Having my pattern published at www.chiagu.com has fueled my designing bug. I got this really beautiful yarn last week at Threaded Bliss and am already turning it into something fabulous (surprise). Can't wait to post pictures when I'm able, though. The yarn is 100% cotton, spun from fibers gathered at fabric mills (off the floor?). Hence the name: 2nd Time Cotton.

Yes, Dean, You.

Jesus loves the little ones like me, me, me.
Jesus loves the little ones like me, me, me.
Little ones like me, sat upon his knee.
Jesus loves the little ones like me, me, me.

Jesus loves the little ones like you, you, you.
Jesus loves the little ones like you, you, you.
Little ones like you, saves them through and through.
Jesus loves the little ones like you, you, you.

"Me?!", questions Dean as we're singing along to a CD in the car this morning.

I Don't Want Your Blue Pill

While I was changing the feed setting that Erika commented about, I came across a setting that may come in use later. All the other Blogger users out there, you might be interested too. There is an option to select word verification. If enabled, those who comment on your blog would have to type out the word in the box (like ticketmaster) before proceeding. This seems like a whole lot of hoops to jump through just to comment on my silly little blog, so I really don't want to do this. But, if the spam comments became distasteful or excessive I might. So far this week, after making commenters register with Blogger, I've only received 2 or 3 and they were of the home loan variety, not the "avert your eyes" variety. Or maybe I could just implement the word box instead of requiring registration. Which is less annoying?

I also came across a button that lets me imbed an image in the text. Let's try it now.
I wonder how long that has been there? I've been using Hello/BloggerBot for my pictures through Picasa. And while it is easy, I've wanted to know how to post along with my written entry or maybe even post more than one photo without making another post entirely. So, I'll try that now:
It all seems to be working just fine. This is quite the "guinea pig" post. Anyway, if you're still with me and not bored out of your mind with my experimentation, I thought I'd tell you what the pictures are from. Last Friday, we ate lunch at the restaurant of Grant's choice as a special treat for surviving his kindergarten physical. The photo on the left is my little trooper showing off one of his 4 shots while playing in the play area at Chick-fil-A ("the new one by our house", as requested). Dean is simply enjoying the reward for his brother's pain.

Strangely, we find ourselves considering whether to tile the upstairs bathrooms ourselves or to hire someone. I really would like to do it, for the challenge as well as the cost savings. This scares Eric a bit, I think.

Tutorials found here.

Weekend Update


So, I did enough knitting this weekend to nearly finish the third piece on my ribbi cardi. I have been sick, so there has been a lot of lounging about watching Gilmore Girls repeats off the TiVo while knitting. Gilmore Girls is my new guilty obsession. I say "guilty" simply because I am slightly embarrased by this show choice. It's such a girly show and the acting isn't all that great but I'm drawn in all the same. I really like the girl who plays Rory (from Tuck Everlasting) and her relationship with her mother. I happened to turn on live TV a few weeks back while nursing Lael and came across what must have been one of the early shows (because Rory was having her first day at Chilton) and I remembered hearing the show name somewhere (Amy?) so I watched that episode. Now I have TiVo set up to record the reruns and little by little I watch the back story of the show. There are 4 or 5 seasons to catch up on before the new season starts in the fall!

Sunday, we stayed home from church because the kids (all three of them) are sick along with me and we needed the only non-sick person (Eric) to baby us. He was so good to me. A short trip to the store and he had purchased some of my favorite things: a bouquet of flowers, makings for Shirley Temples, KitKat bars (the new coffee flavor is soooo good!), and salt and vinegar Pringles. I just realized while typing this that it isn't really the sort of food to nurse a person back to health- but it was absolutely sweet of him and I loved it all.

Now the poor guy is taking Wal-borne and hoping to escape the cold we all have.

Saturday, Aug. 20

Look what I found after nap time was over! Lael has figured out how to sit up on her own. Time to lower the crib.

After 4 years of service, we are retiring the roman shades today. I lovingly made them with fabric I was thrilled about, but they have simply started to fall apart under the blast of full sun exposure. The plastic rings that hold the cording in place have become brittle, and shattered one by one (My friend Jenny found a non-ring tape for Roman shades that is sewn in place horizontally and also acts as a sleeve for the dowling. I'll be helping her sew them soon and will report back on its success). I still like the fabric, and am trying to figure out a way to "repurpose" it. Additionally, I can't figure out if I still like this valance style with the 2 inch blinds. I'm almost thinking that a "softer" topper would balance out the structured and cold blinds. I have a whole lot more of the poppy valance fabric that I could use (Old Time Pottery!). Suggestions?

With the boys, the big hit this week has been "going on vacation" with their luggage. Toys and pillows and blankets are loaded up into their bags and they haul them around the house while declaring out loud, "We're going to Texas!" or "We're going to California!" or "We're going to England!". Each destination played out in full, with me having to prentend to be Grandad or Grandma or Ethan or Greatgrandma.

The funniest thing is that Greatgrandma has a British accent, and Grant knows this (although he doesn't know that the word for it is 'accent'). So he is very insistent that I adopt the "sound" of greatgrandma. "Greatgrandma, your sound!", he'll remind when I fail to stay in character. I have a terrible, possibly nonexistent, English accent which makes the whole thing rather painful for me. Grant and Dean love it, though, and giggle like mad at my Greatgrandma voice. And then they hop in the plane and fly to California and I have to be someone new.

I talked to my grandma this week and told her about the craziness in this house, with the accents and the lugguge and the pretending. She loved it. She also admitted that she couldn't do an American accent to save her life. I love talking to my grandma. We talked about knitting (I'll have to post pics of the gorgeous sweaters she sent Lael this past week), and the kids. She was so proud about my pattern, and I told her I'd send her a copy.

We also spoke about her health. I haven't written about it here before for two reasons. Firstly, every person is entitled to their privacy. Secondly, I didn't really know many details. While I still feel that a certain level of privacy is important, I also know that our family could use the prayers of my friends during this struggle. My Grandma has recently been diagnosed with cancer of the bowel and will be undergoing surgery in the next few weeks. Routinely, this is one of the most treatable cancers, and it would seem that it was detected at a good stage. I am praying about many issues that this diagnosis carries with it, but will you also join me in praying for my grandma's speedy recovery from surgery? To top it all off, she broke a bone in her foot last week and is in a cast. She was lamenting the ability to go to the end of the garden where the runner beans and courgettes were ready for harvest. She's such a fighter; it took a cast on her leg to keep her away from her garden. I love that woman!

Spread the word-"Teach Me" is up!

I didn't say much about this for fear of jinxing it, but I have a pattern up and out there in the Real World. Available through www.chiagu.com, on their pattern page, is my original design called Teach Me.

About the Teach Me:
One of the driving forces behind my craftiness is the specific vision that won’t leave my head. Sure, call it “being picky”. But, I dream up something and when I simply can’t settle for what is on the shelves, I am forced to design it and make it myself.

This shoulder warmer is the combination of all the things I was looking for. The ease of a poncho without looking bulky and formless. The elegance of a shawl without the need to be tied or pinned. Openwork or eyelets to allow the body beneath to be seen slightly. A wide neck to offer the option of off-the-shoulder wear.

Oh- and if I was going to knit it myself, I wanted to learn something new without it being too difficult. I wanted the pattern to Teach Me something. And it did! This was my first pattern with yarn overs, and my first pattern with cables. You can do it. Let it teach you.

Teach Me was knit using Peruvian Highland Wool from www.elann.com.

"Teach Me"

Available at www.chiagu.com

This morning I had my teeth cleaned. I love that feeling! The technician even worked on chipping away a bit of orthodontic glue from my braces that has been there for 10+ years. I've mentioned it at other dentists offices and they haven't tried very hard to remove it. This tech noticed it right away and asked me if I'd had braces. Part of it flew off with some aggressive action with the pick. Another portion is smaller but still slightly there and she made note for the dentist to get at it with the burr when I have my cavity filled.

Thanks to Mary for watching Grant, Dean and Lael. They were somewhat cranky because of the early rise. My children are used to waking up early, but they don't routinely get ready that early. We were all out the door at 6:30.

On our drive we spotted quite a few children headed for the bus stop. Today is the first day for Metro schools. And since school is so much on my mind with Grant beginning in a few short weeks, I think dwelt on the first day memories of my past. Not so much what happened on my first days, but more the feelings associated with the first day of school.

New clothes...excitement...getting schedules...seeing friends...talking about meeting up for lunch...getting to know my teachers...having roll call...new folders...bus stops...expectation...lunch time basketball...checking out balls...optimism....early morning sunshine...aftershool snacks...seating charts...wall mounted pencil sharpeners...pledge of allegiance...pink powdered soap and tub style long sinks with multiple faucets...swings...chubby pencils...cubbies...carpet mats and time for singing...bathroom passes...

Sprouts

Grow your own edible sprouts at home. One spouter is as simple as a special lid for a Mason jar. And most of the seeds they sell are organic. I see this being yummy and educational.

link via Family Fun magazine

Productive

One of the most successful sewing parties in recent history occurred last night.

Lives get busier during summer and around Christmas, and because of that, it can be difficult to coordinate and pull off a get-together during these seasons. We want to be there. We try to be there. Things just happen. Babies are born. More babies are born. (Our little group is rather fertile) Husbands have a busy work week (leaving the childcare nonexistent). Events conflict. No one places fault, we simply encounter obstacles.

And sometimes this doesn’t mean that a good time is abandoned. Instead, our “party” may evolve into a quiet meaningful girl night between two or three of us. We’ve enjoyed a few of those late nights- where God strengthens friendships, and we create, and feel full. Full of food, and full of Happy.

12 people or 2 people, it doesn’t always matter. It is nice, though, to catch up when we haven’t seen one another in awhile. That was last night.

Mary was hostess to our Southern Food sewing party. In attendance were: Melissa, LaDonna, Traci, Amber (with daughter Madison), and Me. While the tasty buffet wasn’t the focus of the first meeting Way Back When, it has become a highlight (especially for the non crafty sorts that show up for the food and company). And last night was no different: pork and chicken barbeque, baked beans, potato salad, teriyaki vegetable salad (with mini carrots- not cocktail wieners), cornbread muffins, and blueberry pie. I had seconds of the potato salad, though I shouldn’t have. Thankfully, we’re all close enough friends that if a pants button must be undone later in the evening, no one will laugh- partly because they’ve been there also.

And, sewing happens also. We finished dinner and got to business. LaDonna was the only one actually sewing (baby quilt for a friends newborn triplets…beautiful!). Mary was crocheting a pillow cover (I believe) with fabric strips, I was knitting on the Ribbi Cardi, Melissa was scrapbooking diligently, and Traci was spinning a mystery fiber on a drop spindle. Spinning. I know.

Not a single person hoards their creativity to claim all the praise. The whole bunch likes sharing and inspiring and being inspired. Those are the kind of people to surround oneself with: the kind that get excited about learning and aren’t so worried about not being an expert. We teach each other what we know, and have fun being productive.

And we laugh. Everyone should ask Mary about the octopus. Yes, we laugh.

Ribbi Cardi progress: back completed and left front begun.

LaDonna and quilt.

all the girls

Melissa and all the adorable Jayna pics.

Mary (and Sandwich Graber) with her crochet.

Traci the spinner.

Miss Peppermint Twist, eight months old

Bottom right front tooth emerges!

Lael's turn

So, I "bragged on" Grant (that is a Southern term...one I can't stand, btw) and now it's Lael's turn.

My littlest one is now eight months old. She's finally getting some hair. She is chunkier than ever. She now consistently has one solid food meal a day- dinner of rice cereal and applesauce (although she was lucky enough to try peaches and apples while in Alabama). She is attempting to crawl by getting on all fours and rocking or sometimes she gets into the "push-up" position. She can roll all over the place, and uses this for transportation.

BUT, two mondo big events occured today: first tooth and first word!

I missed the first word, but it was "da-da". While eating a morning bottle with Eric in bed (I was at the dentist), she paused and said "da-da" while looking at him. Shortly after (probably to test if this was really a "word"), he said "Say da-da". Again, she paused and repeated it clearly, "da-da". Until now, she has only babbled out a string of da-das, "dadadadadadadadadadada".

And the tooth? Bottom right front. It has appeared puffy for weeks now, and she has been irritable along with not sleeping at night. This morning when I came back from the dentist, I caught a glimpse of the gumline and she had a blueish bruise and a very large lump. After going to the gym and returning home, a little white speck of tooth has broken through. Hopefully she'll feel better and start sleeping through the night again. I had gotten used to that.

Big two-wheeler!

Jumping the curb! (No worries, that's a parked car)

Digital camera meant that we had 108 photos to import. Plenty to delet, and plenty good ones to weed through. So, here are a few extras. Enjoy.

Seriously, where does the time go? Grant leaned how to ride without training wheels last week. I called my dad to let him know, and we talked about how my memory of learning to ride a bike without training wheels is still so detailed. I don't remember how old I was, but I remember the red bike, and the long downhill driveway that I practiced on at the Jenson's house. They were family friends of ours and the slope was perfect for gaining momentum and being able to coast without falling over. It took awhile, as I remember, but the thrill when I finally did it on my own..wow! So, it feels slightly odd to now have a child that is doing all of these bid kid things that feel like yesterday to me. And it is neat to think about these days we are living right now being the formation of the "childhood memories" he will carry with him throughout his life and recall when his children are learning to ride without training wheels. Circle of Life...blah, blah, blah.

Wednesday night of last week was set aside to be "the day". Eric let Grant know that after work, and after dinner, they would go out and work on riding without training wheels. I think both Eric and I had a slight fear of it being an ordeal. We know that Grant doesn't always like to be pushed to try new things. Often times, he makes a bigger deal of something than it really is and it becomes painful for Mom and Dad to convince him of his ability to do such-and-such a thing. He loves riding his bike, so making it diffucult and forcing him to learn and practice would be leaving the "comfort zone". The other week, we bought him a new and bigger bike to suit his growing body but he kept going back to his comfortable smaller bike. It was easier.

All of this said, it surprised the snot out of us when he essentially taught himself to ride without training wheels. We ate dinner and I decided to clean up dishes while Eric got started with him on the task of teaching him. Not 5 minutes passed by, when Eric came in and said, "Get the camera, he's doing it and I don't want you to miss it." Part of that five minutes was removing the training wheels with a wrench. I guess Eric just helped balance the bike while he mounted up and then let him go. Grant took off so well that Eric was telling him to stop for fear that he'd crash. By the time I stepped out on the deck to watch, my little guy was circling around in the cul-de-sac without much help at all.

Now, less than a week later, he is loving the freedom that he has without the training wheels. He can ride faster; he can jump the curb better; he's doing tricks. DOING TRICKS. Yesterday, he and Jake were riding around side saddle, or with one hand, or one leg, or doing mini-wheelies. Jake even managed to get his feet on the handlebars. I imagine it won't be long before we'll be builing a little ramp for him like my brother had as a kid. And even though I was a girl, I can remember Heather and I biking around the neighborhood and doing similar tricks.

Fun times ahead.

NO TRAINING WHEELS!

Alabama

School supply list in hand, I was sitting on the floor of Office Depot trying to find the electric pencil sharpener I'd wanted to purchase. They had been on sale and the low shelf was disorganized, making it difficult to see what was available from a standing position. The type I wanted had only one box remaining that looked torn open and used/returned. As I was trying to pick between the high end model and the cheaper battery operated model my cell phone rang. "Hey...Your Phone is Ring-ing....Hey...your phone is Ring-ing....Heyyyy...eyyy your phone is ringing...." Silly sing songy ring tone. It usually makes me laugh.

But, it was a good thing I was sitting down. On the other end of the line was my friend LaDonna. She was supposed to be on a retreat with her Mothers of Preschoolers group. I wasn't supposed to be hearing from her. Tim was with the girls. They'd been in an accident. She left the retreat and was with them now. Annalynn was alright, Amber was in the Pediatric ICU. They were run over by a golf cart in Huntsville, Alabama. I got up to walk out of the store and asked her to hold on. Less noise outside the store. Tim was on the phone now, LaDonna had either gotten teary or needed to tend to something. With so few details, and not wanting to ask lots of questions, I prayed with Tim over the phone that God would take care of Amber and even use it to bring glory upon Himself.

Over the past few days, this prayer has been answered.

We left the store and finished a few other errands we had to accomplish, all the while talking about when I should leave to be with them and what we could do. Eric had work Monday, so it was determined that I'd go with just the kids. I felt so helpless being far away, and I'm sure Tim and LaDonna felt alone. Far from family, friends, church, and home, they were stuck in a strange city to deal with one of life's most rattling experiences: the uncertainty of their child's health.

Later that night, I reached Tim and let him know I'd be there the next day. Was there anything I could bring? Could I take Analynn back with me? I also got a few more details. Five year old Amber was suffering from open breaks to her tibia and fibula, lacerated spleen, bruised lung, and various abrasions all over. Later, we would learn that her liver was also lacerated. The leg would need surgery, but could not be performed until the internal bleeding had ceased and her vitals were stable. Still not many details at that time. We continued praying. I found a cute picture of Grant and Amber together- printed it out and placed it in a frame for her hospital room. Both boys made cards on yellow paper (her favorite color) telling her to "get well soon".

Sunday morning, I packed for all four of us, and hit the road around 10:00 a.m. We arrived at Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children around 12:30 p.m. The boys watched a movie on the DVD player and Lael cried a lot. But, when we got there, we found Tim and LaDonna with Analynn and Allen. Amber's Nana and Papa had also made it down from Nashville. And as we sat in the PICU waiting area, bits and pieces of the story unfolded.

Tim was at a state park Saturday morning taking a cave tour with the girls. It must have been a pretty large cave, because an elderly couple was getting around on a golf cart. This elderly couple had just been talking with Tim and the girls minutes earlier about how cute the girls were, etc. etc. As Tim stood taking pictures, the same couple in the cart ran over the girls domino style; Amber first and then Analynn (whom must have been pinned beneath her sister since she was merely scratched). Speculation assumes that the wife was hitting the gas when she was trying to use the break because the cart never slowed until it hit a tree after rolling completely over them. On the same tour was a group of paramedics or EMTs that immediately rushed to take care of all involved. Not a singular EMT- a group! God is so good! They were then taken to one of the only Pediatric ICUs in the state which was extremely close. Thank you, God- you are so good!

After some talking and playing in the Children's Floor playroom, visiting hours rolled around. I went in to see Amber in her ICU room. She was sleepy, but responsive. There was a heavily bandaged leg awaiting surgery propped up on some pillows and IVs in each arm. She also had a GI tube in her nose attached with a little cone of medical tape to the tip. Sweet little Amber, so battered and bruised. While I was in there, we asked nurse Jenny if she'd bend the "14 and older" vistation rule for Grant so that he could see his friend. I assured her that he was the sort to handle it well and that he might even cheer her up a bit. Bless nurse Jenny, she said yes.

I retrieved Grant from the playroom and clued him in on the nose tube; I didn't know that it would be there and wanted him to be prepared. He was really shy, but wasn't scared. He talked to Amber a bit about the McDonald's toy he got with is lunch on the drive down, but didn't want to sit on her bed with her. Understandable, it was all so strange for him. Later, though, as we were about to leave the hospital for the evening, nurse Jenny searched for him to visit Amber again. I guess she'd been asking for him. That time, I wasn't in the room, but I gather they took a picture together and talked a bit more freely.

I've always known that Grant was a "people person"- that he could disarm even the most grumpy stranger in the grocery store or make a shy child come out of their shell a bit. I've known that God has a plan for his personality and that He'll be able to use it for His glory. That is my prayer, anyway. So, I was so proud of him that day as I realized he could do amazing things with his love for people. That he didn't cry and squirm away, but went in there and acted rather mature and friendly for a five year old, was warming to my heart.

Sunday night, we hoped back in the car to drive down further south to the Birmingham area for the night. If I was going to be in Alabama, I might as well visit with the Buttons! We got there about 7:30 p.m. and enjoyed the evening. Travis stayed up later than normal (thanks Trav) to talk for a time, and the kids ran around and played until about 11:00p.m. when they finally passed out from exhaustion. We ate Boca burgers and had Milo's sweet tea. We talked about the new church they are planting. About the everyday stuff we miss by being 4 1/2 hours away now. Short, but nice. Better than nothing at all. I tried to sleep after getting the kids to bed, but found that my mind was racing. So I got up and read my Bible at the kitchen table until I felt my mind matched my tired body and then successfully fell asleep.

Monday morning, we all ate together (minus Travis). Francis and Richard were lovely hosts. Blueberry Pancakes! And, though we didn't rush, we got ready without much chatting. All that said, it still took us amazingly long to get back on the road to head north to the Hospital again. This time, Amy, Chloe, Halle, and Richard (Amy's dad, a pastor) joined us to pray over Amber and the family. Seriously, the trip took an incredibly long time (we refer to that as the "Button factor") and we finally arrived at Huntsville Women's and Children's around 2:20 p.m.

Amber had a CT scan/ CAT scan at 8:00a.m. that morning to check on her spleen and liver. And surgery for her leg break was set for 5:00p.m., pending the radiologist's approval. But, when we arrived, she had been moved out of the ICU already and was in surgery. They considered her stable enough, and there was an OR opening. It was a quick procedure, so by the time we found the waiting room for that part of the hospital, she was already in recovery. We met up with the whole family as they sat patiently for a call back to visit Amber. The new type of anesthesia they used meant that she was extremely alert shortly after the drip was halted. When we went back, she was talkative and bright-eyed, as she normally is. Again, Grant handled himself well and even began to cry in the room because he didn't want to leave Alabama knowing that Amber and Chloe were there.

Once the stream of visitors died down, Tim and LaDonna joined me in the cafeteria for dinner where I had the worst chicken salad sandwich ever (but everyone else seemed to have a great baked macaroni). The kids were at their breaking point because of all the travel and confining spaces, so we said our goodbyes after the hospital train dropped us off at the proper stop. On the road again! We made it back to Nashville aroung 8:30 p.m. Thank the Lord! It felt so good to be home, and it also felt good to know that I had the ability to be there for a very dear friend.

Since then, Amber has been released and is doing well. She has a full leg pink cast with tons of signatures and a reserved spot for Grant who looks forward to writing his name. Difficult weeks are ahead, but I know that God will see that whole family through this trial and they will emerge on the other side with even more stories of His faithfulness.

I-65 in Alabama... more story to follow.