sailor pants

This is a 3T, I have yet to try it on a kid. My friend Paige suggested I make some pants like this. What do you think?

Ta da

Ron Paul has news

I have blogged a few posts tonight, waiting for Ron Paul to get to the point.

4 years yesterday

Shawn and I went for a lovely walk downtown GR on Monday evening, then to meijer to buy Ben and Jerry's, and candy, and to blockbuster for a movie. It was nice, just like old times. I'm so glad I got him.

I love beer

So, they say it's an acquired taste, well, I have acquired it. I like beer, a lot. Shawn bought me a 6 pack of some blueberry beer the other night, it's quite mild and tasty. The only downside, is that about half way through ONE, I am ready to sleep. What gives?

skirts

So, a friend of mine, Misty, wants me to make her some skirts. Well, I want to make me some skirts, so I bought a pattern today. (the black medium one in the middle is the kind I am aiming for)

I have very few large chunks of fabric to call my own, but I was given some ugly fabric by my sister's mother-in-law some time ago and so, I am trying to make a cute skirt with ugly fabric. I'll post a picture when it's finished.

hat? its newborn size

should i lengthen it like the pattern shows? or leave it as a bowler type beanie? http://www.designsbykn.com/free_patterns__charitable_causes

blocked, with the purls less visible. i think it stretched a bit much. and new bangs. all by myself.

good news bad news

So, the good is that the blankie is finished! And the bad is that it's rather long and rectangular, and not so almost squarish. I am kind of disappointed in myself. Toward the end (why not sooner??) I realized that it would likely be a bit too long/wide, but alas, I didn't know the extent of it. I should have measured and then laid out the tape to realize the length, as I couldn't just eyeball it, as it was always gathered on my circular needle. Plus the lower end is the narrower end, by a bit. Ah well, this was certainly a learning experience for me. No more twisted stitches. I think part of my main problem is that I should have taken out the twisted ones, as they were much tighter than the normal stitches. It's so soft and nice, it would make a great heavy shawl. And it will work just fine for the baby, I hope. The color in the photos is terrible, I used my flash, it's dark here.

Baby!

Our friends Paige and Bill just had their baby last night, in a super fast fashion! Lydia, Anna, and I got to go see them at the hospital today. Liam is a very fine looking little guy, very nice hair!

so much

So much has been happening, so I think I must just limit myself to a list. I need to be sewing tonight, I mean, keep sewing.

1) Shawn and I decided we needed to get out of debt, school loans and all. It should take a year, if both he and I work full time. I can then go back to my business, and he can only work one day a week and take on seminary studies full time. While I was looking for a job online, an administrator from the seminary called me and asked if I wanted to work at the seminary this summer on the barcode the library project. Woah, positively providential! So, June-August, that's where I'll be.


2) Here's a photo of a recent project. I just re-covered it, that's all. Remember it Amanda? I think we found it on the Elm street in the trash.



3) Someone gave me roses. Love them! Pesticides and all.
I guess that's not so much.

4) Oh, I was going to say that I made French Onion Soup tonight. Shawn loves it. It turned out ok, I made my own beef broth for the first time, yep, going gourmet now.

blankie update

blankie update

So, thanks to Dor, I think I learned how to knit properly. It is so much easier to knit without twisted stitches! Check out my progress. It may not look like much, but, I am devoting more time to it now, and with the new method of knitting, I have more knitting done to show for the time spent.

Uncle Jamie

So, yesterday afternoon we had the opportunity to drive to Howell, MI (about 1.5 hours away) to visit with Uncle Jamie. He was in Lansing, MI for the INCH conference for homeschooling, he had a booth there to promote his music www.solmusic.ca

Jamie stayed with Pastor Evans, his wife Chrissy and their children, in Howell. They were very hospitable toward us, and even had invited us for dinner so we could visit with Jamie. We had a great time of fellowship with the Evans and with Uncle Jamie.


We were pleased that we got to hear some Psalms, with music arranged by Jamie that are to come out in an album in the near future. I took some videos, but I'm having trouble uploading them right now, so here are some pics for now.

knitting

Here are some photos of what I have done thus far, it's kind of hard to see the pattern in low light. It's a self-made pattern, using an irish moss stitch for the border, and diamond brocade for the main body. This blankie is for my newest nephew, ordained to be born sometime in the next month or beyond. The plan is that this pattern will look nice in his newborn photos, in black and white (below is an attempt to picture it). With advice and help from Dor I was able to find a nice durable, washable (!) wool yarn. It's from Knit Picks, superwash merino wool, in the camel heather color.

a faith building story and some Derek to go with

This family is an example of faith lived out, not valuing their own lives over faithfulness, willing to sacrifice self for others, primarily their own child. And they give the glory to God.

Why are we so faithless when it comes to these situations, acting like the mother's life has more value than the child's? They both have value, seek to save both, which is what this family did. check out these two news spots, and the husband's blog below. Why is it that when a father dies in war to save and protect his children he is called a hero, but when a mother becomes pregnant at the cost of her own health or life even, she is called foolish? Or her husband is blamed for being a jerk? God is the one who opens and closes the womb, he gives children, husbands don't. "Am I God who has withheld children from you?" Jacob speaking to Rachel when she had said "give me children or I'll die"

http://www.newsobserver.com/front/story/1010330.html

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6038739

http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

getting settled

In response to Kathy's questions:

No we didn't do the painting. I believe most of it was done by Evie and Marion, two sisters and daughters of our pastor, one of whom lived in the apartment with her family prior to us. I am very thankful for it being nice already and that I don't have to lift a brush!

I am getting used to Michigan. At first the grocery store was annoying, trying to find things and them not being where I would think. But after a few trips, made without being rushed, I can get around. I really love the variety at this major grocery chain here, they have everything! They are kind of like Walmart, except more thoughtful. They have a lot of variety which includes specialty items, they carry all kinds of natural foods like you might find at a health food store, but they are scattered all through out the store instead of in one natural area. http://www.meijer.com/home.jsp

I pretty much can find my way around now. I do confess that I've taken a few long ways or detours, but I am learning.

We did get a family doctor last week, it was way easier here than in NY! When we got one there we had to go meet him and get physicals etc before he would accept us as patients. But here we had to make just one phone call. :) I don't plan on seeing him much anyway, so I don't mind not knowing him.

Sewing room photos will come, I just haven't taken them yet.

Today I am doing laundry at my friends the Eshelmans' house. I usually do projects while I'm here, such as cutting out dresses or hats or what have you, the kids really like to watch and to help by doing small jobs for me (rolling lint off or throwing scraps into the trash). But today I forgot my cutting mat. Oops. So I am forced to have time to email and blog. :D It's not sunny today, but it's warmish. I think I might take a walk.

our home

This is the entry way, if you go right you are in the living room, if you go left you are in the bedroom. As you can see we have a new MI plate that is still new and not used. :D I'm sorry to disappoint you with this link, it isn't anything, but I can't easily make it go away, so it is here. Also, apologies for the underlining on the next paragraph, same story there.The door on the right is a closet, my closet. As you see, I FINALLY hung the lovely print that my friend Jennifer gave to me.
This is home of our PC, and the door goes out to the entry way and living room.
The door on the side is my sewing room. Its really a closet. I will get photos, sometime. Directly right of my sewing room is a closet that Shawn uses, and we use for coats and things. The color in the first photo is best, I couldn't get my camera to adjust to the light from the window in the other ones.


The kitchen was being used by me when I decided I should get some shots before the sun went down. My ironing board and cutting mat get put away, sometimes. :) Here are Kathryn's two plants. I didn't kill them!! I call them Matt and Gabe. :) They were given to her when her first two babies were born and she couldn't take them when she moved.


Amanda gave me this print, she loved it very much but knew that she couldn't use it for some time. It goes well with my wine glass print that she also got me a long time ago, and with the baskets Jennifer gave me, one is hanging above the vanity (!!??) in the kitchen, it's a bit crooked.
The bathroom isn't quite this purple, thankfully. It's HUGE. The curtain from our bedroom in Albany works well with the colors in the bathroom, so it's pretending that its a shower curtain. It's not.
The big mirror made it without breaking! This mirror was harvested from our old apartment. It is so heavy I didn't know if we'd be able to find a place to hang it. We did.

Grace

This is my new friend Grace. Tomorrow we are going to crochet together along with another new friend, Crystal. Grace reminds me a lot of my dear friend Millie. Grace could have been Millie's mother, in both age and personality. I decided to knit actually. I am making another hat, or rather, toque, as shown here: http://www.innerchildcrochet.com/patterns/files/nottingham_hat.pdf
Dor may have to help me with the cables when she gets here. She's coming in TWO weeks! yay!

So, I was going to post a bunch of photos of the folks at church but considering how I like to be liked, I don't want to spoil the chance just for some good laughs and humiliation of several of them.

Museum

A couple of weeks ago we went to the museum with the kids while Amanda took pics of the new babies. So much to see, so little time. Addie fell asleep before we left, I was slinging her. I should have got Shawn to take a picture, though, his hands were pretty full with Josh and Em. Note Emmy's rockin' outfit, she got compliments from several people. Addie likes Uncle Shawn's beard. Joshy had a mad cow lick.

Fun times, I am going to miss them guys.