Goldilocks find a house or How to buy a house in 2.5 hours.

Okay well not quite.  We have been looking, in earnest, for months.  We already had in mind that we’d wait until the fall because that’s the best time for buyers.  We thought we had a place to go for, but were quickly realizing it was overpriced for the lack of work that had been put in to it – it was well maintained but lacking many of the things most people do for a quick sale.  Things were looking kind of bleak.

Then my Dad came home one night – a duplex down the street had just come on the market and the realtor was a family friend.  I looked at the listing, it didn’t look promising it just didn’t speak to me, but to appease the parental units I said I’d look at it.  So I did; this was last Wednesday.  It wasn’t so bad and boy oh boy did they want to move it fast – new paint, carpet allowance, newer furnace and air conditioning, nice landscaping and they were putting on a new roof Friday.  Friday rolled around and I got the hubs over for a visit.  We liked it – it had space, not too much but not too little, it had a yard – not to big and not too small, it had a little bit of everything.  We said we call them next week sometime.

By Friday night we were coming to our senses, we didn’t want this one to pass by.  It was in a great area, good school districts, we were down the street from family and folks I’ve known for years, we don’t have to change parishes, close to work, in our price range and had everything we wanted.  We scheduled another look on Sunday.

By Sunday we knew we wanted to move fast, there were a couple other showings that weekend and with a brand new roof in the mix we knew it might not last long.  We met for the showing, and an hour later we were sitting around our kitchen table signing contracts.  What a rush.

I hoped we might hear something in the morning at best – our offer was good, but maybe she wanted every nickle she could get.  I don’t know what kind of magic our realtor worked; maybe he just told her (an older woman and a widow) that there was a young family who wanted to be “Home for the Holidays”, but by 8 p.m. we were on the phone … offer accepted.

I can’t wait to show you more – we move in at the end of November.  I can’t believe that we got just about everything on our list – a backyard with proper exposure and room for a garden, a great kitchen, appliances and extra room and we even got a few bonus items like a beautiful wood burning fireplace and some odds and ends she didn’t want to move out – like a great (1970’s Orange) sleeper sofa for the spare room, a grill, some gardening things and (my midwest brothers and sisters will gasp a little) A SNOWBLOWER!!!

I don’t know what else to say right now, I’m still in shock to be honest.

This time last year I was at the lowest of my pregnancy blues – life looked pretty dim and I was extremely worried about how we’d make ends meet let alone when we’d be stable enough to find a place of our own.  My mother told me not to worry, it’d all work out and if we weren’t in our own place by next fall she’d be shocked and I guess Mother’s know best.  We’ve worked hard over this last year and we’ve had amazing support and more amazing help getting where we are.  We’ll be grateful until our last breathes and I hope one day we’ll deserve it.

For now I’m excited to have something that is our own, truly our own.  I’m positively giddy about moving and setting up house and best of all I get to hang my son’s first Christmas Stocking on our mantle this year, a blessing to be sure.

Thank you everyone whether I know you in person or not, you’ve helped us and we’re very grateful!

The Best Words

In the last 4 years I’ve added a lot of favorite phrases to my life, the top being “I do” and “We’re having a baby” and now we get to add a new favorite….

“OFFER ACCEPTED”

2 hours ago we made an offer on an amzing little home and just a little bit ago we got the good news.  We will be closing the day after Thanksgiving (how appropriate is that?) and will be celebrating Henry’s first Christmas in our own home.

Life is good and God is great.

Really,what could I do?

So generally I try to keep my personal opinions about the bigger issues to myself here – politics, the big religious and social debates just aren’t what this blog is about though I definitely have my opinions.  But this blog is about simple living and though simple living can be attained many ways and at many different incomes and social strata one of the ties that bind is, to paraphrase Gandhi, to live a way of life so that others can live.

There’s a lot going on in the world now.  A lot of discussion about what is fair, getting equal footing, equal shares, and what is right, moral and good.  With the holiday season approaching we normally faced with these conundrums, but this year it’s a little more in your face, the talk about taking care of the needy, the poor and the unfortunate and whose responsibility it is.

Here is where I’m going to hazard my opinion.  Who’s responsibility is it?  I’ll give you my answer:  Grab a mirror, I’ll grab one too and on the count of three we’ll look at them… 1…2…3… and there you go.  That face in the mirror, every mirror, that is the face of responsibility.  Like anything you can see in a mirror the reality is not always pleasant, but it’s the truth.

Whether you believe change and reform should come from point A or point B, and whether you think it should end up at point C or point D doesn’t change that there’s a lot you could be doing now, right this second and it’s going to do no good to sit around and wait for something that might never happen while doing nothing else.

There are parents who could use a reliable babysitter (even a free one now and then).  You have neighbors who could use a ride to the store.  That friend who’s been job hunting for months could use that jacket in the back or your closet or that introduction to a friend of a friend.  That responsible coworker who’s having trouble making ends meet because her student loans could use a gift card for groceries magically appearing in her inbox.  That family down the pew at church whose sole breadwinner was laid off the month the mortgage or rent increased, which was th same month as the car accident could use anything even though they’re too proud to ask anyone or any institution for help.

There is so much good we can do if we take responsibility.

A few years ago a dear, dear friend was struggling to make ends meet in a large city.  She was working every job she could come across, but the bills were just barely getting paid.  So when an opportunity appeared that was almost too good to be true she took it, and guess what?  It was too good to be true; they wiped her bank account clean.

I was across the country.  I couldn’t bring her over for dinner, I couldn’t set her up on the couch.  Really, what could I do?  A lot.  Doing, first, what I always do for friends going through bad times I put together a care package – books, magazines, snacks, a few small gift cards were all I could manage, and that was all I could do right?  Nope, not quite.  I put a call out to some coworkers, gave them the low down and told them I didn’t feel like my care package had enough care in it and could they help?  The next day I had a stack of cookies, books and even a couple extra gift cards at my station.  No one knew my friend in the slightest; strangers caring for strangers and this was all I could do right?  Nope, not quite.  That night I got on Facebook and sent out a message to all of our mutual friends asking for help (my friend had already made her situation public, so I wasn’t revealing anything new) and even to friends of hers whom I never met;  I asked for them to send me cards with words of encouragement and IF they could spare it a little money.  Cards came in from old coworkers, teachers, family and I found out our department in our old alma matter set out a collection jar for spare change. The cards I received for her care package remained sealed I never knew exactly what I sent until she received the complete package.  I found out later that in less than a week I had gathered, from people who only knew her  and people who only knew me, hours of distraction and comfort and almost $500 in cash.  What could I do, right?

I don’t share this story because I believe myself amazing, I am all too human and all too prone to failing in dramatic ways, but for a moment, out of sheer luck and a little determination, I was a superhero, if just for a moment.  I saw someone who needed help and did what I could.  I’m not trying to say we shouldn’t be fixing the flaws and mistakes in our systems when we find them, I’m not saying that government doesn’t have some responsibility to care for its citizens, and I’m not saying that some time our systems fail us and should be fixed, but what I am saying is that if we see someone in distress and walk on by saying “Really, what could I do?” and hope that the next mild-mannered citizen will take up the cause than we’ve failed because the answer to that question, though it maybe hard to accept, is just simply “A lot”.

Are you missing out on your chance to do something amazing?

Hallow Days – A Rural Perspective

My favorite time of year is approaching and it’s kicking off with Halloween next week.  All over we see posts about celebrating this holiday, particularly if you’re a Christian.  We hear about it’s pagan roots and modern connotations.  We hear about how costumes are too violent, too blood, too short, too revealing, too adult or too immature.  We hear about commercialization and rituals.  We hear a lot about this day.

My good blog-friend Sarah writes a great post from a Catholic (yup, we’re one of them) point of view of celebrating Halloween as part of a three-day “Hallowed Days” holiday – All Hallows, All Saints and All Souls.  Personally I really like the way she approaches this and it’s the way I want to raise my kids to celebrate this time of year.  I don’t want Halloween to be just about costumes and candy, but rather a little bit more.

Before I started attending Mass (pre-Catholic husband and new baby) I looked at this time of year from the viewpoint of my family.  I’m from a long line of farmers and this time of year is very important to us.

If we’re lucky we have everything out of the field as the days until a big frost are inches closer, we’re tallying up bushels and finding out if we’re in the red or the black.

In the days before convenience was a buzz word this was the end of great and busy time of preparation.  It was not too long ago that facing a bad winter unprepared could kill you and this was the time to look in our root cellars, our pantries and at our stacks of wood to get an idea of what type of toll the season would take on us.

It was a time to hurry up and get things done, see folks you might not see for a couple of months if you were lucky and never again if your weren’t.  There were still a couple of months of the days getting shorter, and even after that many months before the earth warmed again.  It was a long season.  At the end of fall you started to remember the fear a bad winter could bring.

So to me Halloween/Samhain/All Hallow’s whatever you call it is more a time of celebration.  It is a time to celebrate hard work and, hopefully, success.  It is a time to eat your fill and see friends and family.  It is a brief window of time between relaxation and uncertainty and when there’s a celebration to be had a little mischief often comes hand in hand.

So for us we will make it a celebration.  We will dress up (though we don’t do gory or risqué), we will visit neighbors and friends, we will share food and drink and have a good time.  We will look at the season yet to come and show no fear.  The next day we will reflect on those who faced fear and made  great sacrifices and then we will remember those who are not with us and reflect on how the greatest sacrifice gives us great peace when we face the unknown.

For the sake of honesty – Quick Takes

Do you ever follow those blogs that are too shiny-happy to be believed?  I do, and while I realize many bloggers just want their sites to be an escape, highlighting the good times I thin we all appreciate when we see that their lives just as crazy as ours.  So in the interest of honesty here’s my Top Seven things you probably don’t know about me from reading this blog.

1)  It is nap time, I have a weeks worth of laundry to do and a laundry room floor that desperately needs cleaning… and I’m on the internet.

2)  #1 happens more often than not.

3) I’m terrible at writing out Thank You cards – I found a stack from high school graduation last year.  If you’re a friend of my family or a distant relative I don’t really know, I’m sorry and I’m sure I loved whatever it was you sent 10 years ago.  I might also have found a small stack of wedding thanks you’s when moving last year too.

4) I’m good at cleaning the house, but terrible at organizing.  The table might be clean and decorated, but please just ignore the pile of a year’s worth of bills and receipts that’s imitating a particular structure in Pisa, Italy… I swear I’ll get it soon… one day.

5)  I’m really bad at confrontation – if you ever know me in real life and we get in a fight I’ll eventually act like nothing has happened rather than have a face to face conversation.  This how adults do things right?…. Yeah, I know, it’s like I’m 12.

6) Yes, I do have the T.V. on and my child in the same room occasionally, but sometimes Mommy really wants to catch up on Big Bang Theory from 3 weeks ago before 3 a.m. next week and he has no interest in watching it anyways.

7)  I have high expectations of people and a bit of a short fuse for others figuring out those expectations.  I’m also horrible with expressing those expectations.  All of this combined makes me want to nominate my husband for sainthood.

Anyone else want to confess their blogging sins too?

Molly Makes {Sensory Pillow}

I finally buckled down and the prototype you saw HERE and made it into its final product.  Henry has long be enamored with big buttons and shoe laces so I wanted to make him something that he could chew and pull on all he wanted.

So I found a small pillow and made a pillow case out of fabric from my stock.

On one side I sewed down buttons (a combination of vintage buttons from my collection and a few purchased), a bright red shoe lace and an elastic shoe lace.  This was all I had done on the prototype and it was so well-loved I almost convinced myself I didn’t need to do more.

However I wanted to further the project on the reverse side.  On the flip side is an assortment of ribbons, most of them left over from his robot sensory toy I made him before he arrived.  There are different patterns, shapes, sizes and textures to explore.

My inspiration for this side was a “crazy quilt” pillow I had as a child made out of men’s ties, I remember being very young and tactile-y exploring the different patterns and qualities of those fabric; I even had my favorite – a particularly smooth section right in the middle.

I’m hoping this project will grow with him – we can remove and add buttons and laces to further explore sizes (once the choking hazard stage is passed), colors, numbers – the sky is the limit.  It can be a place for him to learn to tie his laces, braid and tie knots while the reverse side will hopefully serve its primary function while being comfortable enough to be a kid sized travel pillow.

Over all I’m quite pleased with this project – even at 8 months old this pillow can easily keep up his attention for about 20 minutes and I’m hoping this will prove to be a good home, car and maybe even quite church toy.

(If anyone would be interested in an instructional post for this or any other project, please let me know.  I’m reluctant to do them, since they’re time-consuming to put together (the post, not the project) and don’t want to unless there’s interest.)

{More to come!  It is the season of making in my house and I have a stack of things already done and my little brain is bursting with new ideas!}

T.V. Math

I was having a conversation in a Ravelry forum about children and T.V. watching and did a little math with the current AAP “recommendations” on T.V. allowance for children over 3.  Now, I love movies and definitely have my favorite T.V. show;  I also  have wonderful memories of Disney movies, classic musicals and TGIF family nights spent with a special (delivered!) treat of pizza gathered around the television for a couple hours (in fact a majority of my and my husbands Christmas list is often movies and the new season of whatever)… but “Screen Time” – the time spent in front of anything electronic (cellphones, computer, video games, T.V., etc.) is definitely on my radar and I really try to challenge myself not to use it too much right now, as to avoid the “T.V. Baby Sitter” trap.  While I definitely understand it’s benefits to give Mom or Dad a reprieve, or as an educational tool** it does seem to be something that should be approached with caution.  So with that in mind I thought I’d just share a little math with you to consider when thinking about your kids and yourself!

1 hour a day t.v. =

7 hrs/week = approx. 1 average school day (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. non stop)
1 avg. SD/week x 52 weeks = 52 SD/Year
(52 SD/ year)/180 (average number of school days per year) = 28.8% of the school days in the school year only watching television.

Would you be okay with your child’s teacher setting your child in front of  a T.V. for over 1/4 of the time dedicated to learning?

2 hours a day t.v. =

14 hrs/week = One Saturday in front of the t.v. from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. non stop
(One Saturday (9 a.m. until 11 p.m.)/week) x 52 weeks = 52 Saturdays of pure dawn till dusk t.v. watching
52 Saturdays/30 days (average month) = 1.73 months of dawn till dusk t.v. watching a year

1 – 2 hours a day doesn’t seem like much, until you start to add it up.

** Though I always like to point out the real baby Albert Einstein seemed to accomplish quite a bit without the infant-geared “educational” movies, books and CD’s that borrow his name (and so did baby Mozart, baby Beethoven; not to mention baby Newton, baby Plato, baby Da Vinci, etc.).

The “Work Away From Home”-Maker

Recently I’ve seen some very encouraging post across the internet about the subject of homemaking – people wanting to reclaim the dignity of the vocation and stretch its stereotypical gender roles.  All in all it’s a great movement; people want to be connected to their homes again, they want to be house-proud and able.  However, for every post I see about it there still seems to be one main vein of thinking – that a homemaker, whether man or woman, must make it their sole occupation to have the right to claim that title.

Well, I want to speak up for those of us who feel that they deserve a share of that title even if we find it necessary to work away from the home.

Now, I don’t claim to ignore that there are those who will always choose to work solely because it earns them more money and with more money comes more stuff and with that stuff they seem to find happiness.  I’m not speaking of those who can’t imagine life without thousands of dollars of spare income a month or multiple vacations, cars or homes or even weekly trips to the mall, the movies and restaurants.  I’m speaking up for those of us who work out of necessity, whose families couldn’t live more than hand(out) to mouth without some form of additional income.  Perhaps we have two student loan debts, perhaps we’re young men or women with entry levels jobs, perhaps we choose good honest work over high salaries, perhaps we’ve been sick without insurance, perhaps we have aging family members who rely on us, perhaps the alternative would mean unsafe neighborhoods and bad schools – but no matter the cause we choose to work out of a well thought out realization of necessity.  Many of us see it as a means toward an end – a few years of double incomes to pay off debt and save up – and for some of us it will always be a reality.

No matter our reason we, the “Work Away From Home”-Makers, still have the same goals you do Mr. or Mrs. Career Homemaker – perhaps its to raise children, take care of relatives, avail ourselves to charity and volunteerism or just keep a warm and welcoming home as a haven to others.  We still try to live frugal lives, we still stretch a dollar; in fact, many of us cook from scratch, craft and garden in our spare time.  While we find ourselves in situations out of necessity it is our priorities, not our schedules, that allow us to claim the coveted title of “homemaker”.  I believe that if we still prioritize our homes, families and children above our things, our social lives and other earthly experiences than we are still working toward the same goals.

So if there is someone out there who wishes for the day they can say “I’m a full-time homemaker”, but feel they can’t because they work away from home, to you I say – claim it, tell people that you are a “Full Time Homemaker with a Full Time Job”, a “Working Homemaker”, however you want to claim it, do so.  As long as your priorities are on making your house a home, as long as you strive to manage that home with economy and efficiency and to give your family the most of yourself  that you can than be proud.  Let’s stop the nit-picking over the details of how we do it and focus on our shared priorities in our lives.  We are Homemakers – we are people, men and women of every type, who wish to make a house a home for those we love.

Simple Parenting – Two Quick Book Reviews

Okay, I’ll admit it – if there’s one thing I thought I’d do when I became a parent it was to become a voracious reader on the subject and to my surprise the only thing I picked up during pregnancy was the “What to Expect” book.  That was it.  I could drone on on the whys – a combination of reading too much made my the anxiety part of the my ante-partum depression worse and a post-pregnancy decision to trust my instincts. 

However, about 6 months later, I was ready to do a little more reading.  I didn’t go for the “how make a genius” books, or anything on how to make them better, faster or better.  I wanted something that could help lead me, as a parent, to help form their lives to the best I could.  With this in mind I turned towards the one of the pinnacle principles of my life – voluntary simplicity.  VS, for those not in the know, is simple the conscious decision to make do with less – what this implies personally varies from person to person.  For some it’s just turning off the television a couple of nights a week, while for other it means chucking the T.V. and just about everything else to the curb.

I already felt like I had a pretty good grasp on how our lives would reflect these ideals in our parenthood.  Ben and I had already talked extensively about toys, clothes, activities, etc.; but I wanted to find something that reinforced my crazy idea that I might not permanently damage the child by not giving them everything and letting them do everything as well.

Two wonderful sources I found were “Living Simply with Children.” by Marie Sherlock and “Simplicity Parenting” by Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross.  I’ll let the officials give the low down on the books.

“Living Simply with Children” -“Raising children ranks as one of life’s most rewarding adventures. Yet between Mom and Dad working full-time jobs, endless carpooling of overscheduled youngsters, and the never-ending pressures to buy and consume, family life can be incredibly—needlessly—complex. What if you could find a way to spend more time with your children, replace unnecessary activities with meaningful ones, and teach your children an invaluable life lesson in the process? Living Simply with Children offers a realistic blueprint for zeroing in on the pleasures of family life:

• How (and why) to live simply and find more time to be with your children
• Activities and rituals that bring out the best in every family member
• Realistic ways to reclaim your children from corporate America
• Helping children of any age deal with peer pressure
• Raising kids who care about people and the planet
• How to focus on the “good stuff” . . . with less stuff

Including sections on limiting television, environmentally friendly practices, celebrating the holidays, and tapping into the growing community of families who embrace simplicity, this inspiring guide will show you how to raise children according to your own values—and not those of the consumer culture—as you enjoy both quality and quantity time with your family.””

“Simplicity Parenting” – “Waldorf educator and consultant Payne teams up with writer Ross to present an antidote for children who are overscheduled and overwhelmed by too much information and a fast-paced consumer culture that threatens the pace and playful essence of childhood. Payne claims that a protective filter should surround childhood, rather than the competitive, stressful adult world that has encroached on childhood’s boundaries, preventing kids from developing resiliency with a sense of ease and well-being. But Payne is not a doomsayer: he presents a wealth of practical ideas for reclaiming childhood and establishing family harmony. In chapters covering four levels of simplification—environment, rhythm, schedules and Filtering Out the Adult World—Payne explains how parents can tackle extraneous stuff and stimulation by reducing the mountain of toys, limiting scheduled activities, providing valuable downtime and employing such pressure valves as storytelling and periods of quiet. According to the authors, limiting choices and activities will lead to kids who are more secure and less stressed, and to parents whose days are calmer. With fewer choices, Payne explains, families have the freedom to appreciate things—and one another—more deeply. Though simplicity parenting may seem a stretch for some, others will find that Payne’s program for restoring creative play, order and balance is long overdue.”

My Two Cents –

“Living Simply with Children” – Earned a place on my bookshelves for the later years.  Henry isn’t exactly active outside the house yet, or interactive in the ways necessary for the examples in this book so this will sit on the shelves for a couple of years, but I’m glad to have it in my arsenal.  The author gives great advice for parents who already practice VS or are new to it; she gives step by step instructions on laying out goals and activities as family.  And has a wealth of sources for developing meaningful activities within the home. 

My only qualm with this book was that the author gave no examples for VS homes where both parents work.  Though it’s a touchy subject in many circles, two working parents are often a reality nowadays and particularly will often be a reality for those just realizing they could live more on a little less.  If you, like me are part of a two working parent home, don’t dispar there is still a lot of good advice nestled in this quick read.

“Simplicity Parenting” – Simply put, I loved this book no question about it.  My qualms with the first book were met in this one.  Kim John Payne aims his book toward every lifestyle – one working parent/one SAHP, two working parents, multiple children, only children, single parents, etc. and I was so pleased to see so many realistic examples (given from his own experience) of his ideas at work.

Dr. Payne touches on many subjects – the first and largest being the need to limit toys.  Straight up, less in more people – he and I see eye to eye on useful and engaging toys.  For those who have grandparents and other relatives who love to give gifts he offers the simple and realistic idea of toy and book home libraries to keep rooms and playspaces uncluttered.

Other subjects are the simplification of activities (your child does not need to be in and do everything – they’ll be happier and you’ll be happier), the simplification of food and meals (family dinners are a must and limiting the their food away from over processed, extreme, unrealistic flavors helps them develop healthier lifestyles), the importance of routine (he offers up wonderful ways for even the fast paced-career having parents to help establish calming routines), and the need to limit exposure to media and the adult world (he’s not an advocate for keeping them from reality, but letting them grow up as they should).

One interesting claim of Dr. Payne is the success he’s had with his ADD/ADHD patients and the success he’s had using the techniques of simplification and routine to give these children a little more control over their already over-stimulated minds.  He does not claim to cure the disorder, but rather gives advice for non-perscription based help in managing it.

This book might not be of interest to anyone with the mindset that their children will be deprived, no questions asked, if they are ever denied any toy or belonging or that they will fall behind without enrollment in every sport, lesson and activity.  If you think this already, this book might not be for you.

However I do feel renewed in a few of my own parenting goals:

• Limiting toys and books – not a total deprivation, but rather an active examination of what is useful and beneficial.  We will continue to focus on toys and games that have multiple uses and application and which foster imaginative play and concrete learning skills.
• Boredom is okay – let your kids be bored.  15 minutes of whining could lead to making Transmogrifiers out of cardboard boxes.
• Peaceful rooms – keep your rooms peaceful and organized, limit the items in the childs room so that it is a relaxing haven for them to retreat to.
• Limit activities – Our personal resolves rest somewhere around here – When old enough to take part in all these activities they will allowed to have music lessons, Boy Scouts/4-H/Similar group, and one sport per season.  This will be open to change depending on the child’s interest and skill – concessions will be made if they show to be particularly devoted to a particular activity.
• Family Life and Routine – Not too long ago I would have run from the idea of welcoming routine into my life, I loved jumping from one project to the next and now I find myself working hard to secure a day shift for just the opposite reason.  We want to have a routine within our family – days and nights for activities, errands, family time and adventures all worked in together, but also time to be along, to be quiet, to work, and just to be together.  I’m determined to have family dinners be a focal point of our lives as well as night-time routines; also into the mix are traditions that come with the seasons and holidays.
• Let my kids be kids – I want to strive to allow my children to enjoy their childhoods, it’s such a fleeting moment in a person’s life.  I don’t want to keep reality from them, there are appropriate times to talk about the big subjects – birth, death and everything in between, but I don’t think my kids need to see pictures of death and war on a regular basis.  I don’t think they need to know about every up and down, every worry and concern that their parents deal with – sometimes it’s okay to be happy when they’re awake and save the worry till they’re sleeping as little minds are often too quick to accept the weight of the world on their own little shoulders.  It’s a fine line, but one I want to walk with an aware and conscious mind.

Overall I highly encourage you to read either of these books whether your kids are 18, 8 or 8 months.

{Right Now}

Right now, I am…

:: enjoying the feeling of balance and stability.

:: feeling nervous and a little anxious.

:: wanting to find my camera card.

:: enjoying 8 month old little boys who give my life meaning.

:: holding him close, because he’s no longer looking like my little baby.

:: thinking of the hope of more little boys, paint chips, faith and snow.

:: grateful for amazing family and friends.

:: anticipating new schedules.

:: wishing for more hours in the day.

:: wondering just how much knitting I can  do until my fingers fall off

:: hoping to share more projects again, as soon as I find the time… and my camera card.