.

.ask...

2011-06-08T08:52:00.001-04:00

James 1: 5-6 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

struggling with this one...but holding fast to it, as well.

.sunday...

2011-06-06T13:04:00.003-04:00

a surprise for us all.

eli went to a friends house that he adores.

chris and i took stella to the philadelphia museum of art for the roberto capucci exhibit art into fashion. so inspiring.

stella got to ride in the front seat in the middle (we have one of those cars)

loving these shots in the mirror...her idea all the way.

...

2011-06-03T13:38:00.008-04:00

{new wings}

{swim}

{float}

{dream}

{draw}

{live}

{monkey...

...bars...

...in action}

{rest}

easing back in...

2011-05-31T10:08:00.002-04:00

i've been quiet. in lots of ways. finding words has been very difficult in all areas of my life lately. but i'm on a new journey to open up. i probably won't be that chatty here for a while, but you may find an occasional photo, link or some text that is helping me back up. i hope to reclaim this space by the fall. i miss it, but can't support it yet. hoping to talk with you all soon!

xom

it is finished.

2011-03-02T20:52:00.004-05:00

11:35 this morning my dad breathed his last breath. it was bittersweet(link to my sister's blog with more details).

we sat around his bed, just moments before, singing hymns...turn your eyes upon jesus and be thou my vision. i played my violin for him. i'm imagining that the angels picked up right where we left off.

right now, everything feels surreal. partially from sheer exhaustion. i think i slept 4 hours last night. i'm home with my family...and that feels so good.

chris told the kids that papa passed away. stella's eyes were wide and nervous. she isn't saying much, but looks sad. i just held her on the couch and let her be. eli asked me if papa disappeared. it is so sweet and sad... they love their papa so much. they are going to miss him so.

and so am i. i think i'll be able to write a more reflective post in days coming, but for now, i just feel still and quiet. i have never experienced such stillness, such quiet as i did with my sisters, mom, doug, aunt nancy and uncle bobby in the minutes right after dad's passing. no more machines giving oxygen. no more heavy breaths. no more struggle. i want to hold on to that right now.

thank you for your thoughts, prayers, emails, meals, etc.... all of your words are balm on a wound.

inside out

2011-03-02T01:19:00.000-05:00

tonight is night number 5 of sitting beside my dad. i can't really begin to write the words to fit what i am feeling...seeing...thinking. the moments in between the breaths are peace and deep rest. then comes the jerking of the shoulders, the hunger for air, and a short gasp. sometimes the wait for that breath is longer than others. i sit by his side, resting my hand on top of his. my hand seems so small next to his large, hardworking, fading hands. i rest my forehead on his. it feels like there is a button on my head that releases the sadness. dad moans. i feel like we are communicating. for some reason, tonight has been hard for me. i feel like i've been ok with what is going on until tonight. i started to feel like maybe if i could let go, he could. but i know ultimately that nothing i do or say will make a difference. i can only pray that soon, my dad's faith will become sight. that soon, he will be born into a new body, free from pain and suffering. full of rejoicing. i know the minute that happens, i will feel devastated. yet somehow, i know that it will also be well with my soul.

one of the most encouraging conversations i've had in the past couple days was with my friend megan. as i described how in the past 6 weeks i've watched my dad's body wither and fade, while i've seen his spirit rise. it has taken control. in suffering, he has not complained or winced. he has called out to his Saviour. he has taken comfort in His word. she put words to what i felt so deeply. i've been watching my dad turn inside out. his body has been disappearing, leaving only spirit. with the past couple of days comes a feeling like there is a part of his body that won't give up. it leaves us in a tricky spot. desperate to have him here. desperate for him to take his last breath.

so, here it is again 12:23am. andrea is in the recliner that has been deemed the torture chair. your arms go numb and your hips hurt after a couple hours in it. lura is in the big recliner. i'm on the couch. mom needed some rest, so she is in bed for a couple hours. this is the time of night i've grown to really dislike. i feel tired. my eyes want to close. but my ears listen so intently for that breath. if i can't hear it, or see dad's silhouette rise and fall, i jump to my feet to be close. i only succumb to total exhaustion.

i just close my eyes and pray. i do this sitting next to him, rubbing his arm that has a new lump on it. or his legs, so thin and bony now. i do this on the couch, fighting tears. as we gather around his bed, we are silently thinking similar thoughts, praying similar prayers.

today, we read scripture to dad. mom recited verses that he helped her memorize. it is in 1 peter. she recited more than this, but these are the verses resounding in my mind:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

i'm pretty sure that dad's faith has been tested sufficiently and will be found to result in praise and glory and honor. come Lord Jesus.

finding comfort

2011-01-28T10:28:00.004-05:00

i can't find many words today.
i'm home after 2 long days and nights waiting with my dad. being home is good. i need to be with my family and rest. but it is hard to not be right there. so this morning as i was praying for dad and baby luke*, i found comfort in these 2 places.

Psalm 147

Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.
Great is our LORD and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.
The LORD supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens which cry.
He does not delight in the strength of a horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD favors those who fear Him; Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your sons within you.
He makes peace in your borders; He satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.
He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes.
He casts forth His ice like fragments; Who can stand before His cold?
He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His ordinances, they have not known them.
Praise the LORD!

John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!"

our troubles make us weep and wail as our hearts break. but we can take that to our Father. He will take us in His arms and give us true comfort.

this song kept popping into my head, and when i turned on the radio, there it was.

*for those who are interested in praying for baby luke, he is about 3 weeks old now. he was born with a valve problem in his heart. he has had surgery to repair that and all was going well. he is currently not doing well, as he got an infection and has sepsis. this is not good. please pray for him to be healed and for his parent, abby and ryan. this is their first baby.

also...the update on my dad...there's been alot of waiting. we think he will have the surgery today to his femur. mom and dad had a consultation w/ a specialist from hershey today. he thinks surgery is the right decision. then radiation and chemo. one day at a time. one hour at a time....sometimes we need to only be in the minute. thanks for continuing to pray.

waiting.

2011-01-26T15:13:00.000-05:00

this is the hard part.
waiting for results.
waiting for surgery.
waiting for tests.
waiting to eat.
waiting to sleep.
waiting to ..........

last night brought devastating news. the preliminary results of dad's biopsy revealed a very rare and difficult cancer. sarcoma. maybe.

chris, the kids and i went to the hospital right after our dinner. dad was fighting sleep, as he was receiving more blood, and with that benedryl. the benedryl makes him tired, dry and anxious. he wanted oxygen and his heart monitor again. chris took the kids home and i stayed with mom and dad. mom tried to sleep in the recliner chair next to dad, and i slept on the "bed." i say that, because it's really glorified concrete. harder than a wood floor, i tell you. well, from 11:30 until 4 am, dad was up almost every half hour with anxiety, needing to urinate, wanting the tv on, not wanting the tv on....it was rough. at 4, mom was so exhausted that we switched spots. she might have slept a bit in the bed, but at 4 dad was ready to be awake. we tried to rest a little. i helped him roll over onto his side, where he is more comfortable. he reached out and we fell asleep holding hands. i want that to stay in my heart and brain forever. when sleep left...about 45 minutes later, we sat up to read the bible. then came the time for "action news"...a snow storm coming.

my sisters both struggled to get here. the roads were terrible. however, they both arrived in (God's) perfect timing. dad was taken down to pre-op around 9. they drew more blood to cross check it again. as we waited, andrea arrived. we went upstairs to meet with the oncologist. as we got off the 8th floor, lura arrived. as we waited in dad's room, dr. reddy (the oncologist) arrived. he began to show us dad's pet scan and talk about just what it is he sees when the phone rang. the surgeon called off dad's surgery due to new pathology results. not just a sarcoma, but an angiosarcoma. this involves blood vessels going to the tumor, and had there been surgery, dad could have blood profusely...perhaps fatally they said. dad came back upstairs and we all started to process the news.

angiosarcoma doesn't respond well to chemo and radiation. the typical treatment is surgery, but dad's is appearing in at least 3 places, perhaps more already.

right now, he is having an angiogram. this is where they look inside his arteries to see if there are any vessels feeding the tumor. i just spoke to an x-ray tech who said they were doing well, and just started embollizing. this means there are blood vessels involved. they are blocking them so that they can do the femur surgery without bleeding. this might happen tomorrow.

i feel like i was punched in the stomach. this is hard to take. however, we are comforted. it feels like the most chaotic rollercoaster...yet there is peace.

so now we wait.

I remain confident in this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
-Psalm 27:13-14

cold january.

2011-01-17T15:42:00.002-05:00

as i did last year, i am waiting for january to be over again this year.

january 4th. at 11 weeks pregnant, everything seemed good...until that fateful moment of "let's hear the heartbeat." my midwife searched for a bit, got a "better doppler," all to no avail. there was not a heartbeat to be found. the following day confirmed my greatest fear. the baby stopped growing at 9 weeks; however, my body hadn't accepted that truth yet.
january 7th. my mom and chris sat with me in pre-op as i waited to have a d&e. it was a long hard day.
the weekend was one of recouperation. much needed rest, time with chris and the kids...rest with family.

monday, we began a new path.

my dad has had a difficult 7 months. he had broken his back in the summer. spinal fusion surgery in october. december delivered some good news...a negative battery of testing for bladder cancer. we celebrated christmas together feeling relieved. however, in the back of our minds, we knew something was askew. he was going downhill, and we didn't know why. january 10 began the road to discovery. x-rays, cat scans, mri's, neurosurgeons, neurologists....by thursday we were dealing with the fact that my dad has a brain tumor on his brain stem. his chest is filled with enlarged lymph nodes, adrenals, an "infiltrate" in his right lung (i've been told since that that is fluid of some sort), and a node on his thyroid. tomorrow we will accompany him to an oncologist to learn more.

yesterday i drove chris and the kids to the airport to head to orlando. our family was to be in orlando and go to disneyworld this week. instead, i drove back to my parent's to help my mom, as care for my dad is intense. my nephew and sisters have been bearing the load...i was anxious to get there and be with them. i have had a wonderful time with them. last night we were all there...lura's small church came over to worship in my folk's living room. dad was exhausted, but we got some good conversation in before bed. it's been a long time since lura and i slept over together! but what a joy to wake up at 6am to go with him to wawa for his daily coffee! his mornings are his best times. alert, strong, and able to get around. we got coffee. donuts. came home for breakfast together. we talked and helped him write and check email. he wanted to go again, so my mom, dad and i went out to the carwash and for lunch. by this time, he began to get very tired. by the time we were home, he was absolutely exhausted. my mom and i got him in bed for a nap and he began to weep. he asked me to please read psalms to him. i read psalms 118 and 93before tucking him in.

i want to count this all joy...but it is hard sometimes. i continue to look to the example of peter, as he walked on water to jesus. he looked at the waves around him, and sank, fearing he would drown. i know that suffocating feeling of despair and hopelessness very well. however, i also know the comfort and peace of our Savior and God. i know that keeping my eyes on Him, he will reach out His right hand and pull me up out of the waves so that i can walk on water again.

Isaiah 41:10, 13

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

full.

2010-11-25T22:44:00.002-05:00

i am so thankful today that our God, whom we serve, has seen fit to give great gifts to me. i've had this post floating in my head for awhile, waiting for photos to accompany it...but they haven't been snapped. so it's just words...

my belly is full from a day full of delicious food.
my head is full of ideas to fill our home with more warmth and hospitality.
my heart is full with love for my family.
my life is full with gifts, divine and human. blessings, spiritual and material.

my life is full. but not stuffed. and not without room.

i get to live a ridiculous life. one where i have a husband, whom i love so dearly, and who loves me! one where i spend my days with my children, who are so creative, chatty, fun and so...indescribable. one where i get to babysit a friend's very dear daughter for a full day and see her grow and laugh and shine. one where i get to make music with many, many children every week. one where i get to watch in amazement my dear friend, who is blind, play the violin and knit socks from the toe up. one where i get to knit with motley groups of women and share life for a few hours a week. one where i get to see the effects of prayer on a twelve year old boy triumphing through brain cancer. one where i get to rest with a community of friends and believers in the grace and sovereignty of a very loving and mighty God. one where i can enjoy the many fullnesses of life.

today, i am thankful.

wooly things

2010-10-09T10:08:00.000-04:00

so, remember that excited post that ended with some great fall knitting? remember shalom, knitted in wonderful cascade ecological wool? well, what you hadn't seen, was that same yarn knitted into a complete back of a central park hoodie. then frogged. then set aside. then knit into an entire body of shalom. and now?
frogged.

it just isn't what i want right now! i want this. aidez. a slouchy, comfy, somewhat rustic looking fall cardigan. but, eco wool won't work. so i'm waiting. and knitting a basic cowl out of therapeutic malabrigo. that stuff does wonders for a girls hurt knitting ego.

ps. that's the same yarn i knitted the mara shawl out of for rachel. she needs to send me a photo so i can share!!!

what are you knitting right now?

i found a cute knitting poem online for the kids. and it's seasonally appropriate, so enjoy!

Knitted Things
by Karla Kuskin

There was a witch who knitted things:
Elephants and playground swings.
She knitted rain,
She knitted night,
But nothing really came out right.
The elephants had just one tusk
And night looked more
Like dawn or dusk.
The rain was snow
And when she tried
To knit an egg
It came out fried.
She knitted birds
With buttonholes
And twenty rubber butter rolls.
She knitted blue angora trees.
She purl stitched countless purple fleas.
She knitted a palace in need of a darn.
She knitted a battle and ran out of yarn.
She drew out a strand
Of her gleaming, green hair
And knitted a lawn
Till she just wasn’t there.

bread.

2010-10-06T11:43:00.004-04:00

well, i've been slightly obsessed with mastering some bread. i've abandoned my zoji as i've embraced the dough hook on my hand-me-down-industrial-version kitchen aid mixer. my mom gifted me a stoneware bread pan from pampered chef, and voila. i love this one - 100% whole wheat sandwich bread. delicious. holds up well to toasting, plain butter, or ham and cheese! stella still prefers "fluffy white bread", much to my dismay. however, she happily munches away and slice after slice fo this recipe (sorry, no photo, as the loaf is down to the end...maybe next week.)

1 1/2 c. warm milk (tepid)
1 3/4 c. bread flour
3/4 c. white whole wheat flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. yeast

i place the warm milk in the bottom of my mixing bowl, then add the remaining ingredients as listed. using the dough hook, mix for 8-10 minutes on med-slow. let rest 5 minutes. mix again for 5 minutes. transfer onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 4-5 minutes. place dough into a lightly oiled glass bowl. i cover it with a damp dishcloth and place it in the oven with the light on for 45 minutes. punch down, replace cover and let riser for another 25 minutes. form into a loaf and place into lightly oiled bread pan. cover, and let rise 30 minutes. preheat oven to 425 degrees. i place a metal pie tin in the bottom as it is heating. 5 minutes before i place my loaf in to bake, i pour about 1/4 cup warm water on the pie tin, to get the oven steamy. place bread in oven and immediately turn oven down to 350. bake for 20 minutes. turn load 180 degrees. bake another 20 minutes. we normally dive right in at this point, but feel free to let it cool!

the 100% whole wheat sandwich bread, adapted from peter reinhart’s whole grain breads recipe is found over here. it is SO good!

anyone want a bread maker? i think i'll get rid of mine now!

happy october!

2010-10-01T16:43:00.000-04:00

i really feel like i wake up in october.
especially this october 1st.
pouring rain all day and night yesterday, but muggy.
then we wake to cool, crisp and cloudy.
since i've been away for so long, i thought i'd share some photos from the day. we had lunch next door at the pizza place and then went to weaver's orchard with nana. it turned sunny and breezy. absolutely beautiful! we came home with quite a haul of apples for pies, pumpkins for pies, decorating and carving, apple cider doughnuts, apple fritters, broccoli and tomatoes, acorn and butternut squash. can you tell i love fall??? we have a birthday coming...(someone will be 8!) and an anniversary (11 years!) i will try to keep you posted. i'm hoping to get back into the swing of this blogging business. i miss it, actually!
hope you are having a wonderful first of october!

*********

some farm animals at the orchard...nana loved this one!

cute bunnies...

i loved this goat on its...goat ramp? if i had a barn, i'd have goats and i'd have a goat ramp, too.

little pumpkins, big pumpkins.

pumpkin picking...

eli wanted a "humungo" one!

thank you, nana, for a wonderful day! we love you!!! xoxox

oh, and, some fall knitting...shalom(ravelry)(free pattern found here)!

my day

2010-09-17T13:23:00.000-04:00

up early enough to shower, study my bible, and pray.

made breakfast, set up school

happily finished our 3rd week of 2nd grade

had time to help a knitting friend fix her sock

listened as stella took her first piano lesson with possibly the sweetest lady ever

laughed as we burst through the door so that she could now practice what she just learned

ate pb&j's with the kids

cleaned it all up

now, off to knit a bit, do some housekeeping, and wait to have a relaxing friday evening with chris

how is your day going? wishing you a happy friday!

the heel...finally!

2010-08-10T13:27:00.002-04:00

finishing these socks...well, i lost momentum, but here is the pattern!

make the heel.
we will be making a short-row heel. knit across instep stitches to be prepared to knit only on the sole/heel stitches.
on heel stitches:
row 1: k to last st, slip last st, wrap slipped stitch with working yarn from back to front, slip back to left hand needle, turn work, as if to knit flat. bring working yarn to front.
row 2: slip 1, p to last st, slip last st, wrap slipped stitch with working yarn from front to back, slip back to left hand needle, turn work.
continue in this manner (sl1, k to one st before last wrapped st, wrap st, turn. sl1, p to one st before last wrapped st, wrap st, turn.) until you have 8 wrapped sts on either side. (for a narrower heel, you can wrap up to 10-12 sts either side. just end on a wrong side wrap and turn.)
turning the heel:
sl 1, k to 1st wrapped st. pick up the wrap by inserting your right needle tip from the bottom to the top. slip it up onto the left hand needle with its wrapped stitch. knit them both together. wrap the next st (yes, it is already wrapped once – wrap it again.) turn.
sl 1, p to 1st wrapped st. pick up the wrap, slip it up onto needle, purl the 2 st together. wrap next st, turn.
**sl 1, k to 1st wrapped st. pick up BOTH wraps (remember, you re-wrapped it), k the 3 of them together, wrap next st, turn.
**sl 1, p to 1st wrapped st. pick up BOTH wraps, p3tog, wrap next st, turn.
continue in **this manner, picking up both wraps and knitting/purling 3 together until all wraps are picked up. picking up all the wraps make for a tighter, hole-free heel.

make the cuff.
knit across instep stitches. remember to use your pattern if you added one, or you may want to start a 2x2 rib. when you get to the heel sts, you should pick up an extra st and knit it together with the first heel st. this will close any gaps. do this again at the end of the heel sts to close up the other side.
knit the cuff as long as you like, leaving enough yarn to bind off. (2 feet is plenty!)

bind off.
i like to use elizabeth zimmermann’s sewn bind off. it allows for a very stretchy nice bind off!
thread your 2-foot tail onto a tapestry needle. *insert the needle into the first 2 stitches on the knitting needle as if to purl and draw the yarn through. reinsert the needle into the first stitch on the knitting needle as if to knit, draw the yarn through and slip the stitch off.* continue from * to *.

wear your socks.

:::::Pattern ideas:::::
1)
2x2 rib

2)
knit all even rows:
row 1: k2, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k4, k2tog,k3,yo, k1, yo, k3, sl1, k1, psso, k4, k2tog, yo, k1
row 3: k2, yo, k1, sl1, k1, psso, k2 ,k2tog, k4, yo, k1, yo, k4, sl1, k1, psso, k2, k2tog, k1, yo, k1
row 5: k2, yo, k2, sl1, k1, psso, k2tog, k5, yo, k1, yo, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k2tog, k2, yo, k1
row 7: k2, yo, k3, sl1, k1, psso, k4, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k4, k2tog, k3, yo, k1
row 9: k2, yo, k4, sl1, k1, psso, k2, k2tog, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, sl1, k1, psso, k2, k2tog, k4, yo, k1
row 11: k2, yo, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, sl1, k1, psso, k2tog, k5, yo, k1
repeat these rows, ending with a knit row.

Let me know of any other simple patterns/ribs that you enjoy!

melissa's toe-up socks.

2010-06-17T16:38:00.003-04:00

time for a new class!

materials
yarn:fingering weight (sock yarn)
needles: 2 – size US 1-3 circular needles, 16”-24” long (or size to get gauge)
gauge: 7.5st –8st = 1” stockinette
size: 7.5” (8.5”, 9”) ankle circumference

cast on.
using the figure-8 cast-on, CO 24 sts (12 on each needle).
{instructions for figure-8 cast on: holding needle A together with cable B, make a slip knot and place it onto the needle in back (A). do not count this slip knot in your CO count! we will drop it later. take your working yarn UNDER both needles, up over the front cable, down between the 2 needles, up and over (in back of) the back needle, down between the 2 needles, etc. a great tutorial by adrian of hello yarn is here.(she does not use a slip knot, though.)

make the toe.
take your working yarn and put it between the cable and needle so that it is in the back, ready to knit.
knit the first row. using working yarn that was just passed through cable & needle, knit across back needle to slip knot. do not knit it – just drop it!
with that row complete, slide stitches to cable (pull needle to the left). now, slide next set of stitches to front needle (pull front needle – B – to the right) and turn work clockwise. you will notice that these stitches are twisted, so you will need to knit these stitches THROUGH THE BACK LOOP. make sure you are using the front needle with the front needle. A with A, B with B! REMEMBER: DO NOT MIX NEEDLES!
you have completed your first round! go ahead and knit one more round before increasing. at the end of this round, you may want to place a marker or small safety pin in your work to mark the end of the round.
now, to increase.
round 1: M1 (kfb), k to 2nd to last st, M1 (kfb), k. turn. Repeat for 2nd needle.
round 2: k all sts
continue this pattern until you have desired number of sts.
for size small, CO 28 sts each needle, total of 56. medium, CO 32 sts each, 64 total. large, 34 sts each, 68 total. to customize – measure your ankle. (example, 8”). take your gauge (example 6 sts=1”). Multiply circumferencexgauge=CO total! (ex=48) divide in half for each needle (24 each).

make the foot.
Knit in the round, adding any desired pattern to instep until 2” short of heel.

come back next week for the short-row heel and some patterning ideas for your cuff!

spinning

2010-06-06T22:17:00.004-04:00

so, with school done for the year, we took a week off. played on the slip-n-slide, in the sprinkler, played "sorry", cards...and i got some spinning done!

this is the first skein of hello yarn fiber club "loch". 2-ply, 220 yards, light worsted, i'm guessing. i have another 4oz. to spin. hope to make it similar!

close up...

hello yarn fiber club "pallid" fluff...this is a quarter of what i have...

here's about 2 oz spun into singles...i might keep it this way and do a shawl? not sure...

FO: 2 socks on 2 circs

2010-05-26T14:23:00.003-04:00

3 week class.
1 pair of socks.
purty good, i say.

i followed my 3 part instructions to a "t".
yarn used: Schoeller+Stahl Sockina Cotton.
also on my ravelry page.

if you knit some socks, let me know!

2 socks on 2 circulars: part III

2010-05-26T08:55:00.001-04:00

and the finish....

Part III: Toe and Bind Off

Toe:
Rnd 1, and all other odd rounds: *K 1, k2tog, k until 3 sts remain, ssk, K 1 (Repeat on other needle)
Rnd 2, and all other even rounds: K
Work as set until 12, sts remain.
Toe Grafting:
With a tapestry needle threaded with your yarn, work the following:
Front needle: Insert tapestry needle as if to knit and drop off knitting needle, insert t. needle
into next stitch as if to purl and leave it on the needle.
Back Needle: Insert t. needle as if to purl and drop off k. needle, insert t. needle into next stitch as if to knit and leave on the needle.
Repeat back and forth until all sts are grafted.
Weave in ends.
Wear those socks!

2 socks on 2 circs: part 2

2010-05-22T11:57:00.000-04:00

Continuing with the socks...

Part II: Heel flap, Turning the Heel, Gusset

I think it’s best to do the heels one at a time, to avoid getting twisted up! You can knit the heel flaps at the same time…just watch which row you end on (it’s gotta be a purlside row!).

Heel Flap
Knit across needle “A” (instep of sock), and when you get to “B”, knit across one sock.
TURN.
*Sl1, P1 * across on WS rows.
On RS rows, Sl 1 st, knit across.
Work in this manner until the heel flap measures 2.5” ending with a RS row.

Turning the Heel
Turn 1: Slip 1, purl 14, (18, 20), p2tog, p1, turn. (10 sts rem)
Turn 2: Slip 1, Knit 3 (7, 9) SKP (sl 1, k1, pass sl st over k st), k1, turn. (10 sts rem.)
Turn 3: Slip 1, purl 4 (8,10), p2tog, p1, turn. (8 sts rem)
Continue in this fashion (increasing number of knits/purls each row) until no sts rem.
Ending on a knit row, you will now have a total of 16 (20, 22) heel sts.

The Gusset
Pick up and knit 19-25 sts along edge of heel flap. This number can vary – just make it dense enough to not have holes or gaps. I twist my stitches on purpose here, to get them really snug. (To twist, K into the back of the stitch.)

REPEAT FLAP, TURN, GUSSET FOR SOCK 2!

Knit across needle “A”. (If you want to keep your rib pattern [or any other pattern] going, make sure to do so here!)
Needle “B”: Pick up and knit 19-25 sts along edge of heel flap. Be sure to use needle “B”! These are all heel stitches – keep B with B, A with A…
Knit across all heel sts and remaining 19-25 sts that were previously picked up.
Repeat for other sock.
Knit across needle “A”.
From here on out, you’ll be knitting across A (both socks), then B (both socks).

DECREASE GUSSET
Needle “B”: K1, K2tog, K to last 3 sts, SSK, K1.
K across needle “A”.
Needle “B”: K across all heel sts.
Repeat this (decreasing every other round on heel sts) until you have the original number of sts left on needle “B” {28 (32, 34)}
You are ready to continue your foot.
Knit until 2” short of end of your foot.

Toes are next!

i'm actually knitting...

2010-05-18T09:25:00.004-04:00

...a pair of socks.

well, really, i'm teaching a knitting class at the local yarn shop. it's the fun 2-at-a-time method on 2 circular needles. since i'm trying to write it out for myself (since i never follow one straight method), i thought i'd document it here. feel free to knit along (it'd be helpful to know if it works for more folks than me!)

so, in my class, i'm giving one step instructions per class. first class was how to cast on 2 socks onto 2 circs. i find this the hardest part. next class is the heel flap, turning the heel, and the gusset. final class, the toe. so here is step one:

Knitting 2 Socks on 2 Circular Needles

Yarn: Fingering weight (Sock Yarn)
Needles: US 1-3 (or size to get gauge)
Gauge: 7.5” –8” = 1” stockinette
Sizes: 7.5” (8.5”, 9”) ankle circumference

Part I: Casting On and the Cuff

This might be the trickiest part. In order to cast on for 2 socks, you need to do some fidgeting. First, name your needles. For the sake of consistency, I will call them “A” and “B.” (This could also be Instep and Sole.) You’ll see….this will get helpful soon.
Take “A” needle and cast on 56 (64, 68) sts. With “B” needle, slip half of those sts onto "B". Flip “B” around to make a sideways “V”, with working yarn hanging from “B” to the right. Again, take “A” needle and cast on 56 (64, 68) sts. With “B” needle, slip half of those sts. You will now have 2 sideways “V’s.” Now is a good time to check that your stitches are facing the same direction, the closed part of the “V” is not twisted, and your working yarn is in the same place on both “V’s.”

Marking the end of the round. I don’t always do this, but do find it helpful. To mark the end of the round, you will want to slip your last CO st (but don’t lose it!), place a marker on your needle and replace the last CO st. This will be the marker for End of Round. Alternatively, I just use my “tail” from casting on as my guide. You can choose which method is best for you.

Ready to join into a round? Good. Secure your stitch: take last CO st and slip to "A". Slip first CO st over and back onto "B". They've switched spots, right? good. You are good to go.
Now, let’s remember the 2 Circular Needle Rule:
Knit “A” stitches to “A” needle, and “B” to “B”.
Ok. With that said, let’s knit. With needle “A” on top, let “B” dangle below. We are going to Knit FIRST with needle “A”. Put working sts on end of A. (You can say A1 and A2.) Pick up other end of A (A2) and Knit. Now what about a pattern?

Here is where you can get creative. Do you have a favorite sock pattern? Use it! (Note: you may have to adjust your cast on stitch numbers, but why not!?!) Just want a rib? 2x2, 1x1, 3x1…they all work. For the sake of this basic class, we will do a 2x2 rib for 2”. Let’s do it.

Cuff: K2, P2 around for 2”.
Leg: You can continue in Rib Pattern or switch to Stockinette (K all around). Knit until leg measures 6” from Cast On.

Freeze there until next week.
Let me know of any problems!
Thanks!!!!

Some helpful links:
Cat Bordhi on You Tube
Cat Bordhi - part 2
knittinghelp.com advanced techniques: scroll down to "On Two Circular Needles"
a great tutorial

enjoying the moment.

2010-05-05T15:24:00.003-04:00

today chris took the kids with him to new jersey to hang out with grammy and boppa. this means i get the entire afternoon and evening alone. he did this last week, too, and i gotta tell ya...i didn't know what to do with myself last week. so today, as they drove off, i went to the kitchen, made some coffee, came upstairs to spin some yarn but just ended up sitting and thinking about our morning.

i took the kids to a park nearby, pool forge. it's a great park - big pavillion, great playground for all ages, and a nice, cool creek. lots of mud, flowers, rocks and twigs to play with. we were there celebrating the end of the school year with one of the homeschool co-ops we attend, community homeschooler's learning group. it was so nice to play in the mud with eli, as he collected little pebbles to chuck into the creek and watch the ker-plunk. he was so into the creek - didn't want to leave it, except to play with some of the bigger boys. stella had her friends to run with, play kickball with, hold hands with and slip in the creek with. she is normally nervous near the creek, but today, with her friends, she was brave and walked across to the otherside. i haven't taken any pictures lately, but this one will be burnt on my brain for awhile: stella, standing on the other side of the creek, beaming, hands held high. i felt my eyes burn a little...and clapped for my girl. we ate some ice cream and headed home, wet and muddy. it was a really good morning.

may the fourth be with you

2010-05-04T15:43:00.004-04:00

seems appropriate, the day after eli's birthday would be star wars day...
uncle mark sent this for eli...a little movie featuring eli, stella, daddy, and their cousin dominic. you can try it too...first, have fun and watch this!

goodbye january.

2010-02-01T10:44:00.003-05:00

hello 2010.
january entered harshly, so yesterday, i was filled with anticipation as it drew to a close. today i'm starting my new year. one month short, but happily so!

the month was filled with hardship. i wasn't game for speaking of it, until recently when i realized that people like to offer encouragement, and getting it off your chest helps it go away! so...i really should back up to before christmas. chris and i discovered we were expecting another baby. this was unplanned and a little hard for me to handle on its own. (i like to plan...be in control...ha!) i came around to it, and even got a little excited. but all along, something felt strange. chris and i thought we were just "in denial" because i didn't seem pregnant. i didn't even feel pregnant. then on christmas eve (in the morning), i started spotting. this is normal for a lot of pregnant women, but not me. i've never had that lead to something good. i tried to not panic, keep my attitude positive. i made it through the week and we decided to go to our friends (dan and elin's) bi-annual new years eve party. it is such a fun place to be - great friends, food, etc! it was relaxing and distracting, although i never totally shook my nerves. we spent the night at chris' folks with the kids. lo and behold at 5:30 on january 1, i awoke to terrible pain. i was miscarrying. we called my midwife for input and we all agreed i could go through this one at home (things were progressing "normally"). i had a previous miscarriage in between the kids that i spent some time in the er with. (a terrible experience) a week went by and i was beginning to feel better, physically. (forget emotions for now) but then it just kept going....i went to see my midwife 2 weeks later, still with discomfort abdominally and still bleeding. they checked me for anemia - i was ok (shockingly so). they checked my HcG levels, and, well, they were still a little high. this was also shocking and gave room to all kinds of thoughts. there was mention of twins. there was mention of being further along than thought. hopes rose and fell frequently throughout my days. my midwife wanted me to wait another week for more bloodtesting and asked me to rest in the mean time. i don't do that well. finally, the results of blood test #2 showed a decline in HcG, although it was still above a "not pregnant" level. the bleeding stopped. my body is starting to feel a bit more normal now, but not totally.
now we'll talk emotions: roller coaster.
there you go. i feel manic. crazy. pathetic. weak. like a disappointment. like a failure. like people who love me are judging me. stupid. i'll spare you and stop there.

so depressed probably sums it up. but that is not all the time. not even most of the time. but when it hits, oh boy. niagara falls. all i can say is...my poor family. thank god they love me. we had to tell stella in a child-friendly way and she was so relieved. she thought something terrible was going on (we just had a death in the family - an uncle died of cancer...i think she thought i was dying!)

so today is february. valentines day is coming. my birthday is coming. i'm going to start knitting a new sweater today. i'm getting back into life. its going to be hard at first. but, slowly, life will pick up.

i'm so thankful we are where we are right now. (in elverson, near our church, surrounded by a loving community of believers) this entire time, we've been reminded of God's love for us. He is not a god of "do this, i'll do that." for some reason, these things happen. pregnancies lost, jobs lost, homes lost, friends lost, family lost, confidence lost........ and the hope is that through them, we will turn to our Friend, our King, and walk on the water to His outstretched hand. the impossible is possible. He wants us walking with Him, relating to Him, conversing with Him. He will quiet the storm.

i'm ready to get out of this boat.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T12:44:00.013-05:00

Thank you for being our friends! We love you all!

Here are some shots from Christmas morning...and drawings from Stella.
Listen to the kids singing Rudolph on that handy MP3 thingy to the left.

16 October 1999-2009

2009-10-20T16:51:00.004-04:00

we got married 10 years ago! it was such an amazing day...mid 70s, leaves in full color, even had deer prancing behind the church...

this year, chris surprised me with this...and a dinner gathering with family and friends. a wonderful weekend to celebrate our anniversary! this is some of my first yarn being spun by our "fire" (aka christmas lights!) we got festive!

i am a blessed girl!

now...onto packing! i have been taking short spinning breaks when i feel totally overwhelmed by boxes!

i made it...i can breathe now

2009-09-26T23:47:00.004-04:00

what a day...we spontaneously went to this gospel choir competition at the wachovia center in philadelphia. all local gospel choirs from churches in and around philly...i have never been a part of something like this. chris and i sat 3rd row center (which gave me the giggles at first...imagine the scene, folks). and in the end were blessed beyond belief. the judges were hezekiah walker (listen to this song...he sang it tonight), lonnie hunter, and marvin sapp. this song moved me severely. i think it's my new theme song.

the night ended with chris and i on the couch and U2 on SNL. nice close to an amazing evening.

hallelujah!

school supplies

2009-09-19T08:53:00.002-04:00

my, my....how do i begin after such a long absence??? a quick update, and then on with it!

::::we are moving. november 1st. to elverson, pa. we are excited. nervous. can't wait. it's been a long time coming, and we are finally just jumping. country life is on its way! (or incredibly small town life, really!) and we will finally be a part of our church community!

::::1st grade started last week for stella. another year at home. i did my (now 2nd annual) freak out. i was all geared up. curricula chosen. supplies bought. and then...crap! i'm going to ruin my child! i cannot do this! she must go to school! chris talked me off the edge...and last week went stunningly. i don't remember 1st grade being so fun!

so here is what we did. from the chalkboard in the kitchen:

Bible Memory/Copywork: Psalm 139:1-2 (we will have the whole thing memorized for this year)
Grammar: Chapter 3 (Shurley Grammar)
Phonics: Review (Reading Eggs)
Reading: Curious George (First Favorites, Vol. 1)
Math: Review (waiting for books - got them Thursday!)
Geography: NSEW, make a compass, States: PA and NJ
History: Lewis and Clark, expedition game online, Thomas Jefferson, design your own Monticello
French: new CD of French children's song (so far, its just about sing-alongs)
Music: listening this week. we'll get to composer's later
Science: we've been doing the body at co-op (cells, bones, joints) on to muscles this week!

it was a great week. next week i'll give the update on friday (or saturday). next friday we are visiting a small homeschool-school (kind of a one room school house or sorts.) its called the hoke school and, if we decide we like it, stella would go 3 mornings a week. 2 would be with 1st thru 4th grade, 1 would be just her age. we'll see. this raising a child thing is tough. i feel terribly underprepared, unworthy, and ill-equipped. and there is nothing i want to do more.

so...here's to a new year. new pens. new paper. a new bottle of glue. it's so nice to start fresh.

summer reading

2009-06-18T16:13:00.009-04:00

well, our first year of homeschooling has come to a close, and we are all so happy - with our achievements, the bonding that has taken place, the growth in all of our lives, and the letting go of our routine a little bit! today we woke up to a cold rainy day and just played. relaxed. played some more. made some cookies. and read. a lot. so i thought i'd share our summer reading so far (yeah, i know, it's not officially summer, but summer vacation has begun!)

for starters, one of the reasons we are so proud of stella is her accomplishment with reading! we used the veritas phonics curriculum and boy...she flew. she has been reading small books since before christmas, but really took off around february/march. we were at barnes and noble and picked up their summer reading journal...read any 8 books and get one free! she's read six so far! they are:

for some fun, stella asked me to read them Beverly Cleary's, "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" aloud. we sat down and cleared off five chapters in no time! so fun...

there are some "grown up" books hoping to be read as well...maybe i'll post them next!

happy summer!!

baby needs a new machine

2009-06-11T21:15:00.002-04:00

sew mama sew is giving away a husqvarna/viking sewing machine this month. to win would be dreamy...so here we go. a sewing machine meme:

What brand and model do you have?
~singer 401A slant-o-matic
How long have you had it?
~almost 10 years...it was a wedding gift from the smiths (xoxoxo!)
How much does that machine cost (approximately)?
~i've seen them go on ebay for around $225, but i have no idea!
What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?
~clothing, small quilts, home dec, bags, dress-ups, toys.......
How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?
~i go in bursts. my machine acts up sometimes and frustrates me, so it gets hibernated for a bit, then wham-o. i make a ton of stuff.
Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?
~i'm attached to it, but like i said, it acts up and i get annoyed. i think i'll always keep it, as it is SO sturdy and handy. but a new one would be amazing!!!
What features does your machine have that work well for you?
~solid straight stitch, fancy stitch "cogs" that are fun.
Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
~how it jams up regularly despite countless tune-ups.
Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!
~a surprise gift from friends of my new hubby...sewed my finger lots of times....nothin' too interesting.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
~yes...it is sturdy and good...just get one that is kept up well.
What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?
~what do you want to do? how often do you sew? get the best you can.
Do you have a dream machine?
~i've been looking into janome's memory craft 4400. i want to do more quilting, some embroidery would be fun.

so go check out sew mama sew's sewing machine info...and enter to win yourself!!

Cakeria!

2009-05-23T13:26:00.007-04:00

::before::

most of the ingredients...and a tinker toy

::after::

set up...last minute details

the bride's choice...

coconut layer cake with strawberry puree filling
my favorite...

biscuit de savoie with chambord syrup, chambord buttercream filling, and dark chocolate glaze waiting for flowers and the wedding party...

carrot cakes with orange italian cream cheese frosting

classic white velvet cakes with vanilla mousseline buttercream
congratulations ted and kate!

fabric

2009-04-17T08:39:00.005-04:00

i was given a very generous gift to a quilt shop from my dear friend, elin, for my birthday...with those funds, i bought myself 2 yards each of these fabrics:

that's ivory lotus pond from amy butler's "lotus" collection
and:

this one is ombre cool blue from the carolina collection from anna griffin and windham fabrics

these were destined to be a reversible wrap skirt for myself, for easter. got them home...so excited and laid them out on the bed to get a good look. i stepped back in shock. i grabbed chris. these were a perfect match to our new bedroom wall color. looked beautiful against our new brass bed (handed down from mommom). oh no! they were not destined to be a skirt...but rather...CURTAINS! and maybe some pillows. and added to a new quilt. works in progress. hoping some of that progress will be done this weekend, so you can see some pics. we're even swapping out our old dressers for some even older new-to-us ones from chris' folks! bedroom makeover! fun!

The Lord has risen!

2009-04-12T08:25:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter!

This easter is going to be unique for one very big reason. Every other easter, my entire family would look forward (in one way or the other) to meeting up for an egg hunt and dinner and being greeted by my Mommom shouting out, "the LORD has risen!" and your well-trained and joyful response would be, "He is risen indeed!"

Mommom passed away February 6th. I wanted to write about it for awhile and somehow couldn't. You'll remember me writing about how she developed MRSA after minor surgery, and her battle with antibiotics. We thought she beat it. She came home for about one week, before needing to be rushed back to the hospital. She was so very sick and suffering. The suffering lasted saturday until early friday morning. I think i was so shocked...even though she was obviously ill, obviously suffering. I felt wronged somehow. She should be here now. But that's not really true. God called her home. He had to take a very well woman and break her body to bring her into His presence. And truthfully, I find no other comfort aside from the truth that Mommom KNEW God. She may never have gotten into theology or "deep" thinking of the Bible, but she loved Jesus and hung her hope on Him. I can't help but credit her with teaching us all the simple truth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who so loved us that he took on our sinfulness, in full, and hung it on the cross, so that we would never have to suffer it again. So that we would be forgiven. So that we would be returned to our Father, as we should be. So, while today I will miss her deeply, I am eternally grateful. I will see her again!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " Then they remembered his words.

Luke 24:1-8

...He has risen indeed!

Amen!

preparing for Easter

2009-04-09T09:20:00.003-04:00

we've been getting ready for Easter this week by reading from our favorite kids storybook Bible. it's The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name, by Sally Lloyd-Jones, and illustrated by Jago. i got this for stella last year and it made the Bible take on new life for me! it is an amazing book...

i have to share with you from this great book. this is from the story of the last supper...

"My body is like this bread. It will break," Jesus told them. "This cup of wine is like my blood. It will pour out." "But this is how God will rescue the whole world. My life will break and God's broken world will mend. My heart will tear apart - and your hearts will heal. Just as the passover lamb died, so now I will die instead of you. My blood will wash away all of your sins. And you'll be clean on the inside - in your hearts."....."I won't be with you long," he said. "You are going to be very sad. But God's Helper will come. And then you'll be filled up with a Forever Happiness that won't ever leave. So don't be afraid. You are my friends and I love you."

for images from the book and to enter to win a copy of it for yourself, go visit this blog.

what's happenin'

2009-03-18T22:02:00.003-04:00

stella lost tooth number 3. this one being the top left. top righty has slanted himself over to try to take over the whole space, thus making our beautiful girl look slightly hill-billy-ish. teeth number 4 and 5 are seriously wiggly. toothfairy's gonna be busy.

10 in 10...from chris to me for january...this amazing chalkboard was completely made up from scratch with a wonderful rim to hold the chalk and a nice big blackboard for me to write all kinds of stuff on for school. it currently has some questions from the catechism for young children and our bible memory verse. we use it for reading, memorization and copy work. pure love.

and just because he's so darn cute.

but while posting these adorable photos...this sat over my right shoulder, trying to be ignored. this is so totally disgusting. go ahead, look closely. nasty.

but, friends, it can be done.

exactly 30 minutes later, we have a clean sink.

hand washed by me. hand dried and put away by chris. time for bed with a clear conscience.

media free...continues!

2009-03-05T09:16:00.002-05:00

well, we thought the media free week would be horrible...kids shrieking, parents swearing, utter frustration. and, well...nothing. the kids were great. made great art, played pretend like nobodies business. we got organized. did taxes. cleaned house. life feels good and sane here. so we're keeping it up sans rules. we just don't turn on the tv anymore. its not a thought. we play games. read books. write. draw. paint. knit. rip. knit again. (more on that later). so...i'm figuring out how to keep the blog going, while not visiting the computer as often. i have things to write about...i just haven't sat here to do it! i'll get on that.

and thank you to ann krestene for the bread recipe. yummy! we have been loving the zojirushi...is it normal to go through a 5lb. bag of flour a week??? yikes. we are gonna get chunky around here! (hope not, really...just sayin' we're eatin' a good amount of overly delicious bread as of late!)

well folks...i hope to write a more interesting (both verbally and visually) post very soon. just wanted to say...i'm here again!

xo

happy birthday to me! (and a week of media free)

2009-02-22T22:49:00.004-05:00

yep, that's right...a skating party was planned on my behalf by my very dear daughter and cooperative husband! this party was the grand finale to a weekend of birthday fun!

saturday, we packed up to go to my parent's house...where we dropped off the kids for an overnight stay...somewhere! i had no idea what was in store for me! we headed off to central pennsylvania, to a small town called columbia. it's about 40 minutes south of harrisburg on the susquehanna river. we went to a local market/bizarre thing to browse around. we met two really nice women selling their handknits/handspun and they had wheels with them...so i was all ga-ga over them. we left there and went straight to the pharmacy across the street. totally old fashioned place: a diner in the front with locals staring as we walked in. odd toys and bits for sale amidst balm, toothpaste and remedies. i purchased a small schleich lamb...to put up for inspiration to one day own a real one! we walked around the town a bit, then drove a bit to hike over to chickie's rock. a really beautiful view of the susquehanna(didn't take my own photo, so here's a borrowed one). from there, we drove north on 441 to harrisburg for a great tapas dinner at suba. YUM...loved every morsel. we high-tailed it out of there to lancaster, for some possible contra dancing, but finding ourselves a little on the tired end, decided on coffee and dessert at the prince street cafe. (ps-we even saw our friends' son's photo on the wall - christopher burkholder will be playing there in march!) (pps-the contra dancing WILL happen next month!)
so, not knowing where we were staying, i started to ask questions...and little by little realized we were heading to the exact same place we stayed on our wedding night! this AMAZING bed and breakfast that has a detached spring house - 3 floors, fireplace in the living room, cozy bedroom and roomy bathroom...and the breakfast is soooooo good! it was all too much! i was beaming from ear to ear!
we awoke to snow falling lightly...ate the amazing peach-french toast breakfast and went back to the spring house for fireside coffee, bible time and knitting. oh, it was good!
from there we headed to shillington...to skateaway! when chris asked stella what she wanted to do that was "special for mama" she said, "we HAVE to go roller skating!"...so we did. my parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, nephews, and friends, loren, rich, milja and iona all joined us! hilariously fun. (and kinda good in the workout way) SO memorable. we ended up back at my sister, lura's house for pizza, cupcakes and icecream...and gifts! can it get better? oh yes it can...in addition to some girly gifts from my sister and a neti pot from loren and rich, my parents, sister, husband and in-laws all went in on this for me:

a zojirushi home bakery supreme! holy cow! all ingredients are in now for honey wheat bread now, timer set to have freshly baked bread at 6:30am! oh yes!! this thing is amazing...says it can bake all sorts of breads, prepare doughs, create a sourdough starter/bread, make jam, make a meatloaf miracle (love that name), and create your own recipes. this is ridiculously exciting for me!

i am a blessed woman!

so...what a weekend! and i do have some photos for sharing...but will have to wait on them, as it is getting late! however, dear friends, our family has committed to something BIG this week.

we are having a Media-Free Week. no tv. no dvds. no videos. no computer(gulp). no blogs/blogging. no googling. no facebooking(like i do it anyway!) we need to reclaim some peace and quiet in our lives, so this is a big step towards that. we'll see if chris and i can agree to possibly on posting photos of the weekend...but i can't promise it! i do have to much to catch up on, too...some sad, some wonderful...but it will all wait until after next sunday. so, thank you all for the well-wishing on this day, and i hope you have a lovely week. we'll be eating lots of bread. and maybe some jam. and possibly a meatloaf miracle. i'll let you know. next week.

my new obsession

2009-01-30T14:34:00.005-05:00

a golding spindle "learn to spin" kit gifted to me on christmas morning from my loving hubby, chris. spindle. fiber. book. hopefully, soon, yarn.

well, there is a little "yarn" i made christmas day. i haven't done much since, as i am trying to wrap up some unfinished projects. stella's sweater has been on the needles since (gulp) october! hopefully finishing that this weekend. and a little project i've been making up. see how that goes...hopefully by the end of this week! then its onto another february sweater for me (last year was the hourglass and i have NO photos of it!)...and then, spinning!

celebrating 10 years in 10 months

2009-01-28T14:26:00.001-05:00

*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*
the passionate shephard to his love
by c. marlowe

come live with me and be my love
and we will all the pleasures prove
that hills and valleys, dale and field,
and all the craggy mountains yield.

there will i make thee beds of roses
and a thousand fragrant posies,
a cap of flowers, and a kirtle
embroider'd all with leaves of myrtle.

a gown made of the finest wool
which from our pretty lambs we pull,
fair lined slippers for the cold,
with buckles of the purest gold.

a belt of straw and ivy buds
with coral clasps and amber studs:
and if these pleasures may thee move,
come live with me and be my love.

thy silver dishes for thy meat
as precious as the gods do eat,
shall on an ivory table be
prepared each day for thee and me.

the shepherd swains shall dance and sing
for thy delight each may-morning:
if these delights thy mind may move,
then live with me and be my love.
*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*

chris and i will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary this october. in a way, that's a very long time. in another, a flash. in that time, we've changed dramatically, broken and rebuilt. with these most recent hardships in the past, we decided it's time for a BIG celebration. i thought of a spin on the 10 x 10 project...just this one will be 10 IN 10 - 10 handmade gifts in 10 months to celebrate 10 years! we are going to give a handmade gift to each other every month until our anniversary! the gift day will be anytime within each month (since its much more fun to surprise!). so...you'll see little snippets of what i'm making chris each month here!

this month, he's getting a hat. he needs one...and i haven't made him one since BEFORE we were dating! yikes. this one has a little secret stitched in the lining...and that will be kept secret! hee hee! i finished it up last night just in time for some snow and ice this morning.

pattern: (altered) whitney's 70s ski hat from the purl bee
yarn: all from my stash! finally!
main yarn: filatura di crosa zara, merino dk, brown, 1 skein
stripes: more zara in green (barely any off the skein!)
and plymouth yarn baby alpaca dk
lined with the alpaca, secret message in more alpaca...
details found over on ravelry!

a little dress

2009-01-26T15:21:00.008-05:00

stella had a violin recital this weekend and earned her "twinkle certificate," meaning she successfully completed all of the twinkle variations and theme in the suzuki method. we were very excited and proud of her, as she has worked very hard, practicing so much (even on vacation!) i felt she deserved a new dress for the occasion, especially since lately she's been growing like a weed and the ones she has are a bit short! i've been hoarding this great linen print i had grabbed from superbuzzy for awhile and planned on making up a dress to be similar to the girls dresses on the fabric. this is what i came up with on saturday night before the sunday recital. maybe one day i'll make a pattern or give some kind of instructions. it was fun to just make it up as i went along. love my little girl...

the fabric...

the front...

the back...

the faced hem...

the performer...

the awards - twinkle certificate and mcdonald's coupon for listening contest...

the little guy who wants to be just like her (on the american girl violin!)...
this last one was taken today amidst toys, blankies and pjs. unfortunately, after an amazing recital, we tried to celebrate at friendly's but spent an hour in their bathroom with stella throwing-up in the trash can. eli followed suit in the car...so today is a sick day at home. thankfully, we're all on the mend!

HA!

2009-01-09T09:52:00.001-05:00

PLEASE! for the love of all that will crack you up, PLEASE go read this!

visions of sugar plums

2009-01-08T10:57:00.008-05:00

**edited to add more photos...

::::be forewarned:::a TON of photos follow:::::

the night before christmas,
when all through the house,
not a creature was stirring......

oh, yeah, sure! the kids would NOT go to bed. so at 11:30pm (i'm totally serious!) we closed the door and said a stern - stay in there! we heard racket, but ignored it as last minute assembly took place. after everything was ready to go for the morning, i checked in on them and found this...snuggled together in stella's bed!

we were so excited for the morning. thanks to all of the "santas" in our life, we had this abundantly gifted tree and a glorious overnight-stuffed-french toast prepped (recipe from mrs. slaboda in georgia...thank you!!). i wish i could draw arrows to each gift and show how each and everything came from someone else's gift to us...again...THANK YOU! we are still overwhelmed by God's providence and grace and kingdom and family and......

the morning arrived, much to our delight. we tortured the kids by making them wait in our bedroom or the kitchen, doors all closed, until grammy and boppa arrived. promptly at 8am, the big moment came. love the look here!

eli was a more subdued sort of shock. i didn't have just the right photo to show his quiet joy...but this one is close. the soft haze, the cookie on the arm of the couch (he nibbled it slowly throughout the morning) and his satisfaction with this little dinosaur...he's a grateful boy.
a monster montage. he loves these toys so very much!

and his parking garage, from plan toys.***see note at bottom about this company!***

mamma eeked out one handmade gift this year (as opposed to last years craziness)...this puppet theatre. greatly inspired by this book, but improvised based on what i had in my stash. the only things purchased for this, were 50cent dowels and a $3 tension rod! chris and i had a blast with the puppets...super eli and princess stella, of course!

this from grammy and boppa...eli can truly wail this ball across our yard!

and for stella from grammy and boppa, furnished by aunt lauren and uncle chad, with extras from mamma and daddy (via our santas!) (this is another plan toys gift...seriously love them!)

the BIG gifts were bikes...the gravel blaster!

and the schwinn stardust...

*note about the lack of helmets. we are ardent in our use of helmets; however, they were yet to be gifted from nana and papa, and well, we had to enjoy one short ride with the new bikes. we were very careful and will not do it again. promise!

**note about the shoes on stella...yep, go ahead, zoom in if you can! love these hand-me-down converse gingerbread men!!! we had some fun holiday attire thanks to my students!

***note about plan toys. oh man. this company. we got eli the roadway system last year and love it. all wood. all green. safe and fun and very cute. so we got the parking garage this year. the little elevator had a broken piece (very small and minor). since we bought it online, we were having some trouble exchanging it. plan toys offers replacement parts on their website. so i filled out the info and emailed it in, hoping to buy a new elevator. i receive an email from their customer service rep saying that part is unavailable in the usa, so they are sending us an entire NEW parking garage and to please donate or recycle this one! it's 3 weeks old! and played with everyday! i can't believe it! so we HIGHLY recommend this company...for so many reasons!

*******so thank you to all of our friends and family who gifted to us so very generously and deeply from their hearts and wallets. with all of this, remember that you also met our daily needs. you paid our bills. our necessities were met thanks to you. and we know that ultimately those gifts from you were truly from our Father. and that you would want everyone to know that too. the new year has already promised to be a year of blessing and abundance to us. look forward to another post of crazy generosity and abundance coming soon-ish. *******

i could keep on going, but this is already too long. i'll save the rest for another post. xoxoxox

some christmas music for you!

2008-12-24T00:09:00.002-05:00

hop on over to the sounds familyre blog to get some free original songs...including one today from me and chris! more to come tomorrow, too... enjoy your christmas eve!

gifts.

2008-12-15T23:10:00.004-05:00

so we've been on the heavy duty receiving end of gift-giving lately. without name dropping, i need to share these miracles.

you see, some things you keep to yourself. like, we are struggling financially in a serious way. mostly, it is just annoying to talk about. but sometimes, its embarrassing, or just not a thought. but i shared this little secret with a friend not too long ago, and the love, generosity and blessing that flowed forth were breath-taking.

i received a box. in it, was a bag of fresh coffee, a book for the family (the tale of despereaux) and a card. i called chris at work to share the message of the card. slid open then envelope, pulled out the card and found another envelope. different handwriting. different friends. two gift cards for trader joe's. in big amounts. i burst into tears. then i see the check. another big amount. very big. big enough to cover our bills this month. and buy the kids christmas gifts. and take us all out for breakfast. and buy our christmas tree. all of this was from a group of friends. people we don't speak with all the time. however, they are all folks who have carried this family through the past couple of years in prayer. and now in very generous gifts. i was so overwhelmed (as was chris). we cried in joy for hours. i shook as i stared at the handwriting. i couldn't move.

then i had to go to work. i don't share secrets often...if ever. but i couldn't hold it in. i shared this special story of god's providence with one of my violin students and his mother. as tears were in her eyes, she was overjoyed to hear of our blessings. she asked me what i wanted santa to bring me. i laughed. how could i even want for anything! all i wanted to do now was buy the kids their gifts. they both have been asking for bikes for a while...so that is what we were going to do. she begged me not to buy stella one - she had a hand-me-down in perfect shape...she'd drop it off on wednesday!

on wednesday, i went into my studio and found a gold box. i thought is was candy. you know, hershey's pot-of-gold or something. nope. i opened it to find a catalog for the local bike shop and a $200 gift certificate. signed, santa. (sorry rachel, but i'm now with francis! hee hee !) i again burst into tears...and went to tell the receptionist. something about this kind of news requires sharing. she was so happy and excited. all she kept asking is "what can i do?" in laughter, i said nothing! i went to the bathroom to clean up my runny eyes and returned to find a big gift basket from her. she had been to an auction that morning and won this in the raffle. two george and martha books and the stuffed animals to go along. now i had a gift for under the tree, she said.

so today, chris and i went to workman's bikes and got stella a "big girl" bike. brand new. schwinn, with a basket, streamers and sparkles. i cannot wait for christmas morning.

all this to say, it's not about the material stuff. AT ALL. in fact, we were fine not having a thing. we are happy to be together. to have god taking care of us all. but we realized that's not all god has for us. he has this body and it works. may we be able to bless others one day, the way our very dear friends have blessed us.

thank you all....from the depths of my heart (and chris' heart. and stella's heart. and eli's dear little heart, too.)

let it snow!

2008-12-02T21:57:00.003-05:00

well, it's not snowing here, but i thought this was pretty neat. create your own snowflake!

(and p.s. the new memory blocks site is up and active...order a block now!)

give thanks

2008-11-26T13:49:00.000-05:00

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." - 1 Chron. 16:34

so thankful today for my family...my husband, whose love overwhelms me; my kids, the sweetest kind of lovelies; wonderful parents, sisters, sisters-and-brothers-in-laws, nephews, and my dear mommom. (she is improving slowly and gaining strength...so thankful)

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done." - Psalm 105:1

God has blessed my family in such enormous ways this year. he spared us in many ways, protected, held us close through fierce storms. He continues to love and change us. thanks and praise, quite honestly.

"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign." - Rev. 11:17

thankful for the kingdom...on earth as it is in heaven.

thankful for my friends, this little blogland here, who have shared with me and prayed for me and inspired me so often. may you have a blessed day, and know how much i love you all!

update

2008-11-19T17:49:00.003-05:00

mommom had more surgery to clean the infected area. upon closer look, the surgeon noticed that during the previous surgery, he had snipped a part of her spine and she was leaking spinal fluid! that is now closed, cleaned and supposedly o.k. the staph infection IS MRSA. she is on the proper antibiotics, and the doctor seems hopeful. i have trust issues with docs, so...i'm praying. i finally was able to talk to her, briefly. she sounded very good. big sigh.

cheryl, lura's mother-in-law, had a very hard morning. internal bleeding - but not sure from where, heart rate dropping too low, not waking up after being taken off sedation, respirators. and then...she woke up! praise God - SERIOUSLY!!! she was to have a cat scan to see where this bleeding is happening and to figure out what caused this. i'm so thankful that chris and lura were able to see her. she wasn't able to speak yet, but i'm hoping to hear more positive news later tonight. she is still very serious (icu), but truthfully...she woke up. that's what we needed to hear.

thank you for praying.

i realized today that while this feels intense, it is just regular life. thinking a certain way about ann krestene's post about christmas...and human nature...and our brokenness. this is what it is. sickness, hurting, finances, trust...and then God. redemption. he provides a way out so that we can stand up under it.

hopefully we'll have lots (more) to be thankful for this time next week. amen.

the times...

2008-11-19T08:47:00.002-05:00

are tough...

i was telling rachel how it has been hard for me to post, because things seem too negative and rough to share. funny thing is, they haven't been awful. in fact, i'd say things are going well and getting better.

and then we have bumps in the road. or head on collisions.

i am hoping for some prayer from my blogging friends.
my grandmother had back surgery last week to free some tangled nerves that were debilitating her. after a successful surgery and pain free week in physical therapy, she woke up monday morning with a high fever and a diagnosed staph infection, which, the doctor's say, could be MRSA. she's been transferred to the hospital, of course, and is undergoing lots of tests to find out where the infection is (MRI, blood cultures, etc). please pray for her recovery...healing. she's 86. a widow.

then this morning my mom called me early. mommom is ok, mom is on the way to the hospital to see her and talk to her docs. but my sister, lura, called my mom in tears. her sister-in-law called her to say they found her mother-in-law in bed, unconscious. when the paramedics came, her heart stopped. she's at the hospital now, and i don't have any updates. chris, my brother-in-law, lost his father about 4-5 years ago. he was very young (55?). chris is very sweet and loving. please pray for chris, lura and jonas (their baby boy). please pray for cheryl, his mom, lura's mother-in-law. please pray for chris' brother and sister, his niece and nephews.

sometimes, you just don't know where to begin.

ok...i'll try...

2008-11-11T10:33:00.006-05:00

so i talked briefly with rachel on the phone the other day, then read this post, and said to myself, c'mon...write!

so, it may only be a sentence or two, and it may be mundane and not very inspiring, but i will try my hardest to post more. chris has the camera on tour, so there won't be any new photos, but maybe i'll pull out some old ones.

like this...our october consisted of a very special birthday...stella turning 6...

don't you love the red tutu over the t-shirt and jeans!?! she insisted...and i was thrilled! she wanted a "rainbow-cake-tea-party"...so i made up a rainbow cake!...very fun to mix and bake and play with all that color! all hidden under a real chocolate buttercream...mmmmmm.

then, of course, halloween. we thought we were having a princess leia and luke skywalker, but stella changed her mind the day before (yep) and i whipped up this costume thursday night before friday's trick-or-treat. again, she was SO happy...it is well worth it.
we were accompanied by lilly - the old fashioned lady, and ida - the girl beaver. good times!

so...maybe next time, i'll hit a bit of november...voting, tour, getting ready for the holiday season. see, there are always things to think on, right?

so what's up??

2008-09-23T12:37:00.004-04:00

so...it's tuesday, i know, but i'm getting there. thought i'd share some photos of recent stuff:

eli broke his pinky finger by slamming it in my studio door. of course, he was listening to me telling him to please stop playing peek-a-boo with the door...a sweet little, "ok, mama" was followed by a cry i've never heard out of him and the sight of a purple swollen little finger. a trip to the e.r. resulted in x-rays and a splint. the follow-up visit to the orthopedic doc resulted in this:
thankfully, he is so into spiderman right now, that he thinks he has webs in his cast and shoots them out at everyone. yep...check out the spidey cartoons on netflix...he loved them. wish you could hear him sing the song...every word of it.
we've been spending our saturday mornings (like half of america) on the soccer field. stella has wanted to play for a long time, so we did it.
she is having so much fun being a part of a team...
i love that these photos look like she's all over the ball...truth is, she'd rather share the ball, if you know what i mean!
my mama found this great china set at a yard sale. now we just need some guests for dinner...any takers?
and i'm about to get sewing on some new fall clothes for me and some christmas gifts for the rest out of these books. for those of you interested in japanese craft books, this website offers great help in translating your books and patterns...check it out!
so, in other news...i've been working on getting mickleton music going, but it doesn't seem to be happening. while it's a disappointment in some ways (lots of hard work promoting, marketing, etc.), part of me is relieved...life is busy enough! especially with the school year starting up...we are homeschooling stella this year (her kindergarten year). i think that deserves it's own post. i've realized that folks are either completely supportive or completely opposed to homeschooling. and that has been hard. still trying to find some supportive friends with kids stella's age. hoping our co-op will do that!

and for total randomness (and to entice the nyssen's to get there butts to the east coast), chris and i went to vietnam (restaurant, not country) on saturday and i got my usual, #41, with added crispy spring rolls. we were with megan and jed, and meg showed me a new way to eat the spring rolls...and holy cow!!! THAT good. wrapped the little delicious bites in a lettuce leaf with a sprig of mint, dipped into the sauce - heaven in my mouth. also, went to the bar first and had a french martini. crap. good. need to go again....(c'mon, rach!!!)

anyway...i'm back in a way. slowly, but surely!

thinking of coming out of hiding

2008-09-18T21:11:00.002-04:00

hey there folks. i keep looking at this old blog and the longer i look, the more intimidated i become. so...i am trying to break the ice. i'll be posting again soon. i'll grab some good photos to show off what's been happening in our lives lately, as well as what's inspiring me.

my goal: a good post before sunday!

i'm feeling the need of a challenge...anyone in for a crafty game of sorts? we could make it up as we go (i'm jealous of these virtual quilting bees and such...maybe something similar, but knit?)

anyway...hope to talk to y'all soon.

xoxox

why i'm away

2008-08-02T19:30:00.003-04:00

sorry it's been so long...and it's only gonna be longer.

i'm opening mickleton music, running demo classes and trying to drum up business.
we moved.
to a house.
we've been painting.
packing.
unpacking.
cleaning.
sorting.
organizing.
keeping the kids happy.
and watching an occasional "curb your enthusiasm" episode for down time.

phew.

so...hopefully in a week or so i'll be back in some way! i do keep checking in on all my friends blogs. refreshing!!! have a good week!

walking towards our dreams

2008-07-01T15:17:00.005-04:00

kinda crazy and kinda scary...we're inching our way towards the life we dream of...sometimes we walk, sometimes run straight ahead, other times creep on our knees...this feels like a big ol' jump. we'll see what comes of it...www.mickletonmusic.com

hello!

2008-06-28T22:17:00.004-04:00

wow. it has been a loooooong time, my friends, and, well...a lot has been going on. not all to be revealed quite yet, but soon!

i've been up to a bit of makin' lately. of course, i only have two photos of the same thing to share (tried to grab last minute shots but had a dead battery!) but, it is my favorite thing i've made lately...and wear quite a bit! it is mccall's pattern 5620 and the cover of said pattern is so incredibly cheesy...but i don't think this is at all. in fact, i've gotten more compliments (and inquiries to purchase!) than ever...here she is...

ugh...sorry about the wrinkles. you'd think i'd been wearing it all day...which i had! oh well. you see it in its true form. well loved.

i'll do my very best to get some other photos up asap of my two other favorites: a tunic and a top both made from the same oh-so-popular built by wendy pattern (3835). very comfy. but i do say, all of these make it with the fabric. the styles are way simple. so gotta love great prints. and free fabric. more on that next time (with the photo!)

today was our first day of our csa. i was so excited! we got: 3 pickle cucumbers, 2 bunches of scallions, bok choy, baby bok choy, purslane, green kale, red russian kale, 2 bunches of swiss chard, summer squash (3 zucchini, 1 yellow, 2 8-ball), 2 bunches of leaf lettuce, vegetable amaranth "calilou", a BIG bunch of basil, parsley and dill!!! i already made 2 cups of pesto (1 is frozen for later), an amazing tofu stir fry with the bok choy and scallions, some amazing lime-ginger-soy soup with the kale. planning on pickling all of the cucumbers for my week, enjoying a yummy salad in the next two days, sauteing some of that amaranth and chard (maybe add it to pasta sauce, too)...oh the fun! i get a little too excited, seriously. hope you don't mind the details...i plan on using this to keep track!

ah...so, chris is out with our friend kris k from seattle, so i'm home alone tonight with the kids asleep...i made some cherry crisp to take to our friends tomorrow, and now i think i'll sew. i'm loving new summer dresses.

here is to a fresh start on this summer and this blog! see you soon!

thinking about the mamas

2008-05-12T00:16:00.003-04:00

started mother's day at 5:45 am. chris ran in the race for the cure...
i hung out with my beauties...

called my mama, glad i could...saw too many of these...
wishing all of us mama's years of health, hope, and happiness.

two years old

2008-05-05T00:02:00.003-04:00

day spent at the strasburg railroad with friends and family

he blew out the candles with his girl, milja!
we had a great day...i can't believe he's 2. my boy!!!

a picture for us...

2008-04-23T20:58:00.002-04:00

jonas christopher bare...

lura just sent this out...he is so sweet!! and he nursed today! pray he can come home soon!

baby bare is here!

2008-04-21T11:32:00.005-04:00

at 7:01 am on april 20th, my sister lura gave a very speedy delivery to jonas christopher!

she had back pain for about 24 hours...but no "real" contractions...then she and her hubby go to the birth center (in reading) at 4:30am. 7.5cm dilated! two hours later, they need to head to the hospital...meconium in the waters (yuck...) baby boy delivered at 7:01!!! craaaaazy! i can't imagine things happening so fast!!!!

why no photos, you ask? well, our little guy is currently in nicu, so please pray. he is ok...just a "foggy" lung and in need of some oxygen and antibiotics. (he inhaled some of the yucky stuff) but i can't imagine not being able to hold my baby! hopefully, today chris and lura will get to hold their big boy (8lbs. 10oz! 21" long!!) and nurse the little guy!!! i am so happy for my sister...she is so caring and kind...and a woman after god's own heart! baby jonas is headed for a wonderful home!!!

congratulations, chris and lura! i love you so very much!

10 x 10

2008-04-10T21:43:00.006-04:00

{i'm hi-jacking the 10 on 10 project via ann-krestene and jen. enjoy!}

10am::

11am::

12pm::

1pm::

2pm::

3pm::

4pm::

5pm::

6pm::

7pm::

pictogram

2008-04-05T10:53:00.000-04:00

happy belated easter

2008-03-27T20:43:00.004-04:00

::eggs decorated::

::sugar rush hitting hard::

::fever hitting 102.5::

::cake hitting the freezer to be eaten this weekend, when we will actually celebrate easter...::

*photos taken on a trial run lumix....to be returned tomorrow to purchase the D80...woo hoo!

camera craze

2008-03-18T16:24:00.007-04:00

ohhhhh boy!

do not give me options. i will ponder and ponder and ponder...and then just sit and think about it....and then look more things up....and then compare....and then freak out....and then go back to the original plan....and then wonder if i did the wrong thing....and then look again....and then go back to the original plan again....and stick to it.

so...i originally wanted a nikon d80. but then chris showed me these leica's. reeeeaaaalllly nice, but pricey and not exactly what i want. to get a leica that does what i want (but at a way more professional level and price $5500!) i'd have to get the m8. and no way. so then i thought, oh forget it, just get another crappy point and shoot. but no! that's not what i want! so i searched and searched flickr. (you may not want to do this if you are at all indecisive like me!) so...after way too many long hours spent on this topic, last night i decided...i will get the d80. and maybe even this week! (don't hold me to it!) i got to play with my sisters d70x on sunday at her baby shower and loved it. (as does chris...some of his flickr photos are done on that exact camera). so...i'm so excited and can't wait to share!

on a different note, some craftiness has been happening in between camera obsession. i knit a variation of elizabeth zimmermann's february baby sweater from knitter's almanac for baby bare. it was done in koigu's kersti merino crepe. a variegated dk weight yarn that knit up looks like camo! two cute beads for buttons at the neck. photos to come (they are still on lura's d70x!) stella colored some cute bird pictures that we ironed on to onesies for the babe, too. VERY cute! (again, on the camera!) so...hopefully the blogging will resume shortly with some colorful additions.

we'll see. i just might change my mind again!

thoughts

2008-02-29T09:37:00.002-05:00

not much to write lately...so just things in my brain.

the path to wisdom is one of trial and error. and lots of prayer.

even my best effort requires repentance.

god is like a mother hen gathering her chicks...glad i'm a chick.

loving this verse:

Psalm 131:2 - But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

praying for a peaceful weekend for all of us.

xo

the martha experience

2008-02-25T11:25:00.002-05:00

wow. so it's been a loooooong time, heh?

well...let's just say things have been fun and wild here in nj. last wednesday was the taping of the handknits show on martha. what a fun day...here goes:

woke up early early and baked some trader joe's chocolate filled croissants. yum. these things are fabulous! you buy them frozen, leave them out overnight to proof (they get huge!) and bake for 25 minutes. pure heaven. and fun for a bus ride to nyc (accompanied by a very big latte).

so the bus trip was great...mom, loren and i had fun chatting the time away (a mere 1 hour 40 minutes...not so bad) and wondering why we don't do this more often!?! we arrived with plenty of time to spare, so we thought we'd walk the mile or so down to chelsea studios...the wind said no! it was fuh-reeeeeezing. so, we taxi-cabbed it. fun and cheap enough to do 2 more times that day! when we got in, our nerves were crazy. what the heck? this was supposed to be so fun and all of a sudden, there we were surrounded by handknitters/crocheters and feeling very strange. the producers were walking around checking out what we brought and it felt very judgey...some "uh-huh's" "nice" and "oh, that's cute" left you wondering what the heck are they thinking? a little girl next to me had handknit and designed the most adorable doll which barely got a blink. and who did they choose to sit in the front row and talk to martha??? this horrible sweater. sorry but seriously. the lady called it her tribute to sergeant pepper's...the three of us agreed...michael jackson, beat it! AWFUL. tacky. too big. ugly. and i'm not trying to be mean. we wondered if the producers were making fun of her and putting martha on the spot?? maybe. watch today and see!

all in all though, it was great. the set is so fun to see and the people working there seem to have fun. we got a free book! love it! and stella is so excited to make some toys!

we then taxied down to soho to go to purl and purl patchwork. yum. much love there. i could spend a small fortune at those stores. we then ate three delicious steaks to fill our aching bellies before heading home on the bus in the snow. we were zonked...and happy!

so...anyway, it was an experience...and overall, and enjoyable one.

in even more exciting news...a better blog is on it's way...say, this weekend? keep your eyes out for a more enjoyable view, if you know what i mean!!! (hmm hmm camera hmm hmm) yep...chris did some searching around and after viewing lots of camera options, i think we decided...but since it's not purchased yet, i'll wait on the reveal until it's in my hands! yippee!

then...i can show the finished hourglass sweater that is already getting too much wear! the camo baby sweater for baby bare! and more more more! can't wait...anyway, thanks for the blog patience...and hope to see you soon! xo

catching my breath

2008-02-07T13:53:00.000-05:00

wowzers.

we hibernated last week due to a nasty virus infestation. stella and eli had it bad, up all night for about 4 nights coughing like crazy. broke out the nebulizer again. i have a love hate relationship with that thing. freaks me out, but it works...so i don't know. we all camped in the living room...it was the only way we got any rest. stella had to sleep almost completely upright, so she was on the couch. i pulled her mattress onto the floor where i crashed and had eli by my side, all propped up on pillows. not fun. and quite exhausting. glad they are better now...

in the meantime, i had delusions of glorious hours of knitting as they napped away their illness, but no. i barely got anything done! but i'm back at it now. the hourglass body is finished and i'm halfway done sleeve #1. looking good (might still be a bit baggy, even with doing the smaller size!...oh well. it'll be cozy) i panicked about the bagginess one night and had to set it aside. so i cast on elizabeth zimmerman's february baby sweater. so cute and easy. i can't give details because the recipient reads this! wink wink lura. i got some hours to myself on sunday (thanks chris) so that i could hit the yarn store again (what a problem!)...they were having a great sale! 30% off ALL yarns. i got some nice merino for more baby items and some luscious malabrigo for a sweater for stella and an aran for me. i'm going to try to design it myself! this may not happen for a while...but the stash is now sufficiently overflowing with goodness. also got some great sock yarn...i still never knit socks! gotta try it.

so...my pay it forward friends, your gifts are now planned and hopefully will be completed by the end of the month. i'll keep you posted!

hope to be back into blogging mode now...see you soon!

some photos

2008-01-31T10:46:00.000-05:00

taking from rachel, but not so "artsy"...some phone-photos:
first, stella's self portraits...love those lips!

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and hourglass progress...

***dangit...i don't know how to make them bigger. rachel? any advice?

HOLY CRAP! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

2008-01-28T22:16:00.000-05:00

I AM GOING TO SEE MARTHA LIVE ON FEBRUARY 20TH!!!

oh my good gracious! i'm so excited! it is a live show all about handknits!

i'll be 35 two days later...and my momma (who's coming with me!) will be 60 four days later! i'll also be bringing my good friend loren (because we watch martha together AND craft together AND i love her!)

so watch martha on february 20th and maybe you'll see my ecstatic little face!!!

WOOHOO!!!

links to really nice things

2008-01-27T21:22:00.001-05:00

no thoughts, no photos to share...so go see some nice stuff:

simply breakfast via soulemama
great valentines idea via shim and sons
cute lavendar baby sachet tutorial at molly chicken
reallllllly good knitting
angry chicken's email order #8. yes, i bought mine, haven't done it. go on, buy your own and beat me to it. rachel...this is SO up your alley! go buy it here.
papercraftworld and these great japanese paper house pdfs found here
great secret message soap making idea (for kids) at whip up
my hubby's photos
ok...that's all for now. i just got distracted looking at all the hourglass sweater photos on flickr. lots. i'm finished the bottom hem (again). off to knit.

knitting know-how

2008-01-22T10:42:00.000-05:00

so...it's decided. i'm "frogging" (whatever...i keep reading this word and feel the need to incorporate it into my knitting vocab. means: to take the whole darn thing apart) what i've knit so far into my hourglass sweater to begin again in the 33" size. here's how i came to my conclusion.

1. comments from ann and jen helped a ton.
2. read a ton on ravelry (it's worth the waitlist if you knit/crochet...sign up!)
3. read in elizabeth zimmermann's book about how to figure the best fit. she says pick out your favorite sweater and measure it. ignore your own measurements. i did it. i got 34".
4. posted a comment on this blog post and got my definitive answer. Last Minute Knitted Gifts is written by Joelle Hoverson, owner of Purl, a great fabric/yarn store. she answered me directly and sid to go for the 33 unless i wanted a very roomy sweater. i don't. so a-frogging i will go and restart on the 33" size. meaning i will probably have some noro cash iroha left over...hmm. thinky thinky.

so thanks for all the help here...i'll be restarting today and will let you know of the progress.

oh, and i did request tickets for the martha stewart show on handknitting...fingers crossed, i'll go for my birthday wearing my hourglass sweater!!!

by the way, unrelated...did you see rachel's post on her tutorial for heat therapy bags for those who don't sew. genius and beautiful, written in rachel's signature, humorously honest way. go read it.

****edited to reflect ann-krestene's REAL blog address...oops! thanks, rachel!

knitting nerves

2008-01-19T23:48:00.000-05:00

so i cast on the hourglass sweater in my beautiful noro cash iroha (color 22: garnet!)on friday night. i can tell you i cast on about 5 times...to do a regular cast-on, or do provisional so as to have live stitches to knit the hem with? i tried and didn't like my gauge, so i went back to a basic cast on edge that i picked up later! i was amazed at how this yarn comes to life when knitted. i finished off my first hank this evening and joined #2. i'm very excited...and nervous. the pattern gives finished measurements...and the one we'll deal with is chest circumference. the given sizes are 33, 37, etc. (because those are the 2 i'm dealing with). problem: sorry if too personal ;), my "chest circumference is 33.5...so can't do the 33, right...but the 37 seems like a lot of ease. AND i read that the cash iroha grows with blocking. oh no...what to do. i am thinking that i may not do the full increases for the chest circumference and do a bit of an in-betweeny thing? anyone have any suggestions? i cast on the full amount of stitches for the 37 size, hemmed it as i went and it looks great. the silk/cashmere/wool blend is so amazing...little lumps of cashmere here and there with the shine of the silk...oooooh. i have only done two of the decrease rows so far and have one more to go (so really, time to think before increasing!) i'd love your thoughts!!! i love knitting and hate the guess work (that could easily be a general statement across the board for me!) i want things to go exactly as they should! so...to stick to the pattern or stray??? let me know...

school day

2008-01-15T14:34:00.000-05:00

while eli naps and the girls play with colorforms, i thought i'd drop a little note telling you of our day. i wish to GOD that i had a camera, because these girls are so DARLING! i mean, seriously now!

the day started with our "circle" if you can call it that. eli knows the start of a school day means we sit together in the living room and sing...twinkle, twinkle little star (eli and ida's favorite) and today stella added her twist from her violin group class. a kind-of pre-solfege thing...sing and touch head to toe (or toe to head, actually):

toes toes (twinkle) head head (twinkle) air air (little) head (star)
shoulder shoulder (how i) waist waist (wonder) knees knees (what you) toes (are)

i think you can figure the rest. absolutely hilarious and fun for some reason.

next we had our "lesson" which i though was going to be a bit too tricky...and i DID underestimate these kiddos! i decided to talk about vowels and how they are a special family of letters that we need to spell all words. so i wrote them out
Aa Ee Ii Oo Uu
we made all the sounds...more fun...
then we wrote them in our books...
then we wrote our "spelling words" i thought...yeah right! they totally read each word with no problem!!!
Cat
Pen
Sit
Hot
Fun
they wrote each word five times in their books. loved it, too!
then i wrote the words out again on a paper with their names and they had to circle the vowels...perfect!
onto lunch...quickly scarfed down so we could go outside for a walk. it is freezing cold (not as cold as seattle!) bu cold enough for flurries. we walked the block and then hit their favorite backyard tree to build another beaver dam. after an hour of this (yeah, i know! i was freezing!) we went in for hot chocolate. eli crashed and now colorforms. we might read some stories before the end of our day...but all in all...a fun and educational day. for all of us!

what's knitting

2008-01-12T09:36:00.000-05:00

well finally!

i went to my local yarn store and usedup my gift certificate!! i'll be knitting myself a sweater! yippee!! i'm doing the hourglass sweater from last minute knitted gifts. its nice and simple, good for everyday kind of stuff. i actually bought the exact yarn called for (in a different shade though...)i never do that. i ALWAYS substitute and rearrange stuff...not this time! i'm so excited! hope to wind some of those hanks today on my nifty new ball winder! i'll keep you posted - i have two "deadlines" in mind for myself...the first one being two weeks away (recitals at my school), but i think that might be pushing it...so the back up deadline is my birthday! i think that is TOTALLY feasible.

more knitterly news...i also recently got a copy of elizabeth zimmerman's knitter's almanac: projects for each month of the year...love this lady's writing! and she is all about figuring out your own knitting with really helpful construction "rules". i'm planning some things for the year out of there, but must focus on my hourglass sweater first! i did really want to share a segment of e.z.'s writing with you though. i know christmas is over, but this sums up some of my feelings on it. found on the december project's writing, page 129:

Is an exciting new improved Christmas every year really necessary? Is it in the spirit of the Solstice? The human heart hankers after stability and tradition. The feeling and atmosphere of Christmases past, the anticipation of those to come, and the magic presence of Christmas now should all blend and blur, to give the distraught soul something to hang on to in a year bedevilled by new improved machines, soaps, music, spectator sports and recipes, many of which will prove to be dull, destructive, and sometimes downright damnable. Let us try to keep at least Christmas the way it has been for generations, and infiltrate novelty delicately and with caution. As a good start why not try to abide by the comforting tradition of handmade and homemade presents?

smart woman. great knitter. maybe it will rub off on me!!

here's to good knitting this weekend!

p.s. i also bought yarn for a secret project...hmmmm wonder what it is???

oh boy

2008-01-09T21:56:00.000-05:00

this post was meant to go up on monday and didn't. then last night i was just too tired...so here it is, wednesday. you are due 2 posts...i'll try for tomorrow and friday(i have ideas, just no time in front of this dang computer! just things like what i'm working on (knitting projects) and figuring out womanhood/feminism/christianity/life... not bad or very big deals, eh? yeah, we'll see how this week goes)

anyway...my boy...loves trucks. bulldozers. trains. busses. things that go. he also loves animals. like baas, moos, oof-oofs, mows, errrrs, hisssses, vvvrrrmmmphs, you know (translation: sheep, cows, dogs, cats, lions, snakes, elephants) he also loves to be crazy...run fast, bang into things (like the chairs or my legs) and jump into the air and land flat on his bottom. it HAS to hurt, even in a diaper. he pile-drives his stuffed toys, or tackles his dada, whoever is available. and all of this, i'm told, is "what boys do." i'm ok with it, i think.

my problem lies in encouraging rough-housing, funny-like-violence, and the like. i may sound dramatic, or may be acting in such a way, but my boy will not be a wild, roughneck. he can be all boy while being sensitive to others, careful about his and others bodies, respectful to his and others belongings, etc...you know?? i'm just trying to figure out how you balance this stuff. so many folks we see around think his "wild child" behaviour is funny (which, i gotta say, it is!) and that he really IS sweet (no mean intentions, not trying purposefully to hurt anyone or anything). i just want to be sure to encourage the right things. and i think i WILL figure it out, or i AM. he is so loving...

i had to work tonight, so when i got home, the kids were asleep. but i had to slip eli's jammies on and he woke up briefly. as soon as he opened his eyes he smiled and said "mama!" then excitedly told me about his evening with dada..."mamie! boppa! eya! dada!" i ask, did you see grammy and boppa with stella and dada? he says, "uh-huh!" with a big nod. did you have fun? "uh-huh!" did you go outside? "uh-huh! mamie! boppa!" do you love your grammy and boppa? "uh-huh! nigh-nigh, mama!" do you want to nurse and go nigh-nights with mama? "uh-huh!" and his head hit the pillow. he nursed briefly and was sound asleep. my boy...

woops...its not friday

2008-01-05T09:43:00.000-05:00

so i had one of those things happen where a day comes and goes without me noticing. i had no idea yesterday was friday! until bedtime that is...but still a whole day without that realization? geez! i did do some things...picked up a small project (out of my stash no less!)
i'm just about done a small neck-kerchief thingy from the last minute knitted gifts book in o-wool's balance (color: brick).

lovin' it. and i'm loving that i have two official signer uppers for the pay it forward thing. so erin and jen, please email me your home addresses! yahoo!

oh...so today IS saturday and i am going in a few hours with stella and nana to see disney's high school musical: the ice tour. stella is so stinkin' excited (singing those songs constantly) and i'm...ok about it. i have mixed feeling on the movie. i think it is over stella's head and she shouldn't be watching it, but it is also so sugary and benign...what the heck. it'll fade out eventually too, right??

so...backk to the neckerchief. i want to wear it today! maybe mom will have her camera with her and i can grab a snappy of it! i hope you all have a great weekend!

p.s. there is still room for one more to pay it forward!

resolutions

2008-01-02T10:54:00.000-05:00

i normally don't make new year's resolutions, but a midnight promise to a friend has sent me thinkin'...and now to a-doin'! thanks, jon! his may not be a crafty blog and i may not understand half (or more) of what is written, but we've decided we need to do this more, take advantage of what is available to us. so we are going to try to blog on mondays, wednesdays and fridays. that way it happens...and maybe i'll be a bit more organized! ha!

so here it is, wednesday...and uh, not sure what to say! i'm out of practice and tired of feeling all glum about the new year! i have to say, the comments i received from my sad new year's post really gave me some warmth and love! thank you thank you! especially the strangers i've never met or new were reading! how wonderful to get such encouragement!

i am thinking for this new endeavor to kind of blog thematically (maybe)...like mondays will be family, wednesdays: craftiness, fridays: free-for-all. we'll see.
i'm hoping to acquire a new camera, but it may need to wait until my birthday (february!), so pics may be few and far between...but hang in there! (i know it's a bit boring without them!)

so, for craftiness...i already purchased some sale christmas fabrics from superbuzzy for next years gifts...i'm going to TRY to get some done WAY ahead of time. i also ordered a book (from a giftcard!) that i plan on using ALOT! i'm going to get the new yarn for said project this week (with another giftcard to my favorite local shop!) so the new year's looking full of making and doing. some for me and more for others!

speaking of others... remember that post a while back about paying it forward??? well none of you signed up!!! i won't call you lame-o's for not wanting to do it (wink wink) but want to offer it up again. i may even have to say, i'll just do the paying it forward, and you can decide for yourselves to do or not to do...but then i'd be breaking the rules!!! so c'mon!!! let's pay it forward a bit. i'm ready to send some great goodies to 3 signer-uppers.

alrighty...thanks for the support and friendship. back to work today girls...

xoxo see you friday!

reflection

2007-12-31T14:01:00.000-05:00

oh dear, it's been awhile. i must have jinxed myself with that computer free stuff...i sure did go for it. i think i needed some down time. or, as elin put it, a lot of time doing nothing. but i was doing something...knitting, thinking, reorganizing lots of stuff...

big sigh.

so here i am on new year's eve...and i've been thinking this post in my head while scrubbing the floors, vacuuming up pine needles, and dusting the cobwebs...so here
i'll go...

2007 was a hard year for me. maybe the roughest i remember. and i am happy to see it go. normally, i have excitement for a new year...new possibilities, new dreams, new energy. i don't have that for 2008 yet...and don't know if or when it will come. i've been talking about this with some folks...having hope, but fearing it at the same time. i believe that i've been carried through this year, day by day, moment by moment. i believe that God has provided for me in the strangest ways manna for every day. strength in times where i felt the weakest, rest when i was weary, peace amidst confusion, balm for my hurts. and i believe this manna will continue to come day by day. i have hope for this new year, just not the faith in that hope yet...you know? anyway...

one way i feel that God has taken good care of me this year, is through this silly old blog. it has kept me connected to friends i may have never been in touch with again (and ann-krestene, i am SO thankful!) it has given me inspiration, courage, a resource and source to show off my creativity, and just a place to go and feel connected. some of you provided stability to me in ways you will never know. thank you all for this...

i do look forward to this next year for these reasons...seeing these two lovelies grow and bring joy to everyone they meet...
(eli "playing" twinkle, twinkle little star on our tree's violin....)

(stella wanted this shot...decorating the tree in her christmas outfit...)

i also look forward to meeting you all here, reading about your days, your thoughts, your creativity...

i wish you all love and joy and peace in this new year. and lots of manna.

i need this

2007-12-11T23:30:00.000-05:00

so i'm doing it. committing to it (for now).
i need balance. or something.
so, i'll post tomorrow and probably thursday too...
but friday? nope.
not even checking in.
i'll come back on the weekend maybe (prolly),
but friday? nope.

weekend update...part one

2007-12-10T00:24:00.000-05:00

the crafty side...

here's what's been happening around here:

knight dress-up capes for nephews, sons and daughters...

the valiant

(this one i made up on the fly...)

the princess (and back view...sorry, bad photo)

more eye pillows...for???

(adapted from the rice heat therapy pillows tutorial found on sew, mama, sew's blog.

tissue holders...to be added into the wellness packs

(also from a tutorial found via sew, mama, sew)

the christmas skirt

(yep, tutorial (although i changed it a bit) found you-know-where!)

meanwhile...the kiddies stayed in jammies for WAY too long!

but they were happy!

had to get these photos up...just to show y'all. more on the weekend tomorrow (hopefully)...it was very nice!!!

priya's plaastique bagues

2007-12-08T13:33:00.000-05:00

i was just updated with an acquaintance's latest endeavor that NEEDS to be shared!

(drawing by 'bittersweet genevieve' and copied from priya's myspace id photo)

priya is fashioning some very cute clutches and boy bags out of recycled plastic bags...thus the name, plaastique bague!

a custom design that i love ::

a mama and me style :: matchy matchy!

the boy bag :: i find myself saying constantly how eli needs a boy bag...maybe this is the one???

it is so great to see another fashionable option to recycle those plastic bags. remember july's project of the month? lura tipped us off onto the melted plastic bag craze (i don't think any of us dared, so here's a non-toxic option!!!)

i am so excited for priya and for her great bags. i wish you tons of success, priya!!!

now...go buy some handmade recycled bags!!

woohoo!!

gifting music

2007-12-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

it's not necessarily handmade and not necessarily not (whoa...too many negatives), but music is SOO much fun!

we have always been a family who plays with music...here's proof (ripped from Sally's Music Circle's website): me very pregnant with eli and stella playing with sticks...i think its to the tune of "oats and beans")

and i've been reminded of just how much kids love (and in my opinion, need) music in their lives recently by stella. she received a cd player for her birthday in october and we have been blessed to her choice of tunes daily ever since. this has had it's ups and downs. one can only listen to the cars soundtrack so many times. or the american girl theme song (too much when eli is singing in eli talk "hey hey hey...it's great to be an american girl"). so she started venturing into our cd rack. how funny when i find her listening to low, pedro the lion, sufjan stevens, edith piaf, but more times than not, the beatles. she has her taste. and it happens to look a lot like her daddy's.

there is so much good kid music out there...for some hip, fun and wacky songs, check out wxpn's "kids corner". they even have podcasts!

but when i am trying to encourage more playfulness and a little less "cool," i ask stella to put on some of our music circle cds.

for the first couple years after chris and i got married (and pre-kiddos!) i worked for a great, small company called Sally's Music Circle. i loved doing these preschool music classes. they are so much fun and the kids really do benefit so much from singing and playing with music with their mama's and daddy's! (speaking from the "violin teacher" mouth now: seriously...kids that participate in this type of program and sing and play at home with music come ready to learn their instrument at an earlier age with more competence...ok enough jibber jabber) i took stella to the classes until she was literally too old to go! (classes typically end at age 5, but we'll see about that!) and we STILL play with our instruments and sing the songs. i have watched eli slowly sing along...in tune! and do the little chants...with GOOD rhythm! stella absolutely loves them and i couldn't be happier.

these cd's are great even if you don't live in the philadelphia area (or baltimore at peabody prep). the cd's alone are magical. sweet songs, chants and lullabies that kids truly love to sing. so you can hop on over to cdbaby or itunes and grab one or more for yourself! you can buy the hard copy cd and they'll mail it to you or just buy the download! i've pictured two of our favorites (because it would be obnoxious to show all the photos!)

listen and enjoy!!

*****totally unrelated and absolutely hilarious...go here!**********

****edited to correct the link to Sally's Music Circle CDs on CD Baby...go NOW!*****

handcrafted holidays meme

2007-12-03T19:56:00.000-05:00

more answers...

Gifts

* Do you have a favorite gift that you love to give?
~ I love to give cozy, comfort gifts. cuddly friends, soft blankets, slippers, teas, candles, anything that might make the recipients day a little more peaceful and restful. creative gifts for kids, something to inspire, motivate and encourage independent learning. (i am sometimes the nerdy aunt!) and finally, books are the next best thing!

* If you’re making gifts this year, what are you making?
~ well you've seen some of them, and as they are completed, you'll see the rest: spinny skirts, cozy friends, beading kits, and more planned...!

* Do you have any good stories about handcrafted gifts you’ve given or received?
~ My first knitting project ever (when i taught myself to knit!) was to make outdoor mittens for my dad. i was totally winging it and the first mitten came out HUGE. like bigger than a tea cozy kind of huge. it ended up hanging on my mom's front door with greens in it! a big mistake put to good use...

* Name one thing on your personal wish list.
~ ooo, just one? a ball winder for my yarn. i hate that job!

Traditions

* What is your favorite family holiday tradition?
~ as silly as it is, we hang a pickle ornament on our tree and the first person to find it, opens the first present! we have one here, but we normally let stella find it! we still play this game at my parents on christmas day!

What do you love most about the holiday season?
~ the warmth. the feelings, the foods, the coziness of it all. (i like cozy things!)

* What do you like least about the holiday season?
~ the materialism. the shopping. the panic. the stress. the absence of peace.

* What is your favorite holiday food?
~ hot chocolate and cookies. shared with stella before bed. we've been making "real" hot cocoa (so less sugar!) and adding mini-marshmallows (extra sugar!)

* Do you have a great recipe to share?
~ i have to think on this one and will post it soon. i LOVE to cook, so choosing one is very difficult. i think i'll pick a cookie. maybe that'll be for tomorrow!

crafty update and free pattern! (a LONG post)

2007-12-02T23:16:00.001-05:00

what a day! we spent the day in parkesburg, pa, helping my folks remove carpet from their living room in preparation for some hardwood flooring. i say "we"...chris and my brother-in-law, chris (yep, right). my sister, lura, and i set up my grandmother's christmas tree. it was a really nice day. and then i checked out my favorite blogs. i have this routine now. goes a little like this: angry chicken, soulemama, wee wonderfuls, whipup, sewmamasew's handcrafted holidays, bandwidow, under the weather, my girl hazel...

so i begin that routine and come across this(page down a bit)! i was shocked to see my little name mentioned here! so excited to have so many new visitors today, yet horrified at the thought, "well, melis, you better get some photos and you BETTER finish those projects!!!" come to think of it...that's a good thing~~~accountability! so, thank you, sew mama sew, for mentioning my blog! and welcome visitors from so many places!!! hope you enjoy your time here!

AND... i finally have some photos to show off from my holiday gift-making, and one from my stella~~~

i've been dying to share this with you all. stella had asked for some clay a while ago and got it after being very brave getting the flu shot! anyway, she had very clear plans as to the first project with said clay...that being: baby jesus in a manger with mary and joseph. here it is:

stella's nativity made of clay and painted with tempera paints. yes, joseph is missing an arm (to be glued in the morning).

okie doke. how about those therapy bags i've been bragging about! tell me what you think... i wish we had scratch-n-sniff computers for this one, because they DO smell SO SO SO good...

small cold therapy bag for the freezer, filled with peppermint scented barley:

eye pillow, filled with eucalyptus scented flaxseed:

large heat therapy bag, filled with lavendar scented rice:

my wellness packs! all have removable, washable covers made of 100% cottons and linens (like the japanese prints? thanks superbuzzy!)

detail of my favorite print set!!!

and i decided to share a favorite knitting pattern of mine with all of you! it's my favorite scarf that i knitted two years ago and wear it ALL the time. the minute it is a bit chilly out...there it is. and it is loved by many...requested by my mom for christmas, infact! so as i knit hers (out of louisa harding yarn's "grace" - silk and merino! ooooh! aaah!), my friend, loren, will be knitting one out of blue sky alpaca's sport weight for a friend. feel free to knit along! and send photos of the finished product!! you WILL love this scarf!

here it is, modeled by me...headless!

My Favorite Scarf

How to Make It:
i have no idea what yarn i used for this particular one shown, but i recommend using any yarn suitable for size 10 or 11 needles. something a bit chunky, or use sport weight and hold two strands together (that's what i'll be doing with the silk/wool, and what loren will do with the alpaca). You'll need one ball of a chunky yarn and two of sport weight.

THE PATTERN:
CO 25 sts
Work in K1P1 rib (row 1: *K1 P1*repeat from * to end; row 2: *P1 K1*repeat from * to end) for 3.5"
End WS.

Make "holes" to tie scarf:
Next row (RS): K1 P1 K1, BO next 7 sts, finish row in pattern
Next row (WS): P1 K1 (7 times) K1, CO 7 sts, finish row in pattern
Continue in rib pattern for another 4 rows. finish WS)
Next row (RS): K1 P1 rib for 15 sts. BO next 7 sts, finish row in pattern.
Next row (WS): P1 K1 P1, CO 7 sts, finish row in pattern.

hole detail, keep in mind they have been worn for two years!:

Continue in rib pattern until piece measures 15" from beginning.
End WS.
Place 11 sts on holder. BO next 3 sts.
Working with last 11 sts, contine in rib pattern until this "tail" measures 12" from split. BO in pattern, weave in ends.
Pick up 11 sts on holder and work in pattern until this tail measures about 16" (or you run out of yarn...whichever!)
BO in pattern, weave in ends.

to tie it on, i hold it with the short tail on top. wrap it around your neck, put the short tail in the top hole, and the long tail in the bottom. i leave it just like that, but you can tie it in a knot, bow, whatever!

how to tie it on:

i have imagined this scarf for kids detailed to look like a monster with crooked eyes (the holes) a silly grin and two long legs...but have yet to make it that way.

anyway...hope you enjoy the pattern. it's my first one ever shared publicly...so please give me feedback! thanks so very much! stay tuned for more holiday giftmaking!

g'night!

first day of advent

2007-12-01T21:14:00.000-05:00

in looking for a "grown up," more inspirational advent calendar...i did a search for online advent calendars. found this and love it.

they have a daily meditation, daily scripture verses (they call it the daily office), a carol of the day (...which is BEAUTIFUL!), podcasts and great charitable gift-giving ideas.

i was particularly moved by the meditation of the day today...here's a snippet:

"In the beginning God created everything. Created by God, we are called to be stewards of all that we have and receive from God. The mystery of the incarnation, Christmas, and Christ’s coming invites us to enter fully into God’s ongoing acts of creation and to participate joyfully in the reign of God...The first step in Advent is to remember that we are created by God and loved by God." (click here for the full meditation)

the carol today was angels from the realms of glory...i had to listen to it 4 times. really peaceful to listen to and nice to reflect upon. some lyrics for ya...

(original lyrics by james montgomery, with the refrain of: Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King! instead of Gloria! In excelcis deo)

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Gloria! In excelcis deo!

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the infant Light;
Gloria! In excelcis deo!

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great desire of nations,
Ye have seen His natal star;
Gloria! In excelcis deo!

Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear:
Gloria! In excelcis deo!

i love the angels winging o'er all the earth and the call to sages to leave their contemplations...brighter visions beam afar!!!

anyway...hope you enjoy it too.

on craftier news...i finished up the "wellness" packs. i love them so very much. they were really fun to make. and they do look lovely!!! so hopefully i'll borrow that camera tomorrow and get some photos. i was going to answer more of the meme here, but think i'll leave that for tomorrow...too contemplative, er, um, i mean inspired right now.

peace on earth.

goodnight.

back in the game

2007-11-30T22:31:00.000-05:00

so to speak...

today was pretty productive and good for the most part! 3 cheers!!!

we got up and went with our friends loren and milja to get some yarn at my new favorite local place(some koigu kersti hand painted camo-colored merino for some boy leg warmers!) and then we were home to prepare the "wellness" packs. also called heat/cold therapy bags. whatever...they are awesome. and beautiful, if i can say so myself! i am going to borrow a camera tomorrow to take some photos for y'all. thank you to sewmamasew's kristin for the great tutorial and ideas!

so...got 3 big lavendar scented rice bags done. i did the main bag out of cream colored cotton flannel. the covers are strip pieced out of cotton and linen with some great japanese prints thrown in! yeah! i love them! i also did 3 peppermint scented barley "boo boo" bags for the freezer (same process with sewing) and 3 eucalyptus scented flaxseed bags for eyes/sinuses! i'm now a little too into this and want to make more!!!

but i need to take a moment to make a couple of these great hooded towels for stella. the poor girl still loves her baby towels, but she is just too darn big! so i'm off to tjmaxx to grab some great towels to alter.

so...i'm gonna get some sleep now and hope for another productive day tomorrow. hoping to have those twirly skirts done! i need a check list...

couldn't you have guessed?

2007-11-29T22:38:00.000-05:00

yep...

You Are a Fruitcake!

You taste like nothing else in this world.
And get ready, you're about to get tossed!

What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?

wellness

2007-11-29T21:20:00.000-05:00

wellness, yes. that's what we're wanting right now. it seems like the moment a stressful situation is over, i get overwhelmed with sickness. when we got home from eli's endoscopy, i was SO tired. (but understandably so...) so i napped. woke up feeling achy and tired. hmmmm. stella has had this sinusitis thing for 3 weeks. on nasal spray, antibiotics, etc etc etc. coughing all night long, yada yada. so...i wake up tuesday morning SO stuffy, headachy, tired...the works. eli gets diarrhea.

we rest. i knit more. we watch tv. (merry christmas, charlie brown) i'm pumping the vitamin c, echinacea, tea, water...take alkaseltzer cold. that stuff is gross.

wednesday. still not feelin' it. call out of work. more resting. more tving. (shrek the halls...the grinch)

today. a little better. ran errands, decided to cancel stella's violin lesson. just not 100%...restful night. now i'm thinking, more alkaseltzer? not sure. it's on it's way out. hoping for a cough free night with some REAL rest. (an hour into it and so far so good)

tomorrow? making the wellness bags featured on sewmamasew's handmade holiday's blog. got all the supplies lined up and ready to go. first one i'm making? the eye pillow with flaxseed filling and eucalyptus oil for the sinuses. and it's gonna be mine.

we're home

2007-11-26T13:14:00.000-05:00

the endoscopy is done.

relief.

tired.

eli did great, and everything looks fine. dr. tung took biopsies to make sure of everything, but the pics look "normal". while we have copies of the photos: esophagus, stomach, intestines, i think i'll spare the weak tummied.

thanks for your prayers and thoughts. results in 2 weeks.

now, to take a nap.

gift making

2007-11-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

er, um...yeah. exactly...well, a gift for me, that is! how stinkin' selfish is this...i spent the whole weekend working on this!

(knit in blue sky alpaca's sport weight in a nice, deep green (almost brown)mmmmm, cushy!)

well, i'm blaming it on the need to relax, sit still, and not stress. the testing for eli begins monday morning, 7am. he's not to eat or drink anything after midnight, which will stink, taking that he still nurses and typically right around 4am. i've been fighting the tears and the worry (for i know it adds nothing to your life!), but man is it hard! so...cute sweater in tow, i will set off to the surgical center at 6:30am with chris and eli. stella will stay with grammy and boppa for the night. can't wait for monday to be over!!!

so back to that holiday gift making (the real kind...you know, for others!)

handmade friday...

2007-11-23T08:44:00.000-05:00

I HEART HANDMADE HOLIDAYS!!!

as you know, i have taken a pledge to give the gift of handmade this christmas. now, i do have a couple little exceptions, like books, and a couple good quality toys for the kiddos. (stella LOVES her american girl doll...and well, i love that she loves that!) but anyway, in response to my pledge, i am furthermore VOWING to NOT shop today, black friday. instead...i will spend my day creating some of those said gifts (and possibly ordering books online!) i wanted to participate in sewmamasew's handcrafter's holiday blog meme...so here goes. some of what i'm up to:

For starters:

Gifts I'm Giving...

i am so excited for stella on christmas morning! i already have a couple skirts in the works from The Merry Church Mouse's charm pack skirt tutorial, and the house on hill roads twirly skirt tutorial, these barrettes from angry chicken (which we've made before, but i am going to MASTER this time!)
(i will take photos next week when they are all done! check back!)

i think lots of kids on my list will be getting the crayon roll-ups from skip to my lou's tutorial...how great are they? perfect for taking along (no crushed boxes!) i am thinking of adding my own coloring pages to that (my own drawings made into a simple book...maybe).
i also plan on making some "cozy friends" pillows. simple creatures sewn out of soft cotton fabrics...either prints or maybe plain for them to draw on themselves???? hmmm...

some grown-ups will get some stocking stuffers of tissue holder's and key chains.
there are also plans and supplies purchased for a very nice scarf, lovely placemats, and more!

that's it for a start. check back for more info for the blog meme...i'll be posting more photos, projects, some details about traditions our family celebrates and more.

for now...hoping you enjoy a restful friday and somehow avoid the madness!

happy thanksgiving

2007-11-21T22:31:00.000-05:00

hoping you all enjoy a day of rest, good food, loving friends and family, and gratitude...

the menu:
martha's maple glazed turkey with riesling gravy
basic cornbread stuffing casserole
cranberry stuffing (inside the bird)
basic smashed potatoes (the way stella likes them!)
candied sweet potatoes (yes, with the mini marshmallows!)
roasted asparagus
my mom's sauteed mushrooms (a holiday meal is not complete without them!)
cranberry sauce (you know, the real kind)
cranberry jelly (you can't deny the canned stuff...mmmmmmm!)
crescent rolls
sparkling grape juice (by request of stella!)

dessert:
REAL pumpkin pie. yep...a real pumpkin, really roasted, pureed, spiced and baked into the PERFECT pie crust. can't wait to bite into it! (loren and i adapted from this recipe)
i think chris' mom will bring another dessert, plus ice cream for the kiddies (and the spice wafers!)

enjoy your day!

pay it forward

2007-11-17T23:51:00.001-05:00

have you been seeing this out there in blogland??? i have, and it got me. you know how things do that...you see it, you think, wow...nice...then you can't stop thinking about it and it sounds nice and fun...so you sign up.

well here is your chance to join the many...

here is what happens:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

easy enough...
now sign up...

pray for eli

2007-11-16T12:06:00.001-05:00

tummy boy
Originally uploaded by picking.up.purls.

well...another trip to the pediatrician results in more failure to thrive. this time, eli fell off the growth chart for weight all together. we saw his GI doctor yesterday who prescribed a battery of tests: urine ph, pancreatic elastase, IgA level, and Celiac Panel, along with an upper endoscopy to be done on the 26th. i've called the nutritionist again, but can't see her until december 17th (!) but asked her to call me...as i need this to get moving a.s.a.p.

he weighs 20 lbs. 15 oz.
he's 18 months old.
he is 31 inches long.
he is developmentally at a 2+ year old level....what the heck???

he doesn't eat much at all.....
he's so sweet and smart.

please pray for him (and us).

thanks.

a whole new kind of christmas...

2007-11-14T19:28:00.000-05:00

here are some sites that i am finding informational, inspiring, and downright scary...

a list of ALL the toy recalls...YIKES!

an inspiring blog post by my favorite, soulemama, on why to go wooden.

another favorite and inspiring post on not made in china by angry chicken.

so...check 'em out...and let me know what you think!!!

get ready!

2007-11-11T23:21:00.000-05:00

photos are here (finally)...i'll post some here but be sure to check my flickr page for tons more!

but first!!! i received my fall swap package in the mail this weekend! it is so nice to get fun mail! alison sent me a hand quilted scarf! (she said she never quilted!!!) it's pieced on one side with great cotton prints and the back is this lovely velvet/fleece piecework. so cozy! and lovely!!! i also received 2 appliqued tea towels with fall leaves and a GREAT pincushion. i LOVE this pincushion so much!
how much joy can a pincushion bring??? lots i tell you, lots. THANK YOU, ALISON!!! and thanks to chara for hosting this swap. i really enjoyed it. i'll post photos of my goodies when i get THOSE developed. i'm slow on that part, really.

onto the photos! first:

stella's party...

the flower fairies we made...

what we do at "school"...some of the time!
write...

play...

build...

and some recent crafting for lilly's 8th birthday gift. i made her an embroidery kit. check it out...
the gift bag (why it is sideways...i can't figure...) i embroidered a little mousey tea party on it from wee wonderfuls stitchette's.

a peeky inside...the nicely lined bag (wink wink) and another wee wonderfuls transfer for lilly to embroider herself!

the goods...the bag, the transfer on linen in a hoop, floss, needles, and handwritten instructions (not shown)...

well...hop on over to flickr now to see the rest. eli did not get proper attention here, but i can't figure out the flipping of the photos. nor how to upload straight from flickr...so whatevs.

thanks for hanging in there folks. you keep me going! i'm gonna try to keep on looking up...needing some inspiration, hope, change...
big sigh...

so embarrassed...

2007-11-07T22:50:00.000-05:00

i just noticed that i haven't posted for 24 days. not good. yeah, i've been "busy" or "stressed" or just plain uninspired (and still waiting for those photos...pickin' em up tomorrow). but here are some things that have been spinning in my head:

i finished my fall swap package and mailed off to canada on friday. i am so excited to share whhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifat was in it but can't until alison receives it! everything was so fun to make and put together. i'll post photos when (1) she receives it and (2) when they are developed.

halloween...oh it was fine. i worked so missed out on trick or treating. stella was a spooky cat (black cat costume made by elin for lilly a couple years ago...SCORE!), eli was a mouse (by elin for ida!!! hooray!!! no work for me!) even thought october's project of the month was to make a costume, i will count the 7 fairy skirts, pairs of wings and face painting i did at stella's birthday party...think that's ok???

i took the pledge, did you??? (see the button???) i am really gonna try. i hate mass produced junk...but i know some people prefer it to be "returnable" or ...well, just mass produced. oh well...we'll see what i do with them.

for handmade gift ideas you should check out:
sew mama sew
creature comfort's holiday gift guide
indie collective's gift guide
and, of course, etsy
there's gotta be something for everyone in those lists!

i am thinking of hosting a swap for december...kinda like a big pollyanna...for project of the month. you'd send me email, name, address, i'd match you up w/ someone, you'd send a handmade gift of some sort. any takers? i'll decide if it's for reals later on.

for november, i want to collect thanksgiving recipes....i was thinking of posting them all together for a reference of sorts. so if you have a favorite, please send it my way!!!

alright...check out the poll i have and answer honestly...

i hope to post photos tomorrow...for now, check out chris' flickr page...he's hooked!

i'm gonna hit the hay...eli has a fever and who knows what the night will hold!!! (if it's like stella's from saturday...it'll last 8 hours, end up with yuck in the trashcan, if you know what i mean, and then fine and dandy...we'll see.)

alrighty...thanks for hanging in there...this was a rambler!

birthday weekend...

2007-10-14T20:47:00.000-04:00

ooooohhhhhh am i tired! we've had a wonderfully exhausting weekend full of celebrating stella's fifth year! i will be so happy to share photos (i'm back to film) after they are developed! hopefully tomorrow...for now...i'm hitting the sack...

thank you to everyone that helped me and contributed to making stella feel so special...especially loren and rich...they gave their time, house, friendship...i love you guys!!!! and my sisters who supplied cake, snacks, nail polish, face painting...oh the joy!!! and my mama, who made caramel apples, marshmallow fairy-mushroom-snacks!

it was so great...but i'm seriously falling asleep right here...so off to bed and photos will be up soon!

ETA: 6:47pm ACTUAL: changing every minute

2007-10-07T19:02:00.000-04:00

so this is a desperate wife waiting anxiously for her hubby to come home. i think i've had it with the touring for now. it's been a busy year for it and i don't handle the temporary single-mom-ness well. anyway, i'm just jotting down my current neurosis because it is so funny....i wanted to see how chris' flight was doing...you know, on time, etc. so i googled JFK airport arrivals...at some point i ended up here where i've been SERIOUSLY watching his plane do circles over the ocean! stella and i are cracking up at the little red line behind the plane make little tiny OOOs...anyway...can't wait for him to be home!!! and according to flightstats...that'll be soon!!!

edited 7:16pm...landed on runway at 7:13. now...for the drive here from new york...
**sigh**

a week away to 5

2007-10-05T11:30:00.000-04:00

i can't believe my little girl will be 5 next week. i think it is a universal feeling that the fifth year is significant. some bridging over from toddlerhood into little-kid-ness. this year, stella has decided exactly how and what she wants her celebration to entail...we will be having the obligatory family ice cream and cake on friday night, the day after her "real" birthday, and the all girl outdoor fairy beauty shop party on sunday. what a combo. we've been gathering ideas and supplies for the girls tranformation...she wants them all to get fairy skirts (we'll be making those), flower face paint (aunt lura has to do it), painted nails (by aunt andrea), and fancy hair (any volunteers!!??) we are having a pink tulle fairy house all decorated with gathered pine cones, acorns, leaves and other findings from stella's outdoor gathering times. this is all her. and i love it.

something very fitting popped up last night over here...i bought mine promptly and hope it arrives in time for me to stitch it up for her! acorn fairy's must be in the air! stella collected acorn tops for hats for the clothespin doll fairies she wants to make. we'll use some wool for hair, glue on the acorn hat, draw a little face, dress her up with fabric scraps, make some feather wings...and voila! this will be the "craft" for the party.

did i mention she also wants to make her own lip gloss...??? we'll see about that!

oh dear...she is getting big!

anyway...we're off to pick up the car from the shop, grab some things at trader joe's and maybe get some more supplies at joann's. i'm hoping for a very productive weekend while chris is away in iceland! sigh...

also...did you notice i moved project of the month over here??? i'm hoping you'll still be inspired and email your photos to me to post in the sets...i jst can't manage 2 blogs right now! alrighty...have a great weekend! see you back here on monday!

change is on the way

2007-10-01T12:30:00.000-04:00

well...i'm in need of a new outlook...so keep your eyes peeled for a new blog look. changes in content, intent, and purpose! i'll be reexamining project of the month...it may be a goner, and just a feature here (you'll still get to craft-a-long!)...just really trying to get some new inspiration and focus...

thanks to everyone for the well-wishing, light-sending and prayer-requesting. it's helping in a big way.

i'm hoping the changes will be done and in effect by the end of the week...
stay tuned!

weekly update

2007-09-25T09:46:00.000-04:00

so that blog malaise is lingering...

truth is, my mind has been overly occupied with not so creative, more contemplative thoughts that don't lend themselves to blogging, ya know?

so...i thought i'd let you in on the mundane in my life:
1. we did switch totally to gdiapers and i love it. feel good about flushing it away and not piling it up in the landfill...sigh of relief!
2. we got some klean kanteens and a sigg for chris (inspired by rachel and others out there in blogland) i plan on making some kanteen kozies to spruce up the look (stella wishes for a sigg now because they are so cute!)
3. just finished watching season one of curb your enthusiasm. pretty funny. not stellar though.
4. also just watched grizzly man. bizarre and disturbing.
5. happy to find routine these days. i need it to keep my mind from spinning.
6. i'll be posting some photos soon of the apron and tea for 2 set i made for the women's auction at my family's church...happy to say it brought in some good cash thanks to a devoted fan!
7. has anyone ever done sitemeter or the like? you can see who visits your site when and from where and how they found you. interesting at first, freaky after you think about it for too long...but interesting nonetheless.

and here's an idea...maybe y'all should leave a comment saying hi so i can "meet" the people visiting my little blog...that would be fun, wouldn't it??? and i don't think i'm being sarcastic...really...

okie doke. hopefully fall will arrive here soon with crisp cool air and refresh my brain and spirits...needing some rejuvenation these days...so send some light my way, think happy thoughts, pray for some inspiration...

so dramatic, aren't i!!???

thanks for keeping me going girls...i'm still loving the updates on your blogs!!! makes me happy!