Knitting!

I really need to blog first thing in the morning or else I forget! And I have been very bad and still haven't gotten the pictures of my knitting! I gave the scarf that I knitted for C to her last night at Awana, but I have one I made for myself out of the same yarn combinations, so I will post a picture of that one. I even started another one for myself after I finished C's yesterday! This yarn is a bit more difficult to work with, but I am loving the end result. I have two skeins of it, I just hope that they are enough to make a good sized scarf! I misjudged once before and ended up with a rather short scarf, but I do use because I love the yarn and it matches my every day winter jacket!
I earned my award for completing my first Discovery in my book in Awana last night. I got to go up with one of my girls who completed her eigth Discovery, she thought that was pretty cool! I also passed three more sections, and next week I should finish the rest of the sections in the second Discovery and receive my award in two weeks. The girls think it's quite funny to have me say sections to them and they get to sign my book!
Well, in closing here are the pictures I promised....

This is my scarf, like the one I knitted for C. Hers is a bit more narrow than mine is. I used a bright blue fun fur and a "regular" white yarn. These are our school colors.

This is another one done in our school colors that I knitted for myself. This one is made of blue and white fun fur.

This scarf I knitted using a fun fur type of yarn. It was black fun fur with a bit of extra blueish "fun" to it.

This is the short scarf that goes with my every day winter coat. I love all the different colors in the yarn and the different texture that it has!


This is the scarf I knitted for K and finished on Saturday. He requested the Iowa Hawkeye colors and wanted something nice and wide so he could cover his face when he was out using the snowblower. It has a couple of issues, but he was happy with it, so that's all that matters.
And last but not least, the new scarf I started. You can't really tell in this picture, but this yarn has a bit of a shimmeryness to it. It also has extra little "tufts" every so often along the yarn too. I can't wait to finish this one!
I'm pretty sure I have some pictures of other scarves that I have knitted for others for gifts, I will see if I can look them up for another post, and I will have to take a picture of all the yarn that I have just waiting to be knitted up into scarves. I also have some yarn waiting to be knitted into dishcloths and some waiting to be knitted into a poncho.


Edited to add: Click on the pictures to make them bigger

Forgetful!

Ahhh I almost forgot to write today!!! For some reason I kept thinking that I had already stopped in and wrote a post for today. I think I'm loosing my mind! I spent last night cleaning the house and doing the last of the laundry. I ended up pulling out the little bit of the scarf for C that I had started and decresed it by five stitches. It just looked too wide. I haven't gotten any pictures yet, schedules got a bit crazy with kids yesterday in the afternoon and this morning as well, but I will get them later tonight or tomorrow.
Now I'm waiting for little A to leave so we can run to church and drop off some papers for PM and then get to the Dollar Store (another thing that didn't get accomplished yesterday!) K's meeting for tonight was cancelled so we're trying to decide what to do with the rest of our evening; if we should work on a couple projects we have for other people, or if we should just hide!

Ok I blew it already...I forgot to add the rules that go along with my award and to nominate others so here it goes!
Here are the Rules:1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.2. Link the person from whom you received your award.3. Nominate at least seven other blogs4. Put links of those blogs on yours, and5. Leave a message on the blogs that you've nominated

I nominate Holli at Baby-Faith, Angie at Bring the Rain, Erin at callie and avery, Nate at Confessions Of A CF Husband, pandks mommy at girls 2 boys 0, Organized Chaos, and Steffie B. at ~Never Too Many~

I got an award!

I got an award! Patty, whose blog is Little Miss Sunshine gave me the "I love your blog" award! I've never gotten an award for my blog! Thank you Patty!!!

Today is a catch up day. I have lots of laundry to do, cards to make, the house to clean, all sorts of fun things! I have gotten a bit of laundry done, but it's more fun to sit here and get caught up on everyones blogs!

I only have one kiddo today, and I will be done about 4! I need to go and get some things for my Awana girls at the Dollar Store after that and then I'm going to crash on the couch and watch Jon and Kate Plus Eight! I love that show! K just laughs at me and says "You watch kids all day and then you sit and watch them on tv!"

Well, I suppose, the laundry isn't putting itself away. I will try to get some pictures of the scarf that I knitted for K and the small amount of progress I've made on the new scarf and post them later today or tomorrow.

Crazy cold weekend!

Today was another crazy day! We had choir practice after church, our choir leader picked a hard song this time...and with the two practices we get before we sing this is going to be a very difficult thing! We went to dinner at my Mom and Dad's and then it was off again shortly after lunch to get PowerPoint from PM and get that done, and we had an Awana Leaders' Meeting that ended just before the evening church service started! We need to call K's parents and then I can go to bed!
I haven't kept up on blogs or comments this weekend, tomorrow is a slow day and I will catch up. I feel like I am missing so much!
I hope that you all had a great weekend and you are warmer than I am! Right now it's a whole 25 degrees!

Ladies Day Away!

Today was Ladies Day Away at church from 9-4. We had fresh baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast and soups and salads for lunch. I got most of the scarf done that I am knitting for K. It was wonderful to sit and visit with the other ladies while they were working, and to see what they are working on. We had a great day!
I hope to finish knitting the scarf for K tonight and start on one for C, possibly for Christmas. I haven't decided if I should save it for Christmas or just give it to her. I am going to make one for her with a white "regular" yarn and a blue fun fur. (Our school's colors) for her to wear to the boys' ballgames. We'll see how long it takes me to knit up!
I have a counted cross stitch project to work on too, but knitting is going much faster and it's alot more fun when the product is wearable! I have a few scarves that I plan to make for myself too (I have a whole tote of yarn just waiting to be used!).
Now I just have to tear myself away from the knitting to get my Sunday School done!!!

More pictures!

MeMore pictures today. Here are a couple of me that K took last night. I wrote earlier that I would post some of the new haircut, and I finally got him to take some for me. If I take the pictures myself I always end up with some strange look on my face, and I figured you all think I'm strange enough after yesterday's pictures of weird hair you probably think I'm strange enough!

And here is what I woke up to this morning!

It has started to melt off a bit now, but this is what we are going to be sitting in to watch the football game tonight! I think we're crazy! But they are trying to make it to the state finals, so it is definately a game we don't want to miss!

Awana!!

It's not the greatest picture, but here are K and I at weird hair night at Awana last night. CB was taking the picture and he was having trouble with my camera, so this is the best we got. The biggest deal for the kids on Weird Hair night is to beat K! He is a big kid and really gets into these nights! And by the time I had gotten my wig on and made it to church almost all of the blue had come out of the wig! There was a little bit left in, but not a whole lot.
Some of us (leaders) have started memorizing the verses and saying sections right along with the clubbers. I am one who has started to do this, when it is possible I say the sections to my girls, but when it isn't I have said them to a couple of other leaders. I passed my Start Zone on October 15 and last night I passed my first Discovery and next week I will go up front with one of my girls to get our awards. It's been alot of fun and it has motivated a couple of the girls to get going in their sections. It's been funny to hear them saying to each other, things like Oh, she's catching up with you, you had better get working!
I have also had a couple experiences with the girls this year that have given me goosebumps! One was a few weeks ago when one of the new girls had finished her Start Zone and in the last section the kids are asked to explain to their leader in their own words what it means to accept Christ as their Savior. This girl honestly and truly had no idea! I felt so honored to be able to sit with her and to tell her how much God loves her! She was listening intently and has continued to work hard and keep memorizing Scripture and passing her sections! I am praying that through this she would come to have a personal knowledge of Him and come to know Him as her personal Lord and Savior!
The other was last night. We have one girl who has some disabilities. I have found that if I read what she is to memorize with her a few times she picks it up very quickly, and last night she was able to pass two sections! She has never passed more than one a night that I know of, and usually it still takes her a couple weeks to pass that one, especially if it is a long one like memorizing the books of the Old Testament. After she passed the two sections last night I told her how proud I was of her and she looks at me with this smile and told me a couple times that she was proud of herself too, and she brought tears to my eyes as she looked at me and told me that she felt "powerful"!
It is so wonderful to see the Lord working in these girls' lives!

Tired

Not a whole lot to say today. Just hanging out with the kids and getting ready for weird hair night at Awana tonight. We went to Wal Mart last night and I found a long gray wig that I am going to wear, and we bought some of that spray in hair color to use on it. We picked blue(for our school colors of course!) I wish we would have gotten two cans, it looks slightly blue now, just not as bright as I would have liked it to be.
Looks like it is going to be a rainy day today. It would be nice if it rained today and then was nice for the game on Friday....I've heard that we may be in for that four letter s type of precipitation word on Friday too. I can't believe that we are talking about that already. I'm still trying to figure out what happened to June!

Of football and voting!

The boys won the football game last night! It was 21-10!! They had a great game! The only not so great thing was the guy sitting behind me, who I strongly suspect was a bit tipsy. He yelled in my ear for the whole game. Couple that with the drums right in front of us and that equals one big headache at the end of the game for me! It was well worth it though, to see those boys play like they did and win the game! The team we played is known for playing "dirty" so we weren't quite sure how the game would turn out.
Now we go to another game on Friday night. They beat us badly the last time we played them, we didn't even make it on the score board, so we are a bit nervous, and they have home field advantage. I've also heard that it is supposed to be pretty cold on Friday night, I'm really not looking forward to freezing either!
I don't know if I will have piano lessons tonight, I haven't gotten the music that I am supposed to be practicing yet. Already planning Christmas music, it just doesn't seem like it should be that time yet!
We are going to vote after the kiddos leave around 5 tonight. It's my one late night this week. I'm not going to tell you who I think you should vote for, or start a big debate, or anything like that, all I am going to ask is that you please go vote!

Here I am again!

So here I am posting for the third time in three days for the NaBloPoMo challenge...so far so good. I think this was a very good thing to get me back into posting more often....

Anywho.....looking forward to the football game tonight. Our boys are in the post season now, trying to make it to the state championships. Don't know how well we will do tonight, I don't know how good of a team we are playing, I'm just excited to go! And even more thankful to have that new family end up not starting with daycare after all. I was talking to PM last night and we started talking about basketball season coming up soon, and with three of their boys playing basketball I know it will be very nice to get off earlier! I know I had a whole post about it yesterday, but it is a huge weight off my shoulders! I am enjoying this schedule and the kids I have now!
Tomorrow we go to vote, Wednesday is Awana (weird hair night), Thursday is Bible Study, and who knows what the weekend will bring. The social committee at church is hosting a Ladies Day Away on Saturday where they will have fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast, salads for lunch, and a full day of crafting and socializing. Not sure if I will go yet or not, it depends on how much I can get done this week and how I feel. K has to work until 11, so maybe I will go for part of the day or something like that. The sign up sheet that they had out is full, it looks like it will be alot of fun.
Well, off to put some laundry away and do some other fun house cleaning and organizing. Have a great day all!

Thankful!

I got news today that the family I thought would be starting daycare tomorrow went with another provider, a friend of mine. I actually used to work for her before and just after I was married. I feel bad in a way because the extra money would have been nice with Christmas coming especially, but K is picking up some overtime and any chance I get I take the kids or keep them longer if the families I have now need it. I feel pretty relieved in a way though, I wasn't looking forward to the 5:30 pick up time, and especially with winter coming it could get later and later. Basketball season is coming and with the schedule we have now it will be very easy for me to get the kids out the door and head to the ballgame. I'm quite excited about that! If a family with a workable schedule came I think I would take them in, but no more 5:30s for me, K agreed after this fell through that he wasn't looking forward to that either. Yay! God is so good, He works in all the little details! In calling to try to find a ride for her older daughter to get here after school she found that one of the girls' former providers had two openings and her husband would pick the older daughter up after school. Less hassle for me and I get to keep my early off time! Yay! Can you tell I'm excited ha!

Frustrated.

So here it is the first of November and the beginning of NaBloPoMo...I still am not sure what I will find to talk about for the entire month, but I do have something to, I guess the right word would be vent, about today.
Last night we had practice for the Worship Team and then a group of us went bowling, we really don't "do" Halloween, but that's a whole other story.....
So, this week I wasn't singing with the Worship Team, we are trying to rotate some and get some new people involved. Great idea, no big deal to me, I enjoy alot of my typing and more "secretarial" stuff just as much or more, I'm just happy to be involved. The problem came when the two ladies who were singing started quietly discussing something between themselves and then started making a few comments to me....I have no problem running up the few stairs to the fellowship hall to the copier to make a few copies, or to run back to the computer at the back of the auditorium to make a change in what will be shown on the screen, or answer the phone, talk to someone who has just come in the door, etc, etc, etc, but these ladies were discussing all this that I was doing. It started out just between them, but then they started asking me how many trips I made back and forth, or there she goes again, look at her go, and discussing between themselves how "strange" it was that I was so submissive, I guess is the word for it, and how whatever PM asked I would just run and take care of. I think one of them may have even used the word obedient or something like that. They made it seem like I was doing something wrong.
Now PM is not the only person I do this for, I do the same for my husband, for CB in Awana, for anyone who needs the help really. I've volunteered to burn pictures that I have taken onto a cd for a friend who would like to make a scrapbook for her kids for Christmas, I've volunteered to help our Awana storekeeper with the graphics for the bags she is having made for the clubbers Christmas gifts, if there is a way I can help, I am glad to do it! I have even burned copies of choir music to cds for choir members for one of these ladies multiple times!
These two ladies made me feel like there was something wrong with what I was doing. They made me feel uncomfortable to know that they were just standing there talking about me quietly right in front of me, and including me in with these little comments occasionally. It bothered me to be made to feel like I was being looked down upon. Honestly, this is why I have a difficult time getting along with other women; this is why two of my three best friends are men. (Ok, so one is my husband, but he still counts, right;))
Aren't we called to be servants as Christians? Is it because I am a woman with this attitude? Why is it so strange to other Christians for me to serve in this way? I'm not being forced to do this, honestly I enjoy it! I like being involved, I like helping/serving, I can't get out alot and go to lunch with people like I would like to, or go to visit, or do nursing home services as much as I would like, I feel that this is one way that I am able to serve God, to use my skills for Him.
Don't get me wrong, I am not treated like a doormat, in fact quite the opposite. In most cases I am told how much my work is appreciated (nice to hear even though it's not needed) and in most cases I am asked if I am able/willing to do whatever it is, not just expected. We all have different skills and abilities and we should all be working together, putting them all to use, for the furtherance of the Gospel, shouldn't we???
I have been reading a book lately and my experience last night and conversations with K about it this morning have gotten me to want to read more now, the book is Men And Women Equal Yet Different A Brief Study of the Biblical Passages on Gender by Alexander Strauch. PM has been teaching from the book of I Timothy lately and the subject of gender differences, feminism, etc has come up and this is one of the books that he recommended, and he let me borrow his copy. I haven't gotten too far yet, but especially now, am ready to really get into it.
I don't know, maybe I just have to develop a "thicker skin", but with what has been discussed Sunday mornings and having similar things brought up to me at one other point this really just hit a nerve. Maybe I'm just too sensitive.

Trying again.

I know I haven't posted alot lately. I feel like I'm boring and all I post is the same thing over and over again. Jen's push to post with NaBloPoMo is a very good thing to get me back into writing.
So what's new around here? Well, I cut my hair. The girl that has done my hair for a long time is no longer there so I had to find someone else. I have been trying out different places and I think I have finally found the place to stick with. I went in having no idea what to do with my hair and I came out with a cute style, if it cooperates hahaha! I have natural curl and it some times has a mind of its own and does not do what I want it to. This morning was one of those mornings, so I just pulled it back into a headband. But, I found out that I have the day off today so I am going to head upstairs and see if I rewash it if I can't get it to do what I want it to. If it works, I'll get a picture.
Sooo....I'm off for now, if everything goes well, I will post again in a bit.
Laters.

Ok, so Jen over at Following the Footsteps twisted my arm to get me to participate, so here it is. I'll give it a good try. I really have no idea what I will talk about, but I'll give it a good try.

New schedule, exciting week!

I am really enjoying this new school schedule. Right now I have one child, and I will have one child tomorrow with Friday off. Next week will be pretty slow as one Mom and Dad are off to Florida and Grandpas and Grandmas are trading off watching the kids. I am here as needed, but the one Grandma wants to spend the time with them and so I may not see much of them at all.
The first football game of the season is Friday night. I am excited! Two of M and C's boys will be playing and we plan to pick up our activity tickets this year since we go to so many games. C will have his first 9th grade game and J will have his first Varsity game. I'm not sure, but he may be starting. I will definately have my camera and take LOTS of pictures!
Tonight is our first Awana night. We are having our picnic in the park. Maybe. It has been sprinkling off and on all day. I plan to have my camera ready and take LOTS of pictures there too. I have become the Awana paparazzi. I take tons of pictures and K puts them in a slide show at the end of the year so the parents can see what we have done and the kids get to see themselves on the "big screen".
I am in the middle of touching up the pictures I took of the outdoor service/baptism/back to school picnic I took with Photoshop. I still have pictures of the youth group's drama to download and touch up, and get the prints of the outdoor service to make up my poster for church. I am going to need this extra free time!
I'm also hoping to get some more reading done, and som knitting and cross stitch. Things that I have not been able to keep up with much with the crazy schedule that I have had for the last year! I am definately going to enjoy not being so stressed when it comes time to leave for away games and things like that. The family that left was constantly running late so I could never count on them being gone when I needed them to be to leave making life pretty stressful there for a while. Even if I gave them an earlier time giving them a bit of a cushioin thinking then I could be on time they would be late and we would just make it or be a bit late for things. With the days off I am getting these next couple of weeks I plan to go and visit some family that live about an hour away, but I don't get to see unless they come up here with my schedule and tomorrow C and I are trying to find a time to get together and do highlights in my hair (I work 10-2). Monday night B came and cut my hair, she went a bit shorter than I would have liked, but it will grow.....so if it doesn't look too bad I will try to post some pictures.

Another song from Bart Millard from his new Hymned Again album! I LOVE this album!

Just for fun

My creation
Originally uploaded by H3IdI

I found this when I was checking out a new blog and I thought it was fun. Here are the instructions if you would like to try it too.

1. type your answer to each of the questions below into flickr search.2. using only the first page of results, pick one image.3. copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into big huge lab’s mosaic maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.the questions:1. what is your first name?2. what is your favorite food? right now?3. what high school did you go to?4. what is your favorite color?5. who is your celebrity crush?6. what is your favorite drink?7. what is your dream vacation?8. what is your favorite dessert?9. what do you want to be when you grow up?10. what do you love most in life?11. what is one word that describes you?12. what is your flickr name?

School year excitement!

I have definately come out of my funk haha! The last couple of days have been really productive days! I am loving having fewer kids and the time to relax and have fun with them! Yesterday I had two typing jobs to do for PM and an email to send out. I got the typing jobs drafted up and over to PM for him to check out and back home to make the changes he wanted. I just have to take them tonight to make copies for the meeting tonight that he needed them for.
Today I have taken down the alphabet wall that we did last school year with the kids. I also took down the little shelf with beanie babies and teddy bears that I had on that wall and got the pocket chart ready with a small border sheet of colors and one that has ABC and 123. I took some of the lined sheets that I got to put in the pocket chart and wrote my name and K's name and all the kids names and got them ready to put in too. I'll wait a week or so to put them in since I didn't write the names of the two that are leaving and don't want any hurt feelings.....
I also decided that I am going to start the kids with learning colors this fall. Then we can move on to numbers and letters if there is time. It will be a good start for the little ones who aren't preschool age and a good place to just get the preschoolers into sitting and doing worksheets and things at our house. I'm so excited! Almost like having my own little school!

Victory

I LOVE this! I preordered and just got my copy of Hymned Again in the mail today!! I haven't listened to the whole cd yet, but that is my plan tonight while I get my zone therapy treatment done on my feet!