Conviction

Yikes or wow, both describe the feeling. My dear friend received a book from a friend of hers and was able to show it to me. Today, we sat on her bed like a couple of girls and I read excerpts from it. I was floored. Finally, a book that gives me a greater insight into who my husband is and what to do about it! I was amazed! Basically, there are 3 types of men (based on the 3 personalities of G-d) and most men emulate one the most. My beloved Neb is Mr. Steady.. slow to anger, abounding in love.. and to fulfill my place in his life I need to begin to become the Proverbs 31 woman... umm... Is it just me, or is that not me? I've been called to be the opposite of what I've always been. I'm not self-motivated, but that's what he needs me to be! I'm somewhat lazy, but he needs me to be on task! I have no desire to deal with making and running my own business, but that would please him to no end!!

I'm going to find this book.. And when I do, I'll post the link..
***
Here it is:
Created to be His Helpmeet No matter your convictions about the one area of their philosophies that many people have issues with, this book is awesome.

March rains

What a lovely day! The skies have turned a deep gray and are finally opening out their wells of life onto the land. I was sitting here at the computer reading crochet blogs and the thought came to mind that this would be a perfect opportunity to use the seeds in the fridge in that front plot. I hope the next owners will recognize the produce there and put it to use. I think I'll take the rest of the seed packets with me and see if there's a spot in our new yard that I could plant a garden. If my husband doesn't object.

I have the MOTH book and they came out with a Chores version! My friend Stacy is letting me borrow it to read through. I think I may get a copy delivered to my new address!! I'm so excited to put this to use. (note: this will be background info, don't continue reading if life bores you!) I remember a time when I was young that we were required to do daily chores (make the bed, tidy room, etc), but after my Mom went back to work, the chores dwindled away. I think the excuse was that we were children and that play was our work. Well, I went into my adult life as a child who didn't see herself as an adult. Heck, I didn't know what adults were supposed to do except work and yell at each other.

The friends and associates that I tend to think most highly of were the ones that gradually were expected to take on more responsibilities as they aged and were given the training needed to do the job (until they had enough training that they could figure these things out).

After returning from England, we were staying with my parents until my husband had direction in where we were to live next. Since the opportunity was at hand, I asked Mom if she would take the time to show me what a housewife generally was supposed to do in a day to have her home prepared. I'd hoped that perhaps she would have me go along side her (or she would oversee as I performed the tasks at her call) and I would actually feel like I could take care of a home once I was in my own once more. Instead, she rattled off a list so fast and long it left me reeling! I asked her to help me and she said something like, "You just get in there and do it, then it's done." I was discouraged and never asked again. Perhaps, she thought I knew how to do those things and couldn't fathom her own child as incapable in the home?

Thank you, FlyLady, for putting information on your website that takes us through the first few items. You were my mentor when I regained the courage to try again.

*later..*
I've read the first 4 chapters of MoT-Chores and can't read chapter 5. It's about husbands and their attitudes toward chores and I don't even want to go there. I'll read chapter 6 about wives' attitudes and give prayer for my issues and for G-d to move in my husband's heart if he wants a more peaceful home.

(sigh)

4:50AM

What am I doing blogging at this hour, you ask? Well, I went to bed last night at a "reasonable hour" for the first time this week. Apparently, when your body is used to going to sleep well after midnight and awakening between 7&8, changing suddenly by to going to bed at 10:30PM will wake you up 'refreshed' at about 3AM. So, I knit a row on Angelina and then sat down to read blogs and research knit interests..

TJ asked me today for a StarWars cape. Being the ever(-crazed) courageous mother, I said, "Let's run out and buy fabric!" So, I have Simp #5512 which has the options of ren-style droopy pointy sleeves or a sleeveless cloak with or without a rather pointy hood. Sounds like fun. I really like the look of the front of the yoke in this pattern, but.. He wants the sleeves like in the movie - so it's easier to use his light sabre - which means that I'll have to reshape the sleeves to be nice and loose around his wrists, but not super droopy down to his ankles. And, I don't think the pointy hood works for a Jedi warrior, so we'll just reshape the hood.

What I should really be doing *now* is laying out the fabric and getting this cut out before Bea wants me back in bed to nurse!

The Search For Sock

I decided to check my favorite pair of socks to get an idea of the gauge I like (11st/16r per in & others are tighter gauge). I knew whilst making the ones for TJ that the stitches seemed too loose for my taste. I think his were knit on size 2.. maybe size 1? Hmm.. Well, I'm making AJ's on the blue needles :) they could be 00. These are the second smallest in the Susan Bates sock pack (which I bought at JoAnn's, hence the link there). I really want to make the over the knee socks from Handknit Holidays! But, I'm thinking I may rework the gauge.. So the eyelets will end up smaller and more numerous.. But, if I come up with my own pattern for socks I like, then I could put any designs on the side/back and they'd be lurvly!!

AAAIIAAIIEE!!!!!

Just get out of the house and no one will get hurt.

I cast on double strand 72 stitches. I joined them oh so carefully in the round. I began working the ribbing. And the 3 year old struck! It was all a ruse to get me away from the teensy tiny knitting needles. She asked me to go get her whipcream on a pink plate and I let her know when I was done with the needle I was currently working across that I would indeed get her a snack. I went and got her a pink bowl and put the fluffy junk (how can anyone eat that stuff?) in it. Then I returned to the sock.. Oh! My poor sock! There it lay on the chair like so much cast off ramen noodles! I interrogated the 3 year old (doing my best not to drag her off bodily) and brought her back to the scene of desecration. "They on the couch," she told me. Truly, the needles lay on the little blue couch.

I didn't take a picture, there are enough tormented souls out there that I shan't share the horror.

Home, Home off the Range

Well, it's nearly official. Ben's found a place, he just has to fax some papers to me.. Hmm.. that's going to be fun (I hate going out if I don't have to, FIL's fax isn't set up to receive, and Ben didn't want to send them so that they'd be here already whilst I was out of town, so he's got to send them on my time [sigh]). I'll be leaving Oklahoma for the coast at the end of this month.

In exchange for the quiet open expanses that I've come to love, I get to return to my native state, massively overpopulated cities, and traffic clogged byways. I try to focus on looking forward to being with my dear husband again.. I get to make all new friends. Again. (I'm really an introvert at heart, so this is a bit of a challenge for me). I've looked online and there were no listings for homeschool groups in the San Francisco area at all. San Jose wasn't mentioned at all. Fun fun.

On a brighter note: the first 3 inches of Angelina are knitted. I'm using size 2 needles.. I tried the 5s and got 6 or 7 st/in, so I tried 4s and got 7/8 st/in. I don't own 3s, so I tried 2s and got 10 st/in.. and I'm happy with that. I've only had a 36" chest measurement when I was full of milk, and my 'baby' is almost 21 months. So, I'm aiming to have the finished size closer to 38" (the smallest listed finished measurement is 40"). Yes, this means I'll have to add a few more rows in the front because there'll be a few more in the back, but it's worth it. I hope.

Whispers in the Night

She spoke softly, calling to me in the darkness of midnight, begging me not to leave her alone on the shelf.. "Do you see me?"

'Yes, yes!' I cried out and petted her soft strands.. Purple.. Angelina.. I see you now.
I bought the pattern last year as inspiration.. I finally taught myself to knit and she has such simple construction. Yes, she will be mine.

The Midnight Knitter

I stayed up till after 7 this morning. I was on a hunt for a sweater pattern. I have some yummy 70% wool 30% silk yarn that is begging me to knit it.. but I'm a new knitter and am afraid. What if I mess up my yummy yarn? What if I don't like the design? Well, I like raglans, so I'm on the hunt for a simple raglan in DK/sport weight.. I'm thinking this may work: Knitting Pure & Simple #241 My yarn is a deep purple.

So, that brought me to the fact that I've only ever knitted socks.. Shouldn't I do a practice sweater or something and learn a few more knit stitches? So, I saw this one for TJ; I may not do the trains, there's this spider begging to be cabled.. I bought the book so that I could make a sweater for TJ with the spider. He will adore it!

Socking away at the needles. I made socks for Ben last week, just need to weave in loose ends and kitchenette the toes.. But, not until he tries them on to see if they fit, or if they're mine.

I tried out an afterthought-heel sock pattern for TJ, but the heels weren't given enough space. The next time I think I'll do the 2/3 ratio for the heel. I like that I can set the heel in the middle of a stripe and just match the color and have it continue. I think it looks nice. If I make a turned heel next time, then I'll just have to use a separate strand of thread to keep the continuity of the stripes.. Though they'll still be off because of the gusset decreases. Fitting is better than perfect stripes, right?

I took a break from the blue stripes yesterday and made about the world's ugliest sock (or at least a contender) for AJ so I could test the 2/3 vs 1/2 heel. I'll have to get a picture of the children's socks when I finish TJ's. I have a bunch of 'Magic Stripes' yarn for practice before I get the really good yarn (though, I really want to make TJ some flame socks! and maybe a NBaT with flames). The yarn that AJ picked is ugly! The stripes are random and where there's lots of colors it looks okay, but I started toe-up and it was pink-white-red/green-white and it was driving me nuts how little color there seemed! Finally the foot got more interesting. I added some fuzzy yarn that was on sale last week at Hobby Lobby and voila, half a pair of socks.. (Somebody's got second sock syndrome and only taught herself to knit last month!)

**note: AJ gave her ugly sock to her best friend and I never got a picture.. and it never got a mate**

Time? oh.. yeah

I can't seem to keep track of the time. I finally got the baby down for a nap and looked up and we have to head out in 15 min to get to music class {sigh}.

I was thinking of the 'practice' sweater and came across TJ's helicopter 'sweater'.. umm.. they use it as armor because I crocheted the front and back and sewed the shoulders together. It's got about 1/3 of a sleeve. The 'armor' has been washed at least twice.
It's time to rip it. Froggy froggy rip rip