Crocheted Dish Scrubbie ~ Christmas 2009

This is my current project for additional Christmas presents.  I am thrilled with the pattern I found in 

Christmas Gift Projects ~ Wrist Warmers

I found a super simple pattern on the Internet for these cute wrist warmers.  They are actually called fingerless mittens on the pattern.  I plan to make more sets with the yarn left over from making slippers.  If I can locate the exact link to the pattern, I will add it to this post.  I think I will make longer ones for the older girls. 

Finding Muse

I had to laugh when I found out a little tidbit regarding my 15 year-old daughter.  We were all sitting in the kitchen talking about pencils.  We all have our favorite brand of mechanical pencils.  The weird thing was that all of the kids were at the table drawing in their "Doodle" journals.  They each took a spiral notebook and their choice of markers or colored pencils.  Each of them were doodling random drawings for fun.  It was kind of cute to see them all chatting nicely and doodling about nothing in particular.

I found these nice and thick spiral notebooks on clearance for $.50 each.  The covers are pretty neat too.  When I mentioned that it looked like a lot of fun, my 13 year-old daughter went to the storage area and gave me one too. 

"Here Mom you can do one too" she said to me.

Then we started talking about pencils when I asked whose packet of mechanical pencils were on the table. I mentioned my favorite brand, and the one that used to be their favorite too.  It's the Paper Mate Clearpoint Click pencil.  My 13 year-old daughter said she can get through a school year with just two of those pencils and refill leads.  My 15 year-old, who loved them for years, surprised me.

"I don't like those anymore.  I like the other kind and I like to use a different colored pencil every day," she said.

That's when I laughed.  I thought I was weird when I wrote, but hearing her really made me laugh.  I don't think either one of us would feel normal without a pen or pencil in our hands.  So in order to find her muse, she uses a different colored mechanical pencil every day. 

Sluggish Brain

I have discovered on my own, that not exercising truly affects my ability to write creatively.  I'm not able to push "worries" from my head, and concentrate on work.  So, in an effort to think better, I'm back on the treadmill.  The kids have been after me, and now I am after them to exercise.  Last night I had to laugh.

They invited me to do the Boxing VHS tape with them.  I backed out, knowing full well I need to work up to that sort of strain.  Funny thing is, they couldn't do it either.  I looked over at them, and the video was going through the warm-up, and they were just standing there.  I have to say it was pretty funny.  The last time I attempted to do that work-out I just about knocked myself out.  After they work up to 4 moves I just lose track of the sequence. 

The weather is rainy, cold, and dreary today.  Another reason to get off my rear and get motivated. 

Family Photo Albums Galore!

Now that I have spent about three hours working on my English paper, I think I deserve some fun.  The sun is shining and the weather is very nice today.   I'm not sure what I will be doing yet, but I do know what the kids are doing.

The kids are putting photos into the many photo albums we have.  I took my scan disk in to Wal-mart and ordered 500 photos (some were doubles).  However, this time the employee really messed them up.  They were all completely out of order.  This is making it more difficult. 

I now have only around 600 photos on the scan disk and have the albums caught up to January of 2009 and it's almost a year later.  Sheesh!  I really need to get better at developing photos.  If my scan disk only held 28, I would be forced to develop them more quickly.  But nooooo, it can hold over 1000 photos. 

We have the main family photo album, one for each child (where duplicates go), one for gardens, one for scenery photos, one for crafts, one for food and one for renovations (before and after).  The kids love looking at their own albums, so it's all worth it.  I started each album with photos from when I was pregnant with them to the current date.  When they graduate, it becomes a gift to them to keep, along with a hope chest.

Flocks of Birds and Lots of Droppings

I managed to hang 2 loads of laundry out yesterday.  As I typed away on my synthesis draft, I totally forgot about the laundry.  I remember seeing a huge flock of birds in the front apple tree, but didn't think twice of it.  By evening the birds had landed their droppings on every single thing on the line.  Ugh!

The birds might as well have landed droppings on my paper too.  It totally bombed the first time the writing center reviewed it for me.  I was totally off track in logical flow.  I frantically deleted, added, moved stuff around, and sent it off again.  I'm still waiting for the review.  I'm trying to be patient.

But that's what writers need - composure in handling criticism.  We need it to become better writers.  If we were perfect the first time, every time, then everyone would want to write for a living.  Maybe they already do and have no idea how many drafts it may take to get it right.

"Don't worry Mom.  Some day you'll have your book published" said my 17 year-old son as I typed away last night. 

I was so flabbergasted at trying to make logical order out of my mess, that I typed right through dinner.  At one point I had to grab my shuffle and plug my ears with it.  Blasting out the house full of kids in order to keep my thoughts from unraveling.

We'll see what happens today. 

Kids, Writing and Reading

"Mom how do you spell rock?  I'm having a brain fart" said my 7 year-old daughter.

It is amazing to see the kids drag out their journals when they see me writing.  It is also wonderful to see them read when they see me reading.  Just the other day the same child read her kids' Bible when she saw me doing my Bible study homework. 

I'll get quized also, so I have to pay attention even if I'm doing my own homework.

"Mom what did I just read in the second part?" she'll ask.

If I get caught not answering her right, she will read it again out loud.