Crocheting and babies

My oldest friend (we were stuck at the hips in kindergarten) just had her third babe last night...a 10 lb 10 oz boy. When I first read the text (which was at 12:30am) I whispered a prayer of thanks for baby Elijah and then crawled back to bed. When I read the text again this morning, I saw the weight and thought "ouch!"

I guess I now need to finish the baby blanket I am crocheting for baby Elijah. I'm mostly done but need to tuck in a few stray strands, crochet a border and consider if I want to attempt little pom-poms or tassels. I'm not sure I'm liking this particular baby blanket...I'll decide at the end if I'm going to send it or go out a buy a gift instead. Regardless I think this will be the last baby blanket for a long while! I'm kind of sick of them.

When it comes to crocheting I only have patience for scarfs and baby blankets...anything larger and I lose interest. So I started crocheting baby blankets when my friends starting having children. Then when child #2 came along, I thought I should make one for them too...to make them feel equally loved and special when they are old enough to appreciate it. Now a few friends have had baby #3 and I am resenting the thought of making yet another blanket. However, if baby #2 gets less than baby #1, then baby #3 gets a lot less typically. So if I end up sending Elijah's blanket, I think he might end up being the only baby #3 to get a blanket because I'm hanging up my needles...well, kind of.

I'm slowly and sporadically working on a large sized quilt. I have dubbed this quilt "The Ugliest Blanket Ever" because I'm using up all the leftover yarns that I have purchased for other scarves or blankets. It is a modge-podge of color and is actually turning out to be a very pretty blanket because of it. I'll try to post pictures of my crocheting creations once I'm done with Elijah's...maybe this weekend.

A Hard Day

Yesterday was my pastor's last day at my church. We laughed, we cried, we worshipped, we thanked God and committed them (and us) to Him. As stories were flowing yesterday, there were numerous events where individuals thanked the Pastor and his wife for their involvement (weddings, births, baptism, deaths, etc). When I think about my own life, I am saddened at the thought that my Pastor and wife have not been able to yet share in a wedding or birth...in fact, my life has been fairly uneventful at this church EXCEPT for the fact that they have shared the formation of who I am. I started attending my church when I was 9 years old. 21 years later, while I may be husband-less and child-less, I have lived, served and have been shaped by my involvement with the church throughout my life. And they were very much a part of that shaping. I am so thankful for that.

Then I went to visit a friend yesterday who is in the hospital. When I arrived, I found out that she is in the Psychiatric Unit...which didn't shock me but did sadden me. She is a sweet girl but has really struggled over the last 8 months or so. I pray that the Lord will protect her mind and give her healing, peace, and health in all areas! May I be a balm of encouragement for her.

Last bit of hard news that I learned yesterday is that another friend is spiraling downward due to drugs. I don't even know what to say...except that I am praying.

Life can be hard at times. People we love are hurting and their pain makes us hurt too. Others come and go, our paths cross for a season and then separate again...all of which causes grief. But God is good. And He is faithful. And He hears our prayers...for which I am thankful.

Anticipation

I love each season.
I love the coldness of winter...the brisk air, the beauty of snow, the stark trees
I love the freshness of spring...the new life, the greenery, the interlaced days of rain and sun
I love the energy of summer...the sun, the heat, and the produce...oh the produce!
I love the contentment of fall...the color-infused trees, the increasingly cooler air, the lurking warm days.

Even though I love each season, I think I could live just about anywhere...even places whose seasons blur. I went to college in Regina, Saskatchewan...very much flat praire land with 5 months of winter and blazing hot summers. Fall and spring flew through, lingering only for about 2 weeks before the introduction of the heat or the snow/ice came around...and I enjoyed that too.

I don't know what this has to do with anything. But today is a sunny, clear-sky day and is 80 degrees and I find myself enchanted by it all. While I wish that summer would linger a few weeks more, I anticipate all that is good about autumn and am excited for that too!

So wherever you are, whatever your weather, I hope you can find beauty in today!

Biscotti

The crunch. The flavor. The soaked-in-coffee goodness.
I love biscotti!

I enjoy eating biscotti.
I enjoy making biscotti.
I enjoy trying new types of biscotti.
And I enjoy testing out the biscotti on others.

I've made an Almond Lemon Biscotti, Chocolate Cherry Biscotti, Vanilla Bean Biscotti, Double Chocolate Biscotti and last night I made a Mocha Almond Biscotti. My plan tonight is make a Coconut Rum Biscotti...just because it sounds interesting.

I try to do my cooking with a purpose...what I mean is that I know if I cook just for me, I will eat what I make, which isn't always a good thing. So I try to come up with people or reasons that I can give food away and then not only do I get to bless someone (hopefully) but then I can also get to have a little taste without feeling guilty.

What is the reason for the Mocha Almond and Coconut Rum? This is my pastor's last week at my church...I thought it would be nice to drop some off. There are only 7 people there so I'm going to provide enough for two each and then bring the rest to work.

So if you ever want some biscotti...let me know. I'm always looking for good excuses and you'd make a great one!

What I learned from the opera...

Last night I went to the Seattle Opera House and saw Tristan und Isolde. For those of you who don't know Tristan und Isolde's story: Guy meets girl, they fall in love, guy promises girl to another guy, they admit they are in love, the other guy finds out about the two once he is married to the girl, everyone dies.

I have long thought I'd probably enjoy opera, which I did! However in the second half, I found myself creating this list throughout the performance. Lessons we can learn from opera (and maybe particularly from Tristan und Isolde):

1. Everything sounds better when you sing it. Where am I? You were wounded and I carried you home.
2. Especially if you sing it in another language. Wo bin ich? Sie wurden verwundet und ich trug Sie Haupt.* (trust me...this sounds better!)
3. Every good story has at least one death...so expect it.
4. If you manage to secure an orchestra to play along to your life, your life and actions will be that much more dramatic.
5. Everyone has a "drama queen" moment.
6. Falling in love with someone that you are going to set up with someone else, is not a good idea.
7. When in doubt, if you know someone has the ability to make magic potions, you'd be better off not eating or drinking anything they offer.
8. Three hours of opera makes me as antsy as I feel at the 7th-inning stretch.
9. When you are tired, sitting through another hour of opera will most likely lull you to sleep or make you so much more tired.
10. If you choose to work in a major orchestra, bravo! but fully expect people to come and stare at you like you are an animal at a zoo!
11. Last but certainly not least, how much better would life be if we yelled out Bravo! to people whenever they did someone good or wonderful!

*Translation is from Babelfish...could be completely wrong. Sprache keine deutsch!