my fake fireplace, a {favorite} banner and more knitting

hello, friends.  how was your day?

we spent the day recovering from our snow/leap/mommawantsabreak day off yesterday.  yeah!

and by recovering, i mean, just catching up on school work and the normal craziness that are the days of my life.  ;)

i think i told jack to sit down like 50 times{at least} and had to corral my six year old from distracting the rest of the crew probably about 36 times. 

by mid afternoon, three of the four were literally running circles around everything and screaming like indians.

for real.

my oldest was ripping apart an old wool sweater to use the yarn for new projects.  awesome mess, i tell ya. 

i think it's safe to say that they are a tad obsessed with this knitting hobby.

i wonder where they get their obsessiveness from? {whistles and looks around the room innocently}

anyway,  on saturday, when i rearranged a few things around my house, i took down all of our valentines day decorations.

i put out a few springy things and a few new thrift store finds.

well friends, it turns out i just missed my valentines banner too much.

seriously, it's not like it HAS to be just for valentines, right?

i dug it out of the closet, as fast as possible,where i had it lovingly folded and found it a new home.

i love it and it's never going away this time. :)

it was made by a super crafty, creative bloggy friend, alicia, and the first time my eyes met it in it's plaid/canvas/twine glory, i knew it had to be mine.

the only problem?  they were all sold out.

i frantically raced to my computer and emailed alicia and asked if she could possibly make any more.

i think you know what she said.  :)

here is my fake fireplace, with my favorite banner, and a few of my other favorites.

my cow oil painting.

glass bottles.

pine cones{LOVE the giant ones}

scrabble tiles

a vintage toy horse

and more toy cows.

i'm debating on whether to take the toy horse down.  what do you think?

say it with me, "awwwwww!"

another angle.

her close up.  isn't she beautiful?
my husband really likes her, too.  even better.

we love this mantel.
my husband spotted it at an antiques show a few years back and drug me over to see it.  actually, i went willingly.  :)
i was sooo hard to convince....yeah right.   an 1800's original mantel with original square head nails and yummy, chippy goodness.   no brainer for me.
we used to go for a weekend getaway every year to an early settlers colony and stay in a super cool restored B&B/hotel.
lots of shops, good food and a huge early american antiques show.  it was sooo fun!
we just couldn't part with this treasure, so here she resides.  :)

words to live by!

i think i'm gong to start a weekly post called 'knitting news'.
there is always so much knitting going on, it's hard to keep up!
here's madelyn, with her newest creation.
doesn't that look complicated?
madelyn is 11.  i feel soooooo behind in life!

well, i hope you enjoyed the tour.
although i love to decorate and have pretty things, i realize that they hold no eternal value.  it's just a really fun hobby of mine. :)
i hope your week is going swell!
i've just successfully completed my first blog post on the laptop.{pats self on back}  yay!
my eyes are burning and i can't see a thing!

much love to you all.

xo,
mary

she loves to knit

my daughter, elly grace, loves to knit.

she started about a year ago, making simple scarves and such, and has improved in her skill enough to make sweaters, pants and baby booties.

with the basics down pat, and the ability to read and understand patterns, the possibilities are endless.

she is constantly ordering and checking out books from the library, trying to learn more.

it's safe to say that i am very proud of her, and i am thankful for this gift that she has been given.

and in case you were wondering, i have NO idea how to knit.  :)

here are a few of her latest projects.

:::baby pants for an expectant momma:::

:::koolaid dyeing:::

:::owl booties she sold:::

:::dainty cowl:::

:::baby cardigan for a sweet baby boy at church:::

:::infinity cowl:::

i love you, elly.

and i pray that you will honor the Lord in whatever you do.

even in knitting.

love, 
momma

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

Proverbs 31:13

did i mention that i'm a tad in denial that i have a teenager now? 

a sweet, loving girl, who desperately wants to open an etsy shop to sell her creations.  oy.

hug those babies tight, mommas!  they grow up so fast.

you blink, and they are 13 going on 30.

thanks for letting me brag on my girl, for just a bit today, friends  ;) 

xo,

mary

sweet owl banner

happy saturday,  friends!

i hope you are having a wonderful day.

we spent the day cleaning, organizing, and packaging the last of our home grown chickens.

we raised 60 this year{our first year}, and now our freezer runneth over.  :)
thank you, Lord!

i wanted to share a few pictures of a super cute little 'banner' that my daughter made for me.

isn't it just so sweet?

she loves to knit and i just love what she came up with.

{please excuse the grainy photos.  i am currently losing the campaign for a new camera.  :)}

isn't it sweet?

i hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xo,

saturday blessings

hi, everyone.
how are you?
today i wanted to share some quick photos of what is happening over here today.
it is somewhat unusual, but oh, so very heartwarming.
as a mom, sometimes i wonder if my kids will ever get along.  are ya with me?
i know they love each other, but when the day starts off with constant bickering and tattling, i just have to wonder.
who wants to wake up to, "MOOOOOOOOOOOOM!  jack hit me!!!!" ? {in the whiniest voice...ever}
why is it that they can treat their friends like angels, but their siblings so mean?
i got to chatting with a friend about this and we came to the obvious conclusion that it applies to us me as well.
why is it that i can treat my friends so kindly, with so much love and understanding, yet i can treat my family so harshly?
eeek.
guilty.
something for me to work on for sure.

"Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name."

Psalm 86:11

well, this morning was refreshingly different.
i had been cleaning, doing laundry, etc...when i realized how quiet it got.
no t.v.
no talking.
no noise. at. all.
was everyone ok?
there was a deafening silence that definitely caught my attention so i went and checked it out...

 elly was teaching henry how to knit.

i melt.

yes, hank is in his undies.

and maddie was teaching jack.

priceless.

check out that determination!

it was so sweet for me to see them all getting along and the girls being willing to sacrifice their time, for a moment to teach their brothers something.

my girls love to knit.

they are getting quite good at it, too.

i cannot wait to show you pictures of what they are creating, and have already created.

they have been blessed with wonderful friends who have taught them so much about this skill, and i love that they share it with others.

they are always looking for new patterns to create and things to make for family and friends.

i just commissioned elly to make me a pair of fingerless gloves for fall.

yay!

i don't have to buy scarves, gloves, etc...anymore!

moral of the story.

my children really do love each other, just like i love my family to pieces.

we just need to make more of a conscious effort to show it more often.

Lord, help me, please.

much love,

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Ephesians 4:32

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