Gratitude and the super hero complex

I was driving home this morning after dropping Allie off at preschool and a trip to the grocery store, when I started thinking about what I would post today. What do I possibly have to offer anybody today? I thought. I'm completely and utterly exhausted, I have no new pictures of knitting to show. No words or great insight to share. I don't really have anything to say about anything. (There you heard it, the ugly voice of negativity that takes over especially when my defenses are down, and I'm not paying attention.)


"In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel was on the radio and I thought, well, at least I'm thankful for music. And I'm thankful for friendships, old and new, for the mere ability to knit, for my kids, my husband who cares about me even when things are a little off track, business that has, well, been keeping me busy, for shelter, food, blue sky and new growth.







And there you have it--one attitude--changed. All with a little sunshine, some good music and most of all, gratitude.


I fall into that same trap that so many of us do, and expect myself to be super human. That somehow magically at the 3 week mark of this bout with mono I would suddenly be able to pop out of bed and resume all normal activity. How wrong I was. On Monday I thought it would be completely fine to go (with Allie) to the post office, grocery store, out to lunch and shopping with an out-of-town friend, ride around with her all afternoon, walk through a house Kevin's building and then top it off with a preschool fundraiser with Kevin and the kids to Chuckie Cheese of all places. Afterward I literally thought I was going to leave behind a trail of body parts on my way out to the car. Such complete exhaustion is indescribable.



And, ignorantly since then I've done a bunch of laundry, cooking, and caring for children. I've been to the post office 3 more times, bible study, grocery store again, made multiple trips back and forth to school and the real kicker was trying to stand up for handbell practice at church last night. After 15 minutes I was propping myself up with the table and the wall. Finally I sat down. The worst part is how irritable the fatigue makes me. It's like this little squawking bird pops out of my mouth like a cuckoo clock and says things like, "Get out of the kitchen!", "get your shoes off the couch!", "do your homework!". ugh.



So instead, today has been about gratitude. That errands don't fill my day with anything but errands, and constant activity only means that I'm unsettled. I'm finding other hidden perks to this whole situation as well. Like it's easy to save money when you don't spend it, and somehow my wardrobe is just fine when I can't go shopping.

now THAT'S vintage

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."
--Baba Bioum, Senegalese Ecologist
(thanks, Deborah!)


We are a family that is not opposed to hand-me-downs, remember this post? About the only thing we've passed up so far was a used toilet and that just goes without saying. I wouldn't consider myself a packrat, when things are past their prime I can let them go, but I hate to throw something out too soon, even when it may not be so pretty anymore.


Enter vaccuum.





Yes, this little beauty is my husband's great uncle's old Electrolux cannister vaccuum, circa 1965. You heard me right. 1965. Do the math, that's a 43 year old vaccuum. I love it that it still works, but much more than that it's better than any other vaccuum I've ever used. It creates such a vortex when you turn it on that everything is fair game. Legos, Barbie shoes, crayons, it'll even drag a shoe if you want it to.


I found out how old it was a few years back when the hose developed some leaks and it needed replacing. I went to the Electrolux store and picked out my model based on their pictures and sure enough, it was from 1965. So, for $70 I got a new hose and a practically new vaccuum. A few years after that the motor began to make a funny (LOUD) whine when I turned it off. Kevin took it apart and assessed the problem; it needed a new motor. He said he could replace it, no problem, but was it wise to spend $200 on a new motor, or just go ahead and get a new vaccuum? I opted for the motor and haven't looked back since. Tell that to Dyson.


I've slowly been reclaiming the house today. It always amazes me how quickly things can go to pot and how much paper the kids come home with from school! It's a never-ending battle with clutter and this little treasure or that. Where can they all go? It's almost so bad that I need a major organizational piece of furniture (or two) in every room. And as that is not in my budget, I have to get creative. Part of that creativity involves a little deception when it comes to school papers. The kids expect me to save everything they come home with which isn't at all feasible. I keep a stack of the boring, rote stuff they bring home, and take out the keepers and put them in a stash of their own. As the boring pile grows I just lop off the bottom half from week to week and stash it with the "to-be-burned" items and the pile seems to stay at a nice level (for the kids anyway). We would drown in paper otherwise. So sad.


No, I haven't stopped knitting, in case you wondered. There are happy little bunnies and purses hopping off to new homes for Easter as we speak and more in the shop waiting for adoption. It seems the applique is liked, as well as those without it, so I'll keep making what feels right. I think it's working.


final mono report: 3 weeks. MUCH better.

Too much too soon

I'm not one to stay down for long, so I decided to test myself today with a trip in to Target. I won't bore you with the details but let's just say it was a bad decision complete with a minor meltdown by Allie and so I've resumed the position of rest I should have stayed in all day. Of course I ran into four women I know who I'm sure were thinking "go back home and keep your mono germs to yourself", so I did just that and don't intend to venture out again soon.


And the new attitude for today has as its focus all the things I can do rather than what I cannot. I find this always to be the best mindset, so I'm happily watching cooking shows (Ina Garten--Barefoot Contessa is my favorite), doing things on the computer I don't ususally think to do and am taking a minute to breathe and evaluate my business. Okay, I know that doesn't sound like complete rest, but I'm enjoying it.


Switching gears, I'd like to take a moment to send thanks to an etsy friend who wrote about me yesterday on her blog. If you have a minute please take a look and be sure to check out her beautiful shop of hand sewn creations. She uses wonderful fabrics and makes some bags and pillows that are hard to pass up. Thanks Kathi!


Last piece of business, I mentioned a bunny purse a while back and realized I never delivered. So Jill, this one's for you. Don't know if it's what you were picturing but as you may have realized I've got a thing for the applique and this bag hopefully doesn't dissapoint. It's all I can do to keep my girls from swiping it as their own.







Stay well everyone, Spring is on it's way!!

I've fallen down the rabbit hole

Just call me Alice. I can't seem to stop knitting bunnies:







The top one is gray, I realize it may be hard to tell by the picture. The yarn I used is a heavier gauge than the cream colored ones. I had to see if it would work, and I like the results. These are about an inch taller and 1/2" wider than the original. They seemed to be crying out for floral so I added the applique. What do you think? To applique or not to applique? I'm still on the fence. The blue one is up in my etsy shop, so we'll see the response the public gives and I'll make my decision. Of course you're welcome to voice an opinion as well.


The test knitters are in place and are fired up to get started! (right ladies?) They've been given the option of either gauge yarn so we'll see what they come up with.


In the meantime I'm still here, alone in the house, kids gone, husband gone, everyone taken care of. If I didn't know better I'd start wondering if I was expendible around here. Kevin has done double duty as dad and mom these past two weeks and we've had so much help from friends and family with the kids, doing things with them and shuttling them from place to place that I've had ALOT of quiet time. But I'm happy to say, the worst of mono is over and I can feel the fog slowly begin to lift. My thinking is clearer, my thoughts are more energetic and I'm convinced it had everything to do with that pie.

I'm thinking the pie will help

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I don't usually snack on chocolate pie in the middle of the day, but when the urge hit I thought, who am I to deny my body what it's asking for? Something's gotta work. It's day #13 with mono (my calculations the past few days were off--I blame it on being sick) and there's no end in sight. My brain is so foggy that by lunchtime I can barely remember putting the kids on the bus or if I packed their lunches right or if everyone left the house with what they were supposed to.



But, not to worry, Karen! Your sweater is coming along nicely. I just can't resist playing with Blue Sky Alpacas organic cotton. I'm tempted to submit the pattern to Knitty for consideration, seeing as how I'm suddenly into writing my patterns down. The deadline for submissions for summer is March 1st, or just a week away, so I don't think I'll make that one. It'd probably be more appropriate for the Fall anyway and that deadline is June 2nd. If I decide to submit the pattern I can't show it on my blog first soooo, here's the only view you'll get for now:







And what blog post would be complete without including a shot of the kids decked out in last-minute-momhasbeensickfortwoweeks-homemade costumes for Famous American Day at school? Please take note of the crocheted beard (as promised) on Honest Abe.






And my sweet little Betsy Ross, clearly adoring her big brother.

...and Flopsy and Mopsy...

Meet the rest of the family:




I made John's with brown eyes, the green looked a little weird. A darker green would have worked, but I didn't have one. Allie's is in the middle with the flyaway ears, a tribute to her sometimes unkempt and wild hair. The pattern is finished as well and is going to be handed off to some friends tonight for test knitting. Think they'll be done tomorrow? Kidding!


And just as I finish one little project, new yarn arrived on my doorstep today. This is 5 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas dyed organic cotton yarn from jimmy beans wool. Oooooh!







I've been commissioned by a friend to make the adult version of the little orange sweater with cream pockets you see at the top left corner of my blog. Except hers will have a fitted shape and will fall at more of a tunic length, with side slits at the bottom and probably wider straps to balance it all out. This is going to be fun.


Must leave the posting till tomorrow. It's Famous American Day at the kids school tomorrow and mommy still needs to come up with costumes for Abe Lincoln and Betsy Ross. Wish me luck and don't be surprised if you see a black crocheted beard on Abe!


mono update: day 11, still not right but better than yesterday.

Here comes Peter Cottontail

I start each new creation the same way, with the same intentions, excitement and energy. Sometimes I BOMB and then other times everything seems to align properly and I end up with something I really love and have an attachment to. Such was the case with my little Easter bunny.





He purposely looks like he needs a hug. He's so soft. Even John let out an, "awwwww" when he saw him finished. This from a boy who thinks of almost nothing other than Star Wars, Legos and Star Wars Legos. All three kids want one for Easter, so I'm on my second one already. John's may have green eyes though since that's his favorite color.


Here comes the REALLY exciting part. I've been writing the pattern this second go around and am thinking of putting it up for sale in my etsy shop. So, I'm hereby asking my knitting friends (you know who you are) to test knit the pattern for me. Pam is helping me navigate the pdf format issue, since I'm technologically impaired, and once that's completed I can email the pattern. Just leave a comment or email me directly if you're interested.


The only requirement to be a test knitter is HONESTY! We're all friends here, so I need to know the knitty gritty. Was it easy to follow, correct, well-written? Any bugs? Any suggestions? etc. etc. And for all who are game, there will be a show and tell bunny parade upon completion. For more details you can click on the bunny picture in the sidebar to the left.


mono update: day 10, still feeling crappy.

Free pattern

Here it is, I know you've been waiting:

*tv, web, knit, collapse, tv, web, knit, collapse** repeat from * to ** until nightfall. go to sleep. wake up. repeat whole sequence. Shower and eat as needed.

Just a little mono humor, I am just not very well suited to doing nothing. A big THANK YOU to all the friends and family who have so generously pitched in to help with the kids, meals, etc. And to my wonderful husband who has taken over. Saturday morning after he'd fed the kids, started laundry, did dishes, cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed (all before 9 a.m.) I told him he made a great wife.

We are a pretty traditional family. I take care of all things domestic and involving the kids and he earns the living and takes care of all the "manly" tasks required to live where we live. But hats off to my MIL for teaching her boys how to clean! He's much better than I am I swear. I think it has to do with the fact that he actually likes it--where I always think life is too short to clean all the time.

No pictures to offer you today, I'll get back in the saddle soon. As always you can click on any of the pictures from my etsy shop to the left to see what I've been up to. In the meantime, comment and leave me the links to your blogs! I'm doing alot of that type of reading now, my arms are too tired to hold up books. :D

Well no wonder

On this day of LOVE and all things romantic, irony has had it's way with me. I just found out I have MONO. So while the rest of you go out to dinner or have a lovely evening with your siginificant other, I will be in bed with the computer, a box of chocolates, piles of yarn and the March issue of Country Living Magazine.

No really, go on, have a great time, just wake me when it's over.