Author Archives: Sparkbark

Hello Again & Knitting Links #1

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I’ve been gone for so long, I feel like I need to reintroduce myself! I have been more than busy this season and I’m going to have to change that. I definitely need to rearrange some priorities. I am determined to include more knitting time. I have so many great knitting links and blogs to share that I’ll just start off with a couple and give you time to enjoy them. Then I’ll list a few more next time. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.


First, check out Brooklyntweed. His name is Jared Flood and he’s on flickr, twitter, blogs and has a website. He teaches knitting but I simply enjoyed looking at his work. His technique is amazing and his color choices seem natural yet subdued and perfectly suited to the pieces he works. Love it! I wish he offered some free patterns but I couldn’t find any. I really enjoyed his circular needles version of the baby pants pictured above.

The original baby pants pattern can be found from Shibui Knits out of Portland. I couldn’t find any free patterns on there site, either, but there is enough eye candy to inspire you for sure!

Gone.

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Parents gone. So sad! But I did NOT cry. I just kept telling myself I’d see them this summer. It helped that it is Cole’s 14th birthday and he went with me to take them to the airport. Tonight as I was tucking Gabe in, I thought he was holding Tinkerbell but it was only his stuffed black cat. It won’t feel like they’re gone, just yet. Will probably hit in a day or two. It has been so nice having them here!!! They are less trouble than the kids. I kept joking I’d send the kids back and keep the parents. I’ll have to write up a tribute to Cole for his birthday a day late. I just can’t do it today!!!

Sleeping Boys

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Pretty self explanatory. We only have 4 more days with the parents…we are so sad it is almost time for them to go!

Touring the Houston Area: Galveston, San Jacinto & Battleship Texas

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Today we went to Galveston. We were chilly. Not negative 7° F chilly, but cold nonetheless. When the wind blows off the ocean and it is 45° F, it gets pretty cold into your bones! We wandered and the kids found seashells. My Dad really seems to enjoy the ocean while my Mom stays as far away from the water as possible! The poodle even hit the sand for awhile but they quickly headed back to the car. Then we drove down Seawall Blvd. and ate for the 2nd time at Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant. We love eating there and looking out over the gulf. It is fun to watch huge ships pass by. We heard if you try the ferry (which is free), you can see dolphins swim along side – really?! Can’t wait to find out. We will definitely go back when it’s slightly warmer. We drove down the Strand but it was really getting rainy so we headed toward home.

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On Saturday, we spent some time at the San Jacinto Monument and touring Battleship Texas and we thoroughly enjoyed that, too. The boys thought it was a gigantic jungle gym. I think it brought back Navy memories for my Dad. We are so glad we found out that if you buy a state park pass, it gets you a tour of the Battleship and into the monument area for free – otherwise an adult is $10 per ticket. It also gets you into any state park for a year – what a deal! We can also bring up to 15 friends for free each time we go. Afterwards, we drove to Joe’s Crab Shack in Kemah on the Boardwalk to celebrate Donnie’s birthday. What a fun, carnival, Coney Island type atmosphere! We plan to head back there on a sunnier day later this week. I’ll try to post more pics but I’m actual living faster than blogging, so it’s all good. Lots of catch-up to do once the parents head home. If you’d like to see more pics, you can click on any of the pics above and it should take you to our flickr account. If I don’t post again before January 1st – HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!!!

Houston Museum of Natural Science – Sugar Land

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All I can think of when I see this picture from HMNS Sugar Land is “Man! Those nostrils are HUGE!”

The boys had quite the time. We liked it so much we bought memberships so we could go and visit the Houston HMNS the next weekend. We liked that, too, as well as the Faberge egg exhibit but I think we actually preferred this little version over in Sugar Land with the dino dig and small planetarium. Don’t the boys look cute? I mean, scary?

Growing Boys!

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I have been swamped with work.  And church stuff.  But I couldn’t resist putting up this great picture of Gabe – he’s skinny as a toothpick but at this rate, that won’t last long.  He was dying to try the Mel Burger from Mega Mel’s Cafe in Tomball.  Great place!  If you finish a Mega Mel (which is even bigger than his) within 2 hours (and the Mega Mel costs $19.95 – 2 lbs of beef, 1 lb of bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc.) you get your name written on the wall.  Fun family night at a greasy spoon.

Slow Dance Poem

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Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading light?
You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask how are you, do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?
You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last.

Ever told your child, we’ll do it tomorrow
And in your haste not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch.  Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and and say, “Hi!”
You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day
It is like an unopened gift…Thrown away.
Life is not a race
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

— Anonymous

What I Designed Today: Half-Page Ads for Delasco Catalog

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I have a poem to share but first I need to get it from the source I heard it from yesterday. Will post soon. So WORTH it – I could have used the advice it contains about 10 years ago. Basically the gist is that I need to s…l…o…w…d…o…w…n! Meanwhile, the ads I designed yesterday were only supposed to be a half a page so here is the semi-final result. Still working today. Need to get a catalog section done and then on to the cover to finish. No more panicked rushing, though, I’m turning over a new leaf.

What I Designed Today: Catalog Ads

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I am still busy working, which I love. But I seem to be having designer’s block. I blame it on needing more uninterrupted time but Benjamin’s such an easy kid, I really have lots of time to work. I think, lately, it’s other things getting in the way. I need to reprioritize. As much as I hate to admit it, we need a home and food so work kind of is really, really important. Here’s one of a few ideas I submitted for an ad today. I don’t know if they’ll use it but I feel like adapting it to say, “Mom’s everywhere give sleep an A+!” Because THAT we know would absolutely, unequivocably be truth in advertising.

Benjamin Wants to Play Horse Checkers

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I was on the phone with Donnie this morning making reservations for a little weekend getaway when Bennie came into my office this morning asking if he could play horse checkers. I said, “You mean chess?” He said, “No. Horse checkers.” Very cute kid. He’s getting too big too fast.

Ruffles & Stuff’s Dandelion Puffy Light

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I’m baaaack! Briefly. A few more days of overwhelming work and then I will be blogging regularly again. It’s good to be back. I ran across this project at Ruffles and Stuff in my internet meanderings and thought I’d share. It’s a great, cheap, beautiful project. The creator’s name is Disney (what a great name!). She calls it a pom-pom lamp. It’s times like this when I really do wish I had a little girl. Somehow this just wouldn’t work in a boy’s room. However, I’m thinking it could easily be adapted to make something for a boy if you use the interior guts of the project and place it behind clear Legos, a monster mask (well, that could be scary!). I’m sure you can come up with better ideas than I…and if you do, please share.

We’re White (aka Cocker Spaniel)

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Gabe: Hey, Mom, I’m the 2nd newest kid in my class.

Mom: Oh? Who is the newest kid?

Gabe: Dakota.

Mom: Where is he from? Is he white, black, hispanic, oriental?

Gabe: He’s American.

Mom: {smirk} Gabe, I love you!

Gabe: You know, cocker spaniel. He’s our color.

Mom: You mean caucasian? White?

Gabe: Oh yeah, that’s it.

Amy Bradley Book Giveaway Winner!

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Ta, da, da, da…the winner is….Carmel of Mellow is Me. Congratulations, Carmel. Email me your address and I will get your book sent off to you.

On another note, I am super swamped with “real” design work so the blogging will be on hold for a little while. Be patient with me and I will make up for it with super fantastic holiday ideas that I’ve been saving up and will post very soon! Not to pass over Thanksgiving, but I’m in the mood for Christmas!

Temple & Scripture Poster

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I am so, so, so very excited to get one of these printed up on a canvas for our new home. It will be a 24 x 36 inch size (2′ x 3′) hanging portrait/vertically. I need to fix some of the typography but I think it will be pretty.

Yummy & Soft – Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies

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I made these cookies last year and found this old post. I am so thankful I found it because a) I loved the recipe and forgot where it was and b) I wanted to share it even without a good picture of the cookies!

I am NOT usually a cookie freak, since I just made a triple batch of chocolate chip cookies just last week, but I had some whole frozen cranberries to use up and my mother claims to not like chocolate (really, I met another person who doesn’t like chocolate this week – where are you people coming from?!). I wanted to make a cookie my Mom would like since they are coming over for dinner today {sigh: this year my mother is 1,000 miles away}. These are a great alternative to the popular pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. I like the tart cranberries in there! Give it a try – the recipe is from my tried-and-true vegetable and harvest cookbook called The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash. We have never had a bad recipe from the cookbook.

Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 c. pureed cooked pumpkin
2 1/4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup cranberries
1 T grated orange peel
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg, and pumpkin. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; beat into pumpkin mixture. Halve cranberries (I left ’em whole and they worked out fine!) and stir into mixture along with orange peel and nuts (again, left those out, more kid friendly). Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 375° F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes approximately 36 cookies. Again: I left out the orange peel and nuts and these were still very delicious!