Carole Knits

october zinnia
october zinnia
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martinis with a view
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gettysburg fence for
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germinate shawl on rocks
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field of flags 2
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color affection with edge
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cedar leaf shawlette 2
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Weekending: Birthday Style

September 21, 2020 By Carole

Hello readers of Carole Knits. Dale here to write a special birthday post for Carole. It’s been a while since I’ve had this opportunity to write for you all and when Carole asked me to do this for today I readily agreed. Of course, that was the easy part. Coming up with a clever idea for a post, that’s the tricky part.

I’m a big fan of Carole Knits and I am amazed that she has done this consistently for so long and so well and she continues to come up with new ideas, thoughts, and angles 5 days a week! Then it hit me, why even come up with my own idea? It’s Monday and it’s Carole’s birthday so I humbly present . . . Weekending, The Birthday Edition.

This weekend began on Thursday afternoon. We were babysitting a cat (I’ll explain why later) and when we returned home from work the cat was missing. I mean really missing. Carole was in full panic mode and muttering, I can’t lose someone else’s cat, this can’t be happening, but I was confident that the cat could not have gotten out. Sure enough, after about 30 minutes and 4 times through the house Carole found him behind a chair, under a quilt, in her studio. Thank goodness, right?

I had a Board of Directors meeting with our Kiwanis Club and left for that shortly after we found Tiger The Cat. I have no idea what Carole did while I was gone but I came back with Jo-Ann and we had pizza and wine and an all-around very pleasant evening.

We both had Friday off (I’m recently returned to work, did you know?) but there’s always plenty to do at home. Carole walked down to our sister-in-law Mary’s house to help her with a technical problem, when she came back she hooked up a surround system for our new TV and we spent the rest of the day each doing our own hobbies and tasks. At 5pm, though, we were in front of the TV watching the daughter of our friends Tom and Anne get married. We would have attended this wedding but due to COVID restrictions they had to cut the guest list from 150 to 100 then down to 50. This is where the cat comes in . . . we were asked to have Tiger, the bride and groom’s cat, here with us for a few days while everyone was at an inn for the wedding. Happily, Tiger wasn’t hiding on Friday and he watched the wedding live with us, I’m even pretty sure he recognized the voices of his people! Our evening was going along nicely until we got the news about RBG. Carole was devastated and cried hot tears for quite a while. I’m sure she’ll have more to say about that soon.

Saturday morning Carole ran out to pick up her flower share (dahlias, right? I don’t know but they are very pretty) and in the afternoon we went to our Town Hall for a ceremony dedicating a POW/MIA chair in memory and honor of a WWII veteran from our town who, as it happens to be, was one of Carole’s favorite library patrons when she was the Director of our town library. Delivering a speech to honor him was very special for her and I can tell you that her speech was awesome.

After the ceremony we went to a nursery to get plants and pumpkins and gourds to decorate our front door and then to the local lobster pound to get provisions for our Saturday evening dinner. When we returned home, Carole decorated the outside for fall (she had done the inside earlier) and then it was time for a drink on the deck. Normally we go out for a special dinner to celebrate but again, with the COVID stuff, we felt more comfortable staying home. We had lobsters (she makes me put them in the pot, FYI) and baked potato, conversation and music. It was even better than going out, at least to me . . . even if Carole did weigh the lobsters to make sure she got the biggest one!

Sunday mornings are quiet around here but in the afternoon we headed to Sean and Michael’s for a very small outdoor gathering to celebrate the birthday. We had a really great time hanging out with friends, eating good food, and celebrating. Life felt normal for a while and it was so nice, especially the macaroni and cheese and chocolate cake!

And now here it is, Monday morning. It’s Carole’s 55th birthday and we’re both back to work, feeling content and happy about the weekend we had.

My hope in writing this post is to let Carole know how much I admire and appreciate everything she does and, man, she does so much! During this strange year she has maintained a sense of normalcy for me. She’s doing her librarian job, as well as her work as an elected official, she volunteers in our community, and she works hard to keep our family close. On top of that, she continues to explore new hobbies (there’s a lot of yoga going on here recently) and skills (I heard her yesterday discussing a wedding sweater for Hannah) and she continues to teach me new things. Just this weekend she taught me how to fold a queen sized sheet so that it doesn’t get wrinkled! Also, I just finished reading Hamnet and she just finished the latest Louise Penny and we discussed them together in place of our old book club gathering. Again, keeping things normal and keeping me sharp – which could honestly be a full time job!

What’s even more amazing is that she’s been doing all of this without a lot of help from me for the past four months. She’s been my rock since the accident and I count my blessings every day. We talked about how altered this birthday would have been for her if the outcome of my accident had been . . . well . . . different . . . and we’re both grateful for this life we have together. Yes, it’s different these days and it makes me think of that great line from a Kathy Mattea song, while the world outside my window goes insane, you’re here to remind me, a few good things remain.

Happy Birthday, Carole. Thanks for being the glue that holds this life we have together.

Filed Under: Birthdays

Three On Thursday, The Birthday Edition

September 3, 2020 By Carole

My girlie is 28 years old today. Even as I’m typing that I’m finding it hard to believe. Honestly, a few weeks ago I thought she was turning 27 and then Jess pointed out that nope, she was already 27. I lost a year somewhere, friends.

Indulge me, please, as I share 3 photos I took in the last couple of weeks of her 27th year.

On vacation, floating in Jackie’s tube. We were all pretty envious that she could get into that thing, I’ll tell you. What I want you to know about this photo: she’s fun and active and still a kid at heart. She’s also a terrific auntie and Jackie adores her.

Wedding dress shopping last Thursday. Due to COVID there were restrictions on how many people she could bring with her so it was just Hannah, Doreen (her godmother) and I. What I want you to know about this photo: she’s beautiful and in love and oh-so-grown-up. She is very ready for this next step in her life.

The end result of wedding dress shopping . . . she found a dress. Well. Sort of. Her dress will actually be a custom design that will combine the neckline of one dress with the skirt and fabric of another. 4,000 dresses and she narrowed it down to two . . . I guess that’s not bad. What I want you to know about this photo: she is beyond excited about her wedding and she quite literally glows with happiness.

Happy Birthday, Hannah. I’m amazed and astounded at the young woman you have become. You make me proud and happy every day and I love the time we spend together.

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Filed Under: Birthdays, Three Things, Thursday Things

Sometimes Monday

October 21, 2019 By Carole

Is for thinking about what could have been.

Today is my brother Donald’s birthday and he would be 60 if he hadn’t been killed in a motorcycle accident 36 years ago.

I’m thinking about birthdays when we were kids and our mom would buy a big beautiful bakery cake and play the special birthday record album we had.

I’m thinking about how sweet he was to me when I was a little girl and the song he made up to sing to me whenever he brought me a glass of water.

I’m thinking about how much I missed him when he decided to go live with our father when he was 12 and I was 6.

I’m thinking about all the birthdays he didn’t get and what it would be like to have a 60 year old brother.

I’m thinking about how much I’d like to wish him a happy birthday today.

So I’ll just do it.

Happy Birthday, Donald, from your little sister. I miss you every day.

 

Filed Under: Birthdays

Jackie Is 2!

October 7, 2019 By Carole

Thanks for all of your birthday wishes for Jackie. I thought you might enjoy seeing the two (yes, only 2) photos I took at his party yesterday. I’m sure you know me well enough to realize that I took more than two. It’s just that these are the two I think are worthy of sharing.

First, the cake:

It was a moon theme party because Jackie adores the moon. My friend and local baker extraordinaire Caroline made the cake and I made the cake topper with my Cricut. The cake was not only gorgeous, it was delicious. And that cake topper . . . well . . . it’s all a learning curve. Learning to manipulate letters so that they connect, learning to use the right settings for glitter paper. In the end, I was very happy with it. Jackie was having none of it and literally cried while everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. Ahhh yes, the Terrible Twos seem to have arrived right on time.

Second, the birthday boy:

He loves bubbles, too. And he’s perfectly content and sweet so long as you let him alone to do what he wants. When you try to stop him from doing something, though, watch out because his will is strong and he will protest. As his Nana, of course, I think everything he does, including throwing temper tantrums, is utterly adorable.

Finally, a bonus video:

I made this from all of the 1SE clips I took from October 4, 2018 through September 27, 2019. It’s a sweet look back on our little muffin’s second year. My goodness how he has grown.

Thanks for indulging this Nana!

Filed Under: Birthdays

Birthday Weekending

September 23, 2019 By Carole

I’m going to make a bold statement. If I ran the world all birthdays would be on Saturdays. Logistically, I’m not entirely sure how that would work. But if I ran the world I’d have someone super smart to figure that part out.

My point, in case you aren’t getting it, is that when your birthday falls on a Saturday is it simply.the.best.

Case in point:

Friday Night Snacks on Birthday Eve. What? It’s a thing.

A whole lovely day of doing whatever you want because it’s Saturday. And your birthday. Doing what I wanted included hanging around the house, going for a great walk with Dale (and having two people come out of their houses to greet me and wish me a happy birthday, I love living in a small town), taking the Mustang out for a top down ride, and having a very small dinner party with friends.

There were great apps. I took this photo before Rose got here with her delicious stuffed mushrooms but you get the idea.

It was warm enough to enjoy dinner under the pergola.

I made lasagna, which I must say was terrific, Sean brought roasted vegetables, there was wine and laughter and it was completely perfect.

Speaking of perfect, check out that cake! Sean made it and it’s a 4 layer cake that’s a lot of work, a true labor of love. And really, what says I love you more than baking a birthday cake?

Sunday, my first day of my 55th year and the last day of summer, was a lazy day. There was football. I finished a book that made me cry in a very good way. And there was a beautiful pink and purple sky. It was the perfect way to end a really perfect birthday weekend.


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After a stressful morning of learning NOT to play After a stressful morning of learning NOT to play with momma’s knitting, these two are taking a well deserved rest. The squirt bottle is doing wonders and I can see their internal struggle of wanting the yarn so badly but also hating the spritz of water. 🤣 We’re definitely making progress and I’m so glad. #fredandgeorgethecats #siamesecatsofinstagram #siamesecats #siamesecorner
Oh hey, FriYay. #fridaynightsnacks #cheeseandcrack Oh hey, FriYay. #fridaynightsnacks #cheeseandcrackers #cheeseboard #martinitime #cocktailhourathome #happyhourathome #tgif
We’ve social obligations the last few Friday nig We’ve social obligations the last few Friday nights and that was fun … but I’ll just say this … there’s no place like home. #fridaynightsnacks #theresnoplacelikehome #martinitime #eastbridgewaterbicentennial #eastbridgewaterbeer #blackhatbrewworks #cocktailhourathome #friyay #mycozyhome
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I may be a shiksa but I make pretty good latkes! H I may be a shiksa but I make pretty good latkes! Happy Hanukkah to all! #latkes #hanukkah
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The pictures you find when you look at old photo a The pictures you find when you look at old photo albums: a bunch of Wheaties from 37 years ago.
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Morning yoga is better with cats and a Christmas t Morning yoga is better with cats and a Christmas tree 🎄 #morningyoga #findwhatfeelsgood #yogawithadriene #siamesecats #yogawithcats
I dare you to resist rubbing that furry belly! #si I dare you to resist rubbing that furry belly! #siamesecat #siamesecatsofinstagram #catsofinstagram #kittybelly #siamese #siamesecorner
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Just a little snack, I’m making pizza in a bit, Just a little snack, I’m making pizza in a bit, but I wanted to show off the napkins. We’re on to Thanksgiving. #fridaynightsnacks #martinitime #pimentocheese #gobblegobblegobble #thanksgivingiscoming
There’s the potential for a hard frost tonight s There’s the potential for a hard frost tonight so I picked all the dahlias in bloom. There are still loads of buds so this might not be the end, but it very well could be. I’m so thrilled with my first season growing dahlias and I’m excited to expand next year. Stay tuned for 2023 featuring more varieties! More color! More bouquets! #dahlias #dahliaseason #dahliabouquet #octoberflowers #flowersaremagical #dahliasfordays
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My mystery bag from @themossyapothecary arrived to My mystery bag from @themossyapothecary arrived today and it’s full of magickal goodness. #magickalherbs #mossyapothecary #witchyvibes
Today’s picks - I had to fight the bees to get t Today’s picks - I had to fight the bees to get them! The dahlias are still coming thanks to this great fall weather we are having. I know their days are numbered so I’m savoring every blossom. #dahliaseason #dahlias #flowerfarmer #flowersaremagical #igrewthis
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