What happened to spring?!

These photos are roughly 2 or so weeks old:

Today, the high is 91. Um, what's up with that?

The Slings I Make but Do Not Photograph

I made my first sling back when Dan was born, and it has been well worth the investment. I have used that thing so much - I love hands-free baby snuggles. Because I use it so much - particularly in church - it's understandable that a few like-minded mommies should want one of their own.
So, over the last 6 or so months, I've made about 6 slings for various friends and friends-of-friends, and would you believe I took not one picture until the most recent? Even that one isn't that hot:

 

So, from here on out, I commit to continue making slings and attempting to photograph them more, if only to prove to myself that the sewing machine is worth the space it takes up.

Right now

• Dan is doing well with potty training - yay! It's not perfect - last week he peed as soon as we set foot in the library, and yesterday he had a rather messy accident (ahem) - but he's made it through church and 3+ hour co-op, accident-free. I'm telling you, you've got a appreciate the little things.
• Caleb has now cut two teeth, and gauging by the grouch, there are more coming. In between bouts of misery, though, he really is marvelous.
• God has been showing me lately, the hard way, that I am very quick to become angry when my comfort, plan, or desire for ease is threatened. The sinful response of anger is obviously wrong, but it's an indicator of other heart issues that need addressing. One way I've been helped is by choosing to prepare myself for things not going my way ahead of time and praying for both my response to glorify God, and for Him to be at work in the issues that tend to act as a trigger (bickering or complaining, for instance). While there is still far to go, I have seen grace and growth - and that's no small thing.
• We had a lovely Easter, rejoicing over baptisms at church and enjoying wonderful food and company with friends. And for the record, I successfully completed my Pinterest fast! Taking a tech/social media break was a helpful exercise, one I am considering doing more often.
• While it's only barely spring, I'm seeing the beginning of the shift towards summer: only 4 weeks of co-op left, planning for next year's schooling has begun, Noah's baseball clinic starts this Saturday. How is it possible that I'm ready for the next season, even as we scramble to finish well where we're at?
• I'm almost finished working on this little project for a friend at co-op. I love this pattern and I love the yarn!
• Our family has done little in the way of field trips so far this year (I blame the baby). With improved weather, bigger baby, and a healthy dose of mother-guilt, I'm planning on getting my people out and about more. Any suggestions for an excellent field trip?

What are you and yours up to?

Wanna make a cute kid hat?

Take some fingering-weight/sock yarn and cast on 104 sts on size 4 or 5 needles, working in the round.

K2 P2 for an inch, followed by stockinette st for 6 or so inches. Flip it inside out and finish with 3 needle cast off.

Weave in ends and place securely on cold head. Fits a large 3 year-old head, or normal-sized dome on an older child.

Link love

Are your photos being hijacked by another site? Here's how to find out.

I found some of this helpful in relating to my boys...

Managing the iphone (or any smart phone!) - who doesn't need this?

The calendar says it's spring, but when the thermometer says otherwise, these ideas might help.

And a few for the homeschoolers:
The Introverted Homeschooler - this came at just the right time for me!

If you are a homeschooler (and maybe even if you're not), it's a good idea to figure out how to make it all work together.

So your homeschooled child isn't right on grade level? Don't sweat it...

It's finished!

It's been something of a long project - nearly 3 months - but I'm happy to say my Effortless cardigan is complete!

The night before I finished it, I dreamt that I'd cast off, put it on, and found that it reached all the way to my ankles. It's long, especially after blocking, but fortunately not that long.

It's also warm, comfy, soft, matchy-matchy, and able to wrap any kid that fits into my lap. A winner all around.

Yarn, pattern, etc on my ravelry page.

The End of an Era

Our dog, Thor, hadn't been doing well for a while. He's been having trouble with his hips, struggling to stand or go up and down stairs. Occasionally his functions would fail him, leaving messes to clean up. He was sleeping more and more and the vet had mentioned a while back that he had a large mass in his abdomen.
We decided to call it a day for old Thor.

It wasn't an easy decision, and one that we'd been discussing for months. We finally decided that it was the right time, making his final appointment with the vet. I was nervous about this part - would they make me feel bad (worse), suggesting expensive treatments to prolong his life? I needn't have worried. The receptionist was very kind and thoughtful - even though I don't do this everyday, it can't be unusual for her.
Toby was the one to do this appointment. While I was glad I took Zoe to her last appointment, I didn't want to do it again if I had a choice. It was good to stay home with sorrowing children, talking about what was going to happen and all the fun memories we had of Thor. The kids were sad, but understand that this is the right choice. They don't want to see him suffer needlessly, either. Talking about all the stories and adventures he's had helped all of us - how many other dogs get to travel internationally?
It's funny to think about it all, really - seeing him for the first time, cowering in the back of a kennel at the rescue center, falling in love with him just to hear that another family snapped him up before us, going home sad but thankful that at least he had a family now, only to be called by the rescue center an hour later to be told that the other family wasn't suitable and would we still like to bring him home? Taking him for long walks where he either pulled your arm out of its socket or helped you develop a cast iron grip, especially if there was water anywhere nearby. Seeing what happens when a bearded dog eats flour, drinks water and repeats a dozen times. Enjoying him swimming after water toys for the pure joy of it, as long as someone would still throw them. Watching a dozens of kids climb on, poke, pull, bend and generally abuse him, and never would he lose his temper - then seeing him morph into crazy psycho dog if another dog came near. He was a dog that could change the minds non-dog lovers.
Now, we are pet-free. I don't think that's a permanent thing (he wasn't even gone before the kids were inquiring after a new pet, cold-hearted beasts), but for now, we will enjoy our pet-free status. I'm glad to take a break from puddles of hair on the floor, racing to grab dropped food before he gets it, stepping in the poop in the yard that we somehow missed, and Dan sneaking into the laundry room to eat dog food (for real).
Nevertheless, it's the end of an era for our family. It's the first time since we got married more than fifteen years ago that we have not had a pet. I'm sure there will be more creatures we will one day call family, but for now, we'll miss this one, even while we sweep up the last of the hair.

Right now

• Dan seems to be winning the battle that is potty training! He uses the toilet now, rather than the potty, and often takes himself without prompting. He hasn't yet gotten the hang of "number 2" in the toilet, but the vast benefit of not changing his diapers every hour throughout the morning is well worth putting up with a little mess. He'll get it eventually!
• Caleb is teething. Oy. One bottom tooth has cut through, but I think there are more on the way, gauging by his fussiness. He's still delightfully cute, though.
• I'm fighting disease and contagion, in the form of a sore throat (which makes for quite a manly voice) and headache. I'm determined to win, though! After all, "ain't nobody got time" to be sick...
• Thor isn't doing too well. He's been on the downhill slide for a while, and it's getting worse. His hips hurt and his back legs regularly fail him, he often needs to be carried up or down the stairs, several times a week he relieves himself in the house (often right next to someone), and now he's started throwing up. In my room. At 3am.  It's not looking good - I foresee a vet visit soon...
• I've been noticing a couple of habits in my kids that need to see some change. Right now, there's been the morning chores - rarely do they get done without me, at some point, bellowing like a bull moose about how they all need to get done before playtime. The thought eventually came to me (I'm a little slow) that I'm training Dan to use the toilet with positive reinforcement (m&ms, in this case), so why not the others? So, the deal is, they have 30 minutes (a timer is set) to complete all their chores without me reminding them. If they get them all done without my nagging, they can have a couple of m&ms. It's early days, but it went well today. My kids are pretty short-term thinkers, so I know that yummy food that they don't normally get would speak to them. I'd love to do something longer term, like if they do it for a week or month, we'd do something special, but we'll start small and see how we go.
• There are some other areas we're working on, namely acting selfishly and stirring up division. There is prayer and discussion going on, but practical measures are still so new and unsure that the jury is still out on their effectiveness. Time will surely tell!
• Noah is learning how to cut wood. Amazingly, there have been no stitches or severed fingers...yet.

Glassified Roughage...

...otherwise known as "salad in a jar".

Have you tried this yet? If you haven't, you really ought to. I've seen the ideas in a couple of place on Pinterest, but since I'm not on there for Lent (and I haven't been!), I was able to remember this clever blog, aptly named Salad in a Jar. Her recommendations are great starting off points, though I've been able to make this thing work even without a vacuum sealer. I'd certainly suggest checking Pinterest for other people's genius, but I think the general principle is as follows:

• a couple of tablespoons of dressing on the bottom
• toppings that can stand up to dressing, like bacon, nuts, carrots or mushrooms
• any other veggies you like until the jar is half full
• fill the rest of the jar with as much lettuce as you can pack in.

It seems to me that the less air there is in the jar, the longer the lettuce keeps, which is why the vacuum sealer is so effective. I've found, though, that stuffing it in nice and tight does pretty much the same thing. Just make sure that the lettuce and dressing don't touch one another, or the lettuce will turn slimy.

In the jars above, we have ranch dressing on the bottom, followed by almonds, bacon, cous cous, cucumber, tomato and the lettuce. I've found they last for about a week, if they're not eaten before. Toby's been stealing them for his lunch, which works out really well - it's so much easier (and just as filling) to grab a prepared bit of green on a busy morning.

And I can assure you, every morning in this house is busy.

Some reading

So, I'm working on my booklist for the year. Here's what I think of my reading material:

Gift from the Sea - A friend gifted this to me a few years ago, and I'd tried to get into it a few times, but inevitably put it down for other things. This time, I was determined.
It's a gentle, rather lyrical attempt at one woman's introspection and priority evaluation during a vacation at her sea-side home. It's nice, it's poetic, it has something to say knowing wisely caring for yourself, but I just wasn't getting into it. I found the author's writing style rather distracting, like I was sifting through the words to understand what she was saying. There are other books that cover "mother-care" and knowing why it is we do what we do from a godly perspective that nourished my soul much more.

The Wingfeather Saga: Volumes 1 & 2 - I'd read about these books on a couple of blogs - they came with glowing recommendations, so I was really excited to find that I could get two of the three books out at the library. The first in the series, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: Adventure Peril, Lost Jewels, and the Fearsome Toothy Cows of Skree, introduces the reader to the Igiby family, living in the fictional town of Glipwood under the tyrannical rule of Gnag the Nameless and terrorized by his minions, the Fangs. Written primarily for older kids/young adults (think Harry Potter), it still has enough to grab me, and I know my kids will love it - there's humor, suspense, intrigue, fantastical creatures, daring escapes and heroic rescues. And a snotwax candle. The second book, North! Or Be Eaten: Wild escapes. A desperate journey. And the ghastly Fangs of Dang, is just as exciting. What's going to happen to these ordinary kids who find themselves in amazing circumstances? The author does a great job of drawing you into the story, and I'm looking forward on getting started on Volume 3, The Monster in the Hollows. I would definitely recommend them for older kids, adults or as a family read aloud.

At Home - This was the first book I read this year, and while I wouldn't call it easy reading, it was pretty good. If you're at all familiar with Bill Bryson's writing, you'll know it's funny, though not as much so as some others. He basically takes the reader on a tour through the house, discussing the various histories of the rooms themselves and the impact they had on society. In the bathroom, for instance, you learn not just about the first flush toilet, but on the beginning of the organized sewage system and general hygiene in the 1800s. It doesn't sound very interesting, and if you're not a history fan, you may well want to move on by, but I really enjoyed reading about the gardener-architect that designed London's original Crystal Palace, some of the amazing dynamics that occurred between hired help and "the masters", and how little things like quality cement affected American trade and expansion. Most of all, it made me grateful to live in the time period I do.

I'm currently working on Give Them Grace and 7. Give Them Grace is going to take some time and require some brain power and note-taking, but I think I (and the kids) will benefit from a careful going-over. I'm nearly done with 7 - it's due back at the library soon! - and I'm pretty sure I'll have some good takeaways from it, as well.

Read anything good lately?