Lexicon Project: Help

Joining House Full of Jays and The Mayberry Home Journal for a fun photography project.

help with the hens

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny from Small Things for the weekly Wednesday Yarn Along!

doll sweaters completed

my shalom all done

pebble vest for my nephew

 Knitting has been a bit slow. I finished up my Shalom sweater and I love it. I think maybe it is a bit small, but it still looks great. So happy with it. I thought I might run a bit low on yarn so I ordered another skein but I ended up not needing it, so I have been toying with making a little Shalom for Fiona. I also knitted up three little doll sweaters for Cae, Rowan and Fiona's "Little Friend dolls".  Now the dollies are all warm and snug. And last but not least I started another Pebble Vest for my nephew. My sister in law said she loved the last one, but wee baby Zach has out grown it and she wanted another one. LOVE! I tell you when someone asks for a knitted goodness for a wee babe, I am all over it. I think I might have enough yarn to make a pair of wee baby socks as well (a first) I hope to have it all finished by next weekend so I can give it to him then, before he out grows it again.
I have not been reading much of anything, which isn't good. I need to find a good book to get in to again.

Winter sky

I decided that the kids and I should take a daily walk around the neighborhood. I took the camera along because the sky was just so amazing today. I have to admit I have been very inspired as of late with all the amazingly beautiful photographs I see on my favorite blogs. So many very talented people out there taking stunning photos. 

It was a lovely walk. It was nice to get out, we have had three days of rain here, which is pretty rare. The air was so clean and crisp, the temperature was in the low 50's and there was a nice cold breeze. It felt like winter again. We listened for birds, watched the clouds, talked about the garden, and balanced on low walls. It was very, very nice.

Two today

fiona just moments old

fiona now

Fiona turns two years old today. TWO YEARS OLD!? How did that happen? Wasn't I just pregnant with her, wasn't she just born? How did two years go by so fast... when the days can seem so long. And yet, here we are celebrating two. Two wonderful years, two years with a total sweetheart who just makes your heart melt into a puddle. Two years where even my youngest son has grown into an amazing big brother all because of the delightfulness of Miss Fiona Rosy. She truly brings out the very best in all of us. She is funny, persistent, loving, cuddly, book loving, dancing, music fanatic. I feel so blessed that this sweet soul picked us to call family. Happy Birthday baby girl.

{ This Moment }

Joining Amanda Soule from Soulemama for This Moment. A single photograph from the week. A moment I wish to pause, savor, and remember.

The Lexicon Project: Shadow

Joining House Full of Jays and Mayberry Home Journal for a fun photography project.

shadow legs

Life

our last fire

fiona enjoying 1 is One

sunny day dance

sunshine

bubbles

basketball

helping dad with chicken yard

kitty cat

taking dolly for a walk

chicken yard with flags

fiona feeding the girls

meal worm delight

Wow, it has been over a week since I posted last. Life sure gets weird sometimes. The weather has just been amazing and we have been out in it. The three day weekend was busy and so nice to spend with daddy. There never seems to be enough of those days, just all of us together.
Life is wild and weird like that, so much of what you want most is shoved to the back burner so other things just take over. We have had some major talks here about what is most important and what we want to do with this life of ours; how we see things progressing and which paths we wish to continue on and which paths we are just going to stop pursuing. It is really comforting to know that after all of this time together we can still talk, make plans, and love each other deeply even if what we see our future becoming isn't always the exact same and how we can come to some sort of common ground.
Marriage can be hard work sometimes, but it is so worth the effort. How did I get so lucky? This man I married may drive me nutty at times, but his love for me is so strong and deep that no matter what sort of silliness is going on I know he is my rock.
It is so lovely to be married to your soulmate.

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny from Small Things for the weekly Wednesday Yarn Along!

doll sweater

fiona's tunic/dress

rainbow dolly sling

my selfish knit... a shalom sweater

Well, the knitting has been going well. I finished up Fiona's rainbow tunic/dress from last week. My dear friend reminded me on how to do the mattress stitch, I can never seem to remember how to do that. I think it came out really well. I also started and finished up one of Fiona's birthday gifts, a knitted dolly sling, and I also made a wee little sweater for her birthday doll a "Little Friend" doll from Nova Natural Toys. I found a sweet little pattern for one, super simple, Cae and Rowan want sweaters made up for their dolls as well. So I have small projects to work on while I work on my BIG project. I am making myself a Shalom sweater. I had been toying making an Annabel sweater for myself, but when I was looking around on Ravelry for some thing to knit I saw the Shalom and was hooked. It has a bit of a challenge for me in the yoke area and I love it. A new thing to learn. So much fun. I am hoping I have enough of the purple yarn, I decided to double up the yarn so I have about 440 yards to work with. I might need to order another skein of yarn, but we will see.
I am reading a wee little book I got for Mike at Christmas... "Practicing Peace in a Time of War". It is an amazing book. Talking all about how we try to make peace, but we fail because we come at in violently, even in our own homes. All we want is peace and yet we yell, and scream and act mean. Not a good way to get to peace.

Nap time

Sweet dreams my dear sweet baby girl.

* Gratitude Sunday *

Joining Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots for a weekly Sunday ritual  Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slowdown, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.

playing with blocks

dancing with big brother

~ I am so grateful for this cold snap we are having, winter here in Arizona can be very short and very mild, this last week it has actually felt wintry.

~ EGGS! One of our hens has laid two eggs this week, it is very exciting considering they are older girls and we are in the middle of winter.

~ Being able to talk to my husband about a difficult subject, even though we are not agreeing, we can still talk, and love each other completely.

~ My oldest son, who is such a wonderful big brother.

~ Having little areas all over the house that the kids can play in.

~ Rainbow jump ropes

~ Finding just the right pattern to knit... something BIG for myself.

~ Actually having to put my word of the year into practice.

~ Having an amazing friend who is also a wonderful knitter.

~Having great friends who always listen and let me cry on their shoulders.

~ Bright happy daisies from Trader Joe's, always good for a mood boost.

~ Paying off the orthodontist.

~ Documentaries on food, even though they can be scary... it is good to know the information is out there.

~ A nice cozy sofa, a shawl, and a warm kitty. (I sound like an old lady.)

 

{ This Moment }

Joining Amanda Soule from Soulemama for a weekly ritual. A single photograph from the week. A moment I wish to pause, savor, and remember.

On breastfeeding

For the last 18 years I have been breastfeeding or pregnant (or both) pretty much most of the time. Over those years my desire to be part of this... this birthing and breastfeeding business has just grown. For many years becoming a midwife was a passion of mine, but I just could not see a way to make it work with in my life. I really wanted to be home with my own babies, but still some how help other women, help other babies. Child birth education? Maybe. LLL Leader? Yes (working on that right now). But I am also an RN and have worked at least part time for many of the last 18 years and I wanted to use that degree in some way. I am not so hip on the whole hospital business, but I think those mamas need the help most of all. When the average IBCLC is pushing formula... I want to be better than that, to do better by those mamas who put their trust in the medical establishment. I want to help them in a meaningful way. What better way to help women and babies then to get them off on the right foot when it comes to breastfeeding. Nursing a baby can be such a lovely experience, it has many wonderful benefits for both baby and mom and well it is usually such a beautiful, magical experience (maybe not every single day, but most days).
So I am off on this journey to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. I can use all the years in nursing school for part of it, I will be able to use the many hours of working with breastfeeding mamas in the LLL as part of it, the last part... the breastfeeding education part of it, well that is the part I am working on. To sit for the exam I must take classes that are OK'd by the IBCLE. They must follow the IBCLE exam blueprint. I am asking just this one time, if you feel compelled to help in anyway, it would mean so much to me. I have a widget on my blog that goes to my GoFundMe account. You can pop over there and check it out and donate if the mood strikes you. I promise I will not say another word about this.
Many many blessings!

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny from Small Things for the weekly Wednesday Yarn Along!

what i'm reading

what i am knitting

my fluffy mail!

what i finished

I finished up the shawl I unraveled last week. It turned out well, nice and cozy. I started on a spring/summer top/maybe dress for Fiona. I am using this pattern which is a super easy knit. I decided to use some cotton yarn I already had in a rainbow of bright "sherbet" colors (that is what my dear husband called them). It is coming along really quickly, especially when I am watching the holiday episode of Call the Midwife.
Yesterday when the mail arrived I was so happy to see my Jimmy Beans order had arrived. So much lovely squishy wooly, silky, bambooy, goodness. The yarn for Fiona's doll sling is here, and a bunch of lovely purple wool. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my purple yarn but I have been toying with maybe making MYSELF a sweater. Maybe an Annabel Cardi. When Tracey at Clover knitted up 5 of them for Christmas, well I was inspired. I am not a "selfish" knitter, I tend to knit for others, but I must admit it is a bit disheartening when all the work is for not, well it makes one want to be a "selfish" knitter. I know I will wear the cardi, socks, shawls, mittens, hats, etc. The only person I knit for at the moment who wears what I make is Fiona... and to be honest sometimes she doesn't have a choice. LOL Being not yet two, sometimes mama just picks out the sweater vest and leg warmers, and warm wooly hat.
On the bedside table is Flight Behavior, I am still enjoying this book a lot. Barbara Kingsolver is such a beautiful writer. And I picked up my copy of Buddhism for Mothers. Someone in the Yarn Along last week was reading it and that reminded me that maybe I could use a refresher. We have been having some pre-teen tensions as of late, nothing too major, but this mama can use all the help she can get.
So, what are you knitting and reading?

~Weekending~

Joining Amanda from The Habit of Being for weekending.

a dress of Audrey's we found that now fits fiona.

I feel like this weekend passed in a wild busy blur. A good part of Saturday I spent taking my Mother in Law to her many shopping destinations, which is fun, yet exhausting. I am not a big shopper. And hitting four shops, one of which is Costco can leave a person pooped out. While I was out with MIL, Mike and the kids invented a new game called "Nutball" because to play it you must be a little nuts, plus the rules are all nutty as well. You hit a waffle ball with a small wooden dowel, run and jump into an empty kiddy pool (first base), the swing on a rope into a hola hoop (2nd base), at third base you must draw a picture on the chalk board that consists of at least three lines (unless you are 5 or under and then it can be just one line), and touch homeplate with out being tagged with the ball... which must be held in two hands behind your back. there are no teams, just everyone takes a turn at bat. Very fun to play, funner to watch. Sunday was all about cleaning the house. Bathrooms cleaned, 5 loads of laundry done, floors mopped, swept and vacuumed, rooms tidy, stuff put away. And some how with all that going on Mike and I got two hours to go out to lunch using a gift card Mike got from a co-worker. Those couple hours are really a recharge, so nice. Then Sunday evening we loaded up all Audrey's stuff and Mike took her back to the dorms. And here we are Monday morning, the start of another week. Here is to another awesome bunch of days.

* Gratitude Sunday *

Joining Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots for a weekly Sunday ritual. Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.

~ I am so grateful for the three weeks we have had with Audrey home, I am just a bit sad that vacation is over and she is back at college again. It was so lovely to have everyone at home again.
~ Sunny cool day
~ Mike spending Saturday with the kids making up a new sport... nutball
~ Finding time to read a really good book
~ Time to knit, but not at a manic pace, just working slowly on a project... a project for myself
~ Time to due some sewing for Fiona's up coming 2nd Birthday
~ Bacon, bacon, bacon
~ Our local rancher
~ Finding a dress that use to belong to Audrey and now fits Fiona, talk about flash backs
~ Watching Sagan enjoy reading "The Hobbit"
~ Surprise money
~ A clean house
~ Watching fun movies late at night with my man

{ This Moment }

Joining Amanda Soule of Soulemama. This moment, a single photograph from the week, a moment I wish to pause, savor, and remember.

Yarn Along

fiona's vest

audrey's shawl

Joining Ginny from Small Things for the weekly Wednesday Yarn Along.

While on vacation I knitted Fiona a vest using this pattern which I used to make both Cae's and Sagan's Christmas vests. And because I was very unhappy with how Audrey's techicolor dream shawl turned out (just too small) I unraveled the whole thing and reknit it using larger needles. It is almost twice the size, which means way more cozy. I also finished up my mystery gift just before we left town, and the shawl turned out great and was well received. I don't have a photo of it for some reason. I also unraveled my shawl (the Autumn  one) and am reknitting it with larger needles. I am a bit at a loss as to what to do now that my power knitting is all done. I got a couple free patterns, I might try a pair of socks, I started a pair sometime last year but really got all scattered when I got to the heel turn. One of my goals for this year is to push myself to try new things. And I think socks is a great place to start. I also want to learn to cable and to do fair isle knitting. So next Christmas could be very exciting!
My dear loving husband got me books for Christmas! I am currently reading Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. Like all of her books it is hard for me to put down. I am really loving it. While on vacation I read Let it Snow, I love that book. We got it for Audrey 4 years ago for Christmas and I have read it every Christmas since, I guess it is my Christmas read. Mike also got me a book by Oliver and S "Little Things to Sew" which is just full of cute things to make. I am working on a couple projects for Fiona's 2nd birthday, I am going to make her a bag to hold her goodies in, the one from Amanda Soule's first book; a quilt for her doll (we will be getting her one for her birthday, she is always stealing her brothers baby dolls) and I found a really neat looking doll sling pattern which I want to knit up in this yarn. Maybe if there is time I might try and sew up matching skirts for Fiona and her doll. (Is that weird??)