SweetPea Castle

Out with the old...

I DID manage to finish the prayer shawl before my MIL left after Christmas.  It was close, but I am so glad that she was happy to receive it.  I am actually quite pleased with how it turned out and even managed to stick with just knitting IT and nothing else until it was done.

My oldest son managed to get this quick photo of me on Christmas morning while I was still working on the prayer shawl. 

Now, I'm working on a hat for the new baby.  It's supposed to be a quick knit, but I just can't seem to stay focused.  It probably has a little to do with these regular contractions and need for rest.

Taxes... I have also managed to start the tedious work of getting my Quickbooks file in order for MudpieBabies.  Then, I've got to get the Quicken files together for the rest of the house.  This is NOT my favorite task.  But, it's one that has to be done.  And, since I should get a refund again this year... it's in my best interest to get everything together early so that I am not loaning my money to Uncle Sam any longer than necessary.  ;-)

This is my favorite photo from Christmas... my mom and four out of five of my current children.  I'd love to get a decent shot of my oldest daughter, but she has this seeming aversion to having her picture taken recently.

This year has been an interesting one.  It's had it's highs and lows... all in all, I'm glad to be done with this and look forward to the coming new year.

We are looking forward to welcoming our 6th blessing... and our 3rd boy sometime this week.  I would be jumping for joy if he decided to arrive on the 1st.  But, God's timing is perfect and we trust that he will come when he's ready and it's time.  We look forward to trying to sell our current home and purchase something closer to our church again.  We look forward to spending the upcoming year drawing closer to God and closer to each other as a family that serves the Lord Almighty.  So, with that I will close this post for this year and rejoice in welcoming in the New Year with much joy and the birth of our new son... and rest upon this verse...

Jeremiah 29:11 ~ 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Not quite time yet

When I went to bed last night, I wasn't sure that it wasn't "it" and I'd be awake later in the night in full-blown labor.  But, the Lord had mercy on me and the contractions spaced out enough for me to get some much needed rest and still be here today.  But, I feel very much like I'm in early early labor.  I had several days of contractions like this with at least two or three of my other pregnancies.  So, I'm just trying to relax and get plenty of fluids and rest.  Not so easy with three young ones underfoot and needing my attention.

I'm just taking it one hour at a time and relaxing as much as possible.  The contractions definitely pick up and get stronger in the evening.  The only thing that truly takes the edge off is soaking in a hot bath.

Ah well... I know that there IS an end in sight and it won't be any later than Thursday until this one arrives.  So, taking each day... one at a time... helps me keep my sanity.

I am truly resting in His grace and mercy right now.  He knows exactly when this little boy is to be born... and His timing is perfect.

Stick a fork in me...

I am done, done, DONE!  I am tired of getting up every two hours or more all night long.  I either have to potty or I have to heave my body into some other position so it might not hurt so much... or some combination of both.  I am perpetually exhausted.  And, for the lame person who suggested that this is "just preparation for the lack of sleep when the baby arrives"... you have NO idea what you are talking about.  NOTHING prepares you for that.  And, besides... at that point, MY body will feel much better even if I DO have to get up a lot with the new little one.  ;-)

In case you can't tell... I'm READY for this littel guy to be born.  I am still rejoicing at every day that he stays put until the 1st.  But, I will rejoice even louder if he does, in fact, come ON the 1st!

Christmas was great.  It was a quiet day spent next door at my parents' house with the children.  I sat around and knit all day and rested.  The only real struggle we've got going on right now is that the girls are both struggling with head/sinus colds.  Poor Tabitha is just miserable with a constantly stuffy head.  If she hasn't cleared up a bit tomorrow, I'm going to have to take her to the pediatrician to get seen.  I'm pretty sure that she has a nasty sinus infection.  I'm just praying that it stays out of her ears.

I have my OB appointment bright and early tomorrow morning and look forward to it being the last one until after this little guy's arrival.  I'm still praying that my blood pressure stays down for the next week.

Well, time to run.  I'm still knitting this shawl for my MIL and plan to finish it up today so that she can take it home with her tomorrow.  I'll be sure to take photos of it before it leaves.  Then, it's time to knit a hat or two for the baby and some longies for the littles.  Of course, that assumes I'll have time to knit right after the baby is born... or that I'll feel up to it.  ;-)~

Health and prosperity...

3 John 1:2 ~ Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

I am still here and still meditating quietly upon God's Word... and knitting.  The three littles are all in various stages of fighting off colds.  Tabitha seems to be faring the best so far.  Eliana seems to be faring the worst at the moment.  She is just miserable and quite frankly miserable to be around.  I wish there was something more I could do to ensure her speedy recovery... but there isn't.  So, for now she is in a mandatory "one hour quiet time" in her bed in the fervent hope that she'll pass out and get some much needed sleep.

The end of pregnancy is never an easy time for me and this sixth time is no different.  I look forward to this little ones birth and the restoration of my body.  Of course, breastfeeding means that I don't have it entirely back... but that's different.  But, today I rejoice that my blood pressure is stable and excellent and my blood sugar readings are just as good.  My entire body may ache and groan under the stress, but at least I seem to be maintaining my health for now.  Things could be much worse and I am thankful for His hand of protection on my health to this point.

As for prosperity... I am rich in the blessings of Him who provides so perfectly for what I need.  I have a beautiful house that the monthly mortgage is paid on time and provides more than adequate protection for my family.  I have two cars that are completely paid for and reliable.  I have five amazing children and another one making his grand entrance any day now.  I have plenty of food on the table.  And, my mom and daddy live next door to us and bless us in more ways than I could ever manage to repay (financially, emotionally, or otherwise).

While I AM still fervently praying for this little one to hold on until the 1st of the year, I am also submitted to the fact that he will come when the Lord deems that he should come.  The reason for wanting him to wait until New Years day is financial... we have enough tax deductions... we need a new flexible spending account year.  If he comes before the 1st, financially it would hurt very greatly to have to come up with the 20% out of pocket coinsurance right now (our flexible spending account was depleted back in July).  If he comes after the 1st, it's a completely new flexible spending year and we would be able to withdraw up to our max amount from day 1.  It would cover our deductible in one event.  However... my Lord owns "the cattle on a thousand hills and all the gold therein"... I'm sure He can handle providing for this little one... no matter when he arrives.

Time to get back to my knitting... I'm a little over a third of the way through this prayer shawl and I need to finish it in time for Christmas.  It's looking lovely and I can't wait to see how it is received.  Enjoy your weekend!  Godspeed... ~ Tiffani

Handmade Holidays... 2008

Well, I didn't get myself together in time to completely pull it off this year... but I am determined to accomplish this for next year.  So, I am starting my planning NOW!

Next year for Christmas, I will have (for various family members):

• knit socks, hats, and/or scarves
• handmade jammies for little ones
• WAHM (work-at-home-mom) made other items... I have LOTS to choose from
• wooden and soft toys for children
• handmade ornaments
• And a couple of other surprises that I'm sure I will come upon in the next couple of months.

So... this should be an interesting year of crafting.  I'm actually excited about it and looking forward to picking special items for each family member.

I am still working on this prayer shawl right now.  I was thinking of keeping it for myself, but have decided that it would make a perfect Christmas present for a very special person.  So, I have to keep my fingers knitting away to get it done in time.  Then, I'm onto the last couple of knit items I want to do for this new little guy.  Of course, he'll probably make his appearance before I've completed them.  But, that's okay.

Happy Birthday Eliana!!

My beautiful little miracle girl turned 3 today.  She is smart and funny and beautiful and trying and precocious and tempermental... and a normal 3 year old.  I can't imagine life without her in it.

After my tubal reversal, I conceived Noah right away.  Then, we had three very hard early losses before we conceived Eliana.  We were ecstatic... but very cautious.  The early ultrasounds weren't encouraging at all.  We were convinced that we were going through another missed miscarriage.  But, I HAD to be sure and requested one last high resolution scan at the hospital before we scheduled surgery.  We got in later that same afternoon.  What an amazing thing to have the technician there ask why we were there when she could so clearly see the tiny miracle with a clearly beating heart!  God is awesome!

And, I had a name on my heart since the very first miscarriage... it was a name that meant even more now.  Eliana Faith... it is Hebrew and means "God has answered by faith".  And, truly He did.  Of course, as she's grown and we've experienced our share of struggles with her lack of sleeping and eating... we've been reminded that God is the God of miracles and sometimes doesn't answer in ways that we expect.  But, His answer is always perfect.

So, today... as I struggled with a three year old birthday girl that wanted nothing more than to be contrary and tempermental... I remembered just how blessed I was that God has answered our heart cries after such heart-wrenching losses... and blessed us with Eliana Faith.

Happy Birthday baby girl!  We love you more than we can ever show.  Thank you Jesus for your precious gifts to us.

Sunday... a day of rest

My wonderful husband managed to share his chest cold with me and Noah.  Yuck!  So far, it's not too bad.  But, a nasty chest cough combined with regular contractions just doesn't feel good at all.  And, Noah is really bummed about missing church today.  But, with us not feeling well and the weather not so good, I just felt it wasn't a good idea to venture that distance today.  So, we are at home resting with Tabitha.

I never realized how fun it could be to watch me 16 month old "help" me deal with the clean laundry.  She redecorated my living room with all the clean laundry from the laundry basket.  Perhaps I've got a helper-in-the-making with little Tabitha.  :-)  She was really cute and got horribly upset when she couldn't reach any further into the basket to get the rest of the clothing out.  She is toddling around the playroom right now while Noah takes a hot bath and I sit her relaxing a bit.

I am planning to listen to some online Bible teachings today while I knit and the littles play/rest.  I am really enjoying kniting this prayer shawl.  It is coming along nicely.  I'll probably post updated pics later this afternoon/evening.  I'm also going to rumage through my yarn stash and decide what I'm going to work on next.

I'm itching to get back into my sewing room.  I have some ideas that I'd love to put into place with some new AIO designs for next year.  But, I fear they have to wait until I am better able to stay in there for a bit.  I have some fun ideas MudpieBabies for the coming year.

Time to get back to my resting and knitting.  I'm going to find a nice Bible message to listen to.  Enjoy your Sunday!  Godspeed... ~ Tiffani

Isaiah 40:31 ~ Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Grumpy and uncomfortable

These regular daily contractions suck!  I would probably be a much happier camper if this little guy would either make his appearance now or these contractions would go away until he's ready.  But, I'm sure that God is working good through this somehow.  For tonight, I think I'm going to try to knit another row or two of this shawl and then try to go get some sleep.

If nothing changes overnight, I have to go to the local tax office and pay my property taxes so I can get my car registration done on time.  Then, it's back home to rest and play with the littles... and knit.  :-)

Not much longer...

Well, we made it to 36 weeks.  On one hand, I am SO ready for this little guy to come.  On the other hand... I am so NOT ready yet.  I finally got the little guy a car seat this past weekend.  Other than that, really we have everything that we physically need for him to be here.  The rest is just waiting for him to finish growing and be ready... and for the Lord to say it's time.

This is the finished afghan.  Not bad for my first "big" project.  It has a few imperfections.  And, I really wouldn't use the same yarn again... at least not in that pattern/color combo.  But, I'm pleased with it none-the-less.  I am more in love with the one my mom made for him.  I'll probably post a pic of that one tomorrow.  It's really gorgeous.

Then, I started on my prayer shawl on Sunday.  I haven't gotten any further than the first 10 rows... but that was my goal to start with anyway.  I wanted to get that far and then put it down to knit a hat for the new little guy.  I am happy to say that I've accomplished both.   I really really like the coloring of this new shawl and am excited about moving forward with it.  However, the sucker is going to be 72" long... so it's not going to be a fast knit for me.  It will be more of an ongoing project.

Here's a quick peek at the baby hat that I started yesterday morning and finished this evening.  I'll post finished pics of it later this week.  It coordinates with the longies I made a while ago.

Well, I think that just about wraps things up.  I'll post an updated preggo pic sometime this week... if I remember to have someone take one.  ;-)  Have an awesome week!

12/10 To-Do List

Here is this weeks list (updated 12/16 10:22am):

1. Knit prayer shawl - in process... 52+ rows... looks really nice and soft
2. Knit baby hat(s) - one down... but I think it's too big.  Gonna look for another pattern to play with
3. Knit soaker(s)/longies for the littles
4. Pack hospital bag(s) and fax pre-registration forms to the hospital. - in process
5. MPB Local Tax reporting.
6. Update MPB QuickBooks file in preparation for tax time. - in process
7. Dispute credit report issues. - dealing with this now in preparation for house sale/hunting in the new year.  Need this resolved right away
8. Complete UFO and stock at MPB this month.  Stocking 12/13 for the last time before the baby is born.
9. Collage
   • Put up a message about preparing for our newest little one and stocking in the new year.
   • Plan anything for January/February
10. Update fabric options on the website.  In process
11. Supply orders
    • Elastic - it finally arrived after paypal refunded my money.  need to call paypal on 12/17 to see about returning the refund... since I DID get the elastic ;-).
    • Aplix
    • Snaps?
    • PUL