At 31 I'm no longer boy-crazy, I'm baby-crazy. I want one baaaaaad. This sucks since, ya know, I'm single. Single and overweight. A baby just isn't in my immediate future for both those reasons.
While babies are always in the back of my mind, I think it's worse lately for several reasons. One: I love making baby clothes because they're so cute & fast. So I have this little stockpile. The theory is that they're waiting for my married friends to have babies, but they more they live with me the more I fall in love with them and want them to clothe MY babies. Then I've been reading lovestitches and she's ever-so-slightly more baby crazy than me. Finally, the soldier is in town & HE is baby crazy also. It makes me feel like my own crazy mad desire for a baby when it's a totally inappropriate time is perfectly a-ok cause other people are obsessing too.
I need to shake this.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Loved On
I visited my little niece, Maya, on Sunday night. Her REAL auntie was in town (I'm actually her second cousin once-removed) without a car, so we made the drive out to visit with her and her parents.
Maya was totally engrossed in Finis and Ferb. Seriously, she was like a little zombie on the couch. No amount of poking and prodding could distract her. Her mom grabbed the little bunny I made her for Easter and handed it to her. Without taking her eyes off the tv, she gave the bunny several kisses. I was really happy to see that it was, as suspected, the perfect size for her little hands.
There was a bit of wear and tear that has convinced me I need to work on some totally no-seam toys for the really young kids. Maya's not in any danger of swallowing anything, but I didn't like a couple bits of yarn hanging out here and there.
It was quite amazing to see something I made in the hands of someone I adore being used & loved on. I think I'll stick with this crocheting thing. :)
Maya was totally engrossed in Finis and Ferb. Seriously, she was like a little zombie on the couch. No amount of poking and prodding could distract her. Her mom grabbed the little bunny I made her for Easter and handed it to her. Without taking her eyes off the tv, she gave the bunny several kisses. I was really happy to see that it was, as suspected, the perfect size for her little hands.
There was a bit of wear and tear that has convinced me I need to work on some totally no-seam toys for the really young kids. Maya's not in any danger of swallowing anything, but I didn't like a couple bits of yarn hanging out here and there.
It was quite amazing to see something I made in the hands of someone I adore being used & loved on. I think I'll stick with this crocheting thing. :)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Esty Love
Just a few things I've recently lusted after on etsy...
Etsy is crack.
Wouldn't that make a fantastic bridal shower gift?
Such a happy lunch!
Maaaaaaan.... I want a terrarium SOOO BAD
I heart wine.
I heart recycling.
I heart not having to go to the kitchen for water in the middle of the night.
Perfection.
I heart recycling.
I heart not having to go to the kitchen for water in the middle of the night.
Perfection.
Etsy is crack.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Hot Mama Smock
A few weeks back I joined a group on Ravelry called "Summer of Finished Objects". The goal is to refrain from purchasing new yarn for the summer AND finish up all our WIPs.
Happily, I finished one up today! YAY! This is one of those projects that got stuck at "95% complete" because I couldn't bring myself to get the stupid buttons & finishing done. I don't know why I get such a mental block when it comes to buttons & ribbons. It took all of 5 minutes to finish it up. So odd. I need therapy.
In any case, here she is... The Hot Mama Smock:
I added the little blue flower because I plan to pair this little dress with the "Cool Mama Blanket". I have enough pink left over for some little shoes or something I think.
I'm totally excited about being able to give a whole "set". Once all the pieces are together they'll wing their way down under to give some California lovin' to the first born of my middle school friend, Lisa.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
My Own Lent
Last weekend I went to a NET Alumni retreat. It was just one day but it was exactly what I needed. My teammate, Kathleen, drove down from Fresno to hang out with me. We stayed at a hotel the night before & after the retreat and talked and talked and talked. Hanging out with her reminded me that I need fellowship. I love my friends and I'm really blessed to have people in my life who really love and care about me. However, only Hana is Christian. The others sort of "tolerate" my faith and at times kind of tease me about it. I always feel like I'm their 'exception'. They really dislike Christians in general but think I'm some sort of rare breed that's ok.
In any case, it also gave me a good swift kick in the pants. I need to get myself back on track. Simply said- Jesus makes me happy. I like praying by myself. I like praise & worship. I like Mass. I may not agree with some of the politics of the Church, but I still really love my faith. So all this week I've been thinking about how to get back into a space where I can commit to things like personal prayer time.
Then I came upon this project on Ravelry. This lady had the brilliant idea of crocheting a premie hat for donation every day of Lent. Since the 40 days doesn't include Sundays, she used that day to finish off the ends (I hate that part!). The whole crochet-for-donation thing has been on my mind a lot lately, too. I'm totally addicted & finding reasons to give people gifts-- but I could be donating as well. A good friend of mine is an ObGyn & said there's ALWAYS a need in the NeoNatal Intensive Care Unit for tiny hats & blankets.
So this is it. I'm starting my own Lent starting this Wednesday, which would make my "Easter" July 18th.
My Lenten commitments are:
- At least 30 minutes Personal Prayer every day
- Crochet a premie hat every day
- Go to Mass every Sunday
- No sweets
The no sweets thing is really because I need to start eating better, but may as well throw it in there. I'm all about DOING things for Lent, rather than NOT doing things, ya know? The whole point is to get closer to Christ- not randomly deny yourself something that has nothing to do with real sacrifice.
So there you go. Hopefully I can finish up some WIPs before then... in particular the Blessed Mother Shawl I'm making for Rosa. That's another post though...
Friday, May 28, 2010
Soldier Revisited
I started knitting that blasted soldier scarf right around Christmas. I keep putting it down because I HATE knitting. That's right... hate it. I'm sure I did this to myself. Stupid thin yarn & tiny little size 8 needles. How was I supposed to know it would be so tedious? This was a horrible first knitting project. With every stitch I just think how much faster I could crochet it.
I don't even know when I last worked on it. In fact, I've stopped carrying it around and actually am not entirely sure where it is at the moment. Probably in my project tote in the car. It's meant to be a Christmas present, so I suppose it's not horrible that I'm not currently working on it, but still. I need to finish.
I'm thinking about it now because the soldier is in town this weekend. Woot! When he makes quick trips I don't generally try to see him because naturally his family and close friends want to spend time with him, too. But it sounds like he thinks he might be able to sneak away sometime this weekend & maybe we'll get to catch dinner or something. It'll be difficult since I'll be working, but I'm basically at-the-ready should he say he's suddenly free.
He'll be on block-leave mid-June for several weeks... then it's off on another deployment. I hate it because I worry about him. He managed to kind of pretend Iraq wasn't that dangerous. He basically totally lied to me about what he did, making it seem very calm & safe. Since being back he's revealed the really ridiculously dangerous crap he does, I guess because I don't have to worry since he's home. Oh, yeah, except he's now headed to Afghanistan, which is MORE dangerous. Awesome. Still, even with all that worry I am kind of excited about the letter-writing. It's fun and totally a lost art. I've purchased cute stationary. There are random things I've collected to send in his monthly packages strewn around my house. I've found recipes that look like they might withstand the trip over there. I'm ready... sort of. :)
I don't even know when I last worked on it. In fact, I've stopped carrying it around and actually am not entirely sure where it is at the moment. Probably in my project tote in the car. It's meant to be a Christmas present, so I suppose it's not horrible that I'm not currently working on it, but still. I need to finish.
I'm thinking about it now because the soldier is in town this weekend. Woot! When he makes quick trips I don't generally try to see him because naturally his family and close friends want to spend time with him, too. But it sounds like he thinks he might be able to sneak away sometime this weekend & maybe we'll get to catch dinner or something. It'll be difficult since I'll be working, but I'm basically at-the-ready should he say he's suddenly free.
He'll be on block-leave mid-June for several weeks... then it's off on another deployment. I hate it because I worry about him. He managed to kind of pretend Iraq wasn't that dangerous. He basically totally lied to me about what he did, making it seem very calm & safe. Since being back he's revealed the really ridiculously dangerous crap he does, I guess because I don't have to worry since he's home. Oh, yeah, except he's now headed to Afghanistan, which is MORE dangerous. Awesome. Still, even with all that worry I am kind of excited about the letter-writing. It's fun and totally a lost art. I've purchased cute stationary. There are random things I've collected to send in his monthly packages strewn around my house. I've found recipes that look like they might withstand the trip over there. I'm ready... sort of. :)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Off Topic: 10 years later
From August 1999 to May 2000 I volunteered with NET Ministries. Alumni of the program are affectionately referred to as "Netters" and the year they volunteered is referred to as the year they were "on the road". Why? Because after training you grab your one suitcase, your sleeping bag & your pillow, get into a 15 passenger van with 9-11 people you just met and head out all over the country. Why? Because 20 years ago Pope John Paul II was all about a "new evangelization"- basically saying people already part of the Church needed to be evangelized. So every year NET gets a bunch of young adults together, trains them, prays with them and then divides them up into teams that run around giving retreats to young people & their families.
I've been thinking about my year on the road a lot lately. I haven't seen most of my teammates in years, but I still feel like I can tell them anything and when something hard comes up they are some of the first people I ask for prayer. Several times a year the girls have a "virtual women's session". On the road, we had scheduled time to meet "as women". Sometimes several hours of our packed schedule would be set aside to pray, talk & play with just the girls. At one point, the ladies of our team made a point to have at least a few moments of "women's session" every single day. It's hard to express how crazy that was if you've never been on NET. Every minute was scheduled for us. We had retreats 6 days a week at least. The 7th day was packed with driving or practice or meeting with bishops. My team ended the year with a 16 day sprint... not a single day without a retreat. But for a while, even if it meant a two minute huddle outside the van where we each said 2 words to describe how we were feeling- the women of Team 6 had women's session every single day.
NET taught me a lot about healthy relationships. Unless I was in the bathroom, I was with at least one teammate almost every moment of every day. We worked, ate, prayed, played, traveled & slept together every single day for a school year. Is it any wonder there were strict rules for how to resolve conflict? NET taught me to be honest about how I feel, to address things as they come up, to see the other person's point of view, to ask for and accept forgiveness. We were big on actually "saying the words". Say "I'm sorry and I need your forgiveness". Say "You're forgiven. I accept your apology." Say "I appreciate these things about you." Say "This fight hasn't changed the fact that I love you."
Those skills have come in really handy. It helped me repair my relationship with my mom so that when she passed away we were closer than I ever remember us being. It helped me get through a really rough patch with the soldier last year and get our friendship back on track. It helped me move from a child-parent relationship to an adult friendship with my father.
For all the lack of sleep, annoyances, colds that lasted months because we couldn't slow down to heal, nights spent on a gym floor, weeks of eating pizza every day, small groups that refused to cooperate and missing my friends at home-- NET was an incredible experience that helped me grow as a person & grow closer to Christ in more ways than a other single year before or since. I thank God every single day for that experience & for the people He put on my team.
The "Dream Team" (Team 6 99'-2000)
I've been thinking about my year on the road a lot lately. I haven't seen most of my teammates in years, but I still feel like I can tell them anything and when something hard comes up they are some of the first people I ask for prayer. Several times a year the girls have a "virtual women's session". On the road, we had scheduled time to meet "as women". Sometimes several hours of our packed schedule would be set aside to pray, talk & play with just the girls. At one point, the ladies of our team made a point to have at least a few moments of "women's session" every single day. It's hard to express how crazy that was if you've never been on NET. Every minute was scheduled for us. We had retreats 6 days a week at least. The 7th day was packed with driving or practice or meeting with bishops. My team ended the year with a 16 day sprint... not a single day without a retreat. But for a while, even if it meant a two minute huddle outside the van where we each said 2 words to describe how we were feeling- the women of Team 6 had women's session every single day.
Looking badass after paintball
NET taught me a lot about healthy relationships. Unless I was in the bathroom, I was with at least one teammate almost every moment of every day. We worked, ate, prayed, played, traveled & slept together every single day for a school year. Is it any wonder there were strict rules for how to resolve conflict? NET taught me to be honest about how I feel, to address things as they come up, to see the other person's point of view, to ask for and accept forgiveness. We were big on actually "saying the words". Say "I'm sorry and I need your forgiveness". Say "You're forgiven. I accept your apology." Say "I appreciate these things about you." Say "This fight hasn't changed the fact that I love you."
Those skills have come in really handy. It helped me repair my relationship with my mom so that when she passed away we were closer than I ever remember us being. It helped me get through a really rough patch with the soldier last year and get our friendship back on track. It helped me move from a child-parent relationship to an adult friendship with my father.
Chicago, Illinois (This photo took FOREVER while we froze by the lake. Totally worth it.)
For all the lack of sleep, annoyances, colds that lasted months because we couldn't slow down to heal, nights spent on a gym floor, weeks of eating pizza every day, small groups that refused to cooperate and missing my friends at home-- NET was an incredible experience that helped me grow as a person & grow closer to Christ in more ways than a other single year before or since. I thank God every single day for that experience & for the people He put on my team.
"All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one's need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." -Acts 2:44-47
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