Happier Things...

Wild Flowers Picked By Tiny hands

 

 

 

DS's First Time Making Spinach Lasagna

Silly Faces From A Very Proud Little Boy

Finished Lasagna

My First Attempt At Banana Bread In A Very Long Time

I could write for hours about the drama that has leeched its way into my life right now.. and I probably have in the past.  Writing has always been my way of getting the pent up frustration OUT.  Not this time though.  This time it's too painful to think about and I'd rather just concentrate on the happiness in my life. 

My apartment is a disaster (This isn't necessarily a bad thing right?  It means we're just having too much fun).... but it was even more of a disaster yesterday when I took the lasagna making pictures.  Thankfully my little guy was happy to stand at the counter on the step stool eating a snack while I accomplished much more than he would normally "allow".  I am in love with so many things in this stage of his development.  Of course there are still temper tantrums and 2-3 year old stubborn-ness.... but there are also so many more things that he is eager to experience and that I am MORE than happy to experience with him.  I haven't really let him help me with large activities in the kitchen until now.  I didn't feel like he listened well enough to not be playing with an electrical outlet or a sharp knife the moment I turned my back.  I still have a little bit of fear of that happening but he listens so much better to me now.... now my biggest problem is "No, sweet heart we really DO have enough spice in what we're making"  I thought for sure he had thrown a few extra pinches (more like handfuls) of pepper, salt and garlic into the lasagna when I went to wash my hands from the raw eggs... but it tasted just fine!  

We yet again "lucked out" with the horrible storms plaguing the south.  Nearly 200 (at last my last viewing of the news) people perished from the latest string of tornadoes.  Having had the last one come so uncomfortably close... to the point of nearly getting caught in it (we had been in one of the areas worst hit less than an hour before it went through) I did not sleep much Wed night.  Our son fell asleep on our couch and I knew with as hot as it would be in our bed where he normally winds up that I would just leave him there.  However, I couldn't leave him there alone with what I had seen on the news that was headed our way.  The least of my worries is how many toys are strewn through my home.  Seriously, who cares about those sticky finger prints on the the front of the stove other than me? 

I'm making an active effort to not let myself stress over the future.. who is promising me that there is one?  Yes, we may be moving yet again in a year and a half from now but there's no point of stressing over it.  All I can do is just continue the simplifying of our lives and continue passing things on to people who really need things I can easily live with out. 

I'd much rather fill my life with enjoyment than worry.. My life has been filled with fear and worry for far too long.  If I want to experiment with a recipe I find that we just happen to have the ingredients for.. that's what I should do.  I find myself always sticking to the same recipes that I just know by heart because I'm too afraid to make a mistake and waste any food.  Even my husband tries to stop me from experimenting.. but he didn't complain AFTER he tasted the banana bread I made that he swore he wouldn't like.  Instead of constantly beating myself up over not being the *best* baker, cook, knitter, crocheter.. I just TRY.. such a concept right?  Well it is for me.... I've been so afraid of wasting the yarn I bought I've hesitated to work with anything other than scraps or yarn that my mother found me at a thrift store (several skeins and left over pieces of crewel yarn for 50 cents is kind of worth a shot in my book.)  Instead of stressing over the fact that I'm not perfect and blaming myself for every mess made in this home I seriously NEED to take time to sit down and craft.. or contemplate lesson plans or activity for my little one to enjoy.  I may not get a shot at being a mom again..  I'd rather live in a messy home than miss out on experiences with him. 

First Yarn Along

Well I decided it's time to get back to the blogging world as I need SOMETHING to concentrate on other than the drama that has start creeping into my life.  One of the things that keeps me sane is Wednesdays and the Yarn Along over at Small Things.  I really love looking at all the creativity everyone shares in the Yarn Along.  I'm always so hesitant to get involved in anything.... My attitude is "well who wants to look at my junk"... or "it's just not good enough"but then why do I have a blog if I'm not going to at least try??

Below is a collection of somethings I've just managed to finish off.. 3 knit dish cloths 2 of which are in a stitch I hadn't tried before (they are bundled together in the center).  I thought they came out quite well.  I can't wait to wash them and use them.  My dishcloths are looking quite tattered lately and it will be nice to be able to add some color to my kitchen!  The rest in this picture are a ton of varying sized crocheted flowers.. I'm still trying to get them just right but for my first attempts they turned out ok.  The last handmade piece is a knit heart that looks quite a bit better at the angle I had hoped my camera would catch a shot of.  No such luck!  My husband just returned "Animal Farm" to the library so I wasn't able to catch a shot of it... but I had never read it and he read it aloud to me since we both wanted to read it and I'm always moving around too much to sit still and read over his shoulder.  Sounds silly to have someone read to you at my age but hey.. it was kind of fun.  The book in the picture is one of my upcoming projects.  It is a journal my mother gave to me that is meant to share "my story" with my son. 

Here is my crocheted blanket that I've blogged about before.. It's getting quite large (perhaps close to 2 and 1/2 feet.. however it's also getting unbearably hot working on it.  I've been hoping the craft store will put the yarn it requires on sale so I can purchase enough to complete the blanket and tuck it away until cooler weather arrives!

In other happenings around this circus we were able to locate video of the abuse towards the animals in the lab where our dogs came from.  The footage was horrific.. it makes me feel even more strongly against animal testing in ANY circumstances where it can be avoided.  I honestly don't know how the lab workers could live with themselves doing some of the things they did to the animals.. and I am not talking about the experimenting.. I'm talking about the mistreatment of the animals even outside of the testing.  I know people have mixed feelings about PETA but I am VERY glad that they stepped in and had the animals removed.

The rain outside and flickering power tells me storms are on their way.  I am very much so hoping that we will again avoid damaging storms.  The large storm a few weeks ago that brought tornadoes that killed quite a few people in our state came with in a few miles of our complex and crushed area where we had been only hour or less before having no idea that the storm was headed our way.  I feel so very thankful that the tornado avoided our part of town but also very saddened for those whose lives it took.  I wish that we were able to assist those who it had affected but unfortunately the items we were able to donate were not needed.  I suppose that is in a way not unfortunate as that means other people were there to help... but it makes me a bit sad that I cannot offer anymore than well wishes to those still struggling.