maintaining

today i've been spending some time maintaining this online space of mine, and catching up on some of my regular reads that i've been missing lately. i've also discovered a few new ones that i'm very excited to keep up with.
it is a warm day (yes, i do consider 41º warm right now), and the ice is dripping in the most meditative of patterns...


i am not a football fan, and know very little about the game, but i, too, along with so many, will be watching the superbowl this evening, gorging on too many snacks and dips... enjoy!
k
ps. a SUPER big thanks to emily shearing for writing a such a great article about second storie. it ran in this past saturday's democrat and chronicle, and we're touched by her kind words.

winter continues

it has been a pretty average week, with little of note happening. the stormy, snowy weather of rochester in january has kept me inside and cozy.


i made this bag on sunday afternoon. i'm shocked that a gal with little sewing experience and no clue what she's doing could pull this off so successfully. i love love love it!
i then stole away to buffalo for a perfectly uneventful evening with h.m. i've been to visit him there more than a few times now over the past few months and i've really enjoyed the solitary, hour drive. peaceful and quiet. (and the bed in his hotel is SUPER comfortable. i sleep like a rock.)
today i'm looking forward to making (and eating) delectable chocolate peanut butter cupcakes for my brother-in-law's 35th birthday. with a hearty corn chowder for dinner and then a few snacks with second storie, i will surely go to sleep warm, full, and happy tonight.
next week is shaping up to be a little more eventful, with the beautiful losers evening on thursday, and then my friend's clothing swap party (brilliant!) on saturday... i'm looking forward to some new friends and some new clothes.

another week

i've wanted to make this blog more than a once-a-week place for me, but i seem to let too many other things grab my attention first...
{this week it's been a few pieces for some new and on-the-way babies. above is my favorite (so far), the sunday brunch jacket, knit with the baby cashmere merino silk blend, and corresponding pattern from my new favorite, and aptly-named yarn company, sublime.}
...i like this space. i like the way it feels to share when i otherwise wouldn't. i like the intimacy i feel with others i've never met. i haven't been here long, but i enjoy this cozy niche... i hope to be here more.
k.

{on a sidenote i discovered this morning that this little buster is a huge fan of bob ross! he spent 30 full minutes captivated by the man's gentle voice and soothing brush strokes... i've never seen him so peacefully at attention.
happy painting, and god bless...}

mid-winter seclusion

i've been in the midst of my typical winter behavior. i take my hibernation very seriously. i've been quite busy and productive, though, if not a little absent.
a dear old friend has just started grad school (hooray!) and i've taken a once-a-week spot watching her 2 year old daughter... this little maddy leaves me in giggles and in awe.
a few small knitting projects have my hands occupied, and i'm very excited for the finished products... maybe more to come on these in a day or two.
throughout my work day i've been trying to find my way with new responsibilites. it's been a challenge, and hopefully it's one in which i'm able to find comfort. some newly-more-severe back pain keeps me hyper-aware of how i move and what my limits are. it isn't easy for me to ask for help, especially with such simple asks as taking out the garbage, but immobility after doing it myself is an absurd consquence of stubborness.
i look forward each day to the late-night phone calls from my dear h.m. who's been working out of town for way too long. i am patient for the day when he comes back for more than one night every now and then.
otherwise, i am taking things slow and easy. it feels great. (although, i must admit, it also feels a little, just a little, empty... somewhat reminiscent of winter break home from college... boredom from no deadlines.)

stay warm and happy.
i will do the same.
karen

goodbye | hello

a happy new year to all!

as i say goodbye to a pretty amazing year, i cannot help but look forward to another amazing year, full of possibilities and so, so many wonderful things...
i'm not usually one to make resolutions, but i find i'm more and more burdened with the parts of myself that i easily neglect... so.
i resolve to spend more time with people i like.
and i resolve to treat food (and subsequently myself) with more respect.

we shall see what comes... for now, i'm looking forward to an afternoon with a dear old friend, some hot tea, and some leftover birthday cake

coconuts and snow

i'm not sure i'm in the holiday spirit quite yet, but the snow outside helps. it has been so beautiful. even as i type the flakes are fluttering about in the light from the street lamp outside my window.
what also helps is attending my friend's annual holiday cookie party tomorrow night. i'm excited to catch up with a few old friends, and to fill up on tasty treats. i'll be bringing coconut dream bars, a super easy recipe i nabbed from the martha stewart show. after making these and loving them, amy scherber's the sweeter side of amy's bread is now on my christmas list. the sweeter side of karen.
happy baking to you all.
k

cold outside, warm inside

it is cold and blustery today, today being what feels like my first free, really free day in months. accomplishing a few gratifying chores this morning(like putting flannel sheets on my bed, an event i usually enjoy a little later in the season...) has left my afternoon free to get lost in the meditation of knitting the set christmas stockings i promised to my parents would be ready to hang on their mantle this year... i have two and a half finished, and two and a half to go... i've put this project off for a while, not able to get my mind in the right spot to work out the details of each, slightly different cabled stocking. but as i sat down to work on mike's this morning, i easily fell into the rhythm again, remembering how much i do love knitting these.
my mind is still elsewhere, but i can't deny that 'tis indeed the season.
k
(last night i watched the unexpectedly heartwarming film, be kind rewind. it's clever, left my eyes a bit teary, and will make you fall head over heels for mos def, if you're not already.)

second storie} indie market 2008

having spent so long preparing for our second storie} indie market, i'm a little sad now that it's over... sad in the most relieving, fantastic, and peaceful way.
i am still in recovery mode. i spent yesterday intermittently napping, a luxury i can rarely allow myself... today feels new and open... happy!
i have so many things i want to say... but for now, i'm content with a few photos, a couple of bags full of wonderful art and craft i was able to buy/trade for, and some fantastic new friends.
i can't wait to share more. until then, a huge thanks to our vendors, our sponsors, our shoppers, and especially our boyfriends and husbands and friends who've been patiently putting up with the chaos!