House!

Just a quick update- we're under contract for a house!  Now we just need to wait for the loan papers to be approved...

Oh the cute!

These are our puppies:

Morgen loves them very much.  They love running very much.  The two are not always compatible...

Here's another pic- one of my favorites:

Don't you want to take her home, and love her and pet her and call her George? 

I do. 

(Except I call her "Wings" instead of "George."  Oh, and she's already at my house.)

And, just because last night we had to turn on our furnace (gasp!), and it is therefore Officially Autumn, I made cookies today:

Gratitude List:
* Fall weather!!!
* Leaves are changing colors
* School is in session
* Puppies are growing, and are even more cute than last month.
* Cool weather, so I can bake without melting myself in the residual heat from the oven.
* homemade chocolate chip cookies
* fresh (from the grocery store) salsa
* a new knitting project that I am excited about! (and afraid I'll jinx it if I share, so I'll wait a bit)
* we are looking for a house to buy, and put in offers on 2 properties yesterday.  (crossing my fingers and praying for one of them to be accepted)
* My house is (mostly) clean and tidy.
* I have freshly washed laundry to smell.  (and to fold, but the smelling part is better)
* homemade chocolate chip cookies (because they're so awesome they need to be mentioned more than once)
* good music.
* good books.
* family and friends who love and support me and my family.
* We are blessed.
* God is good.
oh, and homemade chocolate chip cookies.   With cold milk

Randomness

I introduced my kids to the Blackadder a few days ago.  This has led to much singing of the theme song, with one minor change, around my house: "Black bla-a-a-der, Black bla-a-a-der, mumble mumble mumble la da da-a-a!"

While talking about King Solomon requesting wisdom from God, we asked the primary kids what *they* would ask for, if they could have anything at all.  Some of the answers were expected- more wishes, to be rich, to have a self-cleaning house (I really liked that last wish myself).  One of the kids blurted out, "I want a pretty pony!" which made me laugh so hard I couldn't write it on the chalkboard!

I used the yarn of doom and started knitting socks today.  I left everything in a neat pile by the couch, and took a nap.  While I was napping, Jared took the kids to the park, leaving me alone in the house, asleep.  Somebody (we don't know who) apparently snuck into the house and made a spider-web with the sock yarn.  If we had cats, there would be no mystery.  But we have dogs, and they are unable to open doors as of yet.  The yarn was wound all around the piano legs, kitchen chairs, and table, which forced me to frog *another* pair of socks.  This creeped Jared out a bit, but it made me laugh.  He thinks it was a person.  I know that it's the yarn.  Cursed yarn!

Gratitude List:
* Funny random things to make me laugh.
* I had to speak in church today, and I survived!
* My family.
* Yarn.  Even if it *is* cursed yarn
* A violin duet played by 2 14-year-olds that was beautiful enough to bring tears to my eyes.
* God.
* home-made chocolate chip cookies.

Looking

We are now looking, officially and with money in our hands, for a house.  We spent most of today driving around with our realtor, and discussing the pros and cons of each house/property we viewed.  I completely fell in love with an older (1930's era) home on 2 acres, but the floor plan was absolutely not workable for our family.  *sniffs sadly*  It would be the perfect home for a grandma, though.  The upstairs bedroom has closets built under the attic eaves, and they are perfect playing places for kids!  Anyway, after spending about 5 hours walking through multiple houses and properties, we think we've narrowed it down to 3 very different houses.  2 are move-in ready, with about 1/4 acre lots.  1 is a huge fixer-upper with 2 acres of property.  And we really want the larger property, but we'll have to see. 

Oh, and the dishwasher needs another vacation.  It's given up removing anything from our dishes.  *sigh* So it's back to hand-washing dishes again. 

Gratitude List:
* all puppies are healthy and reasonably well-behaved.
* all kids are also healthy and reasonably well-behaved. ;)
* There is a nice, cool breeze blowing through my house, and I'm pretty sure I'm done with the A/C until next summer.
* Gorgeous mountain views outside my windows.
* We are financially able to look at purchasing a house.
* My house is reasonably clean.
* My kitchen sinks are shiny clean.
* I'm caught up on laundry again (this is a direct result of having kids in school all day).
* I had a delicious dinner last night, cooked by my oldest son, with a little supervision from me.
* God is good, and I am blessed to have a life that I enjoy.

Out of hiding

Summer hasn't been the best time for blogging this year.  We have been away from home, and altogether too busy when at home.  And, not that the hustling will disappear, but it will be structured differently once school begins.  I have a 7th grader.  This year will be full of new experiences: our first time with multiple teachers (one per class), and different lunch schedules, and this year he'll be leaving almost an hour before his siblings, and be back an hour earlier as well.  Oh, and he'll be wearing his snazzy new glasses.  Yes, my oldest child needs glasses.  *sigh* And he's up to my height now.

Morgen has yet to find out who her 5th grade teacher is.  I don't have her user name or password (and the ones she remembers aren't working), and this is incredibly frustrating to her.  All of her friends know their teachers.  Plus she got sunburned at the lake on Friday, and is grumpy about that as well.

Hyrum's teacher sent us a nice letter, along with information to fill out for their VIP week.  He's all set, and excited to be seeing his friends again. 

I am a bit nervous.  I've been teaching the 9-10 year olds at church, with Jared.  We team teach, and take turns attending the adult class.  Last week, I was asked to accept a different calling.  I am now the 'person in charge' of the 12-13 year old girls.  This is intimidating and a bit scary for me.  I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing; I felt God's spirit approving this.  But the last time I was in this program was when I was one of the 12-year-old girls!  I very vaguely remember that age, and I am overwhelmed.  Thank goodness that my Heavenly Father has promised me the support and strength I am going to need!

Okay, family stuff:  we had our last Family Reunion of the year.  This one is for my maternal grandfather's parents and all their descendants.  We had a wonderful visit, and I saw some cousins I haven't seen in awhile.  My great-uncle Calvin shared some of the mischief that he and Glen got into as children, and told some funny stories about the family.  I am so glad to have that connection to my ancestors. 

Saturday, Jared and I spent a few hours driving around and looking at houses.  We looked at the houses that are currently available, and came up with two different game plans.  We found some lovely houses at the bottom of our budget, and they are all between 1/4 and 1/3 of an acre.  We also found a few houses that come with 2-10 acres of land.  Those are right at the top of our budget, or slightly over it, which would make it harder for us to meet our other financial goals.  So right now we're debating what would be the best decision for our family.  But *squealing for joy* we are finally looking for a house to BUY!!!  Hooray!

**this is in no way a solicitation for anything; just a way to let y'all know that you are welcome to participate in any way you feel is appropriate.  Myles' birthday is Sept 29th.  He would be 4 years old.  We're planning to take some new clothing to the LDS Church's Humanitarian Aid Center in Salt Lake City, Utah as a way to honor and remember our angel boy.**

Gratitude List:
* School begins on Thursday.  I am beyond thrilled to have a reliable and safe school environment for my kids.
* My new calling in the Young Women's organization. 
* The overwhelming love I have felt today from my Lord, Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father.
* A husband who loves and supports me.  He is truly a gift in my life.
* I know I will see my son Myles again in heaven.
* I have 3 beautiful children to raise.
* My family isn't perfect, but I have no doubts that they love me and support me.
* Cooler temps here, and not as much need for the A/C.  This is balanced by the fact that we will soon need the heater on.
* Lots of lovely food to eat.
* Paper!  I love that we have so much paper to draw on, take notes on, make awesome paper airplanes with, wad up and throw at our siblings in church... Okay, maybe not that last one.
* Books.  I love books.
* All the music that is free, or that I can purchase.  Sometimes I feel spoiled by how much is available. 

Thankful

Just a quick post, because we've had a lot of rain (for our area) today, and I am grateful for the water.  I miss those sudden rainstorms that we had all the time in Iowa.  I love the smell of the air right after a rainstorm. 

Puppies are all vaccinated, and *sniff sniff* ready to head out to their new homes this weekend.  They're also in the garage right now, as it is a bit chilly outside, and I could see them shivering when I went out earlier.  With all the rain today, it was actually too cold to have the A/C on!  But the storm is over, for now, and the sun is shining, and life is pretty good.

Gratitude List:
* Rain!  We can always use rain here :)
* Puppies who are cute and cuddly, and who are also learning how to climb stairs and dig holes and get into the neighbors' yards ... (this age is where I am reminded why we don't keep all the puppies ourselves)
* A reliable car.
* Allergy shots.  I've been taking them for almost 2 years now, and I am much less prone to allergy attacks.  Now if I could only do something about those mosquitoes...
* Good music on my ipod.
* lots of kids to play with mine.
* Good friends and neighbors.
* Audiobooks.  They make car trips almost fun!
* A loving and supportive extended family.
* I have 3 healthy, relatively happy, children.
* I am still taller than Walker (barely)!
* God is good.

Downstairs

Right now, it is hot outside.  Just for the afternoon, and there are plenty of cool spaces to retreat to, but it means that our downstairs is getting more use.  There are blocks to build cities and weapons and vehicles, there are movies to watch while curled up on the couch with a blanket, and a punching bag to attack.  But outside, well, there are puppies outside.  :)  Puppies like this one:

and this one:

So, every morning, while it is still cool, I hear yips from puppies and kids outside in the back yard.  We still have all 7; at least until next Saturday.  They are growing up too quickly :( and will soon be leaving us for their new families.  In the meantime, we get to play with them, just to get them used to people ;).

One of the puppies has had an eye infection.  We have to administer eye drops 3 times a day, and he's such a calm thing, he lays in my arms and holds still while I squeeze the drops into his eye.  The infection is almost gone, thank goodness! 

So far, we have names for all the puppies.  Most of the names reflect their markings: One-stripe, Two-stripe, Angel Wings, Goose-goose, Hammer Butt, and Heart Head.  One of the males is Buffness (because he is still obviously the biggest puppy), even though he has a mark on his rear end that looks like a pistol.  Anyway, we're trying not to be too upset that we cannot keep them all.  *sigh* 

Gratitude List:
* I have a wreath on my door.  A $1 willow form from the dollar store, plus 2 fat quarters of red material and some left-over yarn, and I have a nice looking wreath!  Bonus is that I didn't have to spend much money on it- just an hour of my time. (and no, it isn't centered in the picture.  I fixed that afterwards)

* Audible books :) and the opportunity to listen to all sorts of books while I am working out or cleaning or knitting. 
* Kids who are old enough to clean up after themselves, and who don't whine (much) about it when they're reminded by their mother.
* Having a delicious dinner last night of crawdads, grilled chicken, and lots of fresh corn on the cob.  I love summertime!
* That my husband is a good cook, and that he cooks frequently.
* Enough craft supplies to keep my children busy for at least a year.
* A clothes washer, so I don't have to scrub them by hand.
* That I can actually keep indoor plants alive (sort of).  If I see them every day, I will eventually remember to water them ;)
* I have a wonderful husband, and three beautiful strong children, and they are all healthy.
* knitting supplies and a knitting community to keep me inspired.
* page kits for scrapbooking.  I finished 4 pages yesterday!
* Kind friends and family, who offer love and support.
* I am so blessed in my life.
* God is good.

Two things

Well, actually, there are four things :) but two *groups* of things, so that's how I came to the "two things" title. 

Thing(s) one:

I have started these socks several times. (it's okay if you don't see socks up there.  I do, and that's all that matters right now)  First, there was an attempt to cast on two socks onto two circular needles.  That failed miserably.  Then there was a cuff-down attempt at one sock on one circular needle.  I accidentally pulled my (size 2mm) needles OUT of the sock, which resulted in another fail.  Third came the toe-up socks knit one on each circular, but consecutively.  I had one sock completed, and the other sock finished up to the rib cuff, when I decided that the fit was wrong, and I could fix that if I frogged *both* socks, and *started again*.  No, I am not insane.  (and no, I have not been professionally assessed.  It's purely a personal observation here.) 

Soooo, this time I am knitting two socks toe-up on two circular needles.  Success #1: casting on both socks correctly, and remembering what kind of cast-on to use, and how many stitches I decided I wanted to begin with, *and* how I wanted to increase to make the socks less "wicked witch of the north's shoes" -looking at the toes.  Success #2: I accidentally pulled 1/2 of one of the socks off my (size 2mm) needles.  But, I was able to thread the needle back through all 29 stitches, and continued my knitting without saying *one*single*curse*word* out loud.  Hah! (and no, I'm not telling you what I was thinking at the time, although the immediate oral ingestion of chocolate was quite helpful.)

Thing(s) two:

These pictures have been on my scrapbooking table for 2 weeks now.  I couldn't think of what I wanted to do with them, aside from sticking them onto paper with adhesive, that is...  So they sat, and mocked me, and I avoided that craft room for *days* just so I wouldn't feel the pain of my design defeat.  But today, well, today was different.  I remembered that I had saved some stickers from another Easter page I did back before I moved to Utah.  (that would make these stickers at *least* 7 years old, BTW)  And, after I found them again, I remembered some paper that I *thought* might coordinate, also in my stash, along with some matching ribbons.  One hour later, I had a decent (IMO) LO done, and the mocking had ceased.  I even added journaling :)

So, while yesterday was a long and grumpy day, and nobody but me is to blame for that, today has been a sunny, productive, and quite satisfying day.  And it's only 3:30pm.  Things can only get better  

...I hope


Gratitude List:
* I have a huge amount of crafting supplies, and an entire (if quite small) room to store them in.
* Puppies are all healthy, and surviving the neighborhood children fine.  (even the puppy who was dropped on the cement, and landed on her head.)
* The garbageman came today.  (we had a *lot* of stuff for him, and he took it all, bless his heart!)
* The three (or sometimes four) weeks that we have really hot weather makes the A/C unit extremely popular right now.
* I told Morgen I'd pay her to clean up after the puppies, and she did.  She washed out the plastic insert for their kennel (covered in puppy poo), picked up more puppy poo from their day-time enclosure, and gave all seven of them *baths* (okay, that may have been a little above and beyond what I was expecting).  *And* she was cheerful about it!
* The local library, which allows us to come every single week and check out books for *free*.  (plus, they have A/C.)
* Today, I did something that will *stay* done.  Unlike the laundry, and the dishes, and the vacuuming...
* Prayer.  It works.
* God is good.

Family Fun

Friday we met up with Jared's brother Nate and his family, along with Jared's parents, and went out to eat.  We went swimming after dinner, which the kids all loved!  I think they must be part fish :)

Then we had ice cream cake and celebrated Morgen's birthday (a little bit late). 

Here's my favorite picture from their Uintah backpacking trip:

They ended up leaving a day early, even though the fishing was pretty good.  There were too many mosquitoes, and not enough DEET spray to scare the nasty bloodsuckers away. 

Gratitude List:
* Family who will make time to visit with us at the last minute :)
* Kids who like to play with their much younger cousins.
* good food
* portable knitting projects
* Everyone is reasonably healthy and happy, and admits that they had a good time.
* Puppies! 

* Faith in God and His plan for me.
* Good music :)

More crafty goodness

When we returned from our San Francisco trip, I discovered that the internet was not functioning.  Fortunately, I can check emails from my phone, but reading blogs and posting things to my blog and/or craft groups is not something I enjoy doing from my phone.  So, Monday last week the repairman came and replaced the modem.  Success!  and I was reconnected to my online community.  I uploaded all my photos, and posted to my blog, and knit and scrapbooked some projects. (I haven't stopped scrapbooking.  I did spend almost a year working only on cards, and picked up working on my LOs again in May.)  Anyway, I took pics of my recently completed LOs to post, and the internet was down again.  Obviously, it is working once more, thanks to a Saturday visit by the repairman.  And now, the proof of my scrapbooking efforts:


These are 3 LOs I completed before my SF trip.  :)

Pictures of Morgen with her lizard, Perky.

Pictures of us sledding/tubing down a nearby hill.

Pictures of us doing family things.

I have also been knitting, though :).  I started this hat:

on Saturday.  We had planned to be at a family reunion all day, but Hyrum threw up right as we were serving breakfast (he'd only had orange juice, so not a completely disgusting mess), and I ended up leaving Morgen with my in-laws and taking Hyrum home.  And, being completely bored, I decided to try to knit a baby hat for the baby shower I was attending Saturday evening.  I had to take several breaks (internet repairman coming, laundry for the upcoming hike into the Uintahs, etc), but I managed to almost complete the hat.  I had a few decreasing rows left, and I needed to weave in the yarn ends once I finished the knitting.  But, it was time to go to the shower, so I packed it up (along with the "real" gift I'd purchased for my friend's baby), and headed over to Salt Lake City.  Normally the drive is about an hour.  I gave myself an hour and 15 minutes, and thought I could finish up the hat after I arrived, and tuck it into the gift bag.  Sadly, I ran into a HUGE traffic delay.  As in, it took me 70 minutes to travel 15 miles.  I have seen traffic like this before.  I was in California.  This sort of thing NEVER happens to me here!  (except that it obviously did on Saturday)  Fortunately, I had my knitting, so I finished the hat while I was waiting in the car, and was only an hour late to the shower.  See, there was something good about the delay :)


Then, today I decided to rearrange my small stash of yarn.  I wanted to get a better idea of what kinds/how much I have, and I knew I had a few partial balls left over from projects.  This is what I'm working on now:

It's a stash-busting scarf, made on ridiculously big needles (size 15 american, or 10mm), with two strands of DK-weight yarn.  I have no idea who will be receiving this gorgeous work, but I'm sure they will be thrilled and humbled when it is presented to them. 


Gratitude List:
* Jared made dinner today :)
* fresh chard from my in-laws' garden
* a great (if shorter than I expected) visit w/family at the family reunion Saturday.
* Walker had an excellent experience at Scout Camp this year.
* My internet is working again!
* A new podcast about knitting ( Sticks & String ).
* Knitting to do when traffic delays prevent me from reaching my destination as planned.
* Scripture stories that inspire me to be a better person.
* Lovely weather today :)
* Cute puppies, and cute kids that wrap them up in old dishtowels "just in case" they get cold.
* My family.
* My friends, and the opportunity to visit with a few of them last night.
* God is good.
* I am blessed.