GOLB: Gratitude, & On Life's Blessings

Drove up to Wright's outlet in Sturbridge, MA with just one child. I hoped to find the dangle kind of row counter and circular stitch holders. Couldn't find the dangle kind of row counter, but I found circular stitch counters for a song! WOOO HOOO! I love those things. I think they're SO helpful. I also had a personal "Eureka" about an easy way to make the dangle kind of row counters that I like so much. So, I scooped up a bunch of the circular stitch holders (and a few other things I suddenly needed ) and then headed out. On the way out, my child found boxes and boxes and boxes of free knitting needles. The sign literally said "Help yourself". Granted, they're straight needles and not super high quality, but hey... Free is Free. I scooped up a bunch of sets of those for St. Francis Knitters and any knitting group we might start at my church. A hug from Above. I bet if I went back today there wouldn't be any free knitting needles!

I managed to make a chemo cap from one skein of Aiko. I didnt pay full price for the Aiko. Who could afford such? A local yarn shop is closing its doors (boo hoo!!!) and so I got some Aiko at 60% discount.

One Skein Aiko Chemo Cap, c 2007 Esther Paris
Fits snugly on medium-sized adult female. (Chemo caps are supposed to be snug, and soft.)





Requires -

• One skein Aiko yarn, any color [Yarn doesn't get much softer than this. It's like knitting a cloud. Honest. Feel it to believe me.]
  
• size 10 [6 mm] circular needle, 16"
  
• marker
  
• Size 10 [6 mm] DPNs, or second size 10 [6 mm] circ., or a really long size 10 [6 mm] circ (You can do the hat top on DPNs, 2 circ's, or Magic Loop. Doesn't matter. All work equally well. I'm a Magic Loop or 2 circ's kind of gal.)
  

Cable cast-on 56 stitches. Join into round, being careful to avoid twisting stitches on needle. K2P2 rib for 10 rounds.
Stockinette stitch for 20 rounds.
(K12, k2tog) repeat around. 52 sts
(K11, k2tog) repeat around. 48 sts
(K10, k2tog) repeat around. 44 sts
(K9, k2tog) repeat around. 40 sts
(K3, k2tog) repeat around. 36 sts. Yes, this changes the pattern and adds a second 'swirl'.
(K2, k2tog) repeat around. 28 sts
(K1, k2tog) repeat around. 20 sts.
(k2tog) repeat around. 10 sts.
(k2tog) repeat around. 5 sts.
Draw remaining yarn through remaining 5 stitches at least twice. Draw up tight. Bring remaining yarn to inside of hat and darn in. Darn in any inch or so of yarn tail from the cable cast-on.

I only had about 6 inches of the Aiko yarn wasted when I was done with the cap.

Today is my little brother's 41st birthday. Pity, we lost him when he was only 17. Days like this really eat at my spirit. I'd just like to stay in bed and not deal with any thing or any one. However, my vocation is presently motherhood. There is no room in the schedule for mom to stay in bed, facing no one and no thing.

I have four kiddos, three on a swim team. The day started with a swim meet. It was a good meet. Every kid on both teams swam well. They impress me so!

The kids and I went to LaSalette Shrine for noon Mass. We had some time before Mass so we went to the Rosary pond. We saw fishes, big and little. We saw a turtle. We heard a frog but couldn't find him. The older three kids tried to catch dragonflies and damselflies but weren't quite speedy enough to manage that today. However, one damselfly alighted on my head, another on my right arm, and one on my third child's right leg. A cedar waxwing alighted on a pole right near us. Since I rarely see cedar waxwings, this was a total treat.

Mass was nice. Todays' readings were: Ex 14:21—15:1 (the parting of the Red Sea), and Mt 12:46-50.

Let me post the Matthew reading:
While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,
his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,
asking to speak with you.”
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Father's homily was about "how can we each be brothers and mothers to Jesus?"

Since I was sitting there with all four of my kids, and couldn't help but be thinking about my own brothers and mother, the reading had quite an impact on me today.

After Mass we lit a prayer candle and sang Happy Birthday to 'Uncle Mike'.

None of my children ever got to meet him.

Twenty-four years is a long time ago. Does the pain ever go away?
I think not.
It lessens.
It eases.
It changes.
But it's never really gone.

Grief doesn't wear a wrist watch nor carry a calendar. One never knows when the monster called Grief will spring from its lurking spot and strike.

But if one can think a sign from above is saying "Thanks for saying Happy Birthday", then I think it would be three damselflies and a cedar waxing, a pretty turtle, a singing frog, and some brightly colored fish.

Where do I go next?
Kid3 and I got glutened a few weekends ago. We had narrowed down all the suspects to
two: Santitas Corn Chips from Frito-Lay, and Ball Park Beef Franks from Sara Lee.
Bought the Elisa-tek gluten flow-through test kits. They arrived today in the big
brown truck.
The Corn Chips and Franks don't register as having 10ppm or more of gluten.

I don't know what to make of it.

And more - do I dare eat or feed the rest of the chips? (The rest of the hot dogs were quite nasty-looking after sitting around for so long. Tossed them out without hesitation.)

Read more...

I've been trying quite hard to incorporate Fr. Pat Martin's (http://www.awildcanary.com/) advice into my life. He told me to pray EVERY DAY, First Thing, to Mother Mary and my own earthly mom: "Help me see God's love for me today."

Today I saw it a couple of ways:
- a red-bellied woodpecker sighting That's an unusual sighting for me. Never figured out whey they're called red-BELLied, when it's the back of their heads that's so eye-catchingly red.

- a lovely letter from a friend of my mother's

- helpful, friendly people at the Toyota dealership, who tried their best to solve my problem at the least cost

- my latest toys (some books) came in the mail today

- I have learned that I have a second skein of Mountain Colors yarn around here some place. The store from which I purchased it was kind enough to look up an old receipt and confirm that I did, indeed, buy two. I will keep looking until I find that second skein! It's here SOMEWHERE. It's truly yummy yarn. I'm glad I bought two. I've already turned one skein into a hat and mitten set. Can't wait to knit the second skein. It's this: http://www.kyarns.com/dynamic/mountain-colors-48s-wool-wildflower.jpg in 4/8 wool.

- A dear friend's child turns four today. TOTALLY a reason to shout from the mountaintops and celebrate.

- Weather to enjoy

- Had the energy to get a smidge of housework done. Not that any one will notice other than me. But I am happy to see it.