New Endeavors

 So I’ve taken up knitting. I technically learned how when I was about ten years old, as I’d already learned how to crochet from an awesome babysitter and really liked it. Turns out,. I liked crocheting better and pretty much didn’t knit at all after I learned the basics. But I love historical clothing, and those knitted mitts from the 18th century are so fun and cozy and pretty...and crocheting wasn’t really a thing until the 19th century. So I thought I’d give it a try.
 After, uh, multiple restarts, I think I’m making few enough mistakes that’s it’s passable. Turns out I still don’t really enjoy knitting, at least not like I do crocheting. Something about it is different enough that it’s just not as relaxing, and I need frequent breaks. But I realllly want a pair or three of knitted mitts. I’m determined.
 I also brewed my first batch of beer! I LOVE the Townsend’s channel on YouTube where they cook historical recipes and answer questions about the 18th and early 18th centuries, and I’ve been curious about “small beer” for awhile. So I invited one of my husbands best friends who has brewed before over to help me try out this video:“Swanky”. It’s good that he was involved, because I would have made ALL the mistakes and probably caused an explosion. Crises averted, and it turned out pretty well! I don’t even like beer (sometimes I really just do very weird things for the curiosity of it), but I liked the way this small beer tasted. It was mild and refreshing, and now I want to try another of the Townsend’s brewing videos!
 So, I’m not even halfway finished with my first mitt, but it’s August, so I’ve got time, right? And in the meantime I’m gonna sip my home brewed small beer and plan future shenanigans.

Hygge

  Hygge. Everyone seems to be blogging and posting on Pinterest about it lately. I love the concept: coziness, the focus on family and friends and togetherness, building relationships and enjoying a slower pace of life appreciating the small things. Of course, because it originated with Danish people, it’s pretty heavy on the wool socks, hot drinks, and cuddling under blankets. I live in the desert, where we are more about iced everything, tank tops, and air conditioning. So I search Pinterest a lot for things like “how to hygge in the summer” and variations of the same, finding really cute pictures of outdoor picnics clearly taken elsewhere because here, no one goes outside during the summer months unless they are walking between their car and a building with the aforementioned air conditioning.
  But the more I read about it, the more I’ve come to realize that we really do practice a lot of the concepts in our home. We play games as a family, and my husband has a few work friends over pretty regularly for a game night. Our daughter still doesn’t really get screen time, but she loves to read and be read to. We snuggle a LOT. It’s the best. And I’ve been making an effort to actually light the pretty candles we have, to wear something cozy and comfy when I spend time at home with my daughter, to savor the ritual lately of boiling the water for my tea rather than just use the keurig, making a whole pot to pour over ice and enjoy throughout the afternoon. (I can not overemphasize how HOT it is here right now).
  And having the mindset has really helped: being focused on the moment and enjoying the simple things had lead to enjoying them more, and a sense of joy and how blessed I truly am. I feel closer to my family. I feel more settled and grateful for what my life is right now. I’m in a better state than I was even just a week ago; we’ve been dealing with some loss and grief lately and this focus and the results have been very therapeutic. Am I still sad? Of course. And I’ll keep being sad for a long time. But does it help to deliberately choose to do and eat and spend time with activities and people that I enjoy and derive a deep joy from? Yeah, I have found that duh, it really helps. So I’m going to keep on practicing this hygge thing.