Pay it Forward

Check out this blog entry from Lion Brand Notebook. I love seeing people use their crafts to bless others!

Star Overlay Square

Made this square for some sisters on my Ravelry Secret Sister group whose parents lost everything in a fire. We are hoping to bless them with this afghan.



I got the pattern from Chris Simon's Page.

I am hoping to make one more to send to them too. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed doing this square.

I am going to make an afghan to commemorate my losing weight too. I think I am going to make one 12" square for every 10 lbs. I lose. I want to make a sampler, so it will give me a chance to try out lots of neat patterns. :-)

Circling my Wagons

Usually I go through a self-evaluation around the New Year. I like to evaluate my mission ("I'm on a mission from God"), my goals, values, where my time is being spent, make long lists and all that other fun stuff. I didn't do it this year in January. Michael and I were praying through some thing in January and I didn't need more on my plate! Our life has been through some big changes in the last 2 months, though, and it is time for me to start sharing some of them!

1. Not very important to y'all...but a big change for us...we have gone low-carb. Not just for a "diet" but for a "way of life." We decided that we were very much addicted to the carbs and needed to cut down on the bad ones. I have decided to go VERY low carb myself since I have so much to lose, but everyone else is doing "good carbs." I know it has made us feel very healthy and we have all had good things happen from it. One of the most surprising is: my eczema is COMPLETELY gone!! Hallelujah!! After dealing with that my whole life, I am quite surprised!

2. Kaedra is capped again (meaning she is not using her trach) and we are looking at taking her trach out around the end of the month. That date will depend on a few things, including whether we are moving in the near future or not, but Dr. Carey wanted her capped for a month and that will be the right time period.

3. Michael is trying for a Sam's Club in Columbia, South Carolina. The job "closes" tomorrow and we should hear sometime after that whether he has gotten an interview or not. Although I have never been there, it looks lovely and definitely a place I am interested in. There is also a chance we will be trying for Fayetteville, Ar. We are praying about it right now.

4. Brittany is going to Cancun in the spring with David's family. She is VERY excited and we are excited for her! What a wonderful opportunity!!! WOOHOO! We are trying very hard not to be jealous. LOL!

5. My best friend is pregnant!! This will be her 9th baby, her 8th one here on earth with her. We are overwhelmingly thrilled for them! Just wish we were closer. (and not possibly moving to the opposite coast!)

6. My parents are coming for Easter. We are looking forward to a fun time with them.

7. The biggest change by far is: we have quit our church. We are trying some other churches right now, esp churches with Saturday night services. With Michael working overnights, that works out really well with his schedule. We are excited to see where God is leading us in this.

8. I am once again "circling my wagons." I am abiding in Christ, letting Him prune me and shape me. I am trying to make better choices for every moment of my day. I am trying to be more conscious of my life and not just busy living it. It is a wonderful close time with God but also brings my failures to the light. Not that I don't need that, I do, but it is never fun. I am working to make each day better and make better and better choices daily.

9. As a purely fun thing, Michael and I are getting to go to Branson again this year! It is our 10 year anniversary!! Sherria is coming to babysit that weekend and we will be able to leave Friday afternoon all the way through Sunday night! YEAH! We are going to Eureka Springs on Saturday during the day. We are VERY excited.

That is what is happening her in our neck of the woods. Big changes. Change is hard, but so enlightening. When you change you are really forced to come out of your comfort zone and re-examine so much. In doing that, you are more mindful of your life and less on "auto-pilot." I really appreciate this time with the Lord and following His will. What a wonderful opportunity.

Hope all is well with you!
I know I haven't been checking in on blogs recently. I am sorry. I got very behind and couldn't catch up. I have decided not to try to catch up and just go from here.

Blessings and Joy to you all!

Rules!

Kaedra has been doing more and more school with us lately. However, she is VERY disruptive! As I am doing school with Emily, I turn to Kaedra and give her instructions as to what she is supposed to be doing. Before I even get started with Em again, Kaedra is already done and yelling for me to help her again. She is not patient and definitely doesn't use an inside voice.

Apparently, four year olds really like rules. I read this somewhere and I have noticed it to be true. If you give Kaedra rules, she really tries to stick with them. Today I decided to make some rules for school.






I'll let you know how it goes! LOL

Forgot!

I forgot some projects on my Thursday Thirteen!

--I am making my mom a Haekelbeutel for her birthday.



--I am still working on my Babette. Turns out I was crazy, they were blocked correctly! Hallelujah! I have pieced together pieces 1-5 and am still working on the rest!

The most Awesomest Niece in the whole world!

(and, of course, the most wonderfullest aunt, as well!)

Thursday thirteen

I know I've been quiet. Been working on stuff and posting it on Ravelry! I just love that place.

Thirteen things I have been working on:

1. I was working on something for my hubby for Valentine's Day but it didn't work out AT ALL like I wanted it. I ended up frogging the thing FOUR times! And I still never got the look or feel that I wanted! I have shelved the project and am going to go back to it when I can bear to look at it again. I am now planning on having it done by Christmas.

2.
Making an afghan for Victory Junction Gang Camp. They have a program where each camper gets to take their afghan home. How cool is that! This pic was taken when I had first started the blanket. It is much bigger now. I am trying to get it done in the next 2 months. I would like to make 3 a year for them.

3-5.

Been making these roses lately. Made one for a friend of my parents' that has been sick for over a year. Made one for one of our nurses. Made one for my not-so-secret sister. I really like them! They work up quickly, they are pretty and they can be used for many different things! I got the pattern for the rose here and the leaves here.

6. Made this wire bracelet for my not-so-secret sister. You can't really tell but it is pink and black. It has a glass rose bead in the front.

7.

Made this one for me! :-) It has a "joy" charm and a star on it and is two different shades of purple. I have had the beads forever but finally sat down and made it. I love it. It is perfectly "me!"

8.
I have crocheted a few hats this last few months for myself and NONE of them looked good on me. Turns out I pretty much only look good in bucket hats or baseball hats. Made this one from this pattern and I really like the results. Now I have a hat for those bad-hair days! :-)

9.

I had a scarf pattern I REALLY wanted to try. When I started working on it, I felt God leading me to make it for a friend of mine whose husband recently lost his job. I prayed the whole time I made it for her. So, instead of a prayer shawl, I ended up making her a prayer scarf. The pattern is from the latest Interweave Crochet Magazine. It is called a mitered scarf. You can see the colors better here:

10. I loved my friend's scarf so I decided to make one for myself too! :-)

11. My not-so-secret sister sent me beautiful squares to make a Haekelbeutel bag with. I pieced them together the other night! I just need to line it and make the straps. You can't tell in this pic, but it is pieced with sage green. I think I am going to line it with the same color and do a row of single crochet around the top, attaching the straps, to tie it all together.


12. I recently bought this pattern to make Kaedra a dinosaur. I haven't technically started it yet, but it is in the works.

13. My not-so-secret sister and I are making this afghan for Kaedra and Ethan.



So that's what I've been working on!

Thankful Thursday 2-19-09

This has been another rough week. When I have a rough week, I really like taking time to thank God for EVERYTHING he has done! He is AWE-SOME all the time. And I am in AWE of Him!

I am thankful for God in my life. All the time. Everyday. No matter where I am. No matter who I am with.

I am thankful that I am covered by the Blood of Jesus, no matter what!

I am thankful that God is the same: yesterday, today and forever!

I am thankful that I have a personal relationship with God and don't have to rely on anyone else to be in God's grace or His perfect will.

I am thankful that I hear my Father's voice and the voice of another I WILL NOT follow!

I am thankful for a husband that works really hard for us and for his job. I am thankful he is patient with me and my foibles.

I am thankful for my children and all their wonderful, wacky ways.

I am thankful to my friends. Especially friends who help me to "see the Light" and remember the important things! Like, "I am not on my way to hell!" LOL! (sorry, little private joke there) and many of the other things I wrote above about God.

I am thankful for my best friend's new pregnancy!! That was the Highlight of my week!!!

I am thankful to my niece who is the most awesomest niece in the whole wide world.

I am thankful for my not-so-secret sister (from Ravelry), who I love dearly and love getting to know.

And I am thankful for my "Pampered Chef lady" who just so happens to be one of my most dearest friends and is just absolutely awesome.

On a purely selfish note, I am thankful that I hit $500 for my Pampered Chef party so I get lots of free product!! :-)

Have a wonderful blessed week!!

visit Grace Alone to see other Thankful Thursdays

Setting things in order

I need to "set in order the things that are lacking." Titus 1:5

This verse really yelled at me today! I mean just got right up off the page, pointed its finger in my face and SCREAMED! Things are NOT in order right now. Blessedly, this time it is not BIG things, but rather the little things that make things run smoother. However, I have found myself grumpy and irritable lately from the little things that aren't getting done.

I have a dear friend who lost her baby a few weeks ago. This was heartbreaking for her and her family and also very hard for me as I was with her when it happened. It brought back many feelings of loss that I have for Jacob. I took care of her as well as I knew how (including involving other people, don't worry, I didn't do it all on my own!) and especially tried to do things for her I appreciated from people when Jacob died. (Or things that I wish had happened when he died.) Anyway, it was an emotional week or so and then I got a big, bad cold. Not just your garden variety cold but a BIG BAD one. I basically laid around for another whole week.

Needless to say (and yet I am going to say it), things aren't in order around here. We are a little behind on our laundry and our cleaning. However, I am VERY proud to say, we are not terribly behind and I am not feeling overwhelmed. I have to give kudos to my kids who helped out amazingly this past month. In fact, I am feeling energized and raring to go! I already have systems in place that are good, just have to re-implement them and maybe tweak them a little.

After this verse struck me this morning, I knew today was the day to start getting things back in order! WOOHOO! Yes, it will keep me from my crocheting, but I will reward myself with some crocheting time after we are done today. (I am working on an afghan for hubby for Valentine's Day) :-)

I am at lunch right now, after a good morning of school with the kids.

Here is a quick update: Ethan has been a little hard to handle yet, but I refuse to call it "terrible twos." They are going to be his "terrific twos!" Speaking of that, he just turned 2 on Monday! Emily has been full of good ideas lately! She has come up with some that surprise us all. Kaedra is doing great and is capped again. Brittany is lovely and wonderful and crocheting almost as much as me, lately. Michael is out of town for the week, in KC for a manager's meeting. He is still on nights when he gets back home and it has been really hard on him and for the family. Please pray that he gets done with that soon! No news on our move at all. Still praying that there may be an opening in OKC.

So, today is the day. I am going to start putting things in order again. Here are my lists of things that are lacking:

1. laundry
2. chore lists getting done
3. house cleaning (go back to a little a day or stay at one big one weekly?)
4. Emily's room
5. Kaedra's closet
6. attic (organize/declutter on warm day or in spring)
7. clean out/declutter my closet
8. leave a little time for reading (in other words NOT crocheting)
9. lesson plans in advance
10. zone cleaning (ala Flylady)
11. work on next year's lesson plans (I am writing our curriculum for next year)

I am also working on SMART habits again. They will be in my sidebar.

I will check back in a few days and see how my "ordering" is going!

And for your morning entertainment

What color am I?

Your rainbow is intensely shaded white, yellow, and blue.

What is says about you: You are a tranquil person. You appreciate quiet moments. People depend on you to make them feel secure. You're good at getting people to like you.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.