Yarn along 7/27/2011

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ taken from Ginny's blog

There is alot on at our family table this week. I am planning a move that I am in no way prepared for. I am knitting sparingly and I signed up for something called a busy bag swap. I haven't done one since I hosted a babywearing swap years ago. I am involved in a swap full of crafty manipulatives made for preschoolers.  I was chosen to make Button Snakes. Yes, a simple task when only making one snake but I needed to cut out 300 pieces of felt! I panicked a bit as I gazed out the mountain of felt. Dreading the amount of cutting involved and decided in that moment to recruite my youngest daughter, Makenzie. What a great idea!

Boy, did we have a nice peaceful bonding time and as always a lot of laughs.  I noticed we aren't very good with direction- we lack knowing our left from our right at a moment's notice. And we are terrible at math. This is the time we needed Taylor-- but she is away at a church retreat this week. We did our best to muddle through. We cut the felt in record time. Sat down to color coordinate them- found out we didn't have enough, cut more felt. Then the fun really began! She began cutting the slits into each felt piece and I sewed on the buttons. We worked for a couple more hours until I realized that my baby might be tired. I said to her, "Makenzie, you can go on to bed." Her response in a really quiet and sure voice,"I am not stopping until you do." That made me giggle. She knew her mom would sit and sew on buttons until all 30 snakes were completed! I finished a couple more until I heard her say,"How about we stop in 7 minutes-- that would make it midnight?" I readily agreed. Suffice it to say we will completing more snakes today on Yarn along Wednesday. But it(knitting) is there in the background, as always. Shortly after my post last weekend,  I decided to put away my wool things and knit on some cotton. I fell in love with wife, mom, KNITTER's hanging towel and cast on for a Simple Mitered Dishcloth. I blew through that-- it was an enjoyable knit and I was finally able to finish something completely--even adding on a button! I do love a finished dishcloth! I moved on to Camp Minocqua on red peaches and creme. WOW,  I love the fabric coming off my needles but it is time consuming and every stitch I make I doubt! It is not even lace! Normally I can find a groove in my knitting but with this dishcloth I can't seem to find it. My knitting compass has gone missing! The pattern is well written and only worked over 4 rows. But I find myself  double checking each row and frogging back even if I suspect an error. But like I said, I love the fabric coming off my needles so it all worth it and really it keeps my mind busy while the kids play in the water for hours at a time.

AHHH my reading. I have been so focused on my my bible reading. I had gotten behind a couple of days ago due to life, in general-- my birthday, sick kids, and add in a migraine and all that put me 3 days behind! UGH, I hate not being on my reading schedule! BUT yesterday I managed to finish the rest of Numbers and read through Deuteronomy and started on Joshua. AND the best part, I enjoyed what I read and I understood it! Some passages I read really stayed with me. So much I circle them!

It looks like I really rambled on enough. I can't wait to read what everyone is reading and what you all have been knitting on!

Yarn Along 7/21/2011

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

**taken from Ginny's blog

Yes it is that time of the week again-- I love seeing what others are reading and knitting! I am a day late this week-- it was my birthday yesterday! No reading or knitting done yesterday! Can you believe it! But today, life is back to normal and I am back to picking up my needles and books :).

What is STILL in my picture is the grown up FLS. Still in the same spot-- I think I need to change up my knitting-- is is possible to be too hot to knit with wool? Maybe a simple cotton washcloth or towel? Or maybe my KAL at Wife, Mom, Knitter. My reading is a bit heavier this week.... I am still working my way through the bible in 90 days! We will be moving soon and any house we choose will be quite larger than anything we have lived in-- there will be alot more work involved for me cleaning and maintaining it. and I have come to conclusion I need help with it! I do think the girls and boys can help out and not leave it all up to mom. I decided that I needed to implement a program to share in the work(not having mom do it all). I researched and found this program (thanks to the Duggar's first book) that is christian based. Managers of Their Chores and using the program that came with it. http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1150 This book helps create chore charts and chorepacks for all the kids regardless of age. As well as teaching mom and dad how to teach the reasons why we need chores in our lives. The book is really quite good, it reads well and makes sense-- It helps teach our kids the importance of chores and becoming servants to the Lord. Both things that we can improve on. It is a lot of work but once I implement it I think it will function very well.

As you can also see in the photo I am reading the Duggars second book. I might as well come clean.I find their way of life fascinating! I keep looking for something to be really wrong with this family-- you know, maybe some brainwashing. BUT I just can't find it-- they teach their children right from wrong without using punishment-- they use discipline and God's love. It works for them. I am interested in how to do that with my boys. Anything I can to do to help with bringing up kind and gentle thoughtful boys, I am all for!

I can't wait to catch up with everyone to see what you all are reading and knitting!

Yarn Along 7/13/2011 My favorite time of the week!

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

**taken from Ginny's blog
This week I have had plenty to read! Not much knitting has gone on. Though I think of picking up my needles constantly. Of a certain KAL I should start! Knitting carries with it a sense of calm. Those needles weld so much power for me. And I have needed the calm that comes with when I pick up my lastest knitting project. The reason- We are looking at houses this past week and trying to choose a house(in our budget) that will fit us all. Needless to say, I have needed to knit more than I could.

The red covered book is my bible(I will send a lucky reader my new to me bible(read the bible in 90 days) if you can tell me why my cover says "Let's roll")-- I am reading it everyday(it takes me all day to read it). I know I know-- alot of information went on in the last sentence! BUT please bear with me! I am on Day 3-- it is going well.  I struggle a bit. I read the beginning (of my reading)the night before, read a bit in the morning and finish off in the afternoon. It is working well for the moment since we haven't had to leave the house. I would like to change it up and read all my reading in one setting but I don't know if I will be able to. I have the biggest fear of getting behind. Once I get behind in my reading, I just know I won't be able to catch up. When not catching up on my reading I am reading Friendship Bread by Darien Gee. It is really quite good! I love reading about friendships between women-- all the people in this book are characters I can relate to. It is the start of a whole new series about the town of Avalon in which these 3 women live in who are baking Amish friendship bread and healing over events in their life with the help of each other. As well as passing their starters all over town! It makes me want to create a starter but then who would I give all those bags too? I am more of a homebody that I realize, I think! I am not the type of person who does chain mail type of things-- I don't want to put another person in an awkward position of saying no nor am I bold enough to ask. But who's to say I won't get the urge to create a starter after the end of the book? We shall see.
 I haven't gotten to much knitting accomplished this week. But I am very excited to say that I have done a 1 row buttonhole successfully--twice using Elizabeth Zimmwerman's method! EZ sure knew what she was doing! I have about 10 rows or so before I stop increases-- then the real fun begins-- LACE! Well, enough lace to keep me occupied!
Totally off topic but each week I have received comments to what I am writing and I love them! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND AND THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS! I am truly grateful! I haven't quite figured out how to respond to each comment nor do I know what the etiquette on how I should respond--email or how to add replies to my blog.... What do you all do? How do you handle them?

Not just for knitting anymore!

I joined up for reading the bible in 90 days! I am excited to do this as I have wanted to join a Bible study since last November. I saw this on mine of blog reading trips and thought "Why Not"! I ordered the materials and they arrived lightening fast. I am never one to leave "new to me" reading materials sit! I really tried to wait until today but I dug in over the weekend. I am glad I did! Let me tell you right from the start I was intimidated! I tried the first Bible, then another I had on hand, then finally I was able to piece it all together using my tried and true NIV Study Bible. It took awhile. I won't lie...it isn't easy. It is downright hard. I am terrified of not understanding something in this great book. It will be a challenge and a Journey that I know I will acquire a great deal from.
Mondays will be the day that I blog about my reading (just until October). I hope you all will be with me as I travel along reading the Bible. If you want to sign up please do at http://www.momstoolbox.com/blog/2011/06/21/bible-in-90-days-sign-up/ I would love to have a buddy to read with. My husband and daughter would love to thank you as I am already sure they are tired of all my questions!

Thought maybe you would like this... A 19 Elsa Beskow book giveaway!

I wanted to share with you a giveaway of some amazing books for any library. I was blog reading this morning and stumbled on This giveaway. 19 books to win! This blog writer will send you 19 amazing books! Can you believe it? Sounds good, huh? The books that will be given away look amazing. If I had a little girl I would hang the images in her bedroom! Well, I still might with Mason. Both my boys are going to love reading these books-- the pictures are so vivid! I don't think I will win, mind you. I am not that bold-- I do hope to though. :) I will be looking in the library and ordering one or two in the future, for sure.
I hope you enter and good luck!
Have a great weekend!

Yarn Along

Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ **From Ginnys Blog

It is raining here in VA but I managed to get an outdoor shot before the rains set in. I am so excited about this week's read and what is on my needles. I have cast on (that makes about 3 items that I am knitting on at one time--sigh) and am knitting up a February Lady Sweater for ME! I am also doing a bit of research as I knit along and using  Elizabeth Zimmermann/Knitter's Almanac instructions for the buttonholes. And as I am flipping through Elizabeth Zimmermann's book I am once again drawn into the writing. The pictures she creates in a knitter's mind is so vivid. I love words like pithy, don't you?
I am also knitting on some I-cord so I can string up our our summertime fun cards! Be prepared for a photo as soon as I finish. I need to knit about 5 feet or so--hopefully the remaining 4 feet go well. Taylor had her 15th birthday! And she made her own rainbow cake. I was there to control  supervise in case there were questions or concerns. And, of course,  for the clean-up.

It was yummy(everyone agreed-even Cooper!) and it was a mathematical equation at the same time! Perfect for her!

I can't wait to see what other bloggers have been reading and knitting on! AS EZ SAID-- “Knit On, with confidence and hope, through all crises.”

BOYS ARE THE BEST!!!

**I placed this post here as a diary moment of sorts. I needed to write this down as a way that I could rejoice in my boys. There is no disrepect meant for girls**
This fourth of July for us was very ordinary. I loved it! I adore ordinary. Pictures will follow soon! I get my strength from the everyday-ness that is my life. It was wonderful to spend time with my family.
For a long time I mourned that there would never be another little girl in my life. A little girl that I mourned for a long time. I mourned that there would never be any more hair braiding, no more fun crafting (as only little girls can do-- with sparkles and stickers), and no more cute little outfits in my life. BUT this weekend I was able to watch and absorb having a little girl who was a little girl who loves pink, loves braids and was very girly. AND you know what... I didn't much care for it. Please don't misunderstand me. I adore my girls--both of them equally for all the gifts they have given me.  I love them. I enjoyed every moment I had with them when they were little. I think I mourn for that period and I am sad that they grew up so fast more than anything else. I know so much more now-- I would be a "more perfect"-more creative, a more patient mother. I would be MORE!
I realized that I LOVE MY BOYS! I adore them. I love their splashing and dirt. This different way of life my husband and I have embarked on is such a rare joy. I love the way they smell -- fresh out of the shower smelling like dial soap and shampoo or sweaty from playing outside. The looks on their faces when they hold fish or worms is priceless. It is crazy what I have grown use to- not bathing them everyday, not worrying about if their outfits match or if their braids are even. For a long time, if asked I would say I didn't like the noise or the dirt that comes with my with boys. I didn't enjoy them. I was always thinking how to contain them! But watching life this weekend, I am so happy for my "lot" in this  life. GOD knew what he was doing when he placed these four souls in my care. I am so glad I realize what I have right in front before they grew up and away from me! What a bounty I have!