sherriknits

I know it isn’t supposed to be much this time but wow. For people in the midwest, I know this is nothing….but we never get snow this many times. We can go years without even seeing flakes, so this is really interesting. For the coast, it will probably be raining by tomorrow morning but I went outside a little while ago and it was actually clear. We may have icy roads in the morning.

We went for therapy the other day to the new office. Tyler seemed to really like it. We got there early to make sure we knew where we were going and then we went to Barnes and Noble for a little bit.

Doesn’t he look like fun company? He wore his headphones and listened to his iPod while he looked at his magazines. I bought a new journal and wrote a little bit.

We spent a lot of the time during therapy talking about some behavior issues that are cropping up and I left feeling a little more encouraged. It’s always good to feel pro-active when it all feels kind of tough. I loved that when I told her about one thing, she later came back to it and said she was going to suggest something but I had naturally handled it the way she was going to offer help….a “new theory” being used in schools, but really, just common sense.

He loves playing with balls.

And he’s all about how things work. In the last place, the room was built to be able to screw all the hooks into the ceiling and know they’d stay there. In this place, they had to put a bar up that was made to hold the hooks so different swings can be attached to the ceiling. He’s really checking that out.

I’ve been accomplishing a lot of knitting these days. I’ll get pictures of the latest project when I’m finished and it’s blocked because right now it isn’t all that much to look at.

Ok, now I am going to try to get a video on here after I get myself over to Wordpress IF I can get this post to even go there.

Tyler is so into basketball these days because of High School Musical.  He actually can stand across the room and shoot that ball time after time right into the basket (this time a barrel) but then he started practicing his moves.

Tomorrow I should have some knitting to show you.

Tags: my life

On the same day, I got two swap packages! I haven’t done swaps for quite awhile. It was fun!

First of all, I got this one from Oxford, UK.

This was knit for me by Stephen. Isn’t it gorgeous? I also love the notecards. This was for the International Scarf Exchange 7. I love it!

Then I also got this in an LYS swap on Ravelry.

All kinds of fun goodies! This was from zerbe2cute. Since she doesn’t have her real name on Rav, I’m just giving her user name. These came from North Carolina. I have to say the chocolate was pretty good!

I’ve been having so much fun with my new iPod Touch. I’ll let you in on something kind of embarrassing. I thought I needed to return it because it seemed to have a short in it. It turned off all the time and made all this static. It had taken me quite some time to get the wireless password into it for work so I wasn’t really looking forward to doing that again.

Well, I was looking at a book on how to use the Touch. First of all, I have to admit that I hadn’t really figured out how to turn it off. I’m sure getting it on was a complete accident. lol. I think it’s so strange that you don’t get manuals with things these days. I don’t recall seeing the directions on how to turn it on in the quick start guide. On Wednesday afternoon, Ben was playing with it. He commented that it wasn’t pushed in all the way and I replied that it didn’t work in or out of the case I got hoping that would help. I also said I’d tried my old headphones when I had temporarily lost my new ones. ( no comment ). Later that night, I couldn’t get it to turn on and I was mad that I hadn’t brought all my stuff with me when we drove to Olympia because I’d decided to take it back Friday night instead when we were also going up there. I was looking at this book and read how to turn it off and realized that Ben had actually turned it off and because I didn’t know how to turn it on, I thought it had broken. I was always only putting it to sleep. (yes, I feel dumb). Later that night in bed, I suddenly had this thought to force the ear bud jack all the way in and voila…no more shorting out. Ben told me the next morning that that is what he meant….and I thought he meant I didn’t have it pushed all the way into the case! So now it is working fine and I love it even more.

I just finished listening to a book called The Shack.  For the life of me, I cannot get it to post the picture or Amazon link so use your imagination here or go look it up yourself.  ugh.

It has profoundly affected me. Life has been feeling pretty tough for many reasons. Like Kenny reminds me, there are so many variables when you have other people involved in situations. You can’t control their actions. I have been feeling so overwhelmed with so many things and as I have listened to this book, it has brought me back to the basics of what I believe. We tend to make things so difficult but I have been able to pray and trust the Lord to carry the load for me.

This is just a work of fiction and I struggled with parts of it, but the heart of it has really affected me. I had to work at laying aside my traditionalist viewpoint and hear the heart of the message. I hear that this book affects everyone differently and it has given me much food for thought…including the parts I think I don’t agree with.

All in all, I feel greatly encouraged and that’s always good, isn’t it! I never believe in shoving things under the rug but rather face it and let God walk me through it so I don’t end up with more baggage in my life. I need His strength to deal with the things like raising a teen with special needs…joy that he is, he certainly can be a trial at times. Dealing with my eye and believing for complete healing and resting in the realization these things take time has been another trial. And then people in our lives often bring us to those places that test our character…that can be the hardest.

I’ve also got lots of fun things coming up that I’m looking forward to…life is not all gloom and doom. I actually feel very encouraged and looking up!

How’s life with you?

Tags: my life

I should say that the post below was written a few days ago but I could not get it to post to the website while we were gone over the weekend. I feel bad that so many people have been wondering how I am. To be honest, it’s just been hard to do things. My eyes feel really strained after the sunny weather we’ve been having. I did buy sunglasses on the way home but not sure how much it helped. I slept most of the way home during the 4 hour drive.

We did have fun, though. He’re a little recap of our weekend away.

We always go to the Firemen’s Ham Dinner…fundraiser for the volunteer fire department. My father-in-law is one of the firemen and this past year they named the station in their area after him! Quite the honor.

The ham dinner is held at the local high school. As soon as we walked in, Tyler found the gymnasium. He is really thinking about High School Musical 3 because as he would tell us for weeks, the dvd was coming out on Tuesday, February 17. So of course, the basketball court was a big draw for him.

As soon as we sit down, the food literally is delivered to the table.

The firemen do it all. The dinner isn’t bad.

We also get berry pie coleslaw and raw veggies. (my ham is hiding under the roll)

Tyler got a visit from the fire dog.

So did little Missy. She was sitting in grandpa’s lap and wasn’t too sure about it all.

About this time, we notice that Tyler is gone. It didn’t take long to figure out where he was.

I think one of the older kids saw him head there. Kenny and I went into the gym and we watched him for quite awhile before he ever knew we were there.

Then we went to see the new firetruck. My father-in-law got to pick it up and drive it home and here he is getting ready to show it to us.

He told me to climb in. Then Tyler followed.

Rebecca climbed in front to take Tyler’s picture.

He had fun with Dad.

Then this young firefighter had him climb up on the back and they shot the hose. It’s hard to see, but that’s pretty powerful and Tyler is right there helping.

Can you see him up there? He’s pretty thrilled.

It’s quite a jump down.

Sorry for the bad quality of the pictures. I was feeling really nauseated from the bright sunlight and was just trying to snap some pictures as quickly as I could.

While we went to Starbucks in the morning, one of Kenny’s friends discovered we were in Oregon because I posted my status on Facebook as sitting at Starbucks at the coast. He messaged me and asked if he could come visit. So we had visitors at our little vacation house. Kenny’s mom and sister were there, too. It was a fun afternoon.

That night we spread out over the living area and played games. Tyler and Dad were playing Wii.

The rest of us were playing Monopoly. Rebecca and Chase had already gone home. They came down a day earlier and went home a day before us. It was so much fun to have the family together for the weekend, though. I love that they started planning to take time off months ago because this weekend has always been a tradition for our family. We’ve never rented a house before and were glad it was so roomy….10 of us and enough space to not feel crowded!

As I said, I slept much of the way home….listening to a book on my iPod as much as I could while awake. When the sun was going down, I sat up and watched the sun setting.

I couldn’t get a good shot from this direction but it was so beautiful we stopped the car on the highway to try to get a picture anyway.

Today was back to work followed by a meeting at church so it was 10 before I ever got home. I started the day at the doctor’s office getting my finger pricked and then we went directly to Wal-mart so the little man could get High School Musical 3. He was one happy camper all day!

And now I am off to bed again.

ps I finished my sock and will take a picture soon.

Tags: my life

I can’t even think of a title. I’ve been getting emails from people asking if I am ok. Yes, I’m still healing. I am praying it continues. There is still something funny in my eye. The eye doctor said it could be something that was stuck on my curling iron and got pushed into my eye. It looks viral but I don’t have other symptoms. It also could be stress. He said not to be surprised at that, this definitely has been a stressful journey.

I have most of my sight back but still a little blurry. I am not willing to accept that this is as good as it gets. I’m trying to not let it make me crazy. I am also very grateful for the healing I have received. Now he tells me how really bad it was. I am having a little trouble with flashbacks. I told Kenny today that I will be happy when this is a distant memory.

There has been a lot going on. It’s kind of silly, I got a new memory card for my camera and left it home so I have nothing to jog my memory. I’m not there so hmmm, let’s see. (my memory seems to have taken flight after the big incident)

Rebecca and Chase moved right after her birthday. I’d show you pictures of that but they are on my memory card. They got a house and more room and the exciting thing is the dishwasher and the washer and dryer right in the house.

We drove to Oregon today and it was interesting weather…rain, bright sun, cloudy, hail. It was hard on my eyes today so I spent part of the time with my eyes closed listening to a book.

This was coming over the bridge and where the bright spot on the right is….it was raining through the clouds and was really pretty but it doesn’t really show. (lol….not sure why I’m showing it)

Right after we went over the bridge, we made a stop at Costco.

Do you suppose people could guess I am a knitter?

Wrapped around my ankle.

The car was locked already and I was really tangled. lol

Well, I got to get something I’ve been wanting for awhile. I didn’t need it and *things* don’t fix life when it feels hard, but it was something I’ve been wanting. Kenny helped me out so I could get the next step up from what I’d planned.

Can you tell what it is? Sorry, I was really tired so the picture isn’t great. But….this is right after I finally got it out of the box while we were getting gas. An iPod Touch! My other iPod is dying a slow death (not fast enough tho!). I am so excited with it and anyone who knows me knows I will get a lot of use out of it. It has wireless, too!

I know I just got my MacBook, but that I saved for two years for. This was a splurge, but I think I will pay myself back.

We’re spending the night in Oregon with all of our kids in a rented vacation house. We have a function tomorrow to attend with my in-laws and they are having water problems so we are doing it this way instead. It’s working out great. Kyle will be here tomorrow, he had to work. We do have the little missy, though!

She was a trooper. She rode with us in our small car and her schedule got all off. She’s enjoying stretching out a little after the long drive.

Grandma and Grandpa came down for dinner and enjoyed bath time for the little chickie.

I had never gotten to see bath time, either.

Do you see the lighted duckies? I have never seen anything like that! She does so well for a brand new sitter!

She likes her kicking time, too!

All snuggy and ready for jammies and bed!

And that’s where I’m headed, too!

Tags: my life

Well, maybe I felt a little bit of happiness at it’s passing but, hey, I’m only human.

“What is this?”, you say?

Well, this is the offending curing iron that tried to take out my eye. I guess it feels it has lived out it’s mission because when I finally got the nerve to use it again, what did it do? It died. This is it waiting to go to it’s final resting place. It is sitting now in a clean garbage sack but little does it know that it will soon be covered with all kinds of garbage and do I feel bad? Not really.

I went to the eye doctor again today, visit #6 in 8 days. This is the first time he has been a little discouraged. He said there is something funny there and he’s not sure if I actually did puncture that 2nd layer or if there is something foreign in there. That part is not too thrilling to me at all. I’ve been on straight steroids since Friday. Healing has slowed but he said that that is really to be expected because we are now down to the real damage. Now he tells me how really bad it could have been. Evidently, 3/4 of my eye surface was burned. My sight is still blurry but for today I could at least read a letter or two from each line of the chart I saw. Even on Friday I could barely read the biggest letter.

I am still praying for total healing and appreciate all prayers. It really is a process and like he says, in one week…the progress has been good. If I had this kind of burn on my arm it would never have healed this fast.

And now I have something cute to show you.

I’ve only gotten to see the little sweetie a few times since they’ve been home from Virginia. They got home the day after my big accident. Then she got RSV and since I couldn’t really drive until last Friday and Tyler was hospitalized once with RSV, they couldn’t really come here to visit. Now Tyler has some kind of weird cough at night so we’re just keeping our distance between the two. I did sneak in a visit yesterday after church, though. I can’t bear being away from her for so long.

She’s experimenting with her little cup and water! Time is going so fast. I had to poke her on the floor so I could see her sit and then I just held her for a little while before I had to come home. She just makes life feel all better! (and thankfully she is getting better!)

I have to leave you with something to chuckle about. I’m sure some day Tyler is not going to appreciate this but it’s too good to keep to ourselves. One the one day we did get to go visit, he had a little work out on Wii Fit. He’s hula hooping!

Tags: my life