First of Fall Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

I'm excited that the Holy Father is here! Our country needs a good dose of his holy influence; we are so far from being the great country that we used to be. People are lost and unhappy and don't even know it.

What am I thankful for?

I'm thankful for a lovely visit to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Alabama last weekend. A group from our AHG troop made an overnight visit; mothers and daughters were able to spend time together as we toured the incredibly beautiful and peaceful grounds. The last time I was there, the main church was complete, but they've added several new buildings including a replica of the Lourdes grotto, the St. John Paul II Eucharistic center, a gift shop, and the Barn--- a home for the men who belong to the Knights of the Eucharist. This Shrine is an incredible gift to the Church and the surrounding community. Located an hour north of Birmingham, the quiet countryside is a perfect backdrop for this peaceful community of servants of the Lord.

One of the first things we saw on our tour of the Shrine was the door that young postulants knock on to be admitted to the community. Meg was fascinated by that door! She mentioned wanting to go through it so many times that I suggested, maybe, Jesus was calling her to serve Him in that way.

What’s going on in school?

Spirit Week! Meg and Pip are both excited not to wear uniforms every day and stressed by the options they are given.

What’s on the needles?

I'm so close to finishing my afghan! I'm on the last skein of yarn, so the end is in sight, but I haven't felt the urge to work on it, because I want to finish my Stripe Study Shawl. I'm on the border, finally, but I stopped the stripes one stripe short-----My contrasting color was almost gone and I did not feel like playing that game of yarn chicken! If I lost, I would have been unraveling a lot of wrap-and-turns, which would have been a nuisance. I'm thinking of---no, I actually started----putting a few thin stripes of the blue in the variegated border to use it up. It will be pretty, and I can't wait to see it blocked, but I have a hard time believing that it is going to expand to be the size of the picture in the pattern!

What’s special about this week?

My two oldest, Katie and Brendan, had birthdays last weekend. I can't wait to go visit them in a couple of days to celebrate! Two birthday celebrations back to back used to be so stressful, and now....it's not. All you young moms, stop being frazzled by it all and enjoy the chaos while it lasts!

Spirit Week and Homecoming at school. I guess this is the first year we can actually have a "Homecoming" dance since there were 4 graduates last May!

What am I reading?

I am still reading, very slowly, The Boys in the Boat. Since knitting is my daytime recreational activity, reading is just 5 minutes per night at bedtime. Unfortunately, i have approximately 20 books on the desk in my room waiting to be read, and I promised not to add to it....but I somehow acquired two more books at the Shrine last weekend! Oops! :-)

What am I praying about?

• Pope Francis's visit to the US
• Our country
• An end to Planned Parenthood. We pray for an end to abortion all the time, but it has always existed, and always will in some form or another, but our government can (and should) stop paying for the wholesale slaughter of babies and the sale of their body parts.

What projects are happening at home?

I'm not finished painting all the upstairs trim, but I bought paint for the basement bedrooms and I'm going to start that as soon as I finish this post. We are still struggling with the final decision about the basement floors because of cost, but I hope we get it figured out quickly. I'm ready to have this done!

xo,
Sara

***Linking up with Ginny and Leila today!***

Quick Takes on a Slow Computer!

---1---

It's Friday! One more event checked off the list! I barely know what day it is, except dh went to work (so, not Saturday or Sunday!) and we talked about weekend plans. But, I turned on the computer and was still surprised to see a blog post that said "It's Friday!"

---2---

We still have a busy weekend ahead, followed by another busy week, and I have a lot of managerial stuff to do with American Heritage Girls. My brain is fried, already. I think it's going to start leaking out my ears soon. Just ignore me if you find me muttering to myself in the corner!

---3---

And you know what's going to drive me around the bend? My slow computer! It's as if it just got 2 broken legs and is hobbling everywhere. I could seriously get my knitting out and knit a row while pages are loading! That might actually help me maintain my sanity....or I could jog in place and get some exercise...

---4---

On a happier note, I get to spend a chunk of the day with my favorite 25 year-old who came home for just a day!

---5---

In an effort to cope with the busy-ness without losing my mind, I did start a new book and a new knitting project! The book is Stealing Jenny, which is about a young mother of five who is pregnant and kidnapped by someone who wants her baby. Creepy, but I think it will turn out okay. 

 

---6---

I finally started a Honey Cowl with 2 yarns that have been in my stash for a while. I'm not so sure how I feel about the two of them in this project. Both the brown and the blue are lovely colorways, but I feel as if the blend is just muddying up the blue. What do you think? 

 

---7---

Got a leetle biopsy done on my arm Thursday. Waiting for results. If you want to say a prayer for a good result, I'll be thankful! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join the fun at Kelly's for more 7 Quick Takes!

And because I mentioned knitting and reading, I'm also linking up with Ginny!

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.

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. :-)

Christmas Knitting Yarn Along

Playing every knitter's favorite: a game of chicken between a sock and a ball of yarn. It's a toe-up sock so I can stop when I need to; plus I have a coordinating yarn that I can use as a cuff if I don't think it's long enough, but this ball of yarn is way smaller than I would like.  I'd like to finish this sock today so I can knit the mate and another pair before Christmas! Socks for men with large feet are a major undertaking.

I finally finished GWTW this morning---I got a lot of reading done because I awoke ridiculously early a couple of days in a row. I'm anxious to start Scarlett tonight when I've accomplished enough of my sock for the day.

Gone with the Wind is so good! I still love it after....36 years. Scarlett, the character, not the book, is a pitiful creature, though! I'm amazed at how self-centered she is. She's clueless about how anyone else feels, and especially what it takes to be a Great Lady. Rhett, scoundrel that he is, is so much wiser. Have you read it? I've been wondering, but not enough to look it up, if it has ever been banned like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn for it's use of the 'n' word throughout."

Back to the sock....y'all drop in on the other knitters at Small Things! xo

Yarn Along

Gone with the Wind continues to be my "yarn" of choice. I had thought I would read it faster, but I find myself slowing down to savor the story. I'm getting reacquainted with characters that were left out of the move, like Scarlett's little son Wade who suffers the terrors of war and Yankees and his mother!

I have two projects to show you this week. This chunky, mulberry cowl which I may keep for myself or put it in the shop. I just love this color!

The Cat in the Hat book-blankey is for the Nest Egg Knits shop. I've been working on this one after dinner while we do our Advent readings and talk. It's so chunky and cozy! I can't think of anything sweeter than cuddling up with a little person, this blanket, and a book. Yum.

I'm joining Ginny and friends at Small Things. Go see what everyone else is knitting and reading!

Yarn Along?

Is anyone still checking the links from last Wednesday's Yarn Along? Because I am linking up to today! Just a few days late and a whole lot of dollars short!

I had a custom request from a friend so I had to go to the yarn shop to buy more yarn. Naturally, I bought more than strictly necessary.

I had been intrigued for several weeks by the Red Heart reflective yarn that is available in bright colors. So I bought a skein, and yesterday I worked up a cabled ear warmer.

It's very fun! But you know what amazes me about it? The fact that while Red Heart is notorious for its scratchy acrylic, this yarn is actually very soft. I want to know why they don't make all their yarn this nicely!

The first ear warmer is finished, and in the shop.

I am still reading Gone With the Wind but my book for this week is Forgiven by Maureen S. Taylor. It was supposed to be finished for book club yesterday, but no one was finished with it. I am enjoying this self-published novel by a local, Catholic writer. I haven't read enough, yet, to let you know if I will love it all the way through, but it shows great promise. Katie, the heroine, is struggling with panic attacks and seeing a new psychiatrist. Forgiveness is the theme of the book, and I expect she will need to forgive God for taking the lives of her parents when she was a young girl.

I'll let you know how it turns out!