It doesn’t look like there’s a button to submit the photos that I select to post on the blog. I’ll keep messing with it. Or maybe, I just have to plug my phone into my computer 🙂

I am a recently new iPhone owner. So my pictures are on my phone, not on my computer, which makes it a bit of a hassle to blog. But, I just downloaded the WordPress app so I can blog from my phone. Kind of exciting? We will see if it ends up being a good thing or a real pain in the neck. But life is flying by, and I’m bummed that it’s not being documented on the blog. I hope this helps.

I was interviewed on a blog about healing through the arts. Here it is, along with demos of a few of my songs…

I have a bunch of little dolls and monsters to knit for little people for Christmas. Like, around 14. Or more.

Here’s two!

So cute.

I want to be asleep. I really do. I NEED to be asleep as I’m sick and coughing and exhausted and haven’t slept through the night, pretty much since Clark was born in 2006.

These boys are going to kill me.

They just won’t sleep through the night. It’s more Max now than Clark, but if it isn’t one, it’s the other, and if it isn’t either individually, it’s both.

When they’re sick, as they were for the last couple weeks, the maternal thing kicks in and of course I want to be there to comfort. When they’re not sick, it’s frustrating and hard not to martyr. When I’m sick….. I JUST NEED TO SLEEEEP! For heaven’s sake.

So that’s that. I’ve whined. Now I can talk about these really cool books I picked up today. Well, technically it would be yesterday, but since it isn’t really time to be awake yet today, yesterday still feels like today. ‘Cause that’s not confusing.

There’s a silent auction coming up to fundraise for my girls’ church group to go to camp in the spring. I thought about revisiting the past and knitting some Best Friend Dolls again. (Oooh, and this one and this one and this one). I’ve been wanting to knit them anyway because they’re so darned cute, and this seemed like a good opportunity. Then I was wishing I had something that cool to make for boys. So Nate and I went to the book store today (yesterday) and found this and this.

Knit monsters and, wait….. crochet?

Yup. That Amigurumi book is really cool! I finally found a pattern (or patterns) that make me want to learn crochet. So I bought some hooks and I’m telling myself that I can totally figure it out.

‘Cause I can totally figure it out. Right?

Of course, I’m going to need a bunch of worsted weight wool now so I have lots of colors and textures to choose from. Most of my stash is sock yarn, lace, and dk.

I’m excited. Which is good, because it wouldn’t be hard in my current condition, (horrible chest cold, fatigue, sleep deprivation, violent coughing with nasty side effects, that awful pit in your stomach that happens when you don’t get enough sleep, cold sweats, and have I mentioned that I’m TIRED?), to be flat out miserable and grumpy and not wanting to do anything.

Hooray for yarn. And color. And funky things to do with them.

Nate and I also went to a yarn store in south Austin today (yesterday). She said she had a lot of Cascade 220. She clearly doesn’t know what “a lot” means. There was not a great selection of anything. She was very nice, I liked her, but how I missed The Weaving Works and Serial Knitter! I hope I can find a good yarn store down here. I guess I was spoiled up in Seattle and took it for granted. There’s quite the hopping fiber arts community up there to support a well stocked shop. Even the yarn selection at JoAnns was dismal.

Ugh. I’ve run out of things to say. I’m sooooo tired, but after getting up who-knows-how-many-times to comfort crying boys or to cough myself silly, it seems pointless to try to lay down again. You stop being able to sleep because you’re keyed up waiting for the next interruption.

Martyr, martyr, martyr.

Well, we’ve been sick over here for a couple weeks now. I’m so tired of being 24 hour nurse. And now that I’m not feeling well, I’m really tired.

So, here’s a recap of what’s been happening, chronologically, in pictures…

Max turned 3 at the beginning of October,

but we didn’t have cake and gifts ’til about a week later.

Here’s a picture of some of the crazy weather we’ve been having. Dramatic fluctuations in temperature, but for the most part, it’s warm. Lots of wind and really interesting clouds.

Clark got a DOT dirt bike helmet so he’s safer when riding to school on the back of Nate’s scooter. He was excited.

Veronica had her first band concert. There are, like, 250 kids in her 6th grade band.

Here’s Max eating a Honeycrisp apple the size of his head

We finally celebrated Max’s birthday

Abby had some friends over to get ready for a Halloween dance

Here’s the boys watching the Avengers. We’re big fans over here.

Liv decided she was tired of being a redhead, so we dyed her hair brown

I finally made a recipe I’d been wanting to try. It’s Dutch Oven Artisan bread, and it’s amazing. It also makes fantastic croutons, which is good since the Costco down here doesn’t carry the croutons I like, and I really DON’T like the typical, grocery store variety.

In late October, Liv, Veronica and I drove an hour + west to Enchanted Rock to watch my sister and her boyfriend in a rock climbing competition. It’s a beautiful place, granite everywhere, and we hiked around for over 7 hours. It was fantastic.

Veronica played at the last high school football game of the season in something they call Bandorama. Here she is, warming up. I didn’t get a picture of the actual performance.

and while we were waiting around, I took some photos of Liv.

The weekend before Halloween, we had the party at church. Clark was the Hulk this year.

I took first place in the chili cook off with a white chili recipe my sister-in-law has graciously shared with the family. It wins all the time.

Here’s my sister playing some Taylor Swift and singing with Liv

and my nephew, Solomon and Anne’s boyfriend, Roland

We had our pumpkin carving party again this year, tho’ it’s our first in Texas. A smallish group, but it was really fun.

I found these super-cool old guitar stools on Craigslist for cheap

Here’s a picture of my sister and Roland on their way to a wedding. I’m guessing the bride didn’t appreciate the competition… jk

My dear, dear husband turned 41. Wow. 41. So weird.

and a rare photo of Abigail! And she’s actually smiling!

Finally, (and I mean finally), here’s Solomon, Liv, and Max playing around on the driveway.

See how gorgeous and warm it is? And it’s NOVEMBER!!! Awesome.

Ok, so that’s it from me. I feel crappy, so I’m not overly witty and interesting today. Later!

I’ve been wanting to post for weeks, but haven’t had much opportunity. I have loads of pictures of what’s been going on, which has me a bit wary, as uploading pictures to this blog is tedious as heck. But I’m here, I’ll get to it. Don’t worry.

I went downstairs late at night for a glass of water last week and found this on the inside of the back door.

Finding reptiles all over the house still totally amuses me.

This is what scripture time looks like around here.

My girls have always sat nicely for scriptures each night, since they were very little. The boys, not so much.

Nate and I found this totally cool bromeliad at Home Depot. I went back to WalMart to buy the last of the really cool, cheap pots we found there to put it in. And I love it.

We also picked up this happy little jade plant and funky asymmetrical pot at IKEA. I’m hoping it’ll get enough light where I’ve got it.

It’s so hard to stop buying plants once I start. And since I can’t have plants EVERYWHERE (tho’ it’d be totally great if I could), I have to be selective. As it is, I still want a prayer plant when I come across one, (I’m told they’ll be around in the fall), and I’d love an iron cross begonia. I had to leave behind the lucky bamboo that my mother-in-law gave me for my birthday 5 or 6 years ago that had sprouted babies, and the christmas cactus Nate bought for me 10 or so years ago. Very sad. (Anita, you can totally buy me another plant when you come to visit).

As of now, I’ve got the rabbit foot fern in the kitchen*, the bromeliad and jade in the living room. I don’t have a spot for plants in the front room, which is kind of dark… so I guess if we get any more, they’ll have to go upstairs.

*Funny story… Nate calls to me from the breakfast table-

“Baby, what are these hairy, worm looking things in the plant?”

“That’s the rabbit foot part of the rabbit foot fern. The fern sprouts out of them. They’ll eventually grow to the edge of the pot and start trailing down the sides.” I then wiggle my fingers in demonstration.

He replies, “‘Cause that’s not creepy.”

Well, I didn’t think it was creepy.