Hello All!

I hope you are all having a fabulous day! I know I am. I got word this morning that WAHM Reviews published a review of Blankets 4 Blessings and I am so excited and humbled. You can read the review HERE . I have to say that I am totally blown away at her kind words.

I also want to share another donated blanket that went out last week. Zoey is just 2 years old, and was 2 diagnosed with ALL, or Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, on January 3, 2013. She is in remission as of February 6, 2013! She will continue treatment until July 2015. Praise God! Show your support for Zoey on her Facebook Page

A friend (that has thus far nominated several people for items) nominated Zoey. I am grateful for Amy's generous heart. This is the hat/blanket set that I sent out to her.



Isn't it gorgeous? One day I was "JUST BROWSING" through Hobby Lobby when I came across this yarn. I had to have it. It was just stunning and I fell in love. So I bought enough to make a small blanket. It sat in my yarn stash for months. I just didn't know what to make with it. I knew that there was a little girl somewhere that NEEDED a blanket made out of this yarn. When I heard about Zoey I KNEW it was her. I finished the blanket and there was JUST enough left to make the hat, and I couldn't resist.

Love you all!

Hi Everyone!

I know a lot of you love the hats and blankets and other goodies that I make. I know a lot of you wish that YOU could make them too! I want to post some great tutorials for all of you to follow, but I am not the best at teaching people to crochet. But guess what? I know someone who is! Another blogger over at CraftyMinx is GREAT at it! She is my go to for video tutorials on how to learn to crochet. She starts simple. What is a hook? What kind should you get? What type of yarns are out there? etc. She moves on slowly with AMAZING video classes. And the best part? TOTALLY FREE! Check her out!

Do you know what my favorite things are? Well there are lots of them. I have a very hard time narrowing things down. But one of my very favorites is my wiggly naked little boy fresh out of the bath tub! You know that smell, that feel, of a clean little person snuggling on your lap all snuggled in their towel? Yeah, me too! It is really awesome.

I love my children. And daily they remind me of just how precious they are. This sometimes makes balancing a small business and my home life a challenge. I wish I could say that my house was always sparkling, my kids were always pressed and polished (or even just dressed!), and my husband always came home to a calm house and a warm dinner. But you all know better don't you? I have loads of laundry waiting for attention, dishes in the sink, and a playroom that looks like Toys R Us blew up. My kids run around the house in varying states of undress, complete with that bit of breakfast on their cheeks that didn't quite get wiped off. The Hubs comes home to complete chaos in the living room as the mess from the playroom has crept steadily into the living room, despite my best efforts to keep it at bay. Dinner is usually warm, or at least in process when he gets home, but that doesn't mean we are anywhere close to eating. And you know what? That is ok. Thankfully my husband is easy to please, and my kids don't get cold easily.

In the midst of all of this, the chaos, the mess, the kids, the dogs, the everything, is my corner. It is usually stacked high with yarn, and papers, and other "Mommy Stuff". My teacup sits on the corner, next to my wallet and my crochet hook case. It is just as chaotic and messy as the rest of the house. But that corner is my solace. My calm in the storm. Being able to sit down and work on orders (sometimes - ok usually - at the expense of other household chores) is my calm. I can run my life from this corner. I love my corner. I am so glad that Blankets 4 Blessings exists. Before it started I didn't have my corner. I didn't have this island for me in the middle of the crazy. Thank you everyone! You help me keep what little sanity I have left intact.

I want to walk you through the process of creating a hat. Most of them start similarly, but you will see quickly where being a little creative can get you a LOT of options. Today's hat was Darth Vader in a size 3-5 years. I am making another one for big brother in the next size up (6-10 years) tomorrow. Lots of Vader this week!
Most of my hats start just like this:

Just a ball of yarn, a hook, and an idea. Usually I have a picture to go from. In this case it was something I saw while browsing Etsy. A friend had asked for hats for her boys and they are Star Wars fanatics. Since then I have had a couple of orders for more.
All of my hats start off looking something like this:

This is where I make adjustments for the size of hat it will be, and do any basic patterning that is on the body of the hat itself. Darth Vader is pretty basic to start and doesn't use any fancy stitches on the body of the hat or any other colors (obviously.)

This is the basic hat base for Vader. After I completed the base "beanie" section of the hat I just went back and forth across the back 2/3's of the hat, decreasing slightly so that it would flare back and down from the temples. Once that was finished I edged the whole thing in a single crochet to neaten the edges and give the hat a bit more structure.

This is how the mask starts. I found a nifty new stitch to use with this, called the Chainless Foundation Row. There are some great tutorials on YouTube, so have a look if you are curious. The chainless foundation gives a lot more stretch to the first row (which in this case goes directly over the nose, so it shouldn't be tight.)

Vader's Mouthpiece is what gives the whole hat its great look when it is done. I have found that almost anything can be broken down into basic shapes and for this it was circles and a rectangle on a trapezoid base. The original Darth Vader was all black, but when I tried that, it just didn't show up enough. Another friend of mine had just made a Darth Vader Cake (check out her Facebook Page!). She had used gray and white for the "shiny" parts of his mask and it looked fabulous. I used the same technique with a nice dark gray that I had on hand and it was perfect. The vertical lines were merely the ends of what I used to sew on the circles run up and down the mask a few times. The finished piece is what makes this hat almost as good as the real thing.

Darth Vader has a ridge down the top of his helmet, so I added that using the same chainless foundation as for the mask. It will allow the most stretch for the longest lasting wear.

The real trick to this hat is attaching the mask. I know as a kid I wasn't super comfortable with things over my face all of the time. And parents pay good money to give their kids my awesome hats. So I try to always make my hats as comfortable as possible. That means removable masks whenever possible. The buttons on the inside of the hat make this possible (note that the hat is inside out in the above picture).

And there you have it! A finished Darth Vader Hat. Below is a picture of the first one I did, modeled by my daughter. I am determined to get a mannequin head at some point to put these on!

I love making all of these hats! If you have any questions or comments be sure to leave a comment!
I recently updated my website as well, so check out www.blankets4blessings.weebly.com as well. All items for sale will be listed on my facebook page www.facebook.com/Blankets4Blessings from now on. Keeping track of three places to post new hats was getting to be too big a job for little old me. I figure you all would rather get the hats you ordered rather than just see pictures! Have a blessed day!

One of my most popular designs in the Winter 2012/2013 season has been the Mickey and Minnie Beanies. I have done MANY of them throughout the last couple of years. At first I had just done a single circle for each ear. They were adorable!

But they were a little floppy, and a hair see through. Anyone who knows me personally will tell you that I am pretty easy going, but with myself and the work I do for others I am a perfectionist. So I set out to do it better!
I tried using two strands of yard together, but they still didn't stay up as well as I would have liked. And then I had a Eureka moment. A pattern for a different hat I had been working on said that I needed to make TWO of the same shape and stitch them together, forming a thicker, more stiff accessory. I tried the Mickey and Minnie Ears again, this time layering two circles together and crocheting the edges, almost all the way around. Not only did this give me a stiffer and more solid ear, it gave me a flat surface to sew to the hat AND the ear was more concave, like a real Mickey Ear would be.

I love it when my creative problem solving (and help from other experienced crafters) helps make my hats that much better!

In 2011 I decided I needed to DO something with my life. Not just for myself, but for others. I needed some kind of creative outlet. Something that I could do around the many things that Motherhood to two amazing children entails. Something that wouldn't just be good for me, but for someone else. I had been crocheting for a while. Well for years. I had done afghans for loved ones, scarves for friends, and even attempted a couple of purses. I thought that MAYBE someday I would do a craft fair or two. I realized then and there that this was a creative outlet that I would enjoy and that I could potentially sell. This satisfied part of what my heart was crying out for. Blankets. Baby Blankets. A friend of mine was working at a teen mothers home here in town. These girls were kicked out of their homes because of their decision to keep their babies. They needed someone to believe in them. They needed someone to say that they had made the right decision. I could help. I could give them blankets that were handmade, with all of the love that I could pack into them. So I started. There were ten or so girls in the home at the time. I hadn't crocheted in a year or more, and that was slowing me down. I was relearning a lot of things. But I made one blanket. Then two. Then three. Then my friend moved away and I lost contact with the people running the home. I will be the first to admit that I have issues with making phone calls. If it were up to me I would never cold call anyone, ever. So I didn't. And I am sad to say I never sent one blanket to that teen shelter. After the stories I had been told about the girls bad attitudes and entitled views I realized that my gifts, talents, love and prayers would be lost on them. Maybe it isn't noble of me to say that because they wouldn't appreciate the gift I refused to give it. Truly that isn't the point. BUT I realized that so many more babies could benefit if the right people got ahold of my idea. Babies are a blessing from God. Being a mother of two precious children myself I know how dear they are. I couldn't imagine my life without them. I am so blessed to be a mother. I can only imagine what it is like to have your child become sick. So sick it threatens their life. I can't imagine what it is like to not be able to feed or clothe my children. To be faced with a cold winter and no place to call home for my precious babies. But I could pray for those in that situation. And I could make blankets for those huge blessings wrapped in tiny bodies. And so I decided not to give up on Blankets 4 Blessings. Those first three blankets are not sitting in my basement awaiting owners. They have been sent to babies in three different states. One here in my very own town, and two far away. But those blankets full of love, and my prayers for healing and wholeness are wrapped around three very special babies. And I am thankful. Thankful that I could do that. That I could help these babies and their parents know that God LOVES them. THEM. That He cares for their child and their situation. And that He is the one that will wrap them in love. And now, Blankets 4 Blessings is a growing, thriving business. So far in 2013 I have given away a hat, two prayer shawls for women battling cancer (yes, they are Blessings too!), and I am working on a blanket for a little girl recently diagnosed with Leukemia. I have lots of orders coming in. Blankets, hats, even some kitchen items. I work daily on these items. They give me a sense of purpose. Of being useful. I love being useful. This week an auction opens benefiting a little boy who's mother is a friend. He is deaf and almost blind and he needs equipment that insurance won't cover. His 6 month NICU stay dried up everything they had, but he still needs more. An online mom's group that I am in heard of his need. Mom wasn't asking for anything. We all knew that. But get 350 women together with a common goal and watch the organization start to happen! Within MINUTES an auction had been organized, and several direct sales fundraisers had been started. There is even a Wepay site that had almost 30% of the money needed raised in a matter of days. It is a blessing to me to be part of this group. I have never met Eagan's mother. I have never seen anything more than pictures of sweet little Eagan, but he is my blessing. This group of women, some Christian, some not, some high income, some low, some nearby and some far away, rallied behind him. And Blankets 4 Blessings, MY business gets to play a role in his life. THIS is why I started to do this. This is the kind of help I want to be. This is what I want to do. And so I am! If you would like to donate to Eagan's equipment needs check out https://www.wepay.com/donations/1422105433 There is a Scenty fundraiser here https://christymitchell.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Buy?partyId=136325851 Also a Pampered Chef Fundraiser https://www.facebook.com/events/128999497272472/?ref=2 And Oragami Owl here http://www.facebook.com/events/290071834454167/ For the Auction check out the album below. (I have some items in there!) http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.213251145487288.71466.151296605016076&type=1

I had been struggling for several months to find something worthwhile that would help me to grow, be a creative outlet, and overall give me something to do. School cost too much, writing couldn't be done with two kiddos needing my attention every five seconds, and I really didn't want to go back to work.

So I thought and thought and thought and came up with this:

Blankets 4 Blankets

Blankets 4 Blessings. What a concept. My good friend Kelly works for Gerard House part time, and God had laid it on my heart to get involved somehow. One day it hit me: crochet baby blankets for the babies. Gerard House is a teen mom's shelter. They take in pregnant girls and help them through the pregnancy phase of motherhood and help get them on their feet when the baby is born. These babies didn't ask to be born, but their moms chose to maintain their pregnancy, and chose to love them when they are born. But these babies need prayer. So many bad things can happen, in pregnancies, in a teen mom's life, and in many other ways. Crocheting these blankets will give me something to do and something to pray for.

My next thought, as I started to get excited about this was: gosh this could get expensive. And it really could. Not at first, but in the long run there is definite potential to be very hard on the pocket book.

Then I thought, since I am crocheting baby blankets, why not crochet other stuff, like big afghans, bags, placemats, dishcloths, shower puffs, etc and SELL them? That would give me money to buy stuff for baby blankets. So Blankets 4 Blessings was born.

Come to facebook and like our page www.facebook.com/Blankets4Blessings and check out our online store at www.blankets4blessings.weebly.com.

Hey All,

I know my readership isn't large, but I think this particular story bears repeating (and lots of prayer for this amazing Mom).

Check out Laura's blog: http://babyelliesmommie.blogspot.com/

Laura is a stronger woman than I. Her story gives me nightmares about something accidental happening to one of my kids.

Pass this on. Let's encourage this courageous mother when she needs us most!

Kristen

My pastor spoke on the “gift” of relationship that God gave us with the birth of Christ recently. I know all this, I thought as he was speaking, but then the Holy Spirit corrected me. Do you? He asked. Do you really know what the birth of Christ signified for relationship with the Father?
Pastor Mark talked about Mary. Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19) Before Jesus was old enough to talk Mary pondered the relationship. She knew that relationship was part of the deal. When she and her cousin Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist) were pregnant John lept in his mother’s womb when he felt the presence of his cousin Jesus. That was relationship.
Jesus came as our Savior, and yes that is very important, but it wasn’t his only role. The very title of Savior implies relationship. By being our Savior that means that we have a relationship with him, one where he holds us up, and saves us from our sin. This is central to the Christian faith. What can be more relational than God sending His Savior to earth so that He can have US with Him in heaven?
The Bible never says this specifically, but God is a God of relationships and His greatest desire is to have good relationship with us. We miss this concept of God’s relational-ness when we think of him as God, as Savior, and as Lord. But all of these titles imply relationship.
When Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray he started off with a radical concept by calling God “Father” and not just HIS father, but OUR father. Up until that time no one had dared to assume that kind of relationship with God. God was a God of judgment, rules, and regulations. He was not an “Abba” in their way of thinking. That is why it is so important for us to realize that yes, God is judge, and needs us to live according to his ways, but he is our Father.
If a child were to fall down and get hurt, or dirty, or frustrated, sad, etc would an earthly father tell them to stop crying, clean themselves up, and then come to him? NO! An earthly father scoops his child up, cuts, bruises, dirt, tears, and all and loves that child. He calms the tears, wipes away the dirt, bandages the cuts, and kisses the bruises.
So many people (Christian and non-Christian alike) feel that in order to approach God they must be put together, clean, and free of hurt. The God of judgment and rules is going to want to see a polished and clean person stand before them. But that is just not the case. God is relational. He is Abba. He is Daddy. He wants his kids to come to him downtrodden, dirty, and bruised. He wants them to have the freedom to approach the throne in tears with a broken heart. He wants US to come to him when our lives fall apart, and we don’t know which way to go. He wants to be the one to make us clean again. He wants to love us, dry our tears, brush us off, pick us up, and He doesn’t just send us on our way, He holds our hand and walks with us as we go.
As the Body of Christ, our job isn’t to tell people they need to get right with God. Our job is not to help them get their lives straightened out. Our job is to invite them in, and show them the way to the Father. To show them the One who loves them right where they are, and passionately desires relationship with them. God will clean them. God will dry the tears. God will fix the broken places. Our job is to be “Jesus with skin.” Jesus didn’t spend all of his time going to church. He didn’t surround himself only with the people in the church. Jesus didn’t spend his time telling people to get their act together. Jesus spent his time with people. Dirty people. Broken people. Hurting people. He went to them and he loved them. He hugged them. He held people as they cried. He touched people in the broken places. He reached into the darkness and helped people into the light. He wasn’t scared by the dark things surrounding people. Death and sickness didn’t make him shy away. When we see these things in people’s lives we must go to them and show them what Jesus showed them – the way to approach the Throne of God, in as many pieces as their lives were in, as broken as their hearts were. He brought them to the Father and showed them what the love of God was all about.
This is the way I believe Jesus would have us live. He didn’t tell his disciples to go to church. He told them to go to every nation and show them the Father. THIS is the relationship God wants with us. He wants us to be relational ambassadors, showing people that the God who loves them doesn’t want to love them from afar. He wants to be active in their lives. He wants to walk with them in the dark places. He wants to dry the tears of the brokenhearted. He wants to be with us wherever we go. That is the relationship we can have with him, and it all started with a baby boy, wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger all those years ago.

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It is Saturday. I slept in, and lazed around, and that is fine, but I seriously feel like I am running out of time to get ready for baby. Problem is I don't know what else to do to GET ready! Yes, working on finishing up the basement is all well and good, but there is no way in my current extraordinarily HUGE state that I am going to be hanging sheet rock or working with the chop saw! My birth kit is ready to roll (with the exception of the stuff that my sweet midwife is bringing.)

I could probably do housework, but I do that all the time. Laundry needs to be done, wether I want to or not. I feel so helpless. I just want to "know" that I am ready for this baby (who I am currently begging to vacate the premises). How exactly does one prepare to go from Mommy of 1 to Mommy of 2? Mommy of 2 sounds like an actual grow up person, that knows where they are headed and can handle diaper changes, playdates, a household, and then some. I have watched many MANY children in the last ten years, but I have to say this is the most intimidating child care job EVER! I love Kati. She is my sunshine, and I adore being her Mommy. I love Baby Boy too, even though I haven't met him yet. I am just not sure how I am going to fit being Kati's Mommy with being Baby Boys Mommy without letting some other things slide.

This might stem from my rather unexceptional need to be SUPERMOMMY. Lots of moms feel this pressure, and I am sure what I am feeling is normal, but the problem with this, is that I HATE SuperMommy. She and I (in whatever form she takes) do NOT get along. Other SuperMommies drive me CRAZY, and I try very hard not to be her with Kati. SuperMommy is a somewhat difficult person to deal with, and she always feels that she has to be better, more put together, more able, than any human could possibly be. Being the realist that I am, I realize that she is more of a Fictional Character, than a truly embodied person. I just wish that I could shoot her and be done with it. I swear she has more lives than a cat! Just when I think I am getting over being her, she shows back up in another way, with another face (or maybe just a different diaper bag.)

I think I am going to go lay down for a while, and do my best to avoid dreaming of to do lists. Maybe I can just do a load of laundry and satisfy SuperMommy for today....

My husband is away for the weekend. Not a bad thing, I encouraged him to go. His best friend is getting married and I can't travel at the moment, so he needed to go by himself. I am so glad we were in a position for him to do this.

However, this left me with a 2 year old and an empty house for three days. Being 8 months pregnant I have had some small troubles sleeping lately and so I shipped my little one off to her grandparents (thank you SO MUCH Nana-Grams and Papa) and got to sleep for 12 hours last night. I got some much needed me time and I spoiled myself with a peppermint stick milkshake. YUM!

I picked Kati up before naptime, and predictably, she fell asleep on the ride home, so she didn't nap until 3 ish. I slept fine! At four she wakes me up (via baby monitor) because she is crying. Ok, I will just go get her up, its late enough and then I can get the house picked up and some dishes done before making us a quick dinner.

She wants to snuggle. She curls up on my lap and promptly settles contentedly, despite Baby Brother kicking her (and me) in the ribs. I shift and wiggle, trying to gauge wether she is awake or not. Apparently not. So I lay her down and snuggle with her as she drifts farther and farther into dreamland. Shoot, I think to myself, I was going to put away the stuff from the baby shower and do some dishes. I wanted to get the house picked up and vacuumed, even the playroom before I go to bed. My attitude was not good.

Then I realized, I am snuggling, holding my precious daughter, who I love more than life itself, and I am trying to find a way out. Why? Why would I dream of giving up this moment. Especially since it will probably be one of the last before Brother shows up, and these moments are harder to have. Why would I trade a half hour of snuggle time for a half hour of housework? My child is so important, and so sweet, and all she wants most in the world right now is to snuggle next to me and dream. This is why I have dreamed of being someone's Mommy. This is why I wanted the life that I have. This is my whole reason for staying home with her, and learning what makes this precious life is all about.

From the time I was a young girl I always wanted to be a Mommy. It was what I said when everyone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, and amazingly, it is still absolutely true. I am sure I could have had the drive to have a career, but my hearts passion has always been for mommyhood, and today I remembered why.

It is always surprising to me how long I go between posts. October was dreadfully low on posts, and November completely devoid of them. Here it is the middle of December and I am just now getting around to doing this thing called blogging!
October finished rather lazily, and November took off with a flash. Keith and I spent the month furiously writing any time we could. We both managed to write 50,000 + words by Thanksgiving! Neither of our books are finished, or even really readable yet however. Truthfully I am kind of scared to read mine. I know it is incredibly dreadful (that was part of the deal and I knew it) but I am just not sure I can face the seemingly monumental task of editing this amazing work of fiction that was hiding somewhere in my head.
Kati's Klubhouse is doing phenomenally well. I have five regular clients, with two precious little girls that drop in on occasion. Isabelle is 7 months old and starting to sit up, and have teeth, and working on crawling etc. She is a happy smiley baby, and I genuinely look forward to seeing her every morning. Though I have realized that when she is not here I feel much more relaxed...
Ty is almost 2 and a dynamic little firecracker. He spends most of his days chasing after his older friend Malakai or starting WW3 with Kati. He is fun and full of giggles and keeps me on my toes.
Malakai is my newest kiddo. He is 3. And what a 3 he is! Lots of questions, lots of smiles, and he has definite opinions on how his world will work. He is very easygoing though, and never actively defies me, which is very unusual for a three year old. What a sweet guy he is.
Isaac is a little lover. He is quiet, and playful, and has so much fun chasing all of the older kids around. He is 15 months, so he is the littlest next to Isabelle. He has a huge smile and loves to eat all of the yummy snacks that we keep around. Now if only I could get him to take a good nap...
And then there is Kati. My sweet precious loving Kati. She is opinionated, stubborn, and sometimes hard of hearing, but she adds such joy to my life. Being her mommy is an amazing experience. She loves having the other kids over to play and she has so much fun running around with the boys and teasing them. She also loves to do puzzles and read books with me, which is so precious to me. She is even learning to pick up her toys when she is done with them. I am so proud of her!
With all of these amazing kids comes a HUGE amount of housework, which I sometimes feel I am drowning in. Keith has all but taken over doing laundry because I just can't seem to get it done anymore. He also does dishes, vaccuums, cleans up, and overall takes care of everything - after he has gotten up at 5 am to take kiddos to school. I know I couldn't do this without his help. Some nights I sit in bed wanting to cry because I didn't accomplish everything that I needed to for the day. And other nights I marvel at the fact that I got a shower and made two meals. I have been struggling to keep myself in balance. I have been feeling like I need to be this supermom who can keep house, watch 5 kids, make three meals and two snacks, keep the kids clean and do laundry - all with a smile on my face and energy leftover for a "life" outside of the house. I don't know if I am expecting too much of myself, or if I am just being selfish. I don't want to put things on my husband. He has his own things he needs to accomplish, but sometimes I just need him to share my load, and carry some of my weight, because I just can't do it anymore.
For the first time in my life I have found myself feeling depressed and overwhelmed. I am upset with myself because I am not my usual sunny, optomistic, get to work kind of self. I want that me back, but I wonder if this is how motherhood is. If motherhood means that you give up everything you were, and become everything to the little person you love more than anything you ever liked about yourself, or even your husband. Does motherhood mean that I will never be able to be that carefree person I used to be, someone who didn't worry about wearing socks in the winter, or whether I was eating on a good schedule or not?
I constantly tell people, specifically other moms, that a mother has to take time for herself, and do things that are fulfilling to her. But what if that means that you clean out a closet by yourself? What if that means that you get the house clean, and keep it that way for a little more than 10 minutes? What if cooking a 4 course meal, and then enjoying it, without half of it ending up on the floor, is what makes you feel whole, and womanly? What then?

Keith and I have challenged ourselves to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. I am very much looking forward to this. If you want to join us go to NaNoWriMo.org and sign up!

I have new clients!!! I have a very sweet little boy starting on the 31st of August! I think I am finally going to feel like I am running a daycare rather than just having another child of my own. Even though she goes home at the end of the day I feel like I have had another baby. Its just the one, and I am exhausted (from the early mornings, not nightime feedings.)
I have found that at the end of the day I need keith to take over with Kati, and AT LEAST once a week I need to get out of the house and have a conversation with an adult. We shall see how well this works out. Thankfully Tonda has offered to watch the Kati once every few weeks overnight. I think being able to have a morning to ourselves will really help.
I really wish my body would cooperate with this new schedule. Its not like we are going to bed late. It is normally lights out by 9 or 9:30 at the latest. For us its like going to bed before the evening has even started. I guess it is just going to take some getting used to.
The basement is coming along well. The first coat of mud and tape is up. We are waiting on sanding, another coat of mud, then the finishing can start. I so want to move to the basement.

Well, gtg for now.

I always feel like I can't keep up and that my life is passing me by too quickly. I want to remember, and possibly ruminate, but it is hard to do. I think I will go through the list again...

Kati's Klubhouse: Still needs more clients. However, my first two weeks have been fun and mostly stress free. I am LOVING staying home and being with the girls all day. Kati is needing some adjustment. Sharing Mommy with Baby I* (Names changed to protect anonymity) has been a learning experience. She wants to sit on Mommy and love on Mommy all while the baby is currently engaging my attention. Thankfully she will be older when we have one that DOESN"T go home at the end of the day. Its funny though, Ike came over to play on Friday (last) and she didn't care that Baby I was around. I DESPERATELY need another toddler for her to play with. I think we will both be a lot happier when she has something to focus on besides Mommy paying attention to someone else. It breaks my heart to have to tell her that I can't hold her or feed her right now. At the end of the day when she melts into my arms it is so wonderful. I love being a mom. She called me Mama for the first time on 8-7-09. So precious! Anyhow, Kati's Klubhouse is causing me to look at things a little differently. I am at home ALL DAY, but I am not at home, I am at WORK. It is sort of hard for me to sit and just focus on child care when I know there are projects calling my name from all over the house. I know I will get used to it, but it is hard to sit and feel somewhat unproductive, even when I know that the girls will get so much out of the one on one time I am spending with them. I love what I do, and I am glad I am not a CHF anymore, but this is a HUGE lifestyle change. I am looking forward to the basement being finished so I can have a place to escape to at the end of the day.

Basement: We have finished wiring the basement, with the small exception of bathroom lights, and lighting in the family area. However, with all of the major stuff finished we spent the day hanging sheetrock and cleaning out the bedroom and closet. We can start mudding and taping this week! Yay! It actually looks like a room. We bought vinyl flooring and tile for the tub surround this week. It is going to be a very pretty bathroom when we are finished. Now I need to go back to home depot and pick a paint that will match the tile. The paint I picked before I think won't match. We need to go with Keith's parents to the Floor Trader again and see if we can find some carpet. I want to get something nice, but I also want it to stay nice and last a while. Sometimes the cushy carpets don't stay nice with babies and dogs making use of it. The paint for the bedroom is all picked, and I want to get the mudding and taping over with so that we can actually paint. I think that will be the clincher for me. When we move downstairs there might be a few things that have yet to be finished (the window seat and built in bookshelf) but most everything else will be done....in the bedroom suite anyway. I can't wait!


Kati: Kati has decided that she can go up and down stairs by herself. She likes to climb, but now she is scooting down on her little behind. Scary for Mama, exhilarating for Kati. I was vaccuming the other day and Kati was on the floor. I was vaccumming one way and she was looking at me. I started to vaccum towards her and she RAN to the couch. Then I vaccumed toward the couch and she RAN to her chair and go up in it. The noise doesn't bother her, but she doesn't want anyone to suck her up with the "vaccum monster." I had never seen her run before. Oh boy, another mode of baby transport! She is getting so big. Baby fever is back with a vengence. Keith is NOT ready for me to be pregnant again. That's ok with me. I am not ready for another baby just yet. I miss the time when Kati was small, but I love where she is at. I have always loved the 8-20 month age and I am in baby heaven. I want to be pregnant again though. Gosh I loved it. Maybe sometime this fall. We shall see. I think a little more than 2 years is a good spread, but if they end up a little farther apart that is fine too. I love being a Ma-ma to someone.

Judah & Dinah: The most miraculous thing has happened! Having Baby I dropped off and picked up every day has made them almost STOP caring that the front door opens. Sure they investigate, but it is no longer the push people over and jump on them deal that it was before. They take their sniff, then go wherever it is I tell them. I am SO thankful that it hasn't made them even more freaked out. They are actually becoming well behaved canines. I did have one family come interview me that didn't like them, but I think they were not dog people in general. Not that there is anything wrong with "not dog" people, but I think that dogs are good for kids. Granted, they have their moments when i would like to throttle them, but so do kids, and occasionally husbands. It just happens more frequently with them.

Keith: Keith is officially hired by Durham School Services. Hopefully by the middle of September he will have his own route. Until then I think they said that he can do ride alongs with an experienced driver. Probably not a bad idea. I am so thankful that God has provided a good job for him that will be steady through the end of the school year. Maybe by then his web design business will have built up enough clientele for him to stop. If not he can always do another year. I think this will be good to us. If I can get two more full time clients we will be financially steady, and actually doing significantly better than we have been since I finished nannying. Honestly, it has been a rough year since I quit nannying. I feel like we are finally starting to look up. I think that there is a light at the end of this tunnel and it is almost within reach. I really want to be able to pay off my credit card. I feel the weight of our mounting debt weighing on my soul. Thank you God for giving us the means to lift ourselves up.