Daybook - Jan 31, 2012

FOR TODAY

Outside my window . . . It is a beautiful, warm, sunny day.  And can you believe it?

Yes, I have a load of towels hanging outside to dry. In Saskatchewan, in January, and my hands didn't even get cold hanging it up.  This is a first for me.

I am thinking . . . that is is peaceful and quiet right now.  Both kids are napping and I probably should be too.

I am thankful . . . for all my family and especially my husband who puts up with me and works so hard for us. 

In the kitchen . . . fried chicken for supper tonight. 

I am creating . . . some things for LK's birthday this weekend.

I am wearing . . . navy sweatpants, and a navy tank top with a zip up sweater over top.

I am going . . . nowhere today.  I like having days when we can stay at home.

I am wondering . . . whether all this nice weather now means that winter will really hit us later and it will be nasty in March and April.

I am reading . . . The Friday Night Knitting Club series by Kate Jacobs.

I am hoping . . . to make some muffins today.

I am looking forward to . . . not much just trying to enjoy each day as it comes.

I am learning . . . that I need to drink more water.

Around the house . . . our basement is getting demolished.  The older girls have been moved back upstairs and things are getting tore down in the basement.  It is our plan to jackhammer out the floor and pour new cement.  However, that means a lot of things have to happen.  The scope of this project overwhelms me but it will sure be nice when it is finished.

A favorite quote for today . . . "That's what life is all about - laughing and loving each other and knowing they're not really gone when they die."  Charles Ingalls

One of my favorite things . . . baby giggles.

A few plans for the rest of the week: looking after the little ones, tot spot and shopping on Thursday, the older girls have skating on Friday, and LK's birthday is Saturday.  We have no big plans for his birthday but we will eat some cake.

A peek into my day . . . Our snow is disappearing quickly but the girls found enough to make a snowman over the weekend.  You can see LK wandering off in the background with a cat following him. 

Yarn Along - Legwarmers & Tool Set

This week I finished crocheting these leg warmers for Star.  They worked up quickly and she seems happy with them.

I am once again making something from Amigurumi Two! Crochet Toys For Me, You, And Baby Too.  This book has lot's of great toy and animal patterns.  This time I am making some tools for LK's second birthday.  For fiction reading, after seeing it on a couple of different Yarn Alongs, I picked up The Friday Night Knitting Club from the library.  It was an enjoyable read with a diverse cast of characters.  However, I did want to point out that this is not a Christian book and there is some profanity in it.

Have a great week and thanks to all who are stopping by from the Yarn Along.

LT is 4 Months!

Can you believe another month has gone by already?  LT is now four months old.  She is growing like a weed and getting stronger every day.

She can roll over quite easily now and spends a lot of time on her tummy, looking around and trying to grab things.  Whatever she does manage to grab ends up going in her mouth.  She also got her first two teeth this month.  She likes to grab my fingers and put them in her mouth, but ouch, those tiny teeth are sharp!

Another discovery she has made is her toes.  She spends a lot of time grabbing them but she can't quite get them in her mouth.

She is strong enough now to spend short periods of time in the exersaucer. 

She continues to be a fairly good sleeper.  That thumb continues to find its way into her mouth though.  Here she has fallen asleep on the floor, thumb in mouth, with her arm through one of her toys. 

Playing inside on cold days!

Star and Sky missed two days of school this week.  The buses didn't run because of severe wind chill
(-41 to -49*C).  I had some big plans to do some baking and sewing with them.  However, that didn't happen but they happily played for hours.  With school and other activities they don't have much time to just play and while they are getting older they still love to dress up and play pretend.  LK was excited to have his big sisters home to play with too and they happily included him.  It was a couple of wonderful days.  Today it is back to school for them and I have to try to get myself going this morning as well.

LK wanted to feed this bottle to LT (I am not sure why as she has never had a bottle) so Sky showed him how to feed her doll instead.

Star is making some turtle egg soup.

Mmmm looks good!

Of course dressing up is required.

One of the hazards of having older sisters is that they want to dress you up too.  I am not too sure what he thinks of the dress.

But I do know that he loves playing with his older sisters.

LT's favorite plaything right now is her toes but soon she will be joining in with the others.

Toddler Activites: Button Sorting

The other day as I was cleaning I came across some inserts from chocolate boxes that were laying around leftover from the holidays.  As I was getting ready to toss them in the garbage I thought maybe LK would like to play with them for a while.  I got out our jar of buttons and poured them on a jelly roll pan (using it as a tray to keep the buttons somewhat contained).  Then I had him sort the buttons into the chocolate insert.  It kept him occupied for a little while and while he wasn't all that interested in sorting them he would find matching buttons and put them together.

Of course, buttons are a choking hazard, so if you do this be sure to supervise your child.

Yarn Along: Turtle and Legwarmers

Once again I am participating in the Yarn Along hosted by Ginny at Small Things.  It has been slow going with my yarn projects as the two little ones keep me busy (as do the two older ones).  However I am pretty much finished with the turtle for Sky.  There is a mommy turtle, two babies, and four eggs.  They all fit inside of the large turtle's shell for storage.  Sky has enjoyed playing with it so far and LK is always running off with the eggs.

This week I am reading The Handbook for Catholic Moms by Lisa Hendey.  This is a good book with many tips.  It is not a parenting book per say but a book on how to care for ourselves as mothers so as to better care for our children.  It is written in a casual, friendly style which is easy to read but there is also depth to the message and a lot to ponder within.

I am also working on some leg warmers for Star.  This is a very simple project and they are coming along quickly.  And for light fiction reading I am reading To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer.  It is an enjoyable read so far.

For more yarning and reading inspiration be sure to visit Small Things.

Book Review: Daily Gifts of Grace

This book is a daily devotional.  For each day of the year there is a bible verse, followed by a reflection, and a short prayer.  Written by a large number of Women of Faith contributors I think that this book would appeal to women of all ages, no matter what stage of life they are in.  Young, old or somewhere in between the gift of God’s grace is for everyone.

I have a number of daily devotional books and this is one of my favorites.  I find each day’s entry to be inspiring, thought-provoking, and encouraging.  This is a great book to sit down with a cup of tea, a journal, and a pen as the entries invite some quiet reflection.  However, if you are a busy mom and you don’t have time to make a cup of tea, much less drink it you can still use this book as each day’s entry is short.  They only take a couple of minutes to read but they leave you with something to ponder throughout the day. 

If you are having trouble finding time for prayer and reflection in your busy day take just a couple minutes (even if it is in the bathroom) to read this book each day.  You won’t be sorry you did.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

LT's Baptism

This past weekend LT was baptised in the Catholic faith.  It was a nice ceremony held during the Saturday evening mass.  I am thankful for all the family members who travelled to share this day with us and for the others who could not make it but kept us in their prayers.  Star and Sky were altar servers at the mass.  My brother was the Godfather and a cousin was the Godmother.  LT was very good.  She got a little fussy during the homily but then fell asleep.  She woke up and fussed a bit when the water was poured over her head.  But she quickly found her thumb and settled back to sleep.  LK was a bit rambunctious as nearly two year old boys tend to be.  He played with his tractors a bit and walked about visiting family members in the pew behind us but overall was very good.  Hubby wasn't happy that he discovered a granola bar in my bag just before we went up for the baptism but he wasn't about to take it away from him as that probably would have resulted in a major fit.  So LK was eating a granola bar as LT was baptised but it kept him happy.

The Baptism

The Family

With the Godparents

LT in her Baptismal Gown.  Hubby was baptized in this gown and all of our children as well.