Yarn Along 1/25/2012

I am linking up with Ginny's blog again this 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! ~

I have changed reading this week. Dropped all I had on my nightstand to read this book. Earthways This book is wonderful! I can not get over how many activities there are in each chapter- real activities that my children and I can accomplish! If you don't have this in your library I strongly urge you to pick one up- there are some used at amazon for only a couple of bucks(around 7 dollars or so) and I just know you won't regret it.
I knit up an acorn pouch over the weekend- such a quick knit! Then I am adding a bit of hand embroidery to it. There is a little boy who turned 7 on Friday and I thought this bag filled with marbles would be a nice gift to celebrate turning 7.
7 is such a wonderful age, don't you think? I think it is my favorite age. Children are still filled with wonder and imagination yet so full knowledge at the same time. At 7, my children have straddled 2 different worlds. They go from very self absorbed (nothing wrong with that- they are children, after all) at the beginning of 7 to at 7.5  becoming more thoughtful and wanting to please the people they love. So full of giggles and imagination and giving hugs when they want and not caring who sees but yet wanting to be older-- if you are lucky you can keep them in that bubble-- a daily struggle for me-- you know that struggle-- to keep your children the age they are.
 Not much else going on-- we are madly struggling to have some sort of rhythm to our day, to our week really. Every since the Christmas break. my youngest and I have been off kilter. It is nearly the end of January and we are getting back to the swing of things and guess what? My older children are off of school for 3 days! That means 5 days of no rhythm for Little Man and I-- back to the drawing board.... I find it challenging lately to keep Mason at home and have the others go to school each day.  I wish I could keep them all home
I have included a photo of my older son--can you guess who he is?

He had a wax museum at his school this week for Famous Americans and he chose Christopher Columbus. Not my choice but we both sure learned alot about C.C. And I was sewing like crazy and my husband made the telescope and the plaque! At one point I reminded him(my husband) that we should include Cooper in this endeavour and have him join in a little with our crafting and he said jokingly(I think), "I'm not going to let him work on my project"  . Isn't it funny how parents take over.... I normally "make" my children do their project but this one some how got away from us. We had a good laugh then he proceeded to take him out to the garage for some wood burning fun! My goodness the joy on his face when he came back it (my son's face). Priceless!

Yarn Along 1/18/2012

Hello All! Joining Ginny at Small Things. It has been a busy week! I haven't even had time to start anything I normally do! My laundry is falling behind and I do need to vacuum. But the dishes and the kids are happy so it isn't too bad, I suppose. We were so busy celebrating MLK Jr. Day that all chores fell to wayside. Boy, was it a fun day! Lots of crafting- so much I told my husband I am a little crafted out! BUT it was fun! We painted paper plates and made doves and cut out beautiful snowflakes. We talked briefly about Mr. King and all he accomplished. There was a crossword (age appropriate-even for my high schooler) Now I am in a mad rush to refocus and try to settle my littlest into a rhythm. He sure does need it. He(I mean, WE) is so much for happier when we are doing something.
This week I am still working on the Thistle Hat. It is a great pattern but I just haven't found time to settle in. Each round I feel like I did it wrong and I "tink" back. Slow going...
The reading this week I am very excited about! I found a treasure! Who knew my library had a copy, not me! I love it. It really is a enchanting. I am enjoying it very much.
Did you notice the felt animals above the book? I made them! I taught myself the blanket stitch! They aren't perfect but then the sewer isn't either. We are reading the Little Red Hen this week and using these as a prop. I used felt farm animals from Luckypennymake She is one of ravelry friends and I read her blog each week and I never knew she sold on etsy! She has lots of nifty patterns. They came together really quickly. And I am also sewing up a Christopher Columbus outfit for my second grader's wax museum project! If you have ideas please send them to me! Especially about a tri-corner hat.
I can't wait to catch up with everyone and see what they are reading and knitting!
Make sure to grab your Yarn Along Button!

Yarn Along 1/11/12

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

THANK YOU for all the comments-- I never know if I am to respond or not but I cherish each one!
Back to our regular scheduled knitting this week! I am still knitting plarn-- it is hard on your hands! The knitting is something we will be doing at Youth Group each week once we have accumulated balls of plarn. I will be teaching the teens how to knit sometime in the near future!! Well, a video and myself :) But for now we are making plarn


I started a new hat and I am (still) reading Signs of Life in bits and starts. It is really very good and I stand corrected-- last week I said that Natalie was a girl but she really isn't. She gained so much knowledge in such a short amount of time and overnight became the primary caretaker/grown-up of 2 dogs and one small boy. This book really makes you realized-- it takes you by the shoulders and forces you to acknowledge(if you didn't already know) that even at the worst point of your life, that it isn't as horrible as you think. Natalie is tremendously funny and so witty and honest and lives her life with quiet grace- even when she doesn't realize it. At one point I have burst into tears and the next I am nodding my head agreeing with her or bursting out laughing!! It really is wonderfully written and I am enjoying it but I do wish it was fiction and my heart aches for the missing part of Natalie.
My knitting this week is something that I just cast on. It is called the Thistle Cap. It is being knit for a massive head(25 inches!) as a thank you for letting us borrow his carpet cleaner-- we are beyond grateful for using that nifty gadget. Our carpets turned out so well-practically brand new and they smell so much better. You really didn't ask for all that info-- oops sorry for the overshare.

I can't wait to catch with everyone! Thanks for reading!

Yarn Along 1/4/2012

~ 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? Taken from Ginny's blog

This yarn along catches me right in the midst of something new. Something I have never tried! Plarn! What is plarn you might ask? It is plastic yarn made from re-cycled plastic bags. It is a project our Youth director(my sister!) is starting at our church. We will be making mats for homeless people in our area with all the plarn our Youth will make in the months so come. After giving the task of figuring HOW to do it and in a flurry of excitement. my little family gathered bags and cut them up and rolled them into a plarn ball. Many bags do not make balls of plarn, it takes MANY MANY bags so my ball is small! After using all 40 or so bags in my collection of bags to make my plarn,  I cast on 2.5 feet (about 80 stitches) and I am madly knitting to accomplish something to show our youth this afternoon.

The book I picked up last week at our library is just heartbreaking. I didn't finish Choosing to See but I will! I made the mistake of taking of the challenge Elizabeth Berg placed on the cover of  Signs of Life.  No I couldn't stop at the first page. Natalie drew me in with the first line. Mathews walks in the door.....

It is very good-- VERY VERY good! But breaks my heart with every page. I want to invite Natalie into my life and take care of her. place this pregnant girl at my table and feed her and care for her.  And help her fill the hole left by becoming a widow at 24.I want this book to be a work of fiction. I want her husband to be sitting right next to her eating dinner or hanging a picture for her or helping her finish her baby's room.  My heart hurts for the way she misses her husband and father to her unborn child. Before his death he completed her (he made her whole) and he is gone now. A part she knows is unreplaceable. So much truth and knowledge Natalie acquires for one so young (in years). HER pain is real and genuine and heart wrenching. I am not sure what lies at the end of this book- how she turns her pain into something good. I will let you know next week.

Can't wait to read what you all are up to! And any tips of potty training a boy? I do truly think my boy will go off to college in diapers.....