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!

Weekly Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

I am still on a high from my adventure with Meg Saturday. We went with our American Heritage Girls on a "high adventure" activity which involved a high ropes course. This is the first time Meg was old enough for these activities, so I stayed and participated, too. "High" seems to be the operative word in that paragraph!

That's about 55' up---we climbed the cargo net and crossed to the other side; there were four sections of varying difficulty. The hardest being a tightrope (high wire?) with obstacles. It was fun and not nearly as scary being up there as I expected! I found stepping off the ledge to rappel down the most challenging.

Standing directly under it while Meg rappels down gives you a better idea of how high it is! 

Then we climbed a higher cargo net to a 75' aerie so we could ride the quarter-mile zip line. Standing on the ledge while they got everyone situated was a little nerve-wracking for some, but, again, I found stepping off the platform to be the hardest!

The point of these activities, and the whole day, is to build thinking skills, to grow as a team, and challenge yourself. We all had partners on the TEC course that we were responsible for keeping safe, and we crossed some of the sections as a pair or a team. It was a great experience!

What am I thankful for?

Today I'm especially thankful for my new, fleece-lined rain boots. It's cold and rainy with "bitter cold" moving in behind the rain. Fun.

What’s going on in school?

The usual. Last week for the home schoolers who get a full week off for Thanksgving! 

What’s on the needles?

This shawl. It's actually OFF the needles. It's soft and warm, but not as large as I would like.

There's a "Goodnight Moon" book blanket in the works, as well as a "Lorax," and another "Cat in the Hat, but they're all on hold for a pair of socks and some earwarmers! It's kind of crazy!

What’s special about this week?

"Mockingjay" opens in theaters on Thursday. Meg can hardly wait!

What am I reading?

Gone with the Wind and Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross. Nothing new there. I'm supposed to be reading Forgiven for book club this week. I should order that!

What am I praying about?

Healing for lots of people, especially my uncle who is recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his colon, and my sister-in-law who has a lot of struggles and cannot put weight on her ankle for a couple of months. Greg Willits of The Catholics Next Door podcast who is in the process of finding a diagnosis for new health concerns. Sounds alarmingly like ALS or Parkinson's to me. :-(

A few prayers would be nice for my own physical exams this week. Shouldn't be any big deal, but you never know. Thanks!

What projects are happening at home?

Cleaning up the yarn detritus is a never ending battle! Now, the big push is on to get ready for Thanskgiving and prepare Christmas presents for anyone we might see over the holiday. That will save shipping costs and be a huge weight off the shoulders during Advent.

~~~~

What did you think about A Week in My Life? It was hard to keep up with for me! I'm not sure I enjoyed reading all the minutiae of everyone's life. What do you

like to read about here? I'm all about knowing what you want to know! :-)

A Wednesday in the Life

Another 6:15 a.m. wake-up. I used to try to get up around 5 or 5:30; I think I'm stuck on Daylight Savings Time. I'm not going to bed promptly at 10:00 p.m, anymore. It's more like 11:00.  This morning I visit with dh and strip the sheets, gather the laundry, and settle down at the computer to drink chicken broth and check the blogosphere for news. My lower back aches, the kids don't have school, and I feel like relaxing. 

I wake Meg by 8:00 so she can get to work, start the laundry, and do a little Yoga with Adrienne to limber up the muscles. Y'all, I am totally sold on this yoga thing! Looking at my cousin's pics on Instagram of her amazing poses, I decided to try it, and I am amazed at how good it makes my back feel. I'm told I even look thinner despite not losing any weight. I know my balance is much better than it was when I started, and I feel much better, spinally speaking.

Sooooo, two blog posts on Wednesday wiped me out, evidently, so you're getting Wednesday and Thursday on Friday. Because that's how I roll around here! It's not as if Wednesday was stressful....

After schooling all morning, Meg and I went to adoration for an hour, ran a couple of quick errands and came home. I knitted and read all afternoon while ignoring the laundry that needed to be folded. I cooked an awesome dinner at the last minute, and then more knitting and reading until bedtime. 

That's my kind of day!

Thursday was a bit more labor-intensive...dropping the kids at school at 7:45 and hanging out to visit while waiting for traffic to ease up. I came home for a few minutes (blogged, I think) and then went to the Mobile Farmer's market for milk, meat, veggies, etc., and then Trader Joe's---which involved discovering these awesome Kringles! Our boys used to do a fundraiser selling these and I love them so much! The Kringles...and the boys. I was thrilled to find them at TJ's. Have you ever had one?

Unpacked the groceries and took the dog for a long walk, enjoying some of the last of the warm weather.  Lunch and reading. Started a new book blankey which I'm excited about! Right now, I'm kind of Cavalier about it ;-), but that has nothing to do with the theme of this one.  Any guesses?

Picked up the kids after school and spent the afternoon decluttering the main floor, dusting, and generally making it look a lot less neglected! I had a lot of things to do yesterday (none of which involved knitting or reading), so I stayed pretty busy until Meg and I left for American Heritage Girls, where I also stayed busy with Treasurer duties for 2 hours.

Family prayers and bed. The down comforter is feeling awesome, now!