Yarn Along 12/28/2011

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! ~  from Ginny's blog
Hello fellow crafters and readers! Glad you stopped by. We are slowly recovering from Christmas- well, I should say I am. The children are just fine. Our days are filled with chaos at times and then other times are quiet and peaceful. Christmas came and went and, at points, it felt like an ordinary Sunday. Not that I thought there would be a fireworks display announcing Christ's birth(though this year I did feel it in my heart)but maybe I thought a blanket of piece would have cover my world... It made me feel a bit of menalcoly, for a lack of a better word. But in reality my day felt like something was lacking...it was an ordinary day. Maybe next year, we will offer our time to a soup kitchen or find another way to give back to Jesus for all he has done for us. Thoughts for another day...
But NOW is the best part of after Christmas. When my children are home and we are all together! The time between the old year and the beginning of the new year is one I treasure. And this week, with my bunch,  has been awesome! We have played many rounds of Sleeping Queens and sung countless Glee songs. It is better than I could hope for.
The handmade gifts I made were well received. Eldest rarely takes off her cowl, isn't that wonderful! Every knitter likes to see their recipients derive pleasure from the woolies(as well as warmth) The boys like their story stones. Mason (littlest) likes to empty his bag and keep his Power Rangers in it.... He did announce they need blankets and pillows so "mama, please make them!" 6 Pillows materialized yesterday (scraps from a sheet, each stuffed with cotton balls). I asked Eldest yesterday if there were full enough and she instantly brought me back to reality with her teenage knowledge. "Mom, they are great. I mean, only a Power Ranger will be sleeping on it. I think they are fine, Mom." Ah, my dose of reality :)
As you can see by my knitting this week, that a wee little blanket (for a Power Ranger) is being knitted up. No, it is not a coaster..... It is the Acorn doll blanket  by Joanna Johnson. I am using fingering weight wool and size 1 needles. I do feel a bit silly making blankets for little dolls, I mean Action Figures. But if my thoughtful Rainbow Boy sees a need that I can fill, 4 more blankets will follow after this one.
My reading this week has changed!  Inconceivable was so wonderful and very well written. It left no stone unturned and every question a reader might have, was answered. I really applaud the Savages. They are both what God wants us to be. Giving of themselves and creating a life for no other reason (and the most important one) that every Life is sacred. Truly heroic! The grief they endured for 8 months and the time after Little Man was born is just heartbreaking.
My next read is Choosing to SEE . It is Mary Beth Chapman's story about the loss of her daughter, the struggle to heal, and the unexpected path God has placed her on. (taken a bit from amazon but they said it better than I did!)

I am including 2 links to boost your days-- please visit their sites and read their messages. Soulemama's message speaks to my heart and righted my world-- isn't it funny how words have the power to do that! And Mary's message is one I will follow this coming year and I would instill in my children.
As Mary says:  Pick a word. And let it seep into your life this year.

Yarn Along 12/21/2011

Following Ginny with this week's yarn along. Sorry I didn't participate las week. We had our Youth party for our church and it was a blast! I think my feet didn't stop moving all day!

Same book, only the knitting has changed. I was knitting up a herringbone cowl for a bit of Christmas knitting. BUT after casting on for the 4th time and having to frog back too many times I threw my knitting across the room! And cast on an adaption of Annie -cast on 110 stitches using bulky weight and the broken rib stitch pattern. I sure do hope she likes it. I can not believe I let a knitting pattern get the best of me! The pattern wasn't difficult but making mistakes within the knitting is costly. I am disappointed that I gave up and even more that I lost my temper. And I am knitting something that well, it isn't the herringbone cowl and really nothing would give me joy except knitting/mastering that cowl....
Can't wait to catch with everyone!

Yarn Along 12/07/2011

~ 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! Ginny's blog
Hello All!

Another Wednesday is upon us! Reading and knitting-- love those 2 things and put together always starts my day of peacefully! Thanks Ginny for hosting this! Each week Ginny unfailingly host this- I am so grateful! I am still reading Inconceivable. And we are still reading harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. What a great choice! I have figured out I am a terrible reader when I read out loud. I stumble and bumble along and sometimes read quietly to myself-- it is not pretty!  But we are enjoying meeting Harry Potter. I managed to finish Cooper's hat! As soon as I finished the ribbing it was really flew off my needles! The mark above Little Man's eye is a Harry Potter scar he drew himself- we were having a Harry Potter Marathon this weekend! We all had scars!

I started a pair of handspun(not by me) mitts for myself! A guilty pleasure, knitting for me but a joy! The wool is mohair/wool mix and the coloring is just beautiful! Sorry for the confusion in the photo-- I am magic looping and knitting both at the same time so I don't experience second sock syndrome(or 2nd mitt syndrome-as the case may be). Also some legwarmers my daugher asked me knit her-- secret holiday knitting is tough to do and to accomplish!

Maybe any readers can help me and offer words of wisdom. I am struggling this year with Christmas. I have so many mixed feeling. My great joy is that we will be rejoicing in Christ's birth- for the first time ever we will all rejoice is Jesus and we will do it loundly and with my love for God's Son. He is the reason for the season- I keep nagging  telling my children. But how do I incorporate Santa? The more I become a disciple of God the more I struggle with issues such as this-- don't get me started on the Easter Bunny! I hate lying to my children so these holidays are always stressful for me. I hate lying! And I am struggling with the amount of  gifts that, in reality, my children don't need. We do not need the extra clutter that toys bring. And the stress of cleaning up that always is the result of above mentioned gifts. We are having a bit of celebrating Advent each day. Eating a piece of chocolate and reading in our books but there is a knot in my belly. A knot because I know reading a page each day brings us one day closer to the "Big Day". I am so unprepared this year. I want a simple Christmas- one of wonder and rejoicing in Jesus. But my children do not want the same and they shouldn't. At least that is what I tell myself- they are only children, after all, and want the lots of presents-A living room full! But I know that a room full of presents is what they don't need. It is just the way the way of children. My children. I feel like a failure. I am struggling with finding the joy this year. And that saddens me.