An Unintended Hiatus

Hm. I didn't mean to keep the blog silent for so long. It was those darn scarves! Since my last post, I have knit 6 scarves (all different patterns), 35 felted fortune cookies and 3 hats. Oh, and a mobius/neckwarmer thingie (twice - first time it was huuuuge).

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and holiday season. Greg and I will be participating in the Christmas Eve services at Cross Point, so if you by some strange chance are just looking for somewhere to go in Nashville, come! 2:00, 3:30 and 5:00. Then our family will be leaving after the last service and heading into the night to Missouri. We'll spend a few days there, then head to Illinois to visit my family before coming back home.

I may post from the road...we'll see!

Finally, I can share

I've had this wee outfit finished for weeks now, but wanted to postpone sharing it until I had given it to our friends, Matt and Holly. They are expecting their first baby in a few weeks (or so) and I knew I wanted to knit something for her. I figured they would be inundated with cute little pink goodies, so I wanted to make it both cute AND cool. Matt is the creative director at our church and happens to be a self-admitted Mac geek.

It didn't take me long to figure out what I wanted to do:
I got a lot of hugs.

Step Into the Wayback Machine...

Wow. I haven't seen this video in years!! The hair...the shades...the jackets...and a great song. Enjoy!

The Power of Words

Whoever came up with the old saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," was clearly in denial.

Our tongues are one of our most powerful weapons. I notice it with my children all the time. Even our tone can pack a punch. I am trying to catch myself in the act and make note of how I am coming across to my kids. I'm also realizing more and more that it's the little things that make a big impact...for instance, saying "I'm proud of you," or paying a compliment. Sometimes I think those things, but I get distracted and never actually say them to the person I'm with. But I know from my own experience that receiving those words can make a huge difference in my outlook.

Yesterday I received a card from my sister and I asked her if I could share what she wrote. I was feeling extremely frustrated about something and was having a hard time seeing how the situation could ever improve. Reading her words completely changed my attitude. They had nothing to do with my frustration and offered no solution...but the encouragement made all the difference. Here's what she wrote:

"Have I told you how proud I am of you? You have grown into a delightful adult and a great mom. I think I would like you if I just happened to meet you on the street (but really, how often do we meet people on the street?) I love you dearly - Karen."

In this week of Thanksgiving, I challenge you to use your words for good and not for evil. Say those little words of encouragement that often go unspoken. You never know, you may just have the exact words someone needs to hear.

A Full Life

Thanks to the wonders of technology, I recently reconnected with a few old friends on Facebook. These are people with whom I went to elementary school. Reality smacked me upside the head when I realized that I probably have not seen these folks for 25 years. Twenty five!! Good gracious.

We gave each other a brief synopsis of what we are all doing now and commented on all of our cute children. What really made me stop and think, though, was that two of these old friends made the exact same comment to me:

"It looks like you have a very full life."

Wow.

Of course, then I had to stop and ask myself, do I really? Do I lead a full life?

I have been pondering that question for several days now. I want to live a full life - very much, in fact. I can't say that I have always succeeded. We all have seasons that are challenging and those that are smooth sailing, but I am learning (ever so slowly) to choose peace and contentment even during the challenging seasons.

When I step back and evaluate my life right now, yes, there are some things I would like to change. I would love for finances to never be an issue. I would love a slightly bigger house, I would love to be able to travel. But I have the basics. I have a husband who loves me. I have two very healthy and fantastic children. We have great relationships with our parents and families. I have the privilege of staying home and educating my children. We laugh a lot. We love our church and are very involved there. I have made some wonderful new friends this year.

My old friends were right. I do have a very full life. And I am very thankful.

Just Because

I was looking through my files and found this video, taken when Ethan was almost 3. He was pretending to take my order in a restaurant.

Ethan at 23 months, taking my order from Julie Persinger on Vimeo.

Dreary Weather Leads to Movie Watching

I don't know about you, but cold and gloomy weather makes me want to hunker down and watch movies. Well, and knit...but that's a given.

Here's a clip from the beginning of one of my favorite movies - Charade (1963):

What are some of your favorites?

Sometimes I Have to Wonder

Out

Today is a sad day. I ran out of two of my favorite products.

All summer I used Philosphy's Purity facial cleanser. Now I am out and my face will no longer be pure.
For several months now, I have been shampoo-free. Yes, I still wash my hair, but I have been using WEN Cleansing Conditioner (which I LOVE...I just don't love the price). Now I am out and I'll probably be going back to shampoo for a while (see aforementioned cost issue). Sigh.
I shall console myself with my new green hat (knit earlier this week).

Wee Li'l Knits

I've been doing a lot of baby knitting lately. I didn't know how to knit when my own children were babies, so it has been fun making little things for a change.

One friend's baby received booties from me when she was born, but has now outgrown them. Apparently she won't keep regular socks on, so my friend asked me to knit some larger booties. The mary janes are knit out of Schaefer Anne, double-stranded (sorry, no links today - don't have time right now!):
These are knit out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, double-stranded:
This same friend asked if I would also be willing to knit a baby sweater, so I obliged. This is knit with KnitPicks Swish:
There's one more that I'm dying to share, but don't want to post it here until I give it to its intended recipient!

Now I'm not quite sure what to knit. Suggestions?

Happy Election Day

There has been so much unpleasantness surrounding this election, but rather than get into any of that on this important day, I thought I would give you some edu-tainment instead.

Enjoy a few minutes of Schoolhouse Rock...and go vote, if you haven't already!

I Have to Know.

OK, I have to know. How do you apply your mascara?

I was getting ready for Mom's Group this morning and began to wonder how other people do their makeup. I'd love to say I was thinking deep, spiritual thoughts, but I wasn't. I have to be honest...I can multi-task with the best of 'em, but when I'm applying mascara, I can really only think about applying mascara. It's tricky that way.

Here's my routine: I always start with my right eye, top lashes, and I work from the inside corner outward. Then bottom lashes the same way. Repeat on left eye. Oh, but I do my left eye mascara with my left hand. I don't do my left eye's eye shadow with my left hand...just the mascara. Let's not be too crazy.

So how about you? Tell me about your mascara application routine. I need to know.

I'm Curious

Sometimes I feel guilty that I am not using my college degree. Then again, sometimes I am relieved that I decided not to pursue my original plan of grad school. I do use my years of violin training when I play at church, but on a daily basis my (expensive) degree (Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance) is not utilized.

I don't think I am alone in this, though - so I'm curious...are you actively using your degree or training? If so, in what way? If not, do you think you will at some point?

Frazzled No More

I've been feeling frazzled lately...scattered and stressed. My life used to be pretty slow and boring, but this is the season of homeschool co-op and Mom's Group, which both meet weekly. Then there's our regular homeschool day on top of that. I'm also scheduled to teach some classes at The Neighborhood Knit Shop. It's still not a terribly fast-paced life compared to some of you, I'm sure - but lately it has started to feel hectic.

Yesterday, though, I realized one reason why. I forgot to put the October daily pages in my beloved Franklin Covey planner.

Instead, I have been operating off the October monthly pages, which is fine for scheduled events - but I use the daily pages for my to-do list each day and without those pages in my planner, I have been trying to remember everything! Sadly, my memory ain't what she used to be.

So yesterday I took action and put the remaining daily pages in the October section of my planner, as well as all of the November pages. It was such a relief to be able to make my to-do list and check things off! Now I feel like I'm on track again.

I'm curious, though...what helps you stay on track with your schedule? Planner? Online calendar? Post-it notes?

This one stopped me cold

Recently I pulled out a book I've had for a few years, but never actually read: Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning. I love his writing, but it is not light reading. And he uses a lot of big words sometimes. And you have to think. However, it is always worth plowing through all of that because Manning can just whomp you over the head with truth sometimes.

That happened to me two nights ago. I read the following excerpt and I'm still pondering it now:

"It is of immense importance to understand that every word spoken and written about God is delivered in the language of analogy. In any divine analogy, there is a similarity between the human words used about God and the reality of God himself; there is also, however, a radical dissimilarity. What is affirmed in one breath must be denied in the next. For example, we liken the divine love to human love. The similarity induces us to think that we are getting a grip on God's love. And yet, though human love is the best image we have, it is utterly inadequate to express the love of the Infinite. Not because human love is too sugary and sentimental or because it is too passionate and emotional, but because it can never fully compare with that source whence it came - the passion-emotion love of the Totally Other.

The more we let go of our concepts and images, which always limit God, the bigger God grows and the more we approach the mystery of his indefinability. When we overlook the dissimilarity, we begin to speak with obnoxious familiarity about the Holy, make ludicrous comments such as 'I could never imagine God doing such a thing,' calmly predict Armageddon, glibly proclaim infallible discernment of the will of God, and trivialize God, trimming the claws of the Lion of Judah."

Blog Action Day: Poverty

Did you know that today is Blog Action Day? The focus this year is on poverty.

A few years ago, when my family's financial situation was at its worst, I thought things were bad. BAD. Scary words like foreclosure and bankruptcy swirled around in my mind, threatening to undo me. I prayed. And I prayed. And I prayed. Do you know what I realized?

As bad as things were, I was still rich. For that day, at least, I had a proper house. We had two vehicles. I had heat and air conditioning. Clean water. Plenty of clothes. Food. Yes, things were difficult and stressful, but I realized that I really have no idea what bad means for the rest of the world.

I'm sure you have seen images and read statistics, but while we in the US are being inundated with the word "CHANGE!" right now, please think about making some changes of your own, if you haven't already. There are many wonderful organizations that are working non-stop to fight poverty around the world. I am including this video from Compassion that explains why they do what they do.

Click here for more information on sponsoring a child through Compassion.

Wishing

Money is tight for most of us these days, right? What with the increased price of groceries and it costing about $4,273 to fill up your car with gas and all. I know my family is feeling the pinch in a big way. Greg has been working ridiculous hours on a job in Murfreesboro since this summer - something that's not even related to his new business...and by "ridiculous hours" I mean that I've lost count of the times that he's left the house around 8 AM and returned around 10 AM the next day, only to take a nap and go back out there the same day. The job is nearly done, or so he says, but we are still waiting on the paycheck. Until then, things are beyond tight.

But if I had an extra $20 to spend just on myself today, I would snap this ring (in a sz 8) up in a heartbeat!!
What about you? If you had $20 to spend on something for yourself right now, what would it be?

Enjoy

Given the current election hubbub and general interest in politics and government, I think it is fitting to share this gem from my all-time favorite TV show. Enjoy!

I've Been Doing Stuff

See?

Timely Words

In his book Bread for the Journey, the late Henri Nouwen said this:

"To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives - the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections - that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see it in the guiding hand of a loving God."

Thanks Mr. Nouwen - I needed that reminder.

Enough With the Procrastinating

I've had this fabric for several months now - sitting forlornly in a bag, waiting to be cut and ironed and transformed into valances for my windows. There was no great reason for my procrastination. Mostly, it had to do with the fact that I don't enjoy the cutting and measuring part of sewing.

Yesterday, I finally bit the bullet, pulled out the fabric, hauled the ironing board upstairs and got to work. I knew what I wanted and there was no need for a pattern. I just wanted flat panels. No ruffles, no gathers, nothing fancy - just flat panels. I had done the measuring of the windows months ago and thankfully, my measurements proved to be right on the mark. All in all, it probably took about 90 minutes, and that was with a lot of stopping and starting and dealing with children.

Today, I learned that it is difficult to take a good picture of a valance in a wood-paneled room. Here's the best I could do...there is one window on one wall and a bank of 3 windows on the next wall.

I can't believe it took me so long to do this.

Repurposing, or Making Do With What You Have

Two years ago, I knit a cardigan for Natalie. It was a bit big, but children tend to grow a lot in two years so the sleeves were getting short. The yarn, however, was still in great shape. What's a knitter to do? Rip it apart, wind the yarn back up into balls and knit something new with it, of course! So this:
has been transformed into this:
I looked and looked at patterns, hoping to find an easy crochet shrug (since crochet goes so quickly). Alas, I had no luck. I continued my search, though, and came across the Simple Lace Shrug (knit, not crochet) and thought I may have found just what I needed. While it is not written for children's sizes, I was able to adjust the size very easily.
The best part is that Natalie is much happier with her new shrug than she ever was with the original cardigan and I think she will wear it often.

February in September

Today I realized that my children aren't the best when it comes to photographing handknits. This should not come as a surprise to me since they are 4 and 6, but one tries to remain hopeful.

This is the February Lady Sweater, which is the adult version of Elizabeth Zimmerman's classic baby sweater. (Not the most flattering angle in this pic, but again - I think I was lucky to actually have my body in the shot at all, considering the photographers.) It is an excellent pattern and I could see myself knitting this again. I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca, which I have had in my stash for well over a year now and has been started as a few different sweaters and then ripped out. Much to my surprise, I quite like how the Ultra Alpaca knit up in this pattern. I had pretty much convinced myself that it wasn't going to be hefty enough, but I have been proven wrong.

Now if only the temperature would cool down enough to be able to wear my new sweater.

Big Promises

My children are intrigued by As Seen On TV items. I don't know why.

Last year I was on a quest for a great new handbag. One day Ethan interrupted my shower to tell me, with great enthusiasm, about the Buxton Bag. In fact, he declared that it could solve all of my problems.

Both kids were thrilled when we saw Aqua Globes on display at Walgreen's and were disappointed that I didn't snatch any up before they were all gone. However, since our house gets very little sun through the windows it is pointless to keep house plants. In fact, even as I clicked over to get the link for this post, the kids saw what was on my screen and squealed, "We've seen those on tv!! They help you not have a mess of sad, drooping-down plants! We should get some!"

But by far, the product that garners the most excitement with Natalie and Ethan is the Rocket Fishing Rod. Ethan has informed me that he needs one for Christmas. I am not convinced.

So tell me what you think. Are these types of products worth investigating? Or do you think they are scams? I think there are some that are probably good products...but I think there's a lot of junk that you have to weed through to find those treasures!

Me too, Winston...

Although prepared for martyrdom, I prefer that it be postponed.

-Sir Winston Churchill

Six Random Things

It's been sparse here on the blog lately. No big reason - just haven't had much to say. However, I was quite surprised to see that Jenni tagged me in her "Six Random Things" post! Some of you may know these things about me; some may not. Either way, here we go:

1. My left elbow is double-jointed. I think my thumbs might be, too, but I'm not certain.

2. I love garbanzo beans and enjoy them straight from the can. However, I'm not crazy about hummus. You would think that I would if I like garbanzo beans so much, but no.

3. Greg and I only knew each other for 9 months before we got married and did not live in the same state until after our wedding. Then he spent most of our first year of marriage on a major concert tour and was typically home for about 24 hours every two weeks or so. I'm not sure it's the ideal way to start a marriage, but we made it work.

4. I became a paid member of my hometown's symphony (comprised mostly of university students and faculty) when I was 11 years old and played with them through high school.

5. In college, I was a music performance major but everyone's first impression of me was that I was a voice major. I was not - my degree is in piano performance. More than one person told me, "You have voice major hair." What does that even mean??

6. I was plagued with constant ear infections as a child and had tubes 7 different times. Miraculously, I suffered no permanent damage to my hearing.

I can't decide who to tag, so feel free to tell me six random things about yourself in the comments - or do your own blog post!

Scattered

My thoughts have been scattered this week, which is the main reason I haven't posted here. I have been getting Natalie back into our school routine and we had family in town for the long weekend. While they were here, I started having what I assume are some sort of allergic reactions - nothing serious enough to need to go to the doctor, but enough to leave me in a Benadryl fog for much of the time.

Otherwise, things are fine. I am finishing my umpteenth reading of Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire and am eager to start a new book. We discussed this not long ago, but do you have any suggestions??

Like jr. high, but with less acne

I'm beginning to wonder if I've been blackballed.

We had a meeting to go to this week and while waiting for my husband afterward, I found myself in the awkward position of being in conversations where people were making plans for double dates and getting together and making time to get to know each other better. It all sounds good except that I was neither the inviter nor the invitee. Please understand - I do not expect everyone's plans to include me!! It was just uncomfortable. At one point, one of the inviters did turn to me and say, "Oh...yeah...maybe the four of us could get together for a double date sometime. Yeah. That would be...er...fun?"

I don't want to be the last one picked for the team. Nor do I want to be considered an obligation.

There are several people I have tried to connect with this year - through email, in person, on the phone...all in the hope of getting to know them better and perhaps developing a true friendship. My calls and emails have gone unanswered.

Yesterday I very nearly gave a local church (not my own) a lecture on customer service because I had called and emailed multiple times, trying to find out when their AWANA program was starting for the year. My kids went there last year and are eager to go back. No one ever responded! I finally got someone on the phone yesterday who could answer and it's probably just as well that I held my tongue. What if I didn't go to church anywhere? What if I was considering trying that church? Why would I even want to if you can never connect with someone there??

I don't expect anyone to have answers - and believe me, I do realize that all of us are busy people. We all have to sacrifice to make time for relationships. I get that. I also acknowledge that it is much harder to connect and get together with people when you are married with children than it was as a single or newly-married-with-no-kids person.

But really. I've had enough with the blackball thing.

So How About That Weather?

I'm a little out of sorts today. I was awakened at 2 AM by a 4 year old boy who proceeded to throw up all over himself, me, the bathroom floor, the toilet and everything else that was nearby. Then I spent the morning straightening up the house because an old friend was supposed to come over for lunch at 11. She stood me up. I've also been trying to connect with someone this week and have gotten no response so far.

None of these things are major, earth-shattering or life altering...I realize that. I just feel a little let down, I guess.

Creative Repair & Holding Out Hope

I've been busy with the crafting lately. One project on the to-do list has been to find a way to repair a hole in one of Natalie's dresses. It's a comfy, cotton knit dress from Land's End, but there was no way to actually repair the hole. The best I could do was cover it somehow. I had considered sewing a band of wide ribbon around the waist, but kept putting off going to buy ribbon. Fortunately, I remembered that I had some nice cotton yarn in a color that would match, so I crocheted this little circle medallion thingie and stitched it over the hole. Not a bad solution and now Natalie can wear the dress again.
Another project that was both started and completed this week is the Tamarind Cowl. It's a quick, easy knit and using Malabrigo yarn makes it even better.
Now if only the weather would cool off.

Just Because

The Beginning of the End

This weekend I purchased my first anti-aging product.

Hm.

I've noticed lately that the pores across my cheeks seem to be getting bigger at an alarming rate, so I thought I would see what I could do to hold time at bay for a while. Of course, I did not want to spend a fortune on my very first anti-aging product - I only wanted to baby-step in.

I settled on Olay Total Effects Instant Smoothing Serum, mostly because there was only one other pore-refining product available besides that one and Olay Total Effects claims to provide SEVEN "anti-aging therapies in one vitamin and mineral formula to fight uneven tone and texture."

We'll see.

Poker: Another Option

I'm not much of a card player, though I'd love to learn the standard card games. Last night, Greg and I got sucked into some rather horrible late-night tv, where we learned about Cowboy Poker. The cowboys sit at tables in the rodeo ring, a bull is released into the ring, and whoever is the last man still seated is the winner.

I want to know who ever thought this was a good idea?

Our Own Aisle?

When Greg and I were in California last month, we stopped at a grocery store for some snacks and bottled water. We all know that any time you are in a store that is new to you, you tend to rely on the signs over the aisles to know where things are. When I saw this one, I had to whip out my phone and take a picture.

I don't consider myself a Southerner, really - I'm from Illinois...but the idea that "Southern" merits its own spot in an aisle is very entertaining to me! Unfortunately, we were in a hurry, so I wasn't able to go see what sort of products were in the Southern section, but I'm still curious about it.

Hmm...

I'm all for hygiene and promoting good health and all, but is this entirely necessary?
It seems a little silly to me. Maybe I'm wrong.

What do you think?

My Olympic Finish

With needles blazing, I finished my Olympic knitting project on Saturday and wore it to church today!

Pattern: Rusted Root
Yarn: Berroco Love It, color: Lawn
Needles: US sz 6
Started: 8/5/08
Completed: 8/16/08

Distracted

I've really been lax about blogging this week. Mostly because I've been engrossed in three things: starting school again with Natalie, watching the Olympics and knitting on my Olympics project. "Olympics project?" you might ask. Yes. I'm sure whatever cool factor I had with some of you may now have been obliterated - but I'm ok with that.

Just prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics, a rather spectacular knit blogger known as the Yarn Harlot organized the 2006 Knitting Olympics, where she challenged anyone who wanted to participate to select a project to knit during the Olympics. You could not begin until Opening Ceremonies started and the goal was to finish by the end of Closing Ceremonies. Thousands (yes, you read that correctly) of knitters participated, including myself.

For the 2008 Summer Olympics, the lovely folks at Ravelry decided to head up another knitty Olympic challenge. Same rules apply. I have chosen to knit a short-sleeved sweater - Rusted Root. So far, so good. I already had the yarn in my stash, so I am pleased to put it to good use. This sweater is knit from the top down and I am now finished with the sleeves and just barely into the body.
It should be smooth sailing from here on out. Besides, once Michael Phelps quits distracting me from my knitting, it should go much faster.

Sometimes I Feel...

Sometimes I feel as though I have less worth because I am not a "leader." I realize that not everyone can be a leader; someone has to follow at some point. I don't particularly want to be a leader...I know I'm not gifted in that area.

Perhaps being a leader is of little importance in the circles you run in. Honestly, I'm not even sure I have a circle (and knowing me, it would be more like a rhombus or a trapezoid) - I just happen to know a lot of people who are strong, natural, gifted leaders and they are always striving to be better at what they do. I admire that very much and appreciate their honesty when they see areas that they know need improvement. I guess it has been on my mind a lot because being a leader is a hot topic among many of the people I know and the blogs I read.

I'm not looking for any answers here - just saying how I feel. Good leaders can be hard to find and I am thankful for the ones I have in my life. They are people of integrity and I am glad to be under their leadership. But I know I'm not one of them.

Followers unite!

A Quote

Here's a quote for pondering, from Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle. I read it last night and thought it was lovely.

"God is over all things, under all things; outside all; within, but not enclosed; without, but not excluded; above, but not raised up; below, but not depressed; wholly above, presiding; wholly without, embracing; wholly within, filling." (attributed to Hildevert of Lavardin, written around 1125)

I Wonder

Will we see any moments like this one during this Olympics?



What are some of your favorite Olympics moments?

I Miss Shopping For These

I love homeschooling Natalie, but the biggest thing I feel I'm missing out on is shopping for school supplies. I love school supplies...all those notebooks and pencils and crayons and glue sticks...all new and unspoiled. It's not that we don't need them as homeschoolers - it's just that the curriculum we use (The Calvert School) happens to include all of your school supplies as part of the package. Trust me, it is a thrilling day when that giant box of stuff arrives!

Do you miss anything about the back-to-school time of year?

Ragamuffintop Challenge: Week 10

So I'm up. Not up as in perky or in high spirits...up as in up almost 2 lbs since my last check-in two weeks ago.

I'm not surprised. When you are careless about your eating and don't exercise, weight gain tends to happen. I have no good excuse - only that it has been hard to get back into the routine. Today, that changes. No more regular Coke - lots of water instead. Better food choices and daily exercise.

It will be a better week! Check out how the other Ragamuffintops did this week here.

Bee Fields

Good yarn + pointy needles + a great pattern = a big finished lace project. It is also my reason for not blogging much this week. Bee Fields is now finished. Thanks yet again to Anne Hanson for another glorious pattern! The yarn is Wooly Wonka Fibers merino laceweight in the colorway "The Silk Road."