2009 in Review, Bring on 2010!!

All right...so 2009 is behind us and it has been a very busy year. Seems like yesterday I was trying to figure out when Easter was for 2009 and here it is 2010 and I'm still trying to figure out when Easter will fall...

We had a great year. Jim has been working hard at Oakland Community College and has studied hard to get through. This last semester was the hardest, but he pulled it out with an A, two B's and two C's. I'm so proud of him.

This year saw Rebekah turn 3. She's been growing quickly and polishing her quick wit. She's learned to dance and wants to be a ballerina right now. She has even learned to do an Irish dance like they do on the Wiggles. She's learned to tell knock-knock jokes too! She started Cubbies this year too, and has been memorizing scripture. She's learning to draw, she's perfected counting and counts everything...at least to 10 that is! She's a big help to mommy as well as a fashionista!! Just try to tell her that dresses are for Sunday School!!

God has been working in many areas of my life and I am trusting Him that He knows what He is doing. I just have to be patient and obedient and those are the hardest things for me to do. But because He is patient, He is continuing to work in my life despite me!

God allowed me to make a new friend online this past year. I had the opportunity to do some test knitting for her (you can check my Ravelry page to see Concerto and Symphony). She has helped me in so many ways and for that I am grateful ( you know who you are!!) She encouraged me to set some Challenging goals for 2010 and so I am going to list those now...to make it all legal and all...I am still working to develop Professional goals. Those are hardest to come up with because I really cannot see myself going back to school at ager 45 with a 3 YO daughter!!

Anyhow...here's my goals for 2010!!
Spiritual
1. To read something from God's Word every day of this year.
2. To keep a prayer journal and update weekly, pray without ceasing.
3. To memorize 52 different verses or passages.

Personal
1. To lose 25 pounds this year.
2. To organize housecleaning and gain control of C.H.A.O.S.
3. To go through clothing and make donations to Salvation Army.

Hobby-cal
1. To knit a pair of Cat Bordhi socks from New Pathways book.
2. To design my own sock pattern for a toddler. (This is an encouragement from the friend who challenged me to do this!)
3. To learn to spin with my drop spindle (Christmas 2008 gift from Jim!!)
4. To finish at least 3 UFO's.
5. to read/listen to 50 books/audio books
6. To knit 3 different things from stash yarn only.
7. To organize fiber/accessories/needles into 1 room.
8. To blog weekly.
9. To finish Jim's Afghan that I started as a Wedding present in 2005.
10. To knit at least 2 pair of socks for Jim this year.

This is just the begining of the year and I am like anyone else starting out with New Year's reolutions...I'm excited. But I tried to make these realistic goals that I really want to accomplish and I'm going to trust God to help me to attain these goals for 2010!!

Long Time...playing catch up!

Well it's been such a long time since I blogged and I really don't want to bore you with everything that has been happening. Suffice it to say that it has been a very busy semester for Jim. He has taken on 5 classes with a total of 15 credits and he is passing all of them and has A's in 3 classes. i am so proud of my husband!! it has been a hard haul but the end it coming into sight for him. So needless to say, I have been busy driving us all around and playing with Rebekah.

Rebekah started Cubbies this year at church...she Loves it and is able to repeat all the verses she has learned so far! She's got about 12 of them memorized to sing. I caught on quickly to how fast she learns and remembers when we sing...so we make up little tunes to learn her verses by, all the I have to do is hum the first bar of the tune and she is saying (or rather singing) the verse. I am so pleased that she is hiding God's Word in her heart at this early age. It will definitely give her comfort in the future. She is also learning other things like how to play organized games and take turns. She has good teachers and I so appreciate their willingness to participate as leaders in AWANA so that Rebekah can benefit from them.

Rebekah turned 3 since I last posted. She had 2 parties!! And was princess for the entire week...or month...or maybe I should just say she is princess everyday...sometimes good and sometimes bad, but she is still a princess in our eyes...Grandma T made her a pink twirly dress that she adores and has a hard time taking off at night...She talks about her grandparents all the time...both sets. She got huge box of play doh fun stuff from Grandma and Grandpa D. and got to spend time with Aunt Carol and grandpa and Grandma at Bob Evens where only her meal was free!! Still she had so much fun celebrating her birthday with everyone...

She was Sleeping beauty for Halloween and kept putting the dress back on for 5 days... Until I hid it so I could wash it!! She had so much fun going out...even if she did insist on wearing the heels that came with the outfit!! Now she begs to wear it to play dress up in. I am so grateful for a child with an imagination beyond watching TV all day!!
God has blessed us and Jim and I are ever mindful of the treasure that God has shared with us to raise and train up to love and obey God. In today's day and age we know that raising a child has a lot of hard times, there is so much to combat in our society that is against God...We pray that God will continue to help us guard her heart and keep her drawing close to Him.




We are getting ready for grand Christmas this year. Jim has been out of a job and going to college for over 2 years now and the Lord has really provided for us in ways that I never saw...there are times that I am nervous and not trusting but somehow we seems to make it despite the difficulties of one income. It can be done, we just have to learn to cut back. This Christmas will still be wonderful as we are all together and healthy and safe. Rebekah and spent some time coloring pictures and decorating the tree...



Through all this I have been knitting... I've done some test knitting....Symphony and Concerto...



And some Christmas knitting...and some knitting that was supposed to be for Christmas. Have you ever tried telling a 3 YO that she has to wait until Christmas to wear socks like these!! These are mini Monkeys that I adapted from Cookie A's now famous Monkey sock pattern! Rebekah loves them! and they were so much fun and easy to knit...now it's time for more...After I have some fun playing with my daughter right now!!

Labours of Labor Day

Some of us end up working holidays...people are always sick and hospitals never close their doors. However...as a nurse...I'm still supposed to work only 2 of the 4 summer holidays. For the 2nd year in a row...I've worked 3 of them. And I worked 5 days of the 9 "winter holiday" obligations last year too...We'll see what happens when I turn in my requests for Winter this year...Maybe I will actually get one complete holiday off. I understand that as a MN shift person...my holiday is actually the night before. But I still consider it working on the holiday if I have to go in to work on Christmas day at 7PM!!! We'll see.

That little rant being done...I'm glad that I worked last night and now I have my 3 day weekend for my holiday!! I've got so many things planned to do with 3 days in a row off. There is laundry and cleaning and spending time with Rebekah and Jim and taking care of the kitchen and making meals other than hot dogs on the grill...I love it.

Rebekah is growing up too quickly....She will be starting AWANA on Wednesday night. I was part of AWANA as a child and later I was a leader for 8 years and now my daughter will be starting at the earliest age. She'll be 3 in less than a month...so she will start her first year of Cubbies. She's already got the beginning pamphlet and we have been looking it over every day. I am ready to be back into the mode of going to church on Wednesday nights!!

I really have been doing a lot of knitting lately...but some of it is test knitting so I cannot share it yet. I am working on my Venice shawl, my MIL's Susie hoodie, my February Lady Sweater, and some socks. I joined the Sock Knitters Anonymous group and although I really do not like the color yellow on my... I decided to try the Mystery sock. It's a Nancy Bush design and already has some interesting stitches. The one is called a Vikkel Braid. I've never seen this before let alone done it. Followed the directions...and Walla...Vikkel Braid. OK...so I did look at the tutorial because my first attempt at the braid was worked on the wrong side of the sock. Now I've got it right and it works well.

To top all that off...I still have several UFOs hanging around the house and I was sent the Lollipop Skirt link by a friend. Rebekah took one look and pronounced it her "Sunday School Skirt". So I had to get the yarn and start up. This is a rather easy knit...all stockinette in the round...gets sort of monotonous...but it makes for really easy knitting when I don't want to pay attention to my knitting.

And I just got the yarn for another test knit!! Lots of knitting to be done!! But must attack Mount "Washmore" first!!

The Dream Cruise 2009

I have been in the Dream Cruise before. Sometimes it was on my way to work...sometimes it was to gawk at the classic cars. I can still remember the first year my dad took us and we drove Woodward Avenue with the classic cars all around us...we were in a GM van with both side doors open so that we could see cars on both sides of us and so that the people sitting on the grass next to the road watching could see through us...

This is the first year I have ever ridden in a classic car!! It really adds to the dream cruise when you can cruise in a classic car. People are looking at your ride...asking you to peel out...taking pictures of the car you are riding in...waving at you. It was so cool!! Dad drove the 1963 Cadillac Convertible and we enjoyed 2 hours of the Dream Cruise today. It was Rebekah's first cruise and she loved it...even if she did fall asleep!

This was by far the best Cruise I have been in! Thanks Dad. We even got in a White Castle Slider or two!

A Week of Firsts

This has been a week of firsts at our home. It's the first time I finished a project and bound off...then found a dropped stitch and had to rip back. Can't show pictures...because I didn't take any!! I was too upset with myself.

It is also the first time I've done Monkey socks and finished them...to give them away as a gift for a friend...I tend to do that...Baudelaires and now Monkeys...

These were wonderfully easy to knit. After one repeat of the pattern...it was easy to keep track of and fun to knit. It only took so long because of all the other things I am working on...

This week is also a first for Rebekah. She is growing up too quickly!! Our church is having VBS this week. It's a space
theme and Grandpa is the "Captain". She is really enjoying it and has fun watching Grandpa in the skits each day. She is still only 2 1/2 but she is learning to integrate and play with other children and follow instructions and leaders. I'm looking forward to having her be in AWANA this fall. It's one thing for us to teach her Christian principles, it's another to have them taught by someone else and for her to practice things like sharing and playing fair and obeying adults (including her parents!!)

The first day..she was dressed and waiting at the door for Grandma to pick her up...off she went to her first time at VBS. No crying or anything...She's such a big girl!! And she had fun at Bible School and learned about the Bible being the Ultimate Authority. They played games and made crafts...

A cool new thing

I was looking at a friend's blog and found this cool new gadget!! If you scroll to the bottom of the page...you'll see my travel logs. Where in the world I have visited and where in the US I have visited!! It's really cool!! Check it out...Now I know which states I need to visit to see all 50 in my lifetime! It helped that as a child, my family used to go on vacations...a lot...and we spent one summer out west in a Winebago. I remember it a such fun...but I'm sure that my parents would have a different story about how Brian and I complained and fought all the time!!

I guess that looking at things mow...my life has been really good..even during my single years...all the placed I was able to visit and such. I only hope that we will still be able to give some of that to Rebekah as she grows up. Grand Canyon, The Smokie Mountains, The Appalacians, Mount Rushmore, Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Africa, and Europe. It would be so much fun to share some of those memories wit Rebekah as she makes her own memories in the future.

Speaking of Rebekah...We've been swimming lately...Rebekah is learning to float now...She likes her ladybug. We had a great time for the 4th of July as well. I can't believe that the summer is more than half over!!

I have been knitting even though it doesn't actually look like it. Right now...I have a new shawl...Mia Bella! And I started into my next shawl...Masked Ball in Venice. I also have a pair of Monkey socks on the needles for Kristine. Actually...I have 2 pair of Monkey socks...one for me as well. And I'm a test knitter as well. Once I can show pictures of that I certainly will!! Plus I have 2 sweaters on the needles and one sweater that I really want to do with some awesome yarn that was handdyed by Wendy, the Yarn Fairy!! I just haven't been able to let myself start another sweater with 2 in the works already!! Here's a pic of my Mia Bella (with our new digital camera...long story, but FYI Digital camera + Mountain Dew + 2 1/2 YO daughter and Best Buy warrenties will get you a new camera all the time!! Love it Olympus Stylus 10mp camera that is also WATERPROOF!! It acutally allows you to take underwater pictures!! anyway...)
I love this shawl. It was the las KAL on the Knitting Delight yahoo group (german) and Brigit Freyer always produces such lovely shawls!! Here's mine!!

I suppose this is enough catch up for now!!

Oh...AWESOME recipe for Apple Dumplings!! This is one of those "eat at your own risk" recipes!! Totally yummy!! And really great warm with ice cream!

That's all for now!!

What have I been up to??!?

OK...so between Facebook, Plurk, Twitter, Ravelry, and my blog...my blog suffers...it takes a little longer and there aren't any word games!! We really have been doing stuff. It's been so long that I won't bore you with all the pictures and things...



Jim is doing great this first half of the summer semester at OCC. He's getting A's in all 3 of his classes and these are doozies!! But he is doing great and I'm so proud of him. And he still has time to help Rebekah learn to ride her tricycle. What a great Dad!!


We had a great Mother's day and my birthday. Mom was home from Florida.

We celebrated Memorial Day with the annual Waterford Parade down Dixie Highway. Now Rebekah wants to go everyday!! She loved it. And loves having Grandma and Grandpa home from Florida.

Rebekah is now able to count to 12 and say her ABC's. She also learned "Hallelujah" yesterday at church and is having a great time singing today. She was the hit on Palm Sunday morning...I was ringing bells up front... She is such a joy!

I have been knitting too. And because of the Cyber Fiber Retreat that one of my yahoo groups had (Love it!!) I also learned to kool aid dye yarn...













And I've knitted hats and shawls and still working on sweaters and making plans for more shawls...I'm almost finished with this one (only 6 more rows...but lots of beads, that slows it down...)




And we have still had time to fly a kite!!!