Amy Artisan

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Click and Read v01

January 13, 2016 / / 0 Comments

One of the things I like about my iTools, is the “Add to Reading List” feature when I come across a web read that I know I want to come back to. Instead of trying to remember to include “good links” in my monthly What I’m Into posts, I thought I’d share web reads throughout the month. As of now, there isn’t a set frequency for these – I’m targeting 2 times each month…but of course it depends on the content that catches my eye.

"De-Christmas-ing" in progress earlier this month...

“De-Christmas-ing” in progress earlier this month…

In recent weeks, these are some of the links that have been worth a look or read:

Tangle Wrangling – On a group of knitters who love the challenge of untangling skeins of yarn that dissolve into a mess of knots as you try to wind them. This came across my Twitter feed right before Christmas as Mom was spending hours trying to rescue the replacement yarn skein that had been quick shipped to me for the gift re-knit.

The delightful Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition of giving books as gifts and everyone going to bed with a good book.

On declaring a truce at Christmastime – in years past and in the now…

An interview with the inventor of the spreadsheet…

On “official” dishes of these United States…adding this book to my reading list…

Have you ever had Turkish Delight candy? Were you disappointed in your experience with it after reading about it in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe? An interesting article on how C.S. Lewis convinced American children it was good stuff.

On the spread of “Hey” as a greeting throughout the United States…

An amazing lesson plan for teaching speech writing through the Space Shuttle Challenger event…

What good reads (or views) are you finding on the web these days?

A bit more…a bit less…

January 5, 2016 / / 1 Comment

With a new year…new calendars are in use. I’m finalizing on my One Word for 2016. For this first Tuesday of the year, some math in the 10 list: 5 things I want to do less + 5 things I want to do more…

Starting a weekly meal plan habit...

Starting a weekly meal plan habit…

More…Reading

Less…Mindless TV Watching

More…Meal Planning

Less…Food Waste

More…Knitting

Less…Yarn Stash

More…Moving

Less…Sitting

More…KonMari

Less…Clutter

What do you want to do more in 2016? What do you want to do less in 2016?

Currently…December

December 31, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Ah, DECEMBER…a month of advent and Christmas celebration…enjoying the glow of the Christmas decorations at home and out and about…in PA, a much warmer month…in GA, a much much soggier month…the end of 2015 (how can the year be over?!?) … in the midst of it all, these are the things that filled my days…

Christmas glow

Christmas glow

Reading…once again, daily Advent passages from Watch for the Light…after the Thanksgiving fiction binge, not too much other reading early in this month…although a few Christmas takes were just right leading up to the 25th…ah, the stack of books from under the tree is being consumed…

The addition of the sheep dog to my nativity scene brings a smile

The addition of the sheep dog to my nativity scene brings a smile

Watching (TV)…the end of this season of Fargo…the return of Luther on BBC America…

Watching (Christmas)…a Charlie Brown Christmas…Love Actually…oh Hallmark Channel, you can easily suck me in with the non-stop Christmas movies (downloading these fun Hallmark Christmas Bingo cards for next Christmas movie season – thanks, Addie!)…assorted family favorites while home (It’s a Wonderful Life, The Christmas Card, Christmas in Connecticut, Mame)…

A festive brew discovery, even better when enjoyed with a friend

A festive brew discovery, even better when enjoyed with a friend

Watching (Sports edition)…while it is a frustrating Packers season, it was great fun to watch the Packers-Lions game and the crazy Hail Mary victory with a good friend who was in town for work…

The perfect wrapping paper for hand knit gifts!

The perfect wrapping paper for hand knit gifts!

Crafting…blocking the gift knits…6 complete gifts…having to re-knit the 7th Christmas gift when something decided to snack on it in the months between it coming off the needles & me blocking everything – this is the first time I’ve ever wrapped a ball of yarn & needles to put under the tree…

"The" Christmas shirt

“The” Christmas shirt

Wearing…my Christmas blouse for the office holiday luncheon…each year it is paired with a different cardigan & always finished off with Grandma’s Christmas tree pin…

The local fire company bringing Santa through the neighborhoods in the township on a Saturday morning

The local fire company bringing Santa through the neighborhoods in the township on a Saturday morning

Listening (Tunes)…all the Christmas tunes, of course…in frequent rotation: The Band of Merrymakers (Welcome to our Christmas Party) and Rend Collective (Campfire Christmas, Vol 1)…the Pink Martini “Joy to the World: A Holiday Spectacular” streaming from NPR…

A tasty smoothie experiment!

A tasty smoothie experiment!

Listening (Podcasts)…the return of Serial looks to be interesting…as this season of Fargo ended, I discovered the “Aw Jeez” podcast on the show from Minnesota Public Radio – I think this might be even better listening to it after the whole season has unfolded and listening to their “blind predictions” about things and knowing what actually happened…

Ran into a reindeer while finishing Christmas shopping on a Saturday

Ran into a reindeer while finishing Christmas shopping on a Saturday

Facetime-ing…opening Christmas gifts with the WI-family – due to schedules, the boys had to endure my box unopened in their house for a week before we connected – who knew an Old Spice gift set could spark so much excitement in a 14 year old?…on Christmas morning, a visit with my Texas girls (all wearing their gift-knit cowls)…

Mushrooms & shallots sauteing for my "famous" mushroom dip

Mushrooms & shallots sauteing for my “famous” mushroom dip

Kitchen-ing…A simple meal of roasted chicken with a rainbow of veggie delivered to a friend recovering from surgery…A big batch of Mushroom Caviar for a holiday gathering with friends (as requested by the host)…Spinach-Artichoke dip for Christmas Eve…a simple smoothie of fresh cranberries + spinach + apple cider was perfect this month…

Christmas coffee in a new mug from our excellent family camp adventure

Christmas coffee in a new mug from our excellent family camp adventure

Sipping…all the peppermint…Candy Cane Coffee to start the days (this is my fave)…decaf Candy Cane Green Tea to end the days…enjoying both options in a mug or over ice…

Traveling…home to the ‘Ville for Christmas – lucky to be home for 12 days with the family…lots of low-key hang out time in the midst of plenty of Christmas fun…

CHRISTMASing…oh so many moments & memories with friends and family in the ‘Ville…

Sharing the Christmas Story in Clarkston

Sharing the Christmas Story in Clarkston

…sharing the Christmas story through carols and treats and a simple Christmas pageant with refugee families in Clarkston with our church…

A fun evening driving around the county looking at Christmas lights...

A fun evening driving around the county looking at Christmas lights…

…the annual drive around the county to look at Christmas lights – a bit of rain didn’t deter us…

Christmas Cookies!

…Christmas cookie baking in waves of our favorites: Swedish jam squares, Casserole Cookies from Grandma H., Thumbprint Cookies with Red Currant Jam from Grandma R., Nut Filled Crescents, Cardamom Cutouts using new cookie cutters I picked up in Switzerland…

Christmas Eve family fun!

Christmas Eve family fun!

…a Christmas Eve that included a beautiful candlelight service a church; favorite appetizers for our family supper; Christmas crackers & paper crowns; the annual watching of It’s a Wonderful Life…

…Dad having to wake me up on Christmas morning for the first time in ages (must’ve been because I was Santa arranging all the gifts under the tree the night before) and a lovely morning around the Christmas tree…

Christmas Day

Christmas Day

…Christmas dinner hosted by friends that are like family…the menu was expansive and we couldn’t even fit all the serving dishes on the dining room table…the 4 cousins were giddy & silly as they attempted to present a Christmas pageant to us…Sheila capturing the annual Christmas Day picture of the Artisan family…

…the 2nd annual gathering of high school friends (& families)…such a fun evening of connecting with them…

Christmas coloring book fun

Christmas coloring book fun

…coloring with Mom & Rebecca…fun Christmas coloring books with so many pictures to choose from…(the entire Artisan family received coloring books under the Christmas tree)

A rousing round of Spite & Malice during Family Game Night!

A rousing round of Spite & Malice during Family Game Night!

…a family game night of Spot-It Holiday Edition and Spite & Malice, our favorite card game…it had been quite a while since we had played Spite & Malice and much laughter ensued…

Looking Ahead… a new year filled with new possibilities…it has been a decade since I started this blog – planning for more activity around here…time to pick a new word for a new year & put it into practice…menu planning for healthier eating…and more…

Linking up with Leigh’s monthly “What I’m Into” roundup. What are you into these days?

Beyond the 25th…

December 22, 2015 / / 3 Comments

We’re “in the home stretch” leading up to Christmas day and many of us are in full hustle & bustle to get everything done before Christmas morning. On this Tuesday before Christmas, 10 things I’m looking forward to after the holiday rush.

New Christmas art captures a favorite word!

  1. Boxing Day = Reading Day – The family is planning to enjoy a low-key day on the 26th – lots of reading is on tap, probably some napping, easy menu plans have already been put in place (& ingredients purchased).
  2. Connecting with High School Friends – Sunday evening will be another fun evening of reconnecting with high school friends – we had such a fun time last year, we all were on board to do it again this year (& invite a few more to join us).
  3. Knitting a Christmas Gift (again) – While blocking Christmas gifts last week, I discovered that 1 of my gifts was a snack for something & there were un-recoverable holes. Replacement yarn was immediately ordered & shipped to Georgia – the skein dissolved into massive tangles when Mom went to wind it. So, there is no way the replacement will be completed and under the tree.
  4. Catching up on the Scoreboard Cowl – I’m lots of games behind…once number 3 is complete, this will become the priority knitting.
  5. Confirming my One Word for 2016 – after cultivating 2015, I’m working towards the word for 2016…more to come…
  6. Starting a Bullet Journal – For the new year, I’m going to give this method a try for my planner approach because recent years haven’t had something that has really stuck with me.
  7. Restarting the Kon Mari journey – It’s time to buckle down & continue to work through the house and only keep the joy sparking items.
  8. Making February travel plans – some fun items are on the calendar for the first and last weekends…now to make flight arrangements…
  9. Plant an amaryllis – planting a new bulb as the new year begins and watching it grow is such a visible way to see progress through the long (& dreary) winter slog…
  10. Menu Planning – I’m looking to do a modified Whole30 in January and while I’ve done some menu planning in the past, I want to focus on this more as this year starts – not just for these 30 days but to carry through the year.

While this may look like a lot…it’s actually a nice combination of items with a deadline/schedule and items that will just go with the flow.

What are you looking forward to once the holiday rush subsides?

Recently Read…December 2015

December 21, 2015 / / 1 Comment

It is time for another round-up of recent reads. As I approached my Thanksgiving break at home in the ‘Ville, I was looking forward to some reading time and I definitely found it. This list could also be subtitled “The Thanksgiving Edition” because everything on this list “devoured” during my Thanksgiving break.

When all the reads are on the kindle, there are limited photo ops for this post...

When all the reads are on the kindle, there are limited photo ops for this post…

  • Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – Upon first description, I wasn’t sure if I would like it – but it quickly became a favorite read of the year and I have recommended it to several friends. Set in the semi-near future, the “real” world has been reduced to chaos and people choose to live in a universal virtual reality game. Since the death of the virtual world creator, many are on a quest to unlock the keys the creator left behind so that they can obtain ownership of the world. The quest is filled with so much pop culture from the 70s-90s – including video games, movies, music and more.
    “That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real.”   
  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin – A cute read about a cranky bookseller – clever use of “his” book reviews to introduce each chapter. While not the key point, I enjoyed the “conflict” about printed books versus e-readers.
    “Remember, Maya: the things we respond to at twenty are not necessarily the same things we will respond to at forty and vice versa. This is true in books and also in life.”   
  • The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay – The latest from a new favorite author – this time set in both Chicago and the UK. A young rare book seller, Lucy, is caught in a lie a looses many relationships dear to her in the process. Through helping the grandmother of her ex-boyfriend travel to London to “right a wrong,” Lucy undertakes her own journey through her past in order to move forward.
    “The room was only half-filled, but the air buzzed with excitement as if diners were munching on history and remembrance as well as fish and chips.”  
  • The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate – A quick children’s read, told from the perspective of a silverback gorilla that lives behind the glass in an aging roadside zoo/circus attraction.
    “Memories are precious,” Stella adds. “They help tell us who we are.”
  • The Butterfly and the Violin & A Sparrow in Terezin by Kristy Cambron – The first two books in a series – each of these books could also be enjoyed as standalone stories. Both stories weave the tale of a modern gallery owner and searching for a piece from World War II – specifically tied to the concentration camps. In the search through history there is also the search through current self and history for the modern day characters.
    “The ability to perfectly time when to react and when to remain silent; it was an admirable quality in a friend.”   
  • Water from my Heart by Charles Martin – I’ve read several books from this author and have enjoyed each. This is the story of a wayward drug runner, tragedy and redemption.
    “Funny how there’s so little difference between “prodigy” and “prodigal.”  
  • Astor Place Vintage by Stephanie Lehmann – I picked this one up on a Kindle deal. It was “meh” at best and felt like it was trying too hard. While I did finish it, really this is an example of where I should leave a book unfinished when I’m not enjoying it.

What have you been reading lately?

After all this fiction, I’m ready to focus more on the non-fiction list. (Although currently there has been a quick detour into some holiday-themed reads.) The Christmas wish list is filled with several books and the thought of Christmas break and uninterrupted reading time is quite lovely…

Linking up with Anne @ Modern Mrs. Darcy for the latest round of Quick Lit.

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