Baruch's Lullaby

crazy love

2012-01-12T22:04:00.000-09:00

It takes a crazy love to have kids, through birth or adoption. It takes a crazy love to carry a child for nine months in the womb, and for more months on paper. I've done it in the womb five times, and I can tell you that this time on paper, it is much harder.

It takes a crazy love to fly overseas and meet your kids for the first time...and then to have to leave them there, until you can bring them home again.

It takes a crazy love to know that there are so many things that we don't know. To walk on water. To keep our eyes on Him, because He knows all things.

Thanks for cheering us on from the shore...so many of you have walked on water already, and marked the trail for us...like little fishnet floats, bobbing in the ocean.

This scarf and other items are available to purchase via auction on our facebook page. All proceeds go toward bringing our kids home. Thanks! ♥

highlights from 2011

2012-01-04T00:16:00.000-09:00

It's been a big, fun, crazy year. Care to laugh with me through memory lane? Here's a compendium of our random observations, confessions, crazy kid sayings, and other funny stuff for you to enjoy. Grab your coffee, kick back...and maybe, go to the bathroom first. Just saying.

general observations

In my newfound love for old westerns, I've recently watched movies about Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill, and Billy the Kid. Seems like one of these guys should've been named Frank or something to make things less confusing.

Dos·sier. \dah-see-ay\. noun: A pile of adoption documents sent to a foreign country containing detailed records on a particular person or subject containing 23 items, all of which need to be notarized and apostilled. See also "Pain in the Rear."

Glancing at our Costco list and thought I saw "minions" on it...a closer look revealed it was actually onions - but for a second I thought, wow, you can buy minions wholesale? We must be shopping at the Costco in DC this week.

I was discussing Jesus' temptation with the twins, and got to where Jesus says "Man does not live on bread alone." Big Red, with his squinty-serious look, answers, "Yeah...'cause you also need soup."

You should always take your vitamins with food...unless you're taking probiotics. Those you should take with chocolate.

Getting easily offended about someone else's personal opinions has the same knee-jerk effect as sneezing after applying mascara.

Aside from the obvious difficulties and annoyances of the adoption process, it is also possible that you will have to deal with utterly remarkable people who will nay-say, pooh-pooh, and deprecate adoption entirely...and then expect you to be over the moon for them when they buy a puppy.

Whoever says remote controls encourage laziness have obviously never watched their husband tear the house apart looking for it.

on living in Alaska

The Professor walked up the road to the mailbox for me this afternoon and I told him to dress warm because it was only 2 degrees...he got back and walked in the house without a jacket! I asked him, "What part of 'dress warm' do you not understand?!?" and HE said, "But Mom! I wore socks!!"

It isinevitable that a toddler who gets so excited about collecting pine cones wouldbe equally thrilled to come upon a pile of old moose nuggets. Her chubby littlefists were already full when I caught her.

The Professor, on the idea of globalwarming: "Well, I think we could use the sun to be burning the earth alittle more. I mean, it's freezing these days and I'm shivering. So I thinkpeople should use more chemicals."

insights from children

Our dishwasher broke. Big Red's solution, lookingup at me with his eyes all squinched up and thoughtful-like, sweetly whispers, "Hafta move to a new house?"

On the phone, I was telling my friend about Loving Our Kids on Purpose - it's an amazing book, bringing great peace into parenting and joy into discipline...and during my speech, one of the kids yells from the living room, "IT'S NOT WORKIIINNGG!"

Big Red,upon learning that he will lose his bike tomorrow if he doesn't finish puttingaway his laundry, mutters, "I'm jus' gonna pray...fer you to ferget aboutdat."

Icharged the kids an extra chore each for being the referee in their last argument.A second ago they were at it again and as I started to correct one of them,someone-who-shall-remain-nameless yells in a panic, "NO!!! Please don'tintervene!!"

I'meating leftovers from last night's dinner, and Big Red leans over and says,"Oh, you're eating that yummy stuff!" He pauses. "Actually, Ididn't think it was yummy at all, but I didn't want ta hurt yer feelings."

on living with children

Narrowly thwarted a plan that was already in progress tocover the boys' bedroom walls entirely with black duct tape. Apparently Big Red wants to redecorate with a Star Wars theme.

Blankety-blank! I cannot tell you how many times aweek that I realize I am listening to VeggieTales music all by myself becausethe kids all ran upstairs to play.

We've gone from having boys who enjoy being mom's hero by squishingspiders with a piece of toilet paper to boys who run to the garage, grabtheir crossbow, and use the spider as a target.

Iregret to inform any potential suitors that our oldest daughter has alreadydecided whom she is going to marry. The groom was notified and is apparently mulling it over.

Thereis nothing like that sweet moment when you are tucking the kids in afterthey've fallen asleep - it's dark, it's peaceful, and they're sobeautiful...you smooth the hair across their forehead...and then they fart.Loudly. That's life, folks.

confessions

It may be a sign you've been watching too many westerns if you affectionatelyname your Suburban "Stagecoach."

Well, hello 8 am - we seem to be running into each other a lot more often lately. And no, I still don't like you.

You may have been remiss in your duties if, when you finally getaround to doing laundry and all the clean clothes are piled on the couch, thekids come running over and yell, "Yeah! Underwear!!" (I know, thatNEVER happens at your house!)

Confessionfrom the Professor after the adoption home visit with the social worker: "Mom, I kept mynunchucks under the bed. I didn't want her to think we were TOO dangerous."

here we go a-caroling

2011-12-23T19:34:00.000-09:00

Jesus the Carpenter artwork by Francis Hook

Hark! the herald angels sing

It's A Wonderful Life sign by Alaska Chicks

glory to the newborn King

peace on earth and mercy mild

wooden ornaments by my stepmom

God and sinners reconciled

stockings from my talented friend Margie - we will need two more next year!

joyful all ye nations rise

join the triumph of the skies

quilted ornament by my friend Jeanette at Wordz of Life

with angelic hosts proclaim

popsicle ornament by the Professor a few years ago

quirky crocheted star by Baruch's Lullaby

Christ is born in Bethlehem

hark! the herald angels sing

glory to the newborn King

wishing you all a very merry Christmas

and blessed New Year

with love

from the Baruch's Lullaby family

p.s.

fa wawawa wa...wa wa, wa, wa. ♥

our winter of waiting

2011-12-08T16:08:00.001-09:00

Four of our kids are here. They are in the fresh snow, sledding, climbing all over each other like a litter of puppies. They are putting ornaments on our tree. They are writing Christmas lists and getting tucked in and prayed with at bedtime. They are wreaking a happy havoc and making us laugh and driving us to our knees and teaching us to be better parents every day. And throughout the day, every day, I imagine two more faces joining them.

Two of our kids are very far away, and we've never met, and I still miss them. Can't wait to hold them. Hug them. Tell them they are precious and loved and cared for. Tuck them in at night. Tell them they have a purpose and that God has great plans for them. He does. They each have an amazing story of how He led us to them.

Here are their faces. I am so, so thrilled to finally share them with you.

our manly, tender warrior

our merry little girl

We are in Alaska. You know, the farthest-west yellow part up there. They are in the middle of board, in blue, in the-country-I'm-not-supposed-to-name-anymore-now-that-we're-sharing-photos, but it starts with a B and is shaped roughly like a rectangle, just left of the Black Sea. :)

We've paid about $15,000 in adoption expenses so far. We have about $17,000 to go, about half of which is airfare. A much-simplified breakdown of most of our adoption costs are in this post. We have no worries...God has been adopting kids much longer than we have, and He's never late! But if you want to help us bring them home, we have some ideas...

You can purchase anything from Baruch's Lullaby. Duh. You knew that already.

Do you blog or have your own website? You can put our button on your blog. Easy. Even I can do it, and I can hardly find my way around elementary HTML. It's right over there, under "want a button?" --->

You can blog about us or share this post on Facebook. Or a different post. I'm really not picky. ;)

You can "like" Baruch's Lullaby on Facebook, and suggest our page to your friends, too. We promise to make you laugh several times a week or your money back.

You can purchase this card (or several of them!) from MYSAVIOR Photography. All proceeds minus shipping are donated to our adoption fund.

You can purchase anything from Good Neighbors Candle and put "baruchslullaby" in the message to seller, and 20% of your purchase will be donated to our adoption fund.

You can pray for us. That's the best. I'll be honest and tell you that I don't care much about "positive thoughts" and "good vibes," but prayer is what moves mountains...even in Alaska. Thanks so much, friends. ♥

the great felting post

2011-11-25T21:14:00.001-09:00

Wool is a magical thing. It has stretchy properties like no other fiber...that is, until your husband washes your favorite sweater and it suddenly fits an American Girl doll. Surely this is how felting was discovered, yes?

Felting happens when you take wool (or any other animal-derived fiber) and agitate it in water (preferably the hot, sudsy kind). It becomes thick, practically impermeable, a little stiff, a little fuzzy, and ultra warm. The wool fibers have scales that interlock and irreversibly attach to each other. The important word here is irreversibly. Can't be undone. No amount of tears, sweat, or cussing will get it back to normal. So my motto is: Pray first. Felt second.

Before you felt, you need to know just a few things - first, synthetics won't felt, cotton won't felt, and usually, light colors won't felt either. I do have some white felted mittens that I make (they're actually my top selling mitten color!) but they do take a little more work.

If you're not sure if you've got wool or acrylic, here's a quick test - take a few inches of the yarn and burn it. Stop looking at me like that, I'm being serious. *smile* If it's acrylic (or some other synthetic blend) it will turn to a nasty plastic lump. If it's wool (or another natural fiber) it will turn to ash. Wool is fire-resistant, which is another thing in its favor over other fibers, and a great reason why it's a terrific fiber for children and babies.

I do our felting two different ways, by machine and by hand. Most of the time, I will knit up a big batch of mittens (and formerly, booties) until I have at least ten pairs or so, and I will set them loose in the washer on the smallest load setting. For single-item custom orders, when a customer wants something in a color I don't currently have for sale, I will knit it up and felt it by hand, which is a lot more work and takes more time, but the result is (mostly) the same. I'll show you the difference in a minute. Either way, the items are knit large and baggy, and are fairly indistinct. Lumpy, and a little goofy looking. Bear with me. They get much cuter.

Here is a mitten. With thumbs, even (if you're familiar with our shop, you'll know all of our mittens are thumbless for babies and toddlers!). This is a great example of felting, because the mitten poses an extra problem - you have to take special measures so that the thumb doesn't actually felt itself closed, and for that I cut some special filler (um, plastic from a grocery bag) and stuffed the thumbs. Not too tight though, because the stitches are baggy, remember? We don't want that plastic to work it's way out and make a permanent hole in the thumb as it felts. So, lightly stuff the thumb (or small part of whatever you're felting) and make a few stitches with some cotton thread to hold it in there. The cotton thread won't felt, so you'll be able to pull it out easily when the felting is done.

Like so. Ta da.

I felted these guys in the washing machine - lowest setting, hot water, a little detergent, for about 6 minutes. Prayed first. Then I checked, reset it for another six minutes, and checked...and the darn things were still not done. There were only four items (a pair of booties and mittens - I was being lazy and didn't want to hand-felt them, and needed some photos for this post anyway) and there wasn't nearly enough agitation going on in there. But...

Here is another tip - do not, under any circumstances, add other laundry to your felting. Even if it is clean laundry, it may leave ugly fuzzles all over your knits that are impossible to remove. This is experience talking, and I just saved you a ton of grief. No charge, you're welcome.

So anyway, I looked around for something to throw in the washer with the knits to create more agitation, and finally decided on a bunch of sippy cups sans lids. Worked beautifully (it was a little noisy, though). You want them to be in the wash cycle until they are almost as felted as you want them to be, but not entirely - they will continue to felt a little in the rinse and spin cycle.

When wool is wet, it is very sticky. And when it's felted in the washer, it is also very, very fuzzy - depending on how many things you felted (or the size of them) there may be a lot of stray, wet wool fluff stuck to the sides of your washer and to what you felted. You will need to trim your items, but I suggest waiting until they are mostly dry or you will be covered in wool fuzz that is incredibly difficult to get off of your hands. Imagine sticky biscuit dough...it's like that.

Here they are after they're trimmed up - this is only a small pile of the fluff that I cut off of them. The rest took off flying when our forced-air heating kicked on. (wheee!)

Find a safe place where the cat won't lay on them and let them dry for a couple days. For some reason they take days to fully dry out after the initial felting, but after that, they dry very quickly (like after playing in the snow). Score another point for wool.

Small knitting needles are great for picking locks and puncturing plastic wrap. Large knitting needles are great as drying props.

I had another order for a single pair of mittens last week, and we hand felted those. The principle is the same - hot water, soap (I just use dishwashing soap), and lots of agitation. It helps to have rubber gloves and a few kids around who want to take turns helping.

It's fun to do it this way because you can actually see the process of the fibers coming together. It reminds me of making butter out of cream by shaking it in a jar - there's no change for a long time and you don't think you're getting anywhere, and then suddenly you see a little change in the texture, and then poof! It's done. Well, maybe not "poof" exactly - maybe more like ten or fifteen minutes later. But after an hour of shaking, who's counting?

Here are the hand-felted mittens. They are thick (though not quite as thick) and not nearly as fuzzy - I didn't even need to trim them. And I had control over the process, so there was no fear of over felting.

So, that is how we do it here. Any more questions? Leave them in the comments and I'll be happy to help. ♥

what it used to look like

2011-11-15T21:46:00.001-09:00

...before the white stuff came. Yep, it's here, about two feet so far, and yes, it's pretty, but it's just...white. It was minus fifteen last night when we went to bed, and it warmed up to four or five today. So I was craving some color and found some pictures that I should've shared with you in a more timely manner, but didn't. Sorry. :)

These are of the Butte, the second time we went up this year, in August. It was steep here, baby.

Lovely, breathtaking, amazing, my favorite time...you get to the top and if you hit it just right, the colors are phenomenal and the fireweed has all of its ethereal seed fluff everywhere, frosting the tips of the red foliage. We missed the full effect by about a week, but it was still spectacular.

That's Pioneer Peak, right. . . . . . . . . . there. ^

Happy girl, coloring on the back deck in bare feet and a sundress. It seems a long way off as I am sitting here knitting thumby mittens, with the thermometer at 3.4 degrees - except she is like this all year long, regardless of the weather (we have her wear jeans under the sundresses in the winter, sometimes).

This is our oregano. I like it because it just grows and you don't have to do anything to it except harvest it, and it comes back every year. Except for the time when - well, I won't mention any names, but it's a guy that I'm married to - someone accidentally sprayed it with weed killer. Whoops. We didn't harvest it that year. It's pretty though, hmm?

Settlers of Catan in the backyard. This is the best. Somehow sippy cups always end up in my photos...

*contemplating world domination*

So here I am, trying to figure out how to put thumbs on felted mittens, and we are looking at wind chills of 30 below tonight. Let's not think about that. Let's think of warm things, cocoa-y things, and blankets. Here goes.

Wool coffee cozy by Whimsiedots

Vintage coffee grinder by Babyshka's Attic

Cotton spa face cloths from JeanieBeanHandknits

Kettle corn soy candle by The Lodge Spa

Vintage zigzag blanket by Sydney's Designs

Time to throw more wood in the stove, and I really should get that thumb added to this mitten. Hope you all have a wonderful night. ♥

termination dust

2011-10-12T00:32:00.001-08:00

The leaves are gone. The moon is full tonight. And we wake up to frost every morning already. You know what started this, right?

The white stuff. The almost perfectly straight line cutting right through the mountains there.

It's called termination dust. The end of summer. *sob*

This is the drive from the Matanuska Valley to Anchorage. When the dust hits, you watch it slowly creep down the mountains, a little more almost every day, until you wake up one morning, and the entire world is transformed into whiteness.

Ahhh...Pioneer Peak. (Thanks for rolling down your window, Mr. Baruch's)

This is the same mountain a few weeks ago, as seen from the top of the Butte (yes, that's a small plane in the middle of it).

The Flats, Knik River

But we're not there quite yet. Usually the first snow comes in late October or early November.

The woodstove has been on pretty much every day, though. The cats love it. Isn't he handsome? And so perfectly cat-like to be washing himself in front of the hearth. What a good boy.

We've been gathering firewood...and hey! This kitty doesn't shed as much, unless you count all of the clothes she leaves all over the house.

We've also been updating some things...

New style of crazy love hat, with seed stitch brim and vintage button - you can still bid on this on our Facebook page and all funds will go toward our adoption!

Updated picture of an old favorite...this guy is one of my new favorites...

This scarf is available here. I really, really love this one. The colors make me happy.

Some other happy things...

Acorn necklace from Ingrid's Creations

The Greatest of These is Love letters from Choosing You

Hair barrette by Forever Andrea

Forest cloche hat by Green Trunk Designs

Matanuska River and Sleeping Lady, from the top of the Butte

Have a lovely October! ♥

of toadstools and fireweed and yarn, oh my

2011-09-16T23:23:00.001-08:00

These are mushrooms from our yard. If I were any shorter, I would live in one of these, and Handy and Hefty Smurf would vie for my affection.

This is fireweed, the plant that says "Alaska" more than forget-me-nots.

This is a Crazy Love hat in progress, now finished and purchased, ready to be shipped to one of my fave customers.

These are miscellaneous yarn pieces, too small to wrap packages in, too small to be stripes on even the smallest of hats. The kids use them as kite strings and mask ties and lego cables.

These are currants. Well, there's more than currants here (mostly birch and moss and grass and firewood) but since we have no indigenous red-leaved trees here (like maples...sigh) we have currants...and I take pictures of them. They knock my socks off.

This is a kitty I found in our front yard. Isn't she cute?

Some other finds...

Colorful Buttons Fine Art metallic print (12x12) by Bonnie Bruno Photography

Striking vintage Anne Fogarty scarf by eagerhands

Fall Peasant Dress with sash by Rhonda D. Designs

Caramel stretch velvet headband by Garlands of Grace

That's all I've got for tonight. Hope you are having a beautiful autumn...♥

fall colors

2011-08-26T22:40:00.006-08:00

blueberry picking at Hatcher's Pass

The fern in our woods have turned a ruddy brown overnight. We are getting ready to chop more firewood for winter, and teatime is happening about twice a day on average lately. Fall colors surround me...

This is my old (o l d) Bible. My stepmom gave it to me when I was sixteen, and that was over half my life ago. Clear tape holds the spine together (I thought of using duct tape, since this is Alaska, but couldn't quite bring myself to it). And we've been reading Justin Morgan Had a Horse (the kids love it when I sing the title to the tune of "Old MacDonald") - and though I was never into horses or horse stories as a kid, I am loving these classics by Marguerite Henry.

Made this soup tonight - chili corn chowder, off the cuff, which is pretty much the only way I know how to cook (recipes are just suggestions, right?). This is by no means a foodie blog (we'll leave that to the fabulous Joy the Baker) but this was darn good. Let me tell you...

1. Get a big pot. Chop up some reindeer sausage (or, for you non-Alaskans, ham or kielbasa would work) and a whole onion. Yes, I said a whole onion - just go for it. Throw it in the pot and cook on medium.

2. Chop some celery - I used three stalks, and I'm amazed that I actually remembered an amount to tell you, because I really don't keep track of measurements - and throw that in, too. I would also toss in some garlic, but I forgot to this time.

3. Find a five year old who likes to open cans, and get him to work on two cans of diced tomatoes, one can of green chilies, and a can of tomato paste.

4. Stir in about...I dunno, a half-cup of brown rice. On top of that, toss in a few cups of chicken or turkey broth. I make this in big batches and freeze in containers, so I had to wait for mine to thaw. Dump in the tomatoes, add a few chopped green chilies, and drizzle a little molasses on top. Stir in the tomato paste, and maybe add a little flour and water if you don't think it's thick enough.

5. Add a bunch of corn, and keep simmering until the rice is done. I also added some shakes of black pepper, and if I weren't sharing it with the kids, I would've added some cayenne, too. Serve with shredded cheese and a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream. And if you ask the kids if they want a "dollop" of yogurt, even the non-yogurt eaters will want some just because it sounds so cool.

Sophie is not fall-colored. She is also not allowed on the counter, but that didn't seem to matter because she wanted to be part of the photo (I guess it still doesn't matter, because she's asleep there right now and I'm not doing anything about it - she's good company).

And, some beautiful fall things that you might like...

French press cozy from Two Blue Buttons

red damask peasant baby dress from JM handmade

piper jane's reversible pinafore from bodhi handmade

cranberry earflap hat by Baruch's Lullaby

October Splendor brass earrings by mompotter

Quick side note - JM handmade, mompotter and Baruch's Lullaby are all nominated in Babble's top 50 Etsy moms of 2011! You can vote for all of us! JM Handmade is "Joanne" (currently in 12th place), mompotter is, well, mompotter (and kicking our tails in first place!) and your very own Baruch's Lullaby is currently just 2 clicks away from 3rd place, as "Shannon." It just takes a few seconds to vote for each of us! Thanks! Hope you are having a lovely fall!

because I can't wait

2011-08-09T21:17:00.005-08:00

I just have to do something. You get that way, ever? The hurry-up-and-wait syndrome has me by the nape of the neck and I just need to shake it back sometimes. So.

First, quick adoption update - our kiddos (a boy and a girl, if you're new around here) are a l m o s t officially on hold for us. What does that mean? It means that shortly after their government reconvenes (it's on vacation, don't you know) they will be officially waiting for us. Not officially adopted yet - that's different and comes a little later, of course, but this is the next big step.

So we wait, and work our tails off in our own country with paperwork and fundraising and knitting mittens and crazy love hats and crocheting scarves and loving our kids and fabricating ridiculously long run-on sentences. Because what else can you do when you have two children across the world that are supposed to be yours and you can't hold them yet?!?

Another thing I thought I could do is have a giveaway on our Facebook fan page. Please, distract me.

Same as before...it's easy - simply refer people to our Facebook fan page (because I'm too ADHD right now to handle more than 1 rule) and have them write on our wall that you sent them, so I can keep track. That's it. Once they "like" our page, they can send friends over, too, and enter the giveaway also, if they want. Whoever sends the most people to us gets a $25 gift certificate to Baruch's Lullaby. Sound good? Let's run this from now until...ummm (checking calendar, looking for a day that randomly ends in "y") ...Friday, August 19th, 9pm AK time.

Your word-of-mouth support helps us incredibly! We are expecting around $4000 in fees that will be due over the next month or so, and shortly after that we'll be looking at airfare expenses from Alaska to B***aria for our first trip over. We are not worried in the least because God has this thing covered front, back, and sideways. Thanks so much for your support and prayers as we bring our kids home. ♥

down time

2011-08-02T22:22:00.006-08:00

I love down time...time to kick back and read, or play a game, or put on the hiking boots and find some hill to climb. We've been squeezing in a little less of that this summer with all of the adoption stuff going on, but we've still got a few months up our sleeve before the snow flies. Here's what we've been up to with the little Lullabies, outside of knitting...

I started this quilt (I think?) two years ago. Pieced the first four rows by hand, because I'm crazy like that, then finally got desperate enough to break down and learn how to thread the bobbin on the sewing machine my grandma gave me years ago. It's coming along nicely now...hope to have it done by Christmas for a special little strawberry-haired girl I know.

Here is the oldest Lullaby climbing trees at a friend's house. The kids were playing tag, and he thought this was a great way to avoid getting tagged, until someone grabbed a flip-flop and chucked it at him. They missed. But after several tries, the flip-flop-wielding child requested their grandmother's help, and so Nana got into the action (she's a friend, so I don't mind if she throws shoes at my firstborn, really) and I think she finally just barely brushed his foot with the projectile.

This is what all the big-time models do between photo shoots, right?

Did a little camping and piggybacking at Eklutna Lake. Still on the list - Gold Cord Lake, Hatcher's Pass, and blueberry picking. Hope you all are having a beautiful summer. ♥

Christmas in July!

2011-07-05T21:44:00.005-08:00

I have the most amazing friends. Really. Most people think they have really great friends, and well, that's probably true, but... I really do have some stellar people in my little circle of contacts that I am totally honored to get to hang out with.

One of those stellar friends is Mukkove Johnson, the writer behind the blog Kove's Cove and author of Christmas is About Jesus, the Advent devotional that brings meaning to all of the symbols familiar to the Christmas season. We use this book every year and the kids love it! Mukkove is donating 10% of all sales during the month of July to help us raise funds for our adoption. The book is $9.99 and is also available on audio at the same price, along with several other items. You can browse them all here, knock out some of your Christmas shopping months ahead of time, and help us bring home our kiddos all in one fell swoop. Thanks!

warmth (all kinds)

2011-06-24T21:28:00.009-08:00

Sweater. (knit out of Brown Sheep's Nature Spun, 100% wool)

Soup. (sweet potato & ham chowder, from my imagination - Shan can cook, sometimes)

Package. (containing sweater)

Office assistant. (lapwarmer)

Recipient. (cyber hug)

for free, forever

2011-06-02T21:05:00.009-08:00

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father!" Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
- Galatians 4:4-7

There is nothing a child can do to become a son or daughter, no amount of money they can pay or charm they can possess that will bring them into this relationship - they are just created sons and daughters, even in cases of adoption.

The child receives intimacy, closeness, affection, provision, nurturing, and access. For free. Forever.

We adopt because He showed us how, not because we were born with a heart for it. No one else modeled it for us by adopting us. And as children who long to be identified with their parents, we spend time with Him, and as we draw closer, we pick up some of His traits and characteristics. He lets us look like Him, so people can see the resemblance.

And we are His, for free. Forever.

hiking photos taken from the Butte, Palmer, Alaska

priceless

2011-05-18T11:18:00.007-08:00

Homestudy fee = $1500

Travel costs for 2 parents and 2 trips from Alaska to Sofia, B***aria = $5,600-7,200

Agency fees = $5,500

B***aria adoption fees for two children = $12,000

Two one-way children's tickets from B***aria to AK = approx. $3000

Bringing two children home to a family, where they will be tucked in warmly every night = priceless

This is just a glimpse of what we are looking at...there are other out-of-pocket expenses (Fed-Ex wiring fees, post-adoption costs, CIS fees, training costs, etc). I did the math, and I would have to knit a combination of approximately 1,700 hats or pairs of mittens to pay for it all (hey, I'm fast, but I'm not that fast). Fortunately, some of our wonderful friends have partnered together to sponsor an auction fundraiser, donating their products to help pay for our adoption expenses. (Bless you!)

Details...
You can find the items up for bidding on our facebook page in the Adoption Auction Fundraiser album here. New items will be added often! Bid via the picture's comments in the album, and when the bidding closes for a particular item I will announce the winner here on the blog. You can pay for your item(s) by hitting the "donate" button over there ---> and after we receive your donation, I will contact the artist with your shipping info.

Thank you! ♥

pins and needles

2011-05-06T22:56:00.005-08:00

Adoption news is coming forthwith. That's a fancy way of saying that I hope we'll have some really exciting news and some answers to our questions soon, because there are two beautiful children in Bulg**** that we want to be a family to. (!) Really. Okay, breathe now. (in, out...phew)

In the meantime, we are brainstorming fundraising ideas, doing lots of research, and not getting nearly enough knitting done. We are looking at raising $30 - 40,000 in probably less than a year...that's a whole lotta mittens! (No! Don't stop breathing!)

So, since I only have two hands (but can you imagine how fast I could knit with four, though?) we'll be doing some other fundraisers, too. Stay tuned for some gorgeous items (knit and otherwise) to be auctioned off! Support adoption, bring children home to their family, AND get something nice for yourself to show for it. You win, we win, our kiddos overseas win...everyone's happy. The way it should be. ♥

and the winner is...

2011-04-07T23:01:00.002-08:00

Oh, come on!! You think I should tell you right away or something?!?

First, our highly technical process was this: I made a numbered list as entries came in. Then I plugged the numbers into Random.org. That's it. Easy. Took all of two seconds. But the reason I feel I should explain this to you is because I have no idea how to make a screenshot. None. I tried it once, and my short computer screen didn't do it right anyway, and I just don't want to learn it again right now before going to bed. Sooo...anyhoo, that's how we did it.

But we have a winner! Drumroll...

Angie at Steampunk Funk is our winner! Congratulations! Thanks for entering!

giveaway, numero dos!

2011-03-28T11:54:00.016-08:00

Okay. This one is a little more tricksy. Ten days and lots of ways to enter. Completely shameless marketing. We will run this giveaway from today until Thursday, April 7th, 11pm AK time, for another $25 gift certificate. I will draw the winner's name using random.org. Ready? Ready? Okay, go! 1. Link a Baruch's Lullaby item of your choice (one of your favorites) to your personal FB page (not your business or fan page), and make sure you tag Baruch's Lullaby (type @Baruch's Lullaby and it should come right up if you are already a fan) so I know that you did it and can keep track. Limit of one entry per day for the ten days that the contest runs. = 1-10 entries.

2. Become a follower of this blog and leave a comment here to remind me that you did it. :) (I do have "mommy brain" sometimes...) = 1 entry

3. If you have your own blog or website: add the BL button (over there--->) to your blog or site. Be sure to leave a comment here that you did it. = 3 entries

four little lefty Lullabies

4. Also for bloggers: Write a short post about this giveaway and link our shop, blog, and FB page in your post. Please comment here with the link! =5 entries

Existing followers and those who already display the BL badge count as entries, as long as you post a comment (with link if applicable) to let me know.

Alright, friends, them's the rules. As I write this, Mr. Baruch's is organizing donations for our massive garage sale adoption fundraiser coming up. Thank you for supporting our business and our adoption! ♥

it's a...giveaway!

2011-03-15T16:15:00.009-08:00

...because our facebook fans are amazing. You guys really are a huge encouragement to me. And most of you seem to relate to my life of cleaning up "felted" toilet paper, folding piles of laundry, and otherwise wading through a houseful of small children while also balancing education and small business. Simply, you guys rock.

So, up for grabs (well, not entirely, but sorta) is one $25 gift certificate to Baruch's Lullaby. Not totally for "grabs," I guess, but very easy. This is so simple, even I can figure out how it works.

But wait...let me just say real quick that this is Giveaway Number One of 2. Giveaway Number Two will be a little different, and will happen shortly after this one. But for now, details:

1. Refer people to our Facebook fan page. Ask them to post on our wall that you sent them. If they would like to join the contest, they can also refer people to our page.

2. That's it. There is no #2. (See? I told you this was simple!) The person who sends the most people to "like" our page by 11 pm (AK time) on March 25, 2011 wins. Easy enough?

As our adoption gets closer, your word-of-mouth support helps us incredibly. So tell your friends about us! Tell them that we love kids. Tell them that we make gorgeous products (if we do say so ourselves). And tell them that we, too, know what it's like to change a dozen diapers a day and walk around unknowingly wearing dried baby boogers while still being a fashionista (okay, never mind...don't tell them that!).

At first I thought we would give away a particular item, but this way the winner gets to choose! Here are a few things from our shop that a $25 gift certificate will pay for (these prices do not include shipping):

- thumbless baby mittens ($13 or $17, depending on size)

- crocheted hairband/neckwrap ($18 - more colors on the way)

- a hair kerchief ($22)

- most of our hats (starting at $16)

- some of our scarflettes ($22-25)

- crocheted neckwarmer with button ($22)

- a knit neckwarmer/cowl for all ages ($18)

- pair of small baby booties ($25)

- felted winter mittens ($20 or $24, depending on size)

...or, it can significantly reduce the cost of any of our other items. :)

I hope you find something you love. Thanks so much for stepping out into the downpour with us as we hold out our teaspoon to collect a couple of raindrops (and if that doesn't make sense to you, please see this post). He moves us!

a very moose-y post

2011-02-19T20:30:00.009-09:00

Well, hello there!

This lovely lady and her little guy stopped by this morning - she was standing right next to the passenger door of our pickup when my husband had to leave for work.

He explained to her that it was not "Take Your Moose to Work Day," and she wandered off in search of some other good-looking commuter.

She came back at lunchtime and dismembered a willow tree.

I was eating my lunch, watching her...while she was eating her lunch, watching me. We bonded.

She got tired of willow and took out our highbush cranberries.

She really is beautiful - long eyelashes, cute fuzzy ears...she let us watch her for about ten minutes while her kid lurked around our burn barrel and got into our compost. We had a great science lesson, noticing how she chews, how her knees in her back legs bend backwards, the difference in her coat along her "mane" and chin and the hump on her back. This is what homeschool is about!

This is the baby, taking off for the compost pile. ("Wow, Mom! Look!! These guys have bok choy!")

new at the zoo

2011-01-25T17:45:00.011-09:00

Neckwarmers in two new designs!

One of the designs is a collar version of our crocheted lace scarves. These are fun to wear and attach easily with a vintage button, which can be worn in the center, in the back, or off to the side.

The other design is truly versatile - a super-stretchy knit that accomodates everyone from baby to dad, and can be worn like a cowl...

...or folded over for a turtleneck-look....

...or paired with a hat for extra coverage...

...or worn like a headband to cover ears.

We also have some new mittens! Same design, new color, available in two sizes:
And in other news...we are still adopting (yes!) and still waiting to hear from people from Plan A before we move onto Plan B. Hopefully we'll have a real update with real specifics real soon. We appreciate your prayers and support!

for someone very special...

2010-10-21T21:13:00.005-08:00

We have an adoption update coming soon (really!) but in the meantime I wanted to throw in a couple of photos of a big project I've been working on for someone special. Scale doesn't really show well here, but these are for a premie who was born at 26 weeks. ♥

Rushings-Out and Rescuings

2010-09-25T20:40:00.004-08:00

I have no time...the wind is wild here tonight and I like to be ready just in case the power goes out. To my right I have four projects piled in a heap waiting to be finished, and there's also that %^&*! flier I need to get done for the craft fair (and you know how I love computer work right?)...

So I was going to put this off til later but I really feel like maybe someone out there just needs this tonight. Do you? I have needed it's message before, too. I still need it.

Anyway, just a sweet poem that the kids are memorizing lately, but you can find a lot of wisdom in children's literature. Enjoy and know that you are loved...and go take out those dragons. Fight and win! ♥

Knight-In-Armour

Whenever I'm a shining knight,

I buckle on my armour tight;

And then I look about for things,

Like Rushings-Out, and Rescuings,

And Savings from the Dragon's Lair,

And fighting all the dragons there.

And sometimes when our fights begin,

I think I'll let the dragons win...

And then I think perhaps I won't,

Because they're Dragons, and I don't.

- A.A. Milne, When We Were Six

147 million raindrops

2010-08-05T16:56:00.002-08:00

Or, Why We're Doing What We're Doing. This is my heart, very unedited, not pretty, a little rambling, and just honest. This is our story - yours either has been or will be different in many ways.

I know many couples who have thought off-and-on about adopting. We were one of them. We thought we would look at it seriously when we were done "having" (in a pregnant sense) the four kids we always knew we would have. When we were ready. When life slowed down. We would do the research then, discover the needs then. We were shallow, with good intentions. We were unaware, and about to be educated.

"Then" finally happened last year, after we slowly woke up to a realization that our plans and thoughts were not big enough, that our life wasn't supposed to slow down, that we weren't done having kids at any arbitrary number (we'd "had" five, anyway) and that we were beyond ready, as long as we were willing.

It was happening everywhere around us. We have aquaintances that have adopted, and friends that have adopted, and friends that are going through the process of it...we have been in court with friends to witness their adoption officially become final. It was everywhere we looked.

Then I sold a hat. Hang with me now, this is important.

What? Big deal! I sell hats all the time (well, to be honest, not often enough in the summer, but I digress). This was last fall. Just another customer, nothing special.

Turns out I sold her the wrong-sized hat - and the funny thing was, she still became a return customer and ordered another completely different hat, at which time I realized I had messed up her first order. I was mortified, and sent a gushing apology along with the correct hat and the new hat, and she was wonderful. She said it was okay and that she loved my work and wanted to feature my shop on her blog...would that be okay with me?

Would it?!? Free publicity? I said "Yes, please, and thank you!" Then I checked out her blog. I waited for the page to load...there were a ton of pictures so it took a while. And when it was done, I saw - well, here, you can see it for yourself. Here's my sweet friend Shonni's blog:
http://www.nationsaroundourtable.blogspot.com/

I counted. Ten kids...no, eleven. Because those little hats she bought from me were for her newest little precious one that she and her husband had just adopted from Ethiopia. I saw pictures of her little guy wearing my hats.

I became a blog-lurker (you know what that is...some of you know I'm talking about you, right? *wink*) and read all about the honest difficulties and successes of having a family of 13 (Thir! Teen!) . I found other adoption blogs. I read this post by Shonni's friend, and it changed me. Folks, there is a need that is unimaginable to those of us who have beds with clean, warm blankets and lattes and dinner out every few weeks. 147 million kids all over the world with no mommy or daddy to tuck them in at night - many of those have nothing to even be tucked into at night. Sick. Hungry. Uncared for.

God would not let me go about this. I was undone. 147 million is a pretty big number. Months passed, and I learned more. God was educating us. He was making us aware. He brought depth to our good intentions. He was giving us a bigger vision of what He planned for us, if we were willing...and we are. We often feel like Frodo when He said "I will take the ring...though I do not know the way." Like Peter when he walked on water, and did just fine as long as he kept his eyes off his circumstances and kept looking at the One who was above all circumstances.

Look with me: We are all standing in a deluge. It's pouring down. One-hundred-forty-seven-million raindrops are falling all around us. There are small clusters of people standing out in the deluge holding out small teaspoons in effort to catch some of these drops before they hit the ground. There are other people standing with those holding the teaspoons, helping them to hold the teaspoon higher, farther off the ground, to keep the wind from blowing the drops away. Some of the raindrops will be caught and given a new hope. Some will fall to the ground, lost forever.

We choose to step out into the downpour and hold out our very small and very expensive teaspoon, though we do not know the way. We do not know how it will happen. He is making us able as we make ourselves willing. So that is our story...so far. He still moves us.

Christmas In July SALE!

2010-07-07T19:56:00.007-08:00

Yay, it's finally here! That blessed time of the year when those of us who make mostly winter items can still hope to move some product! *grin*

Details:

1. All items in the section "CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE" are already marked down 15% or more. This is your chance to stock up on baby shower gifts, birthday presents, a little something for yourself, and...oh yeah, Christmas. :) Sale ends August 1st!

But wait, there's more!!!

For Facebook fans ONLY:

2. Take an additional 10% ANY item in the entire shop. Please contact me (via email, Etsy convo, or Facebook message) to adjust the price for you prior to purchase. But if you forget, I can just refund you through Paypal. No biggie. :)

Aaaand...one more bonus for Facebook fans:

3. Suggest our fanpage to your friends, and for each friend that "fans" us by 7/20, YOU can take an additional 2% off (this is added to your 10% fan discount) any item, up to a total of 40% off. No kidding! Just make sure you let us know who you referred (or ask them to write it on our wall) so we can keep track and give you full credit.

Happy Shopping! And don't forget...He is the reason for every season, every day.

welcome to summer!

2010-06-25T21:36:00.011-08:00

I'm on a couple (ahh...a few...maybe...five?) amazing teams on Etsy. And I do play favorites - a couple of the teams I absolutely love. I love the members, I love the mission, I love the talent. So here is a summertime smorgasboard of some of my very favorite shops. I hope you find something you love here, too!

vintage pastel flower pots by Bird-in-Hand

vintage quilt snippet from Wordz of Life - I've bought several of these and they are all precious...one of them hangs above my work table.

colorful quilted pillow cover by Studio Cherie

organic lemon jelly by Swan Mountain Soaps (these guys are local and fabulous!)

crackled glass hairpins by Sue Runyon Designs

baby jackrabbit ACEO by Tapestry316

Stangl pottery leaf dish by Sweet Rice

These are not all of my favorites, of course. I can't possibly fit all of them into one post, so I'll try to spread the love a little more later, too. ♥

well, honestly...a candid shot

2010-06-08T21:45:00.006-08:00

Here I am. No make up, a little sunburned (Irish-ly tan, don't you know), working on the computer. Yes, that's an unwashed rice cooker behind the laptop. And, yes, those are some sad little seedlings waiting to be planted outside (the five-foot dowel rod was inserted by our oldest, out of concern that one of the plants needed a little, um, propping). That's a homeschool map under the counter by my feet. No glamour, just life. Isn't my littlest model cute, though?

I love normalcy. Simplicity. There is a pie crust crimper in one of our toy baskets. Our couches and other furniture are regularly de-frocked of their cushions and throw pillows in order to be utilized as fort materials and gymnastics mats. We wade through cats and small children like we're in a constant low surf. This is real life, no frills...and I love it. ♥

did you wonder?

2010-05-21T22:17:00.002-08:00

Yes. She has hair. I just thought you should know, since it's always covered up by a hat.

doing it all

2010-04-28T23:14:00.009-08:00

I'm asked all the time how I "do it all." Reading, homeschooling, knitting, the kids...and...it's just life. Some of you have called me Supermom...but I've noticed that those of you who call me that have never actually been to my house. *grin* A very wise friend of mine told me (because she had been told by a very wise friend of hers) that God gives you grace for wherever you're at - so if you have one kid, you have the grace to cover one kid. And when you have four, suddenly you have the grace for that, and you wonder how you could have ever been overwhelmed with just two.

Well...this is not how I do it all! (keep dreaming!) Chamberlain broke a huge bowl in the pantry the other day, so she is closely monitored around the dishes!

I'm so encouraged by hearing how other moms manage their days. So at the risk of sounding completely self-centered (but it's my blog, so there) I'll share a little about how we do it all.

Here goes. Confession: I rarely cook real meals during the week. We do a lot of easy lunches. We do a lot of easy dinners, too - there's no shame in crackers and cheese and fruit for dinner! I read to the kids during lunch and dinner, and usually eat while I'm putting their meal together. I find that confining them to the table with their mouths (usually) full of food is conducive to better listening!

Vin almost always cooks dinner for us when he gets home from work so I can knit or catch up on business stuff. We both cook on the weekends.

We don't watch tv. The only exception is during football season or the Olympics, and the occasional-but-very-rare (go ahead and laugh) Jeopardy. We do watch movies, though (but we're picky, have you guessed?) and I can usually finish off a hat or two while vegging on the couch.

I read and knit at the same time. Vin got me this really cool book-holder-thingy (mine's a Book Gem) that holds my book up so my hands are free. Occasionally I have to search for it on his side of the bed because he steals it when I'm not using it (he likes to eat ice cream while reading - which is not as productive as knitting, but...I digress).

The kids all have chores. Iree vacuumed the boys room last week! Yeah! They all help with dishes (well, not Chamberlain, see above), cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning the catbox, and all kinds of stuff. Mattie reads out loud to the younger ones while I do my chores, and Iree can even read out loud now, too. So we all take turns.

It's not perfect, and there are days when it feels like we'll never get past breakfast. Some days we spend more time disciplining and bossing than reading. But those are balanced by the other sweet times, like Sunday afternoons when we read eight chapters in one Narnia book, or spend the afternoon making and delivering a meal to a family in need. We've even been known to take the kids to a Tea Party or two, and we can now say that our nine year old knows more about the US Constitution than most of our current Congress (ah, couldn't help it; that one was just too easy to pass up).

It's a very simple life. The kids are worth it. Homeschooling is worth it. Our marriage is worth it. Doing it all together is a beautiful thing.

why we call it his lullaby

2010-04-14T17:10:00.010-08:00

This is one of those times when I wish I could take credit for this...I read it for the first time the other day and somehow, he exactly expresses my own heart. Excerpted from Michael Card's Sleep Sound In Jesus:

Beyond their covert purpose of coercing an infant to sleep, lullabies are songs we sing to show the love we have for our children, to show them our concern and to simply let them know we are there with them in this dark and fallen situation....they can also be blessings wherein we plant the seeds of dreams, dreams which never completely leave them.

Lullabies are also songs we sing to ourselves. They help reinforce the love which abides sometimes too deep within our hearts. They are tools to bring it to the surface. They remind us of out protective and comforting roles as parents. They are artful ways of loving our children.

We "artfully love" all of our kids...seen and unseen. ♥

studio re-do!

2010-02-17T21:03:00.010-09:00

A few weeks ago a friend of mine came over with only a few minutes notice (you know who you are) to let her mother-in-law go shopping in my cabinet (you are soooo forgiven!) and I realized that I was in dire need of some major reorganization.

It may not look organized to you, but I know where everything is. I can tell how much white superwash I have (a lot! Yeah!) and if I'm going to run out of green anytime soon. The other yarns have their own shelf. Every size and style of hat has its own stack. And most importantly, if anyone stops by to do some impromptu shopping, all items are within reach!

Still have booties for Haiti! We raised almost $150 in January! When they're all gone, we'll have raised almost $900 total, so now is a great time to stock up on all of those baby shower gifts that you know you'll need this year! ♥
I've been wanting one of those magazine-holder-thingies for a loooong time, but didn't like the made-in-China ones in the stores. Here we have an upcycled box of Mini Wheats covered in craft paper and wrapped with - what else? - yarn, of course. It holds all of my cardstock, envelopes, address labels, customs forms, and anything else I can stuff in it.
Zee official order-wrapping table. Scissors, hole punch, scotch tape, packing tape, extra yarn, care and content labels, sparkly pens, and ...see that tissue paper hanging on the wall, and not covering my entire work surface? It's a beautiful thing. And Vin scored major points for putting it there.

Even Itzhak the Laptop has a new look...compliments of Iree.

helping haiti

2010-01-16T17:52:00.004-09:00

All sales of baby booties from Baruch's Lullaby are now going to Samaritan's Purse to benefit Haiti for earthquake relief.

Several sizes available, but when they're gone, they're gone!

in the news!

2009-12-31T17:46:00.002-09:00

Ever googled yourself? C'mon, admit it. It can be frustrating if you have a common-ish name (or even, not too common - I'm amazed at how many Shannons there are with a certain Spanish last name out there!). But I love googling Baruch's Lullaby. It's me, incognito! Sometimes I recognize the article (the author notified me) and sometimes it's a total surprise. You crafters and sellers should try it for yourself! Kind of a back-door way to find out what people think and what they are saying.

Here are a couple from December...

-The Art of Gifting Locally from the Alaska Dispatch

-the Deusprovidebit blog

...and you might've seen this if you saw it on the CAST thread on Etsy. It wasn't "google-able," but it was recognizable (by my sister-in-law, at least - thanks for the tip!) - and though the story is sad, the baby is precious, and his hat is cute, too!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34617556/ns/us_news-life/
Just pretend the caption under it says, "Knitted hat by Baruch's Lullaby." Because it was! Yay!

exposed!

2009-12-23T16:43:00.006-09:00

Feature in an EXPOSED treasury from VickiDiane coming soon...here are some of the pics!

Wait...what is an "exposed" treasury? VickiDiane has become a little famous for these. They are treasuries that expose the artist behind the shop...hence, the inclusion of ME in the photos. But they're also incredibly popular and always at the top of the "hot list," and bring in a ton of publicity. Which I love. That's all.

rollin', rollin', rollin'...

2009-10-31T20:50:00.006-08:00

Chamberlain rolled over two days ago, during a photo shoot! What a girl!

Tummy to back, two times, with big brothers and sister cheering her on...and then immediately showing off how well they can roll over, also (ahem...it was very impressive).

itty bitty kitty hat from Baruch's Lullaby

CHEESE!

that time of year again!

2009-10-21T20:46:00.004-08:00

The new yarn shipment is here! The new yarn shipment is here!!!

Time to break out the swift again!

Gus was fascinated, but cautious. The end.

Hey, psst...I know, I know, this is not the brilliant post that I alluded to last time. I don't even remember what I was going to post then, but I have a screaming baby now who's saying, "Daddy's not doing it right!" and she needs me. Must go.

bbl

2009-10-21T20:43:00.002-08:00

You know what that means? Officially, "be back later." Unofficially, it means I was all ready to post something brilliant with photos and everything, but then heard a blood-curdling scream upstairs, followed by

"Afton hit me with the lance!!! I want him to go to time-out!!!"

So...bbl.

been there, done that

2009-09-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Brothers Karamazov. Done. Finis.

And here's what Dostoevsky said about reforms:

"Reforms, when the ground has not been prepared for them, especially if they are institutions copied from abroad, do nothing but mischief! The ancient hell-fire was better."

I submit that the ground for health care reform has not been prepared - nor will it ever be, while our current commander in chief (gasp, choke) still sits on the waiting list for a cerebrum donor. Right behind Nancy Pelosi.

slacking off

2009-09-05T13:11:00.008-08:00

I know, I know. You have expectations. You come here and expect something witty and clever, like maybe a funny story about the kids, or something exciting going on in our lives, or, at the very least, my opinion on the latest political news which causes you to either cheer and clap or leave the page and not speak to me for a couple of weeks (insert shameless grin here)... but here it's been daaaaaaays and I've posted nothing.

Sorry. I've been...

...making mittens, mostly. I mean, aside from the nursing, burping, changing diapers, reading to kids, fixing owies, and breaking up fights that I figure you already know about. But aren't they pretty?

Also happening around here is The Harvest Party For The Sucky Gardener. Since our garden's been a bust for TWO YEARS in a row, I spent the better part of a Sunday re-potting plants and giving homes to all of my little snippings that have been growing in jars, wine bottles, and vases for the past year. They're much happier now.

I made Chamberlain another hat (I know, another one -but you can't be too young to properly accessorize). Cute, hmm? There's another one like it for sale at my shop!

I've learned (and remembered) things that you can and cannot do while nursing a baby. Example: you can read a book while knitting with double-points. You cannot wipe chunks of spit up down the back of your left shoulder with your left hand.

But alas - what I'm not doing is reading Don Quixote, this month's book for Colloquium...I've been spending way too much time with those rascally Karamazov boys. Still. But they start to grow on you after the first 400 pages.

featured!

2009-08-18T23:01:00.002-08:00

Fellow CAST teammate Christie Cottage featured me on her blog today - check it out here!

like a mosquito in a nudist colony

2009-08-08T10:58:00.002-08:00

I had the blissful experience today of the day to myself, at home, just me and Chamberlain, knitting, nursing, reading, writing...I have a wonderful friend (a kindred spirit! Truly!) who took the three "big kids" (isn't it crazy how quickly they become big when there's a newborn in the house?) for the day and I was left here on the couch just wondering what to do - like I'd won the lotto and had no idea what to spend it on first.

I did NO HOUSECLEANING. The broom is still in the hallway where I left it this morning, with the dustpan and pile of dirt on the floor next to it. So there.

I guess I did do a couple of dishes...if you count the bowl and spoon I took out of the dishwasher for my lunch (which was soup).

And the bowl and spoon I took out of it for dinner. Which was, um, ice cream. Moose tracks, to be specific. YEAH, BABY!

I finished a book.

I took pics of Chamberlain in some new hats I made.

I sang louder than the ipod.

There were no timeouts, temper tantrums, spilled messes...and when they got home, we hugged and talked and had bedtime. A beautiful thing!

introducing...

2009-07-13T12:28:00.003-08:00

Chamberlain Sooth
7.10.09
11:21 pm
7 pounds 9 ounces
21 inches long

I am, at length, the happy mother of a daughter! Rejoice with me, all womanhood, for, lo! A champion of the cause is born! I have dedicated her to this work from the beginning. May she leave her impress on this world for goodness and truth.
~Elizabeth Cady Stanton, suffragist, abolitionist, and pro-life activist

in her own words

2009-07-03T18:23:00.002-08:00

After checking various news sources and finding them all wanting, content with sensationally giving half-truths and speculation - I read Sarah Palin's actual speech.

The whole thing. You know, in context - which is how you won't get it from the various news sources who have all (ALL! amazing) chosen to pass on an account of the story as ignorant and biased as they are, with the expectation of keeping their readers equally ignorant and biased. So - for those of you willing and interested in doing more than just spouting off more half-truths and speculation, here is the link to Sarah's speech - which most news sources aren't giving out. It hurts their agenda.

Sarah's own words are HERE: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/exec-column.php

And in my own words...liberals who want to gloat should be afraid. Be very afraid. :)

while we wait

2009-07-02T16:59:00.009-08:00

This has been a sweet time of waiting and anticipation. Early labor started last Thursday so we've been taking it reeeeally easy around here and sticking pretty close to home.

Even the cats know something's up, and Sophie, in particular, has been sticking to me like...well, like white on Sophie.

I never got around to making this little girl her own baby sweater... so I took the easy route. No, no, no - the easy route is not to go to Target and buy some cheap made-in-China acrylic sweater (egad, what were you thinking?!?). The easy route is as follows: Find older brother's baby sweater. Add crocheted ruffles to bottom edge. Exchange plastic grey button for something fancier. Maybe gussy up the cuffs or collar with some scalloped edges. Finally, embroider white and pink flowers on it and viola! You have a very nice little girl's sweater.

I know. It's not done yet.

But!! I finally finished Chamberlain's blanket and hat! See? Mohair and cotton/wool blend out of my stash. My most ambitious project since then has been to sit at the little table with a huge Norman Rockwell puzzle that I picked up for a dollar last week at a garage sale. It goes like this: Sit with the puzzle for half an hour, do laundry for ten minutes. Sit with the puzzle for another half an hour, go to the bathroom, sweep the floor, and come back to the puzzle. Very taxing, I know. But add contractions to it and then you'll sympathize.

chamberlain's shower

2009-06-20T10:57:00.004-08:00

Chamberlain and I were completely spoiled by our shower last weekend! I arrived late (umm...make that very late) to find ten cars in my driveway and along the road, and everyone making themselves at home without me! (which was totally fine, of course!) But I wasn't the last to show up - a few more people came after me, so that made me feel better. :)

Having three kids already at home, the main thing we need is diapers! I know in some places it's completely unacceptable to have a shower for second, third, or subsequent children, but fortunately in Alaska it is not (we have other weird rules, like not wearing outside shoes in the house - a big no-no in most homes here).

And I am still taller than all of the diapers. So there.

A partied-out little dude - this is how I felt afterward, too, but I couldn't find anyone to carry me in a front pouch (sulk).

love notes

2009-05-31T17:56:00.004-08:00

A sweet surprise from the four-year-old..."Iree loovs mom aad dad."

And what my husband woke up to on his birthday, from our sweet eight-year-old (I had nothing to do with it)...

to make one thing clear

2009-05-31T16:22:00.001-08:00

No -- as pro-life activists we are not rejoicing over the murder of late-term abortionist Dr. Tiller. His life could have turned around and he could have had an amazing story someday, and we are grieved that it was cut short and not allowed.

If we approved of killing people whose lives offended us, then we'd be for abortion, not against it.

Just thought that needed to be pointed out.

just a bunch of "fringe extremists"

2009-04-15T22:39:00.007-08:00

Radical? Okay. Extreme? Maybe. Dangerous? You betcha -- never underestimate the power of a pregnant, homeschooling, stay-at-home mom who actually reads the Constitution.

But fringe? You're kidding me, right?

Okay, I know it's kind of rare for people nowadays to actually know what kind of government America actually is (no, surprise! It's not a democracy!). America is - ready? - a Constitutional Federated Republic. I know, those are big words. Mr. Obama should look them up. But I guess if you're smart enough not to believe everything you hear from CNN, the New York Times, or TOTUS, you're fringe.

So...yeah, that's me (on the left). And I'm okay with that.

But I'm not alone! There were over 2000 of us "fringe extremists" just in little ol' Wasilla! And we are a small town!

The view from (almost) the front row.

And, yeah...the kids got a little bored during some of it - but according to my oldest, it was way better than doing math.

Afterward, our group took over half of our favorite coffee shop, where the kids were rewarded with hot cocoa, and the moms got espresso (yes, mine was decaf. Be nice). The minute they put a sin tax on lattes, I'm soooo going postal.

partnering with HeartReach

2009-03-30T17:15:00.007-08:00

HeartReach Pregnancy Center in Wasilla is raising funds for ultrasound equipment and all of the particulars that go with such a program to support women and their families. Baruch's Lullaby has partnered with HeartReach and is donating 80% of sales from this section of the shop toward this project.

Or, you can go to the main page of the shop and on the right (under "Sections in this shop") click on the HEARTREACH BENEFIT. Spread the word! Pregnant moms deserve real options and truth, and ultrasounds go a long way toward delivering both.

da belly - a quick photo update

2009-03-29T22:57:00.003-08:00

Well, I told you it would be a quick update. Will blog something more brilliant and creative soon. Promise. ♥

[insert offending child's name here]

2009-03-10T20:58:00.004-08:00

No one's exempt...and I know you've been there. Also please note that all of these incidents happened today, each child was an offender at least once, and it's not even 4 pm yet.

"Mommy, Mommy!!!! [offending child] poured gatorade all over the humidifier!"

Offending child in time out, jumping up and down while screaming, "I AM sitting quietly!!! I AM sitting quietly!!!" I turn to my oldest and ask, "Is it quiet in here?" and he looks around and immediately replies, "Yep, 'cept for [offending child]."

Offending child: "I threw my pencil and it landed on your desk and I made a scratch on it to show you exactly where it landed."

Me: "You scratched it on purpose just to show me?!"

Offending child, obviously rethinking confession a minute too late: "Um...yeah."

As I am typing the title of this blog, offending child is scrubbing crayon off the wall with baking soda, finishes, then comes to me and says, "I didn't need all of the baking soda so I just rubbed the extra on the floor." Oh, goody.

drumroll, please...

2009-02-12T21:30:00.004-09:00

It's a girl!!!

Her name is Chamberlain (see post below for explanation and a good history lesson, to boot). She's 18 weeks and weighs 1/2 pound, and is about as long from head to bottom as a snickers candy bar. She can open and close her eyes! We've never had 3D ultrasound before, so it was really amazing to get pictures of her like this. Sweet little face...aww.

someone you should know about

2009-02-12T21:25:00.003-09:00

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born in Brewer, Maine on September 8th, 1828. He was the oldest of five children. At the age of 20 he taught himself ancient Greek in order to pass his entrance exam to Bowdoin college. He became fluent in eight other languages as well: Latin, French, Spanish, Arabic, German, Hebrew, Italian and Syrian. After an additional three years in Bangor Theological Seminary he returned to a career in teaching at Bowdoin where he eventually taught every subject in the curriculum except science and mathematics.

In the summer of 1861, one year into the Civil War, he was enjoying a very promising, comfortable, blessed and rewarding life with his wife and children in Maine, a wealthy northern state whose soil was far away from the actual fighting. He had everything going for him, and plenty of sound reasons to remain in his safe academic and parental world. But he was dissatisfied. He had an aching desire to contribute to a cause he felt drawn to. It came down to a simple truth, alive within men of great destiny. He could not sit idly by while human beings were being denied their self-evident right to life and liberty. Not while he had the opportunity to do something about it. He submitted a request to enlist in the war but was denied by the university president. He then requested a sabbatical to study in Europe. When granted, instead of going to Europe he went directly to the enlistment office. He saw the battle before him, and he chose to reject apathetic complacency and went off to war.

He fought in many battles. Some he won and others he lost. He saw most of his men and many of his friends killed. He won many promotions and a chest full of medals. One day in particular in Pennsylvania he put a living definition on the word fortitude and just so happened to save the Union while doing so. Over the course of the war his body was shot and scarred and his many wounds plagued him with pain until the day he died, an old man in his bed in 1914 at the age 85. He had a long career before and after the Civil War, and many accomplishments worth reading about.

His name reflects a true and honorable example of what it means to stand firm and fight when it would be so much easier to sit it out or run away. He saw evil in the world and chose to engage it. He saw humans who were being denied the right to live, and their worth devalued to that of a commodity. Liberty was denied them by others who were too self-absorbed in their own comfort and ignorance to recognize the devastating result of their "personal" choices.

We live in such a world today. We have leaders in the highest levels of society and government who are on the wrong side of history. Generations will look back on us and the last 30 years and be unable to comprehend how we could tolerate the evil perpetrated against fellow human beings in the name of individual choice. Our grandchildren, or maybe, hopefully, our own children will look back on a long-gone era when abortion was prevalent and accepted and wonder how we could tolerate such unquestionable evil against our own children. How could we sit idly by when, like Chamberlain, we had the ability to do something about it?

Why would we name a little girl Chamberlain? So that our children would know there are some things that need to be fought for, and engage.

No nation can now shut itself up from the surrounding world, and trot round in the same old path of its fathers without interference. The time was when such could be done. Long established customs of hurtful character could formerly fence themselves in, and do their evil work with social impunity. Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness.
-Frederick Douglas

just resting

2009-01-06T11:58:00.002-09:00

A sacked-out little man, tuckered out from playing with buddies all day! I went to a baby shower and left the kids with the expectant mother's hero-husband while we had a fun girl's day out...Vin beat us home from work, though, and was able to drag the red-haired sack of potatoes out of the minivan for me.

And speaking of expectant mothers...here's yours truly on a Sunday afternoon with two of my favorite buddies, completely wiped out after a strenuous day of church and watching football. We had our first appointment with the midwife on Monday and heard the baby's heartbeat (!!!) and I'm looking forward to enjoying food, knitting, and otherwise normal nausea-free life again in the very near future.

presenting...THE. YARN. CABINET.

2008-11-11T21:10:00.010-09:00

Drumroll, please...

Ta-da! Here it is, my little corner of the world. A 1930's curio from a local antique place here. Stuffed full of knits, but getting a little bare in the yarn category (no, seriously). Here are some close-ups.
Mounds of mittens (and a few legwarmers, jingly balls, and a scarf or two)

Sweaters and scarves

Stacks of hats

Wool by the cone

Ahhhh...mohair and cotton (and a little wool)

Baby booties.

Newborn booties.

Umm...did I mention the booties?

one of my favorites

2008-11-05T22:18:00.006-09:00

Have you read The Ox-Cart Man? We discovered it last spring and I loooove it. It's a sweet picture book about a family that lived in the pioneer days (maybe just post-pioneer) living off of what they can produce and selling the extra for what they can't produce. There are vegetables, split shingles, wool, knitted mittens(!), candles, honey...it's just beautiful. My top recommendation lately. I think it appeals to the romantic in me who loves the idea of such a lifestyle, but I'm so grateful I don't have to butcher animals, pluck feathers, and do laundry by hand. I'm no vegetarian, I just don't like raw meat. I've begged off doing the turkey for thanksgiving this year because of the whole naked dead bird thing...gives me the heebie-jeebies. Twisting those wings back to tuck them under just about puts me on the floor.

I love to read and I'm in the middle of Sense and Sensibility right now. Every time I read anything from Jane Austen or others from that era I am just amazed at their lifestyle. Having only two or three servants was considered poor! Can you believe it? Huge houses, estates, bedroom suites, and yet...few rights for women, rough transportation, and, as some friends and I were discussing the other night, you only looked good in the fancy dresses if you had enough cleavage to fill them out! So I'm glad I'm living now and not then, either. And...I suppose...I do have a laundress (Mrs. Whirlpool), a couple of cooks (microwave and oven, fridge and freezer), and a maid (the dishwasher, the vacuum). And don't forget the real toilets. Phew.

a couple of gifts

2008-10-09T20:54:00.005-08:00

Our anniversary (11 years!) is next week, and as an early gift Vince gave me a laptop. We don't buy big expensive gifts for each other, and we usually pray pretty hard over most purchases over even $100, so this is a big event! But it was one of those "gift for you= gift for me" kind of deals, because now he gets to go on the (old) computer whenever he wants and doesn't have to fight with me over it. And I have a new computer, all to myself. Sort of. But I'm still trying to figure out new programs, and the littlest things drive me crazy - like how the photos upload differently, and you preview things differently, and how the mouse is one of those little rub-pad thingies that scroll sometimes, click other times, and sometimes just sit still if you didn't speak nicely enough to it. So...all that to say, he has been on this new computer almost as often as I have been in order to fix all of the quirks in it (read: downgrade it to the same quality as our old-school computer so I won't be tempted to throw it out the window).

We made another big purchase last week, too. After months of garage sale-ing, antiquing, thrift store hunting, and craigslist searching, we finally found the yarn cabinet I've been praying for. And old 1930's kitchen hutch is now dominating our living room and I love it! This, too, was one of those "gift for you=gift for me" things, because a variety of knitted baby items and knitting accoutrements were beginning to take over our closet -- and it's a nice walk-in closet, so we're talking serious yarn storage problem here-- and Vince was going to start finding knitted baby booties on his sock shelf if we didn't take drastic measures.

But now we come to the part of the blog where I have to explain why I have no pictures to show you ...and did I mention how helpless I am with technology?

The pop-up blocker is set up and I can't even figure out how to get a picture on here. Surely there is fancy geek jargon for what is wrong with my brand new computer, but I don't know what it is. Unless it's just pathetic operator error (guilty!).

new venue, finally!

2008-09-24T12:12:00.003-08:00

Okay, now that the Etsy store is up and running I'll be better about updating this...like I need another reason to spend time in front of the computer, right?

Huge, huge, groveling thank yous to my beautiful friends and their adorable children for helping me do this. And to my hunky husband for techical support, moral support, child support (well...that didn't come out right, but you know what I mean), and everything else. And to my kids, my favorite models, for trying on various knitwear (pink or not, as long as it fits!), having their heads, feet, hands, and everything else endlessly measured, and doing school and chores without (too much) complaining...most of the time. :)

let the preparations begin...modeling outtakes

2008-09-11T22:06:00.008-08:00

The frantic prep has begun for both going online, getting ready for a Christmas show, and continuing to keep stock up at some local stores. These are good problems, I know...but I am the least tech-savvy of all people on the planet and even figuring out how to work PayPal has introduced a new conundrum to my life (please, stop rolling your eyes).

Getting enough good photos has been the biggest challenge, but I'm blessed to have some patient and generous friends with adorable children who have helped me out. And I have my own live-in models, also, which has been immensely helpful...though coercing the four-year-old out of her favorite neon green tank top and into something a little more -- shall we say, neutral?-- has been challenging at times.

Presenting hat outtakes, Summer 2008:

ATCHOOO!

What did you say? You want me to move my feet?

No, Mom, my hair's okay. Really.

This one looks like an ornery booger, but he's mine...my first baby. And really, not so ornery. Mostly.

This is Afton, who I fervently hope was not eating a bug here.

And Iree, cooperating --sort of -- in a white shirt (and not a tank top!). Almost a victory!

News forthcoming regarding online ETSY store...stay tuned!

Christmas, a few months early

2008-08-14T14:47:00.005-08:00

In the middle of a drizzly, cold summer I just needed to work with reds and greens! These sweaters and hats are already at NonEssentials, but the little bitty stockings are with the growing stockpile in my closet, getting ready for the Raven Hall Bazaar in October.

new items and a new venue!

2008-07-07T16:14:00.011-08:00

Sweaters and hats...now available in machine-washable wool! Many people like acrylic because they say it is washable. It is washable, but not recommended for babies because the same element that makes it so very washable also makes it very flammable, and not something most of us want on our sweet little ones. Wool is naturally flame resistant, and natural fibers are, in my opinion, just the way to go. So until now, most of my things were only hand-washable. After all, you wash the baby by hand, don't you?

BUT! Now I have this amazing wool that is machine washable and very soft. And I have a cooperative model willing to pose for me. Meet Mattie. He's more patient than his younger sister, and was even willing to put on the pink hat for me (just for a minute) so I could check the sizing. What a guy!

NonEssentials in the Downtown Palmer Plaza is now carrying Baruch's Lullaby. They also carry some of my other favorite things: coffee, tea, pottery, balsamic vinegars, hand-made jewelry, jellies and sauces, candles...and the last two times I've been there, they've fed me samples of blue cheese, cupcakes, chicken and rice with coconut sauce, and I can't remember what else. I had to turn down the proffered cup of coffee because I had just finished my quota of caffeine for the day and anymore would have put me over the edge!

Shown: 6-12 months sweater, 6-12 months hat, 3-7 yrs. hat

photo shoots

2008-07-05T10:47:00.008-08:00

This is Ireland with her new bag, packed full with her treasures and stuffed animals.

I think she's a bit camara-happy, she hammed it up so much that most of the pics were blurry. Vince and I were on the front porch, coaching her, "Stand on this spot, honey, turn that way, and look at me!" We'd get the right angle and right as I was taking the picture she'd start jumping up and down, waving her bag, pulling on her hair...while our neighbors drove by, staring at us.

And this is my little friend Annika, who started (and stayed) pretty little but is now a filled-out chunky monkey, finally fitting into her hat. She didn't jump up and down during her photos, but we did have a hard time getting her to stay in an upright position. We'd prop her up with pillows and zoom in, and she'd slump over right as I was clicking the button. I did get a good close-up of the stitch definition on the hat, though!

sold out!

2008-06-12T21:41:00.007-08:00

On my daughter's 4th birthday a few weeks ago, we stumbled into a beautiful local shop called Mimi's Closet. Imagine the most enchanting walk-in closet possible, with gorgeous linens, cotton dresses, silk scarves, and...you guessed it...sweet baby things. I ogled, touched fabric, drooled at little-bitty crocheted lace edgings, chatted with the woman behind the counter, and left my card. I called back a few days later to talk to the owner, who was gracious with both her time and her business sense.

Then...we met last week to discuss carrying Baruch's Lullaby products, and she snapped up ALL of my sweaters and all but two pairs of booties (insert hysterical screaming here)! Fortunately, I have a whole drawer-full (spellcheck, please?) of stuff to be felted, including about a dozen more pairs of booties. Locals can find Mimi's Closet in the Meta Rose Square in Wasilla.

The other new venue is Lotus, an almost-brand-new shop that is florist/coffee shop/gifts all in one, and the gifts are all locally made. I love the partnership of supporting a small business that turns around and supports so many others. Lotus is in Wasilla at the corner of the Parks and KGB, across the railroad tracks, and next to Three Rivers. And if you don't know what any of that means, you're not local and probably can't get there anyway. :)

making change

2008-05-13T15:43:00.006-08:00

"Culture is most profoundly changed not by the efforts of huge institutions by by individual people being changed." ~ Chuck Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict

Thank you to everyone who supported Baruch's Lullaby and the Anchorage Crisis Pregnancy Center last Saturday at the 21st annual Spring Tea! Anchorage's CPC has seen real change in the lives of women and families because it has offered a real hope and real choices to women who need truth and love instead of a destructive escape hatch. At the tea we heard from Kayla, an incredible 16-year-old who has more guts and authenticity than most of us of voting age. Her story thrilled me, and I am so proud of her and the people who are on the frontlines everyday at Crisis Pregnancy Centers around the country. And I hope baby Autumn loves her knitted dress!

Baruch's Lullaby is still taking custom orders from the tea and will still send 30% of the sale to CPC for those who attended the event. We'll make change together!

real knitters...

2008-04-18T21:02:00.003-08:00

People have a lot of opinions on what it takes to be a real knitter, ranging from "can hold two needles for more than three minutes without dropping one of them or skewering anything" to "can knit a project requiring at least six itty-bitty double-point needles and possibly an alcoholic beverage."

Way--yull...I made requirement number two!! (Which, I have to say, I think I am better at sometimes than requirement number one) This is a glove for my husband (he has two hands, but this is the first one and the second is still in the ribbing stage) which I have finished (finished, meaning it now has fingers and a thumb) but have been too lazy to take a photo of so far. Will get to it once I have a matching set. And I know the photo only shows 5 needles (notice they're two different sets?) but that was before I started knitting the fingers. And since I'm working like mad to get ready for CPC's annual Spring Tea, it will be about three more weeks before you (or me, or my husband, for that matter) get to see it.

Unfortunately, I think we might finally be out of snow for the year --after 8 more inches last week!-- so the gloves won't be of much use.

At least, until next fall.

Unless we get snow in May.

Like we did in April.

we share our blankies in this house

2008-03-24T21:53:00.003-08:00

This is the same blanket in that photo on the right, but two years later and snuggling the toes of his big sister.

We had a cozy and busy day rearranging our entire house. Seems that when you move somewhere, you can't just put a computer any old place you want it, unless where you want it happens to be where a cable jack is. And...well...it wasn't. Where we wanted it, that is. So for the last several weeks we've modified our plans until the magical day arrived...and we got something called a router (did I spell it right?). People who know things about computers (not me) told us that if you get this amazing router thingy it will let you put a computer anywhere you want it and still have internet connection and all that. So. We got one, tried it out...and it didn't work. Apparently you need to have a card or cartridge or a different computer or just spend more money to get a router that works with our computer. Aha. We returned that one and spent a little more, waited another week and the REAL magical router came. And worked. No kidding! But we had to do ring-around-the-rosie with a buffet, an armoire and a bookcase to get there. And so...here I am in the kitchen --which is where my computer was supposed to be all this time until tech-reality interfered with my grand plans -- and smelling leek and potato soup simmering on the stove (if you check the time, yes, we're having dinner at 10 pm. This is pretty normal for us). Have a terrific night!

warm little leggies

2008-03-18T22:48:00.006-08:00

In which we feature the feet of one of my favorite models...if you look real close, you can see stray mohair clinging to her toes.

And one of my other favorite models -- a big two year-old!! -- stretching in his sweater.

the new shipment is in!

2008-02-29T21:58:00.004-09:00

Our mailman is wonderful and hand-delivered this to our door on Tuesday instead of making us go to the post office for it. I was sick, wearing no makeup, and hadn't seen another human being outside my immediate family for 48 hours, but I could've hugged the guy (though I'm sure he's glad I didn't)! Those twisted hanks (sorry, hope no one reading this is named Hank) are waiting to be turned into the previously mentioned legwarmers.

This is waiting to be turned into my almost-two-year-old's birthday present (since his old sweater now shows off his chubby midriff):

And I am waiting to be turned into Elizabeth Bennett for the umpteenth time. The last two hours of Pride and Prejudice awaits! Goodnight!

for Annika, with lots of love

2008-02-14T20:35:00.004-09:00

we're back online!!!

2008-02-07T17:32:00.002-09:00

I hate websites that are neglected and not updated for months on end...don't you? (sheepish grin) We've now moved to the Mat-Su Valley and the dust is finally starting to settle, and with a fast internet connection (we had dial-up before) I may be unstoppable. Look out!

We had a five-month transition from one house to another and I just couldn't bring myself to order more yarn until we were in the new home and totally unpacked. But we're in now and I made my order today, and who minds unpacking new yarn, anyway? Not me! I'm most excited about a handpainted mohair blend (to non-yarn people: that means striped, fuzzy, and very soft) that I'm going to be making little leg warmers out of. My daughter has finally gotten into wearing dresses (that's her in the pic, modeling her hat and mittens for me), but she goes through tights like crazy. Tights are like socks, and need to be washed after every wear due to little dirty feet. My solution is leg warmers, which, unlike tights, can be worn over and over again, providing the little princess keeps the play-doh and orange juice off of them.

As for my other knits: Pitter Patter, an adorable boutique in Palmer, Alaska, is now selling most of my knits from last year. If you are local, it's worth the drive to 550 S. Alaska St. in the Downtown Palmer Plaza to visit this shop and check out all of the cute designer baby items, handmade knits, jewelry, and more. I still love doing custom orders though, and you can contact us at our new email, vgfour (at)alaska(dot)com. Happy February!