For the Sake of NaBloPoMo

Here's a visual representation of today:

Background Noise--

Now in the oven--

Happy to have the house to myself for a few more hours--

Happy when the rest of the crew gets home later--

Clearly, it's been a while since THIS was taken. ;)

Hope you had a great weekend, too.

Seeking Courage

Well, folks, Friday certainly proved to be an eventful end to my week.  I finally had my appointment with the new gynecologist recommended by my family doctor, and all I can say is, thank God that there are still doctors in the world who actually listen to their patients, and believe that those patients have some idea what is going on in their own bodies! My new doctor took me seriously, listened carefully to everything I had to say, and gave me some rather sobering news--we're probably looking at a large, invasive surgery in the near future. Though that is serious news, it is also EXCELLENT news, in my opinion, if we really have finally found the source of my phantom pain and are going to take decisive action to free me of it!

First off, more of the interminable tests.  The doctors all suspect endometriosis at this point; I have to go in and have an ultrasound Tuesday, to see exactly how bad things have gotten and--hopefully--to verify or disprove that theory.  Depending on what the ultrasound reveals, I may have a hysterectomy before the end of November.  A lot going on, a lot to think about and process, and I'm having many different reactions to all of this from moment to moment, as you might well imagine.  I'm more thankful now than ever that God gave Michael and me our little SuperToddler, and that she is flourishing and healthy, for there will be no more children in our future.  Still, we three form a happy little family, and we are truly blessed.

Image by Robert Diedrichs

Turning to less somber news, some exciting things are coming to The Beauty of Eclecticism.  I wanted to give you the health update in this post, and let you know that there may be a brief interruption in posting if I go into the hospital for surgery, and of course, have to spend some time afterwards recuperating.  But the now-famous list for My Re-Education Reading Challenge 2013 is complete, and I'll be posting more information about it shortly.  Also, there will soon be a regular feature involving the art of a dear friend of mine, who has agreed to hold a weekly showing of one of her works here on my blog.  I know--doesn't that just sound impressively high-class?!  We're pretty excited about it, and hope that all of you will enjoy it, as well.  Exciting things await you, so stay tuned!

Got Ink?

SO, while I've been reading like a mad thing and slowly digging myself out of a reviewing backlog, the dear Good Man Michael has been up to all sorts of adventures lately!  I believe I have mentioned his pursuit of powerlifting perfection before on this blog, but in case I haven't, let's pause to give it a proper introduction.

I know; that's impressive, isn't it? Some serious beefcake.  Mind you, that's not just him hanging out in the gym doing his weekly workout--that's him in a competition!  Earlier this week, a kid in a restaurant asked him which NFL team he plays for, and some strumpet! woman was hitting on him as she drove by the gym tonight!

ANYWAY, last weekend, Good Man Michael got his first TATTOO!! Before you ask, I was completely okay with this idea, and he did notify me beforehand that he was thinking of doing it. (Notice I said "notify," not "ask".  Despite the fact that they're all grown men, his lifting friends are always impressed that I "let" him do these crazy things. All I asked was that he not start piercing random parts of himself; he said he'd already ruled that one out himself, thank you very much!)

He went with a friend to a Tattoo Expo that was in town, and when he left the house, I asked,"So, are you finally going to do it? Gonna' get inked?" Lots of hemming and hawing and "oh, I'm sure they're already booked up, so I'll just get some information" sort of thing. Mmm-hmm. I knew when he left the house that he would come home freshly marked. I wasn't expecting it to be quite this BIG, but I think it's absolutely awesome.

"I will find a way, or make one."

(Here's me being very grateful for the first time in my life that Michael's Mom DOESN'T routinely read my blog! He's going to tell her, of course; he's just "waiting for the right moment." Good luck with that. When his brother saw it, he practically asked if Michael was planning to sell tickets to the parental unveiling!)

Just look at the definition on that tricep, will you? You know what that is--that's a BAMF, right there, that's what it is. (If you have to ask, you'd rather not know, trust me.) Luckily for his daughter and I, he's also a sweet, muscly teddy bear.

Nebkheprure, Lord of the Two Lands

Oh, my dears, after a whole week spent resting and readjusting to the rhythm of everyday life, I can finally sit down and chronicle for you the famous Fabulous Birthday Surprise referenced in the last post.

I turned 35 last week, and my family conspired to give me one of the most wonderful birthday weekends since the Queen's Jubilee.  First, you need to know that my mother-in-law is the lord high mucky-muck of all gift-givers.  I mean, this woman could figure out the one thing that Oprah doesn't already own but would simply love to have and find some way to get it for her.  Add to that the delightful fact that my husband actually loves me, and puts a great deal of thought into what would make me happy, and you have one hell of a birthday.

(Photo by Charlie Phillips)

Unbeknownst to me, a significant portion of King Tutankhamun's grave collection, along with numerous other wondrous Egyptian artifacts, have been in Seattle for some months at the Pacific Science Center.  My amazing mother-in-law, however, always watchful around birthday times and aware of my absolutely consuming passion for all things ancient Egyptian, spotted the advertisement with her eagle eye and bought Michael and I two tickets to the exhibit.  Moreover, she booked us in for two nights at the only hotel within walking distance of the museum (which was a very nice place, I might add).

On the evening of my birthday, Michael, the SuperToddler and I joined his parents and brother at Olive Garden for a lovely dinner (for which they paid, God bless them), and we finally had the big reveal.

Michael and I would be heading off to Seattle to commune with the great kings and queens of The Two Lands (as the Egyptians knew their kingdom)!  Meanwhile, Brigid would be enjoying a long weekend with Grandma and Grandpa, beginning right after that dinner and lasting until we got back into town from our trip on Sunday evening.  Wasn't it helpful of me to schedule my birthday over the Labor Day weekend?

So, while the SuperToddler went to her favorite place in the world--Grandma's house--Michael and I came home, watched some Mock the Week, slept in a bit the next day, packed and started our road trip to Seattle.

[Mock the Week on YouTube--YOU NEED IT IN YOUR LIFE!! But if you're easily offended, for God's sake don't ever watch it.  (Sucks to be you.)]

 

We checked in on our first night and roamed around for a bit, rustling up the nearest installation of my husband's favorite restaurant, Chipotle, and generally getting a bit lost and annoying Seattle's Yellow Cab drivers and dispatchers before we found our way back to our hotel.  The big event of the first evening in the big city was when we stumbled upon a Dr. Marten's store, in a lovely old building that obviously dated from the turn of the 20th century or before.  As the daughter of a shoe repairman, I grew up with the smell of leather and shoe polish, so I was whisked back to my childhood the moment we stepped in the door.  While Michael shopped for a much- and long-needed pair of black shoes that could be worn to work or for dress, I was captivated by a beautiful, burgundy leather bag that I could tell would make an excellent over-the-shoulder messenger-type purse.  It was expensive, but the beautiful thing about anything Doc Marten's is that it's virtually guaranteed to last longer than its owner!  My lovely Good Man Michael generously made the bag my other birthday present, along with the delightful surprise of an iPod Touch that he'd given me earlier, and I was a very happy birthday girl, indeed.  (I told him that for Christmas, I'd LOVE to have the matching women's wing-tipped leather shoes.  Hint, hint.)  (Photo courtesy of Doc Marten's website--who else?)

 

The next morning, of course, was the main event--the Lord of the Two Lands, Ruler of the Land of the Bee and the Sedge, Nebkheprure Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema--and any number of his royal friends and family.  (Believe it or not, those are just a very few of his names; he had many, many more.)

 

(Photo by dalbera)

 

It was an amazing exhibition, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the gift shop, picking up a copy of the official catalogue, the DVD walk-through of the exhibit, and some lovely stationery.  The SuperToddler, who adores all things Egypt as regular readers certainly know, got a lovely blue glass scarab magnet as a souvenir, which thrilled her heart and provided her hours of playful enjoyment when I got it home to her.  (She LOVES all the beetles everywhere in Egyptian art; we haven't delved into the whole bizarre relationship they have with DUNG yet.)

 

(Photo by Rick Vaughn)

 

We also explored the famous Pike Place Market, with its extremely fresh fish, myriads of tiny, funky little shops that sell a bit of everything--including "herbal refreshment" in a few of them, I suspected as we shuffled quickly past!--and we stumbled upon an Egyptian shop keeper who was thrilled by my smattering of Arabic and small knowledge of classical hieroglyphs.  His souvenirs, by and large, were much more satisfying than those in the museum gift shop, because they were actually MADE IN EGYPT.  (I know, right?  o.O  He felt the same way--"Why they don't sell things made in Egypt?  The things they sell have no soul!")  I bought a sterling silver pendant from him, bearing the two primary names of the Boy King on it, and he was so impressed with my meager skills that he gave me one of the traditional, pressed-paste scarab beads "to protect you--we give them everywhere in Egypt."  I was quite pleased, actually.  Proof positive that we're all still at least a little pagan.

 

(Photo by Frank Rytell)

 

Michael and I rounded out the evening with a lovely meal at P. F. Chang's and a brief saunter through the mall, where we stumbled upon a great little Japanese store in which I bought some adorable stationery with "English" sayings printed on them that make ABSOLUTELY no sense whatsoever.  (This is roughly akin to how we pick a new Chinese restaurant to try; if the name has been "translated" into English, and is utter gibberish, the food is pretty much guaranteed to be authentic Chinese cuisine, and therefore delicious.  Our all-time favorite was called "Rice Star," although "Pig Miracle Barbeque" certainly won honorable mention.)

 

And there you have it, dear readers.  The next day, Michael and I made our way back home, stopping in one of the towns along the way whose primary industry was tourism to visit a lovely bar and grill, enjoy an old-fashioned malted in their vintage 1950's ice cream stand, and take a brief ride on the remains of the historical railroad, now preserved in miniature as an excursion train for railroad enthusiasts.  My dad would have loved it.  I brought Brigid home a wooden Percy locomotive to add to her wooden Thomas the Tank Engine set; she was thrilled.

 

Snoqualmie Depot
(Photo by Max Richards)

 

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful birthday weekend.  My health issues even behaved themselves.  I am a blessed woman.

A Small, Sweet Pearl

" 'After all,' Anne had said to Marilla once, 'I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.' "

--Anne of Avonlea

by L. M. Montgomery

(photo by Tanakawho)

 

Today was not a grand adventure or a major event.  That will come tomorrow; I'm turning 35, and thus far, all that's been revealed to me about the big surprise coming up is that Michael, Brigid and I will be dining with my in-laws tomorrow night, Brigid will be staying there at Grandma's house, and Friday morning, Michael and I will be setting off to some "major metropolitan area" to do something that I am assured I will be "thrilled about" that will take up most of the holiday weekened approaching.  My family knows my tastes pretty well, so I have no doubt the surprise will live up to their promises, but for tonight, I remain in suspense.

 

(The only picture I have easily available of the vehicle in question [see below]
is from our wedding day five years ago--hence the snow.)

 

However, I got another lovely birthday present yesterday evening, in the form of my little Ford Focus resurrected from its coma and breathing new life thanks to a new transmission.  (In case you're wondering, yes, everything you've ever heard about how expensive it is to replace a transmission is perfectly true.  "Somewhere between 'Ouch!' and 'Boing!' ")  Sweet little SuperToddler Brigid loves my car almost as much as I do, so we were both deeply excited to hear that "Blue Car is fixed!"  In celebration, she and I spent the day simply enjoying our re-established freedom, i.e. our ability to leave the house even when Papa is at work and has taken "Green Car" with him.

 

We went to her favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden--expensive tastes, my child--where we BOTH ordered off the children's menu.  It's cheaper, it's actually less food, and it's pretty much the only guaranteed way in that particular establishment to order garlic-free food.  Thus, a meal without IBS pain for Mama, allowing her and SuperToddler to continue their day out together.  I'm learning as quickly as I can how to manage this thing.

 

 

Naturally, at some point in the day we had to make a stop at the bank, which is never really fun but unavoidably necessary.  The nice lady behind the counter gave us a pretty blue balloon, which brightened up the proceedings immeasurably!  Still, we were both much more pleased with our next port of call, one of favorite places in the whole world.

 

THE LIBRARY!  Brigid gets excited the moment we pull into the parking lot.  It's funny, because we spend most of our time playing with the toys in the Children's Department; we looked through a book or two briefly, but took much longer creating a "perfect tower," as my budding architect deemed it, with Duplo blocks.  Still, we're building positive associations with books, reading, and the public library system, and I always consider that time well spent.

 

Finally, we found our way to Wal-Mart--surprise, surprise--where we picked up a few household supplies, but it was mostly an excuse to extend our day just a bit longer.  Besides, we enjoy toy shopping together, believe it or not.  It allows me to have a direct say in what comes home with us (or at least to try), and at times, I'm as excited about our new finds as she is!  Tonight was DEFINITELY one of those times.  Remember THESE little beauties?!

 

Ah, the View-Master!  How my heart lept with joy when I caught sight of one on Wal-Mart's Toy Department shelves tonight!  How I mentally kicked myself for ever letting my precious childhood friend and its little film reels get away from me!  The SuperToddler wasn't interested at first--too busy with more tangible-looking treasures--but when she figured out that I was really enjoying viewing something she wasn't seeing, human curiosity reeled her in, and the magic of those tiny "3-D" images did the rest, like with every other kid since the thing was first invented.  We had at least an hour of fun with them when we got home, and I'm already fondly imagining shopping for new cards on Amazon or even for vintage cards on E-Bay.  So THIS is why people have kids!  It's the only way to have this much fun again once you've gotten old and boring!  It was a lovely day, just a day out for me and my girl.

 



It's Alive!!!

Yes, dear friends of the blogging community, I AM still alive, although rumors of my continuing health catastrophes have not been that greatly exaggerated.  To make an excruciatingly long story short, the doctors suspect either Crohn's disease or irritable bowel syndrome at this point (sorry to anyone who's eating while you read this), I've been in the hospital TWICE more since I last wrote, and have finally decided that since I'm obviously going to live through whichever I have, I'm going to start living my life again.  That's more complicated sometimes--for example, I've given myself permission to just read what I want (or not!) for now, and if I magically finish all the reading challenges I took on at the end of last year, that's just icing on the cake--but I'm going to live, all the same.  I've also continued surviving a sort of mini-nervous breakdown over all the deaths in my family in the past few years and the "joys" of PTSD, but I have good friends, dear family, a good medical team, and helpful drugs.  Let the blogging recommence!

May I just say here and now, throughout the last few months of not blogging, I've only lost two followers, and that says a lot for you guys, I think.  You're loyal friends, good and true, (at least, those of you who actually check your subscriptions regularly, =D ) and I'm grateful.

Okay, a few quick announcements:

Queen Rocks!  FREDDIE MERCURY FOREVER!
*ahem* Moving on...

Photo by Rev Stan

The Olympics!  Did you watch?  The world's greatest atheletes and some great painkillers got me through my latest hospital stay with my sanity intact.  London, you did yourselves proud, and your most wayward offspring (namely, us bloody defectors here in "the Colonies") still love you all.

Fellow Geeks (and those who love us despite our Geekiness), behold some of my three-year-old SuperToddler's current favorite toys--

She chose them herself, and would not let them out of her hands for hours after they were bought!  Her Geeky training is coming along beautifully, and my motherly Geek cup of joy runneth over!  (If you're thinking that C3PO looks slightly terrifying, I agree with you--he's oddly made, but she loves him, anyway.)  If you're thinking that the picture is blurry, you are also correct.  I'm still learning to take pictures with *drumrollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll*

THE WONDERFUL NEW iPOD THAT MY EVEN MORE WONDERFUL HUSBAND BOUGHT ME as an (early) 35th birthday present!  I have named her Casilda (I'll give you a moment to Google that name of one of my favorite Roman Catholic saints...*Jeopardy theme plays in background*...), and she is one of the highlights of each day, as I discover all the things of which she is capable.  I use a PC laptop, I love my iPod--I know, I'm "bi" where my computing is concerned. =0)  My Mac-loving husband cannot understand why I cling to my PC, but he puts up with it, bless him.

And finally, for all my fellow book bloggers--

throughout my recent trials, I have continued to read, and am excited to announce that I have acquired and am getting ready to read my first Georgette Heyer novel!  It was a two-fer, actually, a beautiful, hardback double edition that I found in the Bargain Books at Barnes & Noble.  I LOVE shopping their Bargain Books; finding a book like this one for $9.95 makes me feel like I just discovered the Rosetta Stone or won the Nobel Prize or something much cooler than what I actually did, which is give Barnes & Noble $10 of my money.  It's the little things that make life worthwhile, you know?  After all my troubles, however, I'm giving myself a free pass on any review backlog, and am just going to enjoy reading and blogging as time permits for a while.  Thank you all for your patient faithfulness, and I hope you swarm me with comments--I've missed you all.

Oooooo! Very important P.S.

MOCK THE WEEK!  If you haven't yet discovered this rib-crackingly hilarious BBC show, search for it on YouTube--you won't be sorry!

AND then we had to call the cable guy...

During the harrowing health adventures I described in my last post, my poor, beleaguered husband was also having to move us to another apartment, because our lease was about to run out, and the owner of the condo we were renting had decided to sell.  (The appliances were older than I am, and even less "work-brickle," as we say where I'm from.  Believe me, both sides were ready to say good-bye.  Our new place is much nicer, thank God, even if it is smaller.)  With me unable to pick up the SuperToddler, let alone pack and move boxes, because of my recent hernia surgery, Good Man Michael has been doing most of this on his own, with the aid of his parents and a few faithful volunteers from church.  (THANK GOD FOR OUR NEW CHURCH!)  Meanwhile, I have been untangling things like forwarding addresses, cancelling old utilities, establishing new ones, and calling the cable company to set up FOUR DIFFERENT APPOINTMENTS (so far) to switch service from our old to our new place. 

1. This new apartment had no cable (the previous occupants were dish users), so the first cable guy couldn't do anything for us.  They had to send out "a crew" to "dig" a new line, and I dare not think about all that was involved in that.  This is truly the joy of being a renter; the owner approves the digging, it's their property, let them worry about it.
2. The crew came, and apparently they dug and spliced and whatever else they do.  They knocked on the door when they were finished and announced, "OK, you can call the company and have them send someone to turn it on now."  Thanks.  Did I mention that they were also installing the internet?  Yeah; serious web surfing withdraw, and having lived in Kazakhstan for a short time, I can tell you that NO, that is NOT just a first-world problem.
3. Guy came today and turned everything on.  Hail, o glorious Internet!  Sat down to play with the new remote for my new cable box, establish my list of favorite channels, etc.  Wait.  What the WHAT?!?!?!?!  Where are the premium channels I actually paid for so Brigid could have them (Disney, Cartoon Network, Nick Jr.)?  (Yeah, I know, we're sickeningly into 1st-world problems now; it still pissed me off).
4. Called customer service--"We'll send an agent over tomorrow."  Yipee.  At least he's coming on a Saturday, rather than making us wait until Monday.  And this has been my day, and my week.

The point, however, is that I DO have internet again, so I can once again BLOG.  And let me show you by far the best aspect of our new place.

Yes, that is my SuperToddler enjoying her brand-new, fully fenced-in back yard, the whole of which I can observe through the lovely French doors at the back of our living room.  This arrangement makes everyone extremely happy.

Isn't that just the cutest little Elmo-clad monster you've seen all day?

So, What've You Been Up To?

Here's a brief run-down on my absence of the last three weeks or so:

• ER visit #1--nausea and...other unpleasantness; CT scan #1; sent home
• ER visit #2--pain--a hella lot of pain; CT scan #2; diagnosed with a hernia; sent home
• Doctor visit--scheduled a surgical consult--Pain continued to escalate into
• ER visit #3--somebody finally had the good sense to call in the surgeon and get me admitted
• Hernia surgery--sent home with painkillers and post-op instructions after 3 days in hospital
• 2nd day home, started having nausea and...other unpleasantness...again, which led to
• ER visit #4--Apparently, being unable to sip water and keep it down will get you admitted quicker than screaming pain--who knew?
• Another three days in hospital, during which digestive system HOPEFULLY reset itself, and the hernia incision healed nicely.

I am now home, and praying to God that I get to stay here this time.  Meanwhile, I tend to the SuperToddler as best I can, even though I won't be able to pick her up for another two weeks (proving that even Papa STILL being layed-off has its silver lining), while Good Man Michael packs us up and moves us, because our rental lease just ran out.  I know there could always be more chaos in our lives, but I really think we're about as fully stocked up on it as we can handle for right now. 

The sweet little SuperToddler has been a little trooper about it all, trying to roll with our punches and not freak out over all these disruptions to our daily routine, but she has been pretty worried at times.  Yesterday she announced, "Mommy is here and Papa is here!"  She also caught sight of my incision; she had to look me very seriously in the eye and ask, "Are you OK?"  I explained to her that I was, that this was my "OW-ie" that the doctors had worked on and now it was getting all better.  After that, she could run off and watch her Leap Frog video again.

Boy, Have I Been Yarning Along!

Well, gang, having nearly finished my diabetic education classes and nearly recovered from the plague, I am finally back, and I have certainly missed you all!  While I was bed-ridden (well, recliner-ridden) with bronchitis, and blessed that my Good Man husband was home to take care of the SuperToddler, I have been crocheting like some kind of machine and tearing through books at an alarming rate.  I didn't have the energy to do anything else, but especially once the cabin fever set in, I had to do something to occupy my time!  I tried a bit of knitting, as well, but let me just say from experience, when you're really sick is not the best time to try and practice a new skill.  I quickly went back to what I know best.

As you can see, the result was certainly substantial!  I now have three finished baby blankets for the local charity, and am about 1/3 of the way through a fourth.  Now that I've done a few of them, I understand even better why my mother always enjoyed making these so much, and her insistence that they work up really quickly.  My first one was rather a long slog, but I've gotten much faster at it by now.  Next big project--crocheting a new set of cotton dishcloths for my wonderful mother-in-law's birthday (good thing she's not a big fan of surfing the internet, so she doesn't really read my blog).  It's good to be back from the undead!

Too Sick to Blog?!

That's when you officially know you're too sick, my friends.  Yes, I am still alive, and no, I haven't abandoned you, my beloved little blog and my loyal band of readers.  One of you actually sent the posse out after me this week to be sure I wasn't dead, after my 6th day of non-posting! It's nice to know you guys care; it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

And believe me, I needed a little warm fuzzy or two to cheer me up, because I've been fighting bronchitis for a week!  Asthmatic bronchitis, to be exact; in case you're wondering what the hell the difference is, the asthmatic kind actually doesn't mean you have asthma.  It means you've been exposed to too many things like this, and your lungs can't keep up any more.

Photo by Guerin Nicolas

Photo by Dave Sceflo

At least, that's what it means in my case.  It's not the first time this has happened to me over the years--my allergies are of the particularly vicious variety--and whenever it does, then my lungs get to spend a little quality time with one of THESE little devils, a "fast-acting" or "rescue inhaler".  If you've never encountered one, you're a lucky little thing.  If, unlike me, you have to use one on a regular basis for the rest of your life because you have REAL asthma, then you have all my sympathies.

Photo by James Heilman, M.D.

Fear not.  With a cocktail of drugs that leaves my body completely baffled and kind of hyperactive, I am recovering, and more importantly, I have not been idle in my time away.  I have been devouring books like a bibliofiend (did I just invent a new word?), because after all, what else is there to do when you're that sick?  And my little family discovered that every cloud really does have a silver lining--at least, Brigid the SuperToddler and I did.  With Good Man Michael currently laid off, he was able to take care of us.  What HE discovered out of the experience is that being a full-time mom is a damn lot of hard work.  Welcome to my life!

Anyway, if you've been checking in on this blog at all to see if I had yet surfaced from the Black Hole of Calcutta, and if you've taken a glance at my challenges sidebar on the left, you've probably noticed that I've been one busy little invalid.  In the days ahead, you will be bombarded with reviews, as I'm very behind on them by now.  What am I up to now?  Five?  Six books waiting to be reviewed?  I've honestly lost count, but we'll plow through them together this week, in between the joy of returning to my favorite memes, I promise.  And just think?  Another new episode of Downton Abbey tonight!  Could this week look any more exciting?!

In the Bleak Mid-Winter Wonder Land

Look at the package that was delivered to my house today!  Isn't it beautiful?!  I was every bit as excited as the SuperToddler about the whole thing.

View from our balcony
Photo courtesy of Good Man Michael--Mwah!

After two months of whining about NOT getting any snow, I am finally happy.  As far as I am concerned, snow is winter's only justification and raison d'etre.  I LOVE winter, but only when it snows.  A perfect night to FINALLY finish my "Christmas" afghan!

Yarning and Yarning and Yarning Along!

OMG! Okay, people, after last week's slump, I got the push I needed to get back into yarning WITH A VENGEANCE!  I don't mean I got enthusiastic; I mean I crocheted for about 6 hours straight one night.  My hands...went numb.  Yeah.  Not even kidding.

So, why the big explosion of all things Yarn Craft?   Well, it was a confluence of several stimuli, actually.  First of all, remember I promised last week that I was now going to turn my attentions to my first true knitting project, my lovely scarf?  I actually did so early in the week, and though it may not look like much, I was almost giddy with excitement at my little beginner level of progress.

So much so, in fact, that I got ridiculously ambitious and tried to jump straight into the scarf that "started it all," the Harry Potter house scarf that I've been determined to make for almost 10 years.  Which has to be knit in the round.  Either on circular needles, or double-pointed needles.  And the only circular needles I had in the house were waaaaaaay too long.  And the only double-pointed ones I had in the house were my husband's bamboo ones.  Size 5.  And I already knit too tightly.  It was a very painful, evening-long fiasco.  (Yes, Michal tried knitting once.  Get this: he was great at it.  He just didn't like it that much.  Prefers spinning and weaving.  Don't men make you SICK with shit like that?!  It's like how they can't cough without losing 30 pounds off their gut, but I can't lose weight anywhere except in my breasts, the one place I would like to KEEP it.  Okay.  Deep breaths.  I feel better now.)

ANYWAY, obviously, that trauma was so great that I really did walk up to Good Man Michael and say, "This incident is dead to us.  We shall never speak of it again."  True story.  I swear.  Also obviously, I had to move on to some stellar crochet triumph with a ridiculously easy project IMMEDIATELY to re-boost my spirits and confidence.  This is where the second stimulus comes in.

My new church does yarn crafts to give to local charities--baby blankets for teenage mothers at the local high schools particularly caught my eye, so the poorly-taken picture above is a little granny square afghan.  It makes me go all dewy eyed every time I think about some sweet little bundle being wrapped in something I made for him or her.  Notice the sort of soft, garden-like colorway I chose; I figured, it's suitable for boy or girl, and it's as close to pastels as I'm ever going to get, because I hate most true pastels.  Anyway, nothing rebuilds your faith in your own crafting ability like a fall-off-a-log easy granny square.  Hurray!  I bought enough yarn to make four little blankets, and maybe enough left over for a matching hat to go with a couple of them.  I'm pretty excited, I must admit.  It feels good to be part of a community again, and I hope my little blankets will let someone who is going through a rough time know that someone out there cares about them.

P.S. I had to go with all acrylic, because it's cheapest, but if anyone wants to help me make blankets for these little ones out of softer, better quality yarn, all yarn donations will be gratefully accepted, and I'm sure the church will be happy to give you documentation for tax deductions and such.  If you're interested, let me know.  Either way, thanks for dropping by the blog today.  :)

5 Minutes on the Dangers of Being Awake

Awake.  Ironic that this should be today's prompt, since at times I feel like I've been unceasingly awake for the past four years or so.  Mom's 3:00 a.m. panic attacks, triggered by a body that was shutting down and trying to warn her to fix something that could not be changed.  5:00 a.m. feedings with an infant.  Ongoing PTSD, with all the attendant lack of sleep and bizarre bio-rhythms that entails.  I wonder how long it will be before awake and asleep function properly for me again.

And yet, in the past few weeks, my husband and I have suddenly awakened, emotionally and spiritually, and it's like a whole new world descended upon this family.  He asked me about a week ago, "How did this suddenly happen?  Did someone go through the house and sprinkle 'rational dust' on both of us?"

Several installments of 5-Minute Friday past, I wrote--very obliquely--about a decision that was suddenly staring Michael and I in the face, a terrifying and yet enormously peaceful feeling that it was time to vote with our feet.  Saddening, in some ways disheartening, and yet such a relief, to have that decision finally made for good and all.  This past week, we made it officially.  Hand in hand, we woke up, cast our ballots for love, compassion, and being rational sheep, and walked back through the same door we had once pushed open as an entrance, and which served this time as an exit. 

No more standing just inside the doorway, being a refugee in the nearest safe haven because we had nowhere else to go.  You can be a refugee in a tent in an open field; you don't need special permission for that.  This time, I think I'll try finding a place to belong.  It doesn't have to be perfect; after all, we're not.  Its inhabitants just have to be honest about being as f***ed up and sinful as we are.  Lord, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy.  Lord, have mercy.  On us all.  Together.

Barely Yarning Along

Okay, confession time--and that's an ironic choice of words on my part, as you'll discover momentarily.  Last week's boldly stated plans for yarning greatness certainly did not materialize.  There has been great upheaval in my family's life recently, all of which came to a head in the past week, and crocheting and knitting were among the first casualties of my distracted state of mind.  That's unusual, really, because normally, when something major is going on, I'd expect to want to crochet or knit MORE, to soothe my mental agitation, but this week, I was too busy reading.  The tale unfolds thusly.

Or actually, this is the very short version of the tale, because I wish to avoid all muckraking.  So, in a nutshell, this week saw the culmination of a long process for the Good Man Michael and I of deciding that we could no longer in good conscience be members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and of our departure to the Episcopal Church.  My week was spent reading, researching and preparing to commune for the first time at my new church, our local installment of which is St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

In short, knitting was not part of my existence this week, and my only crochet accomplishment can be seen in the photo on the right: yes, I added about 2/3 of a row of ruffle trim.  Granted, this is the FINAL row, so if I ever manage to finish it (and to weave in the ends mentioned last week which at the moment are still blissfully free to flap about), the Christmas blanket that will never end may, finally, end after all.  We'll see.  As for what I've been reading this week, the enormous stack of books BEHIND the one row of trim should tell the story more than sufficiently, don't you think?  Hope your week was more productive, and a little less momentous.  Once in a while, momentous is necessary, even a good thing, but I think I've had enough revolution to last me a while, thanks.

Purl Along

OMG!  OMG!  OMG!  OMG!

I did it, everybody!  Using a life-saving combination of books and YouTube--thank you to everyone who posted such helpful videos--I conquered the dreaded knitting needles.  Obviously, I'm only a beginner, but I did actually figure out what I had been doing wrong in my previous attempts, and am well on my way to making my first scarf that actually lies flat.  Hurrah!  So far, I can create the garter and stockinette stitches without difficulty, and this scarf is coming together with the extremely simple rib K1P1.  Still, it makes me ridiculously happy to think that I can now actually KNIT!

Meanwhile, the Christmas blanket is coming along beautifully.  Granted, it's now December 27th, but throughout my childhood, we always left everything decorated until New Year's Day, and now that the Good Man and I have established our own household and family, we stick to the old tradition of the full Twelve Days of Christmas, so I'm hoping to have the blanket basically finished by Epiphany (January 6th).

On the reading front, I actually read an entire book since last week's Yarn Along.  I picked up Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and could not lay it down until I finished it (review coming as soon as I finish recovering from this plague I've caught).  Now I've moved on to Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber, but it is in my Kindle, and a picture of that wouldn't be terribly exciting if you've ever seen a Kindle, so here's the cover image for you to enjoy.

Happy Yarning, and Happy New Year!