Seven Quick Takes

Go visit Jen for more quick takes.

 

~1~

I have to write this one first because I just can't keep it in- our worries about Superman's job came to fruition. His company is closing the location where he works in just a few weeks. This news came to us Friday afternoon last week and to be honest, it was not a great weekend. Superman has been applying for jobs for a few months now with very few bites. On Monday a friend of his mentioned a job possibility to check out. Superman called that day, interviewed on Tuesday and was hired in the interview! We are so fortunate to not have a gap in his employment right now.

~2~

A little more knitting over the weekend will hopefully provide me with finished mittens and a turned sock heel. Perhaps a few more rows on the Talia vest too?

~3~

We made a visit to my local yarn shop and they surprised us with the BEST. THING. EVER- a basket full of trains! They added a little play corner with wooden train pieces like the ones at our house. Ezra's eyes lit up and what I thought would have to be a quick "run in and grab the 1 thing I need actually became a 30 minute browse. The shop was even thoughtful enough to place the play corner in the one corner of the shop you can see from all but one place, so I really did get to look around while still keeping an eye on the boys.

~4~

After several weeks purposely not thinking about Kindergarten plans I *am* starting to think about Kindergarten for next fall again. I've been thinking especially about a few of Sarah's posts on simplicity and over thinking education that have stayed with me. After the time spent focusing on the present, all of that reading I did on the subject is starting to filter out into the things that are important to us to include in our home in the coming year. We are praying for guidance. I'm sure I'll be posting more about this in the weeks to come.

~5~

Ender announced at dinner the other night that he is going to be a writer when he grows up. "Writing stories is really fun," he tells us. Daddy casually says, "You know what will help you to be a good writer? Reading a lot of good books." Ender frowned at him and said, "Daddy, you don't have to read to write words down. You just have to think really hard and your pen will just know the words."

If only it were that easy, right?

~6~

I looked at the boys the other day and realized that their pants are about an inch short. When did that happen? Maybe that's the crankiness explosion we've had in the last few weeks- growth spurts! Come to think of it, they HAVE been eating like teenagers . . .

~7~

Just one week from tomorrow my sister will be married! They are having a very small family only ceremony. Ender is pretty happy that he will not serve as ring bearer this time- he's already been in 5 weddings for uncles and aunts. In fact, the first question he asked after I told him his aunt was getting married was, "do I have to stand up there again?" *insert pouty 4-year-old voice here* He practically did the dance of joy when I told him he was off the hook.

February Knits

Elizabeth Zimmeman's 36 stitch Mittens:

 

Toe-Up socks (basic ones, no fancy patterns this time):

 

 

And a Talia vest:

 

I took these pictures on Sunday (when again, there was not a drop of sunshine to be had) to document my current knitting projects and since then the gusset is about 2 rows from being done on that sock, I'm past the thumb trick on the Elizabeth Zimmerman mittens and almost ready to start the end decreases, and I've added a few rows to the Talia vest.

The Talia vest is something I have to focus on somewhat. The chart isn't particularly difficult since the 10 stitch repeat on each row is pretty easy to memorize, but I do have to keep track of where I am unlike the mindless stockinette of the sock gusset, and even the mitten. On the mitten I knit where the knit stitches are and purl where the purl stitches are- easy. So I've been saving Talia for certain times where I can really concentrate on it- it's going to be a slower knit just because I can only really work on it a few times a week right now. Each row goes fairly quick for being 188 stitches though.

The Elizabeth Zimmerman Mittens have been fun and actually pretty easy once I worked out the bit of math in the beginning. I'm still thinking about which EZ pattern I'd like to try next. It's the big projects that attract me (like the February baby sweater, the raglan sweater, etc.) but I feel like I need to do at least one more smaller thing with her "pithy patterns" before I commit to a big sweater. Perhaps the Mocassin Socks?

Forecast

The forecast for the next few days is the same as the last few: freezing rain, snow, and mostly cloudy skies. Of course, that's on top of the ice we already have.

Oh, February.

The unordinary addition to this week is that I only teach two days instead of the usual five. We already had special plans for the week- cookie making, painting, some experiments that Ender has planned and other projects, but some will have to be put on hold until we can get out and about again.

So there will be knitting and other kinds of making, cuddling on the couch with a stack of books (the universe seems to be the theme around here, emphasis on planets), several games of checkers, and probably popcorn and hot chocolate.

Perhaps LOTS of hot chocolate.

And I will nervously wait for each check-in call from my husband since he is out driving in this mess for work. It takes twice as long to get anywhere, and he drives all day long already. The knitting helps me wait more on the patient side than the anxious one.

Seven Quick Takes

Go visit Jen for more Quick Takes.

 

~1~

I finished the Thorpe hat Wednesday night and finished the first of my 36 stitch mittens. It's my first real Elizabeth Zimmerman knit- thought I'd start small. I've been reading looking through Knitting Without Tears and the Knitter's Almanac again and I keep coming back to the seamless raglan sweater, but I'm a little nervous to try something so big. I'm also really interested in the classic February baby sweater, and that might be a better (smaller!) place to start.

~2~

I finished the second Percy Jackson novel last night and started the third. I suppose sometimes it takes a good YA book to get me reading again. Ender and I started The Wizard of Oz too. Ezra wanders in and out of our reading together and Superman joins in when he can. I can't wait until the boys are a little older and I can share some of my very favorite books with him. The Wizard of Oz is just the beginning.

~3~

The tornado fascination is beginning to wane here. After checking with all of his aunts, uncles and grandparents to make sure they had a safe place to go in their house in case of a tornado, Ender decided that he knows enough to move on. He pulled a bunch of space books at the library this week and moved on to planets.

~4~

I've been looking through sewing books planning ahead a little for spring and summer sewing. I think I'm going to be working mostly from Cal Patch's book Design-It-Yourself Clothes and Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross on clothes for myself, and Ender really needs shorts for summer. Sometimes I swear he has visibly grown in just one day.

~5~

I pulled out garden books and seed catalogues a few weeks back, and Ender just saw the stack the other day. He went through and marked everything he'd like to plant. With his plan I think we'd need a full acre. Seeing as how we container garden, I don't think he'll get everything he wants. I'm still sorting out and getting a plan in place, but one thing is sure- Ender has his own container this year.

~6~

Ezra has gotten into the habit of adding "really really" to many of his sentences as "weally weally". As in "I weally weally don't want to go to bed!" and "I weally weally don't want green beans!"

It's hard not to laugh at this kid ALL. THE. TIME.

~7~

Next week is a short work week for me and next weekend Superman and I get a little bit of free time to celebrate our anniversary. It is hard to believe we have had nine years together. We've been going back and forth for the last few weeks trying to decide what to do since we will have a whole day together without kids for the first time in a long time- maybe a movie?

Making a New Way

Ender was conceived after nearly 5 years of trying, including a few runs with Clomid. When we finally found out that I was pregnant, I spent the months of my pregnancy filled with joy, even on my most nauseous day. FINALLY the baby we had prayed so long for!

I worried that maybe I wouldn't bond right away, that maybe he wouldn't love me, but when he was born, I was overcome with a love and sense of fulfillment that I can't aptly describe.

 

He was beautiful; he was mine.

 

I was so afraid to be home alone with him at first. I watched him sleep when I should have been sleeping myself for fear something would happen to him if I looked away for half a second. I cried as I tried to find time for a shower, for a moment of quiet, for a moment free from the stress of taking care of someone else's life. I loved him so much, and at the same time I was filled with fear that I would mess up somehow, that the tiniest thing would lead to disaster.

 

It took a few months to really feel secure, but motherhood has felt more and more certain to me since Ender's birth and has completely changed me in countless ways. I wish someone had walked alongside me through those first months to let me know that I was doing fine, that I was learning and growing with my son, that the beginning is hard because it is a monumental change. I suppose I had this expectation that motherhood would feel a little easier to settle into. I knew it would be hard to adjust at first- it's a big change! Everywhere I looked people painted idyllic images of motherhood and I suppose I expected that to be true.

 

I really identified with Angela in her post about reading The gift of the Ordinary Day. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one who has non-peaceful days with my boys, and Angela's (who has 5 boys, 1 girl and another coming) words about women who do not acknowledge the messes of life stayed with me after the first read. Do we do other women, specifically soon-to-be and new mothers a disservice by talking only about the good parts of life?

 

In this space I choose to write about and document certain parts of our life- crafting, education, books, and other fun things, because those are the things we want to carry forward with us. I suppose it's where I choose to set my focus. Keeping the focus on the nights awake with sick toddlers, arguing between brothers, pouting in a hiding place, or the messy corners would keep me mired in the problems of this moment instead of setting my sights on the ways my boys are growing and changing, the places they are going, the grace in which we live. So I try to acknowledge the "messes of life" (to which the answer seems to be GET OUTSIDE right now!) and move us on to the next place.

 

I focus here on the things we want to remember,  mostly the cool things, occasionally the stuff of the moment, because it informs who we are and where we are going.

 

The messes too.

Olympic Knitting

 

I've been diligently spending my evening knitting time on my Olympic knitting project, 1 row at a time. I think I have a good handle on the stranding now. I got down to the earflaps last night- another half hour or so and I think I will be done!

 

 

My apologies for not so great lighting in these pics- we haven't seen the sun in weeks.

In retrospect I probably should have picked something a little more difficult, but I really didn't expect to finish this quickly with it. I have had such a mental block about attempting stranding that I was SURE I would be struggling to finish by the end of the Olympics. I can tell you without a doubt that I wouldn't have tackled stranding or chart reading without the push of a time limit because I've been "going to try" both for several months now and have been too afraid of the techniques.

So after I finish up the hat tonight, I'll be finishing my EZ 36 stitch mittens, and knitting a bit on the second of the red toe-up socks. I'm at the gusset and we'll see how much length I can add tonight.

Next cast-on?

The Candy Cane hat from Handknit Holidays for Ender since he picked it out after seeing the Pixie hat I made for his cousin.

Weekend Wrap Up

For Valentine's Day weekend we:

:: Made sugar cookies and fettucine alfredo. Not together, but both yummy.

:: Painted a LOT.

:: Packed a lunch and had a picnic in the living room.

:: Ender and I made silly sentences together. It was kind of meant to encourage him to use the sightwords he knows, but it was too funny to be considered any kind of work.

:: I started on the Thorpe hat for olympic knitting. I'm 13 rows in and keep whispering to myself to keep the stranding loose. My husband thinks I'm losing my mind.

:: Baby Lucas was released from the hospital and the boys met him for the first time. It was quite the lesson in patience and calm for Ezra, but he did great.

:: Mama resisted the urge to cast on something else. There are already 3 things on the needles, and if I keep casting on I'll *never* finish anything!

:: Finished all the laundry from the week by Saturday night so there was NOTHING to finish up or put away on Sunday. That felt great!

:: We started reading Pippi Longstockings together a few pages at a time. Ender would listen as long as I could read, but Ezra is not so patient yet.

:: Little boys had grandparent time so Mama and Daddy could have a little Valentine's dinner. I don't think they even knew we were gone.

Seven Quick Takes

Join Jen at Conversion Diary for more quick takes.

 

~1~

I joined in on Olympic knitting: Here with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's group and over at Ravelry too. My project is the Thorpe hat. It includes 2 techniques I haven't used before- stranding and reading a chart. We'll see how this goes!

 

~2~

Do children outside of tornado alley play "I think I see a twister over there!" ?

Just my kid, you say?

I should have known.

Tornadoes have been on Ender's mind all week and he declared it his new project.  We found a DK Eyewitness book about Weather that has led him into wanting to know about all kinds of weather. The really cool thing? He's so interested in this project that he asked the librarian for help on his own for the first time. She did look at him (and me) a little funny at first, but showed him where to look for weather books.

And just so you know- "REAL tornadoes can't happen in the winter but "snow tornadoes" can. They're really hard to see though. Most grown-ups can't see them."  Ender is a fount of obscure information. 

~3~

The boys get to meet their new cousin this weekend. My sister K is being released from the hospital some time this evening and she invited the boys to come see baby Lucas sometime this weekend. They have seen pictures of him and Ezra is getting pretty good at saying his name- "woo-cussssssss". For some reason he holds onto the "s" for ages! It's very cute. 

~4~

I've seen enough recommendations of The Craft of Baking in the last few weeks that I finally got a copy from our library. WOW- I think I found the book I'm going to bake through this spring/summer. Ender practically started tagging pages for me, so that was a pretty good sign.

 

~5~

My mom gave me a huge bag of yarn- a lot of it is mystery yarn, but I think I'll figure it out. There's everything in there from super fine to super bulky- I've already assigned some yarn for socks, and I think there is enough between two colors in there for a baby sweater for my new little nephew.

 

~6~

Anyone remember that non-verbal toddler I had just a few months back? We were scheduled to go back for a re-evaluation on Ezra's speech this month, but I'm pleased to say that there's no need now. Ezra needed to be putting 3 words together by this month and in the last 3-4 weeks he's moved into at least a few full sentences a day. It's still a lot of pieced together words for most of his communication, but a few times a day he pulls out a complete correct sentence. It's really nice to hear after worrying about him this long.

 

~7~

I'm in a reading slump. I've read about 3 chapters of 3 or 4 different books and nothing is working. I'm still waiting on the next Percy Jackson book from the library and I'm out of historical fiction. Boo-hoo, right? Having nothing to read just means that I'm knitting even more, as if that's possibility. Knitting is about all I'm doing right now outside of work and caring for littles. Suggestions anyone? I'm willing to try anything to find a good book!

Little Jayne

 

Meet Little Jayne- the hat Ezra has taken over. Ender changed his mind and decided on a different pattern for his hat, but Ezra *loves* having a hat just like daddy.

 

This is just the smaller size of the Jayne hat I made for Superman. To quote the pattern designer "I feel that to make it a better hat (with really nice yarn, or without the loose strings which dangle from the ear flaps) is to miss the point." So it's supposed to be a little bunchy and "off". I made my Jayne hats with Redheart supersaver yarn as the pattern calls for and they were really fast knits. I had to make some number adjustments to the pattern for Superman's hat (the man has a strangely shaped head), but Ezra's fit great in the smallest listed size.

 

*** And a baby update! baby Lucas was born yesterday in the late afternoon. My sister K ended up having a c-section for her son and everyone is happy and healthy! ***

Ender's Guitar

Last week Ender made a rockin' guitar.

 

 

Ender has been playing on my guitar a little bit in the last few weeks and when he saw the project for this guitar in 50 Science Things to Make and Do, he announced "this is my project today!"

 

We used a shoe box, a paper towel roll, about 8 rubber bands and LOTS of duct tape. Add on a sharpie to draw strings on the guitar neck and you have a guitar! The duct tape strap was his own invention, and he made a duct tape loop on the end so it can be removed from the neck of the guitar.

 

**and a quick update on K's baby- the induction didn't work; they're trying again this morning. Maybe a nephew today? It would be a cool birthday 02/10/2010. :) We're hoping for that birthday since all the cousins so far have a double number like that in their birthdate. :)

Stella Pixie Hat

 

I finished this Stella Pixie Hat in the last two weeks but just last  night put the button on. I made it with a super soft wool/cotton blend for my soon-to-be-here nephew! Hopefully there will be shots of an actual baby in the hat very soon.

This Week

:: Our family is playing "secret valentine". We're trying to find loving things to do for the people in our family without that person seeing what we're up to.

 

:: We're making valentines for our out-of-town family. I think water colors or tempras might be the tool of the day.

 

:: This sounds and looks amazing. It's on our list for Saturday's cooking schedule.

 

:: We're choosing from Valentine's Day projects at the Crafty Crow- whatever strikes us as interesting that day!

 

:: As I'm learning more about quilting I'm learning a ton about using color. I'm a simple gal when it comes to color and I tend toward the same colors again and again. One of the things I've been trying to do in the last few months is to branch out to other color families and extend the palette of colors I draw on. I really love the color combo in this quilt from Oh Fransson! So not something I would have combined on my own, but I really love how it works and it has given me some interesting ideas for a future project. I've been sketching. :)

 

:: We will be welcoming a new cousin this week! He was due awhile ago and his mother (my sister K) is VERY ready to meet him. Her doctor isn't willing to let her go any longer overdue so K is being induced tonight. We're praying for good health and a manageable labor for her first child. Hopefully there will be yummy baby pictures in this space soon!

Seven Quick Takes

Check out other Quick Takes at Jen's place. 

 

~1~

My in-laws are taking us to New York City next summer as a graduation gift to my husband. When they asked what we wanted to see while we were there, Superman said the usual stuff- central park, the Statue of Liberty, maybe a Yankees game . . .

I really just want to go to PurlSoho. I've been to the city before and done the touristy stuff. I *really* just want the chance to spend a week an afternoon in that store!

 

~2~

Ender asked me yesterday:  "Mama, what's your favorite opposite?"

I had never really thought about that before so I went with "left and right."

He frowned at me and shook his head. "I thought you'd say inside and outside. That's really the best one."

Ooooookay . . .

 

~3~

I received a copy of Design-It-Yourself Clothes by Cal Patch the other day thanks to a misplaced amazon gift card from Christmas. I think the entirety of my spring and summer sewing will revolve around this book, save a brief excursion into pants for little boys that grow far too quickly.

I've made a few items for myself, but almost exclusively skirts. I'm ready to branch out a litle bit and I think this is the book to help me do it.

 

~4~

I started knitting new socks Wednesday night. I was supposed to start on a hat for myself next, but when I knit my swatch I realized I need to go up a needle size and it's the one size of DPNs I don't have. Obviously I needed another project to last me until I can get to the store for needles and this yarn was calling to me.

I lost the tag for the yarn so I can't even tell you about the yarn except that I really love how it's knitting up and that I bought it at my LYS last year on my anniversary. (Yes, Superman took me yarn shopping for our anniversary. We did manly guy stuff at Bass Pro too.)

 

~5~

Ezra is on day 5 of full-time underwear wearing! Except for a minor setback where he thought in one wild moment that he could pee anywhere he wanted (like in the track of the sliding glass door?!?!?) he's doing really well!

 

~6~

I know this is appalling for a supposedly education-oriented blog (For the record, I kind of laugh when people refer to this place that way since it's such a hodge podge record of our life) but we've done NOTHING for 2 weeks. Well, I shouldn't say nothing. Ender made a really cool guitar out of rubber bands, a shoe box, a paper towel roll and an unholy amount of duct tape. He has also been making plans for a few experiments out of 50 Science Things to Make and Do for us to do this weekend. The kid is serious- he has a supply pile going.

This is survival mode for me- I'm getting done what I must and spending the free time with my kids and knitting away the hours after they're in bed before Superman is home from work or class. Knitting totally chills me.

 

~7~ 

And the reason for survival mode is that we're waiting to hear about Superman's job- he may or may not have one six weeks from now. He's been very actively looking for other work since the announcement was made at the beginning of the year, but there are an awful lot of people looking right now just like he is. Hence, heavy prayer and lots of stress-relieving knitting on my end. Thank goodness my mother recently donated to my yarn stash or you'd find me a few weeks from now frogging finished work just to have something to knit again.

Yesterday's Lessons

1.

If you congratulate yourself out loud for completing something really big, a problem with the project will pop up that will take up the rest of your day.

And probably some of the next day too.

2.

Boys who have been doing things the EXACT SAME WAY for several months sometimes change their minds and start new patterns. They do NOT feel that they should have to inform you of said changes.

Roll with it.

3.

If you congratulate yourself out loud for something child-related I guarantee that the very opposite will happen practically the second the words have left your mouth. This opposite will occur while you're still speaking if you're telling another adult about the "success".

4.

Knitting at 2 a.m. is only a good idea if you want to start the next morning by undoing the previous night's work.

5.

Little boys have the very best cling-to-your neck hugs, even in the middle of the night.

Journey

It is hard to believe that my baby sister will be married in a few short weeks- the last of the sisters married off, just one last brother to go now.

 

We threw a simple shower for our sister not long ago and after praying and eating and teasing her over lingerie just to see her blush one more time, the evening settled and a more earnest conversation began concerning the dreams for our marriages, our families, our children here and the ones still to come.

At one point my sister looked straight at me and asked me for the best advice I could give her. I've been married the longest (9 years in just a few weeks) and perhaps that made me seem to be the best person to ask.

I told her to pray daily for her husband and for grace in the coming days. Work through your own faults before finding his (which you will never get to because you will forever be working through your own), dream together of the familiy culture you'd like to create and take the steps to make it happen.

Prepare now to journey alongside each other for the rest of your lives.

It is a journey isn't it? Stepping forward together, praying for sufficient grace for the sorrows we face and the victories we see, not really knowing where we will be 10, 20, 30 years later. We walk with each other to face whatever will come with the strength of two rather than one.

We prayed together, all the sisters, over the marriage of the youngest among us. For their missions work, for the children they hope to have, for the life they are choosing to walk together. For the journey they will soon begin.

February Daybook

Outside my window…  

it LOOKS like spring, but it's so cold that walking outside sucks the breath out of you. Thank goodness spring is in the distance.

I am thinking… 

about knitting constantly these days. I've finished several things in the last few days (including the Stella Pixie hat seaming and a second Jayne hat) and I'm ready for a new cast on tonight. Most likely a hat for myself , but I also haven't knit socks in awhile so I'm thinking about that . . .

I am thankful for…

a family that prays. We wait and we pray, together and apart.

Always Learning…

books, books, and lots of books. We're still reading about winter and hibernation, but we also picked up some simpler books about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for president's day. We are suspending most of our Montessori work this week for something very exciting- Ezra is switching to underwear full time!  He's been doing really well with staying dry 3-4 hours at a time, and in the last two weeks he's been waking up dry in the mornings most of the time. We're taking that as a sign that he is ready for this last step in potty learning.

From the kitchen…

LOTS of soup. It's the very best way to keep warm I think.

I am wearing…

Jeans, a black long-sleeved tee, and another t-shirt on top. Two pairs of socks. Layers are my friend these days.

I am creating…

aside from the knitting? Space. We re-arranged Ezra's room this weekend to accomodate a bigger dresser, and I'm continuing the toss 15 project in a big way, even though I finished with the 30 day scope of the project. It gives me a hint at control to keep our home a certain way while so many other things are uncertain. Again- we pray. And I clean a lot.

I am going…

to continue the attitude of quiet and order we've fallen into in the last two weeks. Everyone is more calm.

I am reading…

Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey and Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman.

I am hoping…

that Superman starts getting calls on some of the resumes he has been submitting.

I am hearing…

Casting Crowns. Loving them lately.

Around the house…

still organizing, but mostly just keeping up with the day. Potty learning has been a bit time consuming lately.

One of my favorite things…

Carmel Apple Spice from Starbucks. No caffeine, just lots of yumminess. And the fact that I received two Starbucks giftcards makes picking one of these up every few days far too easy.

A few plans for the rest of the week . . .

Trying to get back to an earlier bedtime (for Mama), waiting on our new little cousin to come any day now, and lots of knitting, I'm sure.