Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Not Quite Weekly Rambles!

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?
This past weekend I was on a leadership retreat with our Pioneer and Patriots girls from AHG. I was one of the presenters, and I may have gotten more out of the retreat than they did! It was so fun to be with those beautiful girls and help them to grow in their faith. 

What am I thankful for?
I'm thankful for the unexpected opportunity to participate in that retreat during Lent. I hope it was beneficial for everyone.

What’s going on in school?
It's the last day of school! Meg is already on spring break because she doesn't have standardized testing this year, so she has a full 2 weeks off. Pip's last day is today, and then he has a week and a half. Unfortunately, his online AP World History class doesn't have break, so he will still be working. Our college senior has his "exit show" for his photography major coming up. That's very exciting---he's almost done. Well, there's that and a May-mester class. Then he's done.

What’s cooking?
Nothing? I awoke this morning to the realization that it is time to plan meals for Holy Week and Easter. What do you have planned? I'd love to know!

What’s on the needles?
On the needles is a simple, drapey cowl that is taking longer than it should, I think. I haven't really had much knitting time in the past week, so that's probably the reason.

What’s special about this week?
Holy Week. My favorite week of the year! If you haven't had a very good Lent (meaning you slacked off on your penances), the liturgies on Thursday and Friday are a wonderful opportunity to make up some ground and really enter into the mysteries and suffer with Christ.

What am I reading?
Ida Elisabeth by Sigrid Undset. Its good, as I expected, since I'm a fan of Kristin Lavransdatter, but it's really long and the print is really small, so it's kind of slow-going. I need to renew it for the 2nd time, but I'm not sure. Maybe I want to get another, more readable edition.

What am I praying about?
Lots of things, my uncle's declining health, AHG, Fr. Joseph who is expected to die within the year, all of my family, but especially Elizabeth DeHority. I've had her socks on my sidebar for years, almost since I started blogging in '07. She's had breast cancer all that time, and now it has metastasized everywhere. Most of her blog posts over the years have been about knitting and helping others, not about complaining about her cancer. Even as her condition has steadily worsened and treatments have gotten more difficult, she has been working to help others. I don't know her personally, but she's one of the most inspiring people I've ever encountered, and I know that her friends and strangers from all over the blogosphere will be praying her into heaven in the coming months.

What’s on my ipod?/
The best Way of the Cross ever. Produced by the Archdiocese of Denver and read by Greg Willits, it's beautiful. I haven't been able to use it as much as I would like, but I'm going to keep it on my phone to use this week and throughout the year. 

What projects are happening at home?
So many things. Cleaning, decluttering for spring cleaning and Easter. AHG projects. School projects. Looking into getting hardwood floors and maybe a little bathroom remodeling.

And I have furniture on the deck that needs a coat of spray paint. That I bought last year. And didn't use. Do you do that? I can't believe it has been a full year and I never found the time or the energy to do it! Praying that I will find both the time AND the energy to do it this spring----after the massive amounts of yellow pine tree pollen have been washed away.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

PHFR Yarn Along

round button chicken
Linking up with the ladies at:
 Like Mother Like Daughter
Small Things
{pretty}

Pi Day celebration last week involved a very last-minute Chocolate Meringue Pie---as in I made it just before dinner and it requires 6 hours of chilling. Oh well. It was stunning and we enjoyed a rousing game of Scrabble while letting it chill a little. The chocolate was kind of runny when we ate it.

{happy}


This colorful stack of 7x9 rectangles for our AHG troop project. We are teaching the girls to crochet and make the rectangles so that we can turn them into blankets for the homeless. It's part of the Warm Up America project. I made a bunch of these myself, but I've been focusing on outlining all of the squares with black. It's kind of a tedious job that the girls won't like, but it will make the blanket look much better when they crochet them together.
{funny}

Maybe this isn't really funny, but it's kind of amusing to see the shapes and sizes of some of the rectangles from our beginning stitchers. The one on the top right was made by an adult and was so misshapen that I had to work some magic to turn it into a rectangle of the appropriate size. I'm pretty sure that was her first one.  She has improved dramatically and has made a baby blanket and cowl in addition to more rectangles.

Here's a better picture:

I'm really proud of all the girls (and moms) who are working hard to learn a new skill to benefit the homeless. Everyone is improving, and even if they have a hard time getting uniform shapes, their efforts are not going to waste!

{real}
I got my little stack of completed rectangles and went to the box to see how many more I needed to do. I was really pleased with my accomplishment in the past week...until I pulled out this stack. 
27 down. 65 to go.












Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Yarn Along




Last week I was going to show you my completed mittens (the second pair) and the almost-completed book, St. Catherine of Siena by Sigrid Undset. Alas, (well, not alas exactly) I'm still reading the book and greatly enjoying it, but the mittens (which are no longer needed in our 60+ degree weather) are too loose in the wrists and, very much alas, fall off if I relax my hands and swing my arms while walking. That's not a very good trait for a gorgeous, fluffy, soft pair of Alpaca mittens to have. They are pretty much perfect in every other way. And I have two pairs.  At some point I will find some elastic thread and attempt to run it through the wrists to make them more snug. Any other suggestions? Unraveling and starting over is NOT to be thought of! :-)


After the Mitten Mishap I turned to simple crocheting of Warm Up America rectangles and my book. Much more satisfying!

St. Catherine of Siena was (dare I say, "is"?) an amazing saint. I had never heard more than the basics that she was the youngest of 22 children and brought the Pope back from Avignon to Rome. But she was much more incredible than that. There is a wealth of information about her life and miracles. I am so happy to have discovered her at last, and I'm quite pleased that I bear her name (though I highly doubt that was intentional) and share her Italian heritage! 

Linking up with Ginny's Yarn Along.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Goodnight Moon Blanket



Sitting at the school table yesterday I finally added stars to my Goodnight Moon book-blanket. It's going in the shop today! I hope it soon finds a friend to snuggle with.


It's a sweet, little blanket that's cozy and soft, and it's just the right size for a little person to carry around with a book, begging someone to read to him one more time. :-)


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