Knitting, reading and chocolate

I am convinced I have figured out what Heaven is like. Let me preface by saying that I love to read. I have always loved books. Somehow my children instinctively know this and do everything they can from preventing it! They can be sleeping soundly and if I open a book within 10 minutes someone is crying, wailing, peeing the bed......something that will stop the reading. I have been reading the same 2 books for about 9 months. Well, the other day I had a revolutionary idea. I knit all the time and the kids radar somehow isn't tune to that, so what if I listened to books while knitting?? I downloaded "The Time Traveler Wife", put it on my ipod and tryed out my theory. IT WORKED!! The second night I realized that something was missing, but as soon as i added a small chocolate snack i knew I was on to someting great.....not just great it was fabulos. The book was fabulous! Plus, I nearly completed this cute pair of fingerless gloves while doing it! I am confident this is what Heaven will feel like!! Try it! And yes, I know that listening to an audiobook isn't quite reading, but close enough!!











































Also here are pictures of the alpaca scarf I mentioned a few posts ago:

Christmas with Grandpa Jesus

Did you miss me??? I Pretend that people actually read this thing so bear with me!! LOL Sorry for the long absence, the holiday season mixed with an array of technical difficulties kept me away for a few months. However, since it is a bright fun New Year I will hop back on the blog bandwagon and try to keep up-to-date.

I suppose we'll just go straight to Christmas. You know for a few years Christmas stopped being much fun. It is so gaudy and overdone, I had just burned out.....then I had kids. Wow, it is amazing how those sweet little girls can bring the joy of the holidays in with a giggle! We had a lot of fun this year picking out our tree (I am a real tree purist) decorating, shopping, baking etc. Aurora was really into Christmas this year. She played with her Little People nativity almost every day. It plays "Away in a Manger" but, Aurora made up her own words creating a new holiday favorite "Happy Birthday, Jesus" Eve even picked up and will now say "Happy Jesus" When she hears the tune! Aurora also created a whole new Christmas figure this year, Grandpa Jesus. One day she brought me a picture we had of her with Santa when she was two. She hands me the picture and says "Aw, it's my first picture with Jesus!" I stifled a laugh and said "No sweetie, that is Santa Claus. Christmas is Jesus' birthday, but Santa is just a kind man with lots of helpers who brings presents to good girls and boys. It is how he celebrates Jesus' birthday." She looked at the picture again, thought for minute and took it back to her room. About 45 minutes later she comes back to me with the picture and says "Mommy look, it's my first picture with Jesus!" I look at the picture and say "Aurora, I just told you about that. This is Santa, not Jesus." She gets the most exasperated look on her face, lets out a huge sigh and says "Mommy, at Christmas there is the baby Jesus and the grandpa Jesus!" I almost fell off my chair laughing! I love the things that little mind comes up with! I suppose that is a good way to keep Christ the center of the holiday!! We enjoyed a nice laid back holiday. I wish I had more pictures, but I always seem to forget my big huge camera. Hopefully that will get better since Jeremy got me a fun new tiny point a shoot. I love it and since I constantly complain about cords and such being everywhere, he even found one that will wirelessly download the pics from my camera to my lap top...how cool is that?? Anyway, we had a great Christmas spent with family, and were blessed to spend New Years with friends. it was a nice holiday season.

You would think that after all of the projects that I did for Christmas, I would be sick of knitting, but it continues to be my favorite pastime. I swear we could heal the world with knitting. I told some friends that if only we could teach all the world leaders to knit, then maybe we'd figure out world peace! LOL Seriously though, I have never had a hobby that was so fulfilling. There is just something so healing about taking pent up nervous and angry energy and turning it into beautiful hand knit items. I am loving it so much that i have even made yarn the incentive for my new "Healthy Nicole" plan (ie. a diet type lifestyle change) We'll see how that goes! Knitting is going great! Since my last post, I have finished the alpaca scarf, made 6 purses, 2 crowns, and a panta! Here are some pics, I still haven't photographed they Alpaca scarf, so look for that in a few days. Oh, and I'm including pics of the adorable pj's I made for Aurora, Eve, and Aurora's doll Rena. I had so much fun making them!! I think I might actually be a little domestic.....though I stand by my mantra that being a stay at home mom does not mean I am a maid or a cook. I am a mom. That is my job. I do some cleaing and we have to eat, but that is all secondary to the kids. Where does knitting fit into that picture?? Well, it keeps me sane!






















































Okay, that is all for now. I should have been asleep an hour ago! Keeping my blog up-to-date was a resolution, but so was going to bed by 12;30!! Oh well I have the whole year to work on it!!