Project pictures

Okay, I finished a hat for myself. Did one of the mittens, but didn't like how it turned out [probably my fault, as this is my first mitten...] so I didn't take a picture of that.

Also finished piecing most of the top of the Christmas Tree Skirt. [that's my cellphone in the middle; this is a small quilt]
I still need to put some sashing around it. Then I'll make the back, sandwich the batting in between, and hand [yes I really did say hand] quilt some stars on each square. Of course, since that hasn't happened yet, there's always the chance that I'll chicken out and opt for something less time-intensive :)

One of my friends and I decided we need "girl time" more often. So, yesterday we went shooting [she has guns, too]. I brought my pistol, and she brought hers. We're going to do that again. Assuming I can find my gun-cleaning kit...

Gratitude List:
* My husband, who is awesome even away from home.
* Kids are amazingly well-behaved this week. Wondering if the pod people have something to do with that...
* We've had surprisingly warm weather this year- only a few dips below freezing, and yet there's still at least a foot of snow in my backyard.
* I finished the hardest part of the quilt- piecing the top. And, I didn't even swear at my sewing machine [out loud, anyway]!
* I am learning more about knitting. Specifically, mitten knitting. I'm really grateful for the internet, and all the great information it contains.
* Krispy Kreme donuts. Twice we've been this month, and both times we hit the "hot donuts" time, where they give away free, freshly cooked and glazed donuts. It's a good thing that the store is 30 minutes away, or I'd be there every single day. Mmmm!
* My family is in good health.
* I made brownies Wednesday, and even managed to save some for the kids' lunches.
* Walker took brownies to school with him, shared them with his friends, and they all agreed that the brownies [the same ones I made] were "the best brownies ever!" And I know this because Walker came home and told me. What a wonderful compliment!
* I'm still on track with my new year's resolutions. It helps that the biggest challenge [finishing all those UFOs] is actually a group of much smaller projects. I can see progress, and that gives me even more motivation to stick to this goal and finish everything!
* I got a wonderful, tender note in the mail from one of my cousins.
* God is good.

pictures

Still having issues with blogger about pictures. Did manage to get one uploaded:

Here's my nephew, with cookie frosting all over his face :)

I may end up taking another picture of the quilt, eventually. *sigh*

Quilting

I was going to upload a picture of the quilt I'm making, [okay, the pieces of the quilt I am making]but I cannot get blogger to rotate the photo. Grrr. I'll try again later.

Friday, we had dinner with Jared's brother and sister-in-law and their boys, and Jared's parents. I have another picture I will post later, of Bridger with cookie frosting all over his face :)

Today we had choir practice before church. I got asked to sing a solo in church, in the women's meeting, and by the grace of God, actually did a decent job with the song. :) I love to sing, and don't always get opportunities to do so. Today was a lovely surprise.

I have two projects going right now: the tree skirt that I'm quilting, and a pair of fingerless mittens for me. Yes! Finally I am working on something just for me! :)

So, this means that I am still keeping at least one of my New Year's Resolutions.

Gratitude List:
* Family get-togethers, complete with good company and food.
* Nice weather, especially for February, although our overall winter is colder than normal.
* Hot cocoa.
* Morgen and my father-in-law made pancakes for breakfast this morning. Yum!
* Good music.
* Valentine's Day with my husband, who is hardly ever at home on Vday.
* Digital cameras, and the option to delete photos.
* Jared made dinner- elk roast with some really unusual and delicious-tasting sauce. Double yum!!
* Instrumental guitar music :)
* Singing.
* My Heavenly Father, and His Son, my Savior.

Challenges

With Jared, I never know what to expect. Sometimes, when he's home, he gets bored and does the dishes. :) I like that! Sometimes he's hunting every single minute he can find. That's a little tough, but thankfully the hunting season is limited, and he never hunts on Sundays, so we do get to see him occasionally. Sometimes he gets called out, and misses family activities. I have a harder time with this, not because I'm angry that he's gone, but because it often means that some other family is experiencing a tragedy like the one we went through with Myles. In the past month he has responded to two different scenes, and dealt with two cases of toxins resulting in death. One victim was a young husband and father, and I felt awful thinking about his wife and children having to go on without him. The second one had me in tears; a 4-year-old girl who was accidentally poisoned. She has a younger sibling, and several older siblings, as well as her parents, who will be dealing with the loss of their daughter and sister. I wish I could go to the house and physically offer my support, but decided that would be a little creepy and stalker-like. Instead, I'm praying for their family, and sure that if you wanted to add your good thoughts and prayers, those would also be appreciated.

Now for a happier challenge: this is my latest project- another hat for Walker. His original has gone missing, and I had some leftover yarn, so I made this hat for him. It's a bit different pattern-wise, :) I was experimenting with stripes, and decided to make them all different sizes, but the overall impression was still cool. So that's finished, and Walker approves of it. The next project on my knitting needles is another hat. Well, two, actually. One each for Walker and Jared to wear when they're hunting. I bought 2 skeins of yarn, because I couldn't find one that was the right color and weight. So I got a dark rusty orange yarn that was thick enough, and added a really light-weight yarn that was the bright hunter-orange I wanted color-wise. I'm knitting the two together, and I like the extra thickness- it will add some more warmth to their heads as they tromp around looking for birds/elk/deer/whatever. :) Having the two colors also adds depth to the look of the hat. And it isn't any harder than knitting one strand of yarn, which makes me happy.

Gratitude List:
* My family is healthy and strong, and I know where they all are [approximately].
* Lots of yarn, and projects, and plenty of other supplies for my crafting "needs."
* My washer and dryer are still working. My dishwasher is broken, but I'd rather wash dishes by hand than clothes!
* I am making progress on my "to-do" list of crafts. Hooray!
* Spending time with Nate, Caitlin, Saxon, and Bridger. Thank you for letting my kids pester your boys :) We love cousin-time!
* Getting some good news from my parents [I'll share when I can].
* Warm winter weather today because we have NO WIND CHILL ;) I don't miss the Iowa wind chill.
* Getting to see John & Melissa's family again on Sunday, along with my parents, Alyson, and Kyle and Lorenzo. I am so glad my kids have cousins, and grateful that my brothers and sisters [and their spouses] are willing to let my children bother theirs. I am always surprised at how much fun Walker has with his littler cousins. And Morgen would seriously shrivel up without a baby to play with!
* A working furnace for the less-than-warm winter nights.
* Perky [the lizard] continues to enjoy good health and lots of affection from Morgen.
* Jared will be home this weekend :)
* I have a few episodes of "Bewitched" to watch while I fold laundry today.
* God's grace in my life.
* Sunshine on my shoulder [thank you, John Denver]