Crochet My Thoughts

It's pretty sad when you pick up your glass with thoughts racing about how your about to enjoy one last sip of that sweet cold orange juice, and as the glass touches your lips you can just taste the refreshing liquid you are about to pour into your mouth and you tummy can't stand the nanosecond it's going to take for that said OJ to reach it's goal...

So many things have happened in the past few months. We had our second child 3 1/2 months ago (May 22nd) our baby Evelyn Louise, we bought a house over the summer and are still in the process of moving in and getting settled, and I'm losing my hair.

(from my posting on the World Wide Christmas Stocking Swap on Ravelry.com)

Does anyone else feel like Christmas is almost here and they’re so excited on the inside they just can’t stand it?

I’m just dying to know what colors my swap partner likes so I can get started. I feel like I want to stand on the roof and say “I love Christmas and I love swapping stockings”! But of course if I did that the neighbor down the street will probably think I’m crazy and watch me closely from the window the next time I pass by their house when taking the dog for a walk. You know, just to make sure I don’t plan on standing on their roof and shouting how much I love Christmas in the middle of July.

Just the thought of gathering the perfect yarn, the perfect pattern (or make one up… OO!), and the perfect little goodies to go with it, just makes my heart sing and my feet want to skip down to the yarn store. Well,… I might skip to the car, the yarn store is quite a few miles away and I don’t think I can skip that far…. Come to think of it, I’m not even sure about skipping to the car, you know, the whole neighbor thing again.

My son has been asking for A Christmas Story every day for the past week. Now, I tell my hubby it’s because our son loves the movie. What I don’t tell my hubby is that I’m probably making a subtle influence by leaving the movie out in plain sight, wearing one of my Christmas Story shirts with Ralphie on it, using lines from the movie in everyday conversation…

My dad is on this diet kick called the Sonoma Diet. It’s based on the Mediterranean diet. Now, also very tasty and I’m enjoying the meals tremendously, I still can’t stop thinking about cookies and cider and hot chocolate  and blinking lights on the christmas tree as I hang up popcorn garland… oh, my heart just skipped a beat again.

In the coming months I have 3 birthday’s in August, 1 in September, 3 in October and 1 in November and a new born is due in November, and that’s just family. It’s taking everything I have to not grab for the Christmas wrap with the cute little snowmen and a deer with a red nose, and hunt for the wrap with the happy birthday balloons and confetti.

Green and Red, Gold and Silver, Burgundy, Cream, and Forest Green color combinations are appearing in my yarn stash. I hang out at Hobby Lobby at least once a week, more if I can steal the car for an hour, just because they’re starting to put out the Christmas stuff. I don’t buy anything, I just look. And look. And look. I’m surprised they haven’t asked me to buy something or leave. I’m also surprised that the neighbor hasn’t seen me drooling in the Christmas isle and I stare helplessly at all of the holiday goodness.

A thought has just occurred to me… maybe the neighbor has seen me and that’s why they’re giving me looks when I pass by their house when I walk the dog….

Well, no matter. I love Christmas. I love singing Christmas songs all year long. I love baking Christmas cookies in the middle of 100 degree heat in July. I love watching Christmas movies anytime of the year. I love crocheting Christmas stockings for a swap partner and filling it up with goodies.

You want to know why I love Christmas so much?

Because Christmas time is the time of year when people purposefully make other people happy.

Elections were yesterday. I cast my vote with pure confidence that who I voted for will be president. Last night I would check in on the news to see where we were in the polls; we were ahead! Then the night wore on and I stopped checking because I knew deep in my soul that we will not win. I was scared, worried and sick to my stomach (and being 10 weeks pregnant didn't exactly help). What will become of our country? What will become of us?

I wrote this poem today, beacuse I'm in a Chrsitmas Stocking swap and I just love Christmas. What a way to get into the Christmas mood.

‘Twas a few months before Christmas,

And all through our houses,

Not a creature was stirring,

Just a couple of mouses.

With yarn in their hands,

Hooks and needles of all sizes,

Making stockings with care,

To fill with surprises.

Some were red and some were blue,

Decorated with trees and snowflakes,

All were wondering with quiet delight,

What kind of stocking would their pal make.

With some love in each stitch,

These mice worked all night,

Following patterns carefully,

To make sure the stocking was just right.

With a snip, ends a color,

A little tug, begins a new,

A cup of hot tea, chocolate or cider,

Baking some cookies just for you.

Soon the packages will be sent,

And Christmas will come early,

And Santa will be the postman,

Though not quite as jolly.

We’ll open our presents,

With a gleam in our eye,

And see our pals stocking,

Oh what a surprise!

We’ll hang in on the mantle,

Handling it with care,

We’ll remember our pal on Christmas,

It’s almost like they are there.

So remember your pal,

And how much love is in your stocking,

Remember how much time it took,

And love all of the talking.

With a twinkle in their eyes,

The mice returned to their yarn,

For Christmas will come next year,

Starting early won’t cause harm!

Copyright 2008 Emily

I sit here in Virginia, dear readers, visiting my in laws and sitting at the kitchen table with only one thing on my mind, when will my coffee ever cool.

   It got me thinking, as I wait for the wondrous, flavorful and exhilarating first sip, am I addicted to coffee?

I don't spend hundreds of dollars on grande mocha frappachinos with low-fat soy milk, extra java chips, whipped cream, cherry and a lemon twist. Heck, I don't even get to pick the brand of coffee I get to drink at home! (The pleasure of moving back in with my parent's.)

(I just tested the drink-ability of my morning coffee and I think I got some in my mouth, not as much as the table. but it was still too hot to tell.)

But seriously, am I am addict? I never had a morning cup of coffee before I got pregnant, certainly not when I was, and not for at least a year afterwords because I was nursing. So how, or better yet, when did I start drinking the coffee?

I remember buying some flavored creams one day because my parents were always pushing a cup of coffee on me. (They can never finish a pot of coffee themselves.) Over the next few weeks I experimented with the creams, testing to see what was too little or too much, do I need sugar or just the way it is. (I've found that liquid creams do not require the sugar, but powder creams do.) As I experimented I slowly began to realize that this bitter black gold can be transformed into something rich and creamy, soft and smooth to the pallet, full of flavor and caffeine goodness. It was like energy that I could grasp in my hands and with one inhale feel the power that was brewed before me. One swig and my eyes could open fully and the sleep falling away like a mist burning off in the morning sun. I could see clearly now that the dreams are gone. It wasn't every day that I needed sustenance, but as the months dragged on I did need it more and more.

Am I an addict? I can stop whenever I want. It's not like I drink cup after cup, pot after freshly brewed pot. It's just one tiny, little insignificant cup of coffee in the morning! (Of course right now I tell a lie because the mug sitting next to me is almost as big as my head.)

I'm not an addict! I can't be an addict! I NEED this coffee in the morning. I can't function without it! I need it to see in the morning, to give me the same energy that my toddler has pent up in that little body of his. I need the courage, the will, the drive to take on the day. I need this cup of black sunshine!

I'm not an addict. I swear.

Drinking heavily,

Emily "OOoo my coffee is just right now..."

It’s coming up on ten years since I made this decision and even now I’m wondering if it was the right choice. No, it’s not about if I married the right man, though sometimes in a fit of anger I do wonder that too.

The decision I made was when I was working in my very first job at the age of 17. I was working at a Six Flags in California as a costume character. Really a great job, just as long as you don’t get beat up by the guests. Yes, that really does happen, a lot. Anyway, it was getting close to the Fright Night festivities and I was asked by my supervisor to play a part in one of the shows in the haunted house. I was so excited and jumped at the chance because, not only did it pay more, but I would be one of the lucky few who to be apart of this month long event.

Then I found out what exactly was my new job. I was to be a dancer, almost like a stripper because I had to lean to swivel my hips (ballet does not teach that), and the story would be I was a caught in a fire and it burned one half of my body and face. I was to dance with the good side showing and then turn and “frighten” people with the decaying side. It sounded gross, but I thought it could be ok even though a little red flag was popping up in my head.

I met with the seamstress because as a Christian woman I didn’t want an outfit that was too revealing.

Well, the more I thought about what the new job was about the more I questioned if it would be glorifying to God.

Well, let’s see. I’m portraying something that’s a terrible thing to happen to anyone. I’m dancing in a provocative way and who knows what that’s doing to the people watching me. And no matter how modest the costume was going to be I still felt like it was too sexy.

Now if I didn’t do this job my other choice was to quit my original job early. At the time I was working to save up money. I needed as much money as I could put together, since I was putting myself through college.

Well, I decided in the end to quit my job. A lot of people were not happy with me. Some of my co-workers even tried to make me feel bad about my decision. But I tried to hold my head up high and told them I did not think God would be happy with me doing the dancing job. Oh, how my supervisor, boss, even the seamstress tried to change my mind. Still, I stood by my decision.

Now that I have reflected on the past I don’t see any reward for making that decision. Did I really make the right choice? Was I really doing what God wanted me to do?

Yes.

Yes, I believe I have made the right choice. I believe that even though I may not see any reward for making that decision, I know God will reward me in heaven. Maybe because I stood up for myself and said that it wouldn’t be pleasing to God that maybe it affected the people around me in a positive way. That in itself would be reward enough.

Picture 21

I am reading the most awesome book right now. This book is written by Rick Johnson who is the founder of a fathering skills program called 'Better Dads'.

However, this book is for mothers! The part that my fingers are covering up *oops* says, "How Moms can influence boys to become men of character".

It's a really easy read (good for us mommies on the go go go with our toddlers!) and it's strait to the point on topics such as your role as a mother in your sons life, pitfalls to avoid, disciplining, respect, and even difficult topics such as sex and dating.  

What's really cool about this book is that it's all christian based. It's what God says about how special it is to be a mother to boys, how important it is and He wants us to raise up our sons to become strong christian men.

I give this book five stars and recommend you to read it too!

I made a this really cute hat today! I found the pattern on Ravelry.com. The picture is the one from the free pattern, I'll post my hat in the morning when the light is better.

I think next time I'll do it in cotton instead of the acrylic and see if it made the hat a bit less floppy. I like floppy. I look really cute in floppy. But the brim on the hat didn't stand out as much as the picture. It's still cute though.