Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Yarn Along of Late July


  


  



I'm unsure whether Ginny will be hosting the Yarn Along after the sudden and tragic loss of her friend this week, and it would be entirely understandable if she didn't.  If you haven't followed the situation, you can read her short post on it from the other day, with the update that Sarah and baby Cecilia have passed away.  My heart is broken for this family so far from here and I can't even begin to imagine what they are experiencing.  I will be praying this week for Sarah's husband and their four children.

Whether or not there is a Yarn Along to join, I have been so looking forward to sharing the progress I've been making on the adorable Clementine hoodie.  I am onto the hood which is knit in a Feather and Fan pattern, one I've always loved.  I was inordinately proud of myself for figuring out the raglan construction from the bottom-up, since, well, I'm visually/spacially challenged and usually end up throwing projects across the room when I branch out into a new skill area but this sweater wasn't tossed even once!  Once I figured out the general construction of how to add the sleeves onto the sweater, I was able to trust the pattern and go forward.  

"Sometimes a day can get so busy, and we can get so preoccupied with all the things that we must get done that we can forget to smile into our children's eyes.  We can forget to make that heart connection.  Even on busy days, when my kids come to me to share a story or ask a questions, I try to "twinkle" at them - to let them know that I am glad to be looking at them."  Sections like this are the reason I am still so slowly digesting The Sane Mother's Guide and why I think it's so applicable even for families of "just a few" kids.  I was so cranky today, just short on patience since we were grocery shopping in 100 degree weather and loading kids and groceries in and out of the car and multiple stores in that kind of heat made us all so irritable.  But yesterday!  Yesterday I kept this suggestion at the forefront of my mind.  I love the word "twinkle" to describe that special eye contact connection because it is truly more than just looking at someone.  It's looking at them with the force of love and that is so important and so easy to miss.  Tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity for twinkling eyes.  It is really important to me that I also "twinkle" at my husband this week since we are both very tired.

This is the last week of our summer ministry teams and so our last week of Kids Club for the summer.  I will miss the miraculously joyful and hopeful environment that Christ brings into the heart of the housing project where our family spends our summer afternoons and especially will miss some of the beautiful children, like the girl who comes up and tickles my back several times a day, or the precious girls who shyly presented my children with crowns and chains from the clover they had gathered nearby today.  I love to see the other moms who quietly sit near their baby in the stroller and watch their children play safe in the sun.  I try to take the opportunity to connect with moms there, even if it's a short conversation, and always hope that one day they might come back or will detect the love of God and want to come to church.  I decided to bring my camera today to practice taking pictures and we can always use more for our family's communication to those who partner with us, so I will try to get a post up on our family's blog with a few of those pictures and maybe some stories soon.  In the meantime, I am sharing my favorite of the Girl With the Clover Crown.


5 comments:

  1. Tragic about Ginny's friend...I cannot imagine. Praying for them, too.
    I immediately wondered about the construction of that cardi when I saw the picture and am happy you didn't have to throw it :) !! I like feather and fan as well and am clicking over to Ravelry to check out the pattern. Not that I need any new projects right now, but one can never have too many queued, right?
    That picture. Those eyes. Wow! I am really hoping we (our church) can come next summer. Dan and I still want to visit the ministry there, but the timing has just not worked. Our prayers are with you, though. :) Our God is in the details and will provide a way for us to make the trip, we pray.
    Blessings to you, Sarah, as you raise up your sweet girls. Twinkle. I like that. :)

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  2. I was unsure about today as well. Love that sweater that you are so close to finishing! Just beautiful. Looks like you have been a busy knitting bee this week.

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  3. I love the cardigan and the pictures of the flowers. It looks like your almost finished with the sweater! :)

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  4. I was so saddened to hear about Ginny's friend. Life is indeed fragile. Your hoodie looks great. I'm really liking the feather and fan collar.

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  5. The sweater looks wonderful! And I definitely need to pick up the book you mentioned...I have very little twinkle left at the end of my days :-)

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