A "Crochet"-y Day

I have a friend who knits wonderful things - her blog is here: Spinster Beth.

We love our Beth socks - both the older boys slept in them the first night she brought them over!

Ignore the pregnant belly - the bolero-style sweater she made me for Christmas 2009 is awesome.

Another friend recently started a healthy cooking blog. Her food looks delicious and you can see her thoughts here: Fit, Fun and Yum. Their blogs show their every-day accomplishments or "WIPs" - that is, "Works In Progress."

My hobbies come and go as I have the time, so you won't see as many of my completed projects on here as you will see my thoughts on raising children and what to do with them next.

All that aside, I had a rather "crochet"-y day today, if you'll pardon the pun! We woke up early to take Jeff to the airport. The kids and I almost always go in with him instead of just dropping him off curbside, and today I'm glad we did! As it turned out, there was a huge mess up in the paperwork and we stayed there for more than six hours waiting on Jeff to get a new ticket to fly to the base he was supposed to visit.

Under Beth's recent re-encouragement, I've started carrying yarn and crochet hooks with me, in case an odd pocket of time comes up when my hands are free and my attention can be fairly easily and safely divided. Today was just such an occasion!

The washrag I made is one of the best I've ever used - even if I do say so myself! Before it was a washrag, Buttercup used it as her pillow.

Beth's ulterior motives are for me to start knitting my kids the annual socks, blankets for the newborns, etc. Well, I'm not ready to go quite that far, but here are some pictures of the two projects I did finish today. I just want to say that I am rather proud of myself! On the flip side, enjoy the hat, laugh if you like. I won't be hurt.

It was by total coincidence that her hat matches that shirt. Don't they look great together? You can see in the side view that I tried to put in a bubble stitch. It didn't work out so well, but I didn't want to take the time to take it out, and it's not that bad.

The hat does NOT fit me so well, nor does it look as cute!

Finally, a not-so-great close up...

IPO

The quiet of a house at midnight is unmatched. Sitting here with a glass of wine listening to dogs snoring and children breathing... so peaceful, so quiet...

until the baby wakes up
because the dog barked
when an older brother
thunked across the wood floor
on his way to the head
because he drank too much Gatorade
before hitting the rack for bed.

(Study Seuss much? There is your poem for the day - and a perfect way to start my IPO blog post!)

As you can see our house is hopping! We have three boys, one girl, two dogs and a cat. The children are all homeschooled - I tried to hs the dogs and the cat, but it really didn't work well. The dogs took to the leash but the cat just flopped down and dared us to drag her across the concrete sidewalk. She pretty well rules the house now. And one of the lovebirds got homeschooled by the Rottie once too - but that's another story for when the mood, and memory, strike me to write it down.

I've come to learn that as many times as I've thought I was the outcast or the silent minority and that I didn't have anyone out there who really connected with me - I'm not alone. There are other Orthodox Christians, homeschoolers, moms to many, (mostly) vegetarians out there. There are other budding photographers, work-from-home, learning to sew, stay-at-home moms. There are other people like me (someday I'll put up the full run-down list, even.) Maybe I will never find someone who connects with me at every point of interest, but at least two or three, and we can just complement one another on the rest.

That's really the point to this blog, I suppose. To connect. I was writing notes on Facebook for "friends-of-friends" to read and even have picked up a few comments along the way! Those will eventually make their ways here to this blog, I suppose. In the meantime, grab your favorite drink (wine, sidecar, water, Gatorade, Perrier) and

sit for a bit
don't read for speed
or because you need
to preview something trite for your kids

Then, if I've touched your heart or your mind, if I've given you a thought or a new perspective - if you can give me an angle I didn't consider before, please, leave your mark - comment, discuss, engage - and pass it on to your "friends-of-friends"; I'd be most grateful!

(Next time, pictures, I promise - I just have to figure out HOW first!) OH and in here you will find recipes, thoughts, hopes, prayers, dreams... politics, laughter, love, and fun among friends and family -

(*ahem* If you'll indulge me one last time:)

even the youngest
among us!