Feliz Na

In praise of fancy photo cards

Shutterfly has really stepped up their game this year with beautiful, new card designs to meet all your holiday needs. While browsing their new catalog, I could not help but notice the great use of color and clean design.

Classic looks and colors, right along side non-traditional color palettes with modern images. The perfect frame for your Christmas photo.

I don't know about your family, but we spend several hours each year walking around, posing, smiling, the whole nine -- and a few years we've had to go back out a second night/day to get the perfect shot! I love to have already decided on a card so that I can match our clothes and accessories.

They're also carrying the cutest, personalized gift tags! I'm not always the most matchy of persons, but I love the idea of wrapping everything in plain, jewel tone colored papers with fancy, personalized tags.

And if you're still shopping for gifts -- don't miss their photo gifts, including huge canvas prints and make-your-own calendars.

Here's some of my favorites!

Cards I love

Gifts that rock

Fun stationary items

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

-- Melody Beattie

stardust

Sterling Silver Stardust Hoop Earrings by NauticalWheeler

Diamante Dark Gray Swarovski Pearl Earrings by DutchTouchBeads

three modern mommy necklace oxidized sterling by hazelnutcottage

stardust spheres ear posts by dadamietz

stardust discs on black chain by bunniesinla

Stardust Vintage Constellation Map Petite Earrings by sherrytruitt

supernova stud earrings by osirisjewellery

*love*

Thankfulness

I know, I know, it's already Nov. 7th and it just occurred to me that it's November and Thanksgiving is on its way. Last year, I made a thankful status update on my facebook page each day in November and it was a great time to reflect and focus on the good.

I'm going to catch up here and then keep it going for the rest of November over on fb. :)

1. I'm thankful for the new, cooler breezes we're experiencing.

2. I'm thankful that my sister's baby was born happy and healthy!

3. I'm thankful for short lines at the grocery store.

4. I'm thankful for all the friends the girls have made here.

5. I'm thankful for Gonper's Libreria carrying felt, in lots of colors.

6. I'm thankful for crayola.com.

And 7 will be live in seconds on my profile. :)

Socktober Progress

I started trying to get just one photo of my sock-in-action, but got a bit carried away. Almost halfway through the month . . . I hope that sock 2 is extra speedy! :)

I'm A Winner

Thanks to my lovely friend Allison for awarding me:

Allison is keeping an amazing blog about her homeschool adventures with TONS of great ideas and links -- if you're homeschooling, I highly recommend it.

The rules for winning this award are as follows:

* Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
* Share 7 things about yourself.
* Pass the award along to 10 other bloggers who you recently discovered and think are fabulous.
* Contact the bloggers you chose and let them know about the award.

7 Things About Me:

1. I hated tomatoes growing up and didn't ever eat them until I was pregnant with Alison and fell in love with Chevy's salsa.

2. I receive a lot of compliments on my handwriting. It's nice because I spent a lot of time practicing in high school, not taking notes, actually practicing my super-cool handwriting.

3. I love that necklace that Mariska Hargitay wears

on Law and Order:SVU

and my wonderful husband had one custom made for me for our anniversary.

4. I own 2 Swatch watches.

5. As a kid, I loved red licorice, not twizzlers, the legitimate stuff you can get on the Boardwalk in Ocean City.

6. I love fine-point Sharpie markers.

7. I make up word a lot, in English and now in Spanish. :)

I award the following bloggers:

Table for Four

My Journey of Growth

Meyer Family

Mighty Woman

From the Inside Out

Jenna's Jots

Counting My Blessings

PoMo Golightly

Halfway Down the Stairs

Running, Knitting & Such

The future

Both of my lovely sisters are pregnant with princesses who will be born in the next few months. Throw in a few friends who are also expecting and I feel like I've been churning out baby stuff for months -- baby stuff that's still here in Nica and seriously needs to get mailed. :)

I'm just about to finish my last baby gift and am setting my sights to the future.

The future uses small needles.

The future is a project that won't sit on my lap and make me hot while I knit it.

The future is also a gift, but a somewhat predictable one so I'll probably still blog about it.

The future begins Oct 1.

The future is Socktoberfest-friendly.

Here's to happy sock-knitting, care to join me?

Happy 8th Birthday Alison!

This year Alison celebrates her third birthday abroad -- a great way to start a life if ever I've heard one! :) She's having a slumber party with friends from school and church that we're all hoping we survive.

The road to eight has been paved with a lot of growth and changes. Our little girl is becoming more than a big girl. She's asking questions. She's making decisions based on long-term outcome instead of short-term.

Still a voracious reader, Ali's gotten pretty good at reading in Spanish. And speaking Spanish, too. It's still pretty funny to listen to her go off on a tangent in Spanish with her friends -- it makes her sound a lot more intense.

Big girl things have become more important: purses, nailpolish, not-Princesses, distance from her little sister; and it's been a little difficult for this mommy, but we're all growing.

Happy Birthday Roo! I love you a million!

Love Languages

The description in 1 Corinthians 13:3-7 describes what love IS, perfectly.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Therefore, that must also mean love is NOT a "feeling." It is a verb. An action. It is what you DO.

God designed 3 types of love and 5 love languages.

The 3 types of love are:

EROS: commonly known as erotic or romantic love

PHILOS: a friendly or brotherly love -a la Philadelphia (the city of brotherly love).

AGAPE: unconditional-the love a parent has for a child and God's love toward us.

Next, come the LOVE LANGUAGES.

Love languages are how we interpret and express love that is both given and received.

1-WORDS OF AFFIRMATION

You experience someone's love most when they encourage you and speak words of affirmation

2-QUALITY TIME

You experience someone's love when they simply spend time with you and make themselves available

3-RECEIVING GIFTS

You experience someone's love most when they express it with physical gifts.

4-ACTS OF SERVICE

You experience someone's love most when they take on some of your responsibilities and do things for you.

5-PHYSICAL TOUCH

You experience someone's love most when they hug you or just hold your hand.

You can take a quiz, found HERE, that helps you identify your love language.

My love language is Words of Affirmation, followed quickly by Quality Time. These two are biggies to me and anyone who has spent a lot of time with me could probably guess them. Alison and Wayne's language is Physical Touch so they get LOTS of hugs!

Even if you show someone else how much you love them using YOUR love language, they might not experience the depth of love you're trying to express. Express your love for them in THEIR love language and watch them light up and your relationship improve. I think everyone should figure out what theirs is and what the love language is of those they love!

HIYA Papaya: August 2010 Newsletter

August 2010 Newsletter

Happy 100th Day!

Today, Centro Escolar LifeLink had our very first 100th day celebration -- complete with yummy treats, a 100 link chain decorated by our students, a balloon drop and lots of fun! We are totally honored to be able to celebrate this occasion and serve our beautiful students.

More photos to follow. :)

A Gift

Each day, I greet all of our students by name at the gate. I wish them a good morning. I extend greetings to their parents and siblings as well and have started to remember many of their names too.

Some mornings I'll receive a fist-full of flowers picked on the walk to school. Other days, I'll get a bag of mango slices or an avocado from someone's tree.

I receive each gift with thanks and a hug.

Last week, I received a very different gift.

Elisa came to find me in the auditorium to let me know that two of our students had just arrived a bit late and their mother had a gift for me. A smile played at the corners of her mouth while she said she could not wait to see how I reacted. I didn't know what to expect as I headed down the sidewalk. The students are two of the most impoverished students in our school and I knew that anything they could give would be a treasure to them.

I approached their mother who had her back to me and when she turned around, she handed me a bunny. A real, live bunny rabbit.

She immediately started giving me instructions about how often he needs to be bathed, what he eats, etc. I was shocked that I was holding a bunny, not-to-mention that I was now the proud owner of one.

That afternoon we brought Pelusa the bunny home and the girl's immediately fell in love with him. Emily has plans to take him to school when we get him a travel cage and we'd also like to take him to visit our students periodically. He eats a lot of carrots and celery, but is much quieter than the dog. :)

An excellent gift!

Beattitudes Redux

Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn and are meek and constantly hunger and thirst for righteousness. Through their mercy and pure hearts they are peacemakers and because of their right lifestyle and because of My name they are often persecuted.

Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven and they shall enjoy my comfort and my inheritance. I will fill them, show them mercy and show them My face. I will call them My sons and daughters, again I say that the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs for great is their reward in Heaven!

-- based on I John 2:6

Emily the Exploradora

While our very first group was here this past week, helping us celebrate and complete our first year in the missions field, our little Emily participated in some very brave fun. Not quite unexpected for a kid who, if we visit another country this year, will have visited one country for each year of her life -- something we hope she continues throughout her life.

Emily and I bravely took our first zip-line tour over the Tiscapa Lagoon in Managua. She LOVED it!!

Knitting Skillz Master List

I think the biggest surprise is the fact that after almost 8 years of knitting -- I've still never done a long-tail cast-on. :)

Afghan/BlanketAfghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental Knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting (albeit unsuccessful)
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steek
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting>
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Feliz cumpleaños Em!

Happiest of birthdays to my littlest princess!

We're headed under the sea...

For Emily's Little Mermaid birthday party tomorrow afternoon -- I've got a faboo cake planned, but haven't been able to find the exact ingredients I need. I've got some stand-ins and we'll see how it turns out. :)

July 1: Stepping up my game

I'm going to try out a July of NaBloPoMo -- the monthly theme is "saved", but there are also daily post starters to help out. I'll probably touch on a mix of the two and can't say I won't also throw in a meme or two. :)

July is going to be crazy-busy for us here in Nica so hopefully I'll have lots to talk about.

In a big country, dreams stay with you

I am constantly amazed at the beauty of Nicaragua. From the sunrise over the mountains (and volcano!) during the drive into work to the sunset at the beach over the Pacific Ocean, it's all so beautiful.

We spent a few days at the beach earlier this week and I took a lot of photos -- these are some of my favorites.

Daybook: June 24, 2010

Grabbed this little meme from my friend Allison's blog. :)

Out my window: The little mountain across the street bathed in afternoon sunlight.

I am listening to: The fan next to my desk.

I am thankful for: This fan, it's a little warm here today. :)

From the kitchen: I have wings marinating in the fridge that Wayne is going to grill for dinner. Plus sauteed green beans with almonds and butter.

I am creating: Super-secret baby gifts.

I am reading: Sue Grafton novels on my ipod touch -- ebooks are a missionaries best friend!

Around the house: Still unpacking from beach vacation, but all the laundry is done.

One of my favorite things: The way Emily rubs her fingers together against the flannel of her blankie.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Lesson plans for second semester English classes at the school.

I am thinking: About plans for Emily's birthday party and where I can buy some fireworks...

Headed to the beach

Last night we had a family vacation planning meeting. Here's a glimpse at what the next handful of days have in store for us:

Fraggles!!

Mother's Day

Mum's Day was celebrated in March at my Mom's house in England. Today both my sisters are celebrating (Erin's first!). We'll celebrate here in Nica at the end of the month.

All the dates and locations aside, I am BLESSED to have an amazing mom who I try to celebrate every day. I am BLESSED to be a mom and strive each day to be the best that I can. And I am additionally BLESSED by all of the wonderful, strong, amazing mom friends I have.

Happy Mother's Day!!

FO: Rainbow Socks, or the socks that took two years

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A.

Yarn: Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Crazy Color 4-ply in Color #5399

Needles: 2 16" KnitPicks Size 1 circulars

Last week I cast off my much-loved pair of Rainbow Monkey socks. I'm not sure why they took so long. While knitting them, the Yarn Harlot blogged about the yarn and just about everyone else in my knitting group made themselves a pair. I guess life just got in the way of chart reading. :)

Faboo pattern, but I'm doubting anyone needs my recommendation this late in the game. Excellent yarn -- the color is dreamy. The wool is a bit itchy and much too warm for Nica, but Ali has adopted them as her own and I'm not one to argue with children who are willfully accepting knitted items.

While they are not exactly alike, they're really close -- definitely as close as I think I could get them given I modified sock 1, but didn't leave myself notes for sock 2. :)

And with just a bit of yarn left (and having already put a block in the SYB), I came up with this little number for my sweet Emily. She who loves all things knitted and who has already worn this jobby in about 50 different ways.

Resurrection Cookie Recipe

It's Holy Week here in Nicaragua and we've already seen our fair share of Jesus', crucifixs and other religious icons. Having not been raised Catholic, the uber-Catholic traditions of Nicaragua are really interesting and new to me.

But ultimately, God is about relationship and not ritual. Or bunnies. Which is why, in the middle of all of the hoopla this week, we'll be focusing on Him.

A great illustration of the Resurrection story is Resurrection Cookies -- perfect for kids of any age.

We'll be making ours next week, care to join us?

The cookies must be made exactly as written, and the Bible readings can be done with each step for emphasis. I have included the various scriptures so that you can print them out to read as you do the recipe.

These must be started the night before Easter.

Resurrection Cookies

• 1 cup whole pecans
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 3 egg whites
• a pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar
• a zipper baggy
• 1 wooden spoon
• scotch tape
• Bible

1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. Before you do anything else put the whole pecans in zip-loc and let your children beat them with a meat mallet, or hammers, to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested. He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

^{John 19:1-3} So Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers, having braided a crown from thorns, set it on his head, threw a purple robe over him, and approached him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they greeted him with slaps in the face.

3. Allow each child to smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar
to drink.

^{John 19:28-30} Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, "I'm thirsty." A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, "It's done . . . complete." Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.

4. Add the egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.

John 10-11: I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary.

5. Put a little of the salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest
into the bowl. If you have a lot of kids like I do put the pinch of salt INTO the bowl and then allow them to taste a little of salt or you will have too much salt in the recipe! Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.

Luke 23:27 A huge crowd of people followed, along with women weeping and carrying on. At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't cry for me.

6. So far the ingredients would not make a very good dessert! Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to
know and belong to Him.

^{Psalm 34:8} Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.

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.

7. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks form. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

^{Isaiah 1:18} "Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out."
This is God's Message:
"If your sins are blood-red,
they'll be snow-white.

^{John 3:1-3} There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it." Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."

8. Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.

^{Matthew 27:57-60} Late in the afternoon a wealthy man from Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, arrived. His name was Joseph. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate granted his request. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linens, put it in his own tomb, a new tomb only recently cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the entrance. Then he went off.

9. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

10. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.

^{Matthew 27:65-66} Pilate told them, "You will have a guard. Go ahead and secure it the best you can." So they went out and secured the tomb, sealing the stone and posting guards.

11. Now, go to bed. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

John 16:20, 22 Then fix this firmly in your minds: You're going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You'll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness...The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you'll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you. You'll no longer be so full of questions.

12. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked
surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!

On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Matthew 28:1-10 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.

The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."

The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."

1 Maniac

"The middle of the night belongs to your mother, the middle of the night belongs to us."

-- Alison

(her interpretation of 'Because the Night' by the 10,000 Maniacs)

LOST

I have spent the last three months re-watching the first five seasons of LOST with the help of DVDs, iTunes and the interwebs. Note that I said "re-watching", that's because I have been watching LOST since the very first Wednesday it aired.

I remember watching the first episode and thinking that the writers/producers/show-makers had decided that they could do whatever they wanted with the plot and I was definitely interested in where that was going to go.

In college, as a Communication major who wanted to go into film, I took a lot of classes on being a critical observer and on plot. I figure out the ending to a lot of movies, usually pretty early on. It's not because I want to, but it just happens. LOST has always surprised me, I've been able to simply watch and not worry about being disappointed because I figured it out too soon.

Wayne's never taken to it, although he did watch seasons 1-3 with me during the great rewatch, but they weren't as good because he'd seen a lot from the future episodes. Enough to erase the suspense that has made the show so good.

During the rewatch I've been looking for a specific flashback episode with Locke, but as it turns out, apparently my LOST-obsessed brain made it up. That's right, I made up an episode of possibly the most confusing show ever, further confusing myself.

I've got the first handful of episodes from season 6 waiting for me in iTunes. I'm excited to start watching them!

UFO: Rainbow Monkey Socks

The current not-snowy weather here in Central America has led me to a hankering to knit small, not-blankety things. So after working up a few dishclothes for the kitchen at the base, my hands turned to socks.

While I went through my yarn contico (trunk) looking for something to start, I happened upon a ziploc bag with one Rainbow Monkey sock and a full ball of yarn. I didn't remember when I started them or why I didn't kitchner Sock 1 closed, but here they were with my size 1 circular needles.

After a quick grafting session with Sock 1, I cast on for Sock 2 on Saturday morning. Right now, Sunday night, I'm almost to the heel flap -- I think they were just what I was looking for. :)

My Little Preschooler

Emily has just completed her first complete week of Preschool here in Nica and she LOVES it.

She comes home everyday with her work from the day and our refrigerator has been full of her daily accomplishments. I'm really impressed with the curriculum and teaching path her school is using as they introduce colors, shapes, letters, prewriting and all the standard preschool stuff.

She's a cutie!

p.s. That's totally our bright green house in the background, no HOAs dictating colors here. :)

iTunes

Me: How did this song get on my iTunes?

Wayne: Because your iTunes recognized that this song is awesome and wanted you to be awesomer.

:)

First Day of Second Grade!

Things have been very busy here in Casa Tingle. Work is moving forward at a rapid pace and we're really excited to see all the things God is allowing to happen! In the midst of all that, we've made a conscious effort to be a family.

A family who eats dinner together. Who reads stories at bedtime and says nighttime prayers together. A family who has fun together. :)

Our family has also been preparing to send two little chickies to school this week. The Nicaraguan school calendar runs February to November so we've just completed our "summer" break. :)

Alison is returning to the Christian school she attended last fall for one month. We attended her Open House on Friday night and discovered that instead of placing her in first grade (so she'd get a full year of 1st grade), that the Director, first grade teacher and second grade teacher got together and decided that she could handle second grade! We're really proud of her! She's such a smart cookie. :)

She woke up at 4AM today because she was so excited! She and I had breakfast together where she told me about how she thought the day was going to go.

A little while later, the transport arrived and she was off.

The school holds a great position on academics and in the interest of not wasting anytime sent home her first homework assignments today! With a little help she was able to complete all of her homework, in Spanish, without getting frustrated! It's going to be a great year!

RIP: J.D. Salinger

Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.

-- The Catcher in the Rye

LifeLink International is pleased to announce that our Child Sponsorship program is now Live! Our preschool opens in Feb. 2010 with 100 students and they all need sponsors. Please consider how you can be a part of this great program.

A $35 a month sponsorship links you directly to a child. You will be aiding the child in purchasing supplies, clothes, a daily nutritional meal, and getting a Christian education.

You can get more information at www.lifelinkint.org. Click "Child Sponsorships".

If you have any questions you can use the contact page or feel free to email me directly at mtingle@lifelinkint.org

The gift of opportunity becomes the gift of a lifetime.

Emily cuteness

I've made chili for dinner -- from scratch! as there is no handy-dandy McCormick's mix here -- which is not on Emily's rider of approved dinner options. Instead of throwing a fit she instead approached me with the following request:

"Can I have a hot dog for dinner, or-haps?"

And I melted.

Orhaps is totally the new perhaps. :)

Linkity-link-link-link

In place of an actual post about knitting or Nica or the fam since I've been very busy, here is a list of links from my google reader that I think you should check out. I was a diehard bloglines fan and resisted the Reader forever, but Wayne started using it and when I tried it, "just to see", I immediately fell in love. If you still click from blog to blog, I highly recommend it.

Magic Pixie Knitter : http://magicpixieknitter.blogspot.com/ <-- my friend Adrienne, an amazingly talented chick who knits a lot!

Lolly Knitting Around : http://lollygirl.com/blog <-- great photography, also writes about yoga, library-ing, healthy living and travel.

Nicole the Knitting Goddess : http://knittinggoddess.typepad.com/ <-- my friend Nicole, great photos, this chick finishes projects faster than anyone I know. Lots of FOs and great details about yarn subs and mods.

Halfway Down the Stairs : http://halfway-down-the-stairs.blogspot.com/ <-- Guinifer knits socks, lots of them! A real inspiration for pattern and yarn ideas.

Fricknits : http://fricknits.typepad.com/ <-- Julie is a knitter, crocheter, quilter and more. Gorgeous photos, great inspiration.

365 days in the life of one blanket

Started Jan. 1, 2009

Knit in 3 countries and 2 states on Addi Turbo 16" circulars, size 2.

Includes yarns from socks I've knit, projects of dear friends and fellow knitters I'll probably never meet. And hand-dyed and handspun yarns.

This blanket has spawned, at last count, 6 or 7 other blankets.

It has been my constant companion in a year of a lot of change. It hold memories that I'll treasure for a very long time.

I plan to continue to add to it -- Lord knows I have the yarn. :)

More photos of the blankie adventure: http://www.flickr.com/photos/megaknits/sets/72157612411946506/