The Good The Bad And The Ugly

As we begin the last week of February, I look back and see what a full month it has been. We've celebrated love, friendship and birthdays and have reminded ourselves that each new day is truly a gift. At the beginning of this month I received a medical report that I tested positive for an autoimmune disorder with the highest possibility of it being Lupus. I will be seeing a specialist to look into it further. Even though this was not a final diagnosis, my body has been exhibiting symptoms for quite some time and now we have a name and a clearer focus. We will learn more in the days ahead about treatment options, etc. Right now we are learning about what Lupus is. Holy moly. It's not a pretty picture. My days are either good, bad or ugly. Mostly a mixture. If you pray, please pray for strength and for a pathway to wellness. I mostly want more of a determination to live my life as fully as I can and to give my family my best. They deserve so much more than to have a wife and mother living with a chronic disorder. They are being sweet and supportive and I am so thankful for my hubby, our two boys and our new furbaby.

Raising Boys

We are raising two boys who are 7 1/2 years apart.  Our oldest will be eleven in a few days.  Because of their age difference, they have completely different needs throughout each day.   Being a stay-at-home mom has its own set of challenges, but I expect that without challenges, life would be boring!  Raising boys is absolutely not boring!

When our youngest was born, we were given a handmade crochet blanket for him. (love you, Christina!)  It was the perfect gift!  Matched our nursery colors and design and it was definitely made with love.  It has become his favorite blanket of all.  He called it his "bwoo bwanket" for quite a while and now he calls it his "star blanket."  I was thinking of this as I was crocheting my latest project.  My hope is that this blanket (pictured left) will find its way to a new precious baby boy and he will treasure it for years to come. 

Baby Boy Blanket Crochet

Yesterday morning I got up before all the boys in the house and slipped out the door for a quick trip to one of my favorite stores: Hobby Lobby.  They have a great selection of yarns (and just about everything else for any other project!) and the store is only about a mile from our home.  The yarn is Bernat 100% cotton and the finished project will be for a baby boy.  This is the first time I've ever crocheted with cotton yarn and I must say that I enjoy it very much!! It's so soft and cuddly and not at all hard to work with as I supposed.  A pic of the finished piece will be posted soon. (fingers crossed!!)    

Afghan Crochet Throws - Handmade

Nearly ten years ago, I took a crochet class along with a wonderful group of lovely ladies.  Since then, I've made many afghans and given them as gifts for birthdays, Christmas and baby showers.  Below is an example of my latest work. 

Bright Tri-color Afghan Twin Size

Neutral Color Throw shown on left is 40x60

Afghan Throw in "Black Tweed" 40x60

We don't yet see things clearly.

We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.

But it won't be long before the weather clears

and the sun shines bright!

We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us,

knowing Him directly just as He knows us!

But for right now, until that completeness,

we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:

Trust steadily in God

Hope unswervingly

Love extravagantly

and the best of the three is LOVE

First Corinthians Thirteen

The Message