“Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.”
Apparently I have successfully imparted to my 4-year-old that as home-making-dominion-takers we must strive to see beauty in all things. Mallie tied ribbons around every object in the bathroom while her little sister took a bath.
She has productive hands. Some would say “messy” if they saw most of her “produce”, (“Mallie, did you fill all the Mason jars with rice?”) but I choose to look at the positive side.
We are busily scooting from family to family, enjoying the bustle of Thanksgiving, being reminded of the blessing of family. There was a time I grumbled about the traveling, the packing and the driving; not anymore. These times are fleeting, and I pray you enjoy your time, as well, with the loved ones in your life.
A quick pose while they’re waiting for Mom to finish her hair 😉
Well, I had every intention on sharing my “pattern” from this first hat I made. Unfortunately, when I tried to duplicate it in a larger size, I came up with this:
Equally cute, but not the same. (This picture tickles me *pink*.)
So I gave up conformity and resolved to emphasize, ahem, the value of the uniqueness of each piece….OK, I don’t know what I’m doing but I do know I’ve now got to crochet all my kids a hat and thankfully they don’t care that every one turns out differently 😉
And there’s this one, even a bit bigger…(Yes, she’s as “sneaky” as she looks and I love every ounce of her.)
I will, however, attempt to give you the general approach I’ve gleaned from other crocheters as I’ve stumbled through making these. Feel free to jump in with your own advice if you are an expert. (An expert means you’ve made more than 3 hats in your lifetime.)
And remember, Kathy @ Teaching Good Things has a great crocheting DVD. (And yes, I will earn a commission if you buy it ;-))
Begin the hat by chaining 4. Then close the chain with a slip stitch. Begin a pattern of 1 single cr. into first chain, then 2 single cr. into second. Alternate 1 and 2 stitches into each hole until the circle is as big as you want it before you start decreasing the size of the hat. (If you notice the circle starting to curl instead of lying flat, switch to a 1/1/2 pattern. (Does that make any sense?)
When you want to begin decreasing the size of the hat, start crocheting 1 single in each hole and continue until the desired size. If you need a sharper decrease, you can slip stitch into each hole, or single crochet into every other hole.
To make a ruffle, single or double crochet (depending on the size of the ruffle you want) 3-5 stitches into each hole. If the ruffle isn’t frilly enough, skip a hole.
Now that you are thoroughly confused, I would also suggest you might take a look at some Youtube videos which have a number of instructions and are easy to follow.
There are actually so many different ways to make a hat you may stumble upon your own pattern. Have fun trying!
Kyla is our seventh child. One of several children we would have never had the privilege of knowing if we had followed our original “a boy for me, a girl for you, praise the Lord we’re finally through” plan. (Hat tip to Dr. Baucham for that phrase.)
Bria loves to do photo shoots with the girls. I’m glad, because otherwise, I don’t know if I’d remember to freeze these babies in pictures!
Yesterday I was reading to several of the younger children. Kyla likes to repeat me when I read, so I pause to give her time.
“…so then we see the beauty of the world…”
Kyla: “So den we see da…Mom! We don’t say ‘booty’!”
Do you know how hard it is to get on to her when she makes this face with these big, brown eyes? It’s a new thing–the testing–sometimes when I tell her to do something, she’ll just make this face and quip with the sweetest little voice, “Why?”
This is the face she made the first year of her life. Contemplative??? We found out she was just listening. Never talking. And then suddenly, she said everything, all at once.
I think God makes cuteness because it takes the edge off of the hard mothering days. Boy I love my 6 girls. 😉
“Sweet child of mine, I pray each night that I would not hold on too tight. You are His on loan to me, my job is to prepare you for eternity.”
We walk day by day. Ours is a story being written just like yours. Some days, the pages are embellished beautifully. Some days, I yearn to rip them out. Some days, I love to write. And some days, I don’t feel like I can. Still we walk. And the Savior walks beside us….perhaps in us and through us.
Ellia and watermelon
Mallie and watermelon
"Gary hung the chandelier for me as a surprise. Why heavens no, I’ve never raised my head enough to see what it’s hanging from. Let’s just enjoy our limes under glass."
My parents!
My new favorite indulgence...Oreo Truffles
Crush a pack of Oreo cookies and mix it with a block of soft cream cheese. Roll into balls, freeze for a few minutes, and dip into melted semi-sweet or white chocolate. There are no words for this luscious dessert!
My church and the precious people inside.
My husband...
And consequently…
And consequently…
- Dough pretzels are more fun when everyone makes his own “snake” in the shape he likes.
- Speaking of snakes, nothing brings the study of reptiles to life quite like finding a live subject in the school room floor! (Call to husband while standing on chair: “What? Is it poisonous? How would I know! Righhhht. You want me to look at its eyes. Small problem….I HAVE TO GET CLOSE TO IT TO DO THAT!“) Thank Heavens for boys with pellet guns looking for adventure.
- There is a small window of time when children actually love to do dishes…let them!
- I can’t get enough of naked babies.
- Homemade cinnamon rolls are worth it. Quality translates to dollar signs in my brain, so we’ve printed fliers to sell them to the neighbors–it should pay for a few violin lessons.
- Simple, homemade play doh can save us on a hot, summer day.
- My first baby…that blessing that began and remains a miracle though born out of sin, is a woman. And though she is my daughter, please allow me the liberty of saying that I couldn’t be more proud of who she has become. She is my best friend. She isn’t perfect, but praise God her heart seeks Him earnestly and she is committed to allowing Him to mold her more and more into His image. And though she has many gifts and is full of ambition, I will not glory save in the work of the cross in her life. All else is rubbish.
- My little boys and girls are quickly growing into men and women. What a privilege to get to spend my fleeting days with them! And every day counts…I want to soak them in, look long into their eyes, love deep into their souls and treasure each minute–the hard ones and the easy ones. I want to impress deeply into their hearts the things that are noble, right and true. I want to be the one who shapes them, soothes them, teaches them and sends them into the next generation to do it all over.
I am a mother. It’s what I do.
Photograph courtesy of Bria Crawford
Ellia and Mallie…
Mallie can’t get enough of Ellia. She thinks Ellia is a live baby doll, available for toting and doting at her whim. I love the unadulterated love of a child for a baby.
And with a face like that, can you blame her?
The nearest Starbucks coffee is some 40 miles away,
but tomorrow we’ll have butter ’cause we’ve got raw milk today!
It’s not all glam and glitz to dabble on this funny farm,
but we marvel underneath the stars and cherish country charm.
They think I’m “Fertile Myrtle” but they should only see, these goats don’t have a thing on me–this baby’s number three (at a time, that is)!
It may cost less to buy tomatoes at the grocery store,
But watching them sprout from the ground has taught us so much more.
It’s a simple life we live, with its share of dirt and grime,
And as much as I love Starbucks, I’ll take it anytime.
Oh, and maybe life gets a bit too busy? Yesterday, Aaron and I both forgot it was our anniversary 😀
From the kitchen as we got ready for church I called into the bedroom,
“Hey Honey, Happy Anniversary!”
Dead Silence. *hee hee* I can see his face!
Slowly he eased out of the room, not sure if I had just remembered or had just given him ample time to drop the bomb…
I burst into laughter!
Yep, it’s OK to forget as long as you’re not the only one. But I wouldn’t suggest taking the risk if it can be avoided.
So, we went to Starbucks later last night. Well, OK, it wasn’t Starbucks, but that fit with the poem so much better. It was actually a coffee cafe very akin to Starbucks except without the wavy-haired siren.
And Starbucks coffee.