Et tu, Crochet?

Somewhere along the lines of 5 years ago I decided to teach myself to crochet.  Borrowed a book and a video from the library, bought some yarn and hooks and set to work.  


Learning the basic stitches wasn't too bad at all, but when I moved on to my first project, I ended up with a curly-edged, wobbly, over-sized hot mat instead of the hat I was trying for.  And that was with a pattern.


Not knowing how to fix my mess, I quickly caved to frustration and put it all away.


A couple of years later I pulled it all out to try again, but this time never moved beyond reviewing the basic stitches and making a few chains.


Now I am starting to feel the itch again, but I am also turning an eye towards knitting.  I sure would like to master one of these arts some day, but don't know where to start or which to choose.


What about you?  Do you knit?  Crochet?  Both?  How did you learn?  What do you make?  Do tell!

Dale's birth story

I think it is inevitable that somewhere along this stage of pregnancy you start to look back on previous experiences.  Even though I still have over 6 weeks to go, my mind is already traveling back to the 'endings' of my previous two pregnancies.  The part where you stop being pregnant and start being Mama-to-a-Newborn instead.


Of course, I also recently read Connie's series on natural childbirth.  That too, got me to thinking about how things have gone before, and wondering how they will go this time around.


So, since it is on my mind anyway, I thought I'd share Dale's story here.  


With less than 8 weeks to go, Greg got a new job, and we moved an hour away from my OB.  Not only that, but our old insurance coverage would expire 7 days after Dale's due date.  Even though the new insurance should kick in with no problems, we all know insurance can rarely be trusted to work exactly as it's supposed to.  At least not without a hassle.


So, knowing those two things, my doctor made the offer for an induction.  It was a regular Tuesday appointment before my due date the following Sunday.  I had never thought about the fact that you could choose when your baby would be born.  Really?  That was... allowed?  Wow!


We left saying we'd think about it, and called back within 24 hours to say, 'Sure!  Let's go for it!"  My doctor happened to be on duty at the hospital that weekend, so it was convenient for him, convenient for us... what a deal!


Greg and I showed up early on that Friday morning and, after a good bit of paper work, got all checked in and settled in.  We had family arriving from the East and West later and expected things would soon be getting fun.


The only birth we'd been a part of was two years before, when our friends from church were having their first.  We hung out in the room with them, laughing and visiting through the night, then ever-so-politely moved to the waiting room when it was time for actual work to be done.  Thirty minutes to an hour later (I'm sure Margie could tell us), ta-da!  We went back in to celebrate a beautiful new baby girl, all pretty and snug in a blanket.


I think that was how we pictured our own experience would be: relaxed, visiting with a room full of family.


Yeah, right.


What actually happened, was that whatever drug they gave me mid-morning to start my labor had a fairly quick and pretty strong effect, so that by mid-afternoon I was having almost continuous strong contractions.  And progressing very slowly.  Slowly enough that no epidural was anywhere on the horizon, for fear it would slow down an already slow process.


Around this time, my mom, dad, and sister arrived, followed not too far behind by Greg's mom and step-dad.  But unlike my picturesque visions of labor, I was in no mood for a party.  I asked Greg to make sure nobody but he and my mom be in the room.  Surely, later, after I had pain relief flowing through my spine, we could start the real fun.  Because so far?  This was not fun.


The late afternoon and evening all ran together for me.  While I can't remember how the hours passed, I can remember the colors of both the popsicles I ate and threw up.  Odd, isn't it?


Finally, finally, around 11:00 that night, it was decided things had moved along enough that I could have the long-awaited epidural.  Thank you!


Of course, by this time, no one was much in the mood for a party anymore, and we all settled in to sleep, expecting a long night ahead.


Imagine our surprise when nurses checked in around an hour later and announced, "It's time to have a baby!"


Excuse me?  We're sleeping here, thank you.


But they weren't really interested in our sleep.  The lights came on, equipment came in, and things got busy!


And, surprisingly easily, after the long day of pain and waiting, little Dale arrived at 12:50am.  

"Little" being a relative term, as Dale was a solid 8lbs 4oz.

Amazing how all the hardships, aches and pains disappear when you are holding a healthy baby.  All that suddenly doesn't matter anymore, when you have a new person to snuggle, admire, and feed.

And for that little bundle of sweetness?  I'd do it all over again.  

You're kidding, right?

I don't know about you, but I never ever ever rarely click on ads I see online.

But I made an exception this week when I saw this:

"One shoe can improve the way your child learns to walk."

Really?  

Seriously?

Haven't healthy babies been learning to walk oh... forever without special shoes to help them learn how?

Was God's design of FEET not good enough?

What happened to that age-old advice of "let your child go around barefoot or in gripper-socks and it's better for their feet anyway"??

Besides... I don't even pay $50.00 for my own shoes... much less the ones my baby is going to grow out of in a month or two.

No thanks.... we'll just stick to the old-fashioned way!

December is here!

And we have already begun our holiday baking!  

Today we finished baking our second batch of a new recipe that has quickly become a family favorite.  The spicy, warm, softness of these cookies just scream 'holidays' to me.  Good with hot tea, good with coffee, good with milk.... it wouldn't surprise me one bit if we made these again before Christmas gets here!

I can't say enough good things about these cookies.  But don't take my word for it: go to allrecipes.com and read the reviews for this cookie.  That's what sold me, and I bet it will you, too!

Soft Ginger Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. 

Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Making the balls about 3/4 the size of a golf ball, 9 minutes was perfect in my oven, and this recipe made around 3 dozen cookies.  I doubled it the second time around.  They were that good.  Thinking of trying a lemon icing glaze, but why mess with a good thing?

Let the Christmas holidays begin!  Have you started celebrating yet?

Bird study, Part Three

Still studying birds here in the Buffalo herd.  Herd birds.  Ha. 

Anyway... moving on.... while reading and notebooking about one or two various song birds a week, we are also doing some real-life bird watching and record-keeping.  

We are part of Project Feeder Watch!

Dark eyed junco

Project Feeder Watch is a program of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Participants spend a couple of days each week or two carefully counting and identifying the bird species seen in a particular observation area (most likely, your own backyard), and then report the results on the Cornell website.  There is a small fee to participate that helps fund the program's research.  After registering and paying the fee, participants receive a welcome packet, which includes a wall poster to help identify the birds you are most likely to see at your feeders.

Northern Cardinal Pair

We are only two weeks in, and are already having fun and learning more about the birds we see.  The project began the second week in November and runs through early April, so it's not too late to join in if you are interested!  You can visit the About Feeder Watch page for more information, or watch the video at the "Project Feeder Watch" link above.

As a side note, we learned about Project Feeder Watch while visiting Cornell's All About Birds page.  We love, love, love this site for quick information on just about any bird you can think of.  One of our favorite things to do is play the sound recordings to hear the songs and calls of different birds.

House Sparrows

Even if you don't plan to become a part of Project Feeder Watch, I strongly encourage you to set up a feeder or two that you can easily see from inside, if you don't already.  Ours are at the window near our dining table.  The birds eventually become used to feeding so close to the house.  All winter long last year we really enjoyed watching them come and go and interact with each other.  So much so that we put up a hummingbird feeder in the same place for the summer, and already are looking forward to another winter with the birds!

Carolina Chickadee

Do you hang feeders?  What birds do you see at your house?

5 Things

I mentioned a few days ago this holiday week would be a good time for me to catch up on the blog tags I've gotten recently.  This third and final one comes from Kara @ Eskimo Kisses.


Five things that have shaped me as a mom:

1. My own parents and childhood.
I think it almost goes without saying that the things we experienced as a child and the way our own parents went about their parenting has a huge influence on the parents we become.  The traditions and methods that made us feel most loved and helped us experience the most joy out of life are easy to carry over and implement with our own kids.  Reading together, being tucked in at night, a candle in your birthday breakfast. All those little things that make up a happy childhood.  


And then, of course, there are those not-so-good things that tend to carry over whether we like it or not.  They sneak up on you.  Things like little pet peeves that you couldn't believe bothered your parents when you were little, but when your own kids do it, you understand in a whole new way.  But let's dwell on the happy memories, shall we?


My point is, I had an incredibly happy and secure childhood, and have a great respect for how my mom and dad brought us up.  There is a lot from them I choose to emulate as a mom!


2. My faith.
I could do a whole series of blog posts on this, but today I will leave it short and sweet: Our goal as parents is that everything we do, every correction, every act of discipline, would lead our children to know Jesus as their personal Savior.  To love the Lord with all their heart and with all their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength.  To serve Him.


Now, that is our goal.  That is our ideal.  Does that always happen?  No.  Some days it may not even happen at all.  But as our kids are growing, so are we.  Thankfully, God is as patient with us as he is with them!


3. Homeschooling.
I have learned so much from the year and a half we have 'officially' been homeschooling.  My patience has been tested and stretched.  So has my creativity.  And endurance!  Between living it ourselves and the homeschoolers I have met, both in real life and online I have learned many lessons about homeschooling as a lifestyle.  




4. Reading and Research.
No matter how much you hear it before becoming a parent (or having a second child), it is still surprising to see the personality differences in your children.  I have seen so much over the last year or so the importance of truly knowing each child as an individual.  While consistency at home is important, it is also true that no two kids can be raised exactly alike.  In getting to know my oldest as he leaves his preschool years behind and grows up into an honest-to-goodness kid, I have done a lot of looking, asking and reading.  About boys.  About his personality types.  Some things I love and implement.  Others I throw out the window!  


Maybe it is just my personality, but researching to learn all about something I love comes naturally to me.  So it makes perfect sense that in the biggest venture of my adult life, I should do no less!


5.  Alan.
It is impossible to have a child born with a life-threatening condition and not be changed by it.  For better and for worse.  It changes your relationship with God, it changes your marriage, and it changes your parenting - in every-day tangible, practical ways, and in deeper, philosophical, emotional ways.  And while it isn't something I would have chosen for any of us to go through, I am thankful for the ways God has used it to shape each of us, and bring us closer to Him.




I'm passing this tag along, and can't wait to read how these bloggers have been shaped as moms:
1. Margie @ Dustbunnies and Divas
2. Michelle @ Five Little Wolfs
3. Karen @ Candid Diversions
4. Suzanne @ The Joyful Chaos
5. Kathi @ Bringing up Arrows

...and Tag 2!

Today's second blog tag comes to you courtesy of my long-time real-life friend Margie,  The Queen Diva over at Dustbunnies and Divas. 


A - Age: This is the year I hit 30!  It wasn't nearly as eventful as I might have thought it would be a few years ago. In fact, I often have to stop and think just to remember how old I actually am!


B - Bed Size: Queen.  But on those Saturday mornings everybody piles in, 4 1/2 wide is getting kind of crowded.  By the time we try to line up 5 in a row, somebody really will be falling out when we sing, "and the little one said 'roll over, roll over'!"


C - Chore you hate: taking out the trash


D - Dog's name: What dog?


E - Essential start your day item: Time. Alone is best, but if not, just time to wake up slow before being cheerful for the day!


F - Favorite Color: I don't really have one.  I like to wear a lot of pink, being the only feminine presence around here.  But sage green is very soothing to me.  And it was one of our wedding colors.


G - Gold or silver: Gold rings, both in everything else.


H - Height: 5' 8"  Is that tall or average?  How tall are you?


I - I am... happy.


J - Job: Wife.  Mama.  Keeper at home.  Teacher.


K - Kids: Three boys!  BOYS!  And THREE of them!  6 years, 3 years, and Mr. In-Utero.  And yes, we are sure he is a boy, too.


L - Living arrangements: Wow, this one is complicated.  Been going back and forth between home-home and home-away-from home for a year and a half now.  Home-away-from-home is closer to Daddy Buffalo's job. Home-home is ... well... home. It is a very interesting situation.


M - Mom's Name: Lisa


N - Nicknames: None.  No nicknames.  How sad.  Not really.


O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: You mean other than the 90 or so nights I've spent in with Alan?  There was only one (other than birth) when I was the patient.  It was a little over a month after transplant, and Alan was back in the hospital already.  Although I had held up exceptionally well mentally and emotionally throughout the previous year, including those weeks surrounding transplant, my body decided something had to give.  And I experienced pain worse than labor.  And they never found a cause.  And I think I would have wondered if I was just a crazy hypochondriac except for a fabulous doctor tending to me.  She related that the exact same thing had happened to her during medical school.  Even so, it took me several months to admit that the whole thing might have had anything to do with the stress of transplant.


P - Pet Peeve: People driving without headlights at dawn, dusk, and in rain and fog.


Q - Quote from a move: "I'm thirsty!" or "I gotta GO...." or "Got any threeeees?" or "Why couldn't you have dumped her in Pittsburg?" or "Sure, how 'bout a washing machine, too?"  or about a couple of dozen others from That Thing You Do.  Apparently that is a very quotable  movie around our house!


R - Right or Left handed: Right


S - Siblings: One sister, 7 years younger.


T - Time you wake up: 12:00, 2:00, 3:30, 5:00, 6:00.....  It's the third trimester, my friends.


U - Underwear:  What's that supposed to mean?  Yeah, I'm wearing it, if that's what you want to know!


V - Vegetable you dislike: I like them all!!


W - Ways you run late: Can't find shoes, had to iron something, sat around the breakfast table too long, somebody had to go to the bathroom right as we were headed out the door, and, most commonly: For some reason time speeds up from the time we lock the door to the the time we leave the driveway.  Does getting in and buckling up really take that long???


X - X-Rays you've had: I got checked out to for scoliosis every 6 months or so there for a couple of years as a teenager.  It was minor and never progressed or anything.


Y - Yummy food you make: Sour cream chicken enchiladas, crock pot taco beef, crock pot barbecue, chicken under a brick


Z - Zoo favorite: Taking pictures!