Still fighting the cold...

Ugh! Headaches and achiness all over. I can hardly stand it and the babies are sick too. Alas--I'm still working. I finished a hooded scarf I had an order for...

I suppose I can sit down and write out the pattern. It's pretty nice and fairly easy once you get the gist of joining the squares if you haven't done that before. The ribbing makes it a bit tedious.

Now I'm working on a star-stitch hat for the challenge I mentioned before. It has to be in tonight by midnight. I have to go lay down for a while. Maybe I'll take a little Nyquil-I just laid the babies down for a nap, I may have a couple hours.

Ramblings...

Two projects sold, finished, and shipped off today! One to go -- but almost finished. I'm having a hard time getting my "work" done because I find that I am spending a lot of time looking for new work and watching American Idol. And I caught a cold. Ugh! I want Nyquil but I'm afraid to sleep that hard even though that's probably why I'm sick in the first place...sleep deprivation. So now God puts me flat. Maybe. Not. Me? Lay still? Only for surgery. Oh yes, and another one or two of those coming up. Hmmm...better get a crochet bag together.

Made a hat for an urgent custom order. But she bought one from somebody else...So...you wanna hat? It's for sale and ready to ship! See the hat

One week

One week has past since my last blog entry.
Seven days.
How much time is there actually, in one week.
Enough.
Enough time to do laundry, and cook dinners, comb hair and crochet, plan parties and pack lunches.
Barely...enough time to take a quick nap, read the paper, paint my toes, or pluck my eyebrows.
One week.
Seven days.

Inauguration day

Happy Inauguration Day! I woke up this morning and thought, I wonder what it feels like to wake up knowing that today is the day you become President of the United States. Did Barak Obama get up early this morning? Could he even sleep last night? Did he and Michelle giggle the night away in anticipation? Was he nervous? Did he think about the impact for our country and the awesome responsibility? I wonder if he ate breakfast this morning. Could he, or were the butterflies too much? I wonder if he woke up and prayed today, a thankful, praise-filled prayer.


INAUGURAL--
Enveloped in the quiet of the new day
Surrounded by the sound of silence
He stood posed
Poised
Reflected in the bath glass
He saw into himself
And it took his breath away
His heart pounded wildly in his chest
Blinking
Blinking away the tears
Joy and peace
Sorrow or worry
He didn't know
The weight of his country rest on his shoulders
Squarely
And he sighed as a familiar voice whispered
In his ear
I Am
A gentle nod
Again
The weight of his family
I Am
A gentle nod
Again
And he straightened his tie
As he took one last look
Grining a toothy grin
He rested his hand on the knob

this week...

This week I have been busy with new crafts...I tried my hand at Japanese Stab Binding and made three books. Now I have a stash of empty food boxes to use for covers. What am I doing? No one has said anything about the boxes sitting on the kitchen counter. I guess I should cut out the front and backs or at least fold them flat and store them in my office area. I'd feel a bit more sane that way! I also took a break from my "crochet-for-hire" project and made myself a hook case. I don't know why...guess with me all things go back to busy hands.

Here's one of the books and the case!











Here's the link for the case.

And for the book binding technique. This has a part one that tells about making the pages and cover.

my hands

Idle hands are the Devil's workshop. That's what I will use as my excuse...er, reason...for being so busy, so occupied with things. Writing and creating, caring and comforting. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name I pray that my hands will continue to do the work that my mind creates through my spirit, His spirit, as it dwells in me. And I thumb through patterns I have saved and dogeared for later. For the time between. Any little stolen moment between. Inappropriate. But I must create, I must use my hands, or I might explode!

Challenge

On one of my groups we are having a creative challenge in the month of February. I've decided to enter the challenge and have begun to brainstorm about what my entry might be. The topic "Hookers Romance" -- Hookers as in crochet hooks! So I think to myself, how can I incorporate what is going on in my life to this challenge? How do I see romance? And how can I translate that into yarn? I browsed my old books and magazines last night. Looking for ideas. hmmm....

Praise the Lord!

This scripture was shared in our bible study today. It really touched my heart and my spirit. It evoked the feelings that I had this morning... Praise the Lord!


Psalm 103 (New Living Translation)
A psalm of David.
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
6 The Lord gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

7 He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!

19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.

20 Praise the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

ADONAI MINISTRIES

An awesome ministry in Riverside County...
http://www.myspace.com/adonaiministriesle

My time

4am. I get up to see my husband off to work. I pack a lunch, fix him breakfast, start the car, and prepare a mug of coffee. I tell him to drive safely and that I love him. I used to tell him to have a good day, but his response "I'll try" rubbed me the wrong way. So I stopped saying that. Drive safe is better, if he tells me he'll try that's okay. I don't think he knows that I pray for his day, that it will be a good one. And in the evening when I ask how his day went I really want to know.

By 4:45 he is out the door. The house is quiet. I get on the computer, check my etsy shop and post on my blog, I catch up on emails and my groups. I post. I look up crochet patterns and print a few for my notebook. I might listen to the stereo or the news, I might sip on some coffee. Each day is different, but it all has to be done by 6, 6:30 at the latest so I can get the kids up and ready for school.

This time, is my time. I treasure it. I despise the child who wakes early and wants to sit with mommy. My time shouldn't have to be spent in the bathroom, on the toilet or in the tub--privacy, but not quiet as children of all ages who have no respect of closed doors knock incessently, loudly, and brazenly until at last I scream "WHAT!". My time is sacred, quiet, me time, doing what I want to do. It is a time for meditation, contemplation, RELAXATION. It's my time alone with the Father. He speaks to me. Sometimes I listen and other times I simply talk back. But He knows that I need my time.

It's 5:50 and I consider a shower. If I go now I can bathe leisurely, I can grease myself down, put on earrings and lipstick, I can slap some quick drying nail polish on my desperately neglected toes. If I wait I can find one more pattern or check one more blog, but my shower will be reminiscent of my college days; jump in, soap up, rinse, jump out, throw on some jeans and go!

6am. Still on the computer but a pot of water is set to boil so the kids can have hot cereal today. The kids...so goes my time.

Happy Birthday to me...

Today will not be a day of worry or strife.
It won't be a day of washing dishes or doing laundry.
It will not be a day of pots and pans.
Today I will settle into my skin.
I will drink cool drinks and put my feet up.
I will watch what I want to watch and do what I want to do.
I will listen to jazz on the radio while I tap on computer keys.
Today the wind will blow my hair out of my eyes and a sweet fragrance into my nose.
The sun will shine bright and warm today,
and God will settle in all around me.
Today.

By Ging 2009

Busy week...

This week has been crazy. I'm so busy with stuff that it doesn't seem that I have room to breathe. It is maddening when it gets like that. Time seems to move in some warp speed and I see life flying past as I move in s-l-o-w-m-o-t-i-o-n. Just last week everything I had to do fit snuggly into my day. This week every day is overflowing with unfinished projects and chores, lists and responsibilities. Just when I think I have a moment to catch up I realize some little detail has been forgotten, some bill that needed to be paid, a birthday card that needed to be mailed, a phone call that needed to be returned. I am going to catch up on all my stuff, and maybe a little sleep this week...well, at least, I'll try.

Diligence

I started teaching Sunday School to the school age kids at church. The first week was a trial...no real plan in mind. The second week we talked about prayer. I encouraged them to keep prayer journals. I supplied the notebooks and pencils, a calendar and notes about prayer.

I too started a prayer journal. I've got lots to talk over with God. I've many faults and problems, and issues. So I pull out my journal, I read the inspiring notes (because my journal is a published book, a journal for women with a guide)and bow my head. I'm sitting at the kitchen table because if I'm anywhere near the computer I have this uncontrollable urge to work on promoting my Etsy shop... So I pray and jot down some notes about my prayer, and make my way to the computer (I landed another alchemy! woohoo)

Come Sunday morning I realize maybe I'm worse than the kids. I wrote in my journal one day. The rest of my journal is full of blank pages. One week---spent. What happened to all my encouraging words? That uplifting speech about how doing this would change their lives. What about my life? Geez...

With head lifted high, I went into the church yesterday and confessed to my class that I had not fulfilled the homework. A sigh of relief and smiles brightened their faces. They must have thought I was going to ask to see their journals. I told them that we would try harder this week. I taught about faith this Sunday, but maybe I should have talked about passion, or focus, or maybe I should have talked about diligence.

I gotta get off the computer and pray...

December challenge

I'm in a group, California Crafters Club of Etsy (CCCOE), and we had a creative challenge "New Beginings", you can see all the entries here:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5978446
and please vote for me...my entry is #10



This item is also for sale and discounted through January 8, 2009...my birthday, coincidentally!! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19045953

Afghans...

www.flickr.com

A little song in the morning

This morning I sang a little song to my little ones as I have sung to each of them when they were little. And to my surprise my 1 year old son, sang, not a word, but that la-la-ba-da babble that babies do back to me. He rocked back and forth and looked into my face, singing and happy. I sang it to set the tone for his day, and he brightened mine!