Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Well, we actually got to spend a weekend together as a family! It was wonderful! The kids were well behaved and we really enjoyed each others company. 
We went for a lovely walk around the Historic District downtown. The weather was a bit chilly and threatened rain, but it was fantastic! 
The last few weeks have been extremely stressful. It was so nice to have so time to spend together. 
With the new baby, HUGE project at work and stress with my husbands work situation, I sometimes feel that I float from one day to the next just trying to survive. 
To have the time to just be with them. Enjoying their company. I realized how big the older kids are getting. And, that I'm really proud of what incredible people they are becoming. 


I often think to myself that I really got lucky in the kid department. Of all the possible kids, I got the best of the lot! I can't wait to see how they turn out. On the other hand, I'd love to freeze time and just enjoy them as they are. 


The baby has decided that sleeping is for wussies. He refuses to nap and wakes up every half an hour or so all night. I'm hoping that this will pass soon. I don't think I've ever been this tired.


As far as knitting goes, I've finished a few projects. I finished a baby blanket for the baby that I thought was never going to be finished! I really am a small project knitter. I can't handle the commitment of a larger project. No sweaters for me I'm afraid! Now that it's blocked, I'm worried that it is too lacy for a boy's blanket.

I made some Owling mitts for a co-worker. They turned out great, but I was unhappy with the thumb. I think that a thumb gusset would have looked much better. The recipient isn't a knitter so I don't think she'll notice. I loved the pattern and I think I'll make another set soon.
I made about 15 wash cloths for teacher's gifts. They were pretty quick and easy using crochet. I packaged them with some soaps from Wolfe Farms. It made a nice package. I've received several happy comments from the the teachers. 


As a quick project, I knit a Starving Artist hat. It was incredibly fast to knit up. It is very warm. 
I've just cast on some socks and the Hogwarts Express Shawl. Also a couple of stuffed animals for the kids. 

I really needed that weekend. After a slump last week, I kinda thought I was losing my mind for a day or two. I'm feeling better though a good night's sleep would be appreciated!!

  

One Step Forward Ten Steps Back

Well here we go again. About a year ago my husband lost his job. Guess what:
 IT HAPPENED AGAIN!! Except this time we don't have any savings!
Yep. I really don't know if I should laugh or cry.
At least I have a healthy family and marriage. I'm so thankful for that. I guess the rest will work out eventually. I'm really trying to keep a positive attitude.

You can't be sad when you see this adorable face! So at least I've got that going for me.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Blog

OK! I Know what you're going to say. And you're right.
Geeze! What happened?!!! A year and no posts. Really? You promised you'd keep up with it.
Ummmm, what can I say. For some reason the last year has been a CRAZY TRAIN out of control and I've just been hanging on for dear life.
First of all, this happened:

Yes! That is indeed a baby. Shocker! I'm really not sure what I was thinking. My other kids were just becoming independent. Now, I'm back to diaper bags and breast feeding.

But you know what? Even though it's been hard, scheduling is a nightmare, and people think I'm insane. I can't imagine my life without the little guy. He was meant to be a part of our family.

Plus, BABY FEET! There is really nothing like little tiny feet. YUMMY!!!!

I'm not going to cover everything that happened over the last year, but here are a few highlights:
A few days after I found out I was pregnant, we were informed that my husband was going to lose his job. That really rocked my world. Let's just say I was a basket case. So one day happy everything is AWESOME and the next BOOM.
Needless to say, we had some scary months.
It really made the recession real for our family.

Despite the terror, I think we're stronger for it as a family. We have a beautiful, healthy family and that is what is really important.

We did have another sad event. Remember the puppy we adopted.
Ummmm, that ended badly. One night as we were feeding the dogs dinner, she attacked Adger. Ever see wild Kingdom? Imagine that in your living room while your children are sleeping upstairs. We had to have Animal Control come and take her.
Adger lost one of his eyes and nearly died. He's recovered well for an old man (he just turned 13). I keep thinking that it could have been one of the kids.
My guilt is really three fold. I feel bad for the kids. They loved her and they lost their pet. I really feel bad for Adger, he suffered terribly. And I feel bad for Suri. I keep thinking that I really should have done something to prevent it. We got her from a "No Kill" shelter. They came and picked her up from Animal Control and took her back. They are going to try and work with her. Evidently, there were behavioral problems with some of the other puppies in that litter. I wish it would have worked out differently. But, there is definitely one thing that I learned this year. You can't change what happens in your life. You can only change how you react to it.

ANYWAY. . . I've gotta go feed a baby. I'll try this blog thing again and see what happens. I just have to sit down and do it. If you put it off, it just gets harder and harder. I really have enjoyed this outlet. It makes a great journal and forces me to think about what's going on. The last year seems like a fog. I wish I'd blogged my thoughts so I could come back and look at it all now.