crying out to make God beautiful

laughing out loud

2011-08-23T16:31:00.004-04:00

I'm listening to Rainbow Valley and this made me laugh out loud:

"As for Norman Douglas, he is a perfect heathen. When the last minister asked him why he never went to church he said, 'Too many ugly women there parson, too many ugly women.' I should like to go to such a man, Mrs. Doctor dear, and say to him solemnly, 'There is a hell.'" - Susan Baker.

knit and natter returns

2011-08-17T09:05:00.003-04:00

Well, it has been a month of silence here on the blog... 50-60 hour work weeks and trips to Paris just aren't that conducive to writing, at least for me! I hope to do a few catching up posts, but for now this is what I am knitting and reading this week. Or, more correctly, what I finished knitting and reading!

Over the weekend I finished a hat for my sister's birthday on Saturday. It's the Purl Beret and I knit it up in a pink/purple alpaca. She moved to PA about a year ago and as far as I know has yet to purchase a winter hat. (This knowledge is based solely on the fact that in the pictures of her outside in the snow this past winter she is wearing a scarf like a babushka...)
I'm hoping that the colour of the hat matches the colours in a woven scarf I brought back from Ireland for her about five years ago.

This week I finished reading Anne of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I've been listening my way through the Anne books via librivox this year, but Anne of Ingleside is not in the public domain so I was happy to find it in a wee shop across the street from me that gives cash for old clothes and sells second hand books for 50p. I have been "reading" The Woman in White for the better part of this year with Heather on the CraftLit Podcast. We finally reached the end this weekend and it was SO good! Highly recommend both the podcast and this not-so-well-known-in-America British classic. (Rosie, if you're reading this I think you would really enjoy this book and hearing it read by some great voices...)

I feel like I should have lots to natter about today having been gone for so long, but all I can think about is that the sun is shining and I want to get outside and enjoy it! (We have had precious little warm, sunny days this summer here in Belfast.)

You can see the other yarn along posts this week here.

2011-07-16T03:22:00.000-04:00

knit and natter

2011-07-14T04:15:00.003-04:00

Better late than never with this week's yarn along post!

I had a crazy week last week. I went from maybe getting about eight hours at McDonald's to starting two new jobs and getting 45 hours. Quite a change! On top of that I was manning the prayer room at Summer Madness, a Christian youth festival, over night on Monday and had my first night out with Street Pastors on Friday. I think I'm still catching up on sleep!

So, all that to say I'm still working on the bunny. She is almost finished. Since this photo was taken I finished off the second leg so I just have ears and assembling to go. Baby Elloise's due date is getting closer so I'm hoping to get bunny in the mail this weekend.

I'm reading Developing Learning in Early Childhood by Tina Bruce which is obviously for school. The coming year of our course is apparently very demanding and we were advised to do research work over the summer to help lighten the load a bit. Advice taken!

I had a funny moment while eating Mexican with some friends on Tuesday where I was pulling out things about egocentrism and other technical jargon from what I've been reading... I guess it's really getting in there!

That's all, not much nattering this week. I will have a post in the next few days about the 12th of July celebrations here in Belfast. This was my first year here for them and my observations were very educational.

You can link up with the other yarn along posts here.

paris apartments

2011-07-11T04:23:00.001-04:00

I'm heading to Paris for the first time in a couple weeks and this is (as near as I could get to) where we're staying!!! SO excited! 5 minutes walk from the Louvre and 15 from Notre Dame!

View Larger Map

a little ivy

2011-07-10T17:08:00.003-04:00

I just finished watching the BBC drama/documentary Vincent van Gogh: Painted in Words. It's really very good. Such a sad story and the combination of it and the nostalgia it awoke in me left me in tears. I used to paint and draw. Years and year ago. I had an amazing teacher who inspired and provided freedom and space. When we asked her opinion about a work or what we should do to improve it she always said, "You are the artist, what do you think?" I learned later that such a teacher is a rare and precious gift.

But we moved away and besides leaving this amazing teacher behind my time was also taken with school and work and a long commute to both. And we lived in such a little house that we were all on top of each other and there was no space for creativity. So all my art supplies stayed in boxes. Every once in a while I'd pull out a sketch book and some pencils, when the urge grew too loud to ignore. But after time it became easier and easier to ignore, until it was hardly ever there. And now I go years at a time without even sketching.

It's been nearly 13 years since that move and in all other respects it has been one of the best things that ever happened to me individually and to my family as a whole. But there still is, locked away inside of me, an artist. An artist who longs to feel the swirl of oil paint on my brush and smell linseed oil and follow the curves and lines of my subject and blend just the right shades of colour. An artist's whose eyes still know how to see.

source

The closing shot of the film is of van Gogh's grave in France which is covered in ivy. At my last lesson my art teacher gave me a clipping of ivy. She had a large, lovely plant of it grown from a clipping she had taken from his grave and smuggled through customs in her bra. I don't have much of a green thumb and my little clipping thrived for a while but died about four years ago. But I still have a little sketch I did of it when it was young and green and I will never forget what it represents.

veg box

2011-07-09T05:19:00.003-04:00

It's so much fun to receive my fruit and veg box that I thought I'd make a little feature of it here on the blog. What I got and what I made with it. This is my box from two weeks ago as it's been rather busy around here. I had cabbage and cauliflower and grapes and all kinds of goodness.
A conversation with someone at my new job at Debenhams inspired the idea of stuffing my beautiful red pepper. I haven't done a proper grocery shop for a while so didn't have rice or ground beef or the typical ingredients for stuffing. No worries! I cooked up a bunch of veg; carrots, cauliflower, onion, garlic, cabbage, mixed it all together and stuffed it with that.
Pretty tasty!
There was plenty of extra "stuffing."
Which I had for lunch one day with oatcakes and for dinner another with sausages and the last of the sparkling pink lemonade which I bought as a 4th of July treat.
Nothing too exciting or fancy. Just simple, hearty, healthy meals. That's good stuff!

knit and natter

2011-07-06T08:59:00.002-04:00

There won't be much nattering today... I'm in the middle of a half hour break between one job and the next. My life has changed this week, and I'm not used to such busyness!

I'm knitting up a bunny for my sister's sister-in-law's baby girl at the moment. It's the biggest toy I've made so far and it's fun to see it coming together. There isn't a picture of what I'm "reading" at the moment because I'm listening to it on audio book. It's At Home by Bill Bryson and it's very random and interesting "reading."

That's all I really have time for... you can see what everyone else is knitting and reading here.

like a popsicle on the 4th of July

2011-07-04T01:28:00.002-04:00

Just thinking about fireworks, and fireflies, and freedom...

Source 1 & 2 Source 3

front garden: before and after

2011-07-01T07:33:00.005-04:00

Our front garden was quite a site. The whole house is rather neglected by our landlady which is a shame because it could be wonderful if properly looked after. When I came back in August and directed the taxi driver to the house he said, "Are you sure?" The hedge was overgrown and the garden full of rubbish! The boys trimmed the hedge back to a more respectable length during the winter and I do my best to keep the rubbish picked up (the wind seems to blow it all right in our gate). But with the warmer weather things had gotten somewhat out of hand. So first, a trip to the £ Shop where I spent £3 on supplies:This is the garden beforehand:

And this is it after:
We don't have any sort of a rake to get up the dead leaves and I've put about as much work into it as I really want to already. But still, I think it's a vast improvement!
I cleared one big bin bag of rubbish and two of weeds. I aerated the soil by hand and planted flower seeds along the path and under the windows. It was the very end of the planting season and we're moving out at the end of August so we'll see if anything comes up/if we get to see them bloom. But it is a very satisfying thing to have accomplished anyway. And I have a very satisfied feeling going in and out now!

I think the garden would be so lovely if the rocks were taken out and grass planted, the hedge tended to, lavender and other lovely plants grown in the borders and a lovely bench away in the back added in. If all the improvements I've imagined for this house were carried out it would be such a lovely, cozy home...

knit and natter

2011-06-29T07:51:00.003-04:00

This past week and a half feels more like a month! It's so strange, when I look ahead the time seems to be flying by, but when I look back everything seems to have gone by so slowly. Not sure why that is...

Anyway, this week I am reading Chronicles of Avonlea on my iPod. I loved these stories when I was little and thought they would be fun to read again. Not quite as impressed with them as I was then, but still enjoying the nostalgia! And it's nice to have books on my iPod to read on the bus or at work or when out and about and waiting for whatever.

I'm knitting a market bag for a friends whose birthday is this weekend. She didn't tell me it was her birthday but I just had this sneaky feeling and checked on facebook... sure enough! So I'm using up some cotton that I had in my stash. The natural is Lily Sugar'n Cream and the blue which will make the top half is Debbie Bliss. I found some pretty wooden buttons at the local craft shop and I'm hoping this will make a nice, rather impromptu, birthday present.

While at the craft shop I just happened to notice they were having a yarn sale... I snagged these beauties, Creative Poems by Rico Designs. They're so pretty and I've already assigned projects for them. Birthdays and Christmas are sneaking up quickly!

So, I don't have much more to natter about today. I've been working in the garden all morning (pictures to come!) and need to go and have a shower and get a few more things done before heading out for my Wednesday knitting group. You can see the rest of the yarn along projects for this week here.

teacher gifts

2011-06-24T16:22:00.003-04:00

It's been a long time since I've given teacher gifts... that's not exactly what these are, but it's a close enough description. I made them for the ladies who work at the nursery where I've been on placement this year. They are tulips and citrus leaves from 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet and I made them into brooches. I wasn't 100% happy with how they turned out, but I'm pretty fussy and I rarely am with projects like these. Time, thought, and effort went into them so hopefully the ladies will enjoy them.

I have really enjoyed my year on placement. The children are all wonderful and the ladies have been great to work with. I'm not saying goodbye to them all as I'll be working there over the summer which I'm greatly looking forward to!

Today was the last day for most of the students so they gave us our thank you cards for the year. They know that I like butterflies so the card had a butterfly, they gave me a butterfly magnet (not knowing that I also have a thing for magnets) and one of the classroom assistants I've worked most closely with gave me a lovely glass candleholder with painted flowers and a butterfly. Like I said, these ladies are wonderful.

I mentioned that I had something for them but decided to wait till my last day next week because the teacher in my room has been off sick but should be back next week. I wrote out the card with her in mind and hopefully I'll get to give it to them when we're all together instead of everyone scattered about the building like we were this afternoon.

It was the end of the year prayer service today and it was so lovely. The children brought in their amy files (binders filled with pictures of them and artwork they've done which shows all the progress they've made this year) to be blessed by the priest. It was almost like an offering. I thought it was lovely. It's a Catholic nursery and I did feel a bit of a sore thumb being the only one who doesn't know the Hail Mary. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about all the focus on Mary, but I do love the rituals and rhythms of it all. Anyway...

I'm kind of just rambling on as I'm tired and should really go to bed... just seems a bit sad as it's 9:30 on a Friday night. I was supposed to go out for drinks with some friends to celebrate things like the end of the school year and chapters of dissertations and theses (is that the correct plural of thesis?) completed and my new job, but when it came to it I wasn't feeling well and it was cold and rainy out and I'm whining now but I just didn't feel like getting fancy and going out. It's been a long couple of weeks and I've got a long day ahead tomorrow. I just need to suck it up and go to bed.

All right, going now.

from Brighton Rock

2011-06-23T17:09:00.001-04:00

"He said, 'You can't conceive, my child, nor can I or anyone else the ... appalling ... strangeness of the mercy of God.'"

knit and natter

2011-06-22T06:12:00.005-04:00

I finished off the tulips last Thursday (will post a picture soon) but I haven't started a new knitting project yet. I've just been adding a row here and there to my current WIP, a Tea Leaves Cardigan for a November birthday... no rush on this! This is my fourth tea leaves and it's nice to have a mindless project to pick up now and then. I bought the largest skein of yarn ever for this in September in a faint hope that I might've had the time to make it for last November. I definitely bit off more than I could chew when it came to presents last year but have hopefully learned my lesson and have already begun planning and purchasing for the next round of presents. (You see in my family we have six birthdays between August and November. Then Christmas. Then two birthdays in January, a birthday and an anniversary in March and a birthday and two anniversaries in April. That's just family, not friends!) So I've gone ahead and started on this November birthday present in the hopes that it will be finished on time...

I've been reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. It's a rather unattractive copy but it was free so I'm not complaining. I do really like Dickens and this is no exception. I'm a little over halfway through, Estella has just come to London. I loved the part *spoiler* when Mr. Jaggers tells Pip that he has come to have great expectations, and that it's not just for the future, but is changing his present as well. I just think it's a great picture of what the Lord does (not to get too cheesy). He comes into our lives and says, "I've got a future filled with hope for you." And that changes not just our future but our present as well, it opens up the opportunity for us to live life well, now.

You can find the rest of this weeks yarn along posts here.

fruit and veg

2011-06-20T16:04:00.003-04:00

Recently a friend gave me a lovely present... a gift voucher for a produce delivery service. I've been wanted to get a "veg box" for a long time now but just never managed to get around to it. I really do want to be someone who eats seasonally and locally (within reason, if that's okay to say) and I think a box scheme is a great way to do that.

This particular company supplements the seasonal/local produce with a few not quite so local things and you're always guaranteed to have staples (potatoes, carrots, onions, apples) in your box. All in all I think it's a fabulous scheme. For £12.50 I get enough fruit and vegetables to last me for two weeks delivered to my door.

This was my last delivery. (I think it's pretty safe to say that the bananas and pineapple were not grown in Northern Ireland.) But I'm pretty sure that the carrots, spring/green onions (I can no longer remember which is the American and which the British term) and broad beans were.
Also, hiding way down in the bottom were some absolutely delicious Comber potatoes. They were definitely grown just a few miles down the road and they were lovely!

This is one of the meals I made: I boiled the potatoes and then sautéed them a wee bit in butter. I had never had, much less cooked, broad beans before. In the States they're called fava beans. I just shelled them and lightly boiled them. You can take the whitish skins off if you want and then they look just like edamame (and taste pretty similar) but that seemed like too much effort for too little return. I had the salmon in the freezer from a time I found it on clearance. I marinated it in soy sauce and lightly fried it. Yum!

knit and natter

2011-06-15T07:39:00.004-04:00

This is my last week of college for the year. We had end of year interviews yesterday where we looked back over the last term and were offered a place on the second year of the course. Mine went very well. I do so love learning (even when I'm a bit burned out with all the work, thank goodness for summer!). Tomorrow and Friday I will be out on placement for my last official days, although I'm planning to go in next week as I'll just be twiddling my thumbs, and it seems rather silly to miss the last week after being with them all year.

So this is the last week of Wednesday as Saturday and it's a rather busy one. Since this is my last official week on placement I'm scurrying to finish up gifts for the ladies who have been so lovely to me all year. I'm making tulip brooches from 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet. I have finished knitting four red tulips and four purple tulips and (even though the picture only shows seven) all eight leaves. (I used the citrus leaf pattern.) All that's left is to weave in ends, sew them up, and assemble the brooches. Yesterday while I was waiting for my interview I nipped over to the craft shop and bought the pins. I also popped into the bakery I've been passing longingly all year and bought an Iced German Biscuit which I ate at City Hall in the sunshine.

We've been given the advice to keep working over the summer as we have quite a large research paper to write plus portfolios to assemble for each unit we'll be doing next year. So gathering articles, information, and reading will continue (at least for me) throughout the summer. At the moment I'm reading "Just Playing? The role and status of play in early childhood education" by Janet R. Moyles. It's one of the more obviously academic books I've read so far, but I am enjoying it. I keep a little notebook with quotes from the books I read so that later when I'm writing papers I have plenty of references to choose from. Here are a couple of quotes I've liked so far:

"Play develops creativity, intellectual competence, emotional strength and stability and ... feelings of joy and pleasure: the habit of being happy."

"We must value play as a child's culture which, like any culture, has its own language. Like any culture, play can provide its own barriers to 'outsiders,' and communication with adults about play may be difficult not only because of the differences in values but also because adults do not belong to this particular culture." (any longer)

I think it's so funny that it took me so long to realise that working with children is wanted I wanted to do with my life instead of just something I happened to fall into when I was 11. It all seems so obvious now and I think that even if things don't go to plan and I'm not able to stay in Ireland forever I'll go "home" and be a preschool or Montessori teacher instead of the interior designer I've always claimed to really want to be.

You can see all the other lovely yarn along posts for this week here.

it's finished!

2011-06-14T10:38:00.003-04:00

I have finished my wispy cardigan! I've already worn it twice, but I haven't blocked it yet. Oh well, priorities! It will eventually need to be washed and it can be blocked then. In the meantime I'm very much enjoying my new summer sweater!It wasn't very easy to get a picture of it. Webcams are tempermental things, as is the light in my room. I wanted to show the back off and that proved especially hard, but nevermind. I just sing the Big Booty song when I look at this picture...

2011-06-13T08:56:00.002-04:00

Last Tuesday evening I was rushing out the door for my Irish class just as it was starting to rain with big, heavy drops. I was struggling to get my umbrella up when something in our neighbour's dumpster (or skip as they're called here) caught my eye. They are having their house redone. Based on how long the builders have been there and how many loads of rubbish have been carted away I think they're totally gutting it and redoing everything! Anyway, I noticed that the builders had put a bookcase in the skip. Now, I've been wanting a bookcase for ages but haven't had the do-re-mi to purchase one. So I rushed right back inside and had my housemate help me pull it out.

It really was probably not a bookcase but a set of bathroom shelves... I don't care. I cleaned it up, which took a while it was filthy, and set it up in my room. All of my books just fit and there's even space in the bottom cupboard for my baby sewing machine and a bit of yarn stash that didn't have anywhere else to go.

Here it is. I was going to say my first dumpster rescue, but that's not true I once rescued some fabulous wooden folding chairs from the dumpster in my apartment complex... But this is definitely my first "skip" rescue! And my books are so much happier now that they have a proper place to live instead of in stacks on the floor!

saturday

2011-06-11T14:46:00.002-04:00

Today I woke up at four o'clock am. I worked from five until eleven, opening for the very first time. (Also, I had pancakes for breakfast.) I accidentally left my wallet at home. I found lots of goodies at the £ Shop, Tesco's, and Boots (after having gone home to retrieve my wallet). Incidentally, one of the hardest parts of living in another country is having to figure out all new brands of toiletries.

I participated in World Wide Knit in Public Day. Which, I have to be honest, didn't seem that much different than a normal Stitch 'n Bitch gathering, just we were in the museum cafe instead of Starbuck's. But we had a lovely time anyway. I came home, put all my shopping away, and made dinner. I had an orange and a grilled peanut butter and nutella sandwich. I ate it in my pyjama bottoms... in my bed... while watching a chick flick on my computer. (Don't hate.) It is now almost eight o'clock pm. I'm going to do my dishes and probably go straight to bed.

knit and natter

2011-06-08T08:26:00.004-04:00

This week I'm reading Brighton Rock. It's for my book club and is certainly not something I would've chosen myself. But I think it's always good to read books that I wouldn't have chosen myself. I'm not very far along having only just gotten it at the library Monday afternoon. It's about the mob (which I really think just means gang, not the mafia) in Brighton. We'll see how it goes... They've also chosen to read The Godfather over the summer so there's that to look forward to. (Sarcasm isn't always obvious when typing as it so often depends on the tone of voice... so just to clarify that statement was said sarcastically.)

I'm still working away on my Wispy Cardi and am nearly finished. Just the ribbing at the bottom of the body to go. I'm hopeful I'll be able to wear it this weekend. Also thinking about all the other planned projects that are suddenly growing in numbers and wanting to get on to some of them.

Now, while I say that I'm reading Brighton Rock what I'm "reading" is Anne of the Island. (I still feel the need to put reading in quotation marks when I'm referring to listening to an audio book.) It's been years since I read the Anne books and I am so very much enjoying them! Little bits of plot keep coming back to me just before they happen and I'm remembering things I didn't even know I had forgotten. I know that I'm eight years older than Anne when she went to college, but I can't help noting how our lives are in a similar place. If only my Gilbert would come along. *sigh* If you use librivox, Karen Savage is a fantastic reader. I especially love the way she reads Davy.

I must soon do a post about my Irish classes. I would do it now, but I've been cleaning all morning and am hungry. Remind me later!

You can find all the other yarn along posts for this week here.

exploring north down

2011-06-04T15:15:00.004-04:00

Today was a wonderful reminder of how much I love Ireland. I was busy this morning doing laundry and a bit of school work (thought I was finished with work for the year but no...) then, around lunch time my friend Rachel came and picked me up. We drove around for a while, generally heading out to the Ard's peninsula. We had a picnic lunch on the shores of Strangford Lough. Not too far away from the site where this picture was taken.

source

And our view was very similar. The day had started out sunny and warm, but by the time we stopped for lunch was overcast and cool There were dozens of sailboats and windsurfers out on the Lough and we saw a seal swimming by as well. It was lovely.

From the Lough we headed over to Crawfordsburn Country Park (seriously, visit the link they have virtual tours of the park and it's beautiful) where we went for a lovely walk along the coast, past a wildflower meadow, and through the woods.

We rounded out the afternoon with tea at The Bay Tree in Holywood. For months I've been hearing stories about the cinnamon scones at The Bay Tree, they are legendary. Let me tell you, they did not disappoint! Something of a cross between scones and cinnamon rolls... a-mazing!

It was a wonderful, lovely day full of the beautiful Irish landscape, good chats, and amazing food. Just what my heart needed. I think it would be a good idea to have at least a monthly excursion of some kind and make that a feature of the blog as well... giving that some thought!

knit and natter

2011-06-01T03:52:00.005-04:00

So I've been thinking lately. A lot. About all kinds of things. A couple of which are relevant here. I've been in a bit of a funk for... a while. And I don't like it. So, I'm trying to get out of it. In trying to figure out how to get out of this funk I was thinking about that saying, "If you want something to get done, ask someone who's busy." I want some things done in my life. So I'm gonna try to get busy. One of the ways I'd like to get busy is by being a better blogger. It may be a slow start but I'm gonna work on posting much more regularly and maybe adding some features and there'll probably be a bit of design revamp. (Actually that sounds way more impressive than my skills will allow for... things will get a bit of a visual spruce up, I can probably manage that.)

All of that brings me to today's post. I've participated in Ginny's Yarn Along before, although it has been a while. Not only am I going to try and participate regularly, I want to expand it a bit into my own little feature, Knit and Natter. I'll still post a picture of what I'm knitting and reading, but then I'll ramble a bit to talk more about what I'm reading and what I think about it and how it's challenging/changing/entertaining me. Just whatever comes to mind really as "natter" is a British expression which means to chatter or talk incessantly. (You have been warned!)

Incidentally, while looking up natter on dictionary.com I also decided to look up knit and this is what I found...

verb, knit·ted or knit, knit·ting, noun

–verb (used with object)

1. to make (a garment, fabric, etc.) by interlocking loops of one or more yarns either by hand with knitting needles or by machine.

2. to join closely and firmly, as members or parts (often followed by together )

3. to contract into folds or wrinkles: to knit the brow.

4. to form or create from diverse sources or elements:

–verb (used without object)

5. to become closely and firmly joined together; grow together, as broken bones do.

6. to contract into folds or wrinkles, as the brow.

7. to become closely and intimately united.

I love that! (And by that I mean 2, 4, 5, & 7.) So much that it might reappear in some way, shape, or form... I'll have to give it a think. For now, on to this week's yarn along/knit and natter:

I am currently knitting a Wispy Cardi. The yarn was given to me in a yarn swap and it is so lovely! A picture just couldn't do it justice. It's silk and full of all these beautiful tones. At first glance it seems to be be just blues and greens, but it's much more of a rainbow with soft pinks and yellows as well. This could very well be the perfect summer cardigan and I cannot wait to be finished. I've already planned an outfit to wear it with! It's the first garment I've made for myself and I'm just so excited.

I am not technically reading this week's book as I finished it around 11:00 last night. The Poisonwood Bible was fantastic. I have been both meaning to read it and avoiding reading it for a few years now. I just couldn't decide whether I wanted to or not. I'm so very glad that I did. It's the story of a Baptist preacher who goes to the Belgian Congo in 1959 as a missionary. The story of their life in Africa and how they are changed (and how Africa is changed) is told in the five very different voices of his wife and daughters.

Orleanna is looking back after many, many years and her chapters have an almost dream like quality. By contrast the daughters' narratives are mostly contemporaneous. Rachel is the self-described dumb blonde and often mixes up the big words and common phrases that she uses. My favourite being, "It's a woman's provocative to change her mind." Leah is earnest and honest, seeking for truth and righteousness. She was probably my favourite of the girls. Adah is an observer and sees the dark side of things. She was so creatively expressed. I loved the redemptive turn her life takes. (Hope that isn't too much of a spoiler.) Ruth May is only five and her childish way of seeing everything, misunderstanding things, simplifying things is absolutely endearing.

The book provided plenty of food for thought regarding how the West has viewed and interfered with the "third world" and about "cross cultural mission." It also introduced Africa to me in a new way. I have heard plenty of stories about Africa. I've seen pictures and tv programs and African animals in the zoo. I have a sister who loves Africa. But I have never felt drawn to Africa. I've never had a desire to go there (except, for some reason I do not know, Ethiopia, and that only on vacation). There was a song on Christian radio when I was little, "Lord, please don't send me to Africa. I don't think I've got what it takes..." and that somehow got into my thinking about that big, beautiful continent and stuck there. I'm not saying that all of a sudden I want to rush south. Just that my perspective has been challenged and changed, even if ever so slightly, as a result of this book. And that is always a good thing.

2011-05-14T13:54:00.005-04:00

"Faith is believing that one of two things will happen. That there will be something solid for you to stand on or that you will be taught to fly."

I've been pretty quiet on here recently. I'm juggling school, work, and some other personal things and it's gotten to be quite a lot the last few weeks. I'll be back soon. Just wanted to share this quote which I read on a friend's facebook page. Seems to be where I'm living these days...

2011-05-03T01:49:00.001-04:00

to be explosively healed

2011-04-16T05:14:00.002-04:00

This second week of April has been an absolutely crazy one!

I participated in two different prayer rooms, one of which I coordinated. I had an article posted on the 24-7 Ireland website. I handed in two of my four final assignments, one of which was pretty much entirely written between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.

So, I'm a bit behind with my poetry month project. This week's poem is another that I've posted about before:

They say that for years Belfast was backwards

and it's great now to see some progress.

So I guess we can look forward to taking boxes

from the earth. I guess that ambulances

will leave the dying back amidst the rubble

to be explosively healed. Given time,

one hundred thousand particles of glass

will create impossible patterns in the air

before coalescing into the clarity

of a window. Through which, a reassembled head

will look out and admire the shy young man

taking his bomb from the building and driving home.

~ Alan Gillis

This week I've had several conversations about the Troubles with different groups of people. Some who were retelling stories they heard from their parents. Some who grew up in the midst of it all. Some, those who were my age, caught in between the two perspectives.

There was a great program on the BBC this week about the time that Mother Teresa and a few of her Sisters lived in West Belfast. They were there for about 18 months during the height of the troubles, in the early 70s. It's a very different thing to read about horrific things than it is to see them on tv.

Anyway, all of that to say that this poem in some way expresses the kinds of prayers that I've been praying for Belfast. That the Lord would bring healing and set things back to rights again.

2011-04-11T15:51:00.001-04:00

Come On! // Director's Cut from 24-7 Prayer on Vimeo.

another rant on worship

2011-04-11T02:57:00.002-04:00

Eight and half years ago my friend Stephen died in a car crash. At his memorial service my friend John Mark played a song that has, in the years since, become a bit of a phenomenon in the worship scene. It's gone pretty far afield, spread by Jesus Culture and David Crowder.

Most people have never heard the final verse of the song which goes like this:

"I thought about you the day Stephen died

and you met me between my breaking.

I know that I still love you God

Despite the agony.

People they want to tell me you're cruel

But if Stephen could sing he'd say it's not true

Cause you're good."

I've never thought of this song as a worship song, despite singing it in countless worship services in various places around the world. Until last night.

Last night I was at a 24-7 Ireland gathering here in Belfast and the first song sung was "How He Loves." I was thinking about that final verse as we were singing and suddenly it hit me. What was it the people of Israel sang when they dedicated the Temple and the glory of the Lord filled it so that the priests couldn't even stand to minister?

"He is good and his steadfast love endures forever."

I think there are very few, if any, things which touch the Lord's heart more than holding onto the fact that he is good and that he loves us when all the circumstances around seem to say the opposite. That is real and true worship.

2011-04-07T12:07:00.002-04:00

I have mentioned that I have a crush on this guy, right?

whatever a sun will always sing

2011-04-04T16:36:00.003-04:00

I love to memorise things, especially poetry. And it's been a long time since I've done so. April is National Poetry Month (in the US anyway) and I usually like to mark it in someway. This year I'm hoping to memorise a new poem, or refresh an old one I've forgotten, each week. The first week is my favourite poem which I've posted here before but for some reason have never memorised. It's by my favourite poet, e.e. cummings. I've had a hard time focusing and concentrating the last few weeks. I'm also hoping that the stillness, repetitiveness, and the focus inherit in memorising will have a positive affect on my brain function in other areas as well. My academic writing and overall sanity could really use the help!

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart

cherry cola candy sticks

2011-03-26T10:53:00.003-04:00

For the last half hour I've been staring at the following sentence:

"The work of Lev Vygotsky has been hugely influential to early years practice, especially in understanding the role of the adult in supporting children's learning."

I am apparently incapable of adding anything to it. I have even put Mozart on in the background in hopes of helping my brain focus...

I feel a bit like Kevin, except instead of "Squirrel!" I'm being distracted by snacks, facebook, my own train of thought, and generally everything. Blaming my inability to focus on my allergies...

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona!

2011-03-17T05:09:00.004-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

There is a wonderful article on the 24-7 Ireland website today about St. Patrick. You can also link to all the things I've shared in the past about St. Patrick by the label with his name at the bottom of this post.

I'm working this evening which meant that I couldn't join my friends from 24-7 Ireland at the gathering in Dublin this evening. So I've decided to set the day aside for some prayer and reflection. That somehow seemed a better way to mark the day then going in to town to see the environmentally themed St. Patrick's Day carnival in the city centre.

May you always be blessed

With walls for the wind.

A roof for the rain.

A warm cup of tea by the fire.

Laughter to cheer you,

Those you love near you,

And all that your heart may desire.

PS (a bit later in the day) I've just watched a lovely little documentary St. Patrick: Apostle of Ireland. The link is for amazon, but I got it from iTunes. Really enjoyed it.

raise a glass to turnings of the season

2011-03-16T18:53:00.004-04:00

It's late and I need to go to bed. But first I wanted to share this:

Today I saw the first butterfly of spring! It's not officially spring yet and the weather hasn't made it out of the 40s so I was absolutely shocked to discover this little guy flying around in the tree outside my window. Nevertheless, there he was, happily soaking up the sunshine and some sweet nectar from all the pretty blossoms. He was difficult to photograph as the morning was breezy and the window was dirty, but I was determined.

Happy Spring!

yarn along

2011-03-16T05:57:00.004-04:00

This week's yarn along is all business, business, business. I'm finishing off the second sock in the pair I'm making for my Dad's birthday. His birthday is tomorrow. If only we lived in the same country they would be right on time... unfortunately Royal Mail and the USPS will determine how late they actually are... And I'm reading (well, skimming for relevant details is more accurate) Young Children's Personal, Social, and Emotional Development and Observing Children and Young People. Lots of paper writing coming up in the next several weeks...

catch phrases

2011-03-14T16:33:00.002-04:00

I was just thinking about catch phrases. Everyday catch phrases not advertising slogans or super hero exclamations or anything potentially copy righted. Just funny or memorable things people I know and/or love say or have said more than once which makes me think of them when I hear it or am reminded of it.

Sometimes it's little things like a lady I worked for always used the phrase, "Like I said." Or the family friend who introduced "horrid" into my vocabulary. Or Rosie's famous "sinner!"

I was randomly thinking of two in the last week or so:

"I have to watch my girlish figure." - my Grandma, used as an explanation for not eating the yummy goodies she had made for us.

"The natives are getting restless." - Another lady I worked for/friend when the kids were cranky/hungry/tired.

A third popped into my head while I've been writing:

"And we have great hair." - a friend I used to work for, used as the end of many conversations.

Any everyday catch phrases you'd care to share?

wednesday is the new saturday

2011-03-12T03:52:00.005-05:00

Now that I've finished the ICT class I was required to do for my course I don't have to be at college until 2:30 in the afternoon. This is bliss! The same is true on Monday but I usually set Monday mornings aside to do any school work due in during the week. And now that I've started working I don't always have Saturday off, so Wednesday has become my new Saturday. Except for the hour and half I'm in class I spend it doing things like taking pictures of the beautiful flowering tree outside my window. (This is surprisingly challenging because the windows are not clean and they do not open.)

I'm so thankful for this tree! Charlotte, my home town, is absolutely covered with flowering trees and bushes and gardens definitely all spring and to a lesser extent all year long. Having a flowering tree right outside my window helps me feel more at home here, and it has beautiful red leaves in the fall.

I also do things like make big lunches, and then document them by taking pictures. I also baked a cake. A strange cake. A rosemary and olive oil cake. My feelings on this cake are undecided... I do not have any pictures of it because it took longer than expected baking and I had to rush out the door as soon as it came out of the oven as waiting for it had made me late for class.
After my class I head over to Starbucks. Wednesday afternoons are when my knitting group meets. This particular Wednesday was the launch of their new branding. Look at the fabulous new cups! It was also momentous because I discovered a new amazing combination; chai tea and caramel waffles. Y-U-M!!!
Once I sat down to knit I realised that my pattern had not made it into my knitting bag... thank goodness for free wi-fi and ravelry. I was able to pull the pattern up on my iPod and I successfully turned the heel on my first sock.
From knitting group I went over to Boojum's on Botanic to meet my lovely friend Laura for dinner. Boojums is a burrito bar. A burrito bar that actually bears no small resemblance to places like Qdoba and Chipotle. A burrito bar in Belfast. This. Is. A. Big. Deal. The whole time I lived in England myself and my American friend Rosie were desperate for Mexican food. It just wasn't available. But here in Belfast, they have burritos! It was a happy evening.
After Burritos I had home group, it was a lovely way to round out a lovely day, with old and new friends and some good, solid Lenten reflections.

Normally my Wednesday's aren't quite so full. And despite the cold and wind and rain, and the fact that my boots seem to no longer be water proof, it was a good day!

turning heels and the life of pi

2011-03-09T08:09:00.006-05:00

This week I'm knitting a pair of socks for my Dad's birthday. (They're gonna be late, bother!) This is my first pair of socks and I'm just getting ready to turn the heel. Fingers crossed!

I'm reading The Life of Pi for my book club this month. The club is meant to be focused on classics and while I love this book I'm not sure it quite qualifies as that, yet. It's been a few years since I read it and I don't want to give any thin away (especially as there's no know how accurate my memory may be.) So I will just say that it is a beautiful and beautifully written story. It is self described as a story that will make you believe in God.

On this reading I'm intrigued by the descriptions of Jesus by Hindu eyes and I love this quote:

"The presence of God is the finest of rewards."

All the other lovely yarn along posts can be read here.

st. patrick and pete greig

2011-03-09T05:23:00.005-05:00

I never saw this until now, it's from 24-7's birthday celebrations last year. Hil-arious!

lenten season

2011-03-09T04:52:00.006-05:00

This year for Lent I am making a commitment. Instead of my normal daily routine of praying while I shower and reading my Bible while I eat breakfast I am going to increase the intentionality of how I spend time with the Lord and how I start my day. I'm going to begin each day with half an hour of prayer, worship, and reflection. I like this idea a lot. It involves a certain amount of sacrifice; sleep is something I love and crave and loosing even half an hour of it in the morning is a sacrifice for me. It also involves adding something to my life instead of merely taking something away. My hope is that this forms a habit which will continue after Easter. And it is realistic and doable, leaving no excuses.

As a part of this I will be using 24-7 Prayer's Prayer Spaces for Lent video podcast and readings. I find that a bit of structure when beginning something is always a good thing, as I move forward in this (after Easter) I can give myself increased freedom in what this time looks like.

For now I'm off to make an appropriate playlist. I'm excited about the journey!

PS (a couple hours later) making 30 minute playlists with worship songs proved challenging, it only takes a few to fill the time as most are longer than your average song. In the end I have 10 new playlists falling either under Loudly: Behold, Blaze, Caught, and Rend or Quietly: Beautiful, Closer, Holy, Open, Presence, and Surrender. Should have plenty of options to meet a variety of morning moods!

blue banjo

2011-03-03T13:02:00.005-05:00

tomorrow I'm heading down to Dublin to see the Decemberists. I'm so excited!

world book day

2011-03-03T10:35:00.004-05:00

Fern, Wilbur, and Charlotte heading out the door for World Book Day!

sing with your child

2011-03-02T07:19:00.002-05:00

A couple years ago I completed Music Together's teacher training program. I haven't become a teacher yet, too busy moving back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean. But someday, hopefully not too far away, I would l-o-v-e to have a Music Together studio. March is Sing With Your Child month and they've posted some great videos on their youtube channel. I love this program as it allows families to all come together and really focuses on the parent's role! Plus, their music is fantastic!

pig pieces and the peace process

2011-03-02T06:36:00.002-05:00

This week I've knitted up a pink piggy. Tomorrow is World Book Day and I'm dressing up as Fern from Charlotte's Web. Hopefully my Wilbur will be stuffed and sewn together in time to accompany me to nursery tomorrow!

I'm reading The Real Peace Process, Worship, Politics, and the End of Sectarianism by Siobhan Garrigan. Still in the beginning chapters, but excited about what's to come!

If you'd like to see all the other lovely knitting projects and interesting books in this week's Yarn Along you can find them here.

knitting and reading

2011-02-23T09:29:00.002-05:00

I missed last week's yarn along due purely to laziness. I'm coming into the last few days of my mid term break and I have done exactly that, have a break, so wonderful. Anyway, this week I'm reading Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. I picked it up in a charity shop last week. Several things about it caught my eye: Irish author, a girl living in another country away from home, the process of making your home in a strange place. I'm not very far into it yet but this quote caught my attention: "...the rest of her life would be a struggle with the unfamiliar." I've very much been feeling like this the last few weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love it here in Belfast and I'm so thankful to be here, and I don't really want to be anywhere else. Just sometimes living in another culture is tiring and I've been feeling the wear and tear of it.
On my needles today is a Jewel Cowl in a lovely shade of green. The yarn is part bamboo and it's so silky and soft! I got it in a yarn swap my local stitch 'n bitch club held at Christmas, bonus! I'm making this for my mom, but it's a surprise so don't tell!

just bolstering myself a little

2011-02-18T13:45:00.002-05:00

"You won't have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch GOD's saving work for you take shape. Don't be afraid. Don't waver. March out boldly tomorrow - GOD is with you."

"No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised."

"Does God speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?"

"You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

2011-02-18T12:16:00.001-05:00

I’m missing the other half of my wardrobe which is packed safely away at my parent’s house undoubtedly being worn by my youngest sister...

2011-02-18T05:06:00.000-05:00

There is something so wonderful about this picture that it makes me want to cry.

little bird, little bird...

2011-02-17T04:55:00.002-05:00

... fly through my window.

Here is evidence that spring is on it's way; the days are getting longer, the trees are beginning to bud, and the birds are singing in the morning. I caught some pictures of this little guy preening himself outside my window Sunday afternoon. Thanks to the audio version of The Bad Birdwatcher's Companion and my resulting new found knowledge of (a few) British birds I can tell you that he is a Great Tit. There was what I think may have been a female at the top of the tree and this little guy didn't sit still for a minute, he was hoping from branch to branch and fussing with his feathers and singing every few minutes. Lots of fun for me!

it is finished

2011-02-16T06:52:00.003-05:00

Ishbel is finished, and I mean ends woven in, blocked, worn once already, finito!

unreasonable lengths

2011-02-14T16:31:00.006-05:00

I've had a lot of people comment on "how good" I am with children. I've been told I "have a gift." I usually pass these comments off with an awkward smile and a shrug of the shoulders. In my mind it was simple; I've been taking care of children since I was a child, it's fun (way more fun than a sales position), I'm taking care of someone else's children (which is a huge responsibility), and I'm being paid good money. Most of all, it's something that comes naturally to me, yes I'm always learning and growing and getting better at it, but I've never had to work hard or really struggled with it. But I guess I'm coming to realise that doesn't mean that being "good with children" is an easy thing or something to take for granted or pass off as not a big deal. And at the risk of sounding like I'm tooting my own horn, the more I'm studying the more I'm realising, I am good with children. I'm reading "Child Development a First Course" by Kathy Sylva and Ingrid Lunt which is an introduction to the psychology of child development and a lot of the observations and recommendations they're making are things that I've always done, intuitively I guess. Maybe this is it, maybe I've realised what my "thing" is. How exciting!

Anyway I really just wanted to share this quote because I love it! It's from the chapter on substitute mothers, i.e. foster/adoptive parents, childminders, day nurseries (those are all British words, think nannies and daycare centres):

"It has been suggested that the crucial characteristic of the parental role is its partiality for the individual child; the child needs to know that to someone he matters more than other children, and that someone will go to unreasonable lengths, not just reasonable ones, for his sake."

How great is that?

i'm gonna be there!

2011-02-09T17:42:00.000-05:00

yarn along

2011-02-09T06:26:00.003-05:00

This is the third, and final, week I'll be posting Ishbel as my knitting WIP for the yarn along. I only have nine rows to go so hopefully it isn't overconfidence to say that by this time next week it will be all done and maybe even finished blocking! As for reading I just started Evening Class by Maeve Binchy. I'm not expecting anything more than a fun read but I found it at the £ Shop and that was too good of a deal to pass up!

friday night and saturday

2011-02-07T03:47:00.004-05:00

I was rather domestic this weekend. After working at the nursery on Friday I came home and crashed. I had plans to meet up with friends but they fell through. So I caught up on all my American Thursday night shows and then I made a big pot of what turned out to be amazing vegetable stew.It's onions and leeks and peppers and chilli and mushrooms and peas and carrots and sweet corn and celery and canned tomatoes and I served it over couscous and it was very happy.
On Saturday I met some friends at the market which is always fun and had lots of samples (hello Toffee Apple Bread, I love you!) and some freshly squeezed juice. Then I went into town and purchased an amazing find at the pound shop.
Look at these jars. They are nice and big and pretty. (I love glass!) and they were only £1 each! I've been wanted canisters for a while as flour and sugar stored in their bags does not send me to my happy place. I started with five, but I'm sure I'll be heading back for more!
Saturday afternoon was spent cleaning (boring) and baking (fun!). I made a double batch of banana bread and one half made a proper loaf (hiding in the background) and the other half made banana chocolate chip muffins. So happy! Saturday evening I babysat. Great to be back in the saddle again. British TV is just as bad on a Saturday night as American... Phineas and Ferb anyone?

yarn along

2011-02-02T05:41:00.002-05:00

Another week, another yarn along. I just think this is such a lovely idea! (Even if my photographs leave a bit to be desired.) I'm reading Child Development - A First Course (for school obviously). We've been told many times that we should be reading more than just our text books so I finally decided I should take them at their word. I find child development to be a fascinating subject. Much more interesting than many of the other things we've been studying this year like legislation and health and safety regulations.

I'm still plugging away on the Ishbel. I'm coming into the home stretch and am so looking forward to seeing it finished. It's all bunched up on my needles now so binding off will be a big unveiling!

my week

2011-01-31T04:31:00.004-05:00

Monday: Woke up feeling poorly. Wrote up a language observation. Went to class. Made cream of broccoli soup.

Tuesday: College. Lunch at Bright's with girls from college. Answered lots of questions about America and shocked them with the realisation that I am "almost 30!" Class dismissed early. Locked out of house. Afternoon spent in coffee shop. Book group to discuss The Pickwick Papers.

Wednesday: Did Laundry. Used Microsoft Access for the first time in IT. Made play dough. Class dismissed early. Knitting group.

Thursday: Out on placement. Built lots of spaceships and had a picnic in the house corner. Knitting and audio book in the evening.

Friday: Out on placement. Trip to W5. Was a shop keeper in Tesco for much of the trip. Knitting and audio book in the evening. Still feeling poorly.

Saturday: Interview at McDonald's. Ran errands. Went to market. Knitting and audio book. Watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Sunday: Feeling a bit better. Church. Lunch with friends visiting from England. Prayer group. Church.

recent projects

2011-01-27T13:42:00.007-05:00

I was rather hurried the other day when I posted my yarn along picture. (Hence the not so great photo quality... well especially not so great as the lighting in my house, not to mention the state of the carpet, leaves a bit to be desired.) So I wanted to write a longer post about my recent knitting projects. First of all I organised my stash, such as it is. I've only been knitting for about a year and don't have much of a stash to speak of. Everything I do have was purchased with a specific project or person in mind and it's just been finding enough time to get it all made. My poor mother hasn't received anything except a little crocheted snowflake. Anyway, as my local stitch 'n bitch group (I kind of hate that name) had a yarn swap in December and I came away with some lovely things I decided it was time to get organised. So here is my stash:

Open basket for the prettier skeins. Current project bag holding the lovely Ishbel. Medium sized covered basket for notions and doodads such as baby shampoo for wool washing.

Large covered basket for large and not quite as pretty skeins. Small covered basked for all the little ends of skeins I can't quite bare to get rid of. I'm sure they'll come in useful for little bits of colour work and/or granny squares at some point.

And there they all are by my pretty little fire place. Again, please don't mind the horrid state of the carpet. My needles are on the mantle above which really deserves it's own post as it is, in my own humble opinion, quite lovely.

Now, on to the actual knitting projects. Just a couple presents I've made recently.

Two more little mice. I called this pair Emil and Lucinda. As Lucinda was taken to show and tell by the little girl she was made for I think they were a hit. Still have plenty of yarn to make a couple for myself at some point. Just too cute!

And here are my latest attempts at the Tea Leaves Cardigan. The grey blue was my sister Lacy's birthday present. She specified the extra long sleeves. Knit with Berrocco Vintage which I love! The attempt below was for another sister Emily's birthday. It was knit with Donegal Aran Tweed which is a lovely yarn as well. Despite knitting a gauge swatch it came out too big and I had to shrink it. I was so nervous and definitely erred on the side of caution. Unfortunately there is an ocean dividing Emily and myself and I do not have her measurements. So I sent it on with careful instructions of how to shrink it further if needed. I have this yarn to make a Tea Leaves for myself and am now a bit nervous to start. I'll go down another needle size or two and hope for the best. It's a lovely shade of red and I will love it, if it comes out...

PS, tinking is a term I just learned this week. It's knitting backwards. Literally. Isn't that clever!

two of my favourite things

2011-01-26T06:21:00.002-05:00

Today I am participating in my first yarn along! That means a post which combines two of my favourite things, knitting and reading. Currently I'm reading Pickwick Papers by Dickens and loving it. I should be finished already as it was for my book club which met to discuss it yesterday. I didn't quite make it although I'm less than 100 pages away. I'm knitting Ishbel by Ysolda Teague which is my first foray into lacework. So far I'm loving it, although I've discovered that it isn't the best project to bring along to stitch and bitch. Tinking sl1, k2tog, psso is not a very fun thing. This is definitely a knit while alone project. Audio books anyone?

Ode to Saturday Morning

2011-01-22T06:09:00.003-05:00

How do I love you? Let me count the ways:

I love you because I do not have to beat the Sun out of bed.

I love you for scrambled eggs and toast and tea, eaten leisurely.

I love you for impromptu dance parties as the day begins.

I love you for blog and flicker perusals in my pyjamas.

I love you for Uno tournaments and Pickwick Papers.

I love you for knitting and online TV.

I love you for all the cleaning and tidying yet to come.

And when this weekend ends I will but love you better Monday morning.

couldn't resist

2011-01-21T13:14:00.002-05:00

I shouldn't being doing anything more than window shopping right now as I have yet to find a job. But I saw this on Etsy (for a good price even with international shipping) and I absolutely couldn't resist. I haven't bought any new clothing for months and months. And it's so gorgeous and wearable and very, very me. Thank you Sally Jane Vintage! I'm already planning outfits!

i have a crush on this guy...

2011-01-14T14:42:00.003-05:00

... just thought you should know. He's pretty awesome.

new stuff

2011-01-14T01:52:00.002-05:00

Um, I kind of hit the ground running this New Year and somehow totally forgot to post a link to the new 24-7 Ireland website. We have started our year of prayer for Ireland and this Sunday are having our first of what will be monthly gatherings. I'm so excited about this!

spread the word

2011-01-09T16:35:00.001-05:00

I need work... badly. So on top of the job hunt that continues I've decided to widen my babysitting advertisement audience. Today I made this flyer and this week I will be canvasing my neighbourhood looking for places to post it. Also, I learned how to take screen shots on my computer today, yeah!

the books of 2010

2011-01-01T04:55:00.003-05:00

Here they are, in no particular order, the books I read in 2010. It's not quite as many as I usually manage, but considering all that's happened in the last year, that one of them is War and Peace and that I'm studying I decided that 47 is a perfectly respectable number!

the end of 2010

2010-12-31T04:26:00.003-05:00

What a year this has been. I cannot say I am sorry to see it go, quite the opposite. So many things have happened and changed, most of them good. But mixed in there has been a lot of emotional upheaval and I am more than ready for the new stage of this journey. It has also been a year of learning and experiencing new things.

1) I learned to play poker (and won my first game).

2) I learned to knit.

3) I learned to drive stick shift (manual transmission).

4) I became an auntie for the first time.

5) I took my first Greyhound journey.

6) I went to (and was maid of honour) in my first British wedding.

7) I went sailing for the first time.

8) I had my first cross-chanel ferry ride.

9) I cooked my first turkey.

10) I learned how to crochet.

Many other wonderful and trying things happened this year. But now I'm looking forward to what the New Year will hold.

welcome to our world

2010-12-20T12:11:00.003-05:00

This is one of my favourite Christmas songs,

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking

How we need to hear from God.

You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting,

Welcome Holy Child.

Hope that you don’t mind our manger,

How I wish we would have known.

But long awaited Holy Stranger

Make yourself at home.

Please make yourself at home.

Bring your peace into our violence,

Bid our hungry souls be filled.

Word now breaking Heaven’s silence,

Welcome to our world.

Fragile finger sent to heal us,

Tender brow prepared for thorn,

Tiny heart whose blood will save us,

Unto us is born.

So wrap our injured flesh around You,

Breathe our air and walk our sod.

Rob our sin and make us holy,

Perfect Son of God.

Welcome to our world.

by Chris Rice

2010-12-20T10:07:00.006-05:00

Despite the snow causing major delays in the arrival of the mail all across the UK my Christmas package arrived today. It was full of wonderful and lovely things including a "Bedtime Hug" from Origins. It is the most wonderful thing ever! A large wrap filled with Lavender, Chamomile, and Rosemary that you warm up in the microwave. I frequently have pain in my shoulders and this is going to be amazing as is it large enough to wrap over my neck and shoulders all at once with soothing heat and it smells A-mazing!!!!

i laughed when i saw him in spite of myself

2010-12-17T01:43:00.003-05:00

It was snowing and I was all dressed up in Christmassy clothes and I just couldn't resist! Don't mind the poor webcamera work or how big it makes my nose look!

walking in a winter wonderland

2010-12-16T16:17:00.006-05:00

Tonight I got all dressed up in Christmassy colors (that's my new hat, which I made... nbd) and went out to sing in a Christmas choir. It was snowing and lovely. Then, as I walked home in the thickly falling snow, I passed Christmas carollers and was given a present (ok, the present was a tract, but it's big and pretty and fancy) and a mince pie. I sang all the way home (Winter Wonderland with James Taylor and We Wish You a Merry Christmas with Raffi) and was absolutely covered in snow. It was fantastic!!!

Remember, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing LOUD for all to hear!

This is a little ditty I made up last week when I was out in the falling snow for the first time this year:

Snow, SNow, SNOw, SNOW!

Snow on my cheeks and snow on my nose

Snow on my eyelashes, fingers, and toes.

Slipping and sliding around on the ice,

Winter and Christmas are so jolly nice!

2010-12-15T02:20:00.002-05:00

Last time I rode the ferry these guys were on board...

And yes, the fact that they made this video and that Mariah Carey Tweeted about it was news on the BBC website...

Christmas party

2010-12-13T09:26:00.002-05:00

Today I went to the international student's Christmas party at BMC. I wasn't planning to go, but I received a phone call on Friday afternoon that made me feel like I didn't have that much of a choice. I wouldn't exactly say I'm glad I went. I'm nursing a cold and would have been just as happy to stay home. But it was a nice meal and I met some nice girls and had a lovely chat with the director of the college who is very nice and we got some nice gifts. I did feel it was slightly unfair as most of my prizes came from being in the group which correctly answered the most questions on the Christmas quiz the quickest. I was probably the only person in the room for whom English is not an additional language and who is from a Western country and is getting ready to celebrate my third British Christmas. I may have had just a slightly unfair advantage...Here's what I got after divvying up the spoils with my teammates. A box of Ritz crackers (!), dark chocolate covered ginger, a stuffed penguin which plays a scary version of Jingle Bells, a box of Maltesers, a box of After Eights, a pencil, a notepad, a jumpy frog, and a 2011 calendar from some gentlemen outside of the Baptist Church.

The frog and the purple crown are from my Christmas cracker and so is this joke:

Q. Who invented fireworks?

A. Some bright spark.

Ha, Ha, Ha.

my Christmas journey

2010-12-13T04:47:00.000-05:00

View Larger Map

busy, busy, busy

2010-12-07T14:11:00.002-05:00

Said in a voice slightly reminiscent of the magician in Frosty the Snowman. (But I've been busy with happy Christmas things, not the opposite. Promise, cross my heart.) I'm out on placement this whole week, no classes at all. When I'm not at placement I've been listening to this and working on this:I can't really let you see, because it's for Christmas... Santa's Little Helper has to at least try to keep a few secrets!

free books!!!

2010-12-04T04:34:00.004-05:00

I just found the most amazing website which allows you to download audio books completely free! They use books that are in the public domain. You pick the book you want, click the link to have it added to iTunes as a podcast, and presto! A new book to listen to! I'm getting ready for my two eight hour bus journeys! I started with The Story Girl and The Golden Road by Lucy Maud Montgomery, two of my favourite books growing up which I haven't read for probably 13 years or more!

The website is Books Should Be Free, enjoy!

(There are a lot of exclamation points in this post... books make me SO happy!!!)

from a Christmas gone by...

2010-12-03T16:52:00.001-05:00

Recorded December 2008

Christmas Mice

2010-12-03T13:31:00.005-05:00

For my nephew's Christmas present and for the 3rd birthday of a little girl I used to nanny I made little stuffed mice. It was my first toy project and it was lots of fun! I know they will be given proper names by the children they belong to, but I call them Felix and Felicity.

Here are the pieces, all ready to be assembled.

Felicity

Felix

Felicity wanted to see the snow.

Of course Felix did too, and it's a bit chilly on the windowsill, so he put on his scarf.

Friends Forever

Then they tried to get into my Christmas chocolate, but I stopped them just in time!

I sure hope they make the little ones smile as much as I did!

well the weather outside is frightful

2010-12-03T09:50:00.003-05:00

Last night I laid out two pairs of thermals, a pair of knee socks and a pair of big wool socks, a tank top, a pair of jeans, my wellies, and a big wool sweater. This morning I added a long sleeved t-shirt and a third pair of socks and laid all the clothes on the radiator while I showered. I dried my hair, put it in braided pigtails, and used the hair dryer to warm up my boots. I had two pairs of gloves at the ready, a scarf, bobble hat, and waterproof coat with a hood. I packed a lunch and filled a thermos with hot tea. My nursery school had a trip to the farm planned.

I waddled to school in all my layers with sore feet because the socks made my feet too big for the wellies. All of this only to find out that the trip was canceled for fear of being snowed in at the farm.

happy, happy, happy

2010-12-02T11:41:00.003-05:00

So a few things that are gettin' me really excited!

1) I got a free month's trial of LoveFilm, the UK version of Netflix. It comes with two free cinema tickets and £5 worth of points on my Nectar card, which is like a store VIP card. My first movie is the animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and it will soon be on it's way!

2) When I was doing my Christmas shopping yesterday I discovered that Boots carries Vitamin Water, one of my favourite things! I also discovered that a YogaBerry lookalike is coming to Belfast soon!

3) A lady in my knitting group gave everyone coupons for a free Graze Box. Which is basically a box of healthy snacks that are delivered to your door. I've just ordered my free box to be delivered the day before I head to Scotland for Christmas. That way I can have it and a Vitamin Water on my bus journey. Isn't that just perfect?!

4) Tonight I'm heading to the first practice of the Christmas Choir at church. It's been years since I've been in a choir, and a Christmas choir is even better! I'm so excited!!!

5) When I switched over to my new computer I didn't put all my music on it. It was all stored on my external hard drive so I decided to only put on what I listen to most. (I have an exorbitant amount of music.) Well, this was a great plan until my old computer managed to corrupt the files on my hard drive so that they are no longer accessible. I thought I had lost all my music. Well, last night I discovered it in the trash of my new computer. Because it took me a while to figure out the correct/fast way to transfer the files I had a copy of my entire library in my trash. All that music, including my Christmas music, and children's music and my audio books, found again! It was a Christmas miracle!!!

december 1st

2010-12-01T16:00:00.002-05:00

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him anyone can have a whole and lasting life." - The Message

thankful

2010-11-28T10:22:00.004-05:00

A few things I'm thankful for all mixed up and in random order.

I'm thankful to be in Belfast.

I'm thankful for skype.

I'm thankful for new additions to the family, especially this little guy.

I'm thankful for Turkey soup!

I'm thankful for pretty Christmas/Thanksgiving bunting.
I'm thankful for winter sunshine and chrysanthemums.
I'm thankful for apple cinnamon candles.
I'm thankful that I learned how to knit this year.

I'm thankful for a lovely little early Christmas present for myself in the way of a knitting kit from Ysolda.

I'm thankful for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with wonderful friends!
I'm thankful for friends, new and old.
I'm thankful for candles, and autumn leaves.
I'm thankful my first turkey was a success.

I'm thankful for my plaid flannel dress.

I'm thankful for cranberry sauce.

I'm thankful for Jesus and his love and care for me.

I'm thankful for movies and books and music.

I'm thankful for facebook.

I'm thankful for snow.

I'm thankful for sunsets.

I'm thankful for poetry.

I'm thankful that being thankful makes me feel so happy.

tonight's going to be a good night!

2010-11-24T17:05:00.002-05:00

You can see the video of Kirstin's wedding here!

Although I'm sure you'll all be disappointed to know that the shot of me being flung across the dance floor by the father of the bride has not been included. I know I am.

2010-11-22T02:56:00.002-05:00

Last night I had the unexpected experience of visiting Dr. Ian Paisley's church and hearing him preach. In many ways it was a surreal experience. All of the women wore hats (because women should keep their heads covered). The Bibles were in the Authorised Version (the only true translation). The language used from the pulpit was largely inaccessible for anyone under the age of 60.

I had tagged along with a friend who was going as a part of her master's course. It was me and about 15 other people studying conflict resolution and reconciliation. We were invited to speak to Dr. Paisley after the service. There was a marked difference in his manner and his speech when he was no longer in the pulpit. He greeted everyone and shook our hands. It was possible to understand what he was saying. He was friendly and accommodating. It was obvious that just as Northern Ireland has come a long way since the troubles, Dr. Paisley has come a long way from "Ulster says no." It was also obvious that just as Northern Ireland still has a ways to go, Dr. Paisley does as well. My prayer for him is that he would know the grace and love of Jesus and find peace in himself.

rainy day

2010-11-17T15:19:00.002-05:00

This was a very rainy day. A very rainy and blustery day. The blustery rain woke me up about 3:00am and kept me awake until about 4:30am. That was not very happy. Fortunately I didn't have to be at college until 12:30 so I could sleep in a bit.

The day got better from there. I got a good amount of work done at school. Just as I was leaving school I had a text that the boots I ordered had come into the shop. That meant I could pick them up on my way to my Wednesday afternoon knitting group. Not to mention they fit and they are lovely and they were on sale!!!

Knitting group was good, very interesting conversations going on. I'm trying my hand at my first pair of socks which required a bit of concentration so there was a bit more listening than talking on my part.

I just discovered that a singer/songwriter type I really enjoy has a Christmas album. It's been out for two years so I'm not sure how I missed it. But I got it this morning and have been listening to it ever since. Lovely. It's Christmas Songs by Fernando Ortega. I'm loving his versions of Joy to the World and O Little Town of Bethlehem, two of my favourite Christmas songs.

Then, once I finally made it home in the dark and cold and rain I won an auction on ebay for a much needed extension adapter for my computer. £9 including shipping for something that would have cost about £30 directly from apple. And I got nectar points for it!

I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to be a bit crazy. I've got part of an assignment 700 words and a full assignment 3,500 words due. Plus, Thanksgiving is next week and I'm having a large group of friends over for dinner to celebrate on the Friday. Speaking of which, my lovely course coordinator while conducting an informal interview on Tuesday was checking in with how I'm doing and said she wanted to do something to help me feel at home for Thanksgiving. So she has offered to make a dessert for my dinner! How lovely is that???

I'll be off at placement tomorrow. Here's hoping the wind and rain don't keep me up tonight so I have plenty of energy for the "little dears."

antarctica

2010-11-14T17:20:00.004-05:00

My youngest sister and I have been wanting to go to Antarctica together for a while. This is largely inspired by the book Troubling a Star by Madeline L'Engle. We're realistic about it, we realise it will take a few years to save up the money for a trip of this nature. This week the first concrete step of planning was accomplished. Lacy found this expedition. Now, all we have to do is save up about $25,000 each. (And we will definitely be doing the optional extension trip to Easter Island. I mean if you're going to take a month and spend a year's salary you might as well make the most of it. Right?)

all hedgie and hoggie

2010-11-13T15:21:00.005-05:00

One of my favourite things about my course is my placement. I'm working in a nursery school on Thursdays and Fridays and I love it. (A nursery school is for three and four year olds and is the year before children go to primary school.)

On Friday my class took a trip to Belvior Forest Park, one of my favourite places in Belfast. They've been learning about Autumn and nocturnal animals and hibernation so it was perfect! We had a guide who led us around and did wonderful sensory activities with the children like having them close their eyes and listen to the sound of the forest and collecting bits of leaves to stick on a little piece of cardboard shaped like an artist's palette to show off the colours of Autumn. We saw a deserted Badger's sett and a California Redwood which is the tallest tree in the forest, and also saw the bamboo grove where the hedgehogs make their winter nest.

It's so fun learning about British animals! (I am such a dork!)

I am also learning lots of wonderful new children's songs. Some of the songs are the same, like Twinkle, Twinkle. Some of the songs have the same lyrics but a different melody, like Baa, Baa Black Sheep. Some have whole new sections added on like 10 in the Bed. And some are completely new. My favourite of this week is sung to the tune of Two Little Blackbirds Sitting on a Hill.

"Two little hedgehogs sitting by the shed

One named Marybel and one named Fred.

Curl up Marybel, curl up Fred

Two little hedgehogs sitting by the shed.

Two little hedgehogs sitting by the shed

One named Marybel and one named Fred.

Peekaboo Marybel, peekaboo Fred

Two little hedgehogs sitting by the shed."

numbers

2010-11-04T16:42:00.002-04:00

On the 4th day of the 44th week of the 11th month of 1982 I was born.

It was a Thursday, like today.

miscellany

2010-11-01T18:06:00.000-04:00

1) I wish Andrew Bird and/or The Decemberists would come to Belfast.

2) When the curtains are closed it makes my room feel like a tent.

3) I spend a lot of time getting over myself.

4) I've been entering Jordan Cereal's Frusli Fruiti Fun contest every week. Haven't won of the big prizes, but you can win up to three cereal bars each week. My first six just came in the mail.

5) I'm loving Jason Upton's new CD, Live in Dublin

6) I had a cold last week during my fall break and so spent a good amount of time watching tv online, Big Bang Theory anyone?

7) It's a good idea to pay close attention to what you're buying at Asian markets. I have no idea what I bought, but I know it's not lentils.

8) Pumpkin pancakes are one of my new favourite things.

9) It is now quite dark at roughly 5pm.

10) God is crying out over Ireland like a Father longing for his runaway child to come home.

Just sayin'

baking day

2010-10-30T13:32:00.005-04:00

So I decided to do some baking today. I made some bran muffins that usually have dates in them. I omitted the dates and added raisins, grated carrots, and apple chunks. Very healthy, and yummy! I also made some pumpkin pancakes and added grated apple to them. I was just planning to have them as a quick and easy breakfast for the week. But after a couple hours of baking and cleaning I had no desire to make dinner. Also, I have a cold that doesn't really want to go away and I was beginning to feel rather rubbishy. So I had pancakes for dinner and they were delicious!

I could tell I wasn't feeling well as I made quite a mess.

We need a bigger mixing bowl, I had to use the stock pot!

The gloop that became the muffins.

Mixing up some pancakes!

Pancakes ready to go! (And my happy butter dish.)

There they are getting all scrumptious in the oven.

Yum!

Also, sorry the pictures aren't great. The lighting in the kitchen is rubbish and I took them with my computer which made it difficult to get the right angle.

recycle

2010-10-28T11:22:00.002-04:00

So, I've been listening to the Craft-Lit pod cast and she was talking about her plans to build a chicken coop out of plastic bottles. So I googled it, and found some amazing pictures of houses, churches and temples, sheds, all made out of bottles. Amazing! Here are a few of my favourites:

You see, the chemicals used to melt down and recycle plastic bottles are as bad as the ones used to make them in the first place. So this is an amazing way to repurpose large quantities of plastic bottles without any of that fall out. You should do a google image search on building with plastic bottles, fascinating!!!

five little pumpkins

2010-10-21T11:15:00.002-04:00

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,

First one said, "Oh my, it's getting late."

Second one said, "There are witches in the air."

Third one said, "But we don't care."

Fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run."

Fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun."

Oooo went the wind and out went the light.

Five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Today I received five little pumpkins in a box...

One was a jar of pumpkin butter. I'm going to have some very yummy toast in the mornings!
Two was a box of pumpkin muffin mix. Gonna add some chocolate chips and have some delicious and easy to make snacks!!!
Three and four were cans of pumpkin so I can make pumpkin bread or pumpkin bars or pumpkin soup or ... ... ...
Five was a bag of pumpkin spice hershey kisses... Oh. My. Goodness. They are delicious!!!
Thanks Mom!

sunday

2010-10-17T16:54:00.003-04:00

It's the end of a rather lovely weekend.

Yesterday I did a bit of cleaning and lots of laundry and some knitting. Then I went to a small worship and prayer gathering which was slightly wonderful followed by an evening hanging out with friends discussing theology and irish history and fun things like that.

I was pretty sleepy and didn't wake up in quite enough time to go to church. So I had a quiet morning at home including a lovely quiet time. (That sounds rather redundant doesn't it? But you know what I mean, don't you?) Got all the laundry folded and put away, bed made up, room generally tidied. Wrote an update letter. Did some journalling. A lovely day.

Then I sat down with my knitting and watched the live action version of 101 Dalmatians on BBC iplayer and this rather fantastic movie which I purchased for £6 when I was at the north coast last weekend.

"There's a lot of attitudes going on around here... don't let me get one."

"Redemption? Sure. But in the end he's just another dead rat in a garbage pail behind a Chinese restaurant."

"If what I think is happening is happening... it better not be."

love it!!!

Also, my police check came in the mail yesterday which means I can start my placement this week. Yahoo!

child development

2010-10-13T06:53:00.003-04:00

I am loving learning about child development in college! Most of the other units we're doing are currently focusing on different aspects of health and safety, and in all honesty seem to be running into each other. But our Unit 2 class on child development is so interesting!

As a "childcare practitioner" with over 10 years of experience (that sounds so ostentatious!) I have had ample opportunity to observe children in pretty much all stages of development. But now! Now I'm learning the language, what the normal milestones are, delving into the relevant theorists, learning the reasons behind the mechanics of it all. I'm loving it!!! As we're reading and discussing these things my mind can immediately jump to such and such child in a particular situation and say, "Yes, I've observed that!" or, "My experience has proved different." I'm absolutely loving it! (Did I say that already?)

north coast

2010-10-10T13:21:00.005-04:00

This, incidentally, is my 300th post, posted on 10.10.10!

Went up to the north coast yesterday with my friend Rachel. We shopped and walked and ate and watched movies, and generally had a good time. Wandered around Colraine, spent the night in her parent's holiday cottage in Portballintrae, and meandered our way back to Belfast along the coastal route. It was a lovely weekend!

Ireland's smallest church!

2010-10-09T04:19:00.002-04:00

Top 5 things I miss about the US:

1) Appliances. Garbage disposals, dryers, dishwashers. (And washing machines that don't take an hour and a half to wash a load of clothes.)

2) Having a car so I don't have to walk in the rain.

3) Food. Chick-fil-a, dill pickles, canned pumpkin.

4) Thanksgiving.

5) Convenience, everything is just a bit easier.

Top 5 things I love about living in the UK:

1) Being able to walk pretty much everywhere. (Except when it's raining.)

2) Food. Percy pigs, lemsip (technically a medicine), tea, fish 'n chips.

3) Meeting new people.

4) The slower pace of life.

5) Fireworks in the fall.

a plea for pumpkin

2010-10-08T09:48:00.004-04:00

It's October! Can you believe it? The year was going quite slowly for me until August, and now, all of a sudden, it's October. Goodness!This is the view out my bedroom window. I think the grey sky, red leaves, orange brick looks very nice framed by my faded blue curtains. Fall is definitely here, in all it's force. It's getting colder, raining more often, the days are growing shorter. Not gradually mind you, all of a sudden it went from getting dark at 8pm to getting dark at 7pm. Just this week, when I wake up at "half six" it's dark outside.

This has left me craving hearty, warming food. Earthy root vegetables and pumpkin. Mostly pumpkin. Pumpkin bread and chocolate pumpkin muffins and those new pumpkin spice hershey's kisses (which, ironically, I've never had but I still want them!). Only one problem, you can't get pumpkin here. At least not canned pumpkin. And while I have one can of pumpkin left from last year, I'm hoarding it for Thanksgiving. I suppose I could buy a pumpkin, saw some at the market this morning, I'm not sure I want it bad enough to deseed, carve out, roast, and mash in order to make my own pumpkin puree... Not yet anyway.

I've been scouring asian markets and international food shops in hopes I may find some here. I did find teriyaki sauce and cornmeal and large bags of kidney beans, but no canned pumpkin.

So I sent out a plea on facebook: I will very happily trade any requested British goods for pumpkin products from the US!!!

In happier news, bananas are quite easy to get here. Tomorrow I'm making banana bread and chocolate chip banana muffins. That'll have to do!

too funny!

2010-09-29T15:12:00.002-04:00

"I know that Chinese restaurateurs like to adapt their cuisine to local tastes and ingredients, but occasionally I get the feeling that something far more disturbing is going on."

"A tough looking young man has stepped out in front of us, brandishing a huge lump of cannabis on the palm of his hand. 'Hash? You like? Speak English? American?' Or perhaps he's selling henna. Or Oxo. 'Ta faitios orm nach geaitheann muid tobac,' says Conor. 'Ta se go dona don tslainte,' adds Tommy. The man narrows his eyes, then disappears back into the shadows. 'Whenever things get heavy, we just speak Irish,' says Conor. 'Confuses the f*** out of them,' explains Tommy."

from The Road to McCarthy by Pete McCarthy... Bill Bryson has met his match!

a scottish wedding

2010-09-22T09:01:00.004-04:00

sailing, sailing

2010-09-13T04:08:00.003-04:00

These are not my pictures, I didn't bring my camera. But I did spend the afternoon and evening yesterday sailing on Strangford Lough with old and new friends. It was wonderful. We shared food and talked about Irish history and did a bit of tacking (admittedly a bit unnerving for a first timer like me), I even took a turn or two at the helm.

I love the sea!!!

this week

2010-09-10T13:46:00.002-04:00

In the last seven days...

1) I enrolled and started school.

2) I purchased, and received, my course books.

3) I finished knitting a hat and a blanket and began a new project.

4) I started looking for work.

5) I registered for a National Insurance number. (The UK equivalent of a SSN.)

6) I went to a knitting group for the first time.

7) I had dinner at a friend's house.

8) I watched five movies, including South Pacific and Casablanca for the first time.

9) I opened a British bank account.

10) I booked a trip to Dundee next weekend and a trip to London the following.

11) I received, and set up, my printer.

12) I made a collage on a small notice/bulletin board for my room.

13) I visited my first wool/yarn shop in Belfast.

14) I went to the Linen Hall Library for the first time and was overwhelmed by their Irish section.

15) I've renewed friendships and begun to make some new ones.

16) I got caught in a heavy rainstorm and soaked my TOMS so that it took a couple days for them to dry out.

17) I had my first skype conversation on my new computer.

18) I did laundry.

19) I registered at the Doctors and applied for my medical card.

20) I played with legos and puzzles and painted a portrait of one of my classmates.

And at the end of it all I'm tired!

quotes

2010-09-04T12:51:00.004-04:00

While I was making this todayI found some great quotes in my collage folder... and I (of course) find it necessary to share here.

"Joan: I hear voices telling me what to do. They come from God.

Robert: They come from your imagination.

Joan: Of course. That is how the messages of God come to us."

~ George Bernard Shaw - Saint Joan

"There’s no vocabulary

For love within a family, love that’s lived in

But not looked at, love within the light of which

All else is seen, the love within which

All other love finds speech.

This love is silent."

~ T.S. Eliot

"Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life’s undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room, from which we go forth to more careful and guarded intercourse.” ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

packing up

2010-09-04T03:31:00.004-04:00

This is what my life looked like the last couple weeks in Charlotte while I was setting up my new computer, packing, knitting like crazy, and saying good-bye to everyone.

And finally, all packed up and ready to go. This is what I left behind.

Laura's sweater

2010-09-01T05:23:00.003-04:00

Working on the sleeves, my first DPN experience...

Finished, washed, and drying

Detail, love those buttons!

I missed an opportunity to get a picture of her wearing it, but it fit! I was so uncertain about the sleeves and didn't have her measurements, but I think it worked!