guests and other quests

HOLY MOLY!

i can’t believe i didn’t link sooner.  here’s my guest blog over at HollaKnits.  swing by there and say hello, won’t you?  i’d love to know what you think of the new design!

this past week mae lost both front teeth and my big, sweet, beautiful alizah turned TWELVE.  you know, twelve is big and scary and really forcing me to think about my parenting - deep and thoroughly.

i think about how, when you have your first child, everyone tells you what it will be like those first months of parenting, then swiftly skip to those terrible toddler years with the potty training and tantrums, and then zoom right on into the teens and the dramas there, but no one really talks about what comes next.  what does come next?  you just push your little fledgling out of the nest and hope they fly rather than smacking square on the ground?  is the success of that first flight more dependent on baby bird or mama?  oldest child is the hardest to raise with no hindsight to work from.  sometimes i feel like i’m leading her through the forest blindfolded.  maybe that’s a reflection of my own rearing being (for all intensive purposes) an only child.  a true only child, actually.  and maybe it’s a reflection of my own child self, too.  as blindly as my mother guided me through the thicket, i too had my eyes covered.

all fears aside, i do have faith in that girl.  far more than she has in herself and i believe this will be the case for another decade or so.  she really is a stunning young lady and as she grows into her lanky limbs she will grown into her lanky mind and be a force.  i got a letter in the mail weeks back that she had tested in the top 25% of the entire school district and that the school needed my permission to conduct furthur testing so that she could be placed in one of the honors programs offered at the 7th & 8th grade center next year.  i signed the slip and the testing began.  days and days and she was tired but proud and told me all the kids she sits with at lunch were going through the program, too.  the “nerd” table i guess.  it’s impossible to convince her that she is just exactly where she is meant to be and that she will continue to become more awe inspiring with every new year.  right now she’s too busy worrying about the girls who don’t talk to her and feeling weird in her skin.

sigh.

now for some sweetness.

this is how he wakes me.

xo

meeting point

friends and fun and one newly lost tooth, bust mostly work.  lots and lots of work.

it’s paid off though i tell you and the meeting point sweater is complete.  done.  finished.  fin!  oh, yes, and the pattern, too.  i’ll be posting all about it over at HollaKnits & will link to it when it’s up. 

reminder!!! knitting 101 workshop is this saturday at homespun.  there’s still time, so sign up! xo

open.

i have but one resolution this year because i mostly think resolutions are just one more thing to press yourself up against - to worry yourself over - guilt beds to lay yourself down in.  that may sound profoundly pessimistic.  i understand, however it has been my experience to be true.

so.  my resolution.  i resolve to be brave.

this is broad and expands more with each deep breath of biting cold air.

brave  

/brāv/

 

Adjective Ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage.

Noun People who are ready to face and endure danger or pain.

Verb Endure or face (unpleasant conditions or behavior) without showing fear: “we had to brave the heat”.

Synonyms adjective.   courageous - gallant - valiant - bold - plucky - valorous verb.   defy - dare - challenge - face - beard

for me, to be brave is to face myself as well as others - honestly and genuinely… no matter the circumstances or possible outcomes.

i think this is the only “resolution” i need to accomplish everything i want to in this year.

wishing you fulfilment  xo

the final count down

i thought for sure i’d post something about all the knitty gifts i made this year but… life happens.  ha!

i’ve decided to torture recipients by taking the picture with the item and blogging about it after the holiday.  i think that sounds much more fun.

i have some really sweet pics to share but first, BUSINESS!

for some crazy, unknown, and quite frankly, infuriating reason, some emails are being lost to spam folders.  if you have sent me a message and never received a response, i am SO SORRY! i’m not really sure how to fix the issue right now, but i knew immediately after finding a few that i needed to take action.  i started a ravelry group called PBK LOVE for anyone knitting one of my patterns so that you can post questions, comments, jokes, what ever… and it won’t be lost to the evil internet.  i’m hoping this will be a great way for me to communicate with you & you can communicate with others.

 here’s the link to the group

now, for the fun stuff.

the real santa

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mae’s beautiful art

the boy

new designs are flowing now

like i said, new designs FLOWING

mae has become a very good teacher

i’m going to take some good, wholesome time off to lap up these last days before the holiday.  i’ll be back after the whirlwind for some post-holiday musings.  please have a truly blessed week xo