rayures cowl

featured
I find one of the most amazing gifts is a hand knit item.  Truly.  
Especially if you are a knitter on the receiving end.  
This beauty came in the mail from my sweet friend, Kristyn.
I was completely speechless when I opened the box.
Are you kidding?  Kristyn spent all of that time knitting for me?  And she included all of the stash in case I wanted to make a pair of  T O A S T.
My heart is completly and utterly full.  It truly might pop.
 I absolutley adore this cowl.
It will be worn all spring.  And then again.  And again.  And again.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,  sweet friend.

Pattern:  Rayures
Yarn:  Knit Picks, Palette

easter memories

chalk lots
I adore Easter.  I always have.  From the reasons we are here on this sweet Earth.  To the festivities of the day.  It's all just so Fantastic!  We tried a new church in the morning.  I know that may sound odd, but we have been wanting to go to this church and it just seemed like a good idea to go for it.  It didn't disappoint.
And did I mention the weather?  GLORIOUS!
Libby and I had a little Easter photoshoot last week for Chalk Lots with our treasures from Target.  They had the cutest, CUTEST decorations.  They may have a few of those jars left on super sale!
This was the first year I have spotted that daffodil with the orange center in the yard.  Honestly?  The cutest flower I have seen in a long time.  I fell madly in love.  
 This year there was only one extremely talented egg dyer.  The other someone said that vinegar makes him sick to his stomach.
 What a masterpiece we ended up with!
The plastic egg hunt was a success.
55 small eggs.
5 large eggs.
1 golden egg.
4 eggs are still missing.  Including the coupon for lunch at their favorite Chinese restaurant.  Wonder if it will ever show up.

on my needles

my knitting life
I am the type of person that likes to have one or maybe two things on my needles.  Having more than that usually makes me a little uneasy.  I just don't like having all of those loose ends.  
I most prefer having one big project.  Usually a sweater.  And one small project like Toast or Toasty.  
We are home this week for Spring Break, so I've been trying to get my projects organized.  Making lists of things to finish and prioritizing which projects to work on first.  
 Love working on this Classic Elite sweater named Elen.  I think I should move this top on the list since it is a Spring/early Summer sweater.  The yarn is light and feels so good in my hands.
This yarn is just the funnest and makes these socks so much fun to make.  Easy to keep in my car for those moments spent waiting.  (Except for when I drop my extra needle down in between the seat and the console.)
 Almost finished with this wrap.  I've kept this project in my car all winter.  Simple and easy.  I just took it out of my car to try to finish.  And because I was afraid the mouse that was in my car (Yes!  I had a mouse in my CAR!  I left a pizza box in there.  DON"T do that!) was going to try to make a nest out of it.  I'll share the pattern soon.
The Maine Squeeze blanket.    So love this.  I can only usually work on this at home as it is quite bulky.

Have a wonderful day, Friends!

crafts

chalk lots
{My friend, Judy, did her magic on the Chalk Lots.}

Craft Beer or Beer + Crafts?
Of course, I'm all about the crafts!  (With a little beer.)
Hope your St. Patricks day was fun.
Happy weekend!

maui

travel
There is something just so magical about Hawaii.  (That is Molokai , in the distance, hidden beneath the clouds.)
Steve's beautiful mother is turning 90 and wanted to go back to a place she once called home.  A place that held many family vacations.  And her favorite place in the great big world.  Napili Bay, the north west corner of Maui.   
There are no high-rises.  The beaches are relatively uncrowded.  The water clear and perfect for snorkeling.  The mood?  Well, wonderful.
This trip, I was particularly drawn to the delicious produce and hit a farmers market almost everyday.
 Can you believe the size of this avocado.  I have never seen a bigger one in my life!
 And these beauties?  They are sweet, delicious limes.
We also had apple bananas and strawberry papaya.  Huh?!
 Sunflower greens?  Where have I been?  Full of healthy protein providing all the amino acids needed to repair and grow muscles as well as many other great benefits.   (Although, I just imagined the beautiful sunflower they were one day going to be.)
A plate full of all the earthly grown gifts, everyday, for lunch.  Incuding, a sweet Maui Onion, of course.
 Coconuts cut to order.  Fresh as fresh can be.
And literally filled to the brim with their delicious water.  
 And this little gift?  The real deal coconut macaroon.  A M A Z I N G !
This photo.  Because the world is so big.  And we are so small.
And this boy... (I have no idea who he is) is adventurous!

muffins instead of cookies

cookie of the week
Don't these paper cups just make you wanna bake?  And make cupcakes?  Or muffins?  Or eat a muffin?  Go ahead, please, have a muffin!
Waking up before the house is awake is one of my favorite things in life.  Especially if I am knitting.  Or baking.  I love when I can fill the house with yummy scents as everyone wakes up.  And these muffins just didn't disappoint. 
The reviews of this recipe just confused me.  So many people substituting and/or making suggestions.  I decided to just go with the recipe.  (I love the New York Times Cooking App.)  They turned out fabulous. (I sort of recommend reading the article about baking the perfect muffin.) The streusel topping is a must.  They are supposed to be healthier than not.  Do you think they are still healthy if you eat 4 for breakfast? (Darn muffin cups.)
I'm headed out of town tomorrow so I'm gonna wind this fun skein and cast on for a new pair of socks.  It's been a while since I have made a pair. So excited to get started and watch the stripes come to life.  (Trailing Clouds seems to sell out quickly, but updates their site every Thursday.)

Happy Saturday!

WAK winner

giveaway
Hey Friends!  The winner of the We Are Knitters giveaway is number 102,  Joyce Hancock.  Congrats!  Please email me.  ( lesliemfriend at gmail dot com )

As always, I wish every single one of you could have won.   However, I do have some good news... if you sign up for the We Are Knitters weekly newsletter, (filled with fun stuff knitters love) you are automatically entered to win their weekly giveaway of $100.00!  (Fingers crossed!) By signing up you can get $12 off your first order + a free pattern.  Sounds pretty sweet to me.
Also, the promo code  of 15% off your order is good until April 1, 2016.  Enter AWAKFRIEND at checkout.