{this moment}

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Visit SouleMama - author of {this moment}

The Week So Far...

Started Monday afternoon

Into Monday evening

Ending overnight and this was what we woke up to on Tuesday

And I thought it was supposed to be the first days of Spring?

Then my SIL came home from a FL visit this afternoon with a suitcase full of new clothes for the wild man.  He really loves the care packages that come from FL and since my other SIL didn't have to mail a huge box she sent everything in the checked suitcase!  It was great to see him so happy over "new" (gently used) clothes :)  Then the icing on the cake, brand new SPECIAL duds for him to wear Easter weekend:

Oh, my aching sweetness!  Can you believe he's only 4 and 1/2?  What a gorgeous boy I have! Sorry, you won't get modesty from this mom - I'm proud of my good looking little man!  He LOVES his new duds and can't wait to dress up for church on Easter :)  After a little bit of ironing, that is - LOL!

The lace scarf is still in limbo...I needed to set it aside so I can knit up a baby sweater for a friends shower in a couple weeks.  Think I can finish it??  Hope so!

Stay safe and happy knitting!

XXOO

A Fun Day at Chuck E Cheese

Am I buckled?

Driving with Chuck E

Can't believe it's Chuck E in person!

A lovely hug :)

Lunchtime!

Just sank an awesome shot!

This is serious stuff, you know

Flying high!

He is always my simple pleasure!  And we had such a fun time this morning I can't help but share ;)  Ironic, isn't it?  That Dayle chose today to be a photo album day! 
Linking up:

Simple Pleasures ~ Photo Albums

XXOO

Wednesday Yarn Along

Linking up with Ginny at small things for the weekly yarn along :)  I just love this way of being held accountable for my knit things - it's encouraging me to complete items so I can post pictures of something new!  This project, though, will probably take a while to do...it's my first time reading a chart and my first time using lace weight yarn.  I normally knit with worsted and this threadlike, hairy stuff is confounding me!  It's incredibly beautiful and I can't wait to see the finished project - I just want to make sure I don't toss it in the air in the meantime!  LOL :)

The book is Nora Robert's The Search and I have to say her books are some of my guilty pleasures!  She pretty much has the same type of story told in different ways but each new book thrills me :)  It's like watching all the different incarnations of Law and Order...they follow a formula and though predictable, it's extremely successful.  In any case, this is yet another highly entertaining story with strong female characters.

BTW, in case anyone was wondering, I gave up on Pride and Prejudice.  For some reason, I just can't seem to finish it!  Maybe I just like instant gratification or maybe more suspense - wading through all the pleasantries and intrigues of the time in that language just exhausts me!  Someday I will prevail and conquer this classic then I might take on Sense and Sensibility!  Ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves!

Hope you all have a marvelous Wednesday!

XXOO

Tuesday Pics::Things I'm Thankful For

Out of season Christmas Cactus with drop of pink nectar

Clean spaces

Cozy warm and happy dog

Little boys and their bikes

Wonder what he's thinking?

Obnoxious roosters :)

Signs of spring buds on the Magnolia

Sunshine...

Complicated knitting

Pretty purses because let's be honest...who doesn't like a pretty purse!

There are several more worth mentioning that I unfortunately do not have pictures of:

My sweet hubby, who tweaked his back mucking out my chicken coop

Food on the table (especially now - with extremely limited funds)

Clean laundry (which means we have clothes to wear)

and this:

The freedom to read our Bibles...

...without fear of persecution.

Father,

If there was ever a need for Your presence, it is now.

People half-way across the world are in such pain and sorrow.

Please ease their suffering, help bring relief and hope and peace
to those who have lost everything.

Show them You have NOT forsaken them,
because You are steadfast in Your love.

Help speed relief teams and protect those who are still in harm's way.

Thank you for Your grace and Your mercy.

Thank you for the Blessings You have given.

Continue to break my heart with what breaks Yours, dear Lord.

Amen

{this moment}

This Moment...

a single photo capturing a simple, special moment from the week inspired by Soulemama.

Simple Pleasures and What Turns Out to be a Testimony, of sorts

Joining up with A Collection of This and That for today's Simple Pleasure:

Despite the challenges of raising a rambunctious and energetic 4 year old, and there are some, it remains one of my greatest pleasures and greatest treasures....and greatest sorrow.  This precious little person was a later-in-life gift from God - given after a time of great sorrow.  Each little challenge we meet shows us we are capable of handling it even when we are at a place where we feel we couldn't take any more.  God proves His never-ending love by never giving us more than we can handle.  And I speak from a place of some experience in that, having gone through the loss of a child.  At the time, we wondered if we would ever see the light of day again.  By the grace of God we survived one of the most difficult things any parent can experience.  And, do you know what the miracle ending is?  We were battling unbelief and this loss, this devastatingly painful loss, incredibly began to pivot us from our self-destructive path and lead us down a new path...one of truth and love.  A path which we couldn't see at the time and has taken the better part of six years to manifest.  The Lord knew and used this horrific time to enrich our lives, to break us and make us usable so He could work through us.  He tore us down so He could build us up again and give us the most precious gift He could, next to salvation.  At the time we asked, what could God possibly hope to accomplish by taking away our son?  Does He think we'll go running to Him when He ignored all our "prayers" for healing?  And of course we didn't but that seed of truth was there even when we outright denied it.  And lo and behold, four months after the loss of little O, we became pregnant again.  It wasn't supposed to happen!  We had just made the decision that it might be OK if it happened again but it wasn't supposed to be so quick - literally within a month of saying "well, if we do, then we do but we're not going to make it a thang" and we were told, "Hey, guess what?  Did you know..."  Talk about a miracle!  We barely had time to catch our breaths and pull ourselves together when this happened.  In fact, I'm pretty sure we would have wallowed longer if it didn't.

So believe me when I say it's been a long, painful yet wonderful road.  Six years later our lives are completely different now.  We have a new home, a new church, hubby has a new job and we've both been given a thirst for God.  Our wild man will be five this summer and hubby and I are constantly surprised by how much time has flown by since that tragic period in our lives.  We wouldn't be in this place without that loss...a place of brokenness and surrender, crying out to God knowing He is our only lifeline.  Little O's life, crushingly short, for only 40 days, showed us ultimate grace, infinite love and ultimately revealed the face of Jesus.

XXOO

Ginny's Yarn Along and other pleasures

On board with Ginny at small things this week :)

Reading for pleasure, Nora Robert's The Search.  Reading for study, Acts for Everyone (Part One) by N.T. Wright and No Wonder They Call Him Savior by Max Lucado.  Also the jumble of knitting includes an i-cord I'm working on that will be felted, cut and made into cancer ribbon pins for a friend's fundraiser, two completed garter stitch dishcloths and one on the needles.  

I have to mention this...the dishcloths are for a church project I'm working on.  Our group is called Dockside Crafters and we are striving to make a tangible difference in the lives of marginalized women and orphaned children by making household items for an organization called Selamta located in Ethiopia... and they do something truly wonderful!  

"The Selamta Family Project reunites extended families, sustains weakened households and rebuilds families affected by HIV/AIDS, post-conflict issues, and other diseases. The Selamta Family Project helps reweave the fabric of a society overburdened by extreme poverty, food instability and stretched community resources - one family at a time".

The above excerpt is from their website, so be sure you click on the link to see more about this wonderful organization!

In any case, we have been working hard and we can't wait to see what the final item tally will be.  Here's a look at what we have so far:

Lap quilt - Around the World crafted by Althea

Lap quilt - Cornerstone crafted by Althea

Beautiful aprons

Quilted handbags

They are even beautifully lined!

Dish towels

Little knit bags, each lined and big enough to fit a Kindle

Slippers and two scarves

Baby blankets

Dishcloths

What a lovely rainbow!

We're hoping to have enough items to set aside to sell at a craft fair this fall as well as mailing some directly to Selamta.  Of course we want the best of both worlds - beautiful things to mail and money to donate!  Some of the things we've received will be donated locally as they just won't fit the warmer climate in Ethiopia :)  I'm SO excited about this project!  It's been in the works since January and we're finally seeing some completed items and I'm seeing just how talented our ladies are.  I can't wait to see more!

I'll leave you with this:

LOL!  Oh the things a four year old can do with a camera!

Stay safe and happy knitting!

XXOO

What's For Dinner

Chicken Prosciutto Rollups with Garlic Gruyere Bechamel Sauce

Vanilla Cupcake topped with Chocolate Ganache

Vanilla Cupcake filled with Strawberry Jam topped with Vanilla Buttercream

Mmm ;)

XXOO