I am finished with summer travel this week. We should home for the rest of the summer, and be on the receiving end of summer travel. We already have three sets of visitors planned for the next couple months. We need a vacation from our vacation. A lot of driving was done in the last two weeks, and it is nice to be back home, even though we really enjoyed all our travelling. The weather was perfect, we kept a minimal schedule, and did things we enjoyed.

I am hoping to have another thing finished by the end of the day, but we will see how that goes.

If you have one or more finished items this week, please sign Mr. Linky below and share with the internets all you have made. Your Finished Object(s) can be knit, crocheted, sewn, quilted, tatted, beaded, papercraft, woodwork or any other kind of craft. Show off what you have made! Please make sure you link to the exact post that shows your finished item(s) rather than just to your blog.

Labels: Family, Finished Object Friday

Okay, this isn't food, it's a book: There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell by Laurie Notaro. This was listed in the new books at our library a few weeks ago, and I put it on hold. I picked it up yesterday, and I'm almost half way through it. As soon as she started describing Spaulding, WA, I thought it reminded me almost exactly of Eugene, OR. Former industry town, turned college town, filled with relics of the 60s and hippie dippy craziness. Except Eugene has more druggies, meth houses, pot growing, does have pr*stitutes on street corners and has the kind of crimes you'd associate with a college town. This Spaulding place even had a city festival and a non-sex discriminating farcical beauty pageant, just like the Eugene Celebration and the Slug Queen. There are vegetarian clubs and restaurants, fights involving blocks of soy cheese, composting methods and whether beets or sweet potatoes ought to be the vegetable of the month. There's even this kind of horror about Republicans and people who don't recycle properly (remind me to tell the story of the first Thanksgiving we hosted in this town, my mother, and the can). Turns out the author lives in Eugene. But the book isn't based on Eugene. No, ma'am it's not. Any similarities are purely coincidental.

Anyway, the humor is crass, there is lots of vulgarity, it is highly irreverent, and it's definitely not something you'd want your kids to read, but it is hilarious. Especially if you grew up in Eugene, where it's been the 60s since the 50s, and where if you want to rebell you need to take a shower, get a job and vote Republican. After this weekend's trip down to Eugene, where it is still exactly the same as it was when I grew up there, and just like this book, only with some more seedy things and characters, the free kittens being offered on the street outside of Sundance, and all the other strangeness which only looks strange to me because it hasn't been my hometown for over 10 years, this book kept me up laughing, literally out loud. And Rich, who was trying to sleep.

One of the reviewers said she found the town unbelievable. She clearly has never been to Eugene. It is one of the only, if not the only city in America where you can be nuts and homeless, still have a black market job, make more money than the average blue collar wage earner, only you have more expendable money, because you are living on your friend's couch and don't have rent or a mortgage to pay for, and insist on and get your free trade, organic coffee, herbal tisanes, goat's milk keffir, and locally made tempeh products, while selling your book on the street and joining every support group and political conspiracy troop known to mankind, all while wearing your natural hemp clothing that you bought from that nice lady giving away the puppies at the Saturday Market after the peace rally where you broke all the glass windows in city hall and spray painted graffitti on the building and sidewalks, while being escorted by a police unit and then went inside to collect your unemployment and welfare checks.

Labels: Books, Eugene

I will try to write my big, long, newsy post about our trips tonight, but for now, a pictorial.


Richland - Knitty Gritty Yarns


Eugene - Black Sheep Gathering


Klamath Falls - Circle of Yarns

Labels: Yarn

I'm back, and I have a lot to post about, but I wanted to post about my great package from Christy.

First of all, she sent it almost immediately, it got here within days of her receiving her assignment. Now, we live relatively near each other, too, but she sent off pretty quicly. Inside were goodies for me and for the kids.



There were rice crispy treats, teas, yarn and a scarf pattern, a tea towel with a band for embroidering, a cute dragonfly wind chime set, a pillar candle and these earrings that she made!



And the card she sent was a great knitting themed one.

Thank you so much Christy! We loved all of it.

Labels: June Colorswap, Yarn

We are getting ready for Jerome's baptism Sunday. We will be travelling this weekend,and again,I won't be posting until we are back home. I'm so proud of Sabrina's work last week, and can't wait to see what you all have come up with recently.

If you have one or more finished items this week, please sign Mr. Linky below and share with the internets all you have made. Your Finished Object(s) can be knit, crocheted, sewn, quilted, tatted, beaded, papercraft, woodwork or any other kind of craft. Show off what you have made! Please make sure you link to the exact post that shows your finished item(s) rather than just to your blog.

Labels: Faith and Morality, Family, Finished Object Friday

I usually don't post about undergarments. I figure, this is public, archived, and our parents read it. However, there is a funny story I've been sitting on for some time, and my FIL reminded me of it while he was here, so I thought I would mention it, even if it does break my undergarment rule.

Just after Jerome was born, while my MIL was still here, Rich and I made a trip to our local Tarjay. Though we try not to shop there too often, we had a gift card. I really needed one or two new nursing br@s, since the ones I had from Amira were in pretty bad shape. Well, we went, and looked, and couldn't find them. It was pretty close to their closing time, so we found an employee and asked where we might find them. She said she didn't know, wasn't sure if they carried them, etc.

I knew they did, since I had bought one there before, so we went up front and asked someone who looked older than 13, figuring that the 13 year old we had spoken to might not have nursing apparel on her radar. She didn't know either, but she called back to l*ngerie to ask about it for us. She got a response. They didn't have them in stock, because they were seasonal items.

I'll let that sink in.

Turns out it was the same 13 year old we had spoken to already, so this was her way of evading the question. Or, she thinks humans are like sheep and we have breeding seasons.

We went back one more time, looked in one more place and,yes, we did find them.

They were in season after all.

Labels: Family, Humor

Even though I have no time today, and should be cleaning house, I had to post this.

Evidently it is a-okay to teach Buddhist religious practices to elementary and middle school children in the public schools, but it's really dangerous and bad to allow high school children to have student led prayers, wear crucifixes or mention Jesus in their graduation speeches.

Reason 4,738,915,206 to either homeschool or put your kids in a private school of your choosing.

Labels: Culture and Politics

This past weekend, we went to Eastern Washington to visit Arthur and Michelle and to be there as their son, Matt's, godparents for his baptism. It was a great time, and we were so pleased to be a part of it. Their church has a different understanding of baptism than our church, ours takes it a step farther than theirs, but we agree on the points they believe in, so it wasn't an issue.

For them, they perform baptisms as an ordinance rather than a sacrament, as we do. It is because Christ commanded it, and because it is an initiation rite into the Church that baptism is necessary. However, they believe it is only a symbol of a change that has already been effected, a public statement of faith, rather than a means of receiving a particular grace from the Lord, which effects a change in the person, because of the power of the Holy Spirit. Something their pastor said in his sermon about baptism really struck me, as I hadn't quite seen this emphasis before was that Jesus gave baptism equal significance with evangelization and instruction in the Great Commission. He also compared baptism to a wedding ring, which makes sense if you understand that they see baptism as a symbol and don't want to put as much significance on it, but a better analogy is of baptism to a wedding. Both are the sacraments, and the means, by which one becomes something else. In the first, a Christian, in the second, a married person.

This coming Sunday, we will be taking Jerome to be baptized. It will be a glorious time, and the angels will be rejoicing in heaven as we rejoice here on earth. For a moment, as in the Mass, our prayers will be joined with theirs and the separation between the Church on earth and the Church Triumphant will be gone. This has been a long time coming, as we tried to work it out so that he could be baptized between Christmas and Epiphany, and it just didn't work out with everyone's schedule. Please keep him in your prayers, as he is joined to the body of Christ this coming Sunday, and enabled to participate in the Mass and the life of the Church.

Labels: Baptism, Faith and Morality, Family, Prayer Requests

WIth all the craziness and travel going on here, I've been pretty disorganized, and never put up the July reminder. Someone reminded me that I hadn't yet posted the sign up for July. So, here it is. Red is my favorite color, and July is my birthday month, so this seemed appropriate. Also, just a quick reminder for the June swappers, we have an extra week to get packages sent, but please try to do it earlier anyway. If you are doing both June and July, there will be a little overlap, I hope that doesn't get too confusing.

The deadline for registration this month is 12:01 a.m PDT. June 28, 2007. This is Wednesday night. If you wish to sign up, send me an email me at arabianknits at gmail dot com with your full name, mailing address, email address that you check regularly, and blog url. This is open to knitters worldwide, but I am going to make a big effort to pair people within the same nation or at least continent, since there is only a month in which to allow for something to arrive. I am going to limit the swap to the first 50 respondents. Please feel free to spread the word about this, though.

The first thing to come to mind in terms of color is, of course, yarn, but please don't limit yourself to that. Handmade cards, candles, soaps, bath salts, stationery, candies, chocolates, knitterly tools or gadgets, knitting themed accessories and roving/fiber for those who are spinners as well are all good idea for gifts. Knitting something for someone would be a lovely gift. Including shipping, the minimum price for this swap should be considered at $25 (remember, that includes shipping and any packaging). I know how difficult it is to determine the monetary value of something handmade, or handspun or hand dyed, and I do not consider those things as cheap, but please keep in mind a general sense of the price of the package being sent. Participants should expect to receive one package and to send out one package for each round of the swap. Packages should arrive by the end of each month, preferably earlier.

Remember that registration for May ends 12:01 a.m. June 28, 2007 and the color theme is Red. Have fun! I will have assignments sent to you by the 30th of June. We will be back in town, and more settled earlier that week.

Labels: Colorswap, July Colorswap

I don't have a lot of time to post today, as I am cooking a belated birthday dinner for Rich and Dominic. We are also readying ourselves for our next trip out of town. This is all to say that my weekend report will not be immediately forthcoming. Also, that there is a comment that I have not yet published, but will get to as soon as I have the time and energy to devote to a thoughful response. I didn't want the lady to think I was ignoring her, or trying to censor her.

We returned last night from our trip across the mountains. We found a new to us restaurant quite providentially, and it was cozy, had great food and was run by a Lebanese-Greek Christian family that emigrated to the U.S. and we were glad that our dinner bill went to them instead of to FoodMart Incorporated U.S.A. It turned out to be a nice birthday dinner for Rich and Dominic, and was not terribly expensive for a family of seven. Our total bill, including shared appetizer, dinner for everyone, dessert, drinks, tax and tip was around $120. Not bad for a non-fast food, slightly upscale dinner. On top of that, they still spoke Arabic, and I got to practice the language, and our kids thanked them and said goodbye in Arabic. We also were treated to some Lebanese music playing while we ate. Rich took several of their business cards to pass out to people we know. Although it is pricier than the average large family would want for an every day type dinner, it would be great for special occasions, or date nights for the parents. In any case, I will post a link, if I can find one for them.

Our visit with the kids' godparents, and our godson was nice. We kept basically no schedule, so except for the church events related to Matt's baptism, we just did what we wanted, when we wanted. Father's Day and Rich and Dominic's birthday were pretty low key, because of the baptism, but we celebrated both as well. I'll post about both when we return from our next trip.

Labels: Birthday, Blog Info, Family

I don't have a whole lot of time to post today. We are heading out of town to be with our godson as he is baptised. If you leave a comment, or email me, chances are I won't see it until we return, and I won't be posting much, if at all, while I am gone.

In light of that, and the getting ready to go, and the dinner with friends this week, and two meetings, general fatigue and all the children being home from school for the summer, I'm sure you're all really shocked that I didn't get Amira's eyelet top sewn up this week. It's still sitting there, all nicely cut out and ready to go. Sadly, I won't be getting to it until we get home, and there's not much hope of me doing that, even. We get home in time to do laundry, pack up and get ready to leave again for another trip next week. Whee!

I did get my blue colorswap package from Christy, and I will post about it when I get back. She was so quick! It was great, and we all loved it, especially the kids. Thank you for including a treat for them, too!

Anyway, if you have one or more finished items this week, please sign Mr. Linky below and share with the internets all you have made. Your Finished Object(s) can be knit, crocheted, sewn, quilted, tatted, beaded, papercraft, woodwork or any other kind of craft. Show off what you have made! Please make sure you link to the exact post that shows your finished item(s) rather than just to your blog.

Labels: Finished Object Friday

Antique Mommy has a thoughtful post about the kind of things all parents have to work through and answer for their children.

I found this story linked on another site today. You may have to register to read it. It is about a family with five children. The mother is 30. It was a timely reference, because I had a positive comment at the post office today, while I was there with my five children.

The gentleman behind me in line tapped me on the shoulder and said that he wanted to tell me how beautiful and well behaved my children were. Who wouldn't love this man instantly? He then related how he and his wife had had five children, and now have 13 grandchildren. He talked about all the idiotic comments they got from people, and we laughed about some of the more common ones:

"Are all of them yours?!" (Actually, no, I just found these poor urchins on the street and couldn't believe that nobody was taking care of them, so I brought them into the store with me).

"Are you done yet?" (Well, you know everything is cheaper by the dozen! We have a deal with the surgeon now, and the sixth one is free!)

"Don't you know where babies come from?" (Actually, yes - thanks for checking, though.)

"I'm glad I don't have that many!" (Me, too!)

One of my personal favorites, though, "You know you don't have to have one every time!" (If they think this was every time, well. I'm sorry for them is all I'll say about that.)

These are almost always said in front of my children (the gentleman remembered that, too). I am too polite to say what I really think to most of these people, and wouldn't want to be a bad example to my children, but I have all sorts of answers for them. This man in the post office said, after we laughed a little at the stupid people who don't know what is coming out of their mouths, "You probably hear that you're using up all the resources from those environmentalists nowadays." I smiled and said those people don't even talk to us. They avert their eyes or glare, depending.

To be fair, most of the comments we get are positive. People are so amazed at our childrens' manners, politeness, kindness. Even the most clueless usually end up saying something to the effect that obviously people like me/us are the ones who ought to have all these children. I try to remember that most people don't mean to be intrusive, rude or cruel. I also wish they would stop acting like we asked them to babysit and loan us $50 just because we have the children. That is something I've said to a few people, we aren't asking you to pay for them or take care of them, so why do you care? It is amazing to me how people who have never met you, don't even know your name and have no moral, financial or emotional responsibility over you will feel free to comment about a private choice. I had a woman in a public restroom screech all sorts of assinine things, again in front of three of my children, even though she didn't know me from Adam.

So, we work at teaching our children that they are blessings. That children are blessings. We tell them that having children isn't fun every second, that it is hard work, and that it requires that you do what is necessary, regardless of what you feel like doing at that moment (and when they tell me they don't feel like doing their chores, I point out that I don't feel like changing diapers, and cleaning up spills and doing eleventy billion loads of laundry a day, but aren't they glad I don't let that get in the way of my doing it), but that it is worth it and that the joys and rewards are much greater than the effort and work. We are also grateful that we are friends with several large families, our church family is welcoming to large families, and is excited at the prospect of a new child, rather than repulsed that the Western standard of below replacement level fertility isn't being upheld. I hope it softens the blow when they hear some moron spout off about how there are too many of them. They take it for granted that a large family is good, and plan for our next baby. I am encouraged by that. I also take comfort in the knowledge that most of the boorish low population crowd is dying out without having replaced themselves. They have either one child or no children, and their tribe is decreasing.

One day I will work up the courage to ask one of these people to let us know which one we shouldn't have had, or which one we should kill. It probably won't shame them, but it might shut them up.

Labels: Culture and Politics, Family

The first three are those quotations I mentioned Sunday, plus several more that Fr. Joseph referenced for me along with Scripture.

St. Ignatius became the third bishop of Antioch, succeeding St. Evodius, who was the immediate successor of St. Peter. He heard St. John preach when he was a boy and knew St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. Seven of his letters written to various Christian communities have been preserved. Eventually, he received the martyr's crown as he was thrown to wild beasts in the arena.

"Come together in common, one and all without exception in charity, in one faith and in one Jesus Christ, who is of the race of David according to the flesh, the son of man, and the Son of God, so that with undivided mind you may obey the bishop and the priests, and break one Bread which is the medicine of immortality and the antidote against death, enabling us to live forever in Jesus Christ."

-"Letter to the Ephesians", paragraph 20, c. A.D. 80-110

St. Irenaeus succeeded St. Pothinus to become the second bishop of Lyons in A.D. 177. Earlier in his life he studied under St. Polycarp. Considered, one of the greatest theologians of the 2nd century, St. Irenaeus is best known for refuting the Gnostic heresies.

[Christ] has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies."

Source: St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, A.D. 180

St. Clement of Alexandria studied under Pantaenus. He later succeeded him as the director of the school of catechumens in Alexandria, Egypt around the year A.D. 200

"The Blood of the Lord, indeed, is twofold. There is His corporeal Blood, by which we are redeemed from corruption; and His spiritual Blood, that with which we are anointed. That is to say, to drink the Blood of Jesus is to share in His immortality. The strength of the Word is the Spirit just as the blood is the strength of the body. Similarly, as wine is blended with water, so is the Spirit with man. The one, the Watered Wine, nourishes in faith, while the other, the Spirit, leads us on to immortality. The union of both, however, - of the drink and of the Word, - is called the Eucharist, a praiseworthy and excellent gift. Those who partake of it in faith are sanctified in body and in soul. By the will of the Father, the divine mixture, man, is mystically united to the Spirit and to the Word.",

-"The Instructor of the Children". [2,2,19,4] ante A.D. 202

St. Cyprian of Carthage converted from paganism to Christianity around the year A.D. 246. Soon afterwards, he aspired to the priesthood and eventually was ordained Bishop of Carthage. He was beheaded for his Faith in the year A.D. 258, thus he was the first African bishop to have been martyred.

"So too the the sacred meaning of the Pasch lies essentially in the fact, laid down in Exodus, that the lamb - slain as a type of Christ - should be eaten in one single home. God says the words: 'In one house shall it be eaten, ye shall not cast its flesh outside.' The flesh of Christ and the Lord's sacred body cannot be cast outside, nor have believers any other home but the one Church.",

-"The Unity of the Catholic Church". Ch.8, circa A.D. 249-258

St. Gregory of Nyssa was one of the bishops present at the Nicene Council who fought Arian heresy and developed for the church universal the Nicene Creed.

"The bread is at first common bread; but when the mystery sanctifies it, it is called and actually becomes the Body of Christ."

-"Orations and Sermons" [Jaeger Vol 9, pp. 225-226] ca. A.D. 383

St. Cyril of Alexandria

"Christ said indicating (the bread and wine): 'This is My Body,' and "This is My Blood," in order that you might not judge what you see to be a mere figure. The offerings, by the hidden power of God Almighty, are changed into Christ's Body and Blood, and by receiving these we come to share in the life-giving and sanctifying efficacy of Christ."

Source: St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew 26,27, A.D. 428

St. Justin Martyr was born a pagan but converted to Christianity after studying philosophy. He was a prolific writer and many Church scholars consider him the greatest apologist or defender of the faith from the 2nd century. He was beheaded with six of his companions some time between A.D. 163 and 167

"This food we call the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ handed down to us. For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God's Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."

" First Apology", Ch. 66, inter A.D. 148-155

St. Ephraim was one of the great authors of the Syrian Church. Because of his beautiful writings, he is sometimes referred to as the 'lyre of the Holy Spirit'. He studied under James, Bishop of Nisbis. In A.D. 338 he aspired to the diaconate and remained a deacon for the remainder of his life.

"After the disciples had eaten the new and holy Bread, and when they understood by faith that they had eaten of Christ's body, Christ went on to explain and to give them the whole Sacrament. He took and mixed a cup of wine. The He blessed it, and signed it, and made it holy, declaring that it was His own Blood, which was about to be poured out. ...Christ commanded them to drink, and He explained to them that the cup which they were drinking was His own Blood: 'This is truly My Blood, which is shed for all of you. Take, all of you, drink of this, because it is a new covenant in My Blood, As you have seen Me do, do you also in My memory. Whenever you are gathered together in My name in Churches everywhere, do what I have done, in memory of Me. Eat My Body, and drink My Blood, a covenant new and old.",

-"Homilies" 4,6 ca. A.D. 350

St. Hilary firmly defended the Nicene Creed against Arian false doctrines. He was ordained Bishop of Poiters in A.D. 350 His efforts led to the collapse of Arianism in the West. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pius IX in 1851.

"When we speak of the reality of Christ's nature being in us, we would be speaking foolishly and impiously - had we not learned it from Him. For He Himself says: 'My Flesh is truly Food, and My Blood is truly Drink. He that eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood will remain in Me and I in him.' As to the reality of His Flesh and Blood, there is no room left for doubt, because now, both by the declaration of the Lord Himself and by our own faith, it is truly the Flesh and it is truly Blood. And These Elements bring it about, when taken and consumed, that we are in Christ and Christ is in us. Is this not true? Let those who deny that Jesus Christ is true God be free to find these things untrue. But He Himself is in us through the flesh and we are in Him, while that which we are with Him is in God."

-"The Trinity" [8,14] inter A.D. 356-359

We can also go to Jesus, in the Gospel of John, who did not explain away His calling Himself the Bread of Life as a metaphor, nor say that He didn't really mean for them to drink of His blood. Instead, He told them to go on and leave if the teaching was too hard for them.

St. Paul, in one of his letters to the Corinthians, also stressed the truth of the Body of Christ present in the Eucharist, and the importance of right understanding about it. How can one be guilty of profaning a symbol? What a wonder! What a blessing! What a mystery!

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality

Chilihead is sponsoring a getting to know you carnival. If you would like to participate, write up your post and visit her blog to sign Mr. Linky.

Tell Your Blogging Story

How did you start blogging?
I wanted to start one a couple years before I actually did. I just never found the time to make one, update it, all of that. Then, I found blogger, which was free and easy. I still never blogged. I actually had a blog for a year or more before I had this one. I made one entry, and never edited the template. I deleted it and started this one. Mostly it was a place for me to post pictures of my finished objects, and the children, a way for people I knew to check on my progress and the kids progress. It's become my little monologue, and I like to think that the 12 people who read it enjoy what I have to say.

I first learned about blogging on the knitting lists. There were people who posted updates of their knitting progress with pictures and all sorts of cool things. I, too, wanted to be cool, but just like in the seventh grade, I was too far behind to make the cool cut off. And I just wasn't dedicated enough to the cause. That is also much like the seventh grade, now that I think about it. When enough people started bugging me to see pictures of my knitting, I started looking into blogging more seriously. Or, not seriously, as you can tell from reading this blog on a semi-regular basis.

Did you intend to be a blog w/a following? If so, how did you go about it?
As I said, I only really expected people I knew, or who sort of knew of me (from knitting lists, mostly) to read it. I didn't intend for it to have a following; though, of course, I think all people would like that a tiny bit. I have more than 12 readers, but I don't know how many are regulars, I estimate about 25-40 based on people I know for sure and the bloglines type subscriptions I know of already.

A few people from our church read it, also, and make reference to it when I am not expecting it. It throws me every time. My FIL said that each child in our family (who can speak, that is) showed him the pillow I made as soon as he got in the house. He told them that it was old news, he'd read all about it on the blog already.

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
Updating friends and family on our family and my projects. It's also become a little bit of a sound off, a baby book, and writing practice for me. I think I've been successful at that, though I know I have some real improvement to make on my writing, and my regularity. I try to post at least four times a week, and that is partly why I participate in Menu Plan Monday, Works for Me Wednesday and started up Finished Object Friday. That gives me three posts without even trying.

Oh, I thought of another goal, I wanted people to write to me, comment in response. It's getting better, but I still feel like I'm writing to myself a lot of the time.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
A little. It is more about progress in our home and family, now. I don't think I'm a dedicated mommy blogger like some out there, but there's more of that peeking out.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
I wish I had known to write up my ideas as drafts and come back to them later, so if I ran out of time I could get to it again and edit, or I could finish off something and have a post that day. Use the drafts file, folks.

Do you make money with your blog?
No, but I'm open to it.

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
Yes. My mom reads it just about every other day, my FIL reads it fairly regularly, and even my MIL checks in from time to time, mostly to see pictures of the children. We've given up trying to get photos out, if you want photos, check the blog. I have one cousin who checks it occasionally, and I don't know about anyone else.

What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
Use the drafts file, as I wrote above. Also, remember that this is the internet, and not your diary. Don't write about your s*x life, your marital issues, family problems, your work politics, your underwe@r, feminine products, or any other private subject and then get annoyed that someone who wasn't supposed to read it, that others didn't like what you said or that you got in trouble for it (thinking more about the work thing here, though there is always family politicking to consider as well). This is public and archived, always remember that.

Labels: Blog Info

This is a short week at home for us. We are going to visit our childrens' godparents, and to be there for our godson's baptism. So, they are in charge of the meals from Friday evening on, and I don't have to plan or worry about it. However, since Dominic and Rich's birthdays are on Monday, and I had some very specific requests for that meal, I will be making it this week and having it in the freezer ready to cook when we get home. Either that, or bring it with us, and we can eat it there with the godparents.

• Monday: Chicken Stew with Artichoke Hearts, Carrots and Peas, Egg Noodles, Salad


• Tuesday: Italian Beef Sandwiches


• Wednesday: Grilled Salmon, Boiled Red Potatoes, Salad


• Thursday: Enchiladas Blancas, Rice and Black Bean & Corn Salad (we never did eat this, we made some shrimp and pasta, because we didn't have the shrimp, either, we were so busy and tired, we had snack tray)

What is on your menu this week

Labels: Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. It is a day dedicated to the knowledge and understanding of the Eucharist. Although our priest gave an inspiring and educational sermon, quoting Church fathers from the first, second and third centuries (and I'm going to try to get some of those from him, because they were so interesting to me), I find myself thinking of the other meaning of the Body of Christ: The Church.

Our church family is our family here. Rich's folks live a couple hours away, his brother is two states away right now, my dad is a couple continents and an ocean away, our aunts and uncles, cousins and their families are spread all over the country and the world, and with the exception of Rich's paternal grandparents, we have no grandparents left. Our church family is truly a family. Not just our parish, either, our Bishop and his wife, who live in California, know all of us by name, including our children, pray for our specific needs and remember them when they speak to us. Other church members in other cities and states also know us, care for us and pray for us. We are truly blessed.

Our church is a group of people who will hem your pants for you when you mention you can't find pants that fit that are short enough, make a maternity dress for you because you foolishly gave away all but two of them on the last baby, make meals and bring them to those who are sick, injured, home with a new baby or mourning the loss of a loved one, visit those in prison and pray for them continually, go paint the condo of a fellow church member who has to sell to pay off his bills and restore financial stability to his life, joyfully watch and care for each others' children, answer the phone at any hour of the day or night ready to act or pray or listen. We are so thankful for these people that God has put into our lives. We've had people come take care of the kids on short or no notice, we've had people come build a fence in our yard, two weeks in a row, all day, we've had people bring meals, take our kids so we could get work done, loan us cars, bring food over, fold our laundry, wash our dishes, vacuum our carpets, you name it, they've done it. Most of all they pray for us, they love us, and they challenge us with the truth of the Lord and His commands.

This afternoon, while at lunch with Rich's dad and his grandparents, we needed to call some church friends to ask them a pretty big favor. Rich didn't know how to start so he called Rachelle and asked how they would like to spend time with her family in Oregon in two weeks. How she answered was a perfect indication of how our church body works:

"Do you need our house?"

He told her it was a bit more complicated than that, and explained what had happened and what we needed and why we thought of them. She said she needed to check with her husband, but that as far as she was concerned, it was a go.

I love that our friends, our family here, are so open handed, liberal in the sense of the virtues, as to think nothing of going away from their own home, because another family might need it. This is the Body of Christ to which we belong.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family

I've seen this on several mommy blogs. Reality is that if you are, you know it, and if you aren't, you know that, too. The quiz is more interesting because of how feminism is being framed, as well as the condescension that isn't even masked if you don't rate high as a feminist. I think that perhaps if the makers of this quiz went out of their little coterie of co-religionists and met the majority of women who don't identify themselves as feminists, they might get a bit of an education.

You Are 35% Feminist

No one would consider you a feminist. You believe women should hold on to traditional gender roles. Well, that's not the world we're living in anymore. Time to wake up to the 21st century!

I especially liked this question, as it gave you a little glimpse into the mind and world view of the person/people who put together the quiz:

Men and women should be held to the same se*ual standards. If men can sleep around without judgment, women should be able to as well.

Evidently, these are our only options. I agree with the first sentence wholeheartedly, it's the second one I have a problem with. Since modern feminism seeks to bring women to equality with the basest of men, rather than the most estimable, and certainly won't hold men and women to an equally higher standard, this is the highest expectation anyone is thought to meet. We're equally pigs? No thank you.

Labels: Culture and Politics

Not much time to make things, but there are a lot of things I want to make. Here are two of the latest.

Summery Dishtowel Totebag(I even have the perfect dishtowels that I got for $1.19 each on clearance)
Vintage Scoop Neck Sweater I have the perfect yarn for this in the stash. I just need to finish making all the other things on my list and have a lot of free time. You know, piece of cake. I have that spare time between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. that I've been wasting on things like sleep.

Anything you're itching to make?

Labels: Fabric and Sewing, Knitting

Some may be wondering why I am still posting these, when I often don't have something to show, and even other people don't seem to want to show off. I figure, I just post these consistently, and when enough people hear about it, and see that it's here each week, they will want to show off to a group of people who may not have ever read their blogs before, and start posting. I'm all about consistency.

So, since I have the pieces cut out, but not sewn together, for Amira's eyelet top, and I am about a third of the way on a project for our Christmas in July at the shop, I don't have any finished objects. Since our family is coming to visit this weekend, chances are, I won't be finishing much today either. The next two weekends ought to be good knitting times for me, as we have two four to five hour drives each way for mini-vacations. Rich drives, I knit, we all stay sane.

If you, unlike me, have something to show off, don't be shy! Please sign Mr. Linky below and share with the internets all you have made. Your Finished Object(s) can be knit, crocheted, sewn, quilted, tatted, beaded, papercraft, woodwork or any other kind of craft. Show off what you have made! Please make sure you link to the exact post that shows your finished item(s) rather than just to your blog. I will visit all the posts, and I'm sure the 12 people who read my blog will, too.

Labels: Family, Finished Object Friday

This month's color is blue, and I'm extending the deadline because of my lateness. Please send so that your partner receives by July 8th.

Our participants this month are:

• Amy


• Andrea


• Cassady


• Christy


• Debbie


• Else


• Grace


• Jana


• Jodi


• Juli


• Karla


• Lori


• Ranee


• Sonya


• Steph

Please feel free to take one of the buttons above for your blog. Also, remember that at the end of this I will have a prize for one of the people who designed a button, one skein of yarn for each color theme of the year. So far, only one person has submitted buttons, those above, and if nobody else does, she automatically gets the prize. You can send me an email with a jpg, gif or whatever kind of graphic file. Thank you!

Labels: Colorswap, June Colorswap

"Mama, I'm bored!"

Do you ever hear that over the summer? Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer wants to know how we combat summer boredom.

To be honest, we rarely hear that around our house, what with the built in playmates the children have in each other. However, something that we do that pre-empts any of the boredom, is we find out what activities are going on in our area, so we have a place to visit, or an activity we can do together that is interesting and fun.

One thing we learned about recently is that Regal Cinemas has a nine week Free Family Film Festival over the summer. It is in the morning, and first come, first served, because they cannot fill the theaters beyond their capacity, but they do G rated and PG rated movies for free for children and their parents. We already are looking at going to three movies this summer, and all it takes is being willing to be early enough to wait in line. Since the movie is free, the outrageous popcorn prices won't hurt so much and our children will be able to enjoy a movie during a child friendly time at the theater.

Finding fun, free activities to do with our children works for me!

Labels: Family, Works for Me Wednesday

Reasons Number 4721 & 4722

I told Rich that I was planning on making these pants (and the top), to learn how to put in a zipper.



The first thing he said, with no looks or promptings from me, was that I would look so much better in them than that stick model.

The second thing he said was that he was hoping I was making them in a solid color so I wouldn't have to worry about making the pinstripes perfectly straight.

I love this man. He thinks I look better than the thin models, and he takes real interest in what I like to do.

Also, I want those peekaboo toe heels the model has on in the picture on the right. Anyone who can find me a pair like those in a 7 1/2 for less than $50 will be my new best friend. Sorry, Rich.

Labels: Fabric and Sewing, Family, Romance and Relationship

I don't know if I've mentioned how much I love cute aprons. I have lots of aprons, and use them, because I am always cooking messy things. Most of them are pretty much standard issue, though I do have one with my name embroidered on it, and one that Rich made with Alexander and Dominic for a mother's day present about six years ago. I usually forget to put them on in time, though, so I end up with spills on both my clothes and the apron. However, I'm working on that.

Well, imagine my delight when I found out about two different people giving away aprons! Susan is having a Vintage Apron Giveaway and Nan is having an Apronpalooza.

I've entered, in the hopes that I win an apron to wear with my heels and pearls while I work around the house. Go enter, too, since I was so nice to share the links.

Labels: Contests

We are really swamped here with end of school year stuff and our weekends are just as busy as our weekdays. Rich's folks and grandparents are coming next weekend, we are going to be with our kids' godparents the following weekend, while their son is baptised, and then Jerome will be baptised the weekend after that.

I need to apologize to my June colorswappers, because I still haven't gotten all the assignments out. You haven't missed yours, I just haven't sent them all. I will be working on that tonight after I get the kids in bed.

• Monday: Lamb and Feta Roll Ups, with Tomato and Lettuce (repackaging of Lamb leftovers, we ended up grilling, because it was such a nice day, and we had a little left over)


• Tuesday: Baked Potato Soup


• Wednesday: Shrimp Fried Rice


• Thursday: Enchiladas Blancas, Rice and Salad


• Friday: Chipotle Black Bean Nachos


• Saturday: Probably dinner out with Rich's family


• Sunday: Also probably another family run meal

What is on your menu this week?

Labels: Homemaking, June Colorswap, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

If you read my blog on a fairly regular basis, you've already seen this. However, it is Friday, after all, and it was finished this week. Once more, for your viewing pleasure, then, is my little baby pillow.



I am hoping to have two things ready to show off by next Friday.

Did you finish anything this week? Please sign Mr. Linky below and share with the internets all you have made. Your Finished Object(s) can be knit, crocheted, sewn, quilted, tatted, beaded, papercraft, woodwork or any other kind of craft. Show off what you have made! Please make sure you link to the exact post that shows your finished item(s) rather than just to your blog. I will visit all the posts.

Labels: Fabric and Sewing, Finished Object Friday