Scouting for the day

So, we are learning about Languages and Cultures in Cub Scouts this week and I showed the boys 3 different versions of Rubber Ducky - English, Hebrew and a German Techno version. They were more amazed than anything and really liked dancing to the German one.

Here, for your enjoyment is "Barvizoni", the Hebrew version.

Diligence

I have so much yarn in my office - it's poking out from nooks and crannies. You know, like most knitters. I also have a lot of quilting fabric, clothing fabric and general arts and crafts stuff that is seriously threatening to take over the entire room. So I've been trying to use up what I have and (this is the hard part) not buy more. It's difficult. But then I think about the budget and my resolve comes back a bit. I have no money set aside for yarn or fabric this year and I hope that will help with my clutter problems.

I've been a knitting a lot right now so I thought I'd show off what I've been working on lately.




This is the back of The Alexi Cardigan in Knit Picks Andean Silk Jade. It's not for me, alas. I have one sleeve to finish, do the button bands and collar and it's out the door.









Next up is a toe up purl ridge sock in Knit Picks Sock Garden Hydrangea. It will be great to have such happy looking socks on my feet.

I organized my yarn stash and I have a lot of sock yarn - probably about 10 pairs worth so I look forward to having lots of new socks in the future.







The last project I've been working on for only two days, but I really want it done before late spring. It's the Maltese Shawl from Victorian Lace Today (Ravelry link). I'm very happy with it, and I think it will look very nice with my brown linen sundress that so desperately needs a shawl for cool nights.

So, what are you working on?

It's not baby fat if the baby is 6

You can’t call it baby fat anymore when the baby is turning 6. I’m not talking about the baby (see previous entry’s photo). I’m talking about me and my hips.

Before we got married, Paul and I discussed all the major decisions we thought we would have to make in our married life. It was a long process, but it has served us well over the years. We don’t always hold to what we decided over 15 years ago but we have a nice framework to base our decisions on because we have such a good idea where the other person is coming from.

One thing we discussed is how many children we wanted to have. Given our ages (we were both 27 when we married) and temperaments we thought 4 would suit us well and that’s what we did. If we had met and married younger, I would have lobbied for 5 or 6, but 4 is working out very well for us.

So, when you’re having a baby every 2 years, and nursing the youngest one until you are pregnant with the next one it’s hard to loose weight and get back your girlish figure. At least it was for me. Nursing made me hungry in a not always rational way. If I was hungry I started to worry about the baby, even when he (or she) was also eating solid foods so I would eat, and I would relax, because it felt like everything was all right now. See, not rational.

I knew this was going on and I knew my weight wasn’t going down as much as I had wanted it to, but of all the things I had to worry about, my weight was very low on the list.

Well, the youngest hasn’t nursed in almost 5 years now and I’ve definitely taken steps in the right direction but these hips aren’t going to shrink themselves.

So now I’m exercising and eating right. I think I’m not drinking enough water yet, but I’m getting there. I love lifting weights. Even though I am not lifting heavy weights I feel strong and powerful and capable of anything when I do. I like to run as well, but I broke my toe in December (because I accidentally kicked something on the floor during a power outage) and I’m giving it all the time it needs to feel completely better. I use the elliptical machine we have at home instead. And, it’s not like I can run far or fast, but I like the feeling of me and my favorite music blasting on the iPod, just ticking away at the tenths of miles.

And this brings me to my gym, Hampstead Health and Fitness. I love my gym. I love that it isn’t full of skinny, already fit people (although there are some there). I love that they have a child care option for all of my children so I don’t have to worry about them or leave the oldest ones at home. I love that they are open early in the morning and late at night and at least a few hours on most holidays. We don’t get there often enough but that’s a failing in my homeschool schedule more than anything else.

I am hopeful now that Zach has caught up (and then some!) on his Math that we will be able to get there more often.

Scouting

Good morning and welcome to Thursday’s new topic – Scouting.

We’re a very scout oriented family. Currently we have one Tenderfoot Boy Scout, one second year Webelos (5^th grade Cub Scout), one Wolf Cub (2^nd grade Cub Scout) and one Daisy (Kindergarten Girl Scout).

Paul (the beloved husband) is a former Cub Scout Leader but finds he likes working with the older boys as a Boy Scout Leader much better. I am an Assistant Cub Scout Leader (go Wolves!) and a Daisy Leader. I also think I’ll be the Assistant Cub Master starting in the Fall.

So there’s a lot of scout-y stuff going on at our house on any given week.

Last week the Daisies did a service project for ConKerr Cancer. The girls sewed pillowcases for children at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The girls are 5 and 6 years old, so I cut and ironed the fabric in advance. I used fabric from my way-too-large quilting fabric stash – it felt good to use up some of what I had for a good cause.

The girls really liked sewing. They were amazed and mystified watching me wind a bobbin, and they worried about my fingers getting too close to the needle as I was guiding the fabric.

All the girls chose their fabrics, pinned them together and were in charge of the foot pedal while we were sewing.

The pattern is simple, and you can find it here.

The girls were proud of their sewing and were happy to make something for someone else, although some girls really did want to take theirs home.

I have always thought kids didn’t like to sew, but I don’t think that’s true. Earlier in the year, my Wolf Cubs made books about themselves and used the sewing machine to make a sewn binding. They also thought sewing was really cool. I think they would like to make pillowcases, especially if I pulled out the flaming dragon fabric. We’re completely booked for the rest of this year, so maybe next year….

These pillowcases take, literally, 20 minutes to make from starting to cut to finishing the sewing so if you have some fabric and some spare time, please consider making some to brighten up a child’s day.

Balance, Take 2

Wow! I'm just now pulling myself out from under an avalanche of custom orders from Lilac Quilts and it's so nice not to worry about how much work I can get done in any given day.

This year I'm aiming to be under-scheduled. With free time I don't get all stressed out if something throws a kink into my schedule. With free time I can get back to working on my novel. With free time I can bake more snacks with the kids. With free time I can get to all those small not-very-important things I'd like to get done some day around the house. Maybe some gardening in the spring?

Paul (my really awesome husband) will be happy. He likes hanging out with me in the evenings and if I'm working like a crazy woman, he feels lonely but he doesn't want to bother me because I'm busy.

Let's hope I can keep to being under-scheduled!