1 Family x 12 (March)

 

Check me out...remembering to take, and post (!) our monthly family photo BEFORE the end of the month.  LOL!  Today we joined the first ever, Marengo Park District Shamrock Shuffle.  The "race" was a walk/run 5k and with just about 40 registered participants, it was FAR from the real Shamrock Shuffle that takes place downtown.  But, it was 3 miles from the house, on a weekend that we were home and we're happy to support our local park district.  

Not pictured - the giant mud pit Hazel splatted herself in about 5 minutes after this was taken.  It really let the air of our her race sails...but we made it about half way through the 5k.  Ryan finished the full race in second place (I think).  

Belt Testing - We've got Yellow belts now...

 

You read that right!  We've officially got two yellow belts in the McGrath household!  Hazel has been asking to do karate for a long time and it took me while (probably too long) to find a place where we could do classes.  If I'm honest, I've been feeling like we're doing too much these days, between, homework and life, and flute and Abby's doctor appointments and all the rest, it felt like adding in one more after school activity was too much.

But, when I found a local Marengo business, just 3 miles from our house, it seemed hard to say no.  Hazel started karate back in October and Abby started asking to go just a few weeks later.  So, 5 months later, the girls have been doing karate 2 or 3 times per week for the last 5 months and last weekend they both belt tested to move from white to yellow belts.  It's our first advancement and honestly, watching the testing was really inspiring!  I might have even had a little tear or two watching some of the more experienced kids test for their brown (or higher) belts.  

The kids are learning discipline, self-defense, form, Japanese and so much more!  I'm really glad we figured out a way to make it work!  It was a good choice and I've been LOVING all the things we're finding right here in our little town.  We don't have to drive 20+ away to find the things we're looking for.  I'm going to try to keep leaning into our small local businesses and spend more dollars right here in Marengo.  

Winter Crafts (Part 2)

(Feb 8)

The past few winter months have been so filled with crafting that I ended up making a part 2 to share all the things I've been working on, but as the weather turns to spring, the days get longer and we're starting to see our weekends fill up with wood cutting, camping trips and hanging out with friends I figured it was time to wrap up this winter post and share everything I've been completing since Feb.  First up, Acadia hats for our trip to Maine this summer.  I know, I know, stocking caps in summer does seem a little silly...but, they'll be commemorative and I'm excited to have another National Park hat in my collection.  

(Feb 11)

I think I bought enough yarn to make a total of 4 of these hats, which might not actually be enough!  We've got lots of friends and family roped into this trip with us so we'll see how many I can get out of the yarn I bought.  

(Feb 12)

The nice thing about these hats is that they knit up fast! I think I can do them in just about a week.  I made two total over the course for a week or two and then decided to table the rest for another time.  I've been itching to dig into the free yarn Purl Soho sent me last year some time.  I wrote them asking if they offered free or discounted yarn for makers who were donating to charity.  I stumbled on a charity called Project Linus who donates hand made knits and quilts to hospitals in the community (for babies and children who are admitted into the hospital).

(Feb 19)

I started knitting over 15 years ago now and believe it or not, you can only have so many hats, scarves, blankets etc.  And, friends and family only need so many too.  So, after all this time, I've finally gotten to the point where I don't feel like I've always got a "need" on the back burner waiting to be picked up and I wanted to start donating my work to others.  The thing with handmade items though is that they cost a lot of time and money.  If feels like handmade should be cheaper than just buying something at the store...but that is exactly NOT true.  A quilted blanket or hand knit throw could easily cost $200-$300 and that doesn't include my time.  

Last spring I reached out to Purl Soho (one of my favorite online stores for knitting) and asked if they offered anything for people who were making for charity.  They nearly floored me when they sent me an entire BOX full of free yarn to use for Project Linus blankets.  I finally made my way through all the backlog of projects and I was ready to cast on and start working for charity!

(Feb 17)

Op!  Pause that story for a second.  It turns out I was also finishing up this second throw quilt at the same time.  I think I blogged the first one back in my Winter Part 1 post, so this is a matcher to that.  I'm not sure who will be recieving this one just yet, but I've got a few homes already in mind.  For some reason "boy quilts" are harder for me than the bright frilly girl ones...so when I stumble on masculine fabric that I love, I scoop it up quick.  This will either be a baby boy quilt for someone in the future or maybe a wedding gift for Dave McGrath and his new (soon to be) wife, Erin.  The girls and I have their shower coming up in late April and I'm not sure I'll have time to squeeze something else in before then.  Either way, this one will go to a good home!

(Feb 23)

Back to my Project Linus blanket.  This one will be made up of 6 total colors, perfect for the patchwork yarn Purl Soho sent me.  I pulled a few free patterns off their website and cast this one on.  It's knit in a series of triangles and as we speak I've moved onto the second of 4 triangles.  

(Feb 29)

(March 5)

I'll continue the progress of this one in my spring post!  I have a feeling this one will take me a few months to finish, though I've got more than a handful of flights in my future for work...and those days are great for my knitting (and audiobook) progress.