this and that

I can't believe that it's been over a week since I've been in this space (almost two!)  - This is a busy season...we've been busy with baseball,

Mckenzie's junior high play (she was fabulous...simply fabulous),

 and Maggie's AAU basketball season. 

 It's been a whirlwind of activity.  I'm enjoying being present no matter where I find myself.  This is a new thing for me.  The calendar which has typically stressed me out is slowly losing it's fear factor.  Instead of worrying about what's coming next, I'm learning to enjoy where I am.  When I look ahead at all of the filled in squares, I breathe a prayer of thanksgiving for the abundant life with which we've been blesed.  

A couple of weeks ago, I found a bit of time to sew some spring mug mats.  You might remember that I made some of these back in December and they were a huge hit! 

I was in need of a spring one and so I made up a couple of extra ones for birthday and thank you gifts.  These are a great way to use of scraps and feel good about completing something. 

I am also hot on the heels (get it?! ) of finishing my pleated ballet flats.  I have one foot done and I've learned so much.  I LOVE knitting on two circular needles.  This is so much faster than trucking around on 4 double points.  Watch this video and you'll get the gist of how it works.  I'm always amazed by people who can blaze a new trail with knitting....I'm simply a trail follower. 

I still have a bit to figure out with these flats because on one side I keep getting 'holes' where I hide my wraps.  I'm not sure what is happening there, but I know when I figure it out, I'll have learned something else new in regards to knitting.  It's a good thing I'm working on these now in spring....I might have them figured out by fall just in time to knit up some Christmas gifts.  Sheesh. 

I have a couple of Lolas cut out waiting for some sewing time....but that's about it.  My creative time has been swallowed up with driving to practices and rehearsals and games....but that's ok.  I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!  I hope that wherever you are, you're able to enjoy the moments that make up your days!  Have a great week friends. 

today

a glimpse into our day.  today. 

We are working on school....that involves every room of the house.  John Samuel is doing math fact practice at the dining room table, Maggie is writing a speech in the school room and Mckenzie has been reading in the craft room, studying science in her bedroom and doing spelling in the dining room.  She doesn't stay still long enough for me to get her picture. 

Someone is being tempted by cookies....I did manage to capture Kenzie as she was trying to sneak a cookie.  She is my carb lover.  I've gotta keep the cookies hidden or she'll snarf them up.  We bought these sugar cookies yesterday and they are almost gone..

These are the kids current literature reads.  From top to bottom-Maggie, Mckenzie and Jammer.  We don't typically have all biographies going at the same time, it just worked out that way.  Maggie and Mckenzie are both taking literature classes and their books were assigned by their lit teacher.  John Samuel's was from his reading curriculum.  I'm currently reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.  It's my next book for book club - I started it at baseball practice the other night, but didn't get very far. I kept getting distracted watching hitting and pitching practice. 

I've got dinner in the crock pot.  It's a chuck roast and the family will enjoy it without me.  Tonight is girl's night out!!  I'm meeting some friends for dinner and can hardly wait to see them all.  We try to get out once a month but we missed March and so it'll be fun to catch up with everyone over dinner. 

Molly is loving the sunshine.  She wants to be on the deck all day long, watching the squirrels and sniffing the air.  I don't blame her, I keep poking around the yard too, watching for the signs of new life in the flower beds.

I'm puzzling over the pattern for Pleated Ballet Flats....it was written assuming that the knitter knows how to knit from two circular needles and how to do short rows and hide the wraps.  I do not know how to do either of those things.  I've been watching videos and looking up information on those techniques.  I will figure it out....I'm determined.  (I have to admit it's fun in a challenging sort of way) I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

I'm wishing I had a pussy willow tree...I bought these at the grocery store and I love them so much.  They are in a crock on my hearth.  Sometimes I find the kids picking off the little fuzzies....stinkers!
I hope that whatever is going on in your life today that you find yourself blessed by the ordinary beauty that surrounds you.

along the way

Have you ever walked through a season littered with lessons?  I'm there.  right now.  Sometimes the lessons are delightful and I relish the new things I'm learning and other times I'd really rather look away than deal with the reality that is my ugly heart.  I've been deliberately crawling through this winter headed into what will inevitably become spring and I anxiously await for the new growth to show up on the trees and in my life.
Along the way I've been learning:

~to open my hands to whatever God gives...

~that I want to live fully not empty

~the height of my joy is found in the depth of my thanks

~hurry always empties a soul

~my hope is not in a calm, perfectly planned schedule-my hope is in Christ

~life is dessert and I need to savor it - life is not an emergency

Many of the lessons I've been learning have correlated perfectly to the reading that I've been doing as I work my way through Ann Voskamp's book,  one thousand gifts.  I'm so thankful for her insights and her honesty...If you have some time for cultivating new growth in your life I highly recommend her book. 

I'm so thankful for seasons of learning and new growth...even when the lessons come hard.  How about you....What are you learning right now in your life? 

settling back in

Settling back into a regular routine has been delightful. There's just something good about being back in your own bed and being able to make your own breakfast.  I can only endure continental 'eggs' for so many days. 

The basketball trip was a huge success....everyone who went (60+ parents, coaches and athletes) seemed to have a great time.  It's always fun to get to know the other parents in such a unique setting....you learn a lot about other people when you're schlepping from court to court and cheering your brains out until 11:30 at night.  It's quite the bonding time. 

 Both Varsity teams competed hard in their brackets.  The girls took second place and the boys placed third.  It was a week of perservering and learning to dig down deep. (for the adults as well as the athletes)  I'm so proud of all the kids, they displayed such character and handled the grueling days and nights extremely well. 

 Thanks for all the well wishes on my thumb ...I survived the week without knitting a stitch.  It's probably a good thing I didn't take any knitting, considering the lack of sleep that occurred, knitting may have proved quite dangerous.   My thumb is feeling better and now that it's baseball season, I'll have plenty of knitting time at the ball field!  

I've got the laundry almost caught up and we haven't eaten our meals off of a tray in three days... It's so true - there's no place like home! 

Flying the nest...

We're heading to a basketball tournament in Lynchburg, VA.  It'll be a week full of hoops, friends and lots of memories.  Molly and Barbara are holding down the fort while we're gone.  I've got our bags packed and the water is loaded into the back of the van.  And guess what, I'm not taking any knitting!  {gasp}  Apparently knitting all those dishcloths (5 in one week) gave me a case of tendonitis and I've got to rest my thumb for a while......extreme knitting, who knew!?!  So instead of purling my way down the highway,  I'll be taking pictures and doing a little bit of reading. 

As we fly the nest, I thought I'd leave you with some pictures of my lastest sewing project.  Lola.

 Isn't she adorable? Gingercake has the cutest patterns and I made Lola the owl for my god-daughter.  I'm not sure whether she'll be gifted for Easter or Christmas....?  I already have requests for three others.  The directions and the pattern were easy to follow and I loved the fact that once I paid with Paypal, I received the pattern right to my computer.   She's got a cute little pocket on her back, perfect for tucking in secret love notes or gift cards.  With less than a yard of fabric, I've got a great gift and I'm certain there will be more feathered friends in my future.    Have fun checking out Virginia's website, it's full of great projects and patterns and enjoy the remainder of your week - 'Owl' be back soon! 

my boys couldn't get it done..

My beloved Mountaineers couldn't pull out the win over Marquette in the Big East conference tournament.  It was a heart breaker.   

 photo from Big East.org

Even  though my team is one and done....I'm sure not.  I started knitting dishcloths at the beginning of the tournament and I've been knocking them off almost as quickly as the Mountaineers left the big Apple.  Three down and two more rounds of action to go....

I had an hour and a half to myself the other night.  Nobody was home except Molly the dog and me.  I was talking to my mom and she asked me what I was planning to do.  "Watch basketball and knit" was my reply. 

 I love this time of year and it doesn't even really matter to me who is playing. (Although I'd prefer for it to be WVU) I love all the action.  I've been watching the wins and losses and counting the dishcloths as they pile up. 

Even though my boys couldn't get it done...it won't stop me from getting the dishcloths done.  Let the March madness continue!  (although I may need to make a run for more cotton yarn....in between games of course!)

Gotta go...it's tip off time! 

blessing stockpile #1

I've been working on my ADVENTure bit by bit.  Thinking through my gift list and planning out some projects to work on ahead of the holiday rush might sound a bit over-achieverish...but I know that the reality is that I'm merely trying to get ahead of the curve and enjoy the process.  This first blessing stockpile is a January/February combo.  Some of these gifts took weeks to actually materialize.  (precisely why I mentioned the whole bit by bit detail)

Teacher pencil pouches:

These are gathered clutches by Noodlehead.  One is slimmer than the other because I didn't have enough of the pink fabric.  (Don't let things like fabric amounts deter you...just make due with what you've got when at all possible).  I really enjoyed Anna's step by step tutorial until I got to the final step and had some trouble getting the little zipper thingys to look right.  Eventually I caught on to the fact that YOU CAN'T SEW THROUGH THEM...you must sew BESIDE THEM.  (those capitals are my note to self) 

I lined them with some fun pops of color.  I plan on giving these with some Ticonderoga pencils (my favorite) and a gift card for the teachers in my kids lives. 

Feather and Fan dishcloth

This is my favorite dishcloth pattern.  I love to use varigated yarn with it as it always turns out so pretty.  However, following on the heels of my Diamond Cable Gilet...this little dishcloth was almost my undoing.  I frogged it 5 times.   Hello....was it worth it?  By the fifth time I was merely showing it who the boss was.  I won.  There will be more of these.  I have at least 4 people that I'm planning on gifting dishcloths and fancy soap.  

Dropped Stitch Pattern Scarf

I love how this turned out....but I didn't enjoy knitting it.  There are a lot of yarn overs and it required me to pay lots of attention.  Apparently I didn't want to give it all the attention that it required and it just made me want to get it done.  Now that it's done, I like it a lot.  The pattern wasn't hard...just picky. 

I used one skein of  Araucania, Ulmo Multy, in color #704 and size 7 needles. 

If you haven't started your own ADVENTure yet, I highly encourage you to join the fun.  Slowly, bit by bit you too can stockpile blessings that will make the holidays a lot more enjoyable.  Kristyn has even set up a flickr group where you can find even more inspiration. 

Diamond Cable Gilet

I completed my Diamond Cable Gilet...Before starting this project, I did not know that a gilet was a sleeveless jacket or vest.  Apparently they are to be worn as an outer layer of warmth.  Every time I knit a new piece I learn something new.  This vest was no exception.  Other than learning what a gilet was, I learned to keep track of when I began decreasing for shoulders and for the neck. (Trying to eyeball it just was not cutting it) My seaming skills also improved while putting this piece together. This site really helped me a lot.   

I really enjoyed this hand knit and I've worn it a couple of times since I finished it and after wearing it, I like it even more. Whew, that's always a relief.  Knitting is a bit gamble in so many ways.   Don't you hate when you finish knitting something and you really don't like it?  That's happened to me on more than one occasion. 

But, I guess that's the thing with knitting and life....it's the process that matters and what you learn along the way.  The shaping that happens is what makes it all worthwhile.  However, sometimes that shaping requires much patience and many attempts.  Ahhh, but enough philosophizing...

Here's the knitty gritty:

Pattern: Diamond Cable Gilet from Sirdar Winter Glamour booklet 339
Needles: US 9 and US 101/2 circulars
Yarn: Sirdar Click Chunky; cobble  I used 9 1/2 balls. 
Size: 32/34
Modifications:none

This yarn is a wool blend; it knit up wonderfully and has a great softness to it.  The price made it perfectly affordable as well.  I found the button at Michaels.  I thought it was just right.  (and it meant that I didn't have to run across town to the sewing shop!  bonus!) 

I have about 5 more projects in the Winter Glamour book that I'd like to make.  Now, it'll just be picking the yarn out.....and finding the time.  How about you, what's in your knitting basket right now?  Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy the process as much as the finished project. 

undefeated

I tried to come up with a clever title....

The Middle School girl's team that Mckenzie plays on and that John coaches finished their season with a conference record of 17-0 and a banner for winning playoffs.  It was a great season.  Not just because they had a winning record, but because they made new friends, worked together as a team through good and bad times and they shared the good news everywhere they went. 

They really were a FORCE this year.  Mckenzie was named to the all-tournament team and I think she was as surprised as anyone when they called her name.  She played great this year and I couldn't be more proud of her than I was when I saw her reach down and help another player from another team up off the floor.  She's got guts of steel and a heart of gold. 

 And my vote goes to Coach Quick for Coach of the Year!  I figured out that he's coached 36 middle school games this season.  That's a lot of jump balls!  Anyways, I'm so proud of both of them.  They are both winners in my book! 

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing FORCE  is from God

and not from us."

 2 Corinthians 4:7