This and That

Alrighty... a quick wip! Before I could post about it, it was done! Wow! Sewn up and everything! A quick and simple pair of slippers for Jaden, knit out of frustration that of all the socks and booties that I found... I could only find one of each kind. grrrr!! So here they are... on the loveliest little feet... which belong to the loveliest baby who just passed his 5th month. Wow. And he's still getting cuter by the day.




He's massive. Jordan won our family contest to guess his weight at the last check-up - right on the money with 19lbs 7 oz.

He's my little man.

Whoa. Those feet look big.

Life's been busy, but I'm finally into a rhythm... I love Mum's illustration - it's like learning to juggle with an extra ball added, and it takes a bit of time to figure it out. Well, I feel like I'm finding that place. Here's a few things that have helped:

"Once a Month Cooking"

I spent one day cooking and ended up with 32 meals packed away in our new freezer (thank you Mom!!) So now, everyday, I just pull something out and it's all set to go. I just have to pull together the sides. I now have time for other things, which often includes a fussy baby, right at dinner time. (btw... how is it that babies just seem to know when you're trying to make dinner, and kick the groucho factor up to ten???)

The other thing: 15 minutes a day for me and God. Ok, ok... 15 minutes doesn't seem like much... but I wanted to set my sights on God and being close to Him without interruption or distraction... and around here, 15 minutes is about as much as I can come up with until baby starts sleeping thru the night, Jordan learns how to do long division on his own, and Hannah can manage not to get glue in her hair or playdough on the carpet.

Before I go... this is a little late, but we found a funny little leprechaun hanging around on St Patty's Day and I managed to snap a pic of him before he could scurry away to his pot of gold (which looked strangely like a bowl of scooby snacks.....)

Work-in-Perpetuity

My dear little blog,

Please don't be offended that I haven't added to you in quite some time... it's not that I haven't been thinking of you... I have! Often, in fact! Many a time throughout my day I think of you, ponder quaint messages to share with you, take pictures that I might share with you... but alas, I have neglected you.

Sigh.

But I have good news! Genevieve's socks are finally finished (sort of - I just have to graft the toes... oh tortuous process... oh beautiful result...) Mark was starting to call them a "work in perpetuity" ... but I finished them with a sigh... It has taken me four months to complete what I can usually do in four days. Seeing as knitting is a prayerful act for me, a way of meditating on God's heart for the recipient, I usually finish a project with a sigh... all the more so for Genevieve's Welcome With Love socks... it is the closing of a chapter of a most beautiful phase of my life... the journey of meeting two lovely people - our son and our midwife.

But it is just a chapter that has been finished... many more await...

Find Rest

I sit here weeping, as the clock tips over into another day, and I feel so weary.

Joys abound with motherhood and the rewards of homeschooling are beyond compare... and yet, as with all things, there is a cost... and right now, the cost feels like me. Waking up 3 or 4 times a night, lesson plans and teaching time... it's leaving me drained by the end of the day. But tonight, I have this song by Monique Tute on repeat and it is soaking me. (download it for free from ionmusic along with some other great music) As it soaks into my heart, the weariness is fading away. Thank you Jesus.

Find rest, my soul, in God

Find rest my troubled heart

Find rest my weary body

Find rest, find rest

For He alone is your salvation

He's your strength, you will never be shaken

He's your rock and your provision

He's your only hope

And you'll find rest...

To have rest, I must find it. I must pursue it, look for it, search for it, obtain it by effort. My rest must come first to my heart before my body will receive the benefits of it. How many nights have we finally laid down to "rest" but our hearts are troubled, our minds anxious?

I am thankful for quiet sacred moments with my new son, the waking times at night, when I can pull him close to me and curl around him. He is most precious to me. Herein lies my perspective: everything in life costs something. There's no free lunch. Our culture tells us we can have it all, but the One who made it all says it doesn't quite work that way. It's the whole "equal and opposite reaction" thing. The cost of welcoming a beautiful new soul into our family is sleep (or lack thereof to be more accurate.) The blessing of having a warm house to live in means I have to clean it... clothing to wear? = laundry to do.

So I will strenuously pursue rest. My weeping is over, and I go to cuddle my new favourite human being. restful at heart. restful in body. sigh.

I'm so thankful for the truth of God's word, inspiring music that feeds the soul. But I am most thankful for Him, and Him alone.

I will never be shaken. He is my hope. He is my only hope.

-32??

Brrrrr.... a frigid -18 out there this morning... feels like -32 with a windchill warning for Halton region. Our cranky furnace is sputtering and wheezing and churning away, but the house still feels like an igloo. There is a reason for igloos being associated with Canada!! Hannah has abandoned her room - the coldest one in the house, and barred her door shut. She's rescued her favourite toys but vows not to return until the climate changes. (Could be a while.) She's sharing with Jordan right now, and the two of them are cuddling up for warmth. It's just like Little House on the Prairie. Way too cute.

I have managed to pull a few projects of the needles:
I've finally turned the heel on Genevieve's second sock. Finally!

Started and finished Jamie's trummed mittens. Poor kid - he suffers terribly from chronically cold hands, so what could be better than a good pair of warm woolies??? I finished them late Saturday night while watching Star Trek Insurrection (my fav ST movie) - good mojo since Jamie is also a Trekkie. Took the picture on the way to church Sunday morning... then the battery died, so no pic with Jamie wearing them. :(










Started thrummed mitts for Chris. Finished one slipper for Jaden.

Jordan has been sporting his Wee Willy Winkle hat a lot - ok... I made it last year, but I'm still proud of it... my first (successful) project with 2 colours and no pattern. Yay me! And of course, I love the fact that Jordan loves it too.














Oh... and we've had another Sammy sighting...









Ok, this sleep-deprived gal needs another cup of tea to ward off the chill while I finish Jaden's slippers... ttfn!

Girl draws, Boys knit

I fell asleep last night thinking about knitting...
Sigh...
I've had a few busy days in a row and not much opp to knit a few, purl a few... It was Jamie's b-day on Friday and I did manage to cast on his thrummed mitts...

Here's a couple of pics that Hannah drew...

This one is called "Mama knits."









Knitting is cool, says Hannah. Check out the knitted pants already hanging up, and the hoody just coming off the needles.










Jordan asked me to teach him how to knit. Yay! He's going to make a wee blanket for his sissy... well, for one of her teddy bears...

It was a snow day and one of his friends came over, saw the knitting, and asked if I could teach him too. While Jordan is slow, methodical, and very accurate, this kid could fly on the needles but his end product, a coaster for his mom, looked more like k2tog, yo stitching! Not bad for a first try though. I know, I know, I should've been watching his wip as he was progressing, but babies care very little if boys are learning how to knit. The magnitude of that surpasses them.

Happy 3 Months Babe!!

Hey Peanut!
Look who's hit the big 3!
3 months have already passed in this big wide world.
Life is sunnier with you in it!

Love,
Mama

Joy of Sour Milk

Last night after posting, I went to get ready for bed... and all I could smell was sour milk... "oh joy..." I said outloud, though I was alone. The joy of nursing a (not-so)newborn...

and then it hit me...

the joy of sour milk.

Dear friends of ours lost their tiny baby girl just a few months ago. She fell asleep with her tummy full of her mummy's milk, but she never woke up. I cannot imagine such agony...

and so I will celebrate the perfume of my motherhood: eau de lait aigre. Sour milk.

More than just me

My last few days have been... well... emotional. I love my life... I love my babies... but sometimes it just, well, it's just hard. Sleep deprivation will do that to ya.

In the midst of it all, there are moments of absolute beauty that overwhelm me. This morning as I was nursing Jaden, I was looking down at him and he was gazing at me too... and then the corner of his mouth turned up in a beautiful smile and he let out a giggle. It was one of those moments that you want to remember forever. I wanted to take in everything - his tiny hand wrapped around my thumb, the warmth of him cuddled close, the sweet smell of the top of his head... and as I looked into his eyes, I saw my own reflection. I stopped. It was a God-moment. I was only reflected in his eyes because I was so close to him... and that's what God desires in me... to be so close to him, that He is reflected in my eyes... when others look at me, they see more that just me... but my Father reflected.

As I climbed into bed last night, I had tears in my eyes. I was so tired from nursing thru the night, the ever-growing mountain of dishes and laundry (I've come to hate that one in particular), the constant smell of sour milk, the tangled mass of my long hair, the bed still being unmade... it felt like too much. In moments like that, I have learned one thing... to drive the sword of God's word deep into my sorrow. The truth of Hebrews 4:12 has been made clear to me in so many circumstances: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." If my heart is troubled, I turn to God's word that I might hear His voice of comfort. If my mind is troubled, I seek His word as a seive to sort thru the thoughts that circle 'round my mind. If I feel as if I have swallowed a stone that sits in the pit of my belly, I know my attitude needs to brought into line with God's gracious word. And so last night, I reached for Mark's copy of The Message, sitting on the night stand...

Psalm 34
2 I live and breathe God;
if things aren't going well, hear this and be happy:

4 God met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears.

5 Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him.

6 When I was desperate, I called out,
and God got me out of a tight spot.

7 God's angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.

8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.

18 If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there...

What amazing words of comfort. At the end of the day, when I feel as if all I could do was just muscle my way thru to the end before collapsing in bed, I fell asleep knowing that I am not hidden from Him. I am not invisible to Him... No one else may know that I've had a lousy day, but He does, and He cares about what I'm going thru. He sees me, knows me, loves me. I wish He could do my laundry for me... but I don't think it's on His agenda.

Phew!

What a week! Tons of stuff on the go... wips coming off the needles... wow!

Coolest Thing #1: ANNIE'S HOME!!!! Back from Mozambique, completely ruined for her Jesus, I think is how she put it. She'll be here on Saturday to meet Jaden for the first time. Can't wait.

Coolest Thing #2: Shared at the Hamilton Midwives about home birth this week. They had an info night for couples considering it. It was absolutely amazing fun to share about our experiences, answer question and just chat... I love our midwives... I love all midwives... in fact, I don't think I've ever met a midwife I didn't like... and any opportunity that rises its lovely head, I will surely take it in order that I might extol the profound greatest of midwives!!! I spoke with Jessica (the hosting MW) afterwards, about how MW are "a unique breed of folk." She laughed, because that could be taken in two ways, one wonderfully, and one in a quirky sense. Both are true she said. :) BTW, Jessica is also a knitter... apparently a lot of midwives are... Anyways, it was a fabulous night. Totally connected and exchanged emails & numbers with a few people. Very cool. I left feeling completely jazzed, knowing that I had left a fingerprint in the life experience of another. What can top that?

Coolest Thing #3: Finished WIPs!
Baby socks galore for a friend who just had a little girl... and with a MW! Talk about a week with great mojo! The picture is a little dark and yellowish... a photographer I am not... one is just a simple stripe pattern and the other is based on the twisted cable sock from here: http://www.helloyarn.com/cabletwistsocks.htm

I apologize for not yet knowing how to turn text into a link... I'll get my hubby on that! .... actually... I think I did it... wow! I did! I rock! I so completely rock!!! (ok, I have a low standard for rock-worthiness...)


A close-up of the baby twisted cable...


Anyways, I'll post how I changed the pattern later today. It was so much fun and I can hardly wait to make some adult versions of these... I'm tempted to frog the Welcome with Love socks, because I think they would look wicked with the variegated yarn... but I had better not... it's taken me waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy too long to get as far as I have, and I'm anxious to pass them to the lovely, awaiting Genevieve... MW extraordinaire!! :) XO

God is a Knitter

Ok... God is a Knitter... with a capital "K"... always knew it, but thought I'd ponder that for a bit...

1. One of my most favourite verses of all is Psalm 139:13-14. I had it posted on the wall while in labour with Jaden... and if this doesn't convince you that God is a Knitter, then nothing will!!

"You created my inmost being;
you KNIT me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."

Psalm 139:13-14

2. A question... We know that He is our Shepherd (Psalm 23). In fact, Jesus says that he is the good shepherd in John 10"11... how could one spend so much time with sheep and not knit?

3. Although it's not mentioned by name in Scripture, do we not refer to the "Purly Gates?"

4. There are numerous references to God's abilities. In the Message translation, Job 36:26 says "See how great he is—infiKNIT,
greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out!"

If the Message is a little too funky and modern, how about the King James? Psalm 147:5 says

"Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infiKNIT."

I bet He never feels stumped by peculiar pattern instructions.

5. He had a tendancy to use whatever is on hand... no doubt, his stash is pretty incredible. Look what he was able to dig up for Job...

"Did you not... clothe me with skin and flesh
and KNIT me together with bones and sinews?
You gave me life and showed me kindness,
and in your providence watched over my spirit."
Job 10:10-12

6. BTW... He also sews a little:

You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:5

A closing verse, and a slightly more serious note... I love knitting, but Philippians 3:8 sums it all up...

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infiKNIT value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ."