And He's Here . . .

He maybe didn't come as early as the Dr. thought He would . . .


and He might not be as small as the Dr. thought he might be (8 lb. 11 oz.) . . . .



but He is just as sweet and precious as we knew he would be!

Aiden Ryan Hunt is absolutely perfect! Mama, Daddy and Aiden are doing great. Tyler loves him! Poppa and Mia are overwhelmed by God's goodness to our family.

It just doesn't get any sweeter than this. Thank you God.

This Weekend, I . . .

* Hemmed three pairs of jeans, one pair of slacks and a blouse - all for my daughters.

* Walked a total of 9 1/2 miles - 3 miles on Friday, 3 miles on Saturday and 3 1/2 miles on Sunday! I impressed myself.

* Made more salsa - a favorite summertime menu item.

* Moved Jess into her dorm. With our four daughters, I calculate we have done this 12 times now. We are pro's. It seemed easy this time. We only have one more time to do this. That makes me sad.

* Got a sweet card in the mail from my sisterchick. It made me smile.

* Enjoyed our church service.

* Shopped for a new flat-screen television. Found what we want - now we have to start saving!

* Had corn on the cob and tomatoes for dinner one evening. Simple and good.

* Took a Sunday afternoon nap - a rare occurrence for me!

What did you do this weekend? Write a post and then link up over at Becky's so we can all read it.

The Bridge

Today is the first day of school in our area. It's always a day filled with such emotion and it makes me think of this post that I wrote a couple of years ago. I decided to post it again today for all you mom's who are having a hard time letting go of your little ones. I've been there. I understand. It's going to be okay - I promise!

They say the only certain thing in life is change. I wonder why then, change so often times seems difficult and challenging, as though it's something we have never faced before.

Every day of our lives brings some type of change. An unplanned event, a detour on your normal route, getting a cold, spilling something on your blouse. You know the kind - just unexpected occurrences that cause us to rethink, re plan, refocus. Minor inconveniences that we deal with all the time.

But some days life brings bigger changes. Changes that we knew were coming but somehow it seemed so far away that it didn't really matter. We would cross that bridge when we came to it.

We arrived at that proverbial bridge this week. And the crossing of it is reminding me of why I didn't want to think about it before.

We are moving our baby into her college dorm room tomorrow. And this change, well this change is hard. We just don't feel emotionally ready yet to cross this bridge. Our lives are changing big-time and Jess has said that she wishes we would have had more kids so she wouldn't feel like she is leaving us all alone. Me too Jess. Me too.

Yesterday she packed up her bedroom. When I came home from work she had everything packed in boxes. She was crying. I was confused.

"Jess, you aren't planning on taking everything from your room to your dorm are you?"

"No mom, this pile of boxes goes to the dorm and this pile of boxes go to storage." sniff sniff

"Storage? What do you mean storage?"

"Well, you know, it's the stuff I don't want to take but I don't want to get rid of it either."

"Well honey, why don't you just leave it here. In your room?"

A blank look crosses her face.

"You mean I don't have to move out everything?"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry harder! After talking about it with her I realized that her three older sisters never did return home after leaving for college. They either got married or moved across the country to go to more school. In Jess's mind, that is how it works. She felt that once she left she wouldn't be coming back home.

Oh dear child - our address will always be your home. Always.

So I helped her unpack the storage boxes and put the items back in her closet and on her shelves. So now her room doesn't look so bare. But I have to admit, based on her sisters before her, I fear she may never really come back home to stay again. And my heart can hardly handle that thought.

Change isn't bad. It's just different. Our home will be different without her. Our relationships will be different as we adjust to parenting adult style. Our marriage will be different as we adjust to being alone with each other more than we have been in the last 28 years.

But I wouldn't hold this girl back even if I could. She has so much promise and potential in her being that it is exciting to see what her future holds. God's hand is on her and He loves her dearly. His plan for her life is unfolding before us and I feel so honored and so privileged to have been a major player in the first part of it. She is so much a part of the both of us - she will do things I only dreamed of.

So those of you who are taking your babies to preschool and kindergarten and first grade this week - my heart recognizes that aching that you are feeling. As you have been told so many times - enjoy these days - for they are fleeting.

Love these days with your babies. Every now and then you will be tempted to look far into the distance and you will see the faint outline of a very large, seemingly formidable structure. It's shape will become clearer and closer every day and soon you will recognize the form of a bridge. Don't be afraid of it. It is supposed to be there. It is there for you to cross- it is strong and secure. Life on the other side of it will be good too.

Just different.

Update: Jess did go on to college and moved into the dorm. Her first semester was pretty rocky - a bad roommate match-up and homesickness almost did her in. I didn't think she was going to make it. Who am I kidding? I didn't think I was going to make it. But she is not a quitter. She stuck it out and we all crossed that bridge with her. And the other side has been really good! This week she is joyfully moving back into the dorm with her three best friends. She is a junior now and will graduate with her B.A. in Elementary Education next year. Ah. Where does all the time go?

Off My Needles

As much as I love to knit, I don't seem to knit as much in the summer. Not because it is too hot but because the days are longer and I stay busier longer. By the time I sit down in the evening, the day is gone and I am tired. Too tired to knit.

But I have finished a few projects. I can't remember if I shared this one or not. I gave it to my niece at her baby shower and she loved it. It is called Bobbie Bear and you can find the pattern here. It was a quick pattern and once I got over trying to figure out the directions before I actually knit them - it went quite well. I love the bear and I will probably make more for future baby showers. I used Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton. It was incredibly soft yarn.


I have learned that I love knitting toys. They are quick, cute and my grandbabies love them. While I was in the mountains on our anniversary week I made these little mice

They were very quick to knit up and I must admit seeing those tails peeking out from under a baby blanket causes me to look twice! The pattern is called Mousie by Ysolda Teague. I used a yarn by Debbie Bliss called Baby Cash with an extra yarn called KidSilk Haze to give it a bit of a halo. I really loved how they turned out.

Then I decided to knit a baby blanket for my new grandson Aiden Ryan (who has yet to make his debut appearance as of the typing of this post). I had seen this sweet blanket in Susan B. Anderson's book, Itty Bitty Nursery. It is called The Circles and Stripes Baby Stroller blanket. I used KnitPicks Simply Cotton yarn - another extremely soft yarn. This was my first attempt at cable knitting (on the border) and it turned out to be really fun.It turned out so well and was such a fun knit I decided to make two. This time I put his name on the blanket. I really love making these blankets - they are fast and easy and so, so, so soft.

Just this weekend I finished my Cedar Leaf Shawlette.
I love this pattern. The pattern is very cleverly written and it really held my interest. I used the Lady Godiva yarn the pattern called for - a lovely wool/silk blend. It is such a pretty shawl/scarf and can be worn several ways. I am almost looking forward to cooler weather so I can wear it! The pattern is written by a new, young designer named Alana of Never Not Knitting. I love her podcasts.

Many knitters enjoy having two, three, four, or ten projects going at a time. Not me. I prefer to have only one project going so I can give it my full attention. Just this weekend I cast on for these fingerless mitts. A friend recently asked me what purpose fingerless mittens serve. I had to think about it and I really couldn't come up with a good answer. But I think they are so pretty and I think knitting gloves with no fingers will be definitely easier than knitting gloves with fingers. I'll keep you posted on the progress. I'm using a great yarn called Cascade Cloud 9 and I'm making them in the charcoal colorway. If they turn out as pretty as the pattern looks, I think I would also like a cream colored pair.

So anyway, that pretty much sums up my summer knitting. If you belong to Ravelry, you can find me here. I have lots and lots of patterns in my favorites. I'm quite sure I won't live long enough to make them all!

This Weekend, I

. . . Finally chose the paint colors I wanted to paint my kitchen. Nothing stresses me out more than picking out colors. It took me literally two whole years.

. . . Bought said colors before I could chicken out again.

. . . Bought all disposable painting supplies. I hate to paint. I would rather take a beating. And cleaning up paint supplies is the worst part of all. This way I could just throw it all away when I got done. Proved to be a brilliant plan.

. . . Friday night I began painting the kitchen.

. . . Made a midnight run to Wal*mart to get one more disposable paint supply item.

. . . Slept till 9:15 on Saturday morning. I can't remember the last time I slept that late. My daughter said she thought I had died!

. . . Saturday was spent finishing the painting project. What a great clean feeling. I love the finished product. It turned out even better than I had hoped.

. . . If you are interested, the colors I chose were Brown Tepee and Lost Atlantis. Fancy names for blue and brown.

. . . Made some salsa and guacamole. My recipe is just a little of this and a little of that and you never know for sure what the end product will taste like. This was a stellar batch.

. . . Met our kids at the Dairy Queen for a hot fudge Sundae. Don't remember the hot fudge ever tasting so good.

. . . Mowed the lawn with my husband. And wondered for the hundredth time why I get the push mower and he gets the riding mower.

. . . Took my yorkie, Willow, to the groomer. Nothing nicer than a freshly groomed dog.

. . . Enjoyed our Sunday morning church service.

. . . Cleaned up the house - getting ready for another week.

How about you? Join in on the weekend fun over at Becky's.

Grandsweetie Update

It occurred to me the other day that it has been a while since I have posted any kind of picture of my little grandsweeties. So when they were here on Sunday I got them to stop a minute to take a picture with me. I can't believe how grown up they are. They are both talking a mile a minute - the only difference is their volume. Tyler is LOUD and Ava is quiet. They both are the sweetest little children imaginable. We just love them so much.

Our third little grandchild, Aiden Ryan, isn't scheduled to come until September 1 but the doctor said today that she expects him to make an appearance in the next couple of weeks. His mama seems to lean towards 8 month pregnancies. That means I have to finish knitting his blankets and finish up some sewing. Yikes!! Tyler had so many baby things, his little brother didn't really need anything. But every baby deserves something new I think. So I am knitting two blankets and making some receiving blankets for him out of super soft flannel. I can't wait to meet him. I am curious to see how having a new baby will change the dynamics we have going. Ahhhh. . . . a new, sweet little infant. What a blessing!

This Weekend, I . . .

* Hosted one of my daughter's friends from college. She, her husband and two kids were traveling through and needed a place to stay for the night and we were happy to accommodate them.

* Worked Saturday - another testing day at the university I work at. It made for a very long day.

* Enjoyed dinner at a Mexican restaurant with my husband and daughter. Chicken taquito's are the best!

* Found a new walking route. It's a bit longer with much more incline. I felt it.

* Enjoyed a family Sunday dinner after church on the patio.

* Attended a campmeeting service Sunday night at the big church in our area.

* Finished writing a long over-due article.

* Got my certificate of completion for the Fiction That Sells course I took from the Christian Writer's Guild. Fantastic course.

* Got in just a short bit of knitting time.


What about you? What did you do this weekend? Click here and share!

A Happily Ever After Story

Twenty-two years ago God blessed me with the friendship of a most incredible woman. D is one of those persons who always sees the bright and happy side of everything. I want to be like her when I grow up. D is always a bundle of energy. She is the sanguine to my melancholy. It is not at all uncommon for my cell to ring at any hour of the night and her voice will be on the other end saying something like, "Have you seen the moon tonight? You HAVE to go out and see the moon!" And me? I'm like - "Moon? What moon?" But I always stop what I'm doing, (or more likely get out of my bed), and step outside to look up at the moon. "Yep, D. The moon - it sure is shining. Now good night." My friend has been a very patient teacher and is slowly but surely succeeding in teaching her stubborn student to keep looking up. In 22 years we have experienced so much together. We have snuggled each others babies and now we are snuggling each others grandbabies. We have laughed till we've cried and cried till we've laughed. She has been so good for me. And I've never felt like I have been half the friend to her that she has been to me.

About two years ago through the midst of many difficult things, her marriage fell apart. She was devastated. But somehow, even in the midst of total pain, she kept her smile and her faith. Even then, while I thought I was helping her, she was helping me understand faith in an almighty and ever-present God would see you through anything. Even the things you fear the most.

At that same time, my brother S, who lives two states away was going through the same experience with his marriage. Even though my brother is younger than I am, I have always looked up to him. He is a man of strong faith and through the hours I spent on the phone with him during the most difficult of his days, his faith kept growing and growing and growing. It was agonizing walking this journey with him too. I couldn't fix anything. I couldn't make anything better. His commitment to his marriage was strong and to walk away from it is by far the hardest thing he has ever done. When we were little children I used to go to my room and cry for him when he was punished for something. Now I cried for him because he was hurting so badly.

While I spent hours on the phone with D and with S, the thought kept going through my mind. What a perfect couple. I could really see these two together. But I couldn't go there. I didn't suggest it. The pain was still to raw. They were not ready. But the thought would not leave.

Fast forward to April of this year. Unbeknownst to me S and D began playing Farm*ville. Apparently divorced people have extra time on their hands. Who knew Farm*ville is really a Dating Service in disguise? At first it was things like, "D fertilized S's crops" or "S gave D an apple tree". They started leaving little comments like "Thank you ma'am for the fertilizer" or "That was real generous of you". Somewhere along the way their comments started getting a little bolder - things like, "Your crops are looking really healthy" and "You are such a great farmer."

Soon the comments moved to private messages, then to texting, then to cell phone calls. How on earth did relationships ever progress in the pre-technology days? I noticed my brother was calling me less. I noticed D was looking really, really happy. What in the world was going on?

Last weekend, Sunday night to be exact, D called me and asked me what I was going to be doing on Saturday.

"Nothing actually, what's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would come to my wedding?"

Seriously, they got engaged last weekend and were married today!. You can't make this stuff up folks!

Is is too fast? Some think so. Maybe it is. But here's my take: I see two people who are not kids anymore. They have experienced pain at a level I hope I never have to. They know what they want in life. They have found in each other a person that will not heal them from their pasts, but will accompany each other on the journey to their future. They will laugh so much together. My brother will learn to look up. At the moon and many other good things. They will probably do themselves in trying to out serve each other. (Good luck with that S - I can already tell you, you won't win that one!) They will worship together - something that bubbles up naturally out of each of them. They will be loved as deeply as they love. It will be a beautiful thing between them. I really can't explain it, but something deep inside me tells me this is all right. It's good. I'm betting my money that they will be rocking their rocking chairs on the porch someday. Still holding hands.

It is still feeling so surreal to me. I am so, so, so happy for them. My SisterChick has become my sister-in-law. We never dreamt of such a thing. Our family is so blessed to have her - we will be a better family because of her. But I'm a bit sad for me. Because D now thinks because she is married to S that she has to move two states away to live with him. What am I going to do without her? Who is going to call me in the night to remind me to look up? Who is going to talk me into eating pimento sandwiches? Who is going to go to Women of Faith with me and work our tails off so we can get free tickets? Who is going to make me work out when we are trying to lose a few pounds? Who is going to read the next SisterChick book with me?

Ah D, you are going to be so missed. But you are also going to be so happy. And that my sweet friend, makes me happy too! I love both of you guys so much and pray God's very best blessings upon your lives together. May you live happily ever after!

Just Checkin' In

1. Everything's great - just some big happenings in my extended family going on.

2. I'll post more about it later in a few days.

3. God certainly works in mysterious ways!

4. You just can't make these things up!

This Weekend, I . . .

Spent a lot of time outside.

Pulled some weeds.

Made several jars of blackberry and strawberry jam.

Cut coupons.

Went through some old magazines, pulling out the pages of ideas and recipes I want to keep.

Wondered why life has to be so difficult sometimes.

Mowed the lawn.

Finally got the pond filters cleaned.

Enjoyed my husband's family recipe of authentic Italian spaghetti and meatballs with family.

Loved on my grandbabies.

How about you? What did you do this weekend?

This Weekend, I . . .

Took a roadtrip from Boise to Richland to Seattle to Portland and back to Boise in 3 days. It was a work related trip. It was exhausting.

Read The Saddlemaker's Wife by a new-to-me author, Earlene Fowler. Very impressed.

Bought another book by Earlene Fowler on my Kindle and have read the first two chapters. I am going to be as equally impressed.

Took a 3 1/2 hour nap on Sunday afternoon while it thundered and rained outside my window.

Picked a few weeds out of my flowerbed.

Rocked my sweet grandgirl to sleep while singing her the same songs I used to sing to her momma. Her momma says I should win an award because she never lets anybody rock her to sleep.

Started knitting another baby blanket.

Marveled at the sentences my little grandboy is using. He was talking to his momma on the phone and in his sweet voice he said, "Love you too mom." I melted.

Thanked the Lord for giving my four daughters the most awesome and wonderful dad ever.

How about you? Head on over to Becky's and join in the fun.

The Upside Down Tomato Thingy Experiment

So, I mentioned in my last post that I was growing my tomatos (or is it tomatoes? I'll check with Dan Quayle) in those upside down thingy's this year. I got several remarks implying that I may be wasting my time. I decided to research the things.

I discovered that opinions seem to be split right down the middle. About as many people who swear by them, think they are a scam. But the nay-sayers think that the people who say they are wonderful are really secret employees of the company who are faking their positive reviews.

Whew! I didn't know what a hornet's nest I had joined up with.

I just want to pick a tomato/tomatoe for my BLT later this summer. I haven't had a lot of luck in our soil growing them in the ground. I have lots of hanging space on my deck. So I just thought I'd give it a try.

I planted the first one, a Roma variety, a couple of weeks ago. It has grown a lot which is impressive considering our weather has been so cold.
The vines do seem to be growing upwards that makes me feel a little bit sorry for it, like it is having to work extra hard or something. But it is about 4 times bigger than it was when I started.

I decided to expand my little experiment, so tonight I planted a BeefSteak variety. It looks a little scrawny right now - it's going to have to flex those vine-y arms and grow some muscle to live up to its name.



My research stressed the importance of watering every day. Apparently, the water drains faster which makes sense, since it is upside down and all. So far that hasn't been a problem since it has been raining about every two hours in this desert land for the last 3 months. I am also supposed to fertilize it regularly.

So stay tuned. I'll keep you updated with the progress of my experiment. I tell ya, if things get any more exciting around here, I'm not sure my heart can take it!

p.s. I am not an employee of the Upside Down Tomato/tomatoe Thingy factory and I am not receiving any compensation of any kind for this experiment.

This Weekend, I

This Weekend, I . . . . .

. . . worked late on Friday.

. . . worked all day on Saturday.

. . . had a sleepover with Tyler and Ava Claire, fondly known as Thing One and Thing Two.

. . . watched Toy Story 1 and 2, with Thing One and Thing Two of course.

. . . went to the grocery story hungry, and worse yet, took my hungry husband with me - expensive mistake.

. . . ran into an old friend whom I haven't seen in about 10 years. We both told each other we still looked exactly the same.

. . . played in the sprinkler with Tyler.

. . . wondered if my tomato plant that is planted in one of those upside down planter things, is really going to grow. It looks to me like it is struggling to grow the right way.

. . . did not clean my pond filters. Again.

. . . made a awesome stir-fry with enough leftovers to share for a quick Sunday night dinner.

. . . enjoyed a picnic after our service Sunday with our church family.

Now, let's here what you did this weekend. Go here and make your list.

My Barn Sale Purchase

There is a sweet lady in our church who loves to go to yard sales and garage sales and estate sales and auctions. She buys lots of stuff, cleans it up, and once a year she and two of her friends have what they call a Barn Sale. They get pretty fancy with it. They even send out invitations.

This year's Barn Sale was this last weekend on Friday and Saturday. Late Saturday afternoon my husband and I ambled up the road from our house about a mile or two to see what there was to see.

I was so impressed.

First of all, the barn was immaculate. Not a spider web, not a speck of dirt. It was cleaner than my garage - that's for sure.

And the stuff. Oh. My. Goodness. Keep in mind that this sale had been going on for two days and the "Barn Chicks", as they refer to themselves, were reporting very robust sales. There was still so much to see. So much I would have loved to have brought home. So much vintage, fun stuff. I was really impressed.

And then it happened. I turned around and my eyes fell on something I have secretly wanted for several years. Something that is typically hard to find. My friend saw this "love at first sight" occurance happen right in front of her and she lost no time in running over to me.

"Do you like that?" "I can see you might want that."

"Um, yeah. I would love it. But how much is it?" I didn't want to look at the tag.

"Well, I would go down on the price for you."

I looked at the price tag and gulped. And then she told me what she would go down too. And then I said "SOLD!"

And this is what I carted home:

It is a Singer Featherweight sewing machine. And it works like a dream. It is so small it feels like I am sewing on a toy. But it is strong and sturdy and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

I didn't need it. My goodness, I have a sewing machine with more bells and whistles on it than I will ever use. And this little sweetheart only sews frontwards and backwards. And that's it. They couldn't be more different. But when I sew on it I wonder about who the first woman was who owned it and how excited and happy she must have been. And I wonder what she sewed on it. My first project was a set of placemats for my daughter's new kitchen.

I called the Singer company and gave them the model number and found out that my little Featherweights "birthday" is May 4, 1953. She was "born" in Elizabeth, New Jersey. That means she is 57 years old. Older than me. I guess that makes me vintage too. Vintage sounds a bit nicer than antique, don't you think?

A really cool thing is that the Singer needles and feet that you buy today, work on this machine too. Threading it was a breeze. The bobbin winder is fun. I love, love, love it! Can you tell?

I love having something from the past. I love having something so simple that still works so well.

They just don't make things like that anymore.

This Weekend, I . . .

So, my friend Becky over at Keys To the Cottage is starting a new Monday meme called, This Weekend, I . . .

It sounds like fun and if you want to join in with us just go here and grab her really cool button (that she made all by herself!) and let us all know what you did this weekend. Just short little blurbs - keeping it really simple.

So here goes.

This Weekend, I. . . .

Planted more flowers - even though I said I was done.

Cut some peonies and bleeding hearts for my kitchen window.


Ate breakfast with our kids on the patio Saturday morning.

Tried a new recipe. It was delicious. And one I will definitely be making again.

Sat in a hot tub with a bunch of girlfriends sharing birth stories - you know . . . girl talk.

Played with these guys. They are just too fun.


Wondered if it is EVER going to stop raining.

Enjoyed our Sunday School lesson - gave me much to think about.

Went to a Barn Sale and made a very unplanned purchase. But I was made an offer I couldn't refuse. (I'll share more later this week.)

Went to a graduation party for a young man in our church.

Kept thinking I should clean my pond filters - but never did get around to it.

Did 6 loads of laundry to be ready for the week.

Stayed up too late.

Finally figured out that all the news coverage of the oil spill is saying THAD Allen - not FAT Allen. I'm so glad his name is not Fat. LOL

How about you? What did you do this weekend?

Memorial Weekend Review

* Finished up our week away in the mountains. It was sad to leave. I had the most restful week ever - first vacation I have ever taken where I did absolutely nothing.

* Went to church

* Went to the airport to pick up our kids who traveled to Michigan for a wedding.

* Realized that all four of our daughters happen to be four different states this week. Weird.

* Knit two little mice - one for Tyler and one for Ava Claire. I'll share pictures soon.

* Watched some great shows on the History Channel and marveled at the sacrifices made by great men and women all for the sake of this country.

* Cleaned the kitchen in Michelle and Brad's house as they prepare to move into it.

* Ate in a public restaurant after cleaning the kitchen all day. I looked like I had been cleaning all day. My family assured me that in this particular restaurant that is what you are supposed to look like. Great.

* Watered my flowers.

* Went back to work.

* Wondered how many days until I retire.

A Week Away Together

This week Chuck and I are celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary. Thanks to the graciousness of a couple in our church we are spending the week in a condo in the mountains and we are having a fabulous time. Some of our accomplishments have been:

Not using an alarm clock. At all.

Looking for constellations while relaxing in the hot tub.

Taking a hike on an old logging road in the rain.

Sitting in front of a real snapping, popping fire in the fireplace.

Knitting. Lots and lots of knitting.

Watching it snow.

Watching lots of movies.

Watched the series finale of both Lost and 24 on a very large screen tv.

Ate a pot of the best chicken and wild rice soup ever.

Reviewed the past 32 years.

Dreamed about our future plans.

Calculated that in another 32 years I will be 83 and he will be 86.

Planned to start a new savings account for our next trip to Hawaii.

Sat together on the same side of a booth in a little local coffee shop.

Marveled that even after being together 24/7 we would still take more of the same.

Counted our blessings.

And realized that God has been so very, very good to us. We are happy. We are blessed. We are in love.

I don't think we can ask for anything more in this lifetime.

Weekend Checklist

My weekend accomplishments included:

Vacuuming and dusting the living room - Check

Changed furniture around - Check

Planted the flower beds and hanging baskets - Check

Mowed the nearly 1/2 acre lawn - with the push mower - Check

Treated blisters on hands caused from mowing the nearly 1/2 acre lawn with the push mower - Check

Trimmed with the weed whacker - Check

Watered the flowers - Check

Had dinner with daughter, son-n-law and sweet granddaughter - Check

Dessert at DQ - Check

Went to Church - Check

Dinner with family - Check

Trip to Wal*mart to pick up prescription - Check

Finished sewing layette for niece's baby who is arriving SOON - Check

Fell exhausted into bed so I can go to work tomorrow and recuperate! - Check

Report Card

So I have had my Kindle for about a week now. I have wanted one for a really long time but I have to admit I did have some nagging little doubts in my mind about what it would be like to read a Kindle instead of a "real book". Obviously, those doubts weren't big enough to keep me from purchasing one - but they did nag at me a little bit.

So in case any of you are considering plunking down about two hundred and fifty George Washington's, I thought I would share my thoughts so far.

What I Love:

I love that I can hold it in one hand and drink a cup of coffee at the same time with my other hand. I love that I can pet the dog or scratch an itch or turn down the volume on the tv remote and never take my eyes off the page. It just works.

I love that I can adjust the size of the font for my eyes. The longer I read, the bigger I can make the font. I can change the number of words in a line as well. It is very light weight and it is easy to hold if you are sitting, reclining, or laying down.

I love that I was in Wal*mart yesterday and saw a newly published book that I want to read, "From the Heart" by Laura Bush. Typically I would wait until it came out in soft cover or until I found it at the used book store. This time I simply pulled my Kindle out of my purse, searched for the book, purchased it at a price that was less than the soft-cover edition will be and downloaded it all in less than a minute. I can peruse a bookstore anytime, anywhere. Technology - it's just AMAZING!

I love that it is small and light enough to carry in my purse. I am planning on making a quilted sleeve for it to fit into to prevent any scratches - but it is the most compact thing imaginable. And it has the capacity to hold 1500 books! That means that right now I am carrying more than 30 books in my purse!

I love the free books you can download from Ama*zon. I couldn't believe how many there are. Many classics and many contemporary.

I love that it keeps my place for me. I stop reading, lay it on the nightstand and the next time I turn it on - voila' - there I am. No more searching for my place. No more lost bookmarks.

I love the dictionary feature. If I read a word I don't know all I have to do is put the cursor in front of the word and a window pops open at the bottom of the screen with a full definition.

I can go online with it. If a book or an article has a link I can go to it on the WWW. Wow.

What I would Improve-

I wish there was a light feature for nighttime reading. I know that the reason there is not a back light is so that reading the screen is identical to reading a paper page. I do have a book light I clip on it so mostly that is not a problem. Well, I had a book light clip until Tyler dunked it into my glass of water that it was sitting beside.

I wish there was a way to loan a book to someone else. If I read a really good book I would have to loan my entire Kindle for someone else to read it. It makes me sad to not loan a book.

I would make the page turner button silent. It has a very quiet clicking sound each time I turn a page. I don't know why it has to click.

I wish you could print a page from it. If a book has a pattern or a recipe it would be really cool if you could make a copy of it.

I wish that pictures were in color - but they are black and white, like newsprint.

Although there is a bookmark feature that allows you to mark a page or highlight a section, I have to admit it is much easier to just thumb through a book to find something you want to re-read.

Overall -

I love it. I am happy I saved all these months to purchase it. I envision many, many happy hours of reading. I already have 31 books downloaded just waiting for me to read. And all but four of those were free ones. I will still buy paper books. So many of my books are my friends really. I love having a full series sitting on the book shelf. I love the way a book smells. But there are many books that I don't necessarily need to have on a shelf. Those are the ones that will go on my Kindle.

Now, if my Kindle could just manage my life, allowing me time to actually read the books on it - I would be a happy camper!

p.s. You might wonder why I don't get books at the library. We live in a rural town and our library fits in a single wide trailer! I could order books using the inter-library loan system, but I am much more of an impulsive reader than that. I could also order them from the library at the University I work at, but same thing - I am an impulsive reader. I don't like waiting for books and I don't like having to have them finished by a certain date. I don't always know what books I want to read until I see them and I can't see them if they aren't there - LOL!

I know. Just indulge me, please.

Catching Up

It feels like it's been so long since I've blogged. As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I have been going through a whirlwind of busyness and over-commitment these last few weeks. I have been looking forward to the first of May because then I would be through the busiest part of it - and I must say, things are beginning to look a lot more normal around here. Although normal is a relative term of course.

I have some happy news to share - Michelle and Brad have found out they are going to have another healthy baby boy! Two grandsons and one little granddaughter - how blessed we are. We are thrilled and we know that Tyler and his yet un-named little brother will be the best of friends. This is so different for us as we only ever had "pink" at our house. But we are fast getting used to cars, trucks and footballs. Tyler has learned so many words and is talking up a storm. He is a very verbal little guy (takes after his mama) and his favorite word these days is Poop. Anything yucky is poop. His stuffed animals are always going poop. Anything he doesn't want to do is poop. He even makes up songs about poop! He cracks us up!

Miss Ava Claire prefers to use the word "ucky" when she finds something distasteful to her. She is as feminine and sweet as can be. I marvel at the tiny-ness of her little hands in comparison to her cousin. They are as different as night and day but they are just the best of friends.

This weekend Tyler's mama bought him two big Tonka trucks off of Craig's list. Immediately Tyler labeled one as his and the other one as Ava's. Ava doesn't seem to be overly impressed with her cousin's generosity, but Tyler is sticking with it all the same!

The ladies retreat I spoke at was this last weekend. While I felt completely stretched and out of my comfort zone all weekend, I think it went well. I simply asked God to fill in all the gaps and the areas I missed and He was so faithful to do so. He is so faithful. When I was invited to be the speaker my immediate response was "Oh thank you but no, that's not what I do." Yet something checked me and told me I should pray about it. So I did. And I asked a couple of friends to pray too. And I just felt that God was asking me to do it. So I did. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if He didn't ask me to do it again though. I much prefer writing.

Which reminds me, I don't think I have shared that in the midst of all my over-commitment these last couple of months, I signed up to take an online writing course! I am learning so much about writing and about myself. My favorite thing about the course is that I have been matched up with a published author who is my mentor. What I am learning from her is invaluable. She is kind but she is serious about her task and she has helped me so much. She is helping me with my book and while it is seriously hard work, I know it is just what I needed. I have discovered however, that I rebel a little about writing by deadline. Which is not a good trait for a serious writer. That is probably the one thing about this class that has helped me the most. I am learning to write under pressure, not just when I feel like it. Good stuff.

I have been bitten badly by the knitting bug. I just can't get enough of it and I find that I have collected more yarn and patterns that I will finish in a couple of years. I think I love it so much because it is easy to pick up and put down, it's very transportable and most of my projects are quick. Right now I am working on a pattern called the Cedar Leaf Shawlette. I am working on the leaf border and it is so addicting. I still have the same sock on the needles that I have had for a few weeks now. I'm not sure what compelled me to pick out a lace pattern for my first pair of socks ever - but I'm on the turning the heel part(I just accidently typed hell instead of heel and I'm thinking it may have been more accurate!). I'm not going to give up but I need to have time to take a deep breath and just dive into it. I also have just gotten the yarn for a beautiful pattern called the Shipwreck Shawl. There is something about that name that just speaks to me - I love it! The yarn color I ordered is called Dolphin and the most challenging thing about this pattern is that it includes 5000 beads. Yep, you heard me. 5000 little seed beads. I am crazy. But I think I'm going to love it and I am in no hurry to get it done. This will be my project that I work on when I have time in the early evenings, before I get too tired. I can't wait to start. I also have the yarn to knit a blanket for my new little grandson. Even though Michelle has all of Tyler's little things, I think every new baby deserves something new and handmade all of his very own.

At the end of this month my husband and I are taking a week off to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary. We are going to stay in a condo up in the mountains and I cannot wait. I am envisioning lots of knitting, lots of reading and lots of walks in the woods. No responsibilities at all. I simply cannot wait.

Oh, and I am so excited! I have been saving my pennies here and there for a long time and I finally have saved enough money to purchase a Kindle! I ordered it this morning and it will be here on Wednesday. I was extra excited to see that there is free shipping this week - Yay! I can't wait to get it and take it with me on our little get-away this month.

This week my goal is to finish the nursery layette I am making for my neice. I don't have much left and it should be a very attainable goal. Then I am going to pack my sewing machine away and spend the month of June painting my sewing room. Little Tyler has been enjoying that room as his while they have been staying with us, but at the end of the month Tyler and his mama and daddy will be moving to their own home and I will get to reclaim my sewing room. It is badly in need of some paint and I have some changes in mind for it so there will be no sewing for the first part of the summer. But after I get it all put together again I have in mind to make some of these cute litte stash baskets. They look so cute and easy and I think I could use a few of those around my sewing room.

One of the things I love so much about the blog world is the friends I make. Do you know that I often pray for you? I keep a list on my desk and when I see the names on it I pray for you and whatever you have going on at the time. One of the blogs I read is called Our Journey of Love. I don't remember how I found it but Adrienne's situation has captivated me for a long time. She and her family are in desperate need of prayer. They have gone through so much heartache and I cannot believe what she is going through now. When you have time go over there and read her story of loss, infertility, adoption and hope. And then spend some time praying for her. Adrienne doesn't know me at all and I have only commented on her posts a few times. But she is always on my mind when I pray. I am just always so inspired by her faith and trust in Jesus.

Well, it has felt good to blog again. Next time I will have some pictures of my sweet babies to share. In the meantime, Happy Monday!