I can't believe I'm actually here...

It's funny. I remind myself DAILY (sometimes hourly) of God's faithfulness. But somewhere inside I wondered IF it would ever happen...not WHEN. I couldn't even really answer the emails asking how the interview went...while I waited for "the call."

WHEN is here. Today M had an interview with a 2nd company. The 2nd company isn't really ready to have someone in the office this week. They still need to interview a few more and it's likely that it will be the New Year before they want someone to start. But, the first company...they want M to start on Monday! M got a phone call from the first company with a very real job offer.

It's been a journey! I won't ever be the same. But, I don't want to be. I want to be a testament to God's faithfulness. SO...it's here today...the day that our world changes. Thanks to all of you who prayed along with us.

Possibilities!!!

We might have just reached the end of the tunnel! My hubby had an interview today. It will mean a bit longer commute, but we wouldn't have to move! Pray please for the company as they make decisions and hopefully make us an offer SOON! I have so much to say...but I'm knitting as fast as my fingers will fly hoping to have some gifts for Christmas. Hope your Thanksgiving was blessed. km

CBS cookies

We attend CBS as a family. As a homeschooling mom, it is my sanity. I get adult conversation, and the kids are in a class learning of God's love for them. This week, the kids program is having a potluck for Thanksgiving. My boys signed up to bring 1 doz. brownies AND 1 doz. cookies. Their teacher told me she tried to get them to double up and both bring brownies so it would be easier for me. They would have none of it. I could have switched with another parent, but if this is what's important to my little ones, then I'll do my best to keep this Bible study their favorite day of the week. It was time to start baking and 9 told me he could handle the brownies. He did a great job. I helped pour the brownies into the 9x13 and I pulled the hot pan out of the oven...He did the rest. Then it was time for the cookies. I decided to make cake mix cookies. This was a first for me. I sat in the living room reading the recipe on my laptop when I heard this....

Then there was a retake...

Cracking the eggs...

And we're ready to start mixing...

Dropping the cookies onto the cookie sheet...

Here's a link to the recipe. I used 1 T. lemon juice instead of the extract.

Shine!

We've had a busy weekend. Visit to Napa. Wedding in Sacramento. Reunion with college friends. It was good to have a vacation, but it's really good to be home. I'm thinking I'll go play light*brite with a little one right now.

Given 2

Since my Given is so long, and since we're starting the 2nd year of this journey, I'm starting a Given 2. If you haven't seen it, go read my update from May to October. My feed reader wasn't picking up the post, so I figure that is happening to others too. I certainly hope that we are in a different place come next October, but I will continue to keep my list so that I can read this on days when I can't see a light at the end of the tunnel.

10.12.10

My neighbor is an older single man. His kids are grown. He still shops at Costco because it's cheaper. He brings up the 'extras' and we are blessed by his continuous stream of generosity. This week, he's brought us 2# of butter and 1# of coffee beans.

Sunday afternoon, a friend from church came by with $280 in cash. She just said, "It's not from me." She was just the messenger.

Last night, a friend dropped by with a decorative pumpkin that says, "Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." I'm enjoying that with my fall decor. She also brought me a knitting book, Shibori Knits. It's been awhile since I've felted anything...I'm excited to start a new project.

Given

We've been given so much!!!

***ETA: I'm going to add to this list instead of starting a new post each time. Scroll to the bottom for the new additions. Look for the ********** to start today's additions.

Originally Posted 1/7/10

A pizza (one day a friend who's son works for a local pizza place brought us a x-large pizza...M's favorite)

5# Flour, 5# Sugar, and $50 grocery gift card

$50cash from my mom's neighbor

another $20 grocery gift card

a $25 target gift card

another $10 grocery gift card

a bag of money from a friend's bunko group (almost $100)

a $100 target gift card

a Christmas Card from an anonymous friend with $1000 cash

A box lovingly filled with food & sundries (mac&cheese, pasta & sauce, dried red beans & rice (with a recipe and attached cajun seasonings) toothbrushes, toothpaste, and Bath&Body soap, and more).

Our freezer was packed full when we began this road of unemployment...just before Christmas I used our last whole chicken, but freezer is still not empty.

My mom has been able to do our grocery shopping each week ensuring we still have fresh fruits & vegetables, milk, and eggs.

In November, we got the letter from our mortgage company with our revised rate. We have a 5/1 ARM and we knew in February 2010 our payment would change. We were in the process of a refinance to have a fixed rate, and even had the appraisal the day before M was laid off. But, we couldn't continue... Our new monthly payment is $500 LESS. Can you believe it?!

In spite of the fact that M is still without a job (this week is 3 months)...I feel God's provision for us. I'm writing this down so that I can be encouraged on days when I feel the weight of unemployment and a family of 5. Philippians 4:19.

I want remember all this. I want to be able to GIVE. Having experienced unemployment, I want to be able to pass on God's LOVE to others in their time of need. I pray that I remember how I was blessed...so that I can BE a blessing.

And just after I typed all this...a friend from Bible Study brought over chocolate/carmel pretzels and a card with $50. And then my mom was buying sweet potatoes for us, and the store made a mistake. When she took the receipt back in to the store after carrying to groceries to the car...she got 15# of sweet potatoes FREE.

Added 1/11/10

105 free photos from Shutterfly

A free Photo book on Shutterfly (and they didn't even know I wanted/needed this)

On Saturday we attended a friends commisioning into the Marine Corp. We came home with Sunday's lunch (penne with sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts) and Monday's dinner (spaghetti with meatballs) and a plate of cupcakes from Dots.

Added 3/7/10

We're at 5 months now. And we're still living much more comfortably than much of the world. I'm reminded of this in so many ways. Last week, M was scheduled to go to Mexico with our church to hand out food boxes at a clinic our church built. The trip was rained out. We're still so blessed and I know that those families had to be so disappointed to wait another week for the supplies they so desperately needed. A fellow blogger (with my name) is blogging her Compassion trip to Kenya. And her description of Day 4 reminds me of my trip to Russia in 1993...where I came home with the clothes on my back and my socks and underwear. I'd met people with so little, I gave them all I had. And I was embarrassed that I still had so much more at home. So...while we're definitely not "rich" these days if we're talking money...I'm focusing on how "rich" we are given the global perspective. And if we're talking "rich"...we're absolutely RICH with Friends! I'm adding to our GIVEN list.

A package from a bloggy friend with a Target gift card and Red Araucania.

A free meal at the Corner Bakery. The gift card I had didn't work...and the manager that night who happened to take my order said, "This one's on me!"

3 Fantastic hats handknit for my 3 kiddos (the last 3 on this page) with some laceweight alpaca for me. Photos coming soon.

A lasagna (sweetly made by a friend).

3 boxes of girl scout cookies (from the GS I normally buy from)

A free coffee at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

$20 cash

A trip to the children's museum (our friend's pass gets 8 in)

My in-laws took us bowling for 7's birthday.

And just today...I won a book. I'm thinking that this means I really have to get back into my blogging routine.

I know that I must have missed some things in the list here. But, the important thing is that God sends us encouragement in so many ways! I'm trusting for HIM to continue to provide. And I'm trusting that He has a plan to prosper us...and not to harm us. (Jer. 29:11)

3/8/10

And just after posting this, we were given a hand-me-down bike for 8. His knees were getting close to the handle bars on his bike so we can pass his down to 7 and 8 has a new bigger bike, a gift from a boy at church.

5/6/10 We've hit the 7 month mark. I never imagined we would be here. By God's grace, we're still hanging in there. Keeping this list helps me to see HIS provision. It's my connection to hope. I've been keeping these things on a paper in between the pages of a book. Our small group is reading through I've been adding...

A vacation for the boys to Lake Havasu.

2 Treasure Boxes at 1/2 price.

Gas money for another trip to Napa.

Dinner out at a pizza parlor with friends.

A check from a friend of my Gram's for $200

An Easter card from a blogger in Alabama with a $50 gift card.

A gallon of milk & 18 eggs from a neighbor.

A check for $150 from friends at church.

A filled Trader Joe's bag with staples: rice, brown rice, brown sugar, marinara sauce, canned veggies, crackers, and cuties.

Another half/price Treasure Box. This time at pick-up, there was other food free for families. We took home some powdered milk, american cheese, and a loaf of bread.

A piece of granite! (Now this one might seem strange, but it blows me away the most. The boys aren't gentle and they are nicking the wood top of their dresser. I wanted a piece of granite to lay on top and keep them from gouging the wood. I asked my friend's contractor brother what the price would be: $350 for the size I needed. My neighbor just finished having his kitchen re-done...and there was a piece of granite left over. Guess what size it was?!)

And I haven't even mentioned that my husband still has Sirius radio in his car...for free. He's called to cancel because he's not really driving anywhere, and they've extended us 2 months at a time until now.

Tickets to the pancake breakfast at the school across the street from us for the whole family.

And when we passed on my daughter's clothes to a family with a girl smaller than 5, they were so blessed with the 2 bags they gave us a thank-you with a $20 Yogurtland card.

I know that this is not just to encourage me. I hope it encourages you too.

**********

10/6/10

Today marks one year!

I can't believe I haven't revisited this post all summer. That's not because the Lord hasn't continued to provide. HE HAS! I've been busy with life, but I've also been struggling with having hope. As I sit, typing up all this, it has been so good for me to see how HE continues to take care of me. I need this as a reminder because I'm not so strong every day. Some days I want to just cry and crawl back into bed. Some days I cry Bring The Rain!

I visited a 2nd Harvest location in May with a friend. We were at the end of the line, but I still came home with 12 red bell peppers, rice, potatoes. We roasted the red bell peppers on the BBQ. I steamed the potatoes, then diced and froze them. I put some of them in a batch of vegetable beef soup today. There was also a ton of single serving packages of almonds. Those have been perfect for me to bring along with to parks and outings since my diet is limited.

A shawl from Grace!

Cool weather most of the summer so we didn't need our A/C!

Pizza dinner & swimming with new friends (They have 4 boys! A 9 yo -six months older than 8, Twins that are 7's age, and a 2 1/2 yo. They're an answer to prayer for our family.)

Peaches & lots of jam! from my Gramp's tree.

Veggies from friend's gardens. We didn't plant one this year.

A new Refrigerator! I know can you believe it! Southern California Edison has a program where low income families can be given new energy efficient appliances! We qualified for the program and during Little House week our new fridge was delivered. (M's grandmother had passed away just before our wedding. We got her fridge...it was 10 years old then...and we've been married 10 years. The program takes old appliances...ours was OLD. Years ago I started an envelope of cash so that when our old fridge went out I could buy what ever I wanted. Now that money can go to something else. I'd been holding on to that in a drawer so that if the fridge just gave out we wouldn't be forced to charge one. )

Fruits & Veggies from a friend TWICE! She produce shops at a discount market and blesses us with her bargains.

2 9x13 homemade lasagnas. One for us, and to pass on to a friend who recently lost their home.

Bags of clothes for the boys (Mostly in 8's size. 7 get's 8's hand-me-downs, but 8 keeps growing...he's in 12's now!) Then M's mom took the kids out and bought them all new shoes.

Land'sEnd surprises! I was privileged to be a part of a FB focus group for LE. It was super fun to get to see future lines and give comments to the designers. As a thank you for our time, we were sent gifts in July, August, and September. I have a great new beach towel and bag, 2 long sleeved shirts that 8 picked out himself, a monogramed lunch box, and a scarf should be in the mail soon. Such a blessing!

2 weeks in Napa!

T-shirts for me. A super discount at the Gap outlet and my mom bought me some new T-shirts.

In Napa, M waxed my car and the kids spend the afternoon using my Gramp's fun portable vacuums to clean it out. That evening, we realized having the doors open so long killed the battery. My Gramp bought us a new battery for my car. It was such a blessing that our car died in front of his house and not on the trip to/from Napa. Replacing a battery on I-5 would have sucked.

Pizza dinner with the Napa neighbors.

LK's letter! My Gramp has flip calendars all through his house. My Gram loved them. In the room we stayed, the verse for our first day was Matthew 6:26. I couldn't flip the calendar and the verse encouraged me each time I walked into the room. Right after we returned home, M & I were discussing that we weren't going to be able to pay our mortgage. -side note here...it is just by God's grace that we made it through 10 months of unemployment without missing a mortgage payment- Literally minutes later, I heard the mailman drop our mail in the box. This card was in the mail from my Canadian friend with a check for $500! I'm not linking her blog here...but I want to acknowledge her generosity here!

Also in the mail at. the. same. time. was a check from O Architects. M did some work for a friend's company while he was out of the country. M found this friend a new client and when the client paid, we got $600 as a finder's fee. I know...who finds $1100 in their mailbox!?!? For me it was Matthew 6:26 in real life.

M's parents paid for 5's cracked molar.

When M picked up our August Treasure Box he also brought home 2 loaves of bread, pork ribs, and lamb chops.

An enchilada dinner from a friend.

Our neighbor -the one that gave us the granite- brings over apples when he buys them at Costco, and some canned goods just because, and 2 bottles of salad dressing that his son bought when he was visiting.

A free Shutterfly book to give as a gift (I ordered one with pictures from our Petaluma visits and had it shipped to the family we visited with.)

An older gentleman at church gave the kids some toys he had made. A wooden truck, some wooden cars, and a wooden chair for a doll. He's old enough to be walking with a walker, and he's still working with wood.

Free dinner at church for the dedication of the new building.

Free coffee at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. On the evening they introduce a new coffee, you can get a free 12oz coffee. I enjoyed a pumpkin latte!

While M was in Africa, our Sunday School class blessed us with gift cards to Subway & Yogurtland, a friend brought her kids and pizza over to have dinner with us, another family dropped off some groceries, and when I ran out of Tylenol for 5's ear infection, another friend picked up some and dropped it by with some gluten free chocolate chip cookies for me.

Shutterfly cards for the holidays! It's been years since we sent holiday cards. I used coupon code to order some cards. It's not the 100 I used to send out, but I've got a few now.

The family that gave 8 the bike brought us a bag of fun girl clothes for 5! She really loves the fuzzy pink leopard scarf!

There was a message left on our answering machine while our homeschool group was at the L.A.Fair. We couldn't return the call until the next day because the business office had closed. And then driving home from ballet that night 5 & I saw a double rainbow. I was having a hard day and I really needed that promise from God. The phone call...someone anonymously dropped off $4000 in cashier's checks for us at the church business office! That's a gift from my God who marks HIS promises with a rainbow!

October 1st my kids enjoyed free chili dogs at the PTA fair. The school across the street gave coupons to the neighbors to apologize in advance for the parking and music. Our neighbor shared his coupon too.

So, while we're living frugally, not running our A/C, not spending $ unless we can afford it which means redefining what we NEED, and teaching the kids about "navy showers"...

We're also enjoying more family time than we've ever had before. What dad gets to stay home with his family for a YEAR! And our kids have expanded their pallets to enjoy "new" foods because what we're given isn't always something they've had before. Our kids are learning that WE. HAVE. SO. MUCH. They're learning about real poverty. People that don't have clean drinking water or electricity. Kenya. Guatemala. And M's trip to North Africa. I wouldn't have chosen this year for my family, but I can't believe the lessons we've all learned. Now, I'm still praying that our big miracle is right around the corner, but I'm still praising HIM for the little miracles every day.

On the Other Side of the World...

The handknits you shared with us traveled to a city whose name translated into English means COLD. I know they'll be appreciated. The items that M brought with him were collected and added to other cold weather gear that will be given out in the coming months. It wasn't cold while M was there though...it was 120+ one of the days!!! His team visited 7 schools and 1 orphanage to deliver backpacks filled with school supplies to the poorest of the poor. Most of those had been sent over by our church months back in a shipping container.

The man that lead their team instructed them to "take these eyes home with you." Let these eyes pierce your heart. Remember that these are people who need to know that Jesus loves them, and they need the basic necessities that we take for granted here. One thing that broke M's heart was the kids constantly asking for water. The Americans only drank bottled water and carried those bottles with them. These kids knew that was clean water and what they had to drink was making them sick. It kills me that so much of our world doesn't have clean water.

We're all winners!

M left 7 hours ago. He is traveling with a small carry on for his personal items and my large travel backpack as his checked luggage filled with dried fruit, tea, chocolate chips, baking cocoa, corn tortillas, jello, stickers, hot wheels, parachute men, and HANDKNITS! I just have to say thank you again to those who helped out. I pray that God will bless you for your generous hearts. I needed to use 2 models for this photoshoot. I just had to have a pic with 2 of my kiddos in matching hats.

I did draw a winner, but I've decided to send something small to all the kind knitters who sent M something. Just one problem...in the packing frenzy, I seem to have lost the return address labels I'd saved so I could mail a prize. Could you all (you know who you are) email me your mailing address? Terrie, 5 drew your name out of the glass and you'll get the prize I picked up in Northern CA while on vacation. We ended up with 10 hats, 10 cloths, 3 purses, and 2 scarf/cowls. It will be at least 2 weeks before I have a report about the new home for these items, but I can tell you now they're on a plane over the Atlantic.

*****

So the evening I typed this M had just left and he was en route to Paris. They changed planes there for the rest of the flight to Africa. I thought I could finish this post, but I ended up falling asleep and the post was stuck in draft. Those 10 days M was in Africa taught me how hard being a single parent really is! The 2nd day started with taking 5 to the Urgent Care for an ear infection. She had been up all night the previous night. The routine with the kids and doing the house clean-up at night meant that I didn't even check my email until 10pm each day. (I usually check in the am, after lunch, and after the kids bedtime.) 8 walks in his sleep, although usually only when stressed. He was up 4 times while M was gone. He's 4'8" and 85#! It's hard for me to get him back to bed when he's not awake. We did make it through the week, but I thought I'd make it to the post office too and that just didn't happen.

Mike arrived home with a bug. Stuff like that is bound to happen when you visit countries where the water isn't safe. The jet lag combined with the bug had him falling asleep at 3pm and when he was awake he was only 50% here. He is better now, but it took a week and a half. I'm finally finding my out of the piles of things around here. I have my packages ready and I'll get to the P.O. as soon as they're addressed.

He's HOME!

M made it safely home. He was a bit sick one day on the trip (I think 2 days ago) and has been taking some medicine since then. I'm praying this goes away quickly. That this was just a virus. If you don't know, I had a parasite after a trip to China in 98...I was ill for 9+ months. Emotionally, this is hard for me to not know when M will be well. I owe pictures and prizes and things....I'll get there this week I hope. Some of that will depend on how M is feeling. For the last 10 days I've just been trying to keep my head afloat with single-parenting. I'm glad to be somewhat back to normal. Now...if I can just catch up with my email inbox.

I'm still alive

but, I'm learning all kinds of new respect for single parents. Friday was quick. M left after lunch. We just enjoyed our afternoon after the crazy rush that was packing for the trip. The kids watched Bolt at bedtime and then were asleep. Saturday we picked up around the house and my mom took 7 to hang out with my brother. I took 5 & 8 to our churches dedication of the new building. When we got home 5 started complaining about an earache. As in screaming because she couldn't bend down to take off her own shoes. I gave her some Tylenol and told her I'd take her in to the DR in the morning. She was sleeping in my bed and cried much of the night. Sunday I took her to the Urgent Care as soon as they opened and we came home with an antibiotic for the ear infection. Sunday evening I had an event to take the kids to, but I needed to leave 5 home since she was running a fever. My mom stayed with her and the boys got to play soccer with some friends. Monday my "teacher" with our charter school came to collect our first set of samples. When she left, I fed the kids lunch and then we took off for the library. I emailed my mom and asked her to come and feed the kids dinner since I was asked to go wedding dress shopping with M's cousin. How could I say no to that?! The bride's mom was running late and we had the dress chosen before she arrived (turns out that was a good thing).

Then I encouraged her to buy the cutest red shoes! They're so fun.

Tuesday morning the boys had their first fencing class. I think we're really going to enjoy this. In the afternoon, 5 had her book club and one of the guys M mentors came over to hang out with the boys. They ate pizza and played Legos.

I took 5 to David's Bridal on the way home from Book Club to check out the flower girl dresses. She was in need of a bath from finger painting at book club and playing with bugs in the yard so we just looked, but I think we'll need to go back and try some on. ;0) She was in heaven in that store.

Tuesday night the kids just did not want to go to bed. I'm pretty tired from the late nights. I'm trying to send emails and do some cleaning up when they're in bed, but when the boys aren't down until 9:30....mom is really tired. Today is ballet/tap for 5 and hopefully an earlier bedtime for all. I had intentions of knitting an entire child size cardi while M was gone and I haven't knit a stitch! Hopefully tonight I knit!

B is for Balboa Beach

We study a letter a week for school. We started this when 8 was in kindergarten and it's been such a fun thing for our family that we keep on going. We do take breaks for holidays or other things, and I only go through the alphabet once for the school year. Two years ago we read through My ABC Bible Verses. Last year we did alphabet Muffin Tin lunches. And this year I'm teaching the kids about a hymn a week to go with our letter. I've got some great books/CD's that talk about the story behind the hymn. The books don't go in alphabet order so I've chosen our arrangement of songs. This week we'll be learning about "Blessed Assurance." And some other fun B's in our week... BBQ Burgers and Baked Beans, Blueberry Bars, Breaded Chicken with Brussel Sprouts and Baked Potatoes, Bean Burritos, and...Balboa Beach! Sunday night we enjoyed a Bonfire with some CSUF Exchange Students. That was a great way to close out the weekend.

8 & 7

7 & 5 (Is it any wonder I've been asked if they're twins?)

My toes in MY beach! This is the beach I lived at the summer of 1995.

And the fog didn't roll in so we were able to enjoy a sunset! Amazing!

Knitterly Stash Enhancement

I visited Knitterly when I was in Petaluma. It seems like so long ago. Traveling home and unpacking and starting school have been some L.O.N.G. days. I had saved some Christmas money to spend on yarn. I just couldn't spend it on bills. My mom fell in love with Ella Rae Book 20 (I did too) and so she bought it for me. The 2 sweaters I want to knit are on the cover.

I found some great buys on the sale rack. I'm hoping I can make them work. The Cashcotton is for Lulu.

The Princess yarn is for the Saffron Pattern.

I decided to CO for the Saffron since it's short sleeves and right now 5 has a new dress that would look cute with this cardi. I figure I have to do better than on my Knitterly Hoodie. This can't take me a year. I had lots of problems with the swatch. This is my 2nd one. I couldn't decide if the lace pattern was supposed to line up or be staggered...and I kept having problems with the stitch count. With these problems I figured it was no wonder I couldn't get gauge. I asked for help on FB and then I decided to look at the Ella Rae site. Of course, there were corrections on this pattern. Someone from Ella Rae emailed me back so quick and I'm frogging my swatch and trying again. I do love how it matched my little table cloth so well. Nice summery colors.

And since these photos aren't up on the Ella Rae site or on Ravlery I'm showing you a few of my other favorites. How can you not LOVE this book?!? I mean these are so stinking cute. I LOVE the contrast ruffle on the sleeve here.

I LOVE the ruffle at the neck here and I just might need to find a toddler I can knit for.

I LOVE the simplicity of this one and I know it would be so squishy soft in garter stitch.

So...what are your new knitting LOVES?

Last Call

I had to get my little model to put on some hats for me. These hats are going with M to a mountain region where it will be very cold this winter. However, it was 113 yesterday in the city he'll visit next month. What a shock of temperature! I know these will be appreciated so much. He leaves at the beginning of September so it's not too late to send in a hat. I've also got some washcloths (still have to buy the soaps) and then I'll take photos of those. THANK YOU to those who have knit for others.

Here's a peak at part of the prize. I picked up this hand stamped project bag in Petaluma.

Versatile Blogger

This award comes from Dawn of WolfeFarms. Dawn, I'm trying to steal your button for my sidebar and the code isn't working for me. Maybe I need an extra cup of coffee.

Here are the responsibilities that come along with the award:

Thank the person who gave you the award. Thanks Dawn!
List 7 things about yourself.
Pass on the award to bloggers you've recently discovered.

I award this to: Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice. She's a local girl. She makes jewelry and she's got a giveaway going on right now. I love her list of kidtrips!

The BonBon Rose Girls. Chan pointed me to them. My wardrobe is in need of an update and I love the hints, tips and tricks they're sharing. And one is named Kristin (although she spells it wrong.) What's this, when I went to get their link I see they've got a jewelry give away going on too.

Carissa Graham. We're related...even if it is a bit far fetched. I knit with her Grandmother Marilyn at a Mini West Coast Swedberg Reunion (see the knitting in my new hoodie pic.) We've both got some Swedberg blood from Minnesota. Her grandma sent me a link to her blog. She has 2 babies. I remember those days. My boys are 8 & 7 and my little girl is 5 right now, but I sure did get those looks when they were 3, almost 2, and I was very pregnant.

Now about those 7 things.

1. I'm not worth talking to in the morning before my 2nd cup of coffee.
2. I have a collection of Madame Alexander dolls.
3. I love buttons.
4. I love fog.
5. My eyelashes are so light I look funny without mascara.
6. I can't live without lipgloss. My favorite color right now is called Fancy Nancy. 5 likes to wear it too.
7. I live 7 miles from the house I grew up in, but I left a piece of my heart in Northern Ca where my Grandparents lived and where I was born. I keep thinking about moving but I don't really know what it would be like to re-locate.

First Day of School

8 is starting 3rd grade. He'll be 9 in November. He's grown up so much this year. Yesterday he rolled his eyes when M walked into the Disney store at the mall. It won't be long and I'll have a tween on my hands.

7 is starting 2nd grade. He'll be 7 1/2 at the beginning of September. He's totally a middle child. And right now he's torn between growing up with his brother and staying little with his sister. Maybe this is the best part of being the middle, he gets the best of both worlds.

My princess is 5 and starting Kindergarten today. She's already lost 4 teeth. She's out to breakfast right now with her M. That's our Kindergarten tradition.

Knitterly Hoodie

I made my self imposed deadline. I actually had a day to spare. When we visited family last year in Petaluma I made a side trip to Knitterly. I bought the yarn for this hoodie. I worked on it until Christmas knitting took priority. Then this was laid aside while I knit some birthday afghans. I picked it up after it was decided that we would indeed be returning to Northern California this August. I had to finish this sweater before the 1 year anniversary. I had to wear this sweater in Petaluma. The 3 pieces were knit and I just had to seam, knit the hood, and knit the button band. I should mention here that the hood is 3 balls of yarn and the button band is 2. I finished! I wore the sweater to Knitterly! I forgot to take pictures! The only Petaluma photo I have is this one M took of me working on a Dare Hat and a relative looking through the Ella Rae book my mom bought me.

I did take some more photos the day before we drove home. I'm not super thrilled with the photos, but I do LOVE this cardi. It's warm. It would look better over a long sleeved T-shirt, but I didn't have any of those packed.

Heathered Hoodie. Knitscene Fall 2009.

GGH Aspen in Green. 16 balls

If you're squeamish, don't click through here.

Oh. My. Word. It's midnight and I'm having trouble sleeping. I struggle with panic and anxiety. I'm praying for emotional healing there. But, in the mean time, there are certain things that hit my panic buttons. Throw up is one of them. (This was a problem for me in the past, but it got so much worse in 1998 when I was terribly ill in China.) Just the thought that one of my kids might be sick can send me over the edge. Well, today was horrible...and great all at the same time.

7 sat on the living room floor after dinner and complained about a headache. I told him not to shake his head, because his brain didn't need to be bouncing around in there. He cuddled up on the couch next to me while I checked my emails. I kissed the top of his head and he didn't even wipe it away. He went down the hall to play in his room and about 1 minute later, he was standing at the end of the hall (right where I could see him from my vantage point on the couch). He said, "Mom, I know why my head hurt, I just threw up." And as he spoke those words, vomit sprayed from his mouth. I told him to run to the bathroom quick. He did...but threw up many more times on the way. It took me & M forever to clean it all up. He covered his bed, and we had just changed the sheets. There were 2 spots on the bedroom floor. One spot at the end of the hall. And a giant pile by the door to the bathroom (where the vacuum happened to be sitting and the unwound cord was right in the pile). Then the entire bathroom floor was covered. He eventually did throw up in the toilet, but not for another 30 minutes or so.

Now for the good part. I didn't completely freak out. I won't say I enjoyed myself. But, in the past I've come so unglued that I had to walk out into the back yard for fresh air. I would ring my hands and rock back and forth. I would be having an all out panic attack. Today I didn't! I'll claim that as a victory even thought it's after midnight and I'm still not able to go to sleep. I fixed a glass of 7up with a straw for 7. I got M a bucket and paper towels and a spatula for the carpet. (If you've never thought of this before, a spatula picks up big pieces quick. I also have used a spatula when the kids spill yogurt on the kitchen floor. It squeegees the floor and then I can grab a rag and cleaner.) I loaded the washer with the bedding. M scooped up the majority of the mess on the carpet. Then I used the floor cleaner to pre-treat those spots while M moved on to clean the bathroom mess. After about 1 1/2 hours of cleaning, we put 7 in the bath to clean off himself. He was feeling 100% better when he got out of the tub so I'm wondering if he was allergic to the rice in our soup. He's never really liked rice. M continued with the carpet cleaner and I took a bag of trash over to the school dumpster (I didn't want that smell hanging around). Then I used bathroom cleaner on the bucket. I used a bleach solution on the cord to the vacuum. I changed the load in the washer. I put a blanket on 7's bed for him to lay on top of and then a towel over his pillow. I took 5 to brush her teeth and get in her jammies in my bathroom. (8 was with my mom so he missed this event.) Once the kids were settled I went in to clean the toilet and the bathroom floor. When I finished with that M was praying with the kids and telling them good night. Then I moved on to use comet to clean the kitchen sink. I ran the dishwasher with everything from dinner and the strainer I'd used to bleach some toys and the spatula from the carpet. I started another load of laundry and then I mopped the kitchen floor (I was convinced that our feet that were walking on the yucky carpet had tracked germs into the kitchen.) It was after 11 when I finished with the floor. 7 had thrown up around 6:15. I'm too anxious to go to bed, but I'm trying to focus on the victory I had in being able to be the Mom. I am SO THANKFUL that this didn't happen yesterday when we were driving home from Napa. This would have been disastrous in my car. I'm praying that this was some fluke and not a bug that we'll all pass around now.

If anyone has actually read this...you deserve an award. I so wouldn't have read this. It would have made me panic. ;0) I think it's TMI, but I had to post this for myself. If you do happen to read this...pray for our health around here. This was a bad bug and it really hit out of no where. I'm praying that it doesn't hit the rest of us. And, I'm wondering if I need to have 7 allergy tested. Ok...it's almost 1am. I'm going to knit since I'm up...and I think I just heard the dryer buzz.

Does He Think He Rules the House?

This is my napkin basket on the table. It's not like he even fits well. But, this is where I found Rex the other day when I walked back in the house from the yard. I wonder what he does when we're not home?

Wrapped in Hugs!

I'm just going to pretend I posted this a long time ago. You know you're really bad about posting things when a friend sees a new shawl in the living room before I blogged a Thank You. My internet connection was horrible 2 weeks ago and last week was monopolized by Little House Camp. I blinked and July is almost over. At the beginning of the month I had an MRI. I'm horribly claustrophobic. I remember how terrified I was of that little tube when I had the MRI on my knee. I took a little pill and asked a lot of friends to pray this time. And then Friday morning...I read that a friend was sending me a HUG in the mail. On top of that, I read What's That Noise and it SO encouraged my heart. How could this not be a good MRI? God had full knowledge of the scary things in my life. He has allowed it, because He knows what's best for me. He didn't just leave me there, He's holding me when I tremble. When I arrived, I was impressed with the new 3T machine. The bore is SO much bigger. I almost felt calm. I know the prayers of my friends and family were with me.

So, since M asked for some knitting, I figured that he owed me some photos. I couldn't get shots of myself in the shawl. Here I am...wrapped in a New Jersey Hug! Thanks Grace! I love the shawl. In the box there was a little mouse too, but it seems that my little mouse (5) took it to her room before I got a photo.

I love the span on this shawl...it's really generous and wraps around so cozy. It was even chilly enough for me to enjoy it a few mornings which is super rare for July. I'm counting that as a gift from God too. Since we're not running our AC, we really appreciate the cooler temps.

I really think this shawl was destined to live in L.A. I mean...don't you see Laker purple and gold?! ;0) My kids love that.

I can't wait for the cooler temps to return. So I can wear more hand knits.