Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of my blog peeps :) 
This past year has been an interesting one,with many ups and downs. Unemployment has been the hardest of them all. I have to say that we have worked very hard to keep our heads high and keep our spirits up with activities with our beautiful boys. I have enjoyed being with them for the summer which hasn't happened in many years. My husband even though unhappy without work for the last 3 years, has been given the gift of being with our boys and learning about them in a new way. He has been here to help our oldest purchase his first car. He has been at every swim meet that the twins have swam, he even has learned how to volunteer at swim meets, timing and clean up. He amazingly has really enjoyed it.....
I'm grateful for the random jobs I have been able to pick up here and there. Right now I'm working a temp job until the end of January or longer. While I don't like the drive at night when I'm tired after working a 9-10 hour day, I'm very grateful for the job. After being home all summer I'm missing being home with the boys. They have been so understanding. 
So now about my knitting and spinning! It has preserved my sanity! I have missed a few of my Wednesday Evening knitting groups at Textiles A Mano, but have worked really hard at going to spinning on Saturdays! I really have enjoyed the wonderful friends I have met and continue to meet there.
Merry Christmas to everyone! Keep your heart full of thankfulness and joy and you will have Peace!

Time is Flying!!!

Oh my goodness! Am I wasting time? Its almost time! YIKES!
These are the questions that I ask myself at this time of year.
We are down to the wire on Christmas and I don't have a thing done! OK that's in my mind.... I do have the tree and lights hung, and as much of my Christmas Village up that I'm willing to deal with. That means that if I put it all up my back will hurt and then I will have deal with the kitties sitting in the middle of it all like big abominable snow cats! They just love to annoy me to no end like that! I swear they see me coming through their sleeping eyes and boom! Get up and jump out of the middle of it all as house's and little fake people and horse's go flopping and flying around! 
This year I decided to make it a little more real looking by covering the couch pillows with the white snow looking batting and then putting a book under each house to stabilize it. Crazy of me to think that the cats wouldn't see those nice soft pillows of snow as their beds!!!! I swear I live in a constant PollyAnna World! Denial and playing the" Glad Game" in my head constantly! 
Where was I going with all this? Oh just to say that if your not ready for Christmas its ok. It all could be worse, you could have a cat sitting in the middle of it all thinking its all about them!
Thank goodness its all about Jesus! Merry Christmas 

Advent Has Begun!

The holiday season has begun at my house! Today I started putting up my Christmas Village, while watching the Oregon Ducks play. It's always difficult for me to get this task done. Therefore today was a great day to get it going. Now I need to get my husband to put up Christmas lights before it starts to rain again. I often wonder what the motivation would be on a cold day to go out and put lights up that will come down in a month! This just seems so strange to me that I even am thinking about this. Many years ago I found so much joy in putting those lights up and decorating my house. Now I just look at it & see WORK! I really think that I've become rather scrooge like........... 
I enjoy the sites, sounds, and smells of the season. But I would rather enjoy the church events and family with out  all the hard work. Whats that about any way???? 
Right now I'm working on hats, I obsessed with hats..... My boys are all getting hats for Christmas! In fact they are wearing them already. I'll have to confiscate them so I can re-gift them in their stockings. 

This is my attempt at a hat with flaps... Its "Thorpe"
I have knit it over sized so I can felt it. Its merino and tussah.

Cameron's Hat.... I can get it off of him!