Arline Griffith-Nash

How does one KEEP UP!?

2012-02-08T02:30:00.000-08:00

LOL! I've been having all together too much fun. Projects, lots of projects. In the last month... let me see... a cute little beret/tam hat for my Mom for her birthday, two pairs of fingerless gloves for my son and daughter-in-law, a really sweet scarf/shawl for my sister... all birthday gifts (one seriously belated but... ohwell!) AND a pair of socks for myself. OY!!!!

Yes, indeed! How do I keep up! HA! Too much fun, indeed.

I'm up in the middle of the night... I just finished the little scarf/shawl and then got it blocking. It needs to be IN the mail Thurs. and that should give it enough time. Hope so.

Next, finish my monkey socks. I want to get those monkeys off my back! LOL! Funny, last time I worked on them, I was totally bejumbled about how to knit them (I made some fairly major modifications) I was so befuddled that I couldn't continue and they got shoved to the back burner. When I pulled them out again the other day, it seemed SO EASY. LOL! Let's see if they are or not, shall we?

Pictures. I promise, pictures will be coming.

One thing for sure, if I don't go to bed, I will be totally worthless in the morning!

Did I mention the artisan bread that I'm playing at making? OY!!! Another bunch of fun! I'll tell you about it another time.

To bed! NOW!!! (it's 2:30am! HA!)

The Sun is UP!!!!

2011-12-22T06:50:00.001-08:00

Naps are the best. Even ones taken sitting up in the van. And this morning, napping sitting up in van was nearly perfect.

Now, daylight gas returned, the dam and bridge are visible and we'll be tourists for a bit. 6 hrs. of driving left
...touristing will be short.

Oh!!! I forgot!

2011-12-22T05:23:00.001-08:00

We're at Hoover Dam. Sid wants to take a hike around...check out the new bridge...but, it's DARK!!!! So, we'll park and take a nice collective NAP until the sun comes up.

I did note yesterday that today is the first day of winter, the longest night of the year, winter solstice. Good thing we don't have a need to do much sightseeing on the way to Phoenix. Ha!

Between Here & There

2011-12-22T05:13:00.001-08:00

I'm sitting in the front passenger seat of our Toyota Sienna. Sid's driving and three of our kids are sitting in the back seats. And we've all been here, zooming South for the last 15 hours. We're driving straight through from home in Walla Walla WA to Sid's parents place in Phoenix AZ.

I'm tired.

Ha! Really? LOL!!!

Anyway, I've been wearing a sweet beret that I whipped up earlier this week. Simple pattern, #7 needles, Manos yarn...Sweet. Warm. Comfortable. Now I'm working on a matching scarf.

Here's a picture of my new hat...Sid took it while I was driving. :-) Not exactly flattering, of me or the beret, but it is a picture.

Happy me!

2011-12-17T22:50:00.001-08:00

Figuring out my DROIDX & getting pics posted here... Don't know what's with the spotty pattern over the whole pic, but...it's a start. ;-)

Dryer Ball?? Seriously?

2011-12-17T22:39:00.001-08:00

Well, it is a dryer ball. I'm doodling on it with yarn scraps and a felting needle. Not done yet. ;-)

PICTURES

2011-12-17T22:32:00.001-08:00

What on the needles right now.

Blog & Sock

2011-12-17T22:29:00.000-08:00

There are two things that I'd like to do more of this coming year.

The first is to knit more socks, LOTS of socks. My favorite socks are the hand knit ones and I'm down to only two pairs. For a knitter that's a cryin' shame. ;-) Another thought that spurs me on is that I want to really LEARN the how-to of knitting socks. Inside out and backwards.

Last year was...the year of the dishclothes? LOL! Well, I knit piles of them. Lost count after about 70. Ugh. NO dishclothes this next year. Just lots and lots of beautiful socks. I declare this new year to be, "The YEAR of the SOCKS". Want to join me? I wonder how many I'll have finished by this time next year. Ohhhh!!! I can't WAIT! My feet can't wait! And so... starting now. I've got about two inches down on the tops of my next pair of socks. Pictures coming soon!

The second thing I'd like to do more of in this new year is BLOGGING! I'm inspired by my sister, her creative team and their endless creativity @ ellinee.com (go to their blog!) I'm inspired by Amanda Soule @ soulemama.com And I'm inspired by dozens of creative women who come onto the internet on a regular basis to share, with the world in general, the fun things that are going on in their lives.

I'd like to share what I'm making. My endless and evergrowing pile of lovely socks. ;-), my newest fiber love, needle felting. And sewing projects that are itching to zoom through the sweet machines in my studio space. Oh, the things I want to make! ONWARD!

I'd also like to share my life. What I'm thinking and what's happening. While most of the blogs that I follow are of younger women with young families, I'm in a much different spot. My world revolves around nearly grown children, my beloved parents (Momma has Alzheimers, Dad and I share her care), one dear developmentally-challenged client and the one acre that we've been blessed with.

Pictures! LOTS of pictures need to show up here. None tonight because I have to figure out how to make THAT work. But I am working on it because pictures HUGE and important to me.

So, here's to the new year that is fast approaching! ONWARD! Here's to SOCKS and lots of blogging! Starting early, it's a good plan!

Hermitta

2011-08-28T02:07:00.000-07:00

A few short years ago, I would have laughed at any suggestion of my being a hermit. Or a hermitta, the female counterpart. And yet, here I find myself... doing my job and coming home. Once home I prefer to stay here.

In many ways, this new life is suitable. I'm content. I am BLESSED!!! I have a wonderful husband (whom I adore), my kids (one married, two away at school and one still here at home), my parents (who are living in a BIG bus on our acre... I love them to bits!), my three beloved sisters ... And I have my clients (love my job!) and the folks that I see in the course of doing my job. I'm well "peopled". Not even remotely reclusive. But...

Yeah. There's the word. But. But sometimes I am powerful lonely for friends and friendships. I miss the chatter, the laughter, the joy of sharing the fun stuff of life, the meeting of the minds. And here I am, stuck in a hermitta mode. I don't have it in me to do much more than just this. I'm frozen inside, by fear and sadness that doesn't seem to leave or heal. I hate it and yet don't know what to do to melt it down. I'm afraid. I've screwed it up over and over...I'm afraid.

I'm awake in the middle of the night. After tossing and turning, I decided to give it up and get back up. Feeling sad and mad. The sad is at the changes, the mad is mostly at myself for whatever it was/is that I did/do that caused/causes my hermitta mode. I've sat here thinking of the friendships that I've enjoyed and wondering what happened.

And I write. While this may not be "safe", I guess I can risk it here.

Tomorrow is another day. Back to bed.

Where Do I (Re)Start!?

2011-02-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

Amazing. Life is simply amazing.

These last few weeks have been revealing, to say the least. It's like... after a VERY long night, an almost equally long wait for the "sun" to get UP over the "mountains" in my mind. Now, the sun is up and OUT and the sky is so veryVERY blue.

Where do I start? How do I relate to you the tid-bits of delicious LIFE that I am now seeing and enjoying.

Where do I start?

A list. Well, of course!

I'm reading a book on my Android, via a Kindle app. The book, "One Thousand Gifts". And It's about lists. LOL! And SO much more! So, a list it is. Buckle up! It's bound to be long... I want it to be as long as the days of my life. ONWARD!

The first joy, the first gift... and then a couple more (in no order, other then how they fall onto the page)

1. Reading - for the last... well, seemingly FOREVER back, I haven't been able to wrap my mind around reading. I use to love to read. Long ago. And now, the love is back, with years of backed up bliss behind a paper-thin dam, pushing to flood my world! QUICK!!! More paper (pages? ;-) ) to hold up the dam!!! I do have to do other lovely things, you know? HA!

2. Dishes - I know, I know. This is one of the oddest, but what can I say. I'm simply JOY FILLED with this gift, the JOY of dishes. Of doing dishes. All my life I've detested the chore. Dishes. BLEeeech! From the earliest in my married life, they would accumulate on the counters, where stuff started to grow. Nastiness. And trust me, that didn't entice me to facing them either. Yuck. Now, I love my clean sink. I love the counters being cleared and ready. Like a new book, ready to be picked up and devoured, the clean counter and sinks call to me, "Come! Create! Bless the ones you love with tasty, nourishing, colorful meals! Come!" And I do. I make the most gorgeous messes on those counters and in the sink. HA! And then, I enjoy cleaning it all back up. I love to "hear" the call of my clean kitchen, of the dishes waiting to be filled, emptied, cleaned and then calling again to be filled...

3. Fridays - This day is the beginning of the slower pace of the weekend. Friday starts slower. There's no bus to catch, because Benny doesn't go to his job on Friday. Sid has a weekly blog to write, he's busy with that until later in the morning. The boys sleep in for a while. The house is quiet longer. And so, the call of the kitchen is sweeter. There is more opportunity for creativity, for the unusual. There is time for it. And I am blessed. Bliss.

I'm thinking banana-nut muffins, "cube-y potatoes" and tofu... with orange and apple slices. Yummm!!

Yes! ONWARD!!!

And today, I'll spend some time getting to know my digital camera again. Pictures ARE better then words! ;-)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Slowly, EVER So Slowly

2011-01-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

The fog is clearing. There are beams of sunshine peeking though. Better living though chemistry works for me. "Happy Pills" are a HUGE blessing. The holidays passed swiftly, too swiftly. And then I fell under the curse of some creepin' crud that lodged itself in my broncs and ears. AURGH! But... I'm on the mend.

I'm knitting dish clothes, as is my tradition for the first part of each year. This year I'm using the cotton yarns that I have rather than buying the lovely ecru or white cone AND I've got a LOT of colored cotton yarn. My immediate goal is to completely wipe out that cotton yarn stash. As of today I'm knitting on the 23rd dish cloth. And that in 11 days. Maybe I can finish the 24th? We'll see. LOL! I think I'm about half done, maybe. I'll have a supply stocked up for gifts and my own use! And NEXT year, I can start a totally new tradition for the first knitting of the year. Something more fun, like a sweater or socks or a lovely shawl. I certainly won't be needing more dish cloths for a veryVERY LONG time. HA! Love it!

Being sick has prompted me, JARRINGLY so, that my diet and exercise needs focused attention this year. The end goal is to be healthy and active AND be able to look fabulous in the lovely woolie sweaters that I dream of knitting up.

So, I KNIT on. Improving my speed and methods.

Another focus for this new year is to completely pay off my personal credit cards. (I think I can do it before the end of June, at the latest) After that, I'll be able to help with other family debt. My reward? (other then the obvious lack of debtedness and monthly bills) When I get the first of my two credit cards paid off (this week!) I'll treat myself to the first in the Barbara Walker Knitting Treasury books. Then, half way through paying off the next credit card, I'll get the second. Finish off that card, then the third book becomes mine.

And. no new yarn. I want to focus on what I have and using that. I have lots. ;-) My focus for knitting this year will be socks. Lots of new hand-knit socks. The very first pair that I knitted have worn out in the heels, rather than mourn, it's time to pick up those itty-bitty needles and get busy. I LOVELOVELOVE hand-knit woolie socks...and sweaters,,, and... LOVE WOOL!

ONWARD! Pictures coming of the ever-expanding dish cloth stash.

KNIT ON!

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

2010-05-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's really hard to complain. LOL! We work so hard outside on the nice days that a rainy day is a serious HAPPY-inspiring blessing. WAHOOOoo!!! Rain!!!! And we need the rain. All is good. I'm grateful!

Today I'm hoping to get the barn cleaned up a bit. Nearly all of that space is not used well and this spring, since coming out of the gluten-fog, my lil' ol' brain has been boppin' around thinking of all that I could do to make things work better around here. One thing is getting the garden tools closer to the garden! Thus to promote ease in putting the tools away after each use? What a thought! The other thing is to get the riding mower and tiller out of the weather. Seems prudent and we do have the space.

So... that's my work for today.

Perhaps the family members who aren't feeling up to going out to help me can shell walnuts from last years harvest. Or shell dry beans from the harvest that's been hanging in the barn since 2008. HA!

Giving It a Try

2010-05-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post, huh? I was visiting with one of my favorite bloggers yesterday. Both of us haven't posted for a fair piece. We both miss each other. :) And since... well, I'll just start in.

These last few weeks have been... more odd then most. Mostly between my ears but also within my body. It's not a happy body. So... when my youngest adorable sister told me about her experience with going gluten-free, I figured why not give it a try. What have I got to lose?

(For those that worry about such things, I am jumping thru the usual medical hoops, too. And with the same attitude. Why not give it a try. I have a mental line drawn on how far I'm willing to go with any of this but... it's not extreme either direction.)

So... a couple weeks ago I started the gluten-free thing. And thus far, the apparent results have been good enough that I'm very willing to continue on! OHYEAH!

The first thing that I noticed was that my head was clearer. I was thinking, making mental lists AND following through. How strange! I haven't done that very well for YEARS!

This whole thing has also encouraged me to add other changes. One at a time, or maybe two. This week I added refined sugars and all things animal. I'm eating a plant-based diet, minus wheat, barley and rye and minus the refined sugars.

Sometimes I forget. And that's okay. It's the blowing it off with "this time will be okay" is NOT okay.

Yesterday we were invited to a big 60th birthday party. How FUN! On the way to it, I started to panic. OHNO!!! I knew what I was taking to the event, what I was asked to bring...my homemade gluten steaks. Won't eat those. I was told that there would be pasta pie (?) and lasagna, too. OHNOOOO! What am I going to eat!?

Well, it turned out fabulous! There were several LOVELY garden salads and I loaded my plate with that. We became involved in a fun conversation with some fabulous friends and... it was totally easy. THANK GOD! LOL! I'm so grateful to have an experience and a subsequent understanding that I will not starve. Ha! Fat chance!. ;)

On the knitting front, I've been working on a pair of socks. The yarn is some that I dyed a couple years ago.

I've started and frogged (rip-it, rip-it) these things three times. Each with good reason and no regret. This picture if from the first attempt. :)

The problem is that the time span between the first frogging and the second starting was long enough that I forgot why I frogged it and... I knitted it up the same way as the first time, all over again. DingDONG! So, this time I'm going to keep going, not getting distracted by a jillion other lovely knitting projects that need to get done or that I want to get done. Any time I want to knit, I will knit on the orangatan socks.

But!!! It's springtime! We have 1/3 of an acre that we're trying to turn into a seriously productive garden this year. I'm not getting much knitting done! LOL! Today I'll see if I can remember to take my camera out to take shots of our garden area. I wish I had thought to take one at the beginning of this effort. Then I'd have a great before shot to put with an after shot later. But, not time like now, huh?

ONWARD!!!!

It's Time...

2010-04-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

It's time to tell the story. I don't know how to shorten this one up, it always comes out a long story, but I'll sweeten it with pictures and that ought to make it a bit more palatable. LOL!

A couple posts ago I told a bit of winning a "most glorious and generous gift". I didn't have the wherewithal to tell the story then. I was still completely flabbergasted. It was too unreal! I must be dreaming, right? :)

Well, here's the story. I think I can do it justice now.

If you're a stitcher, if crocheting or knitting is your cuppa tea, chances are good that you've heard of Ravelry.com. If you haven't, get over there and join! (http://www.ravelry.com/) It's like Facebook for stitchers, but it goes WAY beyond what Facebook has to offer. There are hundreds of thousands of stitchers from all over the world going to Ravelry. Unbelievable place.

One of the many features on Ravelry are the forums. There's a forum for just about every topic you can think of. Seriously. One Wednesday night at knitting group, Dicksie mentioned a new group started by Michael, one of her Ravelry friends. It was a warm, friendly place to share any and all projects plus whatever else... It sounded intriging so when I got back home that evening, I joined the forum.

POW! LIGHTS FLASHING!!! FIREWORKS!!!!

LOL! Just kidding.

But, it turns out that I was the 100th person to join the group! Michael hadn't expected to have even 75 members join. He was delighted! (as of today, there's almost 175 members!) Someone suggested that Arline ought to get a prize of some sort (an out-of-date, obscure book, as I recall. LOL!) Anyway, the next thing I know, Michael sent me a private message and is basically offering me "the half of his kingdom". Okay, okay, that's not what he offered but it certainly seemed like it to me. I was completely dumbstruck. SO unbelievable! No way! This can't be happening to me!?

But Michael was serious. He offered to send me enough yarn to make the sweater of my dreams. He offered a specific brand. Virtual Yarns by Alice Starmore... THE Queen of All Knitted Beauty as far as many of us are concerned. Her designs are indeed among my very favorites. I am completely inspired by her and her work. (http://www.virtualyarns.com/) And so, we talked back and forth, Michael and I, until we finally made a decision on what my "prize" would be. He would send me enough yarn to make this sweater in a cardigan modification.

Alice Starmore's Inishmore Aran Sweater

Made in this yarn... Alice Starmore's

Virtual Yarn Hebridian 3ply - Sundew

At one point I tucked tail and explained that I am "fluffy" and that I had no idea how much yarn it would take to cover this fluffiness. He responded with "I took care of it for you! Don’t worry. I assure you you won’t run out of yarn. Probably be enough to make hats, gloves, scarves, mittens, underwear, socks….." Underwear? Eeeeuuuwwww!!!! Don't THINK so! LOL!!

I told Michael that he was a PRINCE! What a gift!! What a guy!!!!

After it was all decided, I dismissed it. It was a beautiful dream. On with life.

And life goes on. LOL! Our daughter flew off to Peru. The rest of us (Sid, the two boys and I) took a short trip over to our favorite coastal get-away, Rosario Beach, just a bit South of Anacortes, WA. and then down to Seattle for a doctors appointment, the Museum of Flight and the Portland Zoo. FUN!

I started knitting another Alice Starmore sweater, using some yarn from my stash... Inishmaan!

A lovely knit. Not a bit boring, rather challenging, but fun!

And so, yes! Life went merrily on! LOL!

One Saturday after a long, sleepless night spent up taking care of Ben, who was having major seizure AND diabetes problems, I looked out the window and saw a BIG bag hanging on the inside of our driveway gate. HUh?! What's that!??

Inside the bag was two boxes. Huh?!!! I didn't order anything!? What!?!!!

Then I saw the postage in the corner of the packages...

ROYAL MAIL!?! I burst into tears. (okay, remember, I was a bit rummy anyway from the lack of sleep... but I think I would have bawled even with a FULL night sleep.!) The gift from Prince Michael!!! OHHHHMYYYYY!!!!

I sat down on the couch, all weepy and wet, stroking the beautiful packages beside me. I couldn’t open them. They were such beautifully wrapped packages. One big, one smaller. Both carefully wrapped with tiny striped brown shipping paper. Royal mail. Finally, in another fit of tears, I called my friend Dicksie.

Poor Dicksie, she couldn’t understand a word I was saying or even who I was. I had to slow down, breath and try to calm down enough that she could hear me. Sweet Dicksie. She talked to me for a bit and then told me to go get a sharp object from the kitchen. Sounded like murder to me. LOL! To stab the boxes? Noooo!!! LOL! I did as I was told. (that’s what I’m learning from knitting. My friend Winnie started it. “Just do what you’re told, Arline. Everything will work out okay.”) And so, I went into the kitchen and got a knife.

Dicksie waited patiently, talking me through it. It seems rather funny now, but at the time…I was simply beside myself.

I carefully cut open the paper on the smaller box. I’ve never opened a Christmas gift that carefully, but I couldn’t hurt the thoughtfilled, tidy outer wrapping. I’m a ditz! What can I say. Finally that was done and I pulled the paper off.

Under the wrapping was a tidy, simple brown cardboard box. Not your ordinary four-flapped top box this time, no, but a box with a lid that lifts from one side after you undo it’s little front latch at the front side. It’s like a cardboard treasure chest.

Once the lid was pushed open, I cried some more. Inside was tissue carefully wrapped around the gift and sealed with a Virtual Yarns logo sticker. Dicksie told me, at that point, that try as she might, she’s never been able to just lift that seal off. The tissue always rips. Okay, that made it easier because it was just as she said.

And then…

OHMYWORD!!!! I really lost it. It was lovely. Beautiful. I had opened it while sitting on the couch by the window. The sun shown in on it and the yarn SPARKLED up at me. Sundew. Amazing!

Dicksie had me count to see how many skeins were in the box. It was lovely, all neatly stacked in there, all facing one way, twists matching. In the above picture, you can see the skein on the far left is off. Ha! That’s the only one I’ve taken out of the boxes and I can’t seem to get it back in there right. It’s all so precise. So neat. Carefully arranged, just like Alice’s designs. So, I slide my hand down the side of the box and counted the layers. Quickly doing the math… 18 skeins in the little box.

Ohmy! Now the big box!? Beloved Dicksie. LOL! She’s wonderful. Again, she waited and talked me through cutting off the paper wrapping, opening the little latches in the front of the bigger cardboard treasure chest and…

OHMYWORD!!! More! And much more STILL! I could see, under the beautiful white tissue… there was a big envelope. Quickly, I slide my fingers under the VY sticker seal and pulled back the tissue.

A card with my name hand written on it. “Open it!” Dicksie prompted. (LOL! Dicksie? Did you know!?)

I did as I was told. The scissors sliced under the flap and across the top of the envelope. Open.

“Read it, Arline!” LOL! I was completely incapacitated. Here's what was written on the card.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations Arline!

Here is your prize from Michael ____. He tells us that my friend and expert knitter Dicksie is going to help you with this project. I wish you both many hours of happiness and like yourselves we are fervently hoping that Michael is going to make a good recovery. His courage, energy and generosity are a great inspiration to us all at VY.

Best Regards,

Alice

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are kidding me!? This is a dream, right? :) Pinchpinch. Nope. I’m awake. It’s real. A real, handwritten card from THE Alice Starmore?!!!

I figured out later how many skeins where in the second, bigger box, and I wept again. Michael was more than true to his word. He made sure I'd have enough to envelop my "fluffy" frame in Inishmore bliss.

Michael James is a Prince of a man. He is true to his word. There is enough of the most scrumptious yarn here… I could make Inishmore for a baby whale! LOL! Ohmy!

I cried over it all for a few hours. Now I just sit beside the boxes on the couch, every chance I get and gaze at it. I pull out that one skein and stroke it. So awesome. Such a gift. I’m unworthy, dumbfounded and blessed. “Happy” is trite. A HAPPYDANCE would be irreverant. While I AM excited, I’m breathless. There is time to savor it all. I’m busy with Inishmaan. Learning to read Alice Starmore patterns… and savoring every fiber and thought in this gift.

Such a gift.

Thank YOU, Prince Michael. Thank you, Dicksie. Thank you Virtual Yarns. And thank you, Alice Starmore.

I will never be the same. I am touched deeply, at my very core.

Thank-you.

P.S. You must know that all the pics were taken AFTER I settled down. LOL! I didn’t even think about it until afterwards. But I wanted to be able to share the bliss.
Onward!

Jessie's Trip

2010-04-13T04:41:00.000-07:00

Our darling Daughter flew out of the country for a week plus in Peru on the 14th of March. She went with friends and classmates from the parochial high school where she goes to school. She went, had a great time and came home. HA! In between she fell in love with Peru and I was a nervous wreck. LOL! It's one thing to have your teenager a few hours away for a week, but a totally different matter when they're half a world away. Here's a few pictures from her adventure. I'm SO glad she was able to go. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to all those who helped make this trip possible for her.

It may look cuddly but Jessie says sloths aren't cuddly at all.

One of the little Peruvian girls that Jessica fell in love with

Jessie and her friend on their way down the Amazon River

Now she's home and back in school. Life goes on. LOL!

HappyDAZE!

2010-03-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a kick of a day, let me tell you.

Darling Daughter was/is somewhere between home and her final destination in Peru. I could get all freaky over this but am deliberately choosing NOT to.

Sister #3/Dea called this morning to let me know that Sister #4/Lia was having a BAD day. Her dog, the one that has lived with my folks off and on (mostly on) for the last few years, has been so very sick that she finally decided to have him put down. Serious bummer. Called Lia. So sorry, Darling. So sorry. And Momma & Daddy. I know you all loved Leo. It's sad. I'm proud of your courage, Lia.

:: Rest in peace, Leo ::

Then the phone rang again. Another friend bearing tidings that were NOT happy. Spent time, off and on the rest of the morning and early afternoon talking to dear friends who are in various unpleasant situations.

*SIGH* I really love my friends and family. It's hard to watch and not want to wave my non-existant magic wand and make it all better. Bummer. But... I can and am there for them, as they have and will be there for me. That's what it's all about, right? ;) An ear, a shoulder, a caring heart...

This evening I found out that I've "won" (long story) a most glorious and generous gift. Really-truly. I feel as if I've been offered "half of the kingdom". Talk about a HUGE beautiful delicious and delightful cherry-on-top of this day. WOW! THANK YOU, Michael James!

:: Looks like I'll be able to make this afterall! ::

It's been a day. I got a lot of the work done that I set out to do. The studio did get some attention. Hurray! Tomorrow... LOL!

Tomorrow is another day.

HURRAYYYYY!!!! Bring it on! Just bring it on.

ONWARD!!!!!

And They're Off!!!

2010-03-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Sid and I took Jessie up to the local "International" airport this afternoon. We stood around and watched while she checked in and went through security. Our airport has a big THICK glass "cage" that everyone that has gone through security waits in. It's nice because we could see and visit via our cell phones and text messages. LOL! Funny! We waited about an hour plus before they boarded the plane, then we went out to the parking lot and waited to see her plain lift off.

16 girls, 1 boy and several adults. Lots of luggage. Each person took a carry-on, a bag/purse, a check-in and then one BIG HUGE trunk that was pre-packed by the gatherers of such things. Mostly backpacks and school supplies for the children in Peru. That's about 21 trunks of stuff that won't be coming back up when they return. Nice.

And so, she's gone. My darling daughter has been away for a week before. She goes to camp in the summer. A week each time. But this time it's for 10 days and it's a LOT further journey. She'll have a great time. She'll make new friends within her fellow traveling school mates. She'll get to see how other people in other places live. She'll get to go up and down and up and down... LOL!... in airplanes.

I'll be praying for her safety. I'll be praying that she has a wonderful trip and comes home soon. Mostly though, I'll miss her. Really-truly.

I love you, Jessica May! I truly-dooly do.

The Studio Challenge

2010-03-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Jessie and I snapped about 300 pictures today. LOVE digital. We deleted out the ugh ones and have a full and over-flowing 100+ left. HA! Nope, I'm not putting them all up here. Not hardly. But in the middle of all that snapping away, Jess went into my studio space and began taking pictures of the little bits of beauty. Here and there and...

:: baskets containing the parts for a couple quilts ::

:: a big jar full of tarnished SILVERware ::

(came with this house)

:: a little pillow that Jessica made for years ago ::

:: part of my brass collection ::

:: apricot-pineapple, blueberry and strawberry jams ::

:: part of my collection of "sticks" ::

:: never enough colored pencils ::

:: wooden thread spools ::

:: art books ::

:: a wee felt bear that Jessie made years ago ::

:: Jessie's pincushion ::

I came in and noticed that she was going around being VERY selective. Now there's nothing wrong with being selective. I mean, discretion is a GOOD thing, right? Well... that got me thinking. And here's what came out of that!!;)

We decided to take big pictures. Really-truly pictures of what the studio REALLY looks like. It's my studio, the place where everything that I could ever need to make anything I'd ever want to make. All the supplies are there. And there's a bit of Jessie's stuff. And there are cardboard boxes, empty containers purchased to help contain stuff, yarn, books, patterns, canning supplies... We don't have a garage or anywhere to store stuff that's not in use. No attic, no unused space in the basement. AURGH! So, everything that doesn't have a place finds it's place there, in the studio. All that makes it nearly impossible to move through the room, let alone be creative. Hate it.

So, here's the deal. We took pictures. These are the before pictures. When Jessica gets home from her mission trip to Peru on March 24th, ten days from tomorrow, I will have it clean or nearly. Organized, orderly and things thrown away, given away, donated... whatever. 10 days. How much can a motivated artist/mom get done in that amount of time? I guess we'll see, huh?

Here's the UGLY truth. ;)

:: Come on in, I'll show you around ::

:: standing in the doorway, looking right ::

:: Still in the doorway, looking straight ahead ::

:: looking a bit to the left ::

:: inside the room turned fully to the left ::

Okay, that's enough torture. :) I won't make you walk that narrow path. Can be dangerous! Anyway, you get the picture. What I'll do is post daily before and after shots. This has to happen and now is the time. Let "The Studio Challenge" begin!

ONWARD!!!!

My Baby Girl

2010-03-13T06:56:00.000-08:00

Reminiscence Thursday

2010-03-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

This week has been full of thoughts and doings for Matthew (his 14th birthday) and Jessica (her trip to Peru...flies out on Sun.). And so, here are sweet memories of them. ;)

:: Matthew's 6th Month Portrait ::

LOL! This picture always makes me laugh. Matthew LOVED that G-button. Sid picked it up at one of his computer conferences and brought it home for the kids. It became the "Good Button". If you're good, you get to wear it. Ohhh, how he'd prance when he had that big ol' red button on his chest.

:: Playing with the swing ::

"Grandma's Little Preacher"

:: Jessica's 6th Month Portrait ::

:: And Now She Toddles off to Peru???"

:: Here's lookin' at You! ::

:: Two Cutie-Pies! ::

:: Backpacking with Dad ::

And this is for David. ;) You've come a long way, Son!

Happy Birthday, Young Man!

2010-03-09T21:03:00.000-08:00

I've been sick since the weekend and not feeling energetic enough to do much but sit, lie around and sleep. Today I picked up my knitting again and my camera... Loveliness! I think I'm on the mend.

And today was SPECIAL day. It is our youngest's 14th birthday. Anti-climatic for him, to be sure. Mom is sick. No birthday cake, no big surprises. But I'm a believer in the concept of celebrating for the days before and the days after, any time in the month and we'll make it happen.

Today was a day of strange contrasts. Memories of the wee baby in my arms followed by the reality of a man child who is too big to sit in his momma lap any more. What he likes now as opposed to what he liked a few years ago. Now he wants a long board and unicycle. He loves history (same as me!) and math (NOT me, but like his dad)

This morning, we sat side by side and watched a documentry series on Auschwitz. When his dad came home from work, he went downstairs and watched "Hogan's Heros" with Sid. How's that for contrast!? Reality and comedy. How does that work?? Weird contrast. Strange and in my mind, wrong. I did a wiki-search and discovered that 5 of the actors that were in "Hogan's Heros" were Jews who were either in the concentration camps or escaped from Hilter's men. Interesting and more interesting.

So, the photos!!!

Our fabulous 14 year old, taken this morning while we were sitting together.

Happy Birthday, Boogie! ;)

My current knitting project.

Garter-Stitch Blanket designed by Elizabeth Zimmermann

This shot explains what I'm trying to do. LOL! Thus far I've knitted one "A" and I've past the first corner of a "B"... I've got a long way to go before I finish the two "A" units and the two "B" units and... I want this to fit on our queen-size bed with a nice drop over three sides, so I figure it's going to take at least 4, if not 6 of these four piece units to do the job. LOL! I'm in for a long haul!

It's interesting that I've gotten a lot of knitting done today since I wasn't busy click-click-clicking on my virtual farms. LOL! No surprise. Onward with that! I've not been tempted in the least to take it back up again.

ONWARD!!!

Virtually Crazy

2010-03-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

Over the last few weeks, I've been VERY busy. Extremely busy. I've planted corn, clover, lavendar and wheat. I've plowed, fertilized and planted apples, nuts, apricots, roses, and sunflowers. Busy, busy, busy. I've acquired a flock of sheep, a few cows, some chickens, a goose, a peacock, a cat and a pet mallard. I've built a horse barn, purchased a bed and breakfast and four guest cottages. I've put up miles of white fences. Yes, INDEED these last few weeks have been extremely busy. And...

Extremely crazy. Yes, in those busybusy moments, I sorta saw the insanity but... on I went working away, collecting cash and coins and building and planting and hoeing and...

Virtual farming. Not even close to real... I mean, what sheep do YOU know that eats wheat stacks, hulls and all?! Not!

It's *click* *click* *click* of the mouse and things happen. It only takes a few hours from the time you *click* plant to grow a crop of carrots to feed the bunnies and the a few seconds later the bunnies are ready to be sheared, their wool goes off to a fancy machine that "weaves" it unto sweaters. WHAT!? I'm a KNITTER You don't weave a sweater! You KNIT sweaters. But *click* *click*, things happen. Virtual wealth accumulates. Your farm grows, you buy more "land" and more and more and...*click* *click* *click*. "Just a minute, Honey, I need to finish harvesting these oranges..." "Oh, dear! I forgot to get the bees to pollinate before I harvested the clover! And now I won't have honey to use with the fruit to make fruit jams..."

Okay. ENOUGH! No more virtual farming. Enough. The end. Finished. Done.

In my real world, I need to get well. I've been sick for several days. So, sleep, drink, rest. No staying up feeding the cows to get the milk to make the bread... No. In my real world, my daughter is leaving the country for Peru in a few days. She needs help getting ready. In my real world there's always laundry and dishes and bread to bake and shall I mention the REAL weeds and the REAL garden that needs prepared for the REAL seeds that will NOT be ready for harvest in a few hours? :)

Back to reality. Reality is a pretty neat place. I've got several creative project going... painted and embroidered dishtowels (for ME!), a big huge knitted blanket for our bed, sewing...endless creative reality.

Reality is a great family! My husband is a sweetheart. I couldn't ask for more or better. Our kids are fab. My parents are super, my sisters... they are my friends AND my sisters.

Reality is sweet. Reality is quiet and calm and busy and not... No, I'm not emassing a fortune. That's a fact. But hey! Who cares! I'm having a BLAST in my REALITY!

Bye-bye virtual. Hello reality!

ONWARD!

2010-03-07T06:37:00.000-08:00

2010-03-06T22:26:00.000-08:00

Sabbath, yes, that's right. I go to church (usually) and observe Saturday as my day of rest. From sundown Friday until sundown Saturday, every week and since forever. I'm a Seventh-day Adventist and so are my parents and grandparents and great-grandparents and... you get the picture? ;)

So, how is it different from what the usual go-to-church-on-Sunday folks? Well, since I'm not one of those, I can only tell you how it IS, not how it isn't. This is how it is. Not the reasons, I'll save that for another time, but tonight I'll tell you what thats like.

As the sun goes down on Friday, things around here wind down and take on a quiet, friendly calm. Our family has supper and then sits and visits a while before having worship. Worship is a time to read aloud a book that we've chosen and then have prayer together. Then it's off to bed. Usually earlier than we do on most other nights, because we can! Love it!

Sabbath morning is a quiet starting day. No hurry or rush. Sabbath School (yeah, like Sunday School, I guess.) starts at 9:30am so there's time for showers, breakfast and getting dressed without the usually RUSH and bustle.

After Sabbath School is the church service. We have a new pastor, whom we all adore. He's from New Zealand, has a gorgeous accent and a wild shawk of red hair. He has a fabulous sense of humor, a deep and firm belief in God and His word and... Man, does he deliver a good sermon. Don't want to miss that. I always come away refreshed, challenged, energized, blessed and smarter. ;) What's not to love, huh?

Another fun thing, this preacher is not a clock watcher. LOL! He preaches until he's done and then he quits. He says, "What's the hurry, it's SABBATH!!!" :) Gotta love it. So, what that means is, we usually get home and start getting lunch ready after 1pm. (Note to self - Figure out the delay timer on the oven!) By about 2:30pm you're most likely to find us all happily fed and lounging around together in the living room. In fact, dessert is always eaten in the living room. Funny, huh!? Don't know how that got started but it's a good thing and we keep doing it. We talk and laugh and just BE together. Usually Sid and/or I will doze off at some point. Sometimes we'll find a better horizontal surface for that adventure, sometimes not.

The kids quietly entertain themselves. Always have. It's a wonderful thing. Jessie likes to draw, Matt is almost always on a computer, futzing around. Ben usually researches stuff in books or on the computer about birds or Native Americans or whatever...All of us are relaxed and low-key. Sometimes we'll go for a walk or hike. Sometimes I'll knit. Whatever. Easy. Gentle. Quiet.

We don't work during the Sabbath hours. Food prep, yes, but not clean up, generally. No yard work, no project that we need to get done around here. Sid doesn't do any of his freelance work or work for the University. We don't watch TV or listen music unless it is of a spiritual nature. (THREE CHEERS for Blue Mt. TV!) The overriding theme of the Sabbath is communing with each other and with our Creator. Rest. Rejuvenate. Re-Creation.

And so, today one of the things I did was walk around in the house, looking for beauty that needed to be photographed. FUN! Here are some of the result!

:: Young Techie on my Dapple (A Dell with an Apple sticker) ::

:: Ficus Tree ::

:: Orchid ::

:: Snake Plant aka Mother-in-law's Tongue ;) ::

:: Betta John and his new roommate Al ::

:: Hoya ::

:: Baby Christmas Cactus ::

:: Nature Collections from Sabbath afternoon walks ::

:: Read the words... look closely ::

Did you notice, like I did, that the beauty and loveliness is all Creator-made? Even the Young Techie! *wink* But the "Pile of Junk"... it was a wonderful thing for a while! Brilliant! Marvelous!!! And then, it got old and became a pile of junk. It took it's place in the trash after I snapped a few pictures and saved the keys for a future project. Interesting.

The rocks in the glass vase... how old are they? As old as the earth! And still beautiful and inspiring to me. The plants... growing, changing. Alive. Some were gifts, some I started from little cuttings. The baby Christmas Cactus came to me in the bottom of a box. Two little "leaf" joints made an accidental journey from Idaho to our home. I stuck them in dirt, kept it watered and now those two little original joints have grown into this little plant. How old is the mother plant that lives at my aunt's house? Who knows! But it belonged to my great-grandmothers and that's as far back as I know about.

I'm delighted with the little collections and bits of beauty around the house. And, I noticed today something that I've never been aware of before. There's a theme... to my decor. It's all about the organic shapes, the natural, the real pieces of nature.

I started this photo session trying to capture the "Pile of Junk" before it made it's final stop and then thought to capture some indoor beauty. How lovely, how profound and random.

Without really putting conscious thought to it, I've surrounded myself, inside our home, with the work of The Creator. The King of the Universe. My Heavenly Father...

Tonight I am reminded that I am a Princess and my Creative Father has created me creative. How cool is THAT!!!! LOL!!!

ONWARD!!!!

Creativity

2010-03-06T01:17:00.000-08:00

Since last night, I've been thinking about creativity and how it manifests itself in many ways besides the paintings that get hung on walls, the sculptures that grace a room or garden, the lovely vases... all those things are indeed the results of creative energy. Indeed. But what about how the way that the glasses are arranged on the shelf? Or how the clothes are folded and arranged in their drawers?

The reason for this wondering is that I've pretty much discounted my lifes artistic endeavors because I have based it on the thought that it had to be about paintings, ceramics, scupture and the like. And that hasn't been much a part of my life.

I've made lots of stuff, true enough. LOL! I wish I had a picture of everything I've made. Really. I have pictures of the knitting that I've done over the last year and that is a WONDERFUL way to look back and count up.

Sewing, quilting, beading, knitting... working in the yard, figuring out what goes where and what colors, etc. when we rebuilt this house. All those thing have elements of creativity. Some lots, some little. My knitting isn't usually creative as much as it is a craft. My skills improve with practice and I can see that at some point I'll have an understanding of knitting like I have with sewing and then I can just wing it. LOL! That'll be fun and funky!

There are somethings in life that aren't creative. Let's face it. Doing the dishes? Scrubbing the toilet and tub? And yet... Why not! I'm beginning to wonder if the elusive creative is attitude mix with action.

I think I need to get over the worry over not being creative. It's such a bowl of bunk. Heaping full and running over. LOL!

The bottom line is that I need to change my glasses and start seeing things in a different light. Create beauty with each breath. Every waking moment. Just let it flow. See it for what it is and enjoy the moments.

This is an afghan that I whipped up in a couple weeks, as a gift for my mother-in-law. In this picture it's damp and spread out flat to dry. Without doing this it's a funky knitted blob. Jessie is in the picture to get perspective on the size of this thing. It turned out very soft and lovely.

This one makes me laugh every time I see it. And, of course, there's a story behind it.

On Wednesday night, when my knitting friends get together, there is often the latest yarn purchases to show and tell. Some of the yarns out there are absolutely delicious and I've often suggested that perhaps I should bring a bib, because this beautiful stuff can make me drool! I'd hate to mess up their beautiful new yarn, ya know? Well, one day I came home and thought... Huh! I should MAKE a bib, as a joke, you know? The next morning I started rootling around looking for the right materials to make a bib out of and I suddenly thought of this stretchy t-shirt fabric bag that I had. The words on it and the picture are SOOOooo related to the subject at hand. Yarn! Fiber! Bamboo, cotton, soy... all these and more are used to produce yarn so.... Here's what I came up with. This is HUGE! It fits me shoulder to shoulder and...

the knitters loved it! They howled with laughter!

2010-03-06T00:44:00.001-08:00

It it GOOD!!!

2010-03-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

It's a VERY good thing to go back and look. This evening I've begun to look at old photos, looking for art projects that I've done. What I've come up with is an overwhelming feeling and a solid rememberance of what my life has been all about. Here, let me show you! And I'm starting a Arline Griffith-Nash blog tradition. Thursday Photo Memories.

Here we go!

"Baby David James Nash - minutes old"

The beginning of parenthood. My first seconds of being a mom. A life-changing, "Buckle up, here we go!" moment.

David has always been a wonderful big brother. This was David and Ben when we lived in Weiser, ID. Ben was about 2 years old, David about 4. Cuties! These little sweater hat sets were a gift from their Great Aunt Orpha. (Sid's Aunt) and they are in my one box of treasured kids clothes. Little things I couldn't part with. Sweet memories.

Payload!

This was the recycling from a big holiday weekend at Upper Lake Clementine, CA. We were the campground hosts for two summers down there. And after each weekend, I'd go thru all the trash cans and pull out the recycleables. Aluminum cans and glass. The money that I earned from this venture was my laundry and spending money. And yes! I wore gloves!!! LOL! Trust me! This WAS creative living. ;D

And this was "home" for those two summers. We have a ton of happy memories from there. (David enjoyed it so much that he proposed to Mandy there!) The bigger trailer was a whooping 16' in length. with a little loft bed up front. The other trailer was a utility trailer that Sid fixed up with a canopy. One year it was our storage, the next it was the boys' bedroom. Yes, indeed! This is creative living!

Enough for tonight. I need to save more for another Thursday and it's time for me to get busy PLAYING!

ONWARD!!!

Family Pics - 1970

2010-03-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Blog-watching

2010-03-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

The grandmother that I'm named after was an avid bird watcher. I'd like to pursue that but at the moment I'm positively taken by blog watching. I have the rounds that I do most every day. Starting at the top of the list (which my computer set up alphabetically and I've been futzing around with... favorites floating to the top. ;) ) and working my way down through all of them. Some of the blogs belong to knitters, some artists, a quilter or two. All women, I think. Except one. LOL! My Dad's blog. He isn't a woman, is he? :) And every time I go to a blog, I'm looking for something new. My favs, the floaters, are updated daily. I've already mentioned my love for pictures. Yes. Pictures are a must. Words I may or may not read but pictures? Love pictures.

Last night at my Knit Night, (mine because I'm a part of the group, not because I own it. LOL!) one of my knitter friends said that she visits my blog nearly every day and is disappointed when there's no update. LOL! Poor dear! There's not been an update for a month.

Anyway, I know what she means. I hear you, my friend.

So, blogging and blog watching. Can I do both? And play "Farmville" and "Country Life" on Facebook and now a friend and I are going to start playing Scrabble together online. (Doesn't that sound fun!? I LOVE Scrabble and no one here will play with me.) Oh! And just for a touch of reality, how about the other parts of my life. I really can't ignore those. My kids, husband, home... cooking, baking, laundry... ad NAUSEUM! :D You know what I mean. All that never ends.

As I've watched others with their creative endeavors, blogging is a way that they share and network. I suspect that their blogs feed their followers (which I have become) and then help the artist in some monetary way. I suppose.

What would that be like? To live creative, work creative and make money doing it? Hmmmm... Found a book at the library today, "The Artist's Guide - How to Make a Living Doing What You Love". Checked it out. Without looking at it, I'm sceptical. (YEAHRIGHT!!) "A living" is very relative. You can lower your wants and a lot of you "needs" and live on much less, true enough. You can write a book like the above and make $$ that way... I don't know. There are a few artists currently and historically who made a living with their creativity... but then again! LOL! That's realitive. Making a living? I don't have to MAKE a living. I need to suppliment our family income. So, it should be easier, shouldn't it? LOL! I don't know.

Another thing. My Mom's portfolio is here in my home. I pulled it out last night and shared it with a couple friends. I tell you what, I'm very much overcome with feelings of inferiority when I look at my mom's work. Or my dad's. Or my sister Lia's. And certainly my sister Dea's. They all do the most brilliant stuff. I'm amazed.

And so I blog watch. I'm continually looking at other artist produce creative things. And I don't do any of my own. The only time I've been creative, truly, was the times that I've jumped into a college art class and played like a dophin in the waves. OHMY!

I think there is a conclusion here. LOL! Truly. Two things (at least) prevent me from being as creative as I'd like. The first would be my reality-responsibilities. I wouldn't ever choose to leave those behind. Ever. No NEVER. And the other... the second thing that I know prevents me from getting out there and being endlessly creative is between my ears. Fear of failure. Fear that I won't be able to pull it off, that it won't turn out right that... And the overwhelming feeling of inferiority. They can do it SOOOoooo much better then I can, what do I think I have to offer...

Under the microscope of blogging all this, I can see that the first, the reality-responsibilities are a lovely, joyful and necessary part of life. It's the fabric and the foundation of my creativity. It's not negative, other than maybe in the way it eats time. :). And the second... it's just GOT to be dealt with.

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" This was on the front of a card that I bought and stuck in the front of a notebook that I keep current project patterns in. PROFOUND thought. Something I really need to ask myself continually. Over and over and over.

Another thought. Just PLAY. Play. Do it for the joy or it or it's not fun. It's scary and weird and... it doesn't work.

Tonight I'm going to ruttle around and find my portfolio. I really do need to look at what *I* have done. Look at what I CAN do. And then? Block out some time for the Playing and GO TO IT!? ;)

Shall we see how it goes?

Okay. Now, if you've read to the bottom of this tome, you're truly devoted and I love you to bits. LOL! No pictures tonight. Just a page full of words. But I really DO want to work on this. Really.

Thank you. Thank you to those of you that keep me coming back to your blogs (chances are you won't be reading this :D) and thank YOU to those of you who keep coming back to my blog, in hopes of finding something new.

ONWARD!

Practice makes...

2010-02-03T00:57:00.000-08:00

pictures!? Well, I have been working on taking pics with this fancier camera. I downloaded a huge bunch, sorted and deleted about half of them (not too bad!) and now, I'll share a few.

Multi-grain bread, right after it comes out of the oven. And yes, I'm back at baking bread, which includes grinding the grain first, of course. ;) This is something I've always enjoyed and now, with a lighter work load and in an effort to save money, I'm back at it. Oh sorrow! LOL! NO ONE is complaining, trust me.

When I was getting ready to bake again, I noticed that my bread pans were SADLY in need of being replaced. They only safe thing that I could think to use them for is to catch the excess water under my house plants. (I have a serious green thumb) NO more bread in these pans.

So, I went looking for new ones. Yikes! They looked toxic or were horribly expensive. Not good. Then I remembered... Momma use to use juice cans as bread pans!

Someone suggested that when these cans are manufactured, they use lead to seal the seams. AURGH! Did some Googleling and... nope. They use to, but they do NOT any more.

So, I collected some juice cans and here you have it! Neat little round loaves. It makes the coolest little round sandwiches, the kids love them. Love it!

These next few are some foto-noodlin' that I was doing the other night
when I was practicing with the camera.

Stuff around my computer. Happy clutter.

Shots of a couple of my favorite peeps!

It's impossible for this sleeping son to get enough sleep. Too cute. And the daughter's reflection in the mirror... it's blurry, but I LOVE it. It's a keeper. (the daughter, of course! LOL! But also the pic.)

A snap out of Daughter's room. The mannequins were kidnapped from my studio...

But it's okay. I know where to find them. ;)

These last to head shots are of a couple Tuesday Bowlers. The gal was passing by

my van and I snapped the pic through the rainy windshield. I like the effect.

What a great smile. This guy really likes Tuesday Bowling.

I really enjoy Tuesday Bowling, too. It's lots of fun. I rarely play, but I visit with my clients, the other staff and providers and their clients. It's relaxed. Easy. I always bring something to do, usually knitting.

Today I watched my 2nd son bowl with a former client (who moved into a group home and no longer required my services. My other clients and I miss her so we try to see her every Tuesday. A lunch and bowling date,) and I helped another client so some of her paper work.

AND!!! And I doodled on a canvas bag with pencil. The plan is to paint the bag this weekend and I wanted to get a design plan penciled in... so, here you have it. I'm starting the design... and then later, the ends and one side are pretty much done. I've got the other side to work on and some more filler, I think, but it's coming right along and making me VERY happy. Every time I look at it I GRIN! I'm excited!
Can't wait to work on it again.

And I'm getting tired. Seems logical, it's 1am. Insanity! LOL! G'nite!

The Thing I Love Most About My Favorite Blogs

2010-01-31T00:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, there is ONE thing that makes or breaks a good blog. Well, one thing that catches my attention and keeps me there. That one thing is pictures. I love the pictures. Close-ups of life-as-it's-happening. The little stories they tell. The tid-bits of inspiration... I love pictures.

I'm not a photographer. I rarely pick up one of our two cameras and shoot off pictures. I appreciate good photos. My parents were professional photographers during my first 14+ years of life but...me? And the cameras we have are so technical. I squirm and duck. I'm not smart enough to... it'll take to long to learn...

Well, pooh on that! Today I pulled out the manual for our best camera and... I'm on page 40 of 139. I WILL figure this out.

So, expect pictures and soon. ;)

Huh!? =)

2010-01-30T23:53:00.001-08:00

The question of common sense is always what is art good for? A question which would abolish the rose and be answered triumphantly by the cabbage. ~James Russell Lowell

Quotes

2010-01-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

I've always been drawn to quotes. Quotes about all sorts of things. In fact, in college I spent a ton on a big huge thick book of quotes, just for the pleasure of having it available.

This year I have a desktop calendar that, among other things, has a new quote for each day. This morning's quote was quite profound, especially for me at this point in my life.

"Noise is an imposition on sanity, and we live in very noisy times." - Joan Baez

Well put, Joan!

Now THAT is what I'm talkin' about!

2010-01-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up at 7:20am and stayed in bed reading until 8:20am. I'm usually awake before 4:30am, even on the weekends.

Sid says I haven't snored for the last few nights.

I feel calmer and less tired. More energy, but not using it except for puttering around.

THIS is vacation. Renewal. Rest.

ONWARD!
A

"Vacation" Days

2010-01-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

This week I declared "Vacation" for myself from Tues. until this coming Monday. Well... Okay a modified vacation? Something close? LOL!

Defining my "vacation" is in order. I'm still working with my clients in the afternoons, going out and doing what I need to do with and for them but when I'm home... I do whatever I feel like doing. Period.

So, Tuesday morning, after everyone left for school and work, I crawled into the hot tub and didn't get out for an hour. In fact, I floated on my back for a full twenty minutes straight. Thinking... "Relax. Listen to your heart beat. Relax. Breath in and out slowly." I even closed my eyes for most of that 20 min.

Now, I know that doesn't seem astounding. But let me explain. Up until this week, it's been hard for me to sit still in the hot tub and hard to stay in there for more than 30 min. LOL! Too keyed up, too much going on between my ears. So, this hour with 20 min. of it being a float... that's really something for me.

Vacation. Rest. Catch my breath and slow it down.

Wednesday morning I dipped pretzels and baked cookies for a friend's birthday. All alone in the house. No other humans, just the dogs and the cat. No music, no extra unnecessary sounds. My brain quieted down a bit more.

Wednesday evening is Knit Night. My favorite evening of the week. LOVE IT! I meet up with my knitterly friends and we have a fabulous time together. This group has been meeting for a couple years or more. Very diverse in every possible way.

Within just the spectrum of knitting, we've even got the entire level represented. Beginners to Master Knitters. It's great because I know that no matter what I attempt in my knitting adventures, I'll be okay! I get stuck, someone at Knit Night can help bail me out and/or show me how to do it. It's lovely. No fear. Onward! LOL!

Thursday morning I watched "Phantom of the Opera" and knitted. After that was over, I puttered around the house. Did a bit of this and a bit of that... quietly in solitude. Delicious.

This morning I had planned to putter around the house again but with a bit more focus and speed. My plants were needing attention and water, the blankets over the couch needed taken off and washed, the floors... And I did have to go out and work for an hour. Something came up that was unavoidable. But that was finished quickly, I got grocery shopping done (alone!) and then came home to fix a lunch.

Lunch was stir-fry. And the way we do that is like at one of those buffet grill places. All the veggies, etc. are prepared and in seperate container. Each of us took our bowl and filled it with whatever veggies, etc. that we wanted in our stir-fry and the each is cooked individually. With ramen or brown rice. Jess decided both. (one for healthy, the other for fun) Yummy and very healthy. Win win.

After lunch I set up the "barbershop" and cut Sid's hair. He was looking rather shaggy. For once, I didn't scalp him. LOL! Amazing!

Then back to the puttering and cleaning.

Lovely vacation, so far! Doesn't it sound like a vacation to you?

I guess thing elements that I long for the most would be -
     Solitude sprinkled liberally with long overdue and much desired phone visits with friends.
    Quiet puttering around the house, doing whatever.
    Sleep is very important, but my desire to make the most of my alone time has the sleep looking more like going to bed early and sleeping in an hour or so. No naps, but I may get one in tomorrow.
    Being at home, amazingly is a big part of it. Not running around in town or going some place. No, I just love being in my own home space alone. It's delicious and something I crave. So...vacation = home alone.
    Good food is a must. LOL! This time I'm thinking in terms of good for me, rather than the "fun" and fattening. So it's been lots of fresh fruit, whole grains, veggies and legumes. YUMMMMM!!!! Have you had a little Clementine or Mandarin yet this year? They are SO good and sweet. And Fuji apples? Is it possible to ever get tired of those? Snappy crisp and sweet juicy... it drips down your chin, better have a napkin handy! And pomeagrates? OhhhMY! I went online and figured out how to open them. Very easy! I polished one off for breakfast this morning. ;)

That about covers it, I think. The essential elements for my favorite vacations.

Don't get me wrong, I reallyREALLY enjoy traveling. I really do. I've enjoyed the conference type vacation where you go, take classes, shop... I enjoy traveling with my family! I like camping, even sleeping in a tent! Well, okay packing for camping sucks but once that's over it's fun!

I wonder... I wonder if someday I might be able to schedule in literal vacation time, away from work entirely AND sent my family off on a camping trip or something so that I could have an entire week of this vacation bliss? Hmmmm... I need to think about that one. Maybe it could be done! Just maybe! Even a few days!?

Stand by! The creative and motivated mind is at work! LOL!!!!

And while I'm thinking on that... I'm going to go have a couple "baby oranges" as my kids call them and then sit and knit.

What am I knitting now? HA! Dishclothes. 38 stitches across, cast on and stitch away for about 62 little rows, bind off, weave in the beginning and end tails... Quick & easy. In and out in a day. Knitting candy. And it's helping restock my gift cupboard! Love that!

Okay, off of here. I've got a really FINE vacation to plan, yummys to eat and stitches to stitch.

ONWARD!

HAPPY 2010!

2010-01-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

(The New Years Pretties gifted to me by Sid ;)! )

I wonder how long it will take me before I finally and easily remember that 2010 number when I write it on something? LOL! One time I caught myself writing 1980-something and totally cracked up. My levels of blissful insanity never cease to amaze me. HA!

So, it's a NEW YEAR! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Our family kicked off our New Years celebration with a fun meal of fancy artesian breads, cheeses (vegan, brie and havarti) and yummy fresh fruits (two kinds of pears and fuji apples).

When we had that cleaned up and cleared off, out came the games. Sid and the teens played Quad, a tick-tack-toe game on steroids, that Sid's had since he was a kid. The teens had a blast trying to beat their dad. They did, too! You should have heard the them. It was a show unto itself.

Ben and I opted for Dominoes and Uno, his two favorites. (And I like them much better than Quad, let me tell you. LOL!)

(He's putting them away in these two pics. We were ready for Uno!)

(I made the cardboard card holder years ago...makes playing Uno much easier for Ben. And he LOVES playing Uno!)

After the games... well... honestly? I went downstairs, flopped across our bed sideways with the intent to rest and read a bit and POOF! I was out. HA! After a while of peaceful zzzzzzz stacking, I was tortured awake by Jessie. "Let's go out to the hot tub, Mommy!", "Come on, MOM! You can't sleep thru the New Year. Wake up!" On and on it went, the endless lines of torment laced with liberal mix of guilt and temptation. LOL!!! And yes, I got up.

Into the swimsuits and out to the hot tub. (What a GOOD idea that hot tub has proven to be. It's a family thing that we all enjoy and can share... well, all that is except Ben. He hasn't been in there yet and isn't about to start now. Okay?!)

We shouted and whistled in the New Year from the hot tub. What FUN!!!

Back inside for some home made sparkly, (a can of concentrated fruit juice, I used white grape and raspberry this time ) using club soda instead of water...YUMMM!!!

(my new fav...straight and on the rocks)

The rest of the family finished up their celebrating with funny late night TV and I finished it up by going to bed "early". HA! I had to work this morning.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
May this year be filled with lovely and happy memories of times spent with those you love.
May it be spent doing something fun and creative, just because you can.
Be well.

BIG HUGS!

Espresso Afghan

2009-12-27T21:41:00.000-08:00

The latest project that I finished was the Espresso Afghan for our son and DIL, David and Mandy.

A year plus ago, Mandy sent me this picture out of a Pottery Barn catalog. "Arline, could you make this darker brown and without the tassels?" I don't know, could I? ;)

Mid-October I finally found and special ordered the perfect yarn. Bulky washable wool in DARK brown. By the first of Nov. I was hard at it with a deadline of Dec. 18th. That would leave enough time for it to travel via USPS and arrive in time for Christmas.

I didn't make the deadline. And yes, I cried. LOL! But I pressed on and took the last stitch about 4:30am on Dec. 24th. Now, it's packaged and ready to be shipped tomorrow, Dec. 28th. Maybe it'll be at their home in time for New Years? We'll see.

ANYWAY, here are some pictures. Pictures don't do it justice. They can't show "SOFT" and "SUPER-COZY". They don't show warm and "can I just stay under this thing forever?!" LOL!

Merry Christmas, David and Mandy! I hope you enjoy your Espresso Afghan for many Christmases to come. BIGFUZZYESPRESSOHUGS to you both.

This first picture is the one from the Pottery Barn catalog. I showed the picture to our local knitting Queen ;) and she helped me find the stitch pattern.

The afghan in this picture has been "blocked" and/orpressed to lay flatter with its stitches stretched out. I chose not to do that with the Espresso Afghan. I wanted it to look like it will right after it would come out of the washer and dryer. It's made out of machine washable wool. It won't have to be pampered, hand washed or dry cleaned. It's for living with.

Okay, here's pics of the one I made.

Folded corners

Close-up Texture

Ready for shipping

Another close-up

Opened up and stretched out - 48" X 72"

The final clean-up

The lint-picker knitter in Husband's bathrobe. HA!

Finished!

2009-12-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

There have been times in my life when I've thought, "I never finish anything! I start, start, start, but never finish." Well, that's never been true. I have finished lots of things.

In May 2008, I joined a "Facebook" for stitchers at Ravelry.com. The site is only a couple years old but there are currently over 563,008 worldwide. It's a fabulous resource for those who knit and crochet. I can't even begin to tell you all the wonders of Ravelry. If you're a stitcher, go there and join! It's free and you'll love it. I promise.

One of the features available on Ravelry is "My Notebook" where you can put up pictures of your projects, at whatever stage they're in, and write as detailed a description as you'd like. I've been posting my pics and descriptions since joining and here at the end of 2009, I reaped the RICH reward of my postings. I have a pictoral and documented record of the projects that I COMPLETED this year.

I was curious a couple days ago and so I went looking. OHHHhhYEAH! The list is lovely and long.

Espresso Afghan
Two(2) Apple Tree Scarves
Mandy’s Ruggles Reversible Scarf
Two(2)RasBaby Hats
Birthday Socks
Daddy’s Watch Cap
Drawstringed Bagstopper
Elijah Elephant
Eleanor Elephant
Montera Hat
Hemlock Ring
My First Sweater
Selbu Modern Hat
Matthew’s Koolhaas
Koolhaas for me
Jessica’s Koolhaas
NoroStriped Scarf #2

There's the finished list, thus far, for 2009. I'll work on pictures as I can get them saved and over here.

HURRAY! This list thing makes me VERY happy.

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

2009-12-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

We've been listening to lots of holiday tunes. I just love them, so we pack them in for a month and then... Poof! They're gone for 11 months. :) So, the title of this post has been running through my head...it is REALLY cold outside! 12 degrees F, according to the Weather Channel. Brrrr!!!

And in between running up here for a woolie sweater or a cup of something HOT to drink, I knit. And knit. And... well, I do have a delightfully fun destraction.

Click on this!

SNOWFLAKES!!!!

A really LOVELY holiday tradition, whether it's done with paper and scissors or online. I love making snowflakes. You can find the ones I've created this year on Popular Front by doing a search for "Arline" on "Planet Earth".

Peace on! (or Piece on, if you're a quilter. ;) )

Well, Of Course... Don't You?!

2009-12-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

Biting the Bullet

2009-12-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's not a bullet but... AURGH!!!

After several weeks of pure and simple denial, I had to admit that I do, indeed, have problems with my feet again. Plantar fasciitis. Ouch and bummer. It makes it nearly impossible to exercise. Sure, I can exercise, but I WILL pay for it. Yesterday I walked all over the Tri-Cities stores, shopping for groceries and Christmas. This morning I can barely walk. I hate this.

Here's a picture of where on your feet the pain can hit. I'm VERY typical. It hits me in the heel red zone and a bit toward the inside edge. Oyyych!

So, taking this "bull" by the horns, I just made an appointment with a foot doc and by tomorrow morning about this time, I should have this taken care of, or at least a start. The anticipation is gonna kill me! LOL! I'm a big weanie when it comes to my feet. Even the thought of a pedicure sends me into orbit, so this is going to be interesting. Looking forward to a pain free life... that is what will get me to that office and through the procedure. Whatever it takes, huh?!

On the knitting front... I'm stitchin' away. I've got until a week from Wednesday to get it done and into the mail so...

ONWARD!!! I will get it done, I will! I will!!!

Every Moment

2009-12-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

Every possible moment is spent knitting. I've got a big project going with a really tight (CHRISTMAS) deadline. I'd show you but then it'd ruin the surprise for the one(s) who will receive... So, ya'll will have to wait.

I started with 20 skeins, I'm about done with the 12th and... OHMY! I will NOT count the days. I WILL NOT! Just keep knitting!!! Knitknitknit!

Oh! I figured out how many stitches (approx) in this particular project. 79,360 stitches.

I'm learning bull-headed tenacity. That's a fact!

HA!

and HO-HO-HO!!!

Pup Pics

2009-11-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

Someone asked for pictures of the Puppy. Well, Peanut is 10.5 months old now. He's about as big as he's going to get, I suspect and he is a super-duper little dog. We all love him to bits!

He doesn't consider himself a little dog. He thinks he's a BIG dog. That translates into wanting to be outside a LOT, not really liking to be in anyone's lap (though he is getting kinda cuddly with me) and he LOVES to play with Tux. Which means that if he was clean and white... within a few minutes of rough and tumble outside with Tux, he's a little piggie. LOL! Oh well!

He's not the least bit destructive, he was super-easy to house break...practically did it himself and he loves his toys. The groomer gives him what she calls a farm cut but that doesn't prevent him from getting stickers in his fur. Tonight I get to comb out those long skinny velcro like stickers from BOTH of his sweet soft ears. He hates it but it has to be done. I have NO idea where he managed to find those stickers, I thought I'd taken care of them all but, apparently not.

And then there's Tux. He's our Border Collie. He insists that he IS a lap dog. LOL! I loves Peanut and is very gentle in his rough play. (not an oxymoron, really!) He has BIG brown expressive eyes and a nose that wants to know.

This weekend I was working on our walnut harvest at the dining room table. The pictures say it all. He LOVES walnuts. I think he probably gets more of the nuts that fall from our walnut tree than the resident squirrel couple. Maybe that's why he hates them so much, huh? He wants ALL the walnuts. No sooner had I pulled out my boxes and a bowl... Tux took up a station. LOL! He loves those nuts and wants to catch any crumb that flys out of my grasp. He just laid there, quietly waiting, hoping. :) I made sure he wasn't disappointed. Of course. How can you resist that sweetness!? Or his patience?

Crayola Doesn't Make That Color!

2009-11-29T09:53:00.001-08:00

Joy, Prayer & Thanks

2009-11-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Bits and pieces have been flitting through my mind over the last few days. Prompted, I suspect, by the season of Thanksgiving.

One of my childhood memories is hearing my Momma saying something about being happy when bad things happen to us. Huh?! That's insane! What kind of nonsense is that!?

Yesterday, our pastor preached on the subject of Thanksgiving. Timely, in more ways than just the obvious. At least, in my mind. He suggested that while we should give thanks to God for the obvious...all the things we list right off the bat. Home, family, freedom, etc., we should also praise God for the hard and seemingly bad stuff in our lives.

HELLO!!! What is wrong with this picture!? LOL!

And yet... looking back...

This picture is of our second son, all dressed up to play in the snow... wearing a helmet!?

In the looking back through the memories of my life, this picture shows a tiny bit of the absolute hardest thing that I've lived though and continue to live in. Benny was wearing a helmet to protect his head in case he had a seizure and crashed into something. But his troubles began earlier than this. His second birthday was spent in the hospital. Diagnosis - Insulin-Dependant Diabetes. And his third birthday was again celebrated in the hospital. This time it was for seizures that resembled an insulin reaction but weren't related at all.

There have been many times over the last 22 years with Ben that have been HARD and totally completely rotten. One of the lowest points was the fifty-three days of his 8th summer that were spent at Children's Hospital in Seattle. We thought we were going to lose him or at best, bring home a Benny-shaped vegetable. HARD summer.

During that summer, my parents came to visit and Momma brought Benny a children's book called "It Could Be Worse!" Cute book, as I look at it now, but at that moment, there COULD NOT BE anything worse. I was far from rejoicing or praising God for the circumstances that we found ourselves in. It was horrible, absolutely horrible.

But here's Benny now! This picture taken two days ago..

He's sitting on the couch looking at his bird book. He loves to bird watch and then try to figure out what bird it is that he just saw.

Of course, he still has the diabetes and the seizure. And now we know that what the "umbrella" cause of his problems is. He has a Mitochondrial defect, that's at the cell level. And the other thing we know is that it's very unusual for children diagnosed with Mito to make it to their 21st birthday. Benny will celebrate his 25th birthday in February and he's going strong.

So, give thanks? Praise God for these circumstances!? Is that absurd? Well, you know, in the moment it's really tough. I don't even think of thanks or praise. I'm just thunderstuck and in the moment. But, looking back, I can see God's leading and it's easier. It's much easier to be thankful in retrospect than in the present.

Today I'm grateful that God saw fit to let this mess happen in our lives. Yes, it's hard, but... Well, here... another picture I just found in my files.

I drew this self-portrait back in the late 80's or early 90's. I should frame it and hang it up somewhere where I can see it often. ;) It has some technical problems but hey... whatever. I love it. And it reminds me of the fact that I am NEVER alone. God has promised that He will never leave me or forsake me. He never has. Ever.

Another picture. This one of another period of my life that was hard.

(click it and bump it up in size. You've got to see the details)

This was home, off and on, for about three years. We were as close to homeless as I care to be. Was it hard?! Tough?! SURE! But there was always enough! Another picture! Same time frame.

That's our little Datsun station wagon. Loaded up with the recycling that I dug out of all the trash cans in the State Park that we campground hosted at. This was after a busy 4th of July weekend. LOL! The inside was loaded with all the glass and other recycling that we could find, leaving only enough room for me to sit and drive. The money from the recycling helped supply the "enough". I have a big butcher knife in my kitchen from that time, I found it stuck in a watermelon in the trash. LOL! It's a great knife and a reminder... He's never failed to supply our needs.

A lot of us are feeling the crunch from the current financial situation in our country/world. Our dollars are worth less, jobs are hard to find, things are tighter and scary. In my little corner, with the problems with Client C's dad and the possibility of losing half of my paycheck when she has to live somewhere else... Ohhhhh... I tell you, the last two plus weeks have been weighing on me. I'm constantly praying... "OH GOD!!! Show me the way out of this!? Show me what I'm to do!?"

This morning in my quiet time, I found and explored 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. NIV

Okay, I can do the joyful pretty easily. It's part of my personality, I guess. And, pray without ceasing. I can do that part. LOL! I'm glad God doesn't put up a "Talk to the hand!" hand when I whine and blather on. But, give thanks!? GIVE THANKS!?

Looking back is a GOOD thing. Remembering how God has led us in the past? A VERY good thing.

"Lord God? I want to live this verse. I want to be joyful, prayerfulled and thankful in ALL circumstances. Remind me of where we've been, give me the faith and courage to press on into tomorrow. Joyful! Prayerful! And THANKFUL!!!!"

Onward!

Momma's First Painting in College

2009-11-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

This isn't a great photo, but it's enough for this purpose. Momma painted this in her first college painting class Feb. 1985. She sets the bar pretty high. :)

Still THANKFUL

2009-11-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

Woke up with a start. I forgot two MAJOR things that I'm THANKFUL for! They're not things, really but...

- July 2007-

(any of the pictures can be clicked on and made bigger)

I couldn't and wouldn't be who I am or where I am if it wasn't for these two wonderful, beloved people. My Parents!!! I've had a relationship with them the longest of any folks on this planet and we all still love each other and love to be together. There was a serious gap in our holiday celebration yesterday, they weren't here! (along with our son and daughter-in-law) I'd have screamed and pouted a whole lot more but a girl needs to share. Right?! The four of them were at my sister's place near San Francisco.

If I could be the queen and make things really happen, I would buy the place just south of us and have Momma and Daddy for neighbors. I miss them.

Momma started having memory problems about 10 years ago. Alzheimer's. Matthew was three then. Jessie was 5. They don't remember her any other way. SOOOoooSAD! But I remember. My Momma is one of the most creative women I know. My earliest recollections are of her creative (YUMMY!) cooking. Back then if you'd go to her kitchen and open up the cupboards you'd think there wasn't anything to eat. There'd be jars and containers of lots of stuff but it's all ingredient stuff. Nothing to just pull out and eat. Nothing to just warm up, unless you'd open the fridge. Usually there'd be a warm-up-able left-over in there. ;) Momma cooked from scratch. And she could COOK!

Earlier in my recollections she was a retoucher for my parent's photograpy studio and then later for other photographers. She was SO good at tranforming those negatives! That's like what air-brushing is in today's modern photography. But that was labor intensive and wasn't reversible with a click of the mouse. She won awards for her phenomenal work.

- Pro-Photography Days-

The year she turned 47 she went back to college. Amazing. I have a painting right above my computer screen that she did in her first painting class. (I'll take and post a picture of it later this morning) UNBELIEVEABLE. She blew her teachers away. Within a few years she had completed all but her thesis to achieve her Masters of Fine Art (MFA). The highest university degree available to an artist.

Momma worked as an illustrator for a company here in Walla Walla until the Alzheimer's made it impossible. They say that one of the first things to go with Alzheimer's is your sense of smell. The second must be creativity. It's close.

Most of the paintings that Momma did in college were destroyed in a fire. There are pictures, I think, of must of her work, but still. OUCH!!! I have some of her ceramics from those days. Her major was in ceramics but when she left school, she never picked it up again. We TREASURE the works of her hands and mind.

Daddy is one of my best friends. That's a fact. He says we grew up together but... really!? Have either of us grown up yet!? LOL! Personality wise, we're very much alike. It's pretty easy for me to connect with him because of that, I think. We've had some great times, wonderful memories.

My Daddy takes such good care of my Momma. I'm so proud of him. I'm inspired by the love and devotion she showers on her. And that nasty disease has transformed her sweet personality into one that is rather hard to get along with at times. Daddy's incredible sense of humor has gotten him out of many a scrap with this new woman that he's married to.

When Momma started to not manage in the kitchen very well, Daddy set about to learn to cook and bake. "Can I do this?", he'd ask?! LOL! OF COURSE YOU CAN! Daddy is as creative as Momma is! It exhibits it self differently but WOW! So, with the help of the internet, some coaching and Momma's cookbooks he set to it. He's a GOOD cook now. He's mastered the basics and keeps exploring. I'm so proud of him!

Daddy went back to college just a year or so before Momma did. He finished his MFA. Get the picture!? This man is very creative and very talented.

And Daddy has a huge appreciation for music. When we were kids there was a massive LP record collection that we were encouraged to enjoy. Many genres. As a result, I have a great appreciation for many types of music and while I'm not a musician, by any means, Daddy's appreciation for this art was past down. It's a most lovely thing.

I think the thing that I'm most grateful for when it comes to My Dad is that he's always been there for me. When I need a shoulder, he's there. When I have an idea to bounce around, he's there. He's a good listener and a good talker. LOL! I appreciate that so much. I always know that he loves me dearly. Not only because he says it in words, but he says it with his eyes and actions. LOL! There's nothing like a DaddyHug.

Momma and Daddy have been married for 53 years. They have four daughters. US! Arline Marie, Lora Lea, Deanna Cheri and Linda Glee. Even our names are creative. All of us girls got a big dollop from their combined creative gene pool. And now there are 11 grandkids... music, art, culinary and more.

- Christmas 2004-

And so, this morning-after, I wake up, remember and am absolutely swamped with love, admiration and gratitude. I love you Momma and Daddy. THANK YOU! Thank you SO much!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T23:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! The day is done and I'm heading for the horizontal in a few minutes but first... BLOGGING! ;)

I planned to take lots of pics today, but alas, I got busy and forgot. Jessie took a few this morning. When everyone woke up this morning they woke to the smell of pumpkin and apple pies and fresh baked dinner rolls. I handed her the camera and... here's the best of the results.

Three Vegan Pumpkin Pies (SOOOoooGood!) Three Fuji Apple Pies (OhhhhYUMMMM!)

White and Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls. Some coated w/ wheat bran or poppy seeds or sesame seeds OR

with pizza seasoning herbs mixed into the dough. Nestled all together in the same pan to raise and bake snuggled. Pretty and fun, not to mention delicious

We have a lovely day. Good food, family and friends. There were eight of us around the table. After the food was cleared away three of us tackled a new jigsaw puzzle. It's got a 1000 pieces and the goal is to finish it by Christmas. (that and a few other things. LOL!)

What am I thankful for this year. It's been running through my mind all day. There are many things, but I'll list some here.

~~ An ever-present personal God. The more I know and experience, the more I love and am grateful.

~~Sid, my husband. As I think about what I was looking for in a man when I was out there looking... (like it was an intellectual thought?!) I didn't have a clue. But THANKFULLY, I ended up married to Sid. In our 32 years together there have been the normal ups and downs but I love him more today than yesterday. I'm SO grateful for this GOOD man in my life. I'm thankful to have him be the father of our children and my partner in raising them. ;)

~~My four fabulous kids. What can I say, I'm so proud of them all! Each very different from the others and yet...there are wonderful commonalities. I love my kids! I'm so proud and grateful to be their Momma.

~~My daughter-in-law. I had four kids and said ENOUGH! But, I was wrong. It wasn't enough. :) I'm so grateful that my eldest son found and married my beautiful, sweet daughter-in-law. She's as different from me as you could imagine and I love her all the more for it. I'm blessed and grateful.

~~My three sisters. Through thick and thin, they have been there for me and with me. I love my sisters. I wish we lived closer together, I'd love to see them more often but...there's always that cell phone and email. ;) Reach out and touch.

~~My home. Even though it's not "finished" the way I would like it to be and may not be for a very long time. I love this place. I'm grateful that we landed here. What a blessing it's been to live here.

~~My job. Of course the income is something to be grateful for, but more than that, I love the fact that I'm able to make a difference AND that I can do it without sitting in one place all day long. I flit around... here and there, all day. Never boring. And I'm so grateful. PLUS, I have been blessed with the most wonderful clients ever.

~~My friends. Over the years friendships have come and gone, many have just changed. But then, I've changed. It's all good. I'm SO grateful to be where I am right now, with the people that I am with right now. My heart gets bigger, growing and maturing. My life is richer, funnier and the "load" is lighter. I'm grateful for my friends, past and present.

~~I'm grateful for electricity. I take it for granted... and then the power goes off. Even if it's only for a few minutes, it's painful. ;) I'm spoiled, I know. But I'm also thankful to have it.

~~I'm grateful for computers. It's love/hate, generally, but it helps to get and keep me connected to folks.

~~My cell phone. Another love/hate. LOL! But it's mostly a lovely thing, because of the connection thing and because it's a tool to help get and keep me organized. Since I need all the help I can get with that... I'm grateful!

~~Water. This is one that's easy to take for granted. Really easy. We've got a good well out here on the "farm". Our water is good and it's cold. This summer we got a used hot tub. Ohhh, the bliss after a long day like today (I was up at 3:30am!) I love water. Hot showers followed by cold, back and forth... love it. Water is my favorite beverage. Pass my water bottle, will you please? Water to cook and bake with, water to clean up with. Water to wash the clothes and mop the floors. Water to help keep all my MANY indoor plants alive. Water to freeze into ice cubes for that really cold drink. Water for the garden and yard. What would we do without it?! I'm grateful.

~~ My snuggly bed. LOL! That special place where I hit the horizontal. Bliss. Cuddly warm flannel sheets in the winter, crispy, cool cotton sheets in the summer. Always, there's the nearly weightless down comforter. Sometimes a quilt. My funky buckwheat hull pillow. Ooohhh, I'm grateful! LOL!

What's that sounds?!!!!??! Did you hear that?! What is it?

Ohhhh!!!! I know!? It's my bed calling my name. Hear it?! "Arrrrrrleeennn! ArLEAN!!!! Come here, Princess! No peas under this mattress. Come, relax... Sleep... rest..."

How can a girl resist that, I ask you?!

Onward! ;)

**Thursday Morning Weigh-in

2009-11-26T04:23:00.000-08:00

Exercise is painful, at best. I'm not exactly sure how to solve this except for keep going with the food plan until I've lost more and my feet don't feel it as much. I dunno. And the food plan has been working pretty well. There's always room for improvement, I know, but...

Today's weigh-in -- 251 pounds. I'm down 6 lbs. from my start 21 days ago. It's not going fast, but it's going.

In the past I've been able to lose weight fast because I did the food with exercise. Some might think extreme exercise. LOL! It doesn't seem extreme to me but then...what do I know!?

The happy moment this week was putting on the first sweater I knitted. I finished it this last spring and thru a unfortunate machine malfunction, shrunk it immediately. It was so tight in the arms and the body that it felt like a girdle. UGH!!! Tuesday night I put it on and there was give in the sleeves! I could move and bend! The body part was a little looser, too. OHYEAH!!!

I'm SO grateful!! Thank YOU, GOD!!!

I live in GEEKSVILLE

2009-11-25T21:24:00.000-08:00

Here's pics from right after I got off this computer after writing the last post. HA! The house is quiet, why should I complain? JUST what I wanted tonight. Time to decompress and they have been unknowingly filling my need. BLESS THEIR HEARTS! LOL!!!!

First the DadGeek - He's working on some electronic thingie. (it eludes me, what can I say)

And then the ManBoyGeek - sitting on the East side of the living room

And DaughterGeek - sitting on her bed downstairs

And last but not least - BoyGeek -on the West side of the living room

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse... okay, the dishwasher is running but hey! That's GOOD! ('specially since I didn't load it! Jessie did! LOVE that girl!)

Nope! I'm still breathing! Really!

2009-11-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

And I'm actually okay and even GREAT in many ways! Work has been more than hairy but, all is well tonight.

This afternoon I was blessed to be able to talk with the head social worker at the local Dept. of Developmental Disabilities.(the folks who send me my paycheck) You know, what I do as a service/care provider is SO much like being a parent. The similarities abound. Starting with there is no manual, no how-to instructions, not even much in the way of how-not-to. I'm wingin' it most of the time. Going on gut, reason, conscience and prayer. A wing and a prayer. Yikes! Anyway, in talking with the head social worker, I was able to settle down in my soul. She affirmed that what I'm doing/have done is good, fine, great. We're in slippery ground sometimes and it's just GOOD to know it's okay.

And then tonight I was able to talk to a client's family member. Again, it's such a wonderful thing to be able to communicate and verify that we're on the same page as to how to proceed.

So, prayer, gut, reason and conscience... it seems to be working. All is well.

HOWEVER! LOL! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I come into the eve of this holiday absolutely wiped out. We'll have family, etc. over for dinner and I'm not even sort of ready. YIKES!!! LOL! I've surrendered to the exhaustion and will be heading for bed before 8pm (that's about 25 min. from now). I'll be up EARLY and it WILL all come together and be wonderful. It will. And YUMMMY!

Last night I had two people say that they've missed my blogging this week. Well, I am flattered. And amazed! LOL! You read this stuff?! I fell incredibly blessed to have you in my life. THANK YOU for noticing and for commenting. I do want and need to be here writing it out.

There are two things I've observed about the blogs I love to visit...(you'll find a list of lins somewhere here to the right) The first is that they are blogged on regularly. Most every day. The other thing (SO important for me the visual babe!) is that there are PICTURES! So, that is what I'd like to work on. Daily. Yes, daily (though there are times when it just can't be) and pictures. LOTS of pictures!

So, here are a few pics from the last week... gotta catch up, right?! ;) The wonderful, great and beautiful... Gotta love 'em!

These jars of applesauce make me HAPPY! Other than my first go at jams this summer, this is the only canning I've done this year. I'm almost glad that this IS all, but... Anyway, I'm HAPPY I was able to get these canned. Yippee! And this batch is DELICIOUS!!!! YUMMMERS!

Sid brought me home this beautiful Amaryillis. I've really enjoyed it this week.

Ben's in the background. This week has been a painful adventure for him. Starting on Friday... pain in the side. Sabbath he lost his cookies first thing in the morning and Sunday found us in the ER. He was in PAIN! Guess what! A kidney stone. So, he's been home this week drinking lots of water and taking it easy. Yesterday it passed and today he's much better. WHEW! He's glad that's over. LOL!

This isn't the greatest picture... I'll try again later. My grand-aunt and uncle gifted us with this STUNNING orchid. I have so enjoyed it. She made sure there were several buds on it so we'd be able to have extended beauty to enjoy and it's been lovely and amazing. I never thought I was an orchid type until I was gifted with one... OHMY! I love them! Plants that is. I've still have an aversion to the kind you pin on your shoulder. ;)

And finally a picture of the most beautiful part of my week. Down-right-gorgeous if I do say so myself! ;) This week our daughter experienced her first "prom". At their school it's called a "banquet" because there's no dancing but it's the same basic idea. Fancy dresses, hair, makeup... girls and guys... this one was a girls-ask-the-guys event but Jessie decided she'd rather go with her girlfriend(s) so... they all meet at the tall beauty on the top rights house to get ready. They helped each other with make-up, hair, dresses...then three of these girls pictured had dates, the rest hung out together. After it was over they and the three guy dates went to the home of the middle front's home for an after-party. FUN!!! Anyway, if you don't know who MY favorite beauty is, she's the one in red on the left. :) I'm proud to be her Momma! Hair all swooped up, all grown up looking. *SIGH* What can I say?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVE!

**Thursday Morning Weigh-in

2009-11-19T04:47:00.000-08:00

The moments of truth... doncha just love 'em?

Okay, this week I did stay away from the sugars and the free-form fats (the loose runnin' around kind, detached from it's original source, i.e. corn oil detached from the corn cob, etc.) The between meals thing got sketchy a few times and the "enough" did, too. Exercise was almost totally avoided. I walked on Thurs and Friday but then didn't walk again until yesterday when Sid and I were having a discussion in the car, I was driving and then... I decided walking was a better option. I pulled over, got out and walked home. (a couple miles) LOL! Well, it worked. Cleared my mind, calmed me down and we talked later after I got back home. So, we could say 2.5 days of exercise out of 7? That's not okay. And yes, I knitted on some of those non-walk days.

One thing that has remained consistant (THANK GOD!) is my quiet time in the mornings. Yes, indeed, THANK GOD!

So, today's Thursday and it's time for me to get up on the scales and see what the physical results of this week are.

~253~

Down a pound. Not much. On the "Biggest Loser" this would be my day to go home. But, I AM home and it's okay. Not great, but okay.

A pound. Ever noticed how big a pound of butter fat is? ;) Okay, I'll not complain...

I'll just get on that TREADMILL!!! 7 out of seven this week. Walking EVERY day.

ONWARD!!!!

You know you're going TOO fast when...

2009-11-18T21:30:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday was a crazy day. Top to bottom, just plain crazy. I was busy all morning running around trying to "redeem the time" around here and get stuff done. Busybusybusy.

"OoohNO! I'm out of time!!! I need to go pick up my client from her work! But first..."

ZOOOMMmmm off the the shower. Hurryhurryhurry. Get out, get dressed, fix hair and face and... OUT the door.

Into the van and it's pedal to the metal. Well, not so far that I get a ticket. Just keep zippin'. Zipzipzip.

Got to her work just in time and we were off to whatever it was we were doing that afternoon. I don't remember now. But we picked up Client D at her place and the three of us always have a good time!

You know what they say about how time flying when you're having run, right? Well, it flew by and then it was time to take Client C back home.

In an earlier post I talked about what we found when we got to her house. I won't go into detail, but basically we found her dad unconscious, had to call 9-1-1 and... we know now that he had a stroke. All this was, OF COURSE, very upsetting to Client C. At some point it was overwhelming, so Client D took Client C outside for a little walk down the road. I stayed behind because I was the only one there who know anything at all about C's dad.

At some point, I knew that the paramedics had things under control and my "help" was no longer needed, so I went looking for my ladies. Up the driveway and down the road. I met them and we walked back to the house together. Stopping a couple times for hugs.

About half way back down the driveway I realized something. OHHhNOOOO!!! And then I started to LAUGH HARD! C and D couldn't figure out what was so funny. I mean, this is NOT a funny situation. Well, when I showed them my discovery, they HOWLED right along with me.

You know what I discovered? You'll never believe it. LOL!!!! (well, if you know me you might. ;) )

I had put my jeans on BACKWARDS!!!! (okay, okay. I'm fat enough that the button and zipper are unnecessary. I just pull 'em up and over the belly and they stay put.) Can you believe it!? MESSED UP! When I put them on I thought it was kinda strange that they needed to be rolled up in the front to fit but... they actually fit better backwards and stayed on better BACKWARDS then they do when they're on right!?

OHME!!!

You know you're going TOO fast when... you put your clothes on backwards and don't figure it out for HOURS.

Ohhhh! I hope no one noticed before I did!

LOL!!!!

Where am I?

2009-11-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

For the last few days I've been trying to think of what to say here. I've started a couple posts and I'll continue to work on those but... for the time being, here's the facts. ;)

My client C's father is now in a care facility. While I haven't received the final word on this, it looks like I'm out about half of my income. C will be cared for by her family or a local group home and my services will no longer be needed. I will MISS her terribily, to be sure. And the income... well...

So, over the last few days I've been on the road called "Trust". I'm not real good at this one, I guess I need this practice.

What I'll do from here remains unclear except for a VERY clear "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" (Ecclesiastes 9:10) and the phrase "the work that lies nearest". Well, working here at the "nearest", could keep me busy for a long while. ;) but it doesn't do much in the way of payin' the bills.

Food and exercise have been a bit dicey. Not off the charts, by any means but, I must be very deliberate and conscious about my choices. Food is my chief default mode (more on that later) so this is also an exercise in surrender.

"You are my Rock and my Fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me."

I'm here at home now, except for about 13 hours a week when I'm out with client D. There is MUCH to do here at home, but the pull is toward sitting around, watching TV and knitting. (I DO have knitting that needs done but...) or toward the warmth of my bed and sleep. I don't think that's what this time of partial unemployment is about.

So... ONWARD! "In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust"

"Did you have a good day?"

2009-11-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

This evening I got a text message from my Sister Dea. (picture from July 2007, David & Mandy's wedding)

"Did you have a good day?" the text message said. Instantly I wanted to TALK to her, not text her. LOL! Technology. PPpsst! And within a few minutes we were visiting over our respective cell phones. She was waiting for her son to finish football practice and I was up to my elbows in apple peelings. Technology. Love it, hate it. Over all... it's truly wonderful. I'm grateful.

So, in answer to her question... did I have a good day? I'm not sure I would call it good. Interesting? Yes. Stressful? Yes, off and on. Terrifying? Absolutely, but there again, off and on. :)

Yesterday afternoon the inevitable began to become reality. My client C lives with her aging father. He has been sliding downhill for the last year that I've been in their lives. Each day I watch as his memory slips away. Each day I see him going, going. And for a months I've worried, fretted and then remembered to PRAY for the best possible outcome for him and for my dear client. I knew that at some point, I'd no longer be able to help C because her life would be turned upside down and she would move into another place. My service wouldn't be needed and... Well, yesterday, I believe we got a lot closer to that day. Maybe yesterday was that day. I don't know yet. All I know is that C's beloved Dad is in the hospital with a possible stroke. It seems unlikely that he will be able to take care of himself, much less C in the future. But I don't know. Time will tell.

When I got home from work yesterday, there was NOTHING I wanted more than anything to eat anything and everything in the entire house. EAT!!!! I want to EAT!!!! I ate a simple supper and RAN downstairs, away from the food. Over the next few hours, I kept exclaiming that I wanted FOOD. Our kids were sitting around with me and Matthew would say, "No Mom, I'll sit on you to stop you if you need it." HA!!! I love it. I did eat too much popcorn but it could have been so much worse.

So, stress, terror, interesting, mixed liberally with prayer, Bible promises, brainstorming, surrendering.

I feel like I'm at a cross-road again. Where am I going from here?

I called one of the case workers at the Dept. of Developmental Disabilities. (where my paycheck comes from) He rattled over some places I could go to apply for a job. There aren't any available clients through the DDD.

Sid and I have talked about what our needs are. It appears that I'd need 20 hours a week at minimum wage to be able to cover the expenses. Or... we could sell our place and I wouldn't need to work at all... And off my mind goes again. And again, I have to surrender the thoughts and feelings, the fears and anxiety. Again and again.

"Did you have a good day?"

Along with all this my mind rolls over and over again the words that I'm hearing as I walk and listen to "The Hole in Our Gospel". Add to that what I'm reading in my quiet times. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matt. 22:37-39

How can I come to terms with the extreme needs of my "neighbor" (those without parents, home, food, clean water...etc.) juxtaposed with our families "needs". Lord! What do You want me to do?

Surrender.
Surrender.
Surrender.

Some things, many things I don't understand or know. MOST things actually. But I believe that the God of the Universe, the one I call Father and Lord...I believe that HE knows ALL the answers and when He's ready, in His time... He'll make it very clear to me what I can and should do. I'm claiming this verse as my very own today...

“I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see where they’re going. I’ll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country. I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don’t fall into the ditch. These are the things I’ll be doing for them—sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.” Isaiah 42:16 (Message)

How was my day? :) Absolutely AMAZING!!!! I can't WAIT to see what tomorrow brings! LOL!!!!

ONWARD!!!! YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeHAAAaaa!!!!

P.S. If you're so inclined, please pray for and with me. I would really appreciate it.

Enough - another go at it.

2009-11-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

This morning I was struck again by the word enough.

Ben and I were on our way up to Mill Creek to pick up Client C and then get them both to work on time. As we zoomed up the road I was listening to the radio. Normal. Nothing unusual about that. HOWEVER! This time what I heard reached in, grabbed my heart and gave it a serious twist. Ouch!

A couple weeks ago, my friend Angie told me about a book she'd read that was really fabulous. When I got back home, I got online and purchased the audio version. During my walks, I've been listening. OH! The name of the book! It's "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns.

This week we got an unusual gift catalog in the mail... this one has live animals, seeds, fruit trees, fresh water and meds and... you can donate money to help provide these things for others in this world of ours who really REALLY need them. http://www.worldvision.org/

And you know, God's been talkin' to me about what constitutes "enough". Enough food, enough clothes, enough stuff...

So, I'm listening to the radio... boppin' up the road, goin' to get C and... OUCH!!! The radio station is hosting a "Rice for Cambodia" campaign. They were talking about this village where the elders were rationing out the rice to each village member. They made sure that everyone got one handful of rice each day.

ONE HANDFUL A DAY!? ONE HANDFUL A DAY!????

My mind raced back to my kitchen counter where a big cooker full of brown rice is cooking, it zipped over to the fridge that's FULL of beans, salsa, soy milk, veggies, fruit... and then zipping again, out to the freezer that is packed full and the outdoor refridge and...

ONLY ONE HANDFUL A DAY!???

Oh Lord! And to think I was feeling so smug this morning about having my weekly $$ for groceries. I can go down to any market and buy anything and everything on my list and we'll add to my --- ENOUGH!!!

A 50 lb bag of rice costs approx $10 and includes a kilo bag of iodized salt. A ton of rice costs $400 and feeds 40 families for a month.

Our monthly food budget is more than enough to feed 80 (EIGHTY!) Cambodian families for a month.

I cried. And I made a call. 1-800-355-4757 Positive Life Radio - Rice for Cambodia http://www.plr.org/

I didn't give nearly enough.

Okay, FatherGod, show me more. Soften my heart and teach me YOUR ways.

ONWARD!!!!

**The Word Behind Me

2009-11-12T05:32:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard God speak to your heart? I'm not talking about an audible voice, but in the quiet of your mind, have you heard Him speak? He promises that He will speak to us and I heard Him, yes, I did and I made a conscious choice... wait! I'm getting ahead of myself!

There's a text in Isaiah... Isaiah 30:21. "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it..." Sounds good to me! Sounds GREAT actually! I want to hear that word behind me directing me, guiding me through the forest of life. Absolutely!

Yesterday was pretty cool. I started out with a nice solid quiet time. Never "solid" enough but then... I've already talked about my enough issues. LOL! I made a list of the things that I hoped to get done during the day. A nice long list filled with lots variety. I planned the meals ahead and set out. Thoughout the day there were many interruptions and distractions. With four other people in the house... how on earth could there not be. I get distracted when I'm alone! In spite of that, I was able to accomplish the high points on my list and was feeling quite fine about it.

Luppertime came. (And no, that's not a typo. Lupper is what you get when you have a brunch at 10am. There isn't time to have lunch AND supper so, you have Lupper. ;) ) I'd fixed up a nice big pot of pinto beans, made a big bowl of salsa, got Sid to help me with the Sunny Sour Cream (excellent non-dairy alternative! Yum!) and we were set. I looked at the clock. OHFUDDLE!!!! It's only an hour until my knitting group meets. MUST EAT!!! And I started putting the food on my plate. Haystacks! (taco salad) One of my favorites! And it's ALL GOOD!!!!

Have you ever noticed how this sort of thing grows on your plate? You start with a little of this and then add a little of that and that and... before you know it, you have a mountain of food! That's what happened to me. It was ALL good stuff. All within "da Plan"! Veggies, legumes, grains (Lay's makes a nice baked corn chip) topped with that Sunny Sour Cream. YUMMY!!!!! DIG IN!!!! Okay, it's a mountain but it's ALL GOOD!

I was in there with my shovel, hurrying along...munchmunchgulpswallow-repeat...and I started to hear that Voice. You know, that one in Isaiah 30:21. "The faster you eat, the fuller you're going to be...Slow down!" "Yeah, I know God, but I've got to hurry! I don't have much time and I'm really HUNGRY!" "Slow down, Arline!" "Can't!" munchmunchgulpswallow-repeat. (A bigger fork, please?)

It wasn't long before I heard the Voice again. "Enough?"

Now when you're bolting food, you don't get the physical sensation of fullness until long after you've overdone it. I was bolting, I knew it, but God in His mercy called to my heart. "Enough?" Did I listen? Sure! I listened! I heard Him. I looked down at what was left on my plate, a nice little pile... "Want to finish this..." and dug right back into it. OINK! And yes, I finished every single morsel. Delicious! At least what I was able to taste was delicious. Bolting doesn't leave much room for actually tasting.

Then I was UP and off to get ready and get out the door. KNITTING NIGHT!!! I love knitting night.

On the way... OY! I'm FULL!

The thing that bothers me about eating too much is about 15 - 20 min. later, I get the grogs. Where's my cot, folks? I need a nap. Lovely, just lovely. That means I can't think clearly, I can't even knit properly and more importantly, I can't HEAR properly. Dangerdanger! Within a few minutes after finally getting together with my dear knitter friends I flubbed up on my sweater projects. Oh Poooh! Fine. Picked up the afghan project. I'll just work on this...OHPOOh! It happened again. And, I was a befuddled mess all evening.

Lord God, when will I get this? It's all well and good to hear Your voice. I WANT that! I want MORE of that. Absolutely. But if I choose to ignore You and choose a different path, You let me. You don't stop me, pitch a fit, scream and yell... No, You let me choose and do exactly what I want and then... I get reap the rewards of my actions. Your way is always best. Always. THANK YOU for Your mercy and longsuffering patience. Thank YOU for picking me back up again. And again. Thank YOU!

~~~~~~~~~~Shifting gears~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been a full week since I started on this blogging etc. journey. And this morning it was time to get back up on that scale.

254! I lost 3 pounds this last week! When compared to Shay (on Biggest Loser) and her 17 lb. weight loss in this last week's show, it's pitiful. BUT! Who's comparing!? THIS is reality and I've had a GOOD week! THANK YOU GOD!!!!

One more thing. Blogging has to happen in the morning. In the evening my computer is occupied by a 13 year old math student and once he's done and gone, I am done and gone. :)

ONWARD!!!

P.S. Woke up at 4am (YES!) to the words, "Absolute Surrender". I know that's what He (God) wants and so, I'm starting to read the book "Absolute Surrender" by Andrew Murray again. Wonderful little book. It's been a LONG time since I read it. It's time.

Enough

2009-11-10T23:20:00.000-08:00

Today was the first of what I suppose will be many days of discovering what "enough" is.

As I look around my small corner of the world, my one acre with me in it. I see lots and lots of TOO MUCH Too much stuff, too many pounds, too much fabric, weeds and stuff I just can't seem to part with. GRIEF!!!. I don't seem to have a gauge for what most folks intuitively know is "enough" I'm clueless! No enough gauge!

This morning, after eating MORE then enough of the good stuff, I fought to stay awake for the next hour while I drove up to pick up my client and then taking her and Ben to their work. Got them there on time and then finished the circle and coming back home. When I got back here, I feel into bed for another couple hours of sleep.

SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!

I went to back to bed thinking it must be the left-overs from being sick this last month. Or maybe the great exercise that I'm getting now is taking a toll? I woke up knowing that I was simply overloading on the food. None of it has been off "da Plan". It's all GOOD. But come on, how much do I really need? How much is enough?

So, I prayed about it. "God, it looks like I broke my enough-gauge. Since I can't run down to Schucks and get a new one of those ... Help me get this! Show me what is "enough"!

Lunch on Tuesdays is at Subway. I take my three clients out (dutch-treat) for a sub sandwich and then we head over to the bowling alley for a couple games.

Subway? Well, that's healthy! I always get a... well... I guess I don't always do anything, do I? ;) So again, I surrendered my idea of what was normal and enough to my Guide. "What would You have me to do?"

I ended up with... enough! LOL! A 6" whole wheat veggie, no cheese, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, green peppers, onion and then I added the half of an avocado that I'd packed in my purse from home. Prayed that it WOULD be enough and chomped in. Yummmmmm!!!!

One thing I know for a fact. I eat way to fast. SLOWDOWN!!! Don't enhale it! Enjoy! Savor! That's hard to remember, let me tell you, especially when you're a habitual food bolter.

Anyway, today was a GOOD day. I walked an hour on the treadmill, knitted a bunch, worked, planned for and got lunch started for tomorrow, ate the GOOD "da Plan" stuff and... now I'm off to bed.

OH! Watched "The Biggest Loser". Love/hate that show. But I'm glad I watched it. If I could only watch one show a week... that's the one I'd pick. If they can do it,. I can too.

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day and my kids will be home from school, Ben doesn't have to work and Sid is sick. My services as a care-provider aren't required and so... It should be a FINE day, home with the family. Boy, do I have plans. LOL!

ONWARD!!!!

Oy!

2009-11-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

I was in bed and asleep before 8:30 last night. LOL! When I work up at 4:30am and trundled my way up here to the computer, I found Matthew's math stuff all over. Apparently life goes on without Mom's presence, huh? HA!

Anyway, yesterday went pretty well. I walked around Bennington Lake with a friend and her pups. Good walk. Ate the good stuff but when suppertime came, I was STARVING (yeah RIGHT, Arline! Get a grip.) I think what happened is that I bought a bundles of lovely smelling cinnamon sticks and hung them from the rear-view mirror in the car. The smell is delicious but... I'm thinking it may STIMULATE hunger or at least the elusion of it. Anyway, I'm taking that down this morning. LOL! I had popcorn and apple slices for supper. I couldn't get the hot air popper to work after the first batch so, I did a batch the old way with oil in a pan. Not quite the same. LOL!

Today will be hoppin'. I've got a plan of action and a plan for my food. I've had my quiet time and...

ONWARD!!!!

The "Picture"

2009-11-08T22:41:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, my counselor asked me to put down in words what an "ideal" life would look like. I thought about it deeply and prayerfully and here's what I came up with.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• I have a tight constant contact with God. Every morning, first thing, He starts my day and we talk. We continue throughout the rest of the day; every second. I am aware of His presence and I’m at peace with whatever comes because I know He is with me.

• My body is slim and fit. The principles of NEWSTART** are part of who I am. I take the best possible care of myself.

• My children rise up and call me blessed. – I’m connected and involved with our children. I help them grow into competent, capable, happy adults.

• Her husband also, and he praiseth her. – He gets what he wants. A clean house, happy children and a wife who is slim, at peace, productive and head-over-heels in love with him.

• My home is clean and orderly. Everything has a place and is in its place. Inside and out, there is elegant simplicity with thoughtfully placed (and hand crafted) furnishings.

• I am a good steward of my time and money; being careful not to waste them, but instead, investing them in our future.

• I am a artist, actively using my gift of creativity.

In summary, my life is a picture of peace and comfort. Congruency and continuity are exemplified.

Oh! And one more thing. I own and drive a Prius and/or a highly-efficient car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HA! Okay, I threw in that last line as a joke and that one has changed. The original "ideal" was a lime-green VW Beetle.

Over the years, I've come back to this "Picture" and it still holds. This IS what I want from my life. I'm sure that God has other things in mind, but at this point, this is it.

I narrowed it down a bit in my "Focal Points" post in August. And now those are posted to the right as a reminder.

So, this is the beginning of the "Picture" that I am, by the grace, strength and continued guidance of GOD, trying to produce. This is the "Picture", He has/is the Pattern and...

ONWARD!!!!

I'm "knitting" a life. A stitch at a time.

Onward, indeed!

**NEWSTART is an acronym for Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunshine, Temperance, Air, Rest and Trust in God.

Following

2009-11-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend's meetings ended about 1pm. Or at least that's when we got back home.

Good stuff. It was all basically the same words and messages that I've heard before. A new slant, a new story here and there but the same basic messages. HOWEVER this time what I heard was different. It feels like God has taken a Q-tip and cleaned out my ears.

I came out of this weekend's experience with two major life-changing thoughts. The first is "Who's in charge?" This isn't a new thought/question, but this weekend I heard it different.

All my life, or most of it, no one has been in charge. Either because I wouldn't let them be or because they didn't/couldn't step up to the plate. I don't know.

Sure, my parents were "in charge". But as my beloved Daddy and I joke around at times, we grew up together (Are we grown up now, Daddy?!) Perhaps it was a case of the blind leading the blind. I don't know. The GOOOOOOood thing that I came out of childhood with was that I was loved. I knew they loved and do love me. Never a question. And, you know, as far as parents mucking up their kids lives? HA! I tell you what, I wouldn't trade in my parents for any anothers. NO how, NO way! But... I still have sorta gone through life undirected, no one in charge. And woe be it unto Sid if he tried.That wasn't happening. And it wasn't that he hasn't tried.

At the same time I'm not a type-A person who makes a list and then just DOES it. In a lot of ways, important ways, I really need "a parent". I need direction, instruction and guidance. I need someone to be IN CHARGE. I just flail around, spinning my wheels, running in circles... It's simply not working. Never has.

One of the blessings of knitting is that I'm learning good things. Love that. The most profound, thus far, came from my friend Winnie.(Thank YOU, Winnie) "Arline, just do what you're told." What?? Follow the pattern directions? HA! I am creative enough, independent enough and stubborn enough that sometimes I think I know better than the pattern directions. I question it. I doubt it and... Well, think about it! If you don't follow the directions, you don't get the results. Know what I mean?

As with knitting, so it is with life. Who's pattern am I following? Am I following ANY directions? Am I really just flailing around, spinning my wheels and going in circles?

HELLO!!! Is this working for you? Are you getting the results you want? Does this look, even remotely, like your "Picture" that became your "Focal Points"? (a list to the right of this writing) Are you even heading in that direction?

Not!

So, okay, back to the question. "Who's in charge?" Who is the designer of this life of mine? Who is the Pattern? Who am I listening to and following? All good questions. So, who?

The words of one of my favorite authors come to mind...

"Satan takes control of every mind that is not decidedly under the control of the Spirit of God." - E.G. White

WHOOOoooA!

It's my belief and understanding that there is one Power, God, is wanting me to LIVE and have an "abundant" life and there is another power, Satan, whose sole purpose is to DESTROY me. He doesn't care how, exactly, just so he keeps me away from THE other Power and then take me out. Dead. Gone. The end.

So, if the above words by EGW are true...What am I doing? Who am I choosing? Who is in charge of my life, my days, my minutes, my choices? EGW said it's "decidedly". That means, doesn't it, that it has to be a conscious CHOICE on my part? I have to decide. It ain't just gonna happen!

Hmmm.... Interesting. I get to choose. Not only do I GET to, but I have to. I must choose. It's the ONLY way to get anything different than what I've already been getting and will continue to get UNLESS...Unless I DECIDE - CHOOSE to be under the control of God. Every second? Every breath in and out.

Constant contact. By choice. Decidedly.

Okay, now the second "revelation" from this weekend. It's such a DUH!!!

Hmmm... How old was I? How long ago where those first classes in the low-fat, high-complex carbs, vegan lifestyle. How long has it been? Well... I think the first classes were "NEWSTART Homestyle". That was before we started our family. Our eldest, David is 26, so it was at least that long ago. 26+ years? I was in my mid-twenties.

Now, this lifestyle thing is something I fully agree with. I have a firm understanding of it. I've taken several classes and read numerous books on the subject. I know how to cook and bake and... I do it with grace, ease and flair, if I do say so myself. ;) I KNOW this stuff.

And the cool thing is that when I eat this way, it is super easy to lose weight. It just falls off. But! And that should be a BIG FAT BUT! My "besetting sin", my addition, chief coping mechanisim is FOOD! And we're not talkin' carrots and bananas here. Nope! When I'm into the food, it's all those fatty foods, animal products and sugarsugarSUGAR. And when I'm into those things, there isn't no such thing as "full" or "enough". There is NEVER ever enough. I never feel full. I'll eat until I run out of food, money or time alone. (food-crazy binging is most often secretive)

So, back to the "revelation" of weekend. I've heard Jim talk about his diet lifestyle before. He refers to it
often as "carrots and bananas" and I know what he's talking about this same vegan, low-fat, high complex carbs lifestyle. I've heard it before! But you know what I HEARD this weekend? It's such a DUH that it just cracks me up!

Jim doesn't eat that way because it's the "right" thing to do. He doesn't eat that way just because it's healthier (though it is), he doesn't eat that way so God will love him more or save him because he does it. NO! No. He eats that way so that his mind can be as clear as it can possible be. He wants his mind to be sharp and clear so that he can HEAR GOD'S VOICE calling to his heart.

OHhhhhhhhhMY!!!! Oh my. Oh my.

I heard it. The divine Q-Tip does good work.. I heard you, Jim. I hear you, Lord. Thank you. Both of you.

And so now, the reason I change my lifestyle, the reason I go back once AGAIN to eating the "carrots and bananas" is not to lose the120+ lbs. It is not to become fit and trim. It is not to avoid the obvious diseases associated with obesity. It's not even to prolong life. All of these are good, desireable and completely within God's will. I know that. But no, it's not about these anymore. These are the perks! From here on, THE REASON I must choose, the reason I do choose to change my lifestyle is so that the God of the Universe, my Heavenly Parent can speak and I will be able to hear His still small voice. I want to hear His gentle, tender, loving words calling to my heart. I want Him to parent me, to lead me and guide me on to the abundant life that He has designed just for me.

"Just do what you're told, Arline. Just do what you're told. If you want it to turn out like the picture that comes with the directions, you have to do what you're told."

Yes, Lord. Yes. You lead, I'll follow.

ONWARD!!!!!

Long Daze

2009-11-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

What I'd like to know is how long, exactly (or even close), does it take to acclaimate to the Daylight Savings Time changes. AURGH!!!! It feels like it's so much later than it is. LOL! The sun goes down around here about 4:30pm. I guess the true knitting season has begun, huh? ;)

Today I did everything except the exercise. And I DID knit, a lot.

We go to church on Saturdays/Sabbath and this weekend some of our friends are in town doing a special weekend of meetings at one of the local churches. ANYWAY, there was a meeting last night, four today and there'll be one tomorrow morning. There wasn't any time at all today for exercise, but there was copious knitting opportunities. I worked on my February Lady Sweater in the morning and then switched to the afghan that's going to be a Christmas gift. Well... the afghan was NOT a good idea for a meeting situation. it requires a bit more thought then I could give it and... Although, in the end it was a mistake that I made about a skein back that caused me to... FROG (rip-it, rip-it) about 4-5".

I remind myself when I do any frogging that I knit for pleasure and ripping it out and doing it over again means I get double the pleasure. Today it's hard to swallow that one though. Kinda like swallowing a fly and I'm NOT a frog. LOL! Oh well. I'd rather do it again and know it's right then not fix it and it'd always bug me.

The meetings have been really good. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's talk as well.

In the mean time, I'm ready for a nice soft horizontal surface and a great deal of shut-eye.

Friday... I love Fridays!

2009-11-06T22:16:00.000-08:00

Especially now that I have a job outside home. I LOVE Fridays. :) I love my job, too, most of the time but Fridays mean I get to hunker down and hang out at home. Park the van and leave it there. LOL! My 100 mile a day average ends when I finish work on Fri. I may go 10 miles over Saturday and Sunday. If that. OHYEAH! I LOVE Fridays!

Today was a good day. I did wake up at 4:30am. Had my QT, but it was HARD to stay awake. So tired still. I think being sick a couple weeks plus ago is still pulling at me... I wipe out easily. But anyway, I had my quiet time and then made a MASSIVE pot of minestrone. Ya know, I don't know if it's possible to MAKE a small pot of it. I start with a dab of this and a dab of that and... before you know it my largest kettle is so full it's hard to stir without spilling it! HA! But it is SOOOooo good that I don't mind a bit. I'll be eating off it all this next week. Lunches are figured and done. Yum!

Wanna see? The picture doesn't do it justice, sadly, but here's one.

And no, I don't have a recipe. ;) Let's see... potatoes, onions, garlic, celery, green peppers, carrots, cabbage, frozen mixed veggies (peas, corn, carrots, green beans) a can of dark red kidney beans, a can of white kidney beans... what are they called? Cannellini! Half a can of black beans, a couple hand fulls of barley and LOTS AND LOTS of canned tomatoes. Oregano, basil, salt, vegetarian "beef" seasoning...

Anyway, it looked better before, the picture does NOT do it justice and I WILL be enjoying ever bit of it thru next week. I may share... and then again, I might not! HA!

I said pictures and I have pictures. Several, so here goes.

First one from David (eldest son) and Mandy's wedding - July 07. I weighed 180 lbs, still heavy but...

LOL!OHHhh, to be there now! The guy I'm snuggled up to is my husband, Sid and we were about to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.

And these were taken this evening. The first is "attitude". For reasons we can't figure out, the proportions are WAY off, making us look like our legs are short and our bodys are wide(r). This time I'm with my youngest son, Matthew. (CUTIE!) And the picture beside it is better proportions but seriously lacks the spontanious attitude of the first. LOL! So, ya get both.

One more. This is a CLOSE-UP taken last May at our daughter's 8th grade graduation. I cropped thewiggies out of it... don't you just love the glasses? :)

OH! You must see the darling daughter that I CLEAR out of the picture! BadMommy!

Which brings me to my latest dream. See that girl? Well, under that graduation gown she has on a most gorgeous dress. We found it, fell in love (she tried it on 4 times!) and we had to buy it. Nevermind that it cost more than my wedding dress! (which was homemade, so maybe that's not a fair comparison...) Let's see... do we have a picture of Jess in the dress? No! NOOO??? (rolling my eyes!) Okay. We must get a picture of the Jessica in her dress.

My dream? To be able to fit into that dress. LOL! I didn't say WEAR it anywhere! I figure that this old skin isn't going to bounce back and that I'll have angel wings on my underarms and extra skin other places too. I don't car if I don't go out of the house in it, I just want to be able to get INTO it and still breath.

So, this weekend I'll see if I can get a good picture of Jessie in her dress and I'll have something visual to dream on.

As for the day and how it went with re: to "Da Plan". THANK YOU, JESUS!!! One more day done and done well.

Spiritual food before physical food, walked an hour on the treadmill (my feet thanked me for not doing asphalt again), kept to eating only at mealtimes, nothing in between. And ate the GOOD stuff that will help me become healthy, fit and trim.

I know I can't do this on my own. The verse, John 15:5 really resounds in my heart and mind. TOO TRUE!

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." Ya think!? That's ME, Jesus is talkin' about. It is only by abiding (sticking close, staying connected throughout the entire day) in Him that I have a chance at a new and better life.

You know, if knowledge was the answer, I'd NEVER have had problems with weight! (And I've had this issue all my adult life) I KNEW (took classes in nutrition/health/etc.) how to do this thing when I was in my early 20's. But knowledge doesn't change the heart. There have been times when I've been able to lose some of the weight... between my first and second sons, I lost down to 145 lbs! WOW! I looked and felt great! And I did it then, as I've done it every other time since, but getting off the refined sugars and fats and sticking to the fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes... the good stuff. ;) Every time it works. It's a sure thing. But... this time, I want it to not just work in getting the numbers down on the scale and the life back in my step. This time I want it to be permanent. For the REST of my life, I want to have a clear mind and an agile, healthy body. HOWEVER!...

It's one day at a time. Today was grand. I'm so grateful. Now, off to bed. That will help set me up for another great day tomorrow. OHYEAH!!!!

ONWARD!

**Sometimes it's just going to happen

2009-11-06T01:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, sometimes this is just going to happen. My plan was to write everyday, but by the end of yesterday (Thurs.) I was SO exhausted that by the time I had access to my computer (Matthew uses this computer in the evenings to do his math homework. How can I really complain about that?) I was already horizontal and asleep. In bed by 9:20, asleep within seconds. So, the writing didn't happen.

Now, it's midnight-forty ;) and I'm up getting a cup of herb tea to help still the coughing that interrupted my nights sleep... and while the tea brews... I'm here, doing what I had planned to do yesterday. LOL! I'm only 45 min. late, right? HA!

How'd it go yesterday? OHYEAH!!!! Stuck to the plan. The exercise happened by crossing Beet Rd. (the road we live on) and heading up toward the five McMansions on the other side. There's a nice trek over there, up and down hills, a loop that can be gone around and around... My only complaint is that it's all paved and that's pretty hard on my feet, but... I walked around up there and then back home for an hour. LOVE IT!!!!

Ultimately I'd like to be getting up around 4:30, having a nice long QT (quiet time) and then a walk and THEN come back to fix lunches, get breakfast on the table and begin the buzzy business of the day. ;) That's the best way, in my opinion for this to work. Then I can have a leisurely breakfast BEFORE I have to hit the road to pick up one of my clients and get her (and Ben) to work. That jaunt is an hour long journey that ends with me pulling into my drive at 8:45am. If I wait to eat until I get home... it really delays everything, making it hard to get lunch before I go back to work at 12:45... And the last couple days, I didn't get breakfast until LATE (11am yesterday) which messes big time with the rest of the day's schedule. I had "lunch" at 5pm yesterday. CRAZY!!! It worked, in that I ate soundly and sanely but... no, that is NOT what I want to be "normal". SO...I'm going to set my alarm for a while, until my body clock starts waking me...and just GET UP at 4:30am. And on mornings like this one will be, after my being up in the middle... tough! Get up anyway!

Stick with the plan, as much as possible. No wimping out or weak excuses. Just DO it!

OH! One more thing before I drink my cuppa and go back to bed! I weighed myself yesterday. You know, ya gotta know so that you KNOW, ya know? ;) And now I know.

I'm starting this process at 257 lbs.

Doing a bit of math here... that's 77 lbs heavier then I was on July 1st, 2007 (my eldest son's wedding). The pounds are easy to pack on, let me tell you.

And that 257 lbs is... (doing the math again...) 122 lbs away from my goal weight of 135 lbs. Nearly half of me, huh? Well, so be it! With the strength and grace of God...

ONWARD!!!! Just keep going. Keep comin' back and doing whatever it's going to take.

Onward indeed!

Pictures this evening. That's the plan. ;) LOL!

Sip the tea and back to bed... 4:30 am being the joy of a new day. :)

Da Plan, Da Plan

2009-11-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

LOL! No, I'm not Tattoo! (remember Fantasy Island? :) )

So, here's the plan...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spiritual food before physical food

Exercise before knitting

Avoid animal products, free-form fats and refined foods.

Eat more fruits, vegetables whole grains, tubers and legumes

3 meals/day - Breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess and supper like a pauper

Nothing between meals except water and herb tea
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And today, by the grace of God... I did it.

1 hr. walk around Bennington Lake this morning, so this evening, I can knit with great joy!
QT (quiet time) happened before I had breakfast and...
I stuck with the rest of it to the letter.

Off to my Wednesday night's knitting group. HotDIGGITY!

P.S. I forgot that tonight's knitting group was to be a party...food, food and more food. Ohmy! But, I made it via a cup of herb tea, prayers and knitting. A perfect end to a perfect day. Truly a HOTDIGGITY!

My Thinking Put Down In Words

2009-11-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week a friend asked me how my last doctor's appointment had gone, what were the test results? Thankfully everything came back negative. Whew! I was a bit jumpy there for a bit. With the lifestyle that I've been living, the weight that I've packed on over the last couple years... I'm just askin' for trouble and I know it. Thank GOD all is well.

However. Why on earth should I wait to make some serious changes until after I have serious medical problems? Hello!!! Wake up, Girl!

I told my friend that by tonight I'd have a plan of action. She could hold me accountable.

Accountability is a rather heavy thing, you know? No one else can make me do something or anything. Not really. This changing stuff has to come from inside me. Planted, I believe, but God and nurtured by my action and His power to do the doin'. So, my friend (and you know who you are), you're off the hook. LOL!

This is between God, me and the universe at large. For it is true... this Bible text... Hebrews 12:1 "we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses..." Everyone who knows me is watching, folks that don't know me are watching. a great cloud/crowd of witnesses. Ya'll are watching and I gotta tell ya, it's powerful stuff for bad or good. I know that for a fact!

Over the last couple years I've become a virtual hermit because of the "witnesses". I didn't want to see their eyes looking at my ever-expanding body. I couldn't deal with the less sensitive ones who would say things like..."Ohhh Arline! You've gotten so.... BIG!" Yeah, someone said that. Really. And so, I took the negative part side of the great crowd of witnesses thing. I withdrew as much as was possible. The extremely extroverted Arline became an devout introvert. Yeap, that's negative. I just got more and more depressed and that triggered me into eating more and more and...

Okay, I've got a problem. LOL!
Today, I'm doing a paradigm shift. Can't you just HEAR the grinding of gears? ;) Today, I begin to think of the "great cloud of witnesses" as my friends. Friends who look on and cheer me on to a better lifestyle and a healthier me.

I've written a "Plan of Action". I'll post it here in a minute. And I'm sending a massive mass email to just about everyone I can think of. LOL!
PLEASE do not feel obligated to read a single word here. Comments to my postings are appreciated, of course, but there's no agenda here. I'm writing and posting each day for MY benefit, if someone else gets something out of it, FABULOUS! If you think I'm nutter-then-a-Christmas-fruitcake...LOL! Let me assure you that I am.

Feel free to read/not read, comment/not comment.

"

Thunkin'

2009-11-04T01:02:00.001-08:00

Thinking, thunking. I've been thinking and thunking. Posting my thoughts before noon. Buckle up!

Focal Points

2009-08-29T06:03:00.000-07:00

This is good. Really good.

Sid had my computer worked on this week and with that came the new version of MS Windows. I'm up to date now, but have lost all my bookmarks. AURGH!!!! Good thing I refreshed my blog a few days ago. Most of my favorite places to visit are listed to the right of this page and that made it easier to redo my bookmarks.

And there's a weird one. Bookmarks? There's no BOOK involved! Why do we continue to call them bookmarks? LOL!

The other good thing is my list of "focal points" to the right here. As I read down them this morning, I asked myself how I did last week, or even yesterday on those.

Let's see... Checking them off as I go...

Constant Contact w/ HP
Best Care of Me
Irresistible Spouse
Connect w/ Kids
Home Improvement

Oops! No check marks. Didn't do so hot, huh?

I can almost check "connect w/ kids" because I had some time with Jessie after her swim practice. But what about the other kids? So, no check mark.

Best possible care of myself? LOL! Now there's a laugh. I don't EVEN want to get into that one.

Constant contact w/ HP (Higher Power)?

Okay, okay. Back to the center here. Rein it in. What's important, Arline. What do you REALLY want at the end of a day?

Getting distracted from my focal points, my objectives, etc. is one of THE biggest griefs of my life. Maybe having them here, in broad daylight will help me keep them focused, or at least, perhaps, my eyes will flit by them more often. ;)

Find the focal points. FOCUS!

Bitter and Sweet

2009-08-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

My sister just sent an email about the bitter sweet reality of kids growing up. I'm about to echo that. LOL!

Today is the first day of High School for my daughter. She isn't thrilled and I'm reading that is "scared". But then again, maybe reality has sunk into her, too. HS isn't all fun and games, it's a LOT of work. She is tall, elegant and beautiful. She carries herself with confidence, even if she's lacking it inside. She's smart and determined. This year she'll be on swim team. Awesome! And she's got the best job on campus, working with computers and for a peach of a boss. She'll get to be with her friends more than last year...

And today is my youngest child's first day of 6th grade. Ohmy! He has grown a LOT this summer, physically and I hope in other ways. I hope this growing means that there has been a decided shift in his brain to match the one in his voice. He's such a sweet, smart kid. And he inherited his mother's hyper-distractability and overwhelm. ;) Ohhh, I hope this year is better for him. I hope he's matured enough to handle the homework, the projects AND the social part. (He also inherited by social ease. LOL! NO problem there!)

I've been mothering for half my life, exactly. The oldest has moved out and is married now. I look at him, whenever he's around and wonder. How on EARTH did that happen!? He is incredible. He astonishes me! I LOVE to be around him and see again who he has become. Wasn't it just yesterday that I held him in my arms, there in the rocking chair in the house he was born in? I remember looking at his tiny little face in the pre-dawn hours and seeing the MAN in his face. The man he would become. OHMY!!! Now, he IS that man. I'm amazed.

Our second son will always be a special part of my life. He'll probably always live with us because of his medical and developmental issues. He's my Always Kid. He's helpful, generally agreeable, quiet and easily entertains himself. He has a job 4 mornings a week that he enjoys. He has friends at work, friends on the bus, friends at his dad's work. He makes friends where ever he goes. :) Like his mom. And he amazes me. I'm so blessed to have him be my son.

We thought we were done having kids. We were busy raising Kid #1 and Kid #2. and then... HELLO!!!! SURPRISE!!! Here came our daughter.

I'm so glad we have a girl. Girls are so different from boys. The way they think even. LOL! Yesterday when we went to do the final part of getting her into school, we saw this boy with huge black caterpiller eyebrows. She looked at me, to see if I had noticed. I looked at her to see if she's noticed. No words were exchanged but our eyes connected and we grinned and giggled that we were, once again, on the same wave length. Ohhhh! Being on the same wave length with your children is a MARVELOUS thing. Rare, at time, and oh so sweet. LOL! AND she'll learning to drive. OHMY! She will be a good driver. I just know it. She careful, observent and gaining confidence daily.

And then we're back again to the caboose child, our youngest son. He is a wonder. High energy and yet can't seem to move a muscle when asked to do something that doesn't agree with him. LOL! I guess he's just a typical pubescent boy. Zits, a crackly voice, the whole thing. He's cute and handsome all at the same time. He continues to remind me of his oldest brother, there is a strong resemblence and yet... he's his own self. If it has to do with a computer, he's all over it. If you can't find him or hear him, it's because he's somewhere working on his computer. Sure, he plays games and stuff, but most of the time he's working on his website or figuring out some program or... geeky stuff. If I have a problem with my electronic devices, I call my youngest. Yesterday he was very grumpy while we were shopping. It took a while, but the thing that was bugging him was that he didn't fit into any catagory in the clothes department. He's too big for the boy's clothes and too small for the men's clothes. LOL! Well, we shifted up. Now his shirts are men's smalls. Another LEAP toward adulthood.

So, here I am. Here we are. The beginning of a new school year. The start of High School, swim team, men's sizes clothes, 6th grade... We're shifting gears and revving up, rearing to go. And yet, here I sit. Enjoying the emptiness, the quietness of the house and yet... *sigh* Wow. They grew up so fast!

Absolutely BUZZING

2009-08-22T13:40:00.001-07:00

Most of my life, these days, is spent running around. LOL! I put an average of 100 miles on my mini-van, M-F. Almost all of it is work related but, it doesn't matter the reason, what matters is that I'm always buzzin' around. Sometimes I'm at a noodle pace, takin' my time, because I'm not in a huge hurry. But most of the time, I've got to be at a certain place at a certain time and... you get the picture.

So with all this, WHY on earth would I be thinking of more work? Finding MORE jobs? Creating a home-based business? Or TWO?! Sounds seriously loony. As Sid says, "Don't you have enough to do already?"

Well... I'm hoping the one will feed the other. One is the means to an end... the other.

Vague enough for you? LOL!

Well, I've added a house-cleaning, house-sitting, dog-sitting, etc. business to my already busy life. The money I am able to make isn't tied up in the family budget, needed to make ends meet. It is extra. Mine. What I do with it is entirely up to me. How every lovely! I've never had a large sum (okay, it's relative. It's large to me. ;) ) that I could spend or save, with no one or nothing demanding that I hand it over. Ohhhhhhh!!! The absolute bliss of the possibilities. Should I buy our very first piece of new furniture (No, decided not to. Not yet.) Should I... Or what about... LOL! Endless possibilities. Absolute bliss.

Anyway, one of the most delicious possibilities is the thought of starting an small yarn shop. Mostly serving customers via the computer but, also out of our home to my knitting friends and other local yarnies.

So, the research has begun. Much reading needs to be done. How DO you start a business with $1000 or less? Can it be done? What about the current economic situation? Is this a good time to do something like this? Where do I find the wholesale yarns? Should I just sell what others have created, preferring the independent (like myself) over the big yarn companies? Should I get the raw, undyed yarn to dye and then market? Ohhh! The ENDLESS questions. Absolutely endless.

I talk with my knitting friends, my sisters, my dad, but I have yet to talk with my husband about this. :) I need to do that, don't I? Weeks of mulling it over, searching online, thinking, dreaming.

Out of the clear blue sky THE name appeared. LOL! BUZZZZZZZZZZZZzzz!!!

Bee Bop Yarn Shop

I love it! And bees WILL play a roll on every page of the website (bought the domain!) One night this last week my brain was a whirring so fast I couldn't write fast enough. I just scribbled down ideas, pictures and words as fast as I could.

So, I guess if you're reading this, you'll get to follow the journey. ;)

())
<((()0'

(Oh! And the main bee character on the website will be named "MiriamBee". And therein lies another story!)

Time Flies

2009-08-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

Whether you're having fun or not, time flies.

Summer vacation for our kids ends on Monday morning. On the one hand, I'm sad, on the other, I'm delighted. This is the first summer that I've been a working mom. Up til now, for the last 32 years of my adult life... ALL of my adult life, I've been an stay-at-home wife and then mother. So, this summer has been extremely strange and very short.

But now, it's done and gone. LOL! Time marches on!

And here I am, approaching my 52nd birthday. HELLO!!!! How did THAT happen? LOL!

I got on the bathroom scale this morning and discovered that I wasn't as huge as I had anticipated, however... time has marched on and if I cut myself in half, I'd be at my "normal" (meaning not too high or low on the average for my height) weight. Got some work to do there. And time flies with that, too. If I just sit here and pout about how seriously unhealthy and unhappy this extra Arline makes me, nothing will be positively different tomorrow and really, I'd like something POSITIVELY DIFFERENT tomorrow. I'm done with the pout.

My creative endevours move along at a slower pace than the rest of my life. My creative brain, of course, can come up with a jillion more delights than would ever be possible to truly create in a lifetime. No, a dozen lifetimes! Narrow down the focus. What is it that I'd really REALLY like to work on? Do that. Finish it. Then... LOL!

Can I actually DO that? I'm so multifocaled at this point.

Again and again I come back to "my picture". A few years ago a friend/mentor/counselor asked me to write a word picture of what my life would look like if it were just the way I wanted it to be. Time passes and that picture never changes. What I wanted then, is what I continue to want now.

Here it is, copied and pasted... let's look at that again, Arline.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

· I have a tight constant contact with the God of my understanding. Every morning, first thing, He starts my day and we "talk". Throughout the rest of the day; every second, we continue in that conversation and I am constantly aware of His presence. I’m at peace with whatever comes because He is right here with me.

· My body is slim, trim and healthy. The principles of NEWSTART are part of who I am. I take the best possible care of myself.

· My children rise up and call me blessed. – I’m connected and involved with our children. I help them grow into competent, capable, happy adults.

· "Her husband also, and he praiseth her". – He gets what he wants most from me. A clean house, happy children and a wife who is slim, at peace, productive and head-over-heels in love with him. I am his help-mate. Walking beside him in lifes journey.

· My home is clean and orderly. Everything has a place and is in its place. Inside and out, there is elegant simplicity with thoughtfully placed (and hand crafted) furnishings.

· I am a good steward of my time and money; being careful not to waste them, but instead, investing them in our future.

· I am a artist, actively using my gift of creativity.

In summary, my life is a picture of peace and comfort. Congruency and continuity are exemplified.

Oh! And one more thing. I own and drive a Prius and/or a highly-efficient car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOL!!! I always love the last line. It's the only one that has changed much. I started out wanting a lime green VW bug.

So, there it is again. The picture of what I want my life to be like. At first glance it seems so TOTALLY doable! Shoot, I've nearly got this one bagged. But, as I look at it more closely, it's a LIFETIME picture. One that is ONLY accomplished when it's all over. Done. So...

Time flies. It marches. Here is where I am, there is where I'd like to be. There is a gap but today, I'm going to choose to actively close some of that gap.

God woke me up. Or maybe it was that horrid, bad dream. At any rate, He was the first one that I talked to. He prompted me, after a bit to get up, get on the scale, get a big drink of water and go walk on the treadmill. He is the one who prompted me to come here again. To write, to the universe in general, where I'm at and where I'd like to be. To be accountable here to Him, myself and whomever... to write my thoughts, the events (and non-events), the churnings and turnings of my little world.

Here's to closing the gap as time flies. Here's to my picture.

ONWARD!

Knitting News

2009-03-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Over the last five days, I've ZIPPED up a project. Okay, okay, admittedly nothing really gets done fast around here. (or nearly nothing) There are too many other things calling for attention, home, family, work... But every chance I got, I worked on this project. Last night (or should I say this morning, because it was after 1am) I finished.

After knitting all those Koolhaas hats, I was hoping my sister Lora wouldn't like that pattern and choose it for her birthday gift. WHEW! She didn't. She chose a pattern that I've been wanting to try, a stranded/two-color/fair isles pattern. This is a technic that I haven't done before so it would be a fun challenge.

I'm up for knitting challenges these days. LOL! You see, I have a "safety net"! If I fall (get stuck) there are wonderful experienced knitters around here that I can get to help me up again. Nothing is off limits. WAY cool.

So, on Friday I started in. Casting on and then stitching away... Here are the results of my "labors"...

(drum roll, please)

I am VERY pleased. The multi-colored yarn was a bit frustrating to work with because I had no control (NEED control. Have to have control! LOL!) over what was happening next. But... all in all, I'd do it over again in a snap. I love the colors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LORA!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forsythia and pup-pees ;)

2009-03-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

Forsythia. Ohhh! I dream of forsythia, but alas, my three bushes are still twiggy looking with nary a sign of spring yellow. I keep looking. And over the last couple weeks I've had more opportunities to be out looking than usual.

Why? Well... long story, cut short. We lost our big lab pup, Buck, about a week after his 1st birthday. Some decided they needed him more than we did. *SIGH*

And three days later, after checking everywhere possible to find Buck, in a very impulsive moment, I bought this little guy to replace (ha! Not possible) him.

Meet Peanut. My reason for going OUT more often.

He was a mere 5 weeks old when we brought him home. Way too young. Tiny and trembly. Nearly 3 weeks later he's still tiny but the trembles have disappeared and he's grown a bit.

His mom is a Poodle and his dad is Poodle/Chihuahua. I met them both and the Poodle is definitely the dominant gene. HA! So, he's not going to be a shedder. Love that. And he will be a lap puppy, not a wanna-be like Buck. :)

I miss Buck. He was a fun and funny dog. Peanut is a totally new deal for us. We've always had big dogs. Never a "yapper".... But so far, so good. He's a little dolly. Kinda like "Betsy-Wetsy". LOL! Remember that doll? "Betsy-Wetsy, never dry..."

Guess I'd better take him back outside. Goody! Another chance for me to check on the forsythias.

Frog it!

2009-02-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

No! I'm not cussing! LOL! Frogging is a term that we stitchers use. Rippit, rippit! So to frog it means that unstitching a project.

This afternoon I finished my last (OhPLEASE!) Koolhaas hat. Matthew's hat is the 5th of this pattern that I've done. Great pattern, not easy until the second or third go-round, but I figured it out. PICTURES!!!!

So, I finished and then turned to my next unfinished knitting project. A set of Sweetheart Mittens (ones pictured are not mine) that were to be a gift for Sid on Valentine's day.

My first stranded (two-color) project. A learning experience. They're cute, silly and fun. A mitten for her, a mitten for him and one with two cuffs and one big thumbless mitt to hold hands in... But today, as I tried to work my way up away from the cuff, suddenly it seemed really dumb. Why was I doing this project?

And in light of the last post, weeding out the stuff in my life to make living/working/being easier. I don't love this project. I want to knit sweaters!!! How come if I want to knit sweaters (I reallyREALLY need sweaters!), do I keep knitting hats and scarves and... ENOUGH!

Within less than 15 min. the hours of work/struggle put into those first two Sweetheart mittens disappeared and because to lovely little yarn "cakes", back in my yarn stash. OHYEAH!!!

I want to learn stranded knitting and I will. Probably the next new project will be stranded. (Yes, I have one in mind, but I'm not talkin' about it yet! LOL!) But, right now I have a sweater that I started years ago, a sweater that has been waiting and waiting. A sweater that is EASYbreezylemonSqueezy compared to most of what I've been knitting lately and THAT sweater is next.

ONWARD!

Working Women

2009-02-27T06:45:00.000-08:00

(Consistancy?! HA! I started this blog with the idea that I would write everyday. And while it's not that things haven't been happening (stuff happens, folks!) and it's not that I'm out of thoughts and words begging to flow out my fingertips... NOT! )

Working women? Now, is that the ultimate oxymoron or what? LOL!

I have a question to pose. This is to the world in general but specifically to the working women. The women who do the 40+ hour weeks AND take care of their families, the meals, the laundry... AD NAUSEAM!

My question? HOW ON EARTH DO YOU DO IT!? How have you DONE it!? LOL! I'm not adjusting very quickly or well to this new life of mine and I find myself rather clueless as to survival methods.

~~Delegate (other people live in this house, too. Capable people.)
~~Simplify (GREAT idea. When should I do this?)
~~"Clear off the Plate" (another great idea. Not taking on anything unnecessary. Deleting the extras that aren't LOVED or absolutes. Have I heard this song before? LOL! More like lecture #468?)

I'm sure there is a lot more that would make life more doable. You probably know a few. :)

ANYWAY, my admiration for all working women has increased exponentially over the last few months. It continues to grow each day in the sunshine of a paycheck, the heat of the moment (or just the flat-out running!!!), the rain of learning experiences...Growing, growing, growing admiration. Now THAT is constant! LOL!

Onward!

Bungee Jumping in the Buff

2009-02-18T21:24:00.000-08:00

I wrote all this last night but was falling asleep, literally, in the proof-reading stage. HA! I saved it to finish this morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{{Shout out to Devan and Jason! I love the new hat, Jason! Can't wait to meet you, Devan}}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wicked title. LOL! I thought of it in the middle of the day. HA! It's perfect.

I was born a nudist. (don't be alarmed, everyone was.) However it became apparent, early on, that modesty was important for a great number of reasons. As I get older the list of reasons increases. LOL! But there was a time, a short period of time, when the conditions were perfect and skinny-dipping was the only way to bath. (long story, but I got to live a bit of what "homeless" is about) That didn't break my heart! I LOVED it! LOL! What freedom! It was fabulous!!!!!

HOWEVER, the nudity I'm talking about tonight isn't the physical kind. I'm talking about a level of vulnerability. About layin' it all out on the line. Not much, if anything, hidden from view. All is exposes. Nekkid. No cover-up, no pretend, no show, no games. All the cards on the table. Take it or leave it.

And the bungee jumping? Doesn't the very thought give your heart a lurch? It sure does mine. Talk about risk! Talk about trust! HolyGuacamole! To fall forward, head first... free fall... To FLYYYyy, trusting that that stuff tied onto your ankles WILL indeed stop your earth-bound decent before there's a SPLAT! Big feeling of risk! Fear, "what if...", adrenaline RUSH! But ohhhhhh! That feeling of flying! Wouldn't it be worth the risk?

And you probably have guessed that I'm not talking about the literal bungee jumping, either. You're SO good! LOL! You can read me! (I'm not sure *I* can do that from time to time!) I'm talking about taking the risk. Trusting that it's all going to be okay. It'll be great!! Trusting that it WILL be worth it.

Today I did a bungee-jump in the buff. :) I invited a new friend over to my home. My house is a mess, but I chose NOT to clean up before she arrived. I let it be. There is pet hair dancing around on the slightest breeze, skittering across the floor. And dirt and mud that the two and four legged creatures that live in this house tracked in. There are dishes that need washing, laundry to do, vaccuming... You get my drift. I sat down, picked up my knitting and waited.

I remember my childhood. Appearances and the keeping up of them were very important. We never left the house until we looked our best. Company wasn't invited over unless the house had been cleaned to the white glove level. And even if that meant staying up really late the night before. What would company think if they saw...? (we didn't have company much in my younger years)

What if this person sees my worst side? My real worst. Will she still like me? Or is she going to RUN? I'm not wanting, at this point in my life, to play games. I want her to like me, but not if the me she sees is just the gussy-upped, plastic perfect... Nope. This is how it is. About as bad as it gets. If she likes me after this... we've got a truer friendship.

And I took this risk. Bungee jumped an invite and did the free fall as she looked around. As I showed her my home, even the room-from-heck. The messiest room in the house. My "studio"... Good luck waking thru it! I was free falling as I opened that rooms door, throwing it back, fully open. She said, "Ohhhh, what a horrid mess! I wouldn't change it one bit." HA!

The outcome is worth the risk In the aftermath. I know that I can be really real with this friend, warts and all, and she'll still like me. No need to worry or fuss. Just fling open the door and say, "Come on it, my friend! It's so GOOD to see YOU!" I can relax, without worry. It's not my surroundings, my hair, my floors or ... none of that really matters. She like me as is.

Well worth the jump. Try it!! LOL!

Yes, I know. I'm nutz! ;) But I'm enjoying the ride!

Here's are a few snippets of my worst chaos. LOL! FREE FALLING! Bungee jumping again!

Exhausting and yet...

2009-02-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

I love my job! I really do. And I love my clients. All of them. But...

There are days, like today, when things happen. Bad moods? I don't know. But today was great and fun and then... NOT! One person can make a huge difference in the dynamics of a group. All are affected. Makes me sad and yet I'm clueless as to the whys.

LOL! I want everything to be rosy and nice, doncha know!? Welcome to Life 101, Arline!

After it's all said and done, I love the people, don't like the actions/reactions.

Tomorrow will be a new day.

And!!!! I saw little daffodil shoots coming up today! OHYEAH!!!! We're gonna have DAFFYS pretty soon!

Hmmmm... I wonder how my little forsythia bushes are doing? Isn't yellow the most wonderful spring color? Yellow and then comes pink and.... Bring it on! I'm READY for spring!

You won't believe this but...

2009-02-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

there really are times when I won't talk. There are times when I am incredibly silent. You don't believe me, do you? LOL!

Some how, some where in the last 51+ years of life, I picked up that there are times when it's better to keep your mouth shut. Now I'm not taking about propriety. LOL! Some how THAT all seems to have escaped me. LOL! No, I'm taking about confrontation. Either enduring it or initiating it.

I don't know why it is that this outspoken, modestly articulate, introspective woman picked up (AND KEPT, which is the bigger crime) that to keep the peace is more important than taking care of business by speaking up and dealing with it. Keep the peace at ALL costs.

Now, I suspect that you had no idea that this silent thing was possible. LOL! You probably know me as a strong-minded blabber mouth. But when it comes to matters between Sid (husband!) and I... well some how, some way, some where I learned to shuddup and go along. At least to his face. And it seems that I figured out the best way to keep my mouth shut. STUFF FOOD IN IT! ;)

So, here we are. Valentine's Day is our half-yeariversary. We've been married for 31.5 years and two days. ;) Good years. Good times. Not all a bed of roses, but not all thistles and thorns either.

And on this Valentine's Day, I think (HOPE!)I finally GOT it. I can not shut up and not deal with it. Shuttin' up triggers destructive behaviors, namely the insatiable urge to eatEAT E A T! The more the better, "full" is not possible.

The bottom line here is that if I don't talk it out (regardless to how uncomfortable it is for me to confront or be confronted), work it out... chances are really good that I'm going to eat over it. Insane. INSANE! Because, it is very apparent that the eating-over-it is likely to kill me. Ever heard of "digging her grave with a spoon"?

Now THAT is insane.

I've never considered myself to be suicidal. I've wanted to get the heck out of Dodge a few times, LOL!, but never once have I wanted to stop living. So, tell me, whyWHY is the possibility of confrontation or the need to confront SO repugnant that I will "dig my grave with a spoon" rather than just jump in there and DEAL with it?

Okay, okay. Enough. This is something that I need to do a long serious bout of introspective thunking (yes, I meant to spell it that way. Thunk, being a deeper level of thinking. ;) ) And, when I have thunked it all out, talked it over with a couple of my favorite sets of ears... (be grateful if you're not one of those. LOL!) MAYBE I'll have figured out a way to never be silent... LOL! Now, THAT could be a problem.

ROTFL!!!! (rolling on the floor laughing)

This picture was taken at our wedding, August 14, 1977 and see!!? My lips is flappin'! LOL!

ROAD TRIP!!

2009-02-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

Have you ever woke up in the morning with no plans out of the ordinary and then...POOF!!! Switch-o-change-o! Big changes for the day.

So, here I am, in Caldwell, Idaho. I'm sitting in my parents' living room with my Dad's MacBook in my lap. (I'm a PC girl, so this is a bit of a stretch. LOL!)

Tomorrow I'll head back home but this has been a fun break from what's ordinary. An overnight trip. 3.5+ hours each way. A long enough drive to let my thoughts rattle around and at least start to fly in formation. ;)

(above - a Christmas card photo that Daddy took of me when I was 4 years old. Loved the phone, even then. LOL!)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

2009-02-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

Feeling down?

2009-02-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

A few day's ago, my sister sent me this ...

That got you laughing, didn't it? SOOooo cute!

And this one...

http://www.typealyzer.com/

You put in the address of your favorite blog and it'll tell you what personality type the text represents. HA ! I shreaked when I put my blogs address in there. SPOOKY real. NOWAY! You have GOT to be kidding! Spot on!

HA!!!

I'm heading for bed early tonight. Seems like a really REALLY good idea!

Knitting Night

2009-02-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

Weds. night is Knitting Night.

A dozen or more knitters from this valley gather at our local yarn shop to knit.

Tonight it occured to me that I don't go to knit. I go to be with those knitters. I love those gals. I laughed so hard this evening that my sides still hurt.

Wonderful discovery. I don't go there to get my knitting done.

It's a good thing I don't truly go for the purpose of knitting. By the time I get there on Wednesday night I'm usually pretty tired from the day. Add to the mix, the noise, fun and conversations... It's like one of the knitter's said tonight. I knit two and rip out three. I did try to night, but finally gave up and succumbed to the joy of the evening. LOL!

I can knit here at home, I can knit while waiting for a client or a kid, but my "Knitting Night" is for knitting my soul together with the souls of others. It's for inspiration, admiration, connection, communication, tale gathering and sharing... It's for laughs, affirmation, reinforcement, learning technics and learning how to live.

If I get a stitch in, here and there. Ones that don't need to be taken back out. I count those as the extras. Little stitches of those friends, memories of our Knitting Nights all stitched together a visable, tangible piece of work for me enjoy and remember... Sweet Stitches.

(Dove Chocolate? I want some!!!)

Loquacious

2009-02-10T22:17:00.000-08:00

Isn't loquacious a lovely word. I've always liked how it rolls off the tongue and and there something about how much I could identify with it's meaning. ;)

Interestingly enough, tonight I'm feeling quite subdued. There are many thought rattling around in my head, to be sure, but none that are demanding to be spoken. Earlier in the day, maybe but now... all my head wants to do is find my buckwheat hull pillow.

Some things I'd like to write about later...

Why knit?
Why blog?
What word works better than "hobby"?
And really, how many directions can a human go at one time? Or in one day?

HA! But later! Not tonight.

Tonight, it's a picture of the first socks that I ever knitted. I'm wearing them right now but they're about to come off!

And a picture of the charts to the project I'm currently working on. "Kjaerestevotter - 3 votter for 4 hender" LOL! I have less than a week to get them done. YIKES! Pictures of my progress tomorrow night.

G'Nite! Sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite. LOL!

2009-02-10T06:31:00.001-08:00

Two B-day, LONG day

2009-02-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

Two birthdays today. The mostMOST important...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to YOU!!!
HAPPY Birthday, dear Dea! (my sister)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!
And many more,
Wish you lived next door... LOL!

(arline & dea, july 1, 2007)

And then there's our pup, who made it to his first birthday. Wonders never cease.

Yes, that's our 78# yellow lab pup, Buck, about 6' up in the plum tree. And yes, he got up there on his own. He likes climbing trees to chase the local cats and squirrels. Sometimes he has a hard time figuring out how to get back down. HA! But he always does.

Sid put a video of this adventure up on YouTube and someone scolded him for throwing a poor dog up in a tree, just to make a YouTube movie. LOL! Now THAT is crazy! Nope he's a climber. Does it on a daily basis. Will he live to see his 2nd birthday? It remains to be seen. ;)

Long day today. Started with the first appointment at 9am and finished with work at 8pm. Long day. I'm ready to call this one done.

Done! Stick a fork in it!

Starting a blog

2009-02-08T19:01:00.000-08:00

Several times I've started blogging and basically ran out of steam before the first week was over. HA! Well, I'd like to commit to a once-a-day post. There are several reasons for this.

~ I'd like a place where I can rattle, ramble and share without fearing that I'm boring anyone. Those that stop by here to see & read will be here because they want to be. That seems merciful & kind. ;)

~ I'd like somewhere to be accountable for several things in my life. Not accountable to a given person or persons, but to the universe in general. Accountable to myself.

~ I'm looking for motivation to knit more, create more in whatever medium and take pictures. Doing and recording the creative process every day. My melancholy side needs this.

~ I'm wanting a place to capture my journeyings thru then next 50 years of my life. LOL! My work, my home, my family... Things that matter to me. What's going on, etc.

Those of you who choose to read and then come back again... bless you! May you find humor, inspiration and honesty.

So, here we go. Buckle up! We're in for a ride! WAHHHOOOOO!

Arline Griffith-Nash

How does one KEEP UP!?

The Sun is UP!!!!

Oh!!! I forgot!

Between Here & There

Happy me!

Dryer Ball?? Seriously?

PICTURES

Blog & Sock

Hermitta

Where Do I (Re)Start!?

Slowly, EVER So Slowly

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Giving It a Try

It's Time...

Jessie's Trip

HappyDAZE!

And They're Off!!!

The Studio Challenge

My Baby Girl

Reminiscence Thursday

Happy Birthday, Young Man!

Virtually Crazy

{{Sabbath}}

Creativity

It it GOOD!!!

Family Pics - 1970

Blog-watching

Practice makes...

The Thing I Love Most About My Favorite Blogs

Huh!? =)

Quotes

Now THAT is what I'm talkin' about!

"Vacation" Days

HAPPY 2010!

Espresso Afghan

Finished!

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

Well, Of Course... Don't You?!

Biting the Bullet

Every Moment

Pup Pics

Crayola Doesn't Make That Color!

Joy, Prayer & Thanks

Momma's First Painting in College

Still THANKFUL

Thanksgiving

**Thursday Morning Weigh-in

I live in GEEKSVILLE

Nope! I'm still breathing! Really!

**Thursday Morning Weigh-in

You know you're going TOO fast when...

Where am I?

"Did you have a good day?"

Enough - another go at it.

**The Word Behind Me

Enough

Oy!

The "Picture"

Following

Long Daze

Friday... I love Fridays!

**Sometimes it's just going to happen

Da Plan, Da Plan

My Thinking Put Down In Words

Thunkin'

Focal Points

Bitter and Sweet

Absolutely BUZZING

Time Flies

Knitting News

Forsythia and pup-pees ;)

Frog it!

Working Women

Bungee Jumping in the Buff

Exhausting and yet...

You won't believe this but...

ROAD TRIP!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

Feeling down?