YEAH!! DSL!!

Finally, praise God, we have dsl. It's wonderfully fast and I can do so much more in a much shorter amount of time. I'm looking forward to doing more things online.

What a week!!!!

Well, if this February hadn't already been a weird one, this past week certainly put it over the top.

The first couple of weeks of February were spent dealing with lots of baby lambs coming very quickly and at late hours-putting us all way behind on sleep. Then, I had to throw in a week long illness of some sort that put me out of commission (the middle day being the worst--miserable!). Things calmed down for a bit and I got caught up on laundry and groceries. Good thing. Last Saturday, at approximately 1:10, our power went out and we just got it back yesterday around 2:00 pm!

It all started with a rain/ice storm and strong winds. We'd never had our electricity go out for very long so we thought we'd be okay. We played games and got out all the candles and ate lunch meat sandwiches for supper thinking that surely by Sunday we'd have power back. We slept on the living room floor under a pile of blankets. The next morning, still no power, church was cancelled and the radio said that it would probably be a couple of days for those in rural areas. That's us. We toyed around with the idea of getting a generator, but decided we'd be okay for a couple of days.

On Monday I went to town to get a few things and meet with a lady. The damage was extensive. Pretty much everyone we know was without power or had been (these were few and far between). By that afternoon the power companies had had a chance to assess the situation. Over 1000 miles of power lines and poles were down!! At one point, there were over 200,000 without power. When we finally got ours back on, they were down to 18,000 or so.

Tuesday I went to town and did a couple of loads of towels at my mom's, took a hot shower and played on the internet. We had ended up getting a generator the night before, but it took forever to get hot water, so this was a nice treat. When I got home from teaching knitting lessons that night, the house was warm and we didn't have to sleep on the living room floor! A real blessing for this body of mine!

On Wednesday, another storm started to roll in. By Friday roads and interstates were shut down. Some places in western Iowa got over 20" of snow!! We only got about 3" and despite the blowing the power company was able to get our power back on.

The roads are still not great, but we are getting out this evening to go hang out with hubby's brother and wife and our great-nephew! They had heavy damage up where they live, it will be interesting to see.

I did get a little knitting done-I made a pair of fingerless gloves for myself!!

God is so faithful! Despite what could have been a week of grumbling and complaining-we did pretty well and just sort of went along for the ride. We are very excited to have our power back, though and very grateful that God watched over us this week (as He always does).

Oh yeah, I did a little reading-finished Joel C. Rosenberg's The Ezekiel Option. WOW!! Excellent book!

It's been just over a week since the baby's visitation. What a sad event. Please keep praying for the family.

I've spent the last week dealing with fever and then the stomach flu. I'm feeling better today, but still weak and tired. Of course, in the middle of my being sick, the washing machine went out. I finally got a shower taken this morning and we headed to Sears. The new one seems to be working much better than our previous GE. The trip to town wore me out though.

I haven't gotten much knitting done, although I do almost have A's socks done. They're really pretty.

I've been keeping up with the legislature and trying to warn others of the stealth legislation that they are getting to vote. So far, "theraputic cloning" has passed our senate and "Fair Share" legislation is pending in the house. Our local senator has denied both and I have the opportunity to confront him tomorrow during a "coffee", but I don't know that I feel up to it.

I've decided to have a spot on my leg checked. I've had it for several years and it's only about 1/2 in. in diameter, but I finally decided to have it checked out. Given my tendancy to get anxious, I'm asking for prayer. The appointment isn't until March 22, but March is my rough month. I'm trusting God that whatever the outcome, He'll give me what I need to deal with it (and I don't really think it's anything).

Sweet Baby E. Please continue to pray for her mommy and daddy.

Please pray for a friend of mine. She was one of my knitting students last fall and we were planning on starting up again to make a felted bag. Anyway, her 11-month-old daughter died Saturday. They think she had a seizure, but aren't sure. She had already lost another child. It's so sad and I've just been stunned since I heard about it. I can't imagine the pain she and her husband must be in.

It is freezing!! My little girlies are coming this weekend and we are going to be stuck in the house. It makes me nervous having to get out in the frigid air and with two 5-year-olds, I really don't like it. But, this is really only weekend that we can for awhile and it's hard to explain it to them if we have to change dates. It should be okay, I'm going to buy some snacks and I've already got them some Polly Pockets and puzzles, so with a good movie, we should be just fine.

Last night, my mom and my two daughters and I went to see "The Phantom of the Opera". Oh my goodness!!! It was absolutely wonderful! I've listened to the music, seen the movie, but had never been to the play. I would highly recommend it! By the end of the play, I was so lost in the music and the story, oh.

We're having little lambs. I'm hoping they slow down during this cold snap.

As challenging as it is, I'm trying to stay on top of the political situation. Since our state became controlled by the Democrats they are having a gleeful time rushing legislation from committee to the floor to the governor and boom, we have new laws! I'm checking the website everyday to follow what's going on and I'm letting my senator know how I feel. I need to be doing the same thing on the federal level, but I'm not sure I can stomach it. The level of hype and self-promotion is making me sick.

Well, I thought I'd finally gotten an outfit done before the baby came, but although baby E was scheduled to come at 8:00 am this morning, which would have meant that I'd done it, she decided to come early, Saturday evening. Oh well, it was almost done. It really is a pretty set. It is from Dale Baby Book 162 and is done in Baby Uhl. I love the way this pattern comes together, very little seaming to be done and the embellishments are optional.

Someone asked about Baby C's sweater pattern, it is from a Leisure Arts booklet, "Knit Layettes for little darlings". It was published in 2000 and on the back it says that it is booklet #3208. There are several adorable sweaters with matching blankets.

We've had another snow storm. At least it looks like winter! I do get a bit irritated with the media, you'd think we'd gotten 20 inches of snow overnight! They get so worked up over normal winter weather! Of course, that seems to be the way of the media-take everything to the extreme and just get everyone worked up. No wonder we have so much anxiety and depression.

As for potential presidential candidates making their aspirations known---ugh!! No one "trips my trigger". It seems like everyone's goal is simply to win, to gain power. What ever happened to being a civil servant, to serve humbly? It's on both sides of the aisle, too. Well, it should be fun to watch them all pick each other apart!

Baby C's sweater is done and just in time, the shower is this afternoon! It makes my daughter's blanket for him. We'll have a picture of that soon. Of course, the weather has been great this winter, up until this weekend! We've got ice already and snow on the way. We're still going to head out, I baked the cakes and have several of the serving dishes, etc. We'll just drive slower!!

Okay, so we've done everything possible to figure out what it wrong with our internet and after a lengthy process of elimination---IT IS NOT OUR COMPUTER!!! I have done virus scans, spyware scans, uninstalled things, reinstalled, checked security, hooked up my son's computer at home and tested it here at mom's. It didn't work at home and it did work here! I'm quite irritated with our internet provider. To top things off, the dryer died yesterday and hubby can't figure out what's wrong. It's only a few years old, so tomorrow we'll see if it's even worth the cost of the service all compared to just buying a new one. So, I've been here (at mom's) for the past two days doing laundry.

Baby C's sweater is coming along nicely.

Happy New Year!! I've been meaning to blog all week, but I've had a raging sinus/migraine headache and my internet is running extremely slow!! I've called our provider and the phone company. I finally came into my mom's to download some spyware.

We had a nice New Year's Eve. Made it to midnight! But, this week has been tough with the headache. I don't know if it's a virus or a combination of other things.

We went and bought new furniture after Christmas. We were able to get a reclining loveseat, recliner, and new tv in our budget. The chair is on order, but the loveseat is home with us and we were able to get rid of the sofa. In a small livingroom with a huge desk, something had to give.

I've almost completed baby M's sweater, she's due any day and I've begun Baby C's. His shower is next Sunday. I've still got a sock to do and I've taken on two more Christmas stockings--thankfully, they are simple ones. I'm hoping to make a scarf for myself, but since it hasn't been cold, I keep forgetting about it.

The weather is really something. It's been so warm and we've only had a skiff of snow.

My great-nephew's new stocking, completely created by me. It was fun to make.

Baby C was only awake for a short time during his first family Christmas, but I got the perfect picture. This one is getting blown-up for his grandma. We were able to get a 5-generation picture for remembrance and the paper!

J got his first pheasant today, so we'll be having pheasant for supper. Liberty wasn't much of a help, but she enjoyed the walk!

Our Christmas Eve service was very nice last night and it was great to get to see friends that we hadn't seen for awhile. We have several who are either recovering from cancer surgery, dealing with cancer treatment or preparing for surgery-it was good to see them all. Life has been quite challenging for so many over that past couple of months and it looks to continue. Praise God that He is in control!

May you all be blessed this Christmas! Take time to go see "The Nativity Story" and remember the Reason for the season!

Well, picasa doesn't seem to be working for me. I thought I'd posted these photos last week, but alas, no. I tried again this morning, but it still didn't work for me.

I finally finished the stockings. The Red Heart yarn makes my hands ache, but to get the look of the originals, that's what I've got to use.

We were able to spend the day with my niece and great-nephew last week. He's growing good, seems quite content, but is already saying "ewww" when Aunt Dawn gives him a kiss.

I'm down to a few small projects for Christmas, but I've got a bit of baking to get accomplished. I think it's going to be a pretty low-key holiday and I'm grateful for that.

I wish I knew how to slow things down. I feel as though I've been going non-stop since the end of October. I look ahead at my schedule and it looks like there might be time to finish my knitting, wrap gifts, clean, bake, and spend time with my family, but I'm afraid that something else will come up or that I'll sit and stare at the wall because I'm not sure what to do with myself.

I'm struggling with my oldest dd's issues. There are rumors going around her place of work that she claims she knew nothing about but others say she was the one telling the stories in the breakroom. I hate that I'm not sure what to believe. She's been known to make up wild things in order to draw attention to herself, regardless of what it does to her reputation. It's almost as though she wants to have a bad reputation-that she wants to look bad to those that are living a bankrupt lifestyle. I don't know how to advise her when I don't know if what I'm hearing is the truth or not. Lord, help!

My niece and her little one. He's absolutely adorable and mommy is beginning to adapt to her new son. It's amazing how quickly our lives can change. There has been so much heartache in recent years, but Baby C is bringing joy to us all. 

Liberty feeling militant!

 

Well, things have changed dramatically in the last 28 hours or so. My neice, who just found out that she was pregnant 3 1/2 weeks ago (she'd been in deep denial), when into labor on Friday evening and our new little family member came just after 2:00 pm on the 2nd. Despite my neice being frightened by the whole process and the sudden thought of being a mother, everything went well. The labor progressed very quickly. This little guy was ready to join the family, I think he wants Christmas presents!! He weighs just over 6 pounds. We will be heading up again to visit this afternoon. They haven't got anything ready yet, so we'll do a little shopping on the way!

I feel for my neice, 18, a senior, denying the possibility, finally accepting the truth, and boom, she's a mommy. God has a purpose and a plan. I can trust in that.

Last night, we went to see "The Nativity Story". It's a beautiful movie. Gives you a wonderful idea of what life would have been like in Judea at the time of Jesus' birth. There is a gentleness and peace to the whole thing. An understanding that God has a plan. Some of the timing of certain events could be somewhat disputable, but certainly doesn't deter from the story of His birth and it's power. I would recommend it!

So, I have knitting that must get done. Life keeps interrupting my progress! A certain someone's socks are partly done and I've got 2 out of 4 Christmas stockings completed (at least the knitting, I've still got to the the embellishments). I've decided to make a stocking for our new great-nephew and make his sweater after the first of the year.

J's Lorna's Laces camoflage socks. Only took a year!! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

"In all things, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus"

This week has been a rough week. It began with my uncle having to put to sleep his beloved shelty, Quincy. Quincy had been suffering with liver disease for about 1 1/2 years. Finally, it became to much and they had to do what was best for Quincy.

On Tuesday, we got the phone call that my cousin was passing away. He had been suffering with cancer for over a year. By evening, things were looking somewhat better, so I went to bed with hopes of getting to see him one more time. Wednesday morning, the call came, he had passed away on Tuesday evening (his 47th anniversary). So, I spent a good part of yesterday with my cousin and her family. We will be spending part of today there, as well as tomorrow and then the funeral follows on Saturday. It's going to be very difficult for my cousin, she's been with this man for most of her life.

Yesterday was also the anniversary of my daughter's miscarriage. She's been struggling with it since we found out that my 18-year-old niece is now expecting. We just found out, she's been in denial, so she's already 7 1/2 months along. While my daughter is happy for her, there is a feeling of "why not me".

So, while the holidays do bring sweet times, they are often so difficult.

Boy, life needs to slow down a bit so that I can blog more!

It's been a busy couple of weeks. On Saturday, we had an awesome ladies event "Giving Thanks". It went so well!! God is so good and so faithful. I realize that while we need to plan for these things, I've found that it's best not to coordinate what each speaker is going to talk about (other than the general theme). In our case, I had a message in mind, I wanted each lady to find a favorite verse about giving thanks or that they were thankful for, and I had two ladies give their testimony. We also spent time talking about those people that have been important in our lives. God had a message for all of us and He worked it all out through all the messages. Two things that had been e-mailed to me fit perfectly. Verses were the same, the points were the same. It was so awesome!! Of course, there were tears, but as one wonderful lady put it, "There have been many tears here today, but they have been tears of joy." It is so wonderful to see women being real, sharing what God has done in their lives, how He has touched them in the everyday living of life and in the dangers and calamaties that come our way. Plus, the children all stayed in the nursery the entire three hours! That was a true miricle. That was such a blessing for the young moms, they could focus and not worry about their little ones.

So, my weekend was spent of a lovely mountain top, God is bringing to fruition what He burdened my heart with. It didn't matter whether we worked outside the home or stayed home, it didn't matter whether we homeschooled or public/private schooled, it didn't matter if we were young or old, rich or poor, we were just God's women ready to hear from HIM!

The election is over. It has been an amazing learning experience. Many things need to change. Politics is to ugly, to nasty. There are to many outside influences. The media needs to be reminded what yellow journalism is, they need to be reminded that they are reporters not ediorialists. We need to be positive.

On a good note, my young candidate got 37% of the vote against a 12-year incumbent. That was higher than expected. In two years, the incumbent had better be watching behind him.

I do enjoy politics, I enjoy the challenge, I enjoy the work. I love working with people of like minds. I have met some of the most amazing people during the course of this summer and fall.

But, it is November 8th and I have a house to get straightened up and Christmas stockings to make. Please read the Scriptures below, they sum it all up.