Loving Family

So the last post was a little bit of whining -- I try to not normally be like that :-)  Sometimes it just doesn't work!! 

The last couple of days have been awesome -- spent Thanksgiving with great friends and then on Friday we went to feast with the Grant masses.  My grandparents didn't really do much for Christmas, had to do with the church my grandpa grew up in.  But, they both overdid Thanksgiving!!  As a kid, it was pretty much known that we would always be at the grandparents for Thanksgiving.  Thankfully, that hasn't changed even though they are both gone.  One of the five kids hosts and all the grands and now their families show up.  This year we were able to celebrate 3 new babies!!  The girls were asking different questions about various aunts and uncles on the way down --- it amazed me to realize that I knew most of the questions, I had actually been around longer than any of the married into's!!  Yeah, I'm getting old -- but it's fun to see the new generation starting.

Then it was hurry and buzz around the house to prepare for Sabbath company.  The girls were playing their violins for special music and their teacher was going to play, so I invited her for lunch and also another couple.  None of that happened, but didn't know that at the time, so was busy making lunch and house preparations.  The girls did play for church -- the very first time they've been able to play a duet with Hannah playing something other than just open strings and whole notes :-)

We Gather Together

Today is the end of the girl's break and it also marks the start of the Christmas season around here.  We went out and got our tree, are making tamales and then decorating the tree.

 I think we're going to start a new tradition -- tree and tamales!!!

 The academy faculty family parties are this week and I usually try to have the tree set up by then, so even though it seems early, such is life!!

Tomorrow -- it's full speed ahead with watch-making.  I have several orders that I need to get finished!!!  I'll post some pictures later :-)

More than thankful

Last night as we were eating supper, the girls started in on what they would like for Christmas, the list wasn't long, just expensive!!  And I, sadly must be honest, started to feel a little sorry for myself/us.  My thoughts were along the lines of "Just once, I would love to have an extra thousand or even five hundred, at this point, I'd settle for two-fifty to spend on Christmas, not for me, but so that I wouldn't have to say, well, the boots are nice, but the jacket is more practical.  Or some other version of choosing."  It always seems that I get more stressed about financial matters than anything else.  I get the whole thing that kids are spoiled and think they are entitled -- in fact, that's my usual thought process, but this time of year that goes out the window :-)

So, the day has been a little gloomy, and so to cheer myself up, the girls and I spent some time in the kitchen.  My funk is now gone -- the laughter of simple things is really what it's all about.  Here are the results of our efforts!!  But even longer lasting is the joy I get from seeing my girls working together and enjoying it!!!  I need to make more opportunities for that to happen instead of worrying about what we can and can't get this year.

Pride or Self-Preservation?

This week I was down in my sewing room and about to go crazy, so just to relieve the frustration of it all, I posted on Facebook. It's a mess down there and I do mean a mess.  The ironing board is down there so clothes get draped over my cut table space, the girls look for ribbons, elastic and such and they leave everything pulled out.  I go hunting for something in a major hurry and don't get back to putting it all away, it rains and the basement floods, so things get pulled out of the water's path and it just is a mess.  Added to all of this, there is way too much stuff down there -- an extra chair, a bed, boxes to be sorted, the list just goes on and on.

Anyway, after posting on FB, a very dear friend commented that she would be more than happy to take care of it, and she's definitely serious.  This lady is awesome!!  When we first moved here I was so intimidated by her :-)  She always seemed to have it all together, extremely organized, able to do anything, and all the while looking gorgeous!!  I have since gotten to know her :-)  I know that sounds awful, like she's not any of those things and I have to chuckle, because she still is all of those things, but now she's also someone I know to have a very caring heart, an unpretentious attitude, and is just as real as the rest of us  (just for example, she saw me in the parking lot one morning at the grade school and asked if her daughter could borrow a pair of my daughter's shoes -- evidently life was crazy that morning and they walked off without footwear)  Someone I truly count as a friend and an equal and certainly not someone that would judge.

So having said all of that, you think I would be jumping up and down at the chance for a real pro to actually come in and fix my room  ---  NOPE, NADA, NO WAY!! 

I then I realized how absolutely crazy that was and have been processing why I feel that way :-)  Why am I so uncomfortable with accepting help.  Do we really think worse of others than we do ourselves, i.e. I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to do something for a friend that would really help them, something that would make an impact in their life, but yet I'm not willing to let someone do the same for me??  If I wouldn't gossip, judge, criticize, etc another person, why would I think a genuine friend would??   Or is it that I care about what people think, I don't want to let all the walls down, it's okay to portray that I'm an open book, but when it comes right down to it, there's no way you're going to see my faults in all their glory. 

Just a bunch of thoughts rolling around -- who knows if they'll ever get resolved.  Chances are my sewing room will get cleaned before they're resolved!! Or then again????

What's good for your Soul??

As I mentioned earlier, I tend to be pretty laid-back and don't get stressed easily, excepting when I don't have the time to create!! Now, I'm not artistic or even very creative, most of what I do is based on patterns and logistics, but I do like working with my hands and seeing things take shape. 

I do a variety of crafts, I enjoy crosstitch (probably the first thing I ever learned) I like to sew (the 2nd thing) but make mostly clothes for my girls, I'm not into curtains, pillows, quilting, etc...  I also enjoy knitting and in the last couple of years I've learned to crochet and do beadwork.  I've also dabbled with lots of other things, candlemaking, scrapbooking, painting, cake decorating, the list goes on and on, but they're not the main things I turn to.

I learned to crochet and spent almost an entire year doing nothing but crochet, then together with my daughter, we explored beading and I have worked with that for almost a year.   Recently, I was in a craft store and saw a gorgeous knit poncho, so I picked up the magazine, ordered the yarn and made it.  In the process, realized how very much I love knitting, so I've made a few things over the past couple of weeks and thought I would share with you. 

This is the capelet I saw and fell in love with, but unfortunately the yarn was 100% wool and that just doesn't work with me, so I looked in my yarn closet and came up with some beautiful mohair  - - yes I know, that's wool too, but it's only the thick stuff on the outside, not the inside, so you don't feel it when you wear it!!  This is what I put together with that.

 

We also are going to have a new baby on campus the first of the year, so for a gift, once again, I turned to my stash -- and quite happily decided it was the perfect time to pull out a pattern I've had for many many years, but never made -- so this was born.

 

 

 

 

The colors in it were awesome -- I already have plans for another one in pinks and yellow with a touch of white and dark green!!  It was a neat stitch -- basically just a purl stitch that added the pattern between the colors.  LOVE IT!!  Almost, makes me wish I had a little one to wear it -- ALMOST :-)

 

So now you know my de-stressing techniques!!  Now if only knitting would keep my house clean!!

 



My Own Worst Enemy

I like to think I lead a fairly easy life.  I tend to be pretty easy-going and laidback.  I'm not one to structure my days and don't mind if the things I had planned to do take a back burner to most anything, whether it's something that needs my attention at the grade school, something comes up with K's work, or even if it something that the girls want, or I change my mind about the day.  (Totally read into that -- I'll do almost anything to change my plans when it comes to cleaning and laundry!!!) 

But, in thinking about this -- I tend to by my own worst enemy.  Are we all hot-wired to sabotage ourselves, or am I the only one.  So many times I make my life worse by doing things I know won't work.  It's a good thing I'm not an alcoholic or manic-depressive, or even a home-school mom.  I always, always, always, end up being self-destructive.  Sometimes it's only in little way, but most of the time it's the big things.  Right now it's my health.

I know that staying up late and not eating right create more havoc with my physical well-being.  I know that there are supplements/medicines/etc that I can take to help.  And sometimes I do and they really do help, but that only lasts at the very max 2 weeks or so.  I know that I should make an appointment to see a Dr. and get some of the more serious things checked out -- but do I go -- NO....

I also know that if I do a load of laundry daily or pick up the clutter on a regular basis that my house would not get so out of control.  And there are certainly times when I do that -- I don't know how many time my mom (she's a little OCD!) has come and helped me get the entire house under control and it last for a month or so, but then we all get lazy and it just snowballs yet again. 

Same thing with most all things in my life -- if I were to control, structure, etc..... and do things on a regular basis it would make life so much easier.  But for some dumb reason I like to think the adrenaline rush is good for me to procrastinate and do it all at mad-dash speed.

Why do I always sabotage myself.  Great -- now I'll have something to think about on the drive home :-)

God's Blessings -- The Car!!

Believe it or not - my hubbie is a car person.  He spends hours online looking at reviews and searching out new cars.  I am no a car person and have been raised to think that a used car is the better financial deal -- so put these two together and now you know why we hardly ever talk about vehicles.

We both brought our own car to the marriage and drove them until the birth of our 2nd child (4yrs into our marriage) forced us to look at other options.  At that time we decided to trade in for a mini-van -- we have been a one car family ever since. 

As our van has been getting on in age and needing more and more repairs Kevin we decided it was time for a new car.  Figure in the rising cost of gas and older girls requiring more and more field trips and extra-curricular trips --we needed another car. 

After doing much research Kevin we decided on an Elantra Touring by Hyundai.  We had looked at them several years ago and even test drove one.  Really liked the car and the space it offered.  So once again we were at a crossroad - K wanted a new one, I wanted a used one.  We decided on an older one because they actually had more cargo room and since I haul a massage table around we needed the space. 

Enter this delightful car.  Kevin came to me one evening thrilled - he had found a 2012 that was a manual and was listed for way less than we thought.  We kept wondering what was wrong with it, as it kept staying available.  Hoped to test drive it on our recent trip to the coast (the car was 100 miles away) but didn't have the time.  Figured the car would be gone.  Finally we were able to give it a go and at that time had an eye-opening experience.  We had misread the price quoted online.  It was many thousands more than we had anticipated.  After driving it, we offered a reasonable price -- totally laughed at by the car people.  We let it sit and figured the car would be gone.  Prayed about it, tried to figure out how we could afford the higher price, prayed about it, decided higher price was unreasonable, prayed about it ---- and finally 6 weeks after we originally found the car, they came down on the price.  Needless to say we jumped on it!!!  And now, the car is sitting in our driveway.

God does answer prayer, just sometimes he say, "Trust me and wait a while.  I have so much better in store for you."

God's Faithfulness!!

Wow -- seems like life has been super crazy busy lately --- yeah, I know, so what's my excuse :-)

In all honesty, that only sounds like the proper thing to say -- the truth is that I've been down in the dumps and haven't wanted to engage with anyone or anything.  Getting the girls off to school was a major accomplishment, one I celebrated by going to the couch and sleeping the morning away.  And then by the time lunch was over it was time for them to be home and just getting through supper and bedtime was exhausting, much less taking the time to do anything else.  I hate that I suffer from whatever, I think it's more than just depression, but that hits me really hard sometimes too.

Anyway -- so the last weeks have been a struggle -- hopefully now that winter is here it will get better!!  Yes, I said better!!  I know I'm one of those crazy people that like the dull gray dreariness of winter -- and hey, if we get a few white flakes all the better :-)

Part of the reason I've been struggling is because I like to be in control and feel like everything is like I want it to be, even if it's all bleak and dreary, at least I'm the one making that decision. Lately, it's been uncertainty.  K & I decided that I would quit my job at the end of the contract year and for a while that seemed okay, I was doing some odd jobs here and there, well that all ended and then all the big $$$ starting piling up.  Trips for weddings, cars needing maintenance, field trips needing cash, girls needing clothes (yes, in my world, we'd all be nude!!) it just kept adding up and adding up with no end in sight. 

I was hired as an instructor at a local craft store, but none of the classes panned out -- they all kept getting cancelled, I wasn't selling any watches that I had made, nothing seemed to be going right.  And then on top of it all, because I was exhausted we kept adding out to eat meals.  Just craziness!!

And during all of this K and I were discussing getting another vehicle.  We've been talking about it for 6-9 months or so, realizing our van is getting up there in age and will start needing repairs.  We also know that it will be easier to make car payments now while the girls are in grade school and not in a couple of years when academy tuition comes due for R.  K did the research and the hunt began. 

So back to the original title -- we now have a new car, I've been able to put my watches in a local boutique and I've actually taught a class.   More on the above later -- it's now time for supper, believe it or not, I've actually cooked the past 3 nights in a row!!