I missed yarn along last week while we were enjoying our snowy (and internet limited) vacation. While we were away I did not miss the opportunity to knit, though, especially during the driving time to and from our getaway.

As planned I got busy on a few pebble vests. After the first one, I moved on to a smoky pebble, now I’m nearly finished the third in teal. The first two are blocking in my bathroom, awaiting only buttons, but oddly the two supposedly identical vests came out very different sizes. The first looks about an 18-24mos size and the second closer to the 6-12 mos size I’d been aiming for. Same wool, different colour, both superwash – any of you knitters have a theory what happened? The first had an accidental extra few rows but the width has grown as well, and having knit them back to back I don’t see how my gauge could have changed that much. It is very curious.

While away I’d also planned to start my Grace cardigan but as my poor planning would have it I neglected to knit my swatch before leaving the city. Once I knit it in our rural surroundings I realised I didn’t have a needle small enough to get gauge. I bought the smaller needle over the weekend but last night’s swatch measured just the same as the first. After hemming and hawing about it I decided to stick with the smaller needle rather than trying to find yet a smaller needle. It’s risky but the cardigan has plenty of negative ease which I was a little worried about to begin with so this may even things out for me. (Is that making any of you pro knitters cringe? I need advice!)

With the extra time to dive into my reading I finished The Secret Keeper. I found parts of this novel frustrating (particularly the unlikeable characters) but it bears sticking with to the end. It was worth it – the last few chapters had me glued to the pages, knitting forgotten in my lap.

Now I’ve moved onto The Midwife. I’ve been wanting to pick this up for a while and finally borrowed a friend’s copy. I quickly got lost in the stories. This midwife’s memoir from London’s poverty stricken East End during the 50’s is fascinating. At times graphic and tragic, it is deeply touching, heartwarming, and engaging. Some of the stories make me feel like I’m reading a Dicken’s novel. This is the book behind Call the Midwife but I’m waiting until I’ve finished reading (and there are three more after this) before I watch the series.

::

Have you had a chance to get lost in the pages of a compelling read this week? Have you been busy with needles or hooks? Do tell what you’ve been up to!

:: joining Ginny for yarn along ::

There’s no denying I love sweets.

A little treat is my late-afternoon weakness. I cannot resist.

If on a given day I’m tired, on dinner-duty, thirsty, hungry, or breathing you’ll find me looking for a little something around that time of day.  Sneakily enjoyed behind a cupboard door of course because I can’t ruin anyone’s dinner.

The problem with the snacks I find myself craving at those times is the sugar. Even if it’s a healthier sugars we use almost exclusively now,  such as honey or maple syrup, I can feel my blood sugar skyrocket only to crash again far too quickly. During these times of craving crisis I know it is protein my body needs, yet it is sugar I want.

In the pursuit of protein I had my love affair with homemade larabars  – until I had to give up cashews (I miss them so). I’ve done the almond butter and apple slices. I’ve spent plenty of time with seeds and dried fruit. But sometimes I need a little more.

And then these squares came into my life.

I started with this recipe (the healthful pursuit blog has a wealth of yummy recipes!). Then I changed it around to account for some of the tastes in our family.

These squares are crispy, chewy, sweet, and delicious. Some of the kids (and even Dan) said they tasted like those junky marshmallows squares everyone loves here (although they may not be so reminiscent to someone who has actually eaten a rice krispy square in recent years). Needless to say, with that kind of recommendation, they are big hit with everyone in the family! The very best part, though, is that while they cater to my sweet tooth they don’t lead to a massive sugar-crash but give me a protein boost. Win-win!

Crispy Rice Squares

adaption of this recipe from healthful pursuit

I like the chocolate variation on these but I’m alone in enjoying them. My answer is to divide the cereal and add cocoa to the toffee mixture after I’ve poured about half, then I simply press the two flavours side by side in the pan. 

8 cups crispy rice cereal, such as Nature’s Path (puffed rice will not have the same result)

1 cup brown rice syrup

2/3 cup almond butter

1/4 cup tahini

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat syrup, almond butter, and tahini in a large pot. Stir constantly over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Any lumps will soften and the mixture will become more toffee-like. Remove from heat and pour over cereal.

Press the sticky mixture into a large 9×13 pan and allow to cool and firm up.

Then cut into squares and enjoy! If you can keep any beyond the first day they are even better on day two!

Chocolate Variation:

Add 4-6 Tbsp cocoa to the wet mixture before pouring over the cereal.

How do deal with cravings? Are you a sweet tooth or a salt addict? Have you found a healthy snack that beats the sugar ache? 

This weekend was a spectacular drive home through freshly powdered mountains;
the blessing of a random act of kindness as the customer ahead of us paid our drive thru bill;
the joy of arriving home this year to a larger space (until our new home we always downsized after our winter getaway);
clean floors which my dearest sis had scrubbed before we left;
a last minute optometry appointment and new glasses before closing to fix this;
waking up to the sun shining in our very own rooms;

haircuts for two of the six – they are trusting children;
lunch out with my best guy at my favourite restaurant;
cheese and salad and pastries;
the first meal out just the two of us in longer than we can remember (thanks to my sister’s childminding) ;
an evening of chatting, laughing, and cards with lovelies;
hardly noticing daylight savings’ stolen hour thanks to hubby up for the breakfast rush;
thrifting date with my sister;
hiding for a quick nap before dinner;
then sun shining still as we ate.
Now blueberry-banana ice cream (without the cream) and the call of my knitting needles.

::

How was your weekend? I hope it found you well!
Wishing your new week rises peaceful and bright.

:: joining Amanda for weekending:: 

:: giving thanks with Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday ::

Another week, another word.

This time I’m posting mine from the snowy mountains of British Columbia. Woo hoo, winter vacation!!

Our theme for this week was fading.

Here’s my photo:

And Corrie’s:

Did you capture fading in a photo this week?

As always, link up below with a URL to your photo (blog, instagram, or flickr account) or share on the house full of jays facebook page. Remember we want this to be a fun project to participate in so take your time with it or grab a quick snap – but please do share!

After linking here hop over to The Mayberry Home Journal – Corrie will have our next photo challenge posted.

Can’t wait to see your shots this week!

::

all things lexicon project here and my first post about it here

Here’s a handy button if you’d like it for your post or sidebar.

The day has arrived.

The kids have been counting the days down for weeks and weeks. They’ve been trying to pack for at least two.

Now, finally, the bags are loaded. The meals are planned, frozen, and prepared. The wool is packed (at least a month’s worth).

We are heading out in search of winter wonderland, our third annual. Hoping we don’t find spring creeping in too quickly, while we escape to enjoy a week of snow.

Happy Weekending, lovelies!