Knitting In The North

Realities & Blessings

 

Happy Friday!  The last week's R&B post went so well, I'm back again - as she likes to say...   because even when things aren't wonderful, they still kind of are...

 

Reality:  After all the drama last week, I hoped for some peace & quiet.  Instead, we got the flu.  One at a time, each of us were sick as can be.  Nasty.  Have I mentioned lately that I don't like to be sick?

 

Blessing:  We were sick one at a time, rather than all of us, including me, being down at once.  I was able to see the beauty of our family, as we pitched in to pick up the slack for the sick one, and take care of each other.  And it's over already - Thank God!

 

 

 

 

Reality:  The small city I live in, is really quite small.  And even more than the quantity of people who live here, we tend to have a pretty small-town mentality.  This means that there are often things that we can't get here, especially things I see online and crave.  Recently, I've been seeing ranunculus blossoms on all kinds of nice blogs, and I've wanted some for my very own.  I stopped in at every florist I went past, and there were simply none to be had.  I grumbled, and sighed, and resented the small place I live, which suddenly felt too small.

 

Blessing:  The small-town-ness of here is one of the things we love about living here.  During a busy day at work, I can chat with my optician, meet my daughter's new kindergarten teacher, catch up with a friend.  We feel safe, and the amenities we do have are near by when we want to take advantage of them.  Even better, on a spontaneous trip into a local grocery store's garden centre, what do you think I found?  Potted ranunculus!  Who wants to buy cut flowers, when I can now have a whole pot of my very own?  It made me feel special, and taken care of, and instantly more optimistic about life in general.  Don't you love that feeling?

 

 

 

Got Milk?

This post is nothing more than photographic evidence that at least one of my children will drink milk.  After three who had zero desire to consume any of the good white stuff (Katie will drink it now, but it took a good long time), this one actually asks for it!  (This might be helped by having a special "milk cup" given to him by the nice ladies at our little thrift store, but still.) 

 

 

 

Realities & Blessings (And Finally... Some Green!)

 

 

I'm going to try something new today - I've been following along Madeline Bea's Realities & Blessings posts each Friday, and I like the way it wraps up the week, and focuses on the positive.  After the craziness of the last little while, this seems like a good thing to try out.

 

 

 

Reality:  When washing Gwenyth's hair Monday night, I came across a bug in her hair.  I didn't think anything of it, until Brian mentioned how many kids at his school have lice right now.  Lice!  Feel free to allow your stomach a moment to turn - I know I did.  Yep.  Lice it was, and then it showed up in two of the other kids, as well.  Good Lord, I've been a basket case, treating kids, combing out hair, washing (and re-washing) and drying every single fabric item in the house.  It's been gross, and no matter how many people tell me this is completely normal, all I can tell you is that if I get it, I'm shaving my head.  Seriously.

 

Blessing:  Here's one to cut my teeth on, eh?  Where could a blessing possibly be, here?  Well...  after the last few weeks of busy, busy, busy, I've been grounded at home.  I'm very grateful that I wasn't trying to work on top of all this, and that I was scheduled for days off just in time to face this.  I got to make up stories for Gwenyth to help her stop crying as I combed her hair - again.  I spent time with each of my kids, sitting and talking, even if the reason we had to sit there wasn't great.  My sister stopped by to offer support & supplies & a bit of help.  And my house, and all the beds, are cleaner than they've been in a good long while. 

 

 

 

Reality:  My work schedule for next week just came out, and I'm cranky about it.  I'm working (still) way more hours than I would like, and this particular week has two shifts that I don't usually work, are longer than I would like, and mess up my plan for the week. 

 

Blessing:  Obviously, I'm needed and appreciated at my job.  The extra money that I've been earning will be very nice in a few months, when we take our trip East.  I have the ability to change my availability at work, so that this kind of thing doesn't keep happening (and which I'm going to do right away.)

 

 

 

Reality:  I'm anxious to get out into the garden, and our last-frost date is still a month away.  We had a small burst of warm weather, but are now back to the cool, sometimes rainy spring days that are the norm around here.  I'm longing for sunshine and growing things and some GREEN already!

 

Blessing:  It's coming!  I can't get into the garden, but I did go online and order some organic seeds.  And when they get here, some of them can be started inside, to give me a little fix to tide me over.  And look at the pictures!  My tulips have suddenly bloomed, and the apple, pear and lilac trees are budding and growing tiny little leaves - just looking at them makes me breathe easier. 

 

 

 

So there you go - this weeks reality, and a few blessing I've been able to find along the way.  How was your week - any blessings to share?  How about a little reality?

 

Shake It Up

 

Sometimes, even in the most loving families, everyone gets a little stir crazy.  Around here, it seems worse at this time of year, and it makes me feel a little crazy, too.  Last Thursday, first thing in the morning, the kids started in on each other - again.  I was doing daycare all week, so we had an extra 4 year-old around, and I just decided I was not going to do it.  No more grumpies, no more bickering.  I didn't want to hear it, and I didn't want them to have to live with it.

 

So what to do?  Shake things up, of course!  I packed us all up, grabbed a toy fishing rod and a ball, threw some food in a bag, and we drove to the lake.  Now, up here, we do not have lake weather yet.  The water was icy, and there was a definite wind, but I reasoned that it was no different than spending a few hours at the park, so off we went.

 

What a difference!  They ran around the whole time.  We threw rocks, splashed a bit in the water, cast & reeled in with that toy fishing rod, ate every scrap of food.  No fancy toys required.  No big plan.  Just fresh air, and a change of scenery.  (And what scenery it is - how could anyone be grumpy looking at that?)

 

I admit, being spontaneous is not really my thing.  I'm a planner, and I like it that way.  But every now and then, it pays to just throw the plan out the window, and go for something different.  (Bonus for me: everyone napped that afternoon, and I got a whole hour and a half of peace to myself - bliss!)

 

 

 

Note to self:  If spontaneity is the new word of the day, perhaps charging the camera batteries regularly would be a good idea.  There is nothing so aggravating as getting to a beautiful lake with gorgeous, photogenic children, and having the batteries die.

 

 

Fickle Four

I became taken a while ago with the idea of sewing Gwenyth a skirt out of a pillowcase.  Last year, I made her a pillowcase dress (which I somehow missed blogging about - how did that happen?), but she's gotten tall, and I wasn't sure I could pull it off again.

 

We took a trip to the thrift store, and Gwen fell in love with this pillowcase.  After paying the 50 cents herself, we took it home and got busy.  I cut it off, sewed a casing, inserted elastic and Hey Presto!  Because a skirt on it's own is not nearly as good as An Outfit, Gwenyth rummaged in her dresser until she came across this t-shirt.  I cut a few flowers from the leftover bits of pillowcase and appliqued them onto the front.  (The leggings were a recent thrifty find.  Isn't it so great when things come together like that?)

 

 

 

 

There was only one little problem - she wouldn't wear it.  At first, the skirt was too long.  Naturally, I had made it a tad longer on purpose, hoping for more use.  Silly mummy.  I hemmed up the skirt, imagining that I had found the solution.  Ah, no.  The shirt was...  TOO ORANGE!  Let's forget the fact that Gwenyth likes orange.  Put aside the idea that it was her shirt to start with.  Don't even mention that she's worn this exact shirt around 8 million times.  Too orange.  Nope.  Can't do it.

 

Oooooh, internal struggle!  Do I force her to wear the outfit she chose?  I wanted to, I really, really did.  Instead, I told her (hopefully) calmly that if she wasn't going to wear the outfit I made her, that was okay.  But not to expect me to make her any other things, if this is how she was going to behave when they were done.  (Was that mean?  I'm not sure.  It was far less mean than the yelling I would have like to have done, the forcing a tearful 4 year old to wear the outfit I used my precious crafting time on.)

 

The other day (a whole 'nother story, I tell you), we decided to head off to the lake for the morning.  Gwenyth couldn't decide what to wear, and so I handed her an outfit from her dresser.  No - she didn't want to wear that.  Thinking I would short-circuit this conversation, I picked up this skirt & t-shirt.  "Well," I said (calmly?), "you could wear the clothes mummy made you, instead." 

 

"Okay," she answered, and that was the end of the issue.  Fickle Four, anyone?

 

 

Edited to Add: Joining in the fun Link Party at Tea Rose Home - check it out! 

My Lovely Girl

Katie has taken a real interest in creating her own look of late, which brings me joy in so many ways.  When I came across this video tutorial I knew it was just the kind of thing she would like, and could do all on her own.

 

A quick trip to the thrift store for a couple of $1 t-shirts, and she was off into the wonderful world of repurposing. 

 

It's really rewarding and exciting (and a little scary) to watch my girl begin to change into a young woman - to develop her own sense of style, to express herself in her own way.  To see her incorporate some of my values into her own, to know that I haven't been talking to a brick wall all this time, is even better (even if she still thinks I'm pretty strange most of the time).

 

A Bit of Cheer

I really love swaps.  I don't join in very often (usually because I miss the boat!), but when I do, I'm always so glad.  A new reader of Our Yellow House, when I read her idea for a February Cheer swap, especially one full of handmade/thrifted type goodies, I knew I was in.  Above is the  wonderful basket that arrived from my (blogless) buddy - a knit cloth, a homemade CD of lovely, peaceful piano music, a book to read, lotion & soap to enjoy...  such pampering.  It was lovely, and a great day brightener for a tired, sick mama.

 

This is the package that I sent to my buddy:

 

 

A thrifted book, some yarn in her favourite colours, a packet of soothing teas, and my own little experiment in sewing.  I have put together something like this a few times now, and I've quite enjoyed making these little sets up - a tissue holder, key chain, coffee cup sleeve, and a little bag.  Not everyone, I know, has the same need for things to match as I do, but still - what a nice, organized feeling to open your purse and see these bits!

 

We're all (relatively) healthy now, which is good because I've been working almost non-stop!  I'm starting to feel a bit burnt out, but I've been sneaking in some crafting at every available minute, and look forward to showing you... soon.  Really soon.

 

Egg Hunting

 

 

 
 

We've had such strangely warm weather, I was hoping to have our Easter candy hunt outside this year, but the frost was thick Sunday morning.  Stuart & I did the honours in the living room and dining room, as usual. 

Much fun was had by all, and the big kids did a really good job leaving the low-lying bits for the younger ones.  Liam was much taken by the yellow Peep he found.  He marched it up and down the coffee table, quacking and cheeping alternately.  It had many hugs, and even one sweet kiss on the beak, before the boy realized that a Peep was good eating, and bit the head off.  (This one will have no trouble with the whole Circle of Life thing, I'm thinking.)

Another Sweet Sunday morning with my crew...

 

This is My Kung Fu...

And It Is Strong!

 

Some people prepare amazing turkeys, succulent hams, tasty vegetables, flaky pies...

 

I throw a bunch of yummy ingredients in a bowl, and call it dessert.

 

Happy Easter!  I'll show you cute kid pictures tomorrow...

 

 

 

Quiet Days

What a mama to do when she finally starts feeling better (after weeks of illness - weeks!), only to have her babes come down with it, too?  Liam got it, then Brian.  I hoped the girls had given it a miss, only to wake last night to poor Gwenyth's tears.  Fever, earache, cough...  poor little thing. 

 

So, today was another quiet day.  After so many, even I start to feel restless, so what to do?

 

 

 

Snuggle up under soft blankets,

 

 

Mix up a Pineapple Upside Down Cake,

 

 

 

Sneak outside for a brisk half hour of sawing freshly pruned apple branches,

 

 

Prepare a fresh batch of homemade yogurt,

 

 

Watch Liam be the only person on the entire planet glad to see snow swirling in the air,

 

 

Sew a sick little girl a Feel Better Zippered Pouch (to match her spring coat-in progress).

 

All in all, the day passed fairly peacefully, and yet I still feel productive.  Let's hope this is the last of the nasty germs for a while!