knitwit

Free Book Friday

2012-01-13T16:46:00.000-06:00

I started blogging about the free books I'm finding to read on my Kindle. Then my mom gets her own Kindle for Christmas and finds other blogs already dedicated to sharing free or bargain Kindle books.

Figures.

So I'm dropping the weekly free book posts. I may occasionally write up a review of a book I've enjoyed that is still being offered for free.

Like this.

I recently finished reading Design on a Crime by Ginny Aiken and rated it at four out of five stars. I enjoyed the author's writing style which is a little quirky--sometimes a bit overdone--but for the most part I liked the characters and storyline.

Another book I'd like to mention again that is still being offered for free is Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock. This eBook now has the official "cover page" too! This is one of my favorite book series. It's what I would categorize under Christian fantasy-allegory.

NOTE: These books are being offered for free at the time I'm posting this, but the price may change at any time. Please check to be certain that the “Kindle Price” is still $0.00 before you buy it. (If you see a price for “Prime Members” or “read for free,” then the book is NOT free any longer.)

Finally, here are links to the blogs we've found that are all about free eBooks! Let me know if you know of any others I should add to my list!

Inspired Reads for Christian eBooks. Many are free, but they also review deeply discounted eBooks as well.

Pixel of Ink for free and bargain Kindle books. (Not necessarily Christian books though.)

Pixel of Ink - Young Edition for free and bargain Kindle books for kids. (Also not necessarily Christian books.)

Ereader News Today for more free eBooks. (Not many Christian ones here either.)

These websites all have Facebook pages as well where they post links to each new blog post highlighting free or bargain-priced Kindle books. And for those folks not yet on Facebook, you can also subscribe via email for their updates instead.

Happy reading!

one thousand gifts #254-260

2012-01-02T11:07:00.001-06:00

Happy new year! It's Monday. That means it's once again time to share more of what I'm grateful for. So here we go...

#254 a new washing machine to replace the one that died. i love that my clothes dry much faster now. perhaps the old machine had been dying a slow death and we didn't realize it until it stopped working altogether.
#255 Christmas blessings and time spent with family
#256 the joy of giving

Bubba's new "Johnny mops"--this mom just couldn't resist giving him a "gag" gift!

#257 a really nice New Year's Eve weekend--the boys once again spent it with Grandma and Grandpa (and one of their cousins too) while the hubby and I got to stay home and watch movies on our new big-screen tv. :)
#258 my mom who celebrates her birthday today!
#259 rearranged furniture (for the new tv) that gives us more room. maybe i can start exercising again now! :)
#260 our family chiropractor who, through "muscle testing", has helped us determine a few things Bubba is sensitive/allergic to and which may be the root cause of his eczema that he's had since he was little. food preservatives, fragrances/perfumes (not a surprise--his daddy is allergic to this too), american and swiss cheeses, & tomatoes are all things that his body reacts negatively to. so we'll eliminate what we can--especially the corn dogs, hot dogs, and cheetos that he loves to eat and hopefully in a week or so we'll see the eczema is clearing up. :)

twelve

2011-12-23T16:34:00.000-06:00

years ago I gave birth to this young man...

Happy birthday, Bubba!
So glad God gave us you.
Love you!

one thousand gifts #245-253

2011-12-19T13:59:00.000-06:00

So much has happened since I posted my last Multitudes on Mondays, but I'm gonna just jump right in and start adding to my list of gratefulness.

#245 my wonderful husband who loves me no matter the state of our house or my mood!
#246 my firstborn, soon-to-be-12-year-old, son (has it really been 12 years since my due date?!?!)
#247 my funny 5-year-old son-of-my-heart who can't wait for Christmas
#248 anticipation
#249 knowing more what Dad's treatment will be--no surgery, chemo starts wednesday
#250 CaringBridge (you can follow my Dad's CaringBridge site using the name rogerthomas)
#251 the Christmas season
#252 knowing full well I am blessed--even on a day when my washing machine isn't working, my kids won't cooperate, and I'm totally stressed! :)
#253 the Christmas story from God's Word in Luke 2:1-20

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:1-20 ESV)

Have a very Merry Christ-mas! God bless!

Christmas tree proof!

2011-12-10T16:11:00.000-06:00

Here's photo proof that our tree is up and decorated!

Merry Christmas!

It's Free Book Friday again!

2011-12-09T07:00:00.001-06:00

Well, Christmas is just around the corner...just a couple more weeks!!!

Amazingly, I got our tree up and the boys and I decorated it last night. I think this has to be some sort of record for me. I'm usually dragging it out the week before (sometimes as late as just a few days before) Christmas. Of course, I typically leave it up through January then so we can enjoy it for a while. Anyways, I didn't think to take a picture of it, so I'll have to post one later when I have time.

So I think for today's Free Book Friday {Kindle books} I'll stick with the Christmas theme. By the way, if you go back to any of my older Free Book Friday posts, be sure to double check the current price of the books you are looking at--many that were free when I recommended them are not free now.

Okay, first up we have the classic A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens because everyone should read this story sometime.
Here's one with the classic poem: The Night Before Christmas and Other Popular Stories for Children.
And one mustn't forget O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi.
The next is a book I think might be worth trying by well-known author, Hans Christian Anderson: A Christmas Greeting.
And we don't want to forget to have a cute Christmas story on hand for the kiddos too: The Mouse and the Christmas Cake (it's even illustrated!)
A Little Book of Christmas by John Kendrick Bangs has some good reviews. I'm going to try and find time to read it this Christmas season.
And The Christmas Child by Hesba Stretton may prove to be a good read as well.

And finally, a few stories by contemporary authors:
A Victorian Christmas (Anthology) by Catherine Palmer
One Imperfect Christmas by Myra Johnson
O Little Town: A Novel by Don Reid

As always,
Happy reading!

music therapy

2011-11-23T11:21:00.001-06:00

There have been times in my life when music is what keeps me going. It has helped me deal with depression, anxiety, sadness, and anger. During the years after birthing my son (Bubba), we tried desperately to get pregnant again. Despite our efforts and helpful (or not-so-helpful?) doctors, and for reasons still unknown and as of yet unexplained, the Lord has seemed to shut that door. But during those years of hoping and waiting and praying, one song seemed to comfort my soul: I Will Rest in You by Jaci Velasquez. I first heard it on the radio and then found & purchased the CD Streams so I could listen to it over and over again. I have grieved the loss of my fertility. I know and trust that His plan is greater than mine and if I had been able to conceive again, we would not have adopted CJ who is such a joy and perfect fit in our family! God is good ALL the time!

Another song that has touched me in a special way is Your Hands by JJ Heller. I know I've blogged about this song a while back, but I still love it. The reminder that God holds us and carries us through has been and still is such a blessing to me. And yes, it once again brings me to tears.

"When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands" [lyric excerpt from Your Hands by JJ Heller]

More recently, with Dad's cancer diagnosis, I've found music once again helping me. Comforting. Allowing me to release the tears that have built up...the ones I try to stuff down and keep from surfacing. So many songs have already been uplifting and/or comforting during this time of uncertainty. (And really all of life is uncertain, isn't it? We just don't realize it until it slaps us in the face.)

Certain lyrics in songs I'm currently listening to have taken on a completely new meaning for me from what they did just a couple weeks ago.

The song Move by Mercy Me--one of our favorites here--is so much more than just a fun song. Take time to really listen to the lyrics.

"This hurt is getting heavy
But I'm not about to cave
Everything is about to change
There's gonna be brighter days
I just might bend but I won't break
As long as I can see Your face

When life won't play along
And right keeps going wrong
And I can't seem to find my way
I know where I am found
So I won't let it drag me down
Oh, I'll keep dancing anyway" [lyric excerpt from Move by Mercy Me]

Another song, From This One Place by Sara Groves, has taken on new meaning for me. I recommended this song to a friend just a few weeks ago after she shared with me that a few different people in her life had recently lost a relative to cancer. {She herself lost her mother to cancer a few years ago, so she knows and understands the pain of that loss.} It's the tough stuff of life. I never dreamed I'd be needing this song's message to help me through the same sort of dark valley so soon myself.

"I don't know what's making me so afraid
tiny cloud over my head
heavy and grey with a hint of dread
I don't like to feel this way

take me back to a window seat
with clouds beneath my feet

from this one place I can't see very far
in this one moment I'm square in the dark
these are the things I will trust in my heart
you can see something else
something else" [lyric excerpt from From This One Place by Sara Groves]

I don't know about you, but I'm sure thankful that God can see "something else." That He "knows the plans [He] has for [me/us]" and that they are "plans to give you a hope and a future." {Jeremiah 29:11}

As Thanksgiving approaches, know that I am thankful for those of you who will walk through this valley with me and my family. Your prayers and support are a huge blessing and I thank God for you.

Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.

one thousand gifts #238-244

2011-11-21T17:59:00.000-06:00

Well, if you happened to read my post last Friday, then you already know that my Dad has been diagnosed with cancer. Today he is getting a MRI scan and a PET/CT scan so the doctors can know exactly what they're dealing with and what the best treatment plan will be. By tomorrow they should have at least figured out if the cancer can be removed surgically or not. The mass they found is in Dad's right lung, so we are praying that it's only in the one place and not affecting any other organs. Strange in a way to be praying that he can have surgery, but the chances of the cancer returning after treatment are greater if they cannot physically remove the mass.

{Please, Lord--Let them be able to surgically remove that mass!}

Your prayers are a blessing and are much appreciated as we walk through this valley. Thank you.

Now to continue with my Multitudes on Mondays. It's especially good to remember our blessings in these "times that try the soul."

#238 laughter
#239 music. specifically songs that touch my soul in a special way just when i need a reminder that God loves me and he "can see something else" even when all is darkness to me. (thanks, Sara Groves, for writing "From This One Place." i love it!)
#240 friends
#241 prayers...and pray-ers!
#242 good doctors and specialists
#243 special housing for Mom & Dad (and/or us too if Dad has surgery) that is close to the hospital and not super-expensive.
#244 Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through [Christ] who gives me strength." And yes, even dealing with cancer falls under the term all.

I think that's all for today. I will probably update as I can (or as I feel the need to vent).
Thanks for taking the time to read today's post.

If you're interested in learning more about One Thousand Gifts and Multitudes on Mondays just click on the banner below.

my regularly scheduled Free Book Fridays will resume next week...maybe.

2011-11-18T11:03:00.000-06:00

There's a lot going on in my life right now. My dad has been diagnosed with cancer which means a bit of waiting and praying in between the tests/scans they need to do. My husband has been hired to a new position at work (starting beginning of next year) which will be a bit of added stress for him as he's learning what exactly that will entail--not to mention the fact that he has to finish up some of his own current projects too! Top that off with trying to homeschool my two boys, housework, and making items for my Etsy shop and/or for those who have contacted me with orders...well, life's just a bit crazy right now!

I will try to continue updating my Multitudes on Mondays and Free Book Fridays when I can, but I hope you understand if I don't get around to blogging every week, especially in the near future.

Anyways, today I decided to forgo putting together a new Free Book Fridays list and instead I'd like to share with you my Etsy Treasury I put together for November. I'm sure you've still got plenty of reading options still, but just in case you've missed my previous posts and would like to see my recommendations for free eBooks (specifically ones for Kindle) check out this link right HERE.

Novem-brrr!!!
A November collection.

It's cold here in Northern Minnesota. So I've found some items that would warm a person up...or at least give you a warm fuzzy feeling! Enjoy!

one thousand gifts #227-237

2011-11-14T08:43:00.000-06:00

more "multitudes on mondays"

#227 answered prayers (Husband will be starting a new job at the beginning of next year--same place, new position)
#228 peace that passes understanding
#229 new yarn to work with
#230 Sunday afternoons visiting Grandpa and Grandma (my mom and dad)
#231 a 5-year-old who is learning his ABCs: last night he wanted the "Blue U's" and we didn't know what he was talking about until he showed me the box of Fruity Pebbles...did you know the U in Fruity is BLUE? funny kid. but at least i know he knows the letter U!
#232 crafting fun: i've seen a variety of "family rules" signs on Pinterest and Etsy so i decided to make my own. i had an old canvas, bought adhesive vinyl letters from wal-mart that didn't really stick to the canvas, and used mod-podge to seal them in place. (now i just need one of those metal picture hangers for it so it doesn't fall off the wall in the middle of the night again. i tried to hang it with Command Picture Hanging Strips--i love 'em since most of our walls are lath and plaster--but they canvas didn't stay stuck to the strips. it could be that it was too heavy and i should have used 4 instead of just 2, but i think i'll get the hardware hangers next just to be sure.)

#233 finding a way to make housework a little more fun
#234 waking up before my alarm (this rarely happens)
#235 plastic mattress cover for nighttime potty training. (and wondering why we didn't get one sooner!!!)
#236 more free books on my Kindle...check out my Free Book Fridays to learn more!
#237 faith. hebrews 11:1
#238 hope. jeremiah 29:11
#239 love. 1 corinthians 13

if you're interested in learning more about multitudes on mondays just click on the banner below.

Happy 11-11-11!

2011-11-11T14:38:00.000-06:00

It's Friday again (already!) and time for me to share a few more books you can get for your Kindle absolutely FREE! So are you enjoying my Free Books Fridays? I hope so!

Anyways, on with today's list. I'll try and keep it short this time.

Are you like me--a cookbook collector? I have so many! Well, if you or someone you love does a lot of baking or cooking, you probably have heard of Gooseberry Patch. My sister-in-law, Annie, introduced me to Gooseberry Patch cookbooks years ago.

Funny thing: I've given Gooseberry Patch cookbooks as gifts, but I don't own any myself! Well, anyways, Gooseberry Patch has published a few e-recipe-books for Kindle and in the past 8 months I've collected a half dozen or so of these free e-cookbooks already. There's a new one available now: Circle of Friends Cookbook--25 Savory Pie Recipes. I know my family likes chicken pot pies, so I'm definitely going to check out the recipes in this little eBook too!

(Edit: I just learned via the Gooseberry Patch website that these downloads are actually CHAPTERS in the Circle of Friends Cookbook! If you don't have a Kindle yet but still want the recipes, go HERE and you'll be able to download all SEVEN chapters to your computer instead.)

I really love how many classic books are free for Kindle. There's some really good literature out there! One of Bubba's favorite books is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll; he has read it several times. And he's also enjoyed its sequel, Through the Looking Glass. Both are now on my Kindle. Bubba will be so happy! {smile}

Another of Bubba's faves is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. This book was one of our "read-alouds" when Bubba was in Kindergarten as part of Sonlight's Core K (now Core A). He's gone back and reread it several times since then. CJ will be in Core K/A next year, so it'll be nice to have it on my Kindle too. Several other Oz-related books by L. Frank Baum are also available. Just click on the link and you'll see just how many there are!

Have a wonderful weekend!
And as always, happy reading!

Free Book Friday!

2011-11-04T06:32:00.000-05:00

Last week I started something new--Free Book Fridays! So if you missed it, go ahead and check out this post first, then come on back and you can continue reading today's post too!

{Clicking the links in today's post will open a new window for you. I prefer tabs, but at least you won't have to use the back button to find my blog again!}

This week I planned to focus on Popular Classics, but I think I might throw in a few current ones too since there are a few new ones available now.

First up on today's list I'll start with one of my all-time favorite authors, Jane Austen. Several of her books are available for Kindle. Here's a few to get you started: Emma, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. I haven't read these on my Kindle yet, so I don't know if there are any issues with the way they have been formatted, but I know they're all great books!

Next is another favorite author of mine, L. M. Montgomery (or Lucy Maud Montgomery). Although I haven't found Anne of Green Gables for free yet, there are several other books you can get now including Chronicles of Avonlea & Further Chronicles of Avonlea, The Story Girl & The Golden Road, and Kilmeny of the Orchard. I've started Chronicles, but really haven't read these on my Kindle either.

This year I started reading the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I will put links to the free copies here, but with this disclaimer: the images (pictures, graphics) are missing. I, thankfully, am married to a Sherlock fan who has the complete Sherlock 2-volume hardcover set, so when necessary, I would just grab the {rather large} books and see what the missing image was. Since the images are rather crucial to the story, I would not recommend these unless you have the paper books as well. Instead, I would recommend purchasing the Kindle versions with images that are included if you want to only read these on your Kindle. But here are the free ones if you still want them: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Valley of Fear, and The Sign of the Four.

My husband is currently reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas when he has a chance to use my Kindle.

And my almost-12-year-old son is reading Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift when Mommy lets him use the Kindle.

The next few I haven't even downloaded to my Kindle yet! I just "ordered" them today (which is actually Thursday as I'm writing this up a day early) but I'll get them when I'm done writing this and turn on my Kindle's WiFi.

Holy Bible, GOD'S WORD Translation.

A Measure of Mercy (Home to Blessing Series #1) by Lauraine Snelling. (Lauraine Snelling is a well-known Christian historical fiction author. I'm sure this will be a good book even though I haven't read it yet!)

Kisses for Lula by Samatha Mackintosh.

Fuse of Armageddon by Sigmund Brouwer and Hank Hanegraff. (I've read Sigmund Brouwer's Robot Wars Series and enjoyed his writing so hopefully this will be a good read as well!)

Well, that should keep you busy for a while.
Enjoy your free books! I know I will!
Happy reading!

one thousand gifts #212-226

2011-10-31T16:19:00.000-05:00

continuing where i left off a few weeks ago...

#212 autumn
#213 weekends away
#214 mall shopping (something I don't get a chance to do often!)
#215 new clothes
#216 crab legs dinner at Red Lobster
#217 a compliment from someone you don't know
#218 addiction: Pinterest
#219 time to knit
#220 books
#221 even better--free books! :)
#222 smiles
#223 laughter
#224 having a craft in mind and finding the supplies for making it
#225 a wake-up light to get me up in the morning (should have had one YEARS ago!!!! love it!)
#226 my newest CD: Fireflies and Songs by Sara Groves

that's all for today. see you next week!

Free Book Friday! {for Kindle}

2011-10-28T08:20:00.000-05:00

If you've been following my blog, you may remember that I got my Kindle as a Valentine's Day gift from my hubby. So that means I've had my Kindle about 8 months. And did you know I haven't purchased a single book or anything for it? It's true! We haven't spent a dime beyond the initial Kindle purchase. At least, not yet. And I've got hundreds--yes, you read that right--of books already! Plus a few games too. All for FREE!

Last weekend, I was visiting with a friend and we were talking about our Kindles and what we like to read, etc. When I told her that everything I have on my Kindle was free, she asked if I could send her some book suggestions once in a while.

Well, because of that conversation, I've decided to try a weekly "Free Book Fridays" on my blog. I'm sure I won't get to it every week...if you've been following my "Multitudes on Mondays" you know I don't always have time to blog. But I'll try and do this on a relatively regular basis for my friend (and others) who may be interested.

I ♥ Kindle!

So if you have a Kindle {or an iPad, laptop, or other device with a Kindle ebook reader/app} then I hope to point you in the direction of some of the currently FREE books that are available--ones that either sound good to me or that I've already read and enjoyed. I'm not going to write book reviews for every book--at least that's not my plan. I'm just going to make a list and it will be up to you to check them out and decide which ones you'd like. {And if you don't have an ebook reader, you can always check with your public library for a paper copy instead!}

Oh, and another thing: I read a variety of book styles/genres. But the majority--by far--of books fall into the Christian fiction category. Just so you know what to {mostly} expect.

Before I start my first list, if you want to check out the entire list yourself, the Kindle eBooks FREE COLLECTIONS on Amazon.com is where you want to go. From that page, you can choose either "limited time promotional offers" or "most popular classics."

Okay! So this first book on my list is the first Kindle book I checked out from my public library (I love that our library system is so up-to-date even though we're a small town and not near a large city!) Embers of Love by Tracie Peterson

Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist is one that I'm currently reading.

If you're looking for a Bible to read on your Kindle, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version and The Holy Bible: HCSB Digital Text Edition are both good free ones for Kindle.

I'm so excited that they're offering Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos for free again! This is one of the first books I read on my Kindle (actually read it out loud so my husband could enjoy the story with me). We both really enjoyed it. I like the author's sense of humor as well as his take on our tendency to make Jesus fit our needs/desires instead of seeking who He really is.

Invisible (Ivy Malone Mystery Series #1) by Lorena McCourtney is a funny little mystery story.

And Stuck in the Middle (Sister-to-Sister, Book 1) by Virginia Smith is another one I liked.

If you like fantasy stories, you may enjoy The Golden Acorn (The Adventures of Jack Brenin) by Catherine Cooper. It's supposedly written for kids (very reminiscent of the Harry Potter series as far as genre goes). Although I liked it myself, I don't think I'll let my almost-12-year-old read it quite yet. Of course, the same thing goes for Harry Potter, so maybe that's just me.

Light of Eidon (Legends of the Guardian-King, Book 1) by Karen Hancock is an excellent book that I already owned a paper copy of before I got my Kindle. In fact, the entire series is one of my faves! So I was pretty excited to have a free copy of the first book for my Kindle.

Of course, there are many more free books available for Kindle--and quite a few of them even look like good reads. But today's list are all current limited-time offers that I've already read (except for the one I'm currently reading but it's pretty good so far). I think that's a good place to start.

Don't forget--these ebooks might not be free for very long. So get 'em while you can!

Happy reading!

one thousand gifts #206-211

2011-10-03T08:00:00.012-05:00

206. beautiful fall weather

207. the first night of Bubba's last year of Awana (our club only goes through 6th grade)

208. cheering on the Panthers as they played another good soccer game (even though Bubba’s team lost)

Bubba's the 2nd kid from the right (in the white & black)

209. a new furry friend who just showed up on CJ’s birthday—she’s a beautiful calico, very scrawny, but extremely friendly. we haven’t seen her in the neighborhood before, so are thinking she was dropped off at the corner near our house. if she is someone else’s cat, i hope they don’t mind that she seems to have adopted us!

"our" new kitty--Bubba named her Stacie

210. celebrating CJ’s 5^th birthday with family

the birthday boy

opening gifts

211. corn maze fun

castke themed maze with 2 scavenger hunt-type games for the kids to play

which path to take?

cutie

we made it!

king of the hay stack in mid-jump

we're ready for the hayride

Hope you all have had a "gift" filled week too!

one thousand gifts #198-205

2011-09-27T09:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry I missed last week's multitudes. I forgot to do it during the day last Monday and then {for anyone who doesn't know already} I ended up in the ER that evening for a couple hours with a very painful kidney stone. Ugh. I hope I never experience that again!

I'm a day late this week with my multitudes too. I seem to have a difficulty with time management of my home school, soccer practices and games, not to mention life in general. But I have hope that it'll get better after our soccer season's done in just a few weeks and that I can stay "on task" myself a bit better as well.

198. my parents who happened to have just returned from their 2-week vacation only to have me ditch my eldest son at soccer practice and come to their house because I was feeling so miserable and didn't know what was going on. they took care of me, picked up the kid from soccer practice, ended up keeping both boys overnight and dad also drove me to the ER. Did I mention how thankful I was that they were home?!?
199. emergency room nurses and a nice doctor too.
200. morphine.
201. having my first CT scan--very interesting despite the morphine-dulled pain!
202. passing that kidney stone quickly! thankfully it was a pretty small one.
203. a sweet offer from another soccer mom to pick up my kid for the soccer game (but since I was all better, I took him myself so I could watch him play)
204. Bubba's soccer team's first win of the season on Thursday! good job Panthers!
205. changing leaf colors--autumn in the air

I'm sure I've forgotten something, but that's all I can think of at the moment and we really need to get started with our homeschool work today!

Have a great Tuesday!

one thousand gifts #179-197

2011-09-12T09:03:00.000-05:00

here's installment #14 of my multitudes on mondays

179. first week of {home}school

my boys--1st day of {home}school

"show me your silly!"

180. great curriculum for bubba--Sonlight's Core F & Science F too!

181. time each day to teach cj too

182. finally having a school schedule and finding that it really helps!

183. one hour of quiet time &/or nap time for both the kids and myself each school day after lunch

184. bubba’s first soccer game of the season—it was a tie!

185. the Pack winning their first game of the season! Go Packers!

186. getting to watch the game at my parent’s house (even tho they’re on vacation!)

187. a really good Beth Moore simulcast on Saturday.

188. friends

189. "scientific" fasting

190. natural weight loss

191. water

192. also smart water :)

193. reading books that help us want to eat healthier and make healthier choices

194. remembrance of 9/11

195. the blessing the new memorial in nyc is--and will be--to the families who lost loved ones there

196. resting all day Sunday

197. naps

one thousand gifts #171-178

2011-08-30T09:14:00.000-05:00

This coming weekend (Labor Day weekend) I'm planning on having a rummage sale. Which means this week I'm busy labeling the items I've already boxed up and maybe sorting through more boxes of junk and adding a few more things too! So that's why this week's Multitudes is a day late. I was so busy yesterday I didn't even turn on my computer!

So without further ado, my multitudes list continues.
171. babysitting my neighbor's little guy for a little bit one morning and a good visit with her that day too!

172. "charlie" and "lola" the new flutterbys

173. a bohemian waxwing (we think) eating chokecherries in the backyard

174. box day! (i.e. getting our new curriculum for this fall)

175. getting ready for a new school year
176. beautiful weather
177. bubba doing his best for the local Bible bee competition

178. getting up early to go for a walk with my hubby

And that's all for now!
See ya again next week!

another blessed monday

2011-08-22T12:05:00.000-05:00

continuing my weekly gratitude.
there's so much to be thankful for.

159. video proof that i'm not the only knitter obsessively in love with their yarns! (this really made me giggle this morning!)

160. a few more days of yard and house help from my parents! i can now sit on the porch and see down the road instead of having the view blocked by brush! and except for needing to go through boxes and weed out stuff, the house is in much better shape! thanks again, mom and dad!

161. the beginning of soccer practices for our homeschool team

162. needing new soccer cleats for Bubba and finding it's cheaper/easier to order online.

163. getting a good quality pair of cleats that fit right and are here before the second practice of the season! yes!

164. walking a 5K. not because i really wanted to. but thankful that i can.

165. sore legs (from walking a 5K without training at all). but the pain is good--it reminds me i should be more active on a regular basis.

166. beautiful words and photos combine causing me to stop and ponder at A Holy Experience

167. a really good cup of tea this morning (in lieu of my daily cup of "coffee" since i drank the last of it yesterday and haven't been to the store for more)

168. a morning to myself while the kiddos are fishing with Grandpa and Grandma

169. improved homeschool laws in minnesota (it doesn't change a lot for me, but i do believe it's a good change nonetheless!)

170. mentally preparing myself for the upcoming school year. i've purchased our next year's curriculum and am considering what i need to accomplish in the next 10 months with both boys.

Are you interested in blogging your own Multitudes on Mondays? Click on the banner below to learn more about how to join in and you'll get to read a really wonderful blog too!

one thousand gifts

2011-08-15T10:58:00.001-05:00

my weekly list of gratefulness continued:

149. once again, i'm super-thankful for my parents! this time, instead of childcare, they spent 4 days this past week helping us out with some much needed house and yard work.

150. grandma (my mom) helping me clear out the excess junk from our porches and collect-all rooms.

151. grandpa (my dad) working with bubba's help to clear some brush for T who plans to build a fort-jungle gym-playset for the boys.

152. grandpa teaching bubba the basics of driving. they use the pickup to pull out the brush by the roots (attaching them to chains). now bubba knows how to drive forward and back as needed and grandpa doesn't have to keep climbing in and out of the truck.

153. our 11-year-old learning to drive a little!

154. sorting through bins and boxes; throwing away garbage, organizing keepsakes and mementos, and putting the rest in boxes so I can either sell or donate it.

155. finally having the local Salvation Army rep come pick up our old-but-still-in-relatively-good-condition queen mattress that was just taking up space and in the way!

156. having a porch that we can use for more than storage! it's so nice to sit out there and read, knit, or play!

157. coffee--specifically my daily morning cup of Hills Bros. Cappaccino (french vanilla flavor!) YUM!

158. FABULOUS photos taken by Sarah a couple weeks ago! Sarah blogged about it here--isn't she a hoot?! anyways, i just got my gallery link for Beyond Ordinary Photography and i can tell you it's going to be tough to choose which ones we'll want to get prints of--they're all so beautiful! (and that's from someone who hates having her photo taken!!!!) so happy!

more to be grateful for

2011-08-08T18:40:00.002-05:00

Showing gratitude. Being thankful. Counting my blessings.

142. an "Awesome!" week of VBS according to Bubba

GO FISH VBS at FBC--Bubba's the one touching his hat

143. fun Go Fish music at VBS all week (If you haven't heard of Go Fish, go HERE!)

In case anyone reading this is wondering...our church used Go Fish's "Backstage with the Bible" VBS curriculum this year and it's a great choice!!!

144. a quick weekend knit and a new hat for me as a result! sorry...no photos. but it's really cute and looks quite nice on me! :)
145. enough leftover yarn to make myself a new pair of fingerless mitts too! at least, I hope so!
146. finding this adorable apple basket at the local consignment shop (my first time in there but it won't be my last!) i love that it matches my KitchenAid mixer perfectly!

(lemons and limes not included)

147. (mostly) finishing up our American History Core for school (we still have some read-alouds left, but history is done until next school year...in 4 weeks!
148. shopping for curriculum...time to decide what to use this fall!

And that's this week's installment...come back next Monday for more!

Interested in starting your own Multitudes on Mondays post? Click on the banner below to learn more about it!

2011-08-01T14:03:00.000-05:00

It seems I missed yet another week of multitudes last week. So I'll try and remember everything from the past two weeks.

Interested in starting your own Multitudes on Mondays post? Check out the banner at the bottom of this post! :)

In no particular order and continuing my list which I started here...
130. Fair week fun! Although a bit too hot & muggy, we spent most of a day there (and a little of another just for more fair foods).

131. Ride buddies for Bubba. This year he had fun again with his buddy, Ty, at the fair. Then he also got to meet up with and hang out with his cousin, Evan, later that same day. Meanwhile, CJ discovered he really enjoys riding the Tilt-a-Whirl and so he got to go on that ride with his big brother & co. a few times too!

132. A visit from my sister-in-law and her girls! So nice! We must do this more often!!!

133. Picking fresh peas, beans, and zucchini from our garden.

134. Eating some just-picked peas while still in the garden! YUM!
BONUS: Even CJ ate a few!!!

135. Finding a few raspberries on the plants I just planted this year! It's so exciting to see them growing so well! Next year we'll have lots more berries!

136. Freshly painted walls (I finally got our kitchen dining area painted this weekend!!!) I hope the color helps me keep my cool and lets the kids concentrate better since we do our schoolwork in there too. The yucky yellow we found under the yucky wallpaper was really getting on my nerves. I'm just so glad for the change! BONUS: My kitchen dining/schoolroom is (almost) clean!

137. A family photo shoot! The first one since CJ was a new baby. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and Sarah was able to come over last night and get our session done despite her crazy schedule with trying to sell their house and move for her hubby's new job. You can read about that on my other blog (and from there you can find Sarah's blog too) if you haven't already! I'm hoping we got some nice family shots as well as some good pics of the kiddos!

138. All the yard work my hubby's been getting done. (Having and outdoor photo shoot here has helped to motivate him!) :)

139. Our VBS is this week and Bubba is SO excited!

140. A new month.

141. Watching caterpillars & tadpoles grow and change.

Sorry for the lack of photos today. Maybe next week I'll have some!

Anyways, that's all for now folks! Hopefully I'll be posting again next week with more blessings to share!

multitude monday

2011-07-18T20:40:00.000-05:00

My weekly Multitudes on Mondays post. If you're just stopping by for the 1st time, I joined in with this post here. (Check out the banner below for more information from the person who started it.)

116. another Etsy sale! yay!
117. a shopping day today (Just to put this into perspective, it takes about an hour and fifteen minutes for me to get to the nearest Wal-Mart & JC Penney so shopping days like this are few and far between. We do have some smaller local stores, but the selection is rather limited--especially for clothes.)
118. gift cards (I happened to have had one for JC Penney which I used today!)
119. a husband with a good paying job (to pay for everything above and beyond the gift card amount)
120. McDonald's (not my favorite, but BOTH boys eat the McNuggets so I always plan on it when we're down shopping)
121. finishing another Sherlock Holmes book on my Kindle. wish the free version came with graphics, but otherwise a good read.
122. new outfits for the boys
123. and one for me too
124. shoe inserts for Bubba, who has really low arches. am hoping these give him the arch support he so desperate needs!
125. some new yarn too (I needed it for work!)
126. a good run Saturday for T and Bubba--they ran a 5K for ALS. T came in 3rd of the men in his age group and Bubba got 1st place (of the 2 boys) in his age group.

127. $460 in donations raised by Bubba (with a little help from his daddy)--enough to win the "prize" for his age group--a new iPod Nano! good job kiddo! and thanks to those of you who gave!
128. a lovely lightning show Saturday night.
129. capturing some digital lightning. :) isn't it pretty?

It's fair week this week up here and it's supposed to be in the 90s all week. UGH! I sure hope the heat doesn't make everyone sick!

multitude monday

2011-07-11T12:38:00.000-05:00

Today is Monday. That means it's time to add to my multitudes list!
I didn't post last week because of the holiday--we were pretty busy!

106. sunshine

107. clouds--especially beautiful thunderheads!

108. rain to water the garden

109. celebrating the Fourth of July with family

110. Sherlock Holmes (not only am I enjoying reading the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but my hubby and I have been watching an old television series with Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes)

111. winning another new knitting "book" (okay, so it's not an actual book, but I don't know what else to call Toe Up Socks in a Box by Wendy D. Johnson) from Crafternews on Facebook!

112. starting a new knitting project--socks, of course! and learning more about toe-up sock knitting as I knit. I choose the pattern "Sheri's Posies Socks" from the Toe Up Socks in a Box pattern cards and have a good start on the first sock. (I'm not knitting these two-at-a-time like I usually do because of my unfamiliarity with the toe-up method.)

113. browsing a flea market for inspiration

114. being privileged to homeschool and qualified to give my children their standardized tests myself (we just recently did Bubba's testing using the IOWA basics tests)

115. attempting to teach cj the alphabet and seeing him actually start to care! :)

multitude monday

2011-06-27T16:50:00.000-05:00

It's Monday again. Time to look back at my previous (hectic!) week and consider my many blessings.
Thank you, Lord.

99. eye doctors (I just had my check up today! No worries!)

100. glasses and contact lenses for those of us who need them (it's nice to see things clearly, every now and again)

101. fresh & new contact lenses (as opposed to ones you've worn quite a few days already...)

102. disposable contacts (as opposed to those ones way back in the day that you had to be sooooo careful with so you didn't rip or lose one because it would cost you every so much to replace!)

103. rain (we've had enough now, though)

104. thunder

105. my husband--because even though he didn't sleep well last night due to the fact that I was not sleeping well because of the itching of the poison ivy rash on the back of my ankle that I evidently picked up Saturday night when I was outdoors for our weekly Bible Bee bonfire/supper-cookout, he is willing to come home from a long day at the office and cook his family dinner and then enter the dark, dank cavern (aka our basement) to try and help our sump-pump which has been having difficulties and needs some therapy--he's a wonderful man!

Thanks for stopping by! Come back again next Monday for more!

multitude monday

2011-06-20T21:15:00.001-05:00

it's monday again. time to continue counting my blessings! (apologies to anyone who missed last weeks non-existent post. i forgot!)

in no particular order this week...

81. watching a mama kitty and her two darling kittens (they're not ours--just a neighborhood cat that claims our yard as part of her territory)
82. lessons from the Bible Bee Sword Study on 1 Peter

83. memorizing verses with Bubba
84. having our own church "service" at home as a family on Sunday morning
85. seeing a young deer cross the road in front of our house as we were having our family church service {would've missed that blessing if we hadn't stayed home!}
86. good friends you can count on (and hopefully being one in return)
87. wearing my new shawl and loving it!
88. swim lessons and having them all done for the summer
89. watching cj color in his coloring book and seeing how much joy it gives him
90. fingerless mitts on a cool summer evening
91. time to knit each day
92. time to read each day
93. time to celebrate my father and my husband on Father's day
94. a new fire pit in our yard
95. having a bonfire/campfire in our new fire pit twice this summer already!! amazing!
96. new yarn
97. being able to dream of the possibilities for those yarns!! i think this is half the fun!
98. a little better-late-than-never spring cleaning. it's really just a start, but at least it's something!

tune in next monday for the next installment...if i remember! ha!

multitude monday

2011-06-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

is it monday again already? i just about forgot i was going to start posting again today! here we go...
if you want to see my other multitudes on mondays posts, they began on mother's day with this post.

54. holiday weekend in Duluth with just my hubby!!! (Thanks AGAIN to my parents for making it possible by taking the kids.)
55. yarn shops! and getting to shop at 4 in one weekend! WOOT!
56. a mall to shop at too! (can you tell we live in the middle of nowhere?)
57. my new purse in a lovely shade of PINK! yes!
58. a couple new outfits too
59. new clothes for my man as well
60. finding a fun gift for hubby's dad (his early b-day/father's day gift)
61. did i mention yarn shops? well, i should have mentioned my beautiful new yarns and needles too!
62. going out to the movies with my man--we saw Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Kung Fu Panda 2 (in 3D). and yes, we enjoyed them all.
63. coming home
64. hugs and kisses from my boys
65. my hubby's 45th birthday
66. getting our Bible Bee box on Friday (exciting!!!)
67. dinner with my inlaws (to celebrate their eldest son, of course)
68. the first day of summer swim lessons (today)
69. finding out there's another boy in bubba's level who's "behind" on swim lessons so he's not the only 11 year old in level 4
70. time to knit while bubba was in lessons because cj was being such a good boy
71. planting raspberry plants that were given to me (actually, we were originally getting them for my mom, but she let me have them since she already has a few plants and i didn't have any yet)
72. going for a walk with my little man, cj, to try and find monarch caterpillars (no luck this time)
73. finding tadpoles in our front ditch instead!
74. being the kind of mom who catches tadpoles--eight in all--so we can watch them grow legs

75. accidentally catching THIS while trying to get tadpoles and being thrilled even though we didn't know what it was

76. learning that it's a triops (i couldn't find any info to tell me if they are native to minnesota though)
77. going for a family walk and seeing all kinds of wild strawberry plants in blossom. (gonna have to keep my eyes on those for berries!)
78. pizza
79. falling asleep to the sounds of a gentle rain and distant thunder
80. waking up to the sounds of birds (the one rather loud and crazy bird that has a bunch of different calls was kind of annoying at 4:30am, but otherwise it's kind of a nice way to wake up)

On a side note: I decided to put the tadpoles and triops in the same container. Mr. Triops (as he's been dubbed) eats mosquito larvae and other stuff like that so I'm hoping he'll clean out any bugs from the ditch water we collected with these critters. Hopefully he won't be hungry enough to eat the tadpoles! Not sure he'd do that, but you never know...

They seem to be getting along well enough, but it's only been a few hours.

multitude monday

2011-05-23T20:53:00.002-05:00

Here's my Multitude Monday post for this week.
I began my Multitudes on Mondays posts on Mother's day with this post.

38. 5 days in a row of GREAT weather
39. playing, reading, and knitting outside each afternoon of those 5 days
40. the joy of sunshine on my skin
41. Maui Babe browning lotion leftover from our 10th anniversary trip in 2008
42. sunscreen
43. a big, floppy straw hat to keep the sun out of my eyes (and off my face)
44. starting yet another book on my Kindle
45. parents who will take the kids at a moment's notice if they're not already busy (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)
46. Friday night date with my hubby
47. dinner at Jake's Pizza {YUM!}and then going to the local movie theater to watch Source Code (it was okay)
48. buttered popcorn and other yummy movie theater treats
49. a rainy weekend watching tv and knitting
50. the last Sunday School week until it starts up again in the fall
51. safety for my hubby's brother and his family as tornadoes hit the twin cities yesterday
52. scheduling our anniversary get-away (finally!!!) and having something fun and relaxing to look forward to
53. playing Monopoly Deal with my hubby and firstborn

My next post will be in two weeks. (I plan to skip next Monday due to the Memorial Day holiday.)

Have a blessed week!

multitudes on mondays

2011-05-16T14:18:00.003-05:00

continuing my multitudes on mondays that i began last week...

20. a good chiropractor to adjust my neck and back when it's out bad like it was when i woke up thursday
21. feeling less pain in my neck today--it's much better than it's been the past few days
22. my Kindle--i love having so many good books available at my fingertips!
23. free books (for said Kindle)
24. time to knit a new project (testing for another item to sell)
25. an 11 yo who learned how to mow the lawn with this

26. getting some more brushed cleared in the backyard too

27. my parents who came and helped us work on the yard (Thanks again, Mom and Dad!)
28. the promise of warmer weather for this week
29. sunshine
30. time Sunday afternoon to just read and read and read
31. my first sunburn of the year--on my upper arm--that I got while sitting outside on mom and dad's deck reading my book on my Kindle
32. watching Tangled (for the first time) with Mom and my boys and LOVED it!
33. grateful for Plugged In from FOTF to give reviews of movies so we know if one is okay to watch or not
34. finishing the book i'd been reading this morning
35. sleeping in on a Monday morning--just 'cuz.
36. homeschooling and the flexibility it provides us!
37. a gift from Sonlight curriculum in the mailbox Saturday! we just love our new 2-in-1 book by Kathryn Otoshi! Thank you, Sarita and John Holzmann for blessing us with this book!

mother's day memories

2011-05-09T11:30:00.001-05:00

1. waking up to my two sweet boys wishing me a "happy mother's day!"
2. a hand-made card from bubba
3. breakfast in bed
4. my hubby and sons sitting on the bed and visiting with me while i ate my breakfast
5. visiting with my own mother in the afternoon
6. getting a mother/daughter photo--neither of us likes having our picture taken!

7. a yummy dessert

8. going out to a movie with my mom and my eldest son (dad tagged along too)
9. hubby having time to visit with his mom too (cj tagged along with his daddy)
10. hand-picked "flowers" from my four-year-old
11. finding that even dandelions can be beautiful!

12. playtime outside since the weather was nice

13. bicycle "races"

14. taking tons of pictures with my hubby's camera
15. talking over some new knitting/crochet design ideas with my mom and getting her input
16. a little time to read
17. a little time to knit
18. realizing i am so very blessed to have my mom live relatively close by
19. feeling blessed to be a mom to two wonderfully crazy and amazingly loving boys

note: i've been enjoying reading my sil's multitude mondays posts so much that with this post i am jumping in and plan to continue with my own. so watch for more monday posts like this. and if you're interested in learning more about multitude mondays click HERE.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T18:21:00.000-05:00

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

For our family, Easter is a time to celebrate.
We celebrate our resurrected Lord Jesus.
We celebrate the Life He alone gives us.
And to celebrate, we spend time together with loved ones.

This year, we celebrated today (Saturday) with T's family. Tomorrow, Easter Sunday, we'll celebrate with my parents. Tomorrow afternoon, Bubba and I will also participate in a special celebration dance. Up to Faith has organized a "global" dance event--groups and individuals around the world are doing this same dance on Easter Sunday. We'll record our efforts and send our edited video to Up to Faith who will in turn re-edit ALL the videos they receive together into one! Wow! I will try and post a link to the final video once it's available.

1 backyard + 169 plastic eggs + 11 kiddos = a slightly chaotic bit of fun!

All the eggs were found. Including the special EMPTY one--a reminder that Jesus' tomb was empty!

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

thirteen

2011-04-18T20:08:00.000-05:00

lucky or no, thirteen is how many years i've been married to my best friend. and yes, after 13 years, we're still the best of friends! i love love love my man and am so very thankful the Lord gave me such a wonderful husband!

happy anniversary to my sweetheart! i ♥ u!

4.18.1998

i've put off posting this today because i'm bummed that my man had to leave today. i'm not talking about the normal go-to-work leave here. i'm talking about the my-hubby-has-to-go-to-the-cities-7-hours-away-and-won't-be-home-until-thursday-and-i-have-to-spend-my-anniversary-alone-with-the-kiddos kind of leave. it stinks--at least we think so. you can take my word on that. but he had to go for some work-related classes or workshops or whatever they are. so i understand. really. i do. in my head i do. but not so much in my heart which tells me he should be here spending our special day with me!

so what did i do all day? let's see. i spent the morning here at my computer. mostly just doing some perfectioKnits-related stuff and Facebook. and dripping on occasion. after lunch, i decided to distract myself a bit and did a little baking. had to use up my nearly black bananas before they weren't usable, so i baked a batch of banana "muffins" for cj who doesn't care for cherries. {just used the same recipe and baked in muffin cups!} and then a double batch of my mom's banana-cherry bread. yum! the house smells wonderful! i just wish i hadn't bumped the top of my arm on the edge of the oven as i was reaching in for the bread pans. yowch! that hurt. still does a little. i used an ice pack to cool it down and it doesn't look like it's going to blister. still not really sure how that happened. i'm usually VERY careful when baking!

after my baking, i turned the computer back on and did some more perfectioKnits-related business {found some buttons that i think will be perfect for some of my items. good price. ordered 2 kinds in lots of 100. so excited that they're coming from the UK!}

we finally decided on ramen noodles for tonight's dinner.
[yes, mom, we'll manage. i even have chicken thawing in the fridge for tomorrow.]
and now i'm back on here writing this while the boys are deciding which movie we're going to watch. i think they've decided...so it's time for me to go!

Decorah eagles

2011-04-09T07:49:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy starting my perfectioKnits business on Etsy, that I haven't been able to keep up with this blog at all lately! One of the more interesting things that's being shared on Facebook these days is the following live video feed. These eagle parents and babies are so fun to watch! I had hoped to see the 3rd eaglet hatch, but even though I missed it, it's been very educational {for both myself and the boys} watching the parents care for their young.

Live Broadcasting by Ustream

Enjoy! I have some perfectioKnits work to do now!
Have a happy Saturday!

sticky buns! yum!

2011-02-27T08:37:00.000-06:00

i'm just lovin' my new kitchenaid mixer! i finally had time friday to make these...

it's one of my all-time favorite recipes--sticky buns. but without a stand mixer, it was a lot harder to mix up the dough. my hand mixer just couldn't quite do it properly. that's why i hadn't made these since before cj was born! i'm so glad to have the right tool for the job now! only problem is yummy baked goods like these aren't good for people who are trying to lose weight and not gain more.

they sure were delicious though!

Happy Valentine's Day! (recipe included)

2011-02-14T21:03:00.000-06:00

I hope your Valentine's Day has been as lovely and fun as mine!

My hubby and I did a little shopping together this weekend. While we were at Sears to return a shirt I had purchased that ended up being a tad too big, he "hunted" for a certain item I've been wanting for quite a few years...

Can I just say I was so surprised?! And isn't the red a fun color? I shall always remember that he gave it to me for Valentine's Day! ♥

So, I tried out my new KitchenAid today and made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. Yummy!

If you're like me and you like your chocolate chip cookies to be just a little bit crispy on the outside but nice and chewy on the inside, you'll want to try this recipe for sure!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Yields about 24 cookies
1 egg
1/2 cup shortening (or butter)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (I substitute milk chocolate chips and my hubby loves 'em!)

Set the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
Grease the cookie sheets (or use parchment paper...much easier).
In a small bowl, beat egg until light and foamy. Set aside. (My KitchenAid hand mixer got used for this recipe too! Didn't want to hurt it's feelings after almost 13 years of it being my only mixer!)
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Add beaten egg, vanilla and water. Beat until smooth and creamy.
Sift together flour, soda and salt.
Stir half the dry ingredients into batter. Then stir in the other half until all the flour is blended into the batter. (I just added it gradually and mixed the batter until it was all blended together.)
Stir the chocolate chips into the batter.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto greased (parchment lined) cookie sheet.
Bake about 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

A double batch works really well. ENJOY!

So I had thought that my new KitchenAid mixer was all I was getting. I mean, really! It's a VERY NICE GIFT! But no. My wonderful husband had also ordered me a Kindle. He brought it home today at lunch--handed the box to me with the mail--and I could see it had been opened so I popped the box open and I believe the words that left my mouth were "No WAY! You're SICK!" I guess that what ya get when you really surprise me. LOL!

I spent the afternoon learning how to use it. (No school today! Mommy wants to play!) I already have a bunch of free books including The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock. It's the first in a wonderful series that I've read and own in paper format too. How fun to get it free for my Kindle too! Next I need to figure out how to download PDF files to it and maybe MP3s too. I'm just so happy, I could burst!

My poor, dear, hubby didn't have such a great day though. He's sick. Poor guy! I put him to bed early and I hope he's feeling better by morning. He even has a low-grade fever. Not very fun. I wish I could make him feel better with a hug and a kiss, but I tried...it didn't work.

Get well, my love! And thank you, again, for the wonderful gifts this Valentine's Day! I love you.

a little this, a little that.

2011-02-04T13:43:00.000-06:00

i see that i haven't posted anything here for a while. not much to say, i guess. i've been busy knitting, crocheting, and doing a little designing too for my soon-to-open Etsy shop. it's taking me longer than i had hoped to get it all organized, but i'm just a few small steps away from actually posting items in my shop! if you've been following my knitting blog here, you already know that.

it's an amazingly warm day today. 35 degrees. that's nearly unheard of up here in the northern minnesota tundra for early february. i'm sure it'll cool back down soon though. it usually does. but for now, the snow is melting off the rooftops and is, i believe, the perfect wetness for packing. which means my boys are going to go outside and play this afternoon. and maybe even try to make a snowman! this could be their only chance to make one this winter since our snow is usually like a powder of fine ice crystals that won't stick together.

i will probably stay indoors myself (unless the kiddos convince me that they NEED me to help them make a snowman) and work on a little housework and then maybe i'll have a little time to work on one of my knitting projects this afternoon too.

speaking of knitting projects, i'm very close to finishing a lightweight sweater that i'm making for myself--my first-ever adult-sized sweater. {yes, i still make time to knit stuff for myself too!} i've been working on this one, off and on, since june. it's a beautiful wrap sweater with some lace details that look like bubbles--hence the name of the pattern: soap bubble wrap! i can't wait to see how this looks/fits when it's done! i think i'm to the point of seaming it, so unless sewing the seams in mattress stitch gives me fits {which wouldn't be a first} i should be able to finish it sunday.

hopefully, i'll be able to get it done before the super bowl. 'cuz i'll probably be too busy watching the game--and commercials--to focus on seaming properly. i'll have to work on something easy that doesn't take a lot of concentration during the game. as a loyal Packers fan, i must say i'm hoping for a really good game against the Steelers {and that the Pack wins, of course}!

have a great weekend everyone!
enjoy the game on sunday!
and, of course:
Go PACK Go!

funny guy

2011-01-13T20:44:00.000-06:00

"I'm a good guy! See my guns!"

that's what cj told his daddy tonight as he was playing with his transformer car toy.
for some reason, i find that to be quite a profound {funny & cute too!} 4-year-old-boy statement.

yikes!

2011-01-06T09:03:00.000-06:00

have i really not posted anything here since december 20?

let me just say a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all right now!

guess i've gotten so busy over HERE that i haven't spent time keeping up with all the regular family updates.

Christmas was lovely. we started a new tradition--opening our gifts as a family on Christmas Eve morning (instead of at night after church service). that way we had all day to enjoy our new stuff. we didn't make it to service due to the weird times they were scheduled for (5pm = mealtime and 11pm = sleeptime), but we made time to read through the story of Jesus' birth and talked about it a little before we opened gifts. i sort of missed going to church on Christmas Eve, but we had a fun day together as a family.

the boys opening our "family gift"--new games for the Wii

we opened the gifts in our stockings first thing Christmas day. then the rest of the day was spent with extended family--in the morning we had brunch with T's family at his sister's place. it was a nice being able to get together and spend a little time together. we enjoyed the rest of Christmas day with my parents. more gifts needed opening and Mom put on a huge feast as usual. and of course, the guys had to watch a little football. at least i think that's what they watched. i happily spent time working on a sweater i started back in june. (i've committed to no "work knitting" on Sundays or holidays--just like a real job, ya know!)

anyways, for New Years we have a tradition that my mom and dad take the kiddos and give us a much needed end-of-year break. (not that they don't give us a bunch of breaks like this throughout the year as well, but it's nice!) the boys play games, watch movies and stay up late. this year, bubba got to invite one of his cousins to spend the night there too. the boys are close in age and had fun ringing in the new year together. i hear they had doughnuts at midnight. as for T and me, we spent new years catching up on some shows we hadn't had time to watch, played a few games, and watching a movie too. stayed up late, and slept in the next morning. it was nice.

now life is nearly back to normal. except for the craziness of trying to get my business up and running. but it's coming together, slowly. right now, i'm hoping to have stuff for sale in my Etsy shop by mid-january.

to eat, or not to eat, that is the question

2010-12-20T10:37:00.002-06:00

...that we ask cj now when he's being picky at mealtime.

last night was our church's Sunday School Christmas program. but before that, we had to eat supper. and cj refused to eat. again. no amount of coaxing, not even telling him that he'd have a cookie (and cookies are his FAVORITE treat!) after the Christmas program if he ate was enough to get him to try the yummy ravioli my husband made for us. cj wouldn't try his peas either. so he didn't eat. and he got really hungry during the program (thankfully, that was after he was done with his part). we stuck to our guns and the poor dear got no cookies, no snacks...nothing but water. (maybe he's learning that no amount of crying will get us to change our minds about this rule!)

as for the Christmas program itself, the boys did their parts very well and their mama was more than a little pleased. bubba played a piano solo that he started working on a week ago. (nothing like deciding at the last minute that you want to participate after all!) and you'd never know he hadn't been working on it for weeks. yes, the kid has talent. (and his mama can't help but be a little bit proud. i do teach him the piano too, after all!) bubba also had a vocal solo during the song "We Three Kings" that he did quite nicely and a short recitation as part of his class's part of the program.

cj also did his part with the pre-k class just fine...he even said his line "A is for all He stands for" into the microphone. a week ago, i wouldn't have guessed that he'd actually do it! and when the younger kids (pre-k thru 2nd grade) sang their songs, he even tried to sing along. :D

one good thing about cj's not eating supper is that he was more willing this morning to try a new food. T, the wonderful daddy that he is, helped cj eat some apple. yes, Grandma, you read that right. cj ate real, fresh, apple this morning! the trick with this kid is honey. give him a little honey to dip it in and he'll eat it! i think he ate at least half the apple. it was amazing! top it off with trying a second new food...Grape Nuts cereal with a little milk and honey (of course!) just the way T was eating it this morning and i'm currently in a state of shock. :D cj even asked for more! you bet you can have more, kiddo!

my week in review

2010-12-18T11:23:00.003-06:00

i was on the phone last night, talking to my mom, when i heard the cutest thing...cj was singing "twinkle, twinkle, little star." (he doesn't often sing all by himself.) i wish i could have captured it on video! but i did manage to get him to sing it again for grandma, who also thought it was incredibly adorable!

(a sort of recent photo of cj...dressed up like a pirate for the day!)

otherwise, it's been a rough week for us. parenting can be so hard sometimes. cj has become the pickiest eater i know. things that he would eat--and even liked!--6 months ago are suddenly "yucky." i know this is a relatively normal stage for a 4 year old. he's asserting his independence and all that. but the kid has been living on junk food for too long. and he is old enough to understand when he's doing something he shouldn't--like disobeying his parents. so we now have a new family rule regarding meals.

you eat what we eat or you wait until the next meal where you will be offered either a repeat of the meal or something equally healthy. (no more skipping dinner and then eating a poptart for breakfast! ha!)

and that means no more making separate meals for each of the kids unless we're eating up leftovers. that goes for bubba, too, who hates pizza!! so on monday night when we had pizza, bubba had to eat a little sliver of it too. and he did! (and it didn't kill him...go figure!) after he ate his required amount, we allowed him to make himself a piece of toast (with yummy nutella on it!) to supplement.

same rule applies to cj, but he has been a bit more stubborn about it.

cj has never "liked" fruit or even juices. but then again, he's rarely even tasted any!! and the veggies he used to eat have slowly become foods he won't touch. so this week's battle was basically over peaches. we wanted him to just give the peaches a try. NOPE. this kid would rather starve than eat a tiny piece of canned peach. in fact, he only drank water all day Thursday! (all it would have taken for him to eat something else would have been to try the peach.) anyways, after reading Dr. Dobson's advice about this issue in The New Dare to Discipline and checking out the Sonlight Forums to see what other parents do in this situation (i knew someone else must've been through something similar and chatted about it out there--sure enough! lots of parents had been discussing the same type of situation just last year), i knew we were on the right track. but i could see that my son is just stubborn enough to not eat for days. after much consideration, i decided to try a compromise. instead of eating a piece of peach, i asked if he would just taste the juice from around the peaches. he agreed to taste the peach juice. with his water in one hand a spoon that had been dipped in the peaches in the other, he did it! and he even said "it's not so bad!" (but he wouldn't go for any more.) i know it might not seem like a big accomplishment. but to us it's a beginning--a breakthrough of sorts. i'm just praying that he gets used to the idea of trying new foods--and quickly!

top that off with a second round of potty training him (the first round was a total failure--he was totally unwilling) and it's been a very long week. but at least he's not throwing a tantrum every time i ask him to go potty this time around!

as for homeschooling...seems we get further behind every day. so today, even though it's saturday, i hope to make time to do a little catch-up on our read-aloud book Little Britches.

hope your week was better than mine!!!

on a completely different topic: 11 years ago today was my "due date." dear, sweet bubba, however, didn't listen to his mama's pleas and decided to wait until the dr. induced her the next week. having birthed a child--my firstborn son--at Christmastime always makes me think of the Christmas story..."And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7 KJV

stocking stuffer: baby bubba on Christmas day, 1999...getting ready to go home

i hope you will take time this Christmas season to be a little bit like Mary: "But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19 KJV how truly amazing, that "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16NIV

where has the time gone?

2010-11-30T13:21:00.001-06:00

has it really been over a month since my last post? wowzers!

i guess i've been pretty busy this past month though. besides homeschooling and other normal daily activities, i've been given the opportunity to start a home business using my knitting and crochet skills! yay!

so i've also created a new blog for my business adventure, perfectioKnits. i'll be starting off by selling baby hats, pods and cocoons (photography props mostly) on Etsy with plans to expand and sell other items like fingerless gloves, cowls, and miscellaneous other things too. it's exciting and a little bit scary. i've started doing a little designing as well which has been a bit of a challenge...especially getting the items to fit right! but i am enjoying the experience and am glad to have the knowledge and skills to be able to do this!

i'm also grateful for other designers who sell their patterns and give license for other knitters like myself to sell items made using their patterns. if someone else has a pattern i can use to make items that i can turn around and sell, that saves me from spending time and energy on designing so i can get right to making things instead!

Goat Milk Stuff Soap

2010-10-25T14:44:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite soaps is Goat Milk Stuff's Purity soap (bar soap). My hubby is very sensitive to perfumes and other smells, but Purity is one great soap that doesn't bother him AT ALL!

I love how squeaky clean it get my hands. And the kids' hands. And it's great in for in the shower too!

Why am I telling you this? Well, the great people who make this fabulous Goat Milk soap are having a contest from 10/24/10 - 10/31/10. And blogging about it (and leaving them a comment so they know I did) is one way to enter! The winner will receive 4 bars of soap plus 1 bath bomb, 1 lotion stick, and 1 lip balm of their choice! Sounds wonderful to me...plus it'd be fun to try some more of their products besides their soaps!

it's a busy life!

2010-10-10T13:41:00.000-05:00

I am once again busy home-schooling. Teaching a 10-year-old everything from Math and Science to History and English (and everything else he needs to learn too!) while attempting to keep a 4-year-old occupied can oftentimes be a real challenge! Thankfully, CJ now likes playing with Play-Doh and can stay entertained with it for a relatively lengthy period of time which allows Bubba and me to get through a lot of our work in the mornings. But for read-alouds we need it a bit quieter...he needs to be able to pay attention as I read. So we wait until CJ's naptime and do our read-alouds then.

Bubba played soccer again this year. We have a local home-school/Christian school league with 3 teams. So there are practices, home games, away games, and even a tournament! The season is basically done...we had our tournament yesterday. Bubba's JV team took 2nd place. It was a long day (and we didn't even have to be there at 9am when the tourney started since our first game wasn't until noon) but it was a lot of fun for the players. I am glad the season is done though. As much as I enjoy visiting with the other soccer moms at practices, it takes up a lot of our time and a bit of traveling too.

I'm helping out with our church's Pre-K Sunday School class (CJ's class). This year I've switched from working with our AWANA Sparks to helping with the AWANA T&T girls. It's a nice change working with just girls and the older age group (3rd thru 6th grades) is also a nice change of pace for me.

CJ turned 4 on September 30th. We had a birthday party for him last Sunday--just a small gathering of family, but he really enjoyed spending time with his cousins. And I celebrated my birthday on Thursday the 7th by watching an afternoon soccer game and then dinner out.

What else have I been busy with?

Lots of knitting {and crocheting}, of course!

Sunday Blog Hop (just for fun!)

2010-09-19T14:41:00.003-05:00

Happy Sunday!

I was just checking out one of my favorite Blogs...Momma Told Me, saw the blog hop, and thought I'd join in the fun!

a few photos

2010-09-10T12:54:00.001-05:00

random photos from the past couple of weeks.

wind turbine in ND

Minnkota Power Plant Tour

black bear eating plants in a ditch
(we saw it Sunday on our way over to visit my parents)

Labor Day at a local Corn Maze! FUN!

frog catching fun

hole in one of my hand-knit socks. (i fixed it last night)

back to {home}school

2010-08-28T09:02:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy week around here. Monday was our first full day of school work since summer began. Our homeschool soccer team has started practices again too. So the next month and a half or so will be extra-busy for us! Bubba was none-too-thrilled about doing full-time school again, but he's even getting back into it. CJ is starting to have a little Preschool time...mostly playing with Play-doh while Bubba is doing school. :D

We are currently studying the Civil War. So much about American History that I never really learned. It just amazes me that not only is my child learning that there WAS a Civil War in this Country, but he's actually learning ABOUT it. And not just the dates. He's learning about the people, the issues and how people on both sides of these issues felt and thought! Incredible. Why, oh why, couldn't someone have taught me history when I was a kid? It's taken me teaching my own child in order to learn this stuff. One of the many reasons I teach my kids at home! Thanks again, Sonlight, for making my job as a homeschool teacher a tad easier!

It seems that autumn may be coming early this year. The leaves are already beginning to change and it's not even September yet! I can't believe the summer is basically over and fall is right around the corner. But I think it's been a pretty nice summer and we even did a little school work occasionally which is nice when you are in the middle of a Sonlight Core.

Interested in homeschooling your kids too? I love Sonlight's Cores! Go ahead and click the link to Sonlight over on my sidebar and see all they have to offer!

reward yourself for shopping online!

2010-08-18T13:53:00.000-05:00

Some of my reasons for online shopping are

you can shop in your jammies!
online stores are open 24/7
you can find anything you could possible want or need online--not so when shopping at local stores in a small town!
your purchase is mailed or shipped directly to your home
best of all--REWARDS!

There are many reward sites for online shoppers. So far, I've used MyPoints and Ebates.

With MyPoints you earn points that add up to rewards. You get points for online purchases, reading emails (i.e. clicking links within the email to a featured site), and occasionally by a promotional "game" like their current "Spin N' Win." Over the years, we've earned quite a few gift cards for different stores we like to shop at! It's a fun way to get something "free" because you bought something else!

Lately, I've been using Ebates too. I like the Ebates program because the site also shows what coupons or deals are available at the site you want to shop at. I also like the fact that your reward is a "BIG FAT CHECK" every few months. Okay, so my checks haven't really been all that big, but a little "extra" spending money is still nice!

Many of the sites I already shop at are available at at least one of these reward sites. So shopping online can really pay!

socks, socks, more socks!

2010-08-10T09:25:00.002-05:00

i just finished this pair last night. that's 2 pairs finished in less than a week! this pair was my June/July vacation project...a pair of socks is easy to take along. but i didn't have enough knitting time on the trip to get 'em done. i spent a good portion of our 2 week trip out west looking at scenery and trying to take pictures instead of knitting. ah well. they're done now!

pattern: Twilight from 2-at-a-time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes
needles: US1 40" circular
yarn: Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed in Bordeaux

since i still haven't posted anything about our trip, i'll just mention that we took a road trip out west with my parents. our drive took us through Glacier National Park, across Idaho, to the Spokane,WA area where we visited with my cousin and his family and then on to Mount Rainier. from there we went over to see the Pacific Ocean and then up the coast through the Olympic National Forest with its beautiful rainforests! fans of the Twilight series will know that the story's main setting is Forks, WA. that's right...we went right through Forks and even took the drive over to La Push {beautiful!}! if you haven't already figured it out, I am indeed a Twilight fan--i can't wait 'til they get all the movies done but so far, the books are still better! so now take a look at the name of this sock pattern and you'll see why i chose it for my trip project. (besides, it doesn't scream "I'm a crazy Twilight fan!" but i still thought it was fitting!) after touring the northwestern part of washington, we headed down to Yellowstone and after a couple days at Yellowstone, we headed back home to minnesota. it was a busy, but good trip! and one of these days i'll go thru my hundreds of pictures and maybe post a few!

VBS family night

2010-08-07T13:00:00.001-05:00

it was VBS week at our church. bubba always enjoys VBS and this year was no exception. last night (friday) they had the VBS program and family night. it gives the kids a chance to show their families the Bible verses and songs they learned during the week. we also had a yummy "cowboy cookout" as part of the evening's outdoor fun. hotdogs, baked beans, chips and watermelon were served up picnic style. everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. as for me, this is the first year in quite a while that i wasn't helping out with VBS. it was a nice break and i'm glad to have taken it.

here's a short video of one of the songs...it was so cute and funny! the kids seemed to really enjoy singing and doing the actions!

bubba's the young man in back wearing the big white cowboy hat.

i realize the video's a tad blurry due to the fact that i had to reduce the quality in order to upload it. you get the picture though!

isn't he a handsome cowboy?

new socks

2010-08-06T17:00:00.000-05:00

at last! i've been working on this pair since november 9, 2009. of course, i've done a bunch of other projects in the meantime, but it feels so good to have these on my feet instead of still on my knitting needles!


pattern: Elfine's socks by Anna Bell needles: size US2 yarn: Jojoland Melody Superwash yarn in MS16 (blues/greens)

knitwit knits again

2010-08-03T16:16:00.010-05:00

here's a hat and scarf set that i made for my niece's 5th birthday. i think it turned out pretty cute...i especially like the hat!

cj's none too happy to have his tv time interrupted,
but i needed someone to model the hat for my photo!

i really like the way these self-striping yarns combined in this
mistake rib scarf pattern! it was easy peasy too!

summer fun

2010-07-22T11:53:00.002-05:00

i realize i haven't posted in a while. not for lack of things to say, but rather lack of time to say them!

i've been planning a really nice post about our trip out west. only, i haven't had time (or energy) to go thru the bazillion photos we took to find the few really great ones i'd want to share here. so, bear with me as i take my time and i WILL post about it...someday. hopefully sooner than later!

top that off with it being Fair Week here this week which means eating lots of junk foods, rides for the boys, and checking out all the animals and other things that folks have entered. i've been telling myself for years "next year i'm gonna enter something i've knitted." and yet again, it's fair time and i don't have anything to enter. seems like all my projects lately have been either gifts or things that i want to use right away--so MAYBE NEXT YEAR! we'll see!

here's a couple photos of the boys at the fair

bubba and his best buddy, ty on the tilt-a-whirl

that's right...ty's dad took the big boys on the ferris wheel.
they're in the blue carriage at the top!

cj enjoying the rides


another fun ride for cj

oh yeah...one more thing. T ran his first 5K of the summer on the 17th. placed 2nd of the guys in his age range. {it wasn't a PR, but it was better than he'd expected since he hadn't been able to train on our trip like he would've liked!}

here he is just about to cross the finish line:

T--the runner in red

it's been a good summer so far. hard to believe it's already july 22. and yes, we're still doing a little schoolwork here and there when we can!

a sock fix

2010-06-09T20:10:00.001-05:00

I love my hand knit socks.

So I was rather disappointed to see a weak spot developing on the heel of a pair I made last April. Less than a year later and you could just about see through the stitches in that one spot. But I knew that a hole would be worse, so I set them aside with the intent to learn how to reinforce the weakened stitches aka darning.

It only took me 4 months or so to get up enough gumption to give it a go. On Monday, I finally did. I Googled instructions and other helpful info on sock darning. I learned that the kind of darning I needed to do is called "Swiss darning" or duplicate stitch. I found a really good video tutorial here. Armed with this info, the yarn leftovers from making this pair of socks (saved for just such an emergency!), a yarn needle, and a darning egg, I set forth into the realm of sock darning to tame the mighty sock beast! Uh. Oops! What I meant was to fix the weakened stitches. But taming a sock beast sounds much more exciting, don't you think?

Of course, I didn't think to take a "before" photo. So you'll have to take my word for it when I tell you if I had but worn these colorful sockies even one more time, I would have had to learn how to fix a hole in my sock instead!

the darned socks!

{note: only one actually needed darning at this time. thankfully, i've got lots of yarn leftovers remaining so this pair should last me a very long time now that i know how to darn 'em!}

{here you can see the darned stitches where the brighter not-yet-faded yarn is! :D}

So that was my knitting (repair) lesson for this week!

Actually, I also learned how to do an invisible double increase as well. But I won't bore you with that story. At least, I won't today. [grin]

ARGH!

2010-05-23T21:40:00.000-05:00

okay, so i'm a LOST fan. we got sucked into the show from the start and have been watching every episode ever since. tonight's finale was going to be the end. the final episode. i knew that i could then go on with my life without wondering if there would be another season of LOST or what twist or turn the storyline would take next.

we sat down at 6pm tonight and watched the 2 hours of LOST review and interviews with the actors and all. all was going well, until about 8:50pm. suddenly, our local ABC channel froze up in the middle of a commercial break. after about a minute without it coming back on, i'm thinking "no! this can't be happening. please come back on! please come back on! i don't want to miss a minute of LOST!"

it's now 9:35, and we're watching a black screen. as in, the tv's on, tuned to ABC, but nothing is coming thru. so since we've missed over half an hour of it already {and if you know the show, you know that a lot can happen in that time!}, we're going to have to wait and see if we can watch the rest tomorrow night. i'm hoping ABC will have it available online! i can't believe what a let-down this has been for me tonight. i even got my parents to watch the kids for us this weekend so we wouldn't have to worry about interruptions from them--requests for a drink of water, getting out of bed for no apparent reason, needing tucked back in, etc.--during our viewing of this epic finale.

i guess it just goes to show that you can plan, but you can't ever know exactly what's going to happen!

My new 'do!

2010-05-21T10:54:00.000-05:00

I know I've been a bit focused lately. Obsessed, actually. But changing my hair was and is a big deal to me. So, now that the change is done, here are the before and after photos!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

My stylist did a great job of listening to what I wanted from my new hairdo. Layers. The ability to let it air dry and still look nice. And not need to use styling products unless I want to. So, that kind of threw out some of the ideas I was looking at. They're much more high maintenance than I am! {smile}

My hair cut ended up very similar to the style I had back in 2008 when my hubby and I went to Maui to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Same sort of layering and similar length. I think the only real difference is that I now have side bangs which I did not have then. As you can see, they kind of blend in (for the most part), but when I pull my hair back in a ponytail or bun, they hang down to the sides of my face. It's a nice change. And my head feels about 2 pounds lighter! :D

a week to decide

2010-05-14T12:00:00.007-05:00

my apologies to those who thought i was getting my hair cut this week. if you were reading fast, you might have missed that i said next week. specifically, my appointment is on the 20th! so i still have about a week to decide what exactly i want my hair cut to look like. (and then we'll see if the stylist--and my hair--can do what i want!)

i also asked my Facebook friends to check out my last post and requested their input/advice. {thanks to all who responded!}

here's the "voting" results so far. {i'm still open to suggestions!}

two friends suggested i cut off enough to be able to donate it to Locks of Love. (i still have to figure out if hennaed hair is accepted.) i'm not sure i want to go that short again anyways.

two friends like hair style #1 (selena gomez's long, layered look with side-swept bangs) but another friend cautioned that long bangs like that might be annoying if they tend to fall in front of my eyes {she also mentioned that it could be easily remedied by cutting them shorter.}

one friend likes hair style #3. another likes style #2. (both are mandy moore styles...similarly layered cuts with slightly different bangs) but another friend thought my hair might be too straight to actually get the same look.

another friend mentioned that she liked my hair in my maui luau photo and thought the addition of bangs would look cute.

and finally, a friend who recently watched the movie "Fireproof" recommended i check out the hairstyle of the character Catherine Holt, played by Erin Bethea. it's another very similar style--layered, with side-swept bangs.

i'm so glad i have some time to really think about this!

i thought it might be fun to look through the hairstyles i've had in the past few years. so here we go...

june 2006

also june 2006, after cutting off enough to donate to Locks of Love. this one was an ugh! style for me. it looked nice from the back, but didn't frame my face properly.

thankfully, my hair tends to grow quickly and by november it already wasn't quite so bad.

i think it even looks nice in this photo, but it's a tad shorter than i like.

by 2008, my hair had grown out. (here's the maui luau photo mentioned earlier)

this photo from the same trip shows the length a little better.

well, as you can see, i haven't had bangs for quite some time. in fact, i think it's been about 8 years--give or take a year or two. {i'd have to dig out my older photos to find out for sure!} there have been times when i liked them, and others when i hated having 'em. i think that's going to be the hardest part of the whole hair style decision.

bangs? or no bangs? what do you think?

lookin' for a new look

2010-05-11T15:57:00.001-05:00

in other words, i'm sick of my hair.

it comes down to this:

long & straight = simple & BORING

i know some people may be shocked to hear me say this since i haven't changed my hair much for the past couple years {at least!}, but after a while, long hair like mine just gets in the way. perhaps if i could be creative with my hair styles it wouldn't be so bad. but i can't even braid my own hair and have it look nice. also, the length makes it rather heavy and the straightness makes it slippery so it won't even stay up in a bun or ponytail very well anymore.

i've been thinking about this for at least a month. i really just need a change. so i made an appointment with a hairstylist {who i know from church} for next week. thursday. i'm so excited! i haven't had my hair cut {except an occasional trim} for a couple years!

so i'm thinking layers. and a bit shorter, but it'll still probably be longish since my hubby likes it long and i do want him to be happy with it too! maybe i'll even be adventuresome and get bangs cut while i'm at it. i haven't had bangs in years.

it's been kind of fun to look for a new style and see what's trendy for spring and summer 2010. {not that i ever intend to claim trendiness! lol!}

after much online-hair-style-hair-cut-trendy-website browsing, i've found a few celeb styles that i think i like. but i'm not sure what would look good on me.

examples of styles i like:

1. selena

2. mandy

3. mandy

i like the longer length of selena's hair, and the layers look nice. and the side-swept bangs are really pretty. i also like mandy's many layers but i'm not sure about the bangs in #2. however, i like the fact that mandy's hair style seems easy to care for and appears to be somewhat versatile.

what do you think?

i'd love to get a little "hair advice" before my hair cut next week. so leave me a comment and let me know what YOU think i should do. and if there's another hair style that you think might be better for my low-maintenance, but not-too-short preferences, i'm open to any {good} suggestions!

thanks!

Big Ol' Sweet Iced Tea

2010-05-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Robin Jones Gunn--one of my favorite authors--for posting a link to Anita Renfroe's video Wrinkled Ladies on Facebook a few days ago. I had heard one of Anita's songs {William Tell Momisms (aka Momsense)} before and thought it was cute. Well, I just love Anita's sense of humor! I have thoroughly enjoyed {many times each!!} all 4 videos on her YouTube channel.

And after hearing the following ditty, I just had to have me some.

So this afternoon, I did a Google search for sweet iced tea recipes--southern style!--and made me a batch.

Now that I'm done writing about it, I'm gonna go have me some big ol' sweet iced tea!

shhh. be vewy vewy quiet...

2010-05-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

i'm knittin' wabbits! {ya. i'd much wather knit them, than hunt them--of course, ewen bettew is knittin' wif their wovewy soft fuw!}

{oh. alwight. i'm not weally knittin' wabbits.}

i'm weally knittin' fwingerwess mitts fow a couple of my nieces.

{and being just pwain siwwy twying to type wike Elmer Fudd talks.}

so happy satuwday! hope youws is pwoductive too!

so much to say

2010-04-21T00:30:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking about a lot of things I want(ed) to write on my blog, but haven't published any new posts in a while. Although there's a lot I want to say, I'm just not finding enough time to write it all down here. Maybe someday I'll get to it.

But not this day. For now, I think I'll just show you all a scrapbook page I made about a week or so ago.

And write more some other time.

"Life is pain, Highness..."

2010-03-25T12:30:00.003-05:00

that's one of the most quoted phrases {i think} from the movie The Princess Bride. it also happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies.

and that one little phrase is oh-so-very true, wouldn't you agree?

my own "life is pain" issue has come to the fore of my mind once again--my seeming inability to conceive another child. i suppose it's due, in part, to the fact that my sister-in-law recently announced that their 6th baby is on the way. i am truly happy for them. it just happens to be a reminder of how much i've wanted more babies that God hasn't, for His {as-of-yet unknown} purposes, given us.

i do believe with my entire being that it was part of His divine plan for us to adopt. and we did! cj is a true member of our family...no matter that i didn't carry him in my womb or give birth to him. he is ours and we are his. but financially, another adoption {like cj's} is not an option for us right now. so my wanting another baby at this point is seemingly pointless unless i'm crazy or i believe in miracles. well, sometimes i do think i am crazy--or on my way there, but i don't think that's why i hope. my hope is in a God who has proven time and again to me that miracles can and do happen. but if i've learned one thing from the past 8+ years dealing with infertility, it's that having faith that God can, doesn't mean that He will.

it's now been over 10 years since i gave birth to bubba. i cherish the memories i have of my one and only pregnancy. i feel blessed, as an adoptive mom, to have a "birth story" to share with other moms. and yet, deep in my soul, is a place of agonizing pain. a place of grieving.

i still feel like Humpty Dumpty after he fell off the wall--all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put him together again.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again!

in 2002, the attempt at having my fertility "put back together" began. i saw doctors and specialists, took a variety of different fertility meds, and endured 3 {or was it 4?} cycles of IUI. of course, i can't ignore the fact that my husband played a huge part in the attempt. it was his faith in God and his love and support of me {even at my worst, most emotional times} that got me through the many ups and downs.

despite all our efforts and wonderful intentions, God said "no."

to my prayer for another child-of-my-womb, that answer was the most painful thing i've ever experienced.

and the diagnosis? "unexplained secondary infertility."

unexplained?!

that's right. there's no reason that they could find. i don't have any explanation to cling to or remind myself of when this terrible desire rears its ugly head up and roars {like it so often does}.

so i find myself still hoping. a hope which inevitably leads to more pain.

i remember when the RE {reproductive endocrinologist} told me at my last IUI, that if it didn't work, his only guess was that there might be a problem with my eggs. and only by going to the next, more costly option of IVF, could that be determined. T felt strongly against doing IVF {its too unnatural for him and i respect that he feels that way}. besides that, we had already spent as much as we could on medical doctors {and our insurance sure wouldn't cover it}, so we instead began the process to adopt that brought cj into our hearts and home.

now i suddenly find myself back on that same road i was walking so long ago. i hate this road. it's such a hard, rocky road, with hills so high they're like mountains and valleys that are like deep ravines you fall into. yet, here i am again. what happened to my nice paved path? it only had a few little bumps here and there, otherwise it was level and easy to travel along. where did it go? did i somehow make a wrong turn? nope. my easy path seems to have merged once again with this more difficult one and i've no choice but to go forward.

to hope.
to pray.
to be aware of God's presence with me.
to hurt and not be ashamed.
to cry.
to love.

another {parenting} adventure

2010-03-19T20:30:00.000-05:00

it was an interesting afternoon.

i took cj to see our family chiropractor today. both T and i had been in earlier this week for adjustments, and i took the opportunity to ask a few key questions about cj while we were there. {he doesnt' sleep well and he doesn't eat healthy foods...specifically any fresh fruit or veggies.} the chiropractor suggested i bring him back for his own appointment. so i scheduled it for today.

i was a little uncertain about bringing a 3-year-old in for an adjustment, but i've heard others talk of having their children in for adjustments so i went ahead to see what, if anything, could be done to help him sleep better and eat right.

ultimately, my baby boy was in need of multiple adjustments. he did so well! {mommy did too!} he just looked at me like "what is going on here?" but didn't cry or act scared at all. the chiropractor also recommended some supplements: a wholefood-derived multivitamin and calcium.

so we now have new chewable multivitamins that we'll start giving him in a couple days. {bye bye flintstones chewables!} and as for the calcium, the rest of us try to take it regularly already, so i just need to figure out a way to get him to ingest it too.

i'm hoping and praying that the adjustments will help him sleep better, and that he'll start to realize that fruit and veggies are actually quite good tasting! if i don't see improvement in a week, the chiropractor asked that i bring him back.

i really hope i don't have to.

Monday's Musing

2010-03-08T16:15:00.001-06:00

Music has long been an important part of my life. I've played piano, taking lessons from 3rd grade through high school. I sang in the school choir and at church. In junior high, I learned how to play clarinet, but couldn't fit band into my high school schedule and quit playing it. I've taught myself a little guitar and most recently a little mandolin as well. I love music. I love how it can really speak to one's soul. But lately, I've found that music {at least when it comes to just listening to songs on the radio or my old cds} doesn't give me the same soul satisfaction that it used to. I can remember playing CDs and dancing with Bubba when he was a baby. And we still do stuff like that. Just not as often. We listen to The Message radio channel {SiriusXM} in our van. And I enjoy it. But in my home, I don't listen to CDs like I used to.

Perhaps I've just gotten bored with my old CDs. Perhaps the difficulty of secondary infertility has somehow changed how I feel about music. Whatever the reason, no music has really sparked my interest or screamed "Buy me!" for a very long time. Not until last Friday that is.

That's when I heard a song on The Message that struck a chord in my soul. I absolutely LOVED it! It's called "Your Hands" by JJ Heller. I'd never heard any of her songs before this. This song was so beautiful and the lyrics were so real. If you're interested, you can hear it here on JJ's myspace page. I highly recommend it.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Twilight knitting

2010-03-07T20:00:00.001-06:00

I'm currently knitting myself a pair of mittens. They're sort of like Bella's mittens in the movie Twilight. I just recently finished reading the saga, and LOVED it! Note: I realize these books are written for teen girls, and I have to just say that I really wouldn't recommend them to pre-teen or teens. But just like the Harry Potter books (that I also don't think are appropriate for kids), I (as an adult reader) really enjoyed the story the author has written. A Ravelry member {and Twilight fan} saw Bella wearing a pair of gray mittens in the movie and wrote a pattern which the rest of us fans get to use in order to make some for ourselves. I've actually made quite a few alterations to the pattern because my gauge was different and I didn't want them coming so far up my arms. I used Ann Budd's formula for changing a pattern to work with a different gauge. Pretty neat stuff. And worked wonderfully! My mittens are going to be a rich red color since that's what I had in my stash. I like that it sort of goes with the red from the book covers. These mittens are gonna be warm and cozy. If I can get the second mitten done, I might even get to use them before it warms up too much! It was 40 degrees here today. Spring is in the air, snow is melting, but since it is only March 7th we're most likely not through with winter weather quite yet.

UPDATE: finished the mittens today {monday 3.8.10} so here's a photo!

Ravelympic Finish

2010-03-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

the Ravelympics are done now that the Olympics are. it was a fun 17 days and i've completed more projects than i had first anticipated.

so just how many projects did i finish? 5
2 pairs of Fetching mitts (i really like the pattern!)
1 Darkside cowl in toddler size
1 Nest Tote market bag
1 Luna Lovegood crochet scarf

the bonus {for me} is that i've also got one more project that i sort of planned to do for the Ravelympics until i started working on it and realized it would take me too long. it's a beautiful scarf in Malabrigo lace yarn. the pattern i'm using also required that i learn how to ktbl and ptbl {that's knitting and purling thru the back loops}. so i got a new technique bonus as well!

it's such soft yarn and makes a delicately soft fabric, but the yarn is so skinny that i'm finding it much more difficult to knit with. i do like the way the colors are pooling. it's interesting. so this is one project i'm happy to have started {even though it didn't get to cross the finish line!} and will just have to keep working on it until it's done.

only a couple more days

2010-02-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

of Olympic {and thus, my Ravelympic} coverage.

here's a quick update.

cj's darkside cowl

Medals were awarded:

Most recent project completed is a pair of fingerless mitts for my mom.

Pattern: Fetching by Cheryl Niamath
Yarn: Cascade 220 wool in Navy #8393
Needles: US8 Bamboo dpns
Started: 2.23.2010
Finished: 2.26.2010
Medals:

I liked how this pair turned out even better than the 1st pair I made last week. Made one pattern change. I didn't go with the picot edge at the top of the mitt. Rather, I used a normal bind off...just doing so in pattern instead. I think I may have to redo the top edge of my brown mitts this way also so it doesn't roll back anymore.

more FOs and medals too!

2010-02-24T11:45:00.001-06:00

Luna Lovegood Scarf (see post on 2.18.2010 for more info)

Medals:

my next project to cross the Finish Line was this grocery style bag:

Pattern: Elisa's Nest Tote

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fine in New Age Teal (knit with 2 strands held together)
Needle Size: US 10 straight and US4 dpns
Start Date: 2.16.2010
Finish Date: 2.20.2010
Medal:

And most recent project to cross the finish line is this cute cowl I made for cj!
(medals to be awarded later today)

Pattern: Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama
Yarn: TLC Baby in Sky Blue
Needle Size: US 8 (16" circ)
Start Date: 2.21.2010
Finish Date: 2.23.2010

I'm REALLY enjoying this. I'm getting so many projects done or at least begun! What fun!

another Ravelympics project completed!

2010-02-18T20:25:00.001-06:00

check out my new scarf:

Pattern: Luna Lovegood Scarf by pinkleo {on Ravelry}
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Grey Heather
Hook: Size F {yup...this one's crocheted!}
Start Date: 2.14.2010
Finish Date: 2.18.2010

my Ravelympics 2010 medals {so far!}

2010-02-18T07:55:00.004-06:00

well folks, here they are! my "medals" for finishing my Fetching mitts.

okay, so this last one isn't actually a medal...it's a cute avatar {the ravelry people call it a ravatar!!} with the ravelry mascot Bob the dog that i got for participating.

i'm hoping to soon complete one of the 3 other projects i'm working on. if i could just focus and do one at a time, i'd be done with at least my second one by now. i know i will finish 2 of them...but the scarf i'm making with malabrigo lace {really really skinny yarn!} is probably going to take too long. ah well, even if i don't get it done, i'm having fun and i'm glad to have started knitting with it...it's so pretty and soft!

will post more pictures when i finish something else!

dorky me.

2010-02-16T10:36:00.004-06:00

there are times when i feel like such a dork! i was just checking out the Ravelympics rules again. apparently i didn't need to wait until the Olympic torch was lit to start my projects. apparently i could have began right at the START of the opening ceremony! it really bugs me when stuff like that happens. i mean, really. why did i get that in my head that way? i was so certain. well, it is my first Ravelympics, so i'll just chalk it up to a learning experience and hope next time i read the rules i understand them better! lol!

one more thing!

2010-02-15T14:45:00.001-06:00

i almost forgot! BOX DAY!

that's right...our new school books arrived last Friday! the boys had fun digging in and checking out what new books we got for Core 4. {now to just finish up core 3 so we can begin to use 'em!}

Ravelympics 2010 update PLUS a funny kid story!

2010-02-15T14:40:00.001-06:00

My first knitting project for the 2010 Ravelympics is complete!

Pattern: Fetching by Cheryl Niamath
Yarn: Berrocco Lustra in Lus Champignon {about 1/2 skein for the pair}
Needles: US8 Bamboo dpns
Started: Feb. 13, 2010 Finished: Feb. 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day to me!

{I'm not thrilled with the eyelet edging at the top of the mitts...with this yarn, it tends to roll back down. I may try to gently block it, but it's acrylic yarn, so I'm not sure how well it will block. If I ever do this pattern again, I'll use a wool or wool blend yarn. But I really like the cables and ease of the pattern.}

Since yesterday was Valentine's Day, and since I couldn't start my Ravelympics projects until the Olympic torch was actually lit, I made these 3D crochet hearts while watching the opening ceremonies.

And yes, I gave them to my honey as his Valentines Day gift...handmade by me, with love.

Now for a funny CJ story.
My boys went ice fishing on Friday with my parents and then spent a couple nights with them. Grandpa is a Nascar fan and on Saturday afternoon he was watching the Nationwide race.

Evidently Danica Patrick has started driving Nascar's Nationwide series. When CJ saw her on the tv, he said "There's Mommy!" He was convinced he was watching ME on tv!

Danica Patrick

NOT Danica Patrick!

When Danica's car was wrecked, CJ watched her get out of the car and was saying "Mommy's okay! Mommy's okay!" It was so funny, my mom had to call me right away and tell me about it. And ever since, I've been wondering why he'd think it was me. I do have a little bit "in common" with Danica. That is, I also have long, dark hair and our facial shape is similar too. But that's where the similarities end. I don't race cars, and you couldn't pay me enough to do the ads Danica has been known for! But I'm gonna guess the hair was probably what got him thinking she was me.

Anyways, I'll just take it as a compliment and have a good laugh!

Don't forget to cheer on our Olympic hopefuls!

Go Team USA!

let the games begin!

2010-02-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

we sat up late last night watching the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics. it was a pretty amazing program...too bad for the technical difficulty at the end, but it turned out okay in the end!

more importantly for me, the lighting of the Olympic flame marks the start of the Ravelympics! that is, ravelry's olympic games!!

this is my first time participating in one. basically, it's setting goals for your knitting/crochet projects to complete one or more projects during the Olympics. must be finished by the time the flame is extinguished. i've got 4 projects i'm planning on doing. i'm pretty sure i'll have no problem with 3 of them, but not certain about that fourth project...i might not have enough time since it uses lace weight yarn. i'm excited to begin though. i didn't actually start any of my projects last night, although i could have at 11pm. i was getting tired, though and didn't want to start off with mistakes. so i'm going to get started right away this morning.

let the knitting begin!

curriculum, continued...

2010-02-06T21:45:00.000-06:00

it's ordered! already!

i really can't believe i didn't spend a week {or more!} agonizing over every little detail. only one day and i'm all done! hooray!

now comes the really hard part--waiting for it to get here! lol! but oh what fun when it does!!!!

then i have the joy of getting all our new books organized and labeled and yeah...that's when my OCD tends to show. oh well. it's a pretty rare problem for me, so i won't complain.

homeschool curriculum shopping!

2010-02-06T14:15:00.004-06:00

yes, it's that time for me again. time to figure out what we need for our next level of schoolwork. it's kind of weird buying it in february, but since we're nearly done with Sonlight's Core 3, it's time to order our new books so we can keep on with our schooling.

we plan to continue with Sonlight so next is Core 4 {American History, part 2}. although i've typically bought Sonlight's 5-day schedule {more books!}, i'm thinking this year i'm going to just get the 4-day schedule with the hopes that Core 4 won't take us quite as long as Core 3 has. so that covers Bible, history & geography, reading & listening comprehension. i also get our Singapore Math from Sonlight--it's a pretty good math program and we like it.

i plan to continue with apologia's elementary zoology books. we'll be on book 2...swimming creatures of the fifth day. so that covers science.

for art, i'm going to get the Artistic Pursuits for Grades 4-6, Book 1. and i plan to continue teaching bubba piano & guitar, so that covers music.

we have our English book from BJU Press and will continue with it. plus i've already got the next book for our handwriting program so i don't have to worry about that right now either. we also have Rosetta Stone's Latin American Spanish as an elective course.

and finally, for P.E. we are doing 30 minutes of exercise each day {okay so it's actually most days} using our wii fit plus. it's so hard to do much else up here in the middle of winter when it's below zero more often than not {especially when you're not outdoorsy-types to begin with!} but at least we now have something that gets us moving a little and is fun to boot! i also have hopes and dreams of using our Total Gym for P.E. but i need to be able to get the Total Gym set up again before i can {note: home remodeling can be a messy business}.

i think that covers everything. i hope i haven't forgotten something!!!!

now to actually get what i need on order!

just showing off

2010-01-28T11:10:00.001-06:00

quick update on T's truck...it's being fixed. in fact, it may already be done. but i'm not sure yet if it is so we'll leave it at being fixed and hope it's done soon if not already!

now for what i really want to write about: my knitting!
i've been knitting lots again lately. so here are a few more FOs i want to show off.

first i need to share all the Christmas gifts i made this year.

1. knit cowl for my mom {and no complaints about the photo, mom! you look great!}

2. two knit dishcloths, also for my mom

3. and two crochet doilies for my mother-in-law

i then knit a lovely vest for my mom's birthday present. and forgot to take a photo of it before i gave it to her. she did take a few pictures of it for me, but i don't have one yet to share with you.

dad liked mom's cowl. {he was impressed with the way it works--it keeps your neck warm without scarf ends dangling and getting in the way.} he sort of requested one too, so i found a "manly cowl" pattern and made him one!

you can't really see the pattern when he's wearing it...it bunches up, but it was a relatively easy and nice looking pattern. and dad says it's nice and warm. the perfect neck warmer for ice fishing and cutting wood in the winter.

since i was on a cowl kick, i made another one--this time one that buttons up!--for myself. alas! it's another project i haven't photographed yet. :-)

finally, i would like to show off my scarf. i began knitting this back in september. it's finally done!

it's lacy, lovely, and i can't wait to wear it!

suicidal deer

2010-01-14T08:50:00.001-06:00

so i haven't posted to my blog in ages. and there's tons of stuff i still want to write about like Christmas and our home remodel project--which i still haven't even transferred my pictures from my camera to my computer so that's my reason for not writing lately--but today i must share about the insanity of our local deer population.

first, let me set the stage. we're doing a home remodel--replacing our windows. and our contractor had to stain and varnish the trim. which really stunk up the house. and being the sensitive-to-smells family that we are, we couldn't stay in it so we've been "visiting" my parents for a few days {and nights}. it's very nice that they only live about 25 miles from us. so it's not very far.

anyways, T has been going home in the mornings before work to shower and get ready and, most importantly, to air out the house a bit. all had been going quite well. until this morning. when a crazed deer decided to take itself out with T's truck when he was just a few miles down the road from mom and dad's. thankfully, T wasn't hurt. unfortunately, the truck was. which means we are, at least for now, a one-vehicle family. but trucks can be fixed and/or replaced, and so we'll manage and are thanking God for keeping T safe.

now for the almost funny part to my story.

my dad went to get T since the pickup was leaking fluids and will need a tow. T still needed to get back home and get to work so dad brought him back here to get our van. {i should mention that T called and reported the accident so the sheriff had come and was taking pictures for the accident's file.} anyways, on the way back here, yet another crazy deer ran right across the road in front of them! thankfully, dad wasn't up to speed yet or he probably would have hit it too! isn't that nuts?!

but my story doesn't end there.

after T got the van, he decided to stop at his truck and get the mail that he had left in it. as he was getting ready to once again get back on the road, a dodge durango drove by. they had slowed a little, probably because they had seen the truck's flashers on the roadside. T pulled out behind them and was just getting going when the durango slammed on its brakes, fishtailed a bit, and then he said he saw a "flash" as yet another psychotic deer ran across the road right in front of them. it was less than a quarter mile from where T had hit his. thankfully, for their sake, they didn't hit it.

and the moral of my story is this:
if you live in northern minnesota or plan to visit anytime soon, watch out! the deer here are decisively suicidal.

it made for an interesting morning. i think i've had enough interesting for one day.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T11:31:00.003-06:00

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him. As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed. Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!
(Luke 2:8-20 MSG)

That's what Christmas is really all about. We celebrate the fact that God become like us so He could save us. Immanuel. God With Us. The Great I AM. Thank You, for the most wonderful Gift ever!

It's so much fun giving and receiving of gifts in celebration of God's Best Gift to us, His Son. I pray we don't get so wrapped up in our fun that we forget to be amazed at the love God has for us, that He would send His Son to be the Light of the World and our Savior.

birthday boy

2009-12-23T09:00:00.003-06:00

as of 8:15am, i have become the proud mother of a 10-year-old boy. that's right. a whole decade! we've entered the double digits now! only 3 years till he's a teen. oh my.

happy birthday, son! i love you and am proud of the young man you are growing up to be.

his daddy found this Optimus Prime toy at Sam's Club a few months ago and just couldn't resist getting it.

these transformer toys sure are fun for a 10-year-old boy!

have a great birthday, son!

♫ ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ♪ ♫

2009-12-16T11:30:00.008-06:00

i've been contemplating a dilemma for a couple of weeks now.

for anyone reading this who doesn't already know, we have 2 connecting rooms that are our living and family rooms. the first is more like a multi-purpose room. someday it may be converted to a dining room, but in the meantime it's our computer, piano, school and play room. then there's our tv room which with the sofa, futon, a big recliner, a glider rocker and a couple end tables is full up with furniture. thus, my dilemma. where are we going to put our Christmas tree this year?

yesterday, i finally decided to make room for it. our school table got cleaned off, folded up, and moved to the hallway where it's now taking a vacation. {we've been using the kitchen table for school lately anyways.} i then shifted our electric piano so it's up against the wall instead of at an angle to the corner. the futon got moved from the tv room to the multi-purpose room. it's in basically the place where the school table had been and is facing the piano. it actually works nicely, since you can sit and look out the window and watch the birds if you want.

that left a nice big open space in the tv room for our tree.

so we set it up and decorated it.

it finally feels like Christmastime around here!

homemade laundry soap

2009-12-07T19:09:00.008-06:00

i've been looking into ways to save money and came across the idea to make my own laundry soap. i was skeptical, but after learning that our local grocer carries all the "ingredients," i thought i should give it a try. i purchased what i needed on saturday and today i mixed up my first batch. it's really simple. i found a variety of "recipes" on a bunch of different websites. i just used the one that was easiest to remember.

Homemade Powdered Laundry Soap
2 cups grated Fels-Naptha (laundry bar soap)
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda

the hardest part is grating the Fels-Naptha. otherwise, you just mix the powders together with the grated soap. easy peasy! there's only one problem with it. my husband and eldest son are both super-sensitive to fragrances...especially those found in detergents. {in fact, we typically avoid detergent aisles while shopping because the smells give T a bad headache and plugged-up nasal passages.} i've been using fragrance free laundry detergents since early in our marriage when we found one that actually worked. anyways, the Fels-Naptha drove my eldest son right out of the kitchen where we had also been working on schoolwork. i think it has a sort of citrus fragrance, but it's quite overwhelming. and by the time i had finished grating what i needed for my recipe, the back of my throat was feeling irritated just from having to smell it. ugh.

i was then worried that using this scented soap would make our laundry smell too. i went ahead and tested it on a load of towels, and was pleased when they came out smelling fresh and clean. my hubby even stuck his nose into one of the cleaned towels and didn't have a reaction to it, so i was given the go ahead to use it as long as no one develops a skin reaction to it {these guys have also been known to get rashes from fragrant detergents}. i'm already thinking that when i make my next batch, i'd like to try a fragrance free bar soap instead of the Fels-Naptha. and someday i'm gonna try the "greener living" laundry cleaner: soapnuts.

i've also started using distilled white vinegar in place of fabric softener. i was running low on our fragrance free softener sheets and although i've got a bottle of fragrance free liquid softener, i don't like the spots that it sometimes makes on my clothes. i saw the vinegar tip on many of the same websites that listed laundry soap recipes and decided to give it a go as well. i just fill my washer's fabric softener dispenser with the vinegar. it's about a half cup that gets added during the rinse cycle. i read somewhere that you can also put it in a downy ball if that's how you add softener to your wash. i found that vinegar does a decent job of softening our clothes, but i do seem to have a little more static now. vinegar is tons cheaper though, so i'll probably continue using it. if you decide to try it too, don't be alarmed if your clothes smell like vinegar after washing. the odor dissipates as the clothes dry.

do you make you own laundry soap? have any other home-made cleaner recipes, tips or suggestions? let me know all about it by leaving a comment.

**UPDATE**
it's only been a couple days since i posted this, but i think i'm going to have to dispose of this first batch after all. i've only used it on one load of clothes, but the smell from just opening the container to scoop some out overwhelms us. it's not a good sign when the smell of your laundry soap gives you a headache. i'm going to have to see how much it will cost to buy unscented laundry soap bars online and see if it's still worth making my own.

handmade christmas gifts

2009-12-03T01:00:00.001-06:00

here it is after midnight and i'm {still} wide awake so i thought i'd put my alertness to good use and spend some quality time online. well, i'm not exactly sure if time online actually qualifies for having much quality, but i know it sure gets spent quickly enough! alas, i digress!

the Christmas season is in bloom, the Christmas celebration is just around the corner, and i've been busy knitting and crocheting gift items. i have little to no money to spend on gifts this year, so i've limited myself to using what i've already got on hand. i'm finding this decision is a good one for many reasons. first, i'm not adding to my yarn stash, rather i'm using my excess. {it's really quite like going on a diet.} second, i'm not spending money we don't have. and third, handmade gifts are, in part, a gift of the time spent making them and hopefully will be appreciated and enjoyed by their recipients all the more because of that fact.

the progress of my handmade gifts as of right now is as follows:
1 knitted gift completed
1 non-yarn {gasp!} gift that is basically finished
1 crocheted project that just needs loose ends weaved in
another crocheted project in progress
and another knit gift just started today
{and that's not counting the 5 knitting projects i'm working on for myself! }

for the rather obvious reason that i'd like to keep these gifts a surprise, i won't post photos of these works-in-progress at this point in time. :-)

i do have plans for a few more gifts depending on how much time it takes to make each one, so i'd better keep at it if i intend to have them all done by christmas!

happy knitting!

happy thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T17:00:00.001-06:00

fall leaves
{since i don't have a thanksgiving day picture to share!}

we had a nice day celebrating thanksgiving yesterday. my parents hosted, but my hubby's parents came too. and one of T's sisters and family too.

i have so much to be thankful for!

about a month ago at another family get-together, one of my nieces, jillian, who is age 8 saw me knitting a pair of socks and started asking me questions about knitting. she ultimately asked if i could teach her how and i told her i would try to sometime. therefore, knowing jillian would be there, i came prepared just in case she might still be interested. she was! {grin}

i had brought along a few sets of my chunkier needles and some of the yarn i dyed with kool-aid back in january that i still hadn't used. i found it easy enough to teach her to do the long-tail cast-on, and she could do the knit stitch, but was struggling keeping the stitches on the needles and various other issues which made it impossible to consider doing an actual project. then her younger sisters, bethany, age 6, and katrina, age 4, both wanted in on the knitting action too. bethie could also cast-on well, but i knew there was no way a 4-year-old could handle it. seeing how frustrated these girls were getting, i took a few minutes and surfed the internet for ideas on how to teach children to knit. here's what i learned. it's easier for kids if they start off with finger knitting! and so i learned how to finger knit HERE.

i then showed the girls how to do it and they were able to make themselves headbands and bracelets. of course, i had to help little katrina with the wrapping, but she lifted the loops over and off herself. it was so much more rewarding for them than the needle knitting we had tried at first.

i'm so thankful for the internet and the many good ideas people share with it!

finally, jillian and i decided to try and make a scarf in the same way, but using 3 strands of yarn together to make it thicker. i added fringe to each end and it turned out super cute! i wish i had taken a picture, but i didn't think to until after they had gone home. bethany wanted a scarf too, so using up the rest of the color she had picked, she made one with only one strand. and after i added fringe, it was super cute too!

i'm so thankful to have nieces who are learning to play with yarn too!

{and maybe someday they'll be as addicted to the stuff as their aunt is!}

autumn fun

2009-11-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

it was another lovely day today...55 degrees and sunny, albeit a tad on the windy side, but basically nice. grandma was feeling left out since she had to work yesterday, so both grandparents came over and took us for lunch at DQ and then came back home with us so grandma could spend some quality time playing with the boys too. i got some more great shots of the boys playing in leaf piles. and grandma took a few of me playing with the boys too.

it's game day!

2009-11-06T17:30:00.000-06:00

today has been our first official "game day" for our home school.
{the idea for doing this was in an email newsletter i received early this week, so hats off to the mom who first did this and shared her experience!}

game day rules:
1. any games played must be educational
2. the child(ren) must be able to tell me what they will be learning before i agree to let them play the game they've chosen
3. play with a good attitude {i.e. no crying because you didn't win!}

first we played Candyland {3 quick games}. cj was {hopefully} learning his colors!
after he got bored, bubba got out our Monopoly Deluxe Edition. lots of money math skills to play that one! and finally bubba and i played a game of Boggle. that's a good one for practicing one's spelling and writing!

i've always loved how games can be a great way to have a good time together, but really when you stop and think about it, there's so much you can learn with games too!

anyways, grandpa came to visit for a little bit today too. cj wanted to play outside and so grandpa took him out while bubba and i were playing Monopoly. after a little while i peeked out to see grandpa had found our leaf rake and was raking a pile of leaves at the bottom of the slide for cj to land in. he was having a glorious time! i just had to get a few photos of the fun, so i grabbed my camera and headed outside. it wasn't long before bubba was out and playing in the leafy piles of fun too!

one last thing we did today was watch some of the webcast of the first ever National Bible Bee. it's amazing to watch the finalists who made it thru to today's final competition. and the Bible memory verses these kids know is impressive! they're doing a tie-breaker round as i write this, but hopefully a clear winner for each of the 3 age groups will be determined by the time this round is done. congratulations to those who made it to the national competition! what an incredible opportunity to share what you've learned from God's Word!

sock knitting

2009-11-05T11:00:00.002-06:00

i finished a pair of socks for my 3 year old. they turned out so cute!

Yarn: Zitron Trekking XXL {color #52} leftovers
Pattern: The Classic Sock by Melissa Morgan-Oakes from her book 2-at-a-time Socks
{adapted for toddler size}

the only problem i've discovered with making toddler socks is how slippery they tend to be on our kitchen floor. since i don't want my son to fall on his face every time he tries to walk thru the kitchen, i decided to add a little grip to the soles of his new sockies. i dug out my old puffy paints from my craft stash and made a pattern of tiny dots on a good portion of his sock soles. {i used the blue paint since it was the best match!} after letting it dry a couple days, we tried them on again and tested them on the kitchen floor once more. it worked! cj can safely walk in the kitchen wearing his new knit socks without slipping and falling! yay! and since the paint dots are so very small and not very puffy, it doesn't appear to make them uncomfortable like the grippy stuff i've seen used on some slipper-socks.

Yarn: Zitron Trekking XXL {color #52}
Pattern: Muscari by Suzi Anvin
{adjusted pattern slightly to knit 2-at-a-time on one 40" circular needle}

as you can see, i used up a bit of leftover yarn from this pair of socks i made for myself back in march. cj's aren't quite as fancy as mine, but ever so cute on him!

all in all, i'm very pleased with the results!

do you hulu?

2009-10-27T19:45:00.000-05:00

the boys and i just watched a few episodes of some older cartoons on hulu. i haven't had reason to try hulu before now, but with our tv no longer receiving any signals, i figured it would be fun to give it a try.

we found The Land of the Lost series {i'd forgotten how lame it really was}, Fat Albert, and Inspector Gadget. it was almost like watching saturday morning cartoons when i was a kid. except it's a tuesday night. so i guess not really.

it's nice to know it's out there and FREE if i ever need a little extra entertainment. i also noticed there's some movies on there that might be fun to watch {some we've seen and some we haven't}. it might be better if i connected my laptop to the tv...i think a bigger screen would be nice. but i have to be careful not to use too much bandwidth so we don't go over our limit for the month. a good reason not to hulu too often.

i suppose hulu's catch phrase "we're evil, and proud of it!" is appropriate since i just saw an article that says they plan to start charging subscription fees for hulu sometime next year. if so, i won't be using it. and i bet a lot of other folks won't either.

tv diet?

2009-10-27T09:45:00.001-05:00

last night, my poor hubby turned on the tv to watch the news and found that all we have now is static.

yup.

that's right.

the local translator station has switched to digital now too.

so i dug out our coupon cards that we got for the converter boxes {since we definitely do not have digital tvs} and ordered two from amazon.com. it'll probably be about a week before they get here. in the meantime, the kids will probably be more bummed by it than either T or i since they each have their favorite PBS shows they won't be able to watch at all this week.

i'd say we're on a tv diet due to the change-over, but i know we'll still watch some dvd or videos so, in reality, it probably won't be all that much less viewing time at all.

fall cleaning?

2009-10-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

it was a normal-not normal day here today.
i took a day off from teaching today to "clean" house. unfortunately, i still have a messy house because my cleaning turned into what-can-i-get-rid-of-and-would-anyone-pay-me-for-this-stuff? so i've listed a few of our larger baby items for sale on our local home-school group's website. they'll get first dibs, if anyone wants to buy any of the things i'm selling. if it doesn't sell within a week or two, i'll probably advertise them in the local "shopper" and see if anyone else in the county wants my gently used baby gear.

just the thought of getting rid of stuff i don't need {and thereby giving myself a few more square inches of clean, uncluttered space} makes me very excited! i'm so ready to de-"stuff" my life. if you know what i mean. only...why didn't i think to do this 3 or 4 months ago? i could have had a rummage sale. as it is, it's just too cold and unlikely to get any sale-shoppers this late in the season.

a joke for your enjoyment

2009-10-24T11:50:00.001-05:00

bubba told us these jokes yesterday at lunch.

Why do ducks have webbed feet?
So they can stomp out forest fires.

Why do elephants have such big feet?
So they can stomp out burning ducks!

now there's a word picture for ya! ha ha ha!

our projects

2009-10-24T11:40:00.005-05:00

my new knitting project:
one of my husband's sisters, annie, gave me some fun yarns for my b-day this year. last night, since i had finished my kureyon kowl, i decided to start knitting with one of these, so i cast on a really easy lacy scarf using the ball of Artful Yarns Portrait which is basically a mohair yarn. it's really soft and fuzzy, and looks nice in the pattern i chose. it should be a really pretty scarf when i'm done. thanks, annie!

Artful Yarns Portrait
Pattern: One Row Lace Scarf by Turvid
{another free pattern i found via Ravelry, but this one's published on the designer's blog!}

T's woodworking project:
we decided the boys need a bunkbed ever since cj graduated to a twin mattress. so a couple months ago {at least}, T went and got materials for building it himself. since then, he's had little opportunity, but when he can he heads to his wood shop and has been cutting the pieces, assembling the bed frames and sanding everything smooth. yesterday he worked on it again for a few hours {he took the afternoon off from work so he could} and we took a few photos of the bunks in process. he's out in his shop again this morning because he wants to get all the pieces ready for stain. maybe he'll even get to start that today. i really can't say, since i'm not sure how much else he needs to do before the pieces are ready for that though.

T reminds me of a stormtrooper with his goggles and mask on.
it must be time to watch something Star Wars-ish. ;-)

bubba's school project:
a writing assignment! after 3 years of pulling out my hair every time we tried to do a writing assignment with Sonlight's LA programs {and i just LOVE Sonlight}, i finally realized that their methods just weren't working for us. so this year i switched to the English 4 workbook {since he's Grade 4} by Bob Jones University Press. i bought it thru Christian Liberty Press because of a friend's recommendation and am so glad i did! i especially like how CLP has published their own teacher's handbook and a test booklet for the student too. it's cheaper than buying the classroom-style teacher's book, yet makes my job much much easier than if i'd just bought the workbook. i also really like that it alternates a chapter of grammar and then a chapter on writing. this was bubba's first writing chapter with the new curriculum and it was so much easier for him. each step was well explained, and he was shown a really good example of what, in this case a personal narrative, should be like. all in all, i'm thrilled that this is working so well. and i'm proud of my son for a job well done!

cj's learning project:
uh. being three. he's learning his ABCs and can count to at least 15 without help. he can now climb up the ladder for the slide on our little swingset without help. and he is learning to pray at mealtimes.
{which is really cute!}

my boys helping mix up a batch of cookies last week. what fun!
too bad we ate 'em all already. gonna have to make more!

well, that's some of what's keeping us busy these days!
thanks for stoppin' by and taking the time to read all about it!

FO to show

2009-10-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

{for my non-knitterly friends, FO = finished object!}

that's right! i finished one of my knitting projects.

here's my beautiful new Kureyon Kowl
{made with Noro Kureyon yarn}

pattern: Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama
{if you're a Ravelry member, you should be able to click on the link to get to the pattern.}

this is the first cowl i've ever made {or worn}. i like it! the colors in Kureyon are just gorgeous...the photo doesn't quite do it justice. and the pattern was pretty easy, yet interesting, and fun to knit which is always a plus!

i'm mental!

2009-10-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

i just realized something about myself that i found to be kind of interesting.

my knitting style is remarkably similar to my reading style.

in the same way that i often have 3 or more books "in progress" at any given time, i also find that i've got 3 or more knitting {or crochet} projects on the needles {or hook} at any given time. and now is no exception!

books i'm reading:
1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery {a favorite from my junior high/high school days}
2. i just finished The Restorer by Sharon Hinck and so am just starting The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul
3. Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey {this one's homework for the Financial Peace University class T and i are taking at church}
4. Eldest by Christopher Paolini {technically, T and i are reviewing this book together...he reads aloud to me while i knit, but i still have to remember the story!}
*and that's not counting the books Bubba and i are reading together for home-school or the Bible reading schedule which T and i are also doing together (aloud).

projects i'm knitting:
1. a cowl--for me, i think. never worn one. not sure i'll like it. but i'm making one!
2. a pair of pink socks--for me
3. a lace scarf--also for me {i think i tend to be somewhat of a selfish knitter. can you tell?!}
*there's also the many projects i have in mind to do and could easily start any time i want, but haven't as of yet begun. since some of these are plans to make hand-knit Christmas gifts, i'm not sharing details!

do you see what i mean though?
i wonder what that says about me.

am i easily bored? um. no. not really. at least, i don't think so.
i can be easily distracted though--especially by yummy yarns, or beautiful knits, or interesting patterns, or thoughts of designing my own knits...but i digress. ;-)

when i read 5 books at the same time, i never have trouble following the many different plots and i rarely confuse characters in the stories. i have a really good story-memory--so good, in fact, that i can leave a book sitting for months, pick it up, and start reading again right where i left off! {occasionally i will re-read a couple paragraphs to refresh my memory, but i rarely will need to start from the beginning again.}

i think this fact about me is at least a little interesting and funny too. and now that i've taken a few minutes to consider it a bit, i think perhaps it's just mental multi-tasking at it's best. {you can think what you want!}

NOTE: the link to my other blog is no longer available. i've decided to keep it "unpublished" so i can use it more like a journal than a shared blog. so this is where all my regular blogging will be from now on.

birthday knitting

2009-10-11T12:45:00.002-05:00

i've noticed i haven't written much lately about my knitting projects. rest assured, i've been busy knitting and recording my projects on ravelry. which is my main excuse for not blogging about it more.

well, to remedy this at least a little, here's my latest FO {finished object}

when i last posted, this was still just a ball of yarn.

but now it's a lovely pair of fingerless mitts!

pattern: Evangeline by Michelle Szeghalmi-Shirley

and since it SNOWED on friday {yes, you read that right. SNOW. and there's more lightly falling from the sky as i write} these mitts are perfect for keeping my hands and wrists toasty warm. they almost make that s-word not seem so terrible even though it's only october and therefore should still be autumn...without that cold, wet, white stuff on the ground already.