugh!  Sure to be entertaining and you’ll get work done on thos projects.  I’ll be the knitter-in-residence to help with any questions or project assistance.  Please put it on you calendars if you are local.  It can be crochet or any old thing really– just come hang out with me!  Let me know if you are interested.

I leave you with this little flick that one of my gnome-making comrades on Ravelry shared.  It is sooo sweet

The last adventure of our NC Thanksgiving. Oh, aside from the predicted traffic adventure :)– another 10 hours of quality time in the sub-compact pumpkin. It IS a great car. And we FIT an amazing amount for it’s size– sort of the Weasley Honda.

So we headed out to Currituck Lighthouse. We went the wrong way at first and WHOOPS! ended up pretty close to KNITTING ADDICTION and all indulged mama in a quick stop. It had started showering anyway. I saw online that they were having a trunk show of Ellyn Cooper’s yarns and remembered really liking her color-genius when I stopped in last T.G. The yarn was lovely. We only stayed a few minutes because for the second year in a row– they have a big, nicely stocked shop– and are really just not all that friendly. I am always so disappointed in that kind of vibe. It’s YARN– which is AWESOME. And COME ON– no extra charge for the AWESOME remember?? I had the girls with me– who are extraordinarily acquainted with yarn shops and fiber etiquette– however there was an unwelcoming feeling as soon as we got in.

Nope.

YMMV– but I am fini.

SO… then we turned back around and got to the lighthouse with no raindrops. We were greeted by the most wonderful man who is the “keeper” representative. He has such a great look going on. All of us were smitten by his facial hair, I think Jimmy saw a vision of futures-possible in that guy.

Here are some things to know from their site

LIGHTHOUSE FACTS
Number of steps: 214
Height to focal plane of lens: 158 feet
Height to top of roof: 162 feet
Number of bricks: approximately one million
Thickness of wall at base: 5 feet 8 inches
Thickness of wall at parapet: 3 feet

Position: 34 miles south of the Cape Henry (Virginia) Lighthouse 32 1/2 miles north-northwest of Bodie Island Lighthouse

Coast Survey Chart: 36° 22′36″ N latitude, 75° 49′51″ W longitude. As it had reported in previous years, the U.S. Light-House Board in 1872 stated that ships, cargoes, and lives continued to be lost along the 40 miles of dark coastline that lay beyond the reaches of existing lighthouses. Southbound ships sailing closer to shore to avoid the Gulf Stream were especially in danger. In response, construction began on the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in 1873 with completion two years later.

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse is known as a first order lighthouse, which means it has the largest of seven Fresnel lens sizes. The original source of light was a U.S. mineral oil lamp consisting of five concentric wicks; the largest was 4 inches in diameter.

Before the advent of electricity, a mechanical means was required to rotate the huge lenses that made the light appear to flash. A system of weights suspended from a line powered a clockwork mechanism beneath the lantern–much like the workings of a grandfather clock. The keeper cranked the weights up by hand every two and a half hours.

Like the other lighthouses on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, this one still serves as an aid to navigation. The beacon comes on automatically every evening at dusk and ceases at dawn.

With a 20-second flash cycle (on for 3 seconds, off for 17 seconds), the light can be seen for 18 nautical miles. The distinctive sequence enables the lighthouse not only to warn mariners but also to help identify their locations.

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse was the last major brick lighthouse built on the Outer Banks.

Here are the glimpses:

Every 20 seconds you get this

214 stairs might not sounds like a lot… BUT. IT. IS. Really. 214 metal MESH steps. Which is not so much a problem going UP the 214 steps. You just don’t really look down when ascending stairs. So then you are WAY HIGH UP and have to look down to the see through steps whilst trying not to fall down 214 stairs on the descent. UGH. We all got a little freaked at the top.

There are tales of one of the past keepers wives haunting the place. I only saw this blur. Jim pointed out that even worse than feeling the effects of that much spindly height is trying to get your 5 year old to slow down and BE CAUTIOUS! While you are freaking out just a little.

When I got to the top, I peered out the really small door to the really small iron balcony encircling the top, and Rosie was gone! She was off to explore the perimeter. I, on the other hand, could not go further that my arm length. I could not let go of the door frame without feeling like I was going to just FLY OFF THE BALCONY. That’s a bad feeling if you need to know… Your wee one disappearing around the bend of a lighthouse balcony 150 or so feet off terra firma, while you have suddenly developed concrete crocs and an arm that has glued itself to the wall. Yeesh.

The camera was feeling a little shaky here.

You had to CLIMB before the keeper would grant you a photo op. I am glad we went up. It was beautiful.

Yep. Just what it looks like.

Our break was so nice. It has been a bittersweet re-entry this week. Being at the beach is so rejuvenating, body and soul. I am sure thankful for our time spent there. I have this feeling that life and time is speeding up.

I just hate that.

I am tryng to hold on to this…

We’re still here–  Just thought I’d say hello and tell you that it sure is nice here.  Tomorrow we are off to climb a lighthouse.  Back to life– but TRAFFIC FIRST!– on Sunday.

The back door opens to this.

The path leads to here.

Then here.

I’ve been getting to some knitting, and some reading, and a few naps in a very nice bed.

It’s been a nice Thanksgiving.  I am ever thankful for so much.  Hope yours was lovely.