Lest I Forget

...that Peter is sleeping peacefully beside me. Tonight he choked on a fifty cent euro coin. By the time I managed to dislodge it, he was limp and cold to the touch and it took several minutes for him to be "himself". I have not recovered so quickly. I know it could have had a much different outcome. Hug your children. Let them know how special they are to you. Right now.

I have wanted a new hat for a while, but the right yarn and the right pattern had yet to line up. It happened this week, and I finished it in a couple of days. My first attempt at felting was a semi-success. When I pulled it out of the washer, I was afraid it wouldn't even fit on Peter's head! With much pulling and tugging, I did get it to fit, though I do wish it was slightly larger. The band in the picture is actually a headband that I slipped on the hat. I knitted a black band too. Technically, I could make many different colors, but I doubt I will. I haven't started anything new reading wise. Joining Ginny as usual.

According to the weather forecast, this is probably one of the last sunny, mild days for quite some time. We decided to make the most of it and take a hike in the nearby woods. The weather was perfect. The leaves were brilliant shades of yellow. What a glorious afternoon! The German's know how to live, I tell you. Right beside the start of the walking trails, there is a little hut that serves beer and brats. After our walk, which was about 5 kilometers, we enjoyed some German fare in the waning afternoon light. It is hard to believe that we have been here for nine months. I don't feel like we have taken advantage of those months nearly enough. I already feel our time here slipping away. I mean, we could have already made a baby, and that seems to take forever! Maybe we need to make a Germany bucket list. Tomorrow, we will head upstairs to the classroom and hit the books, but today, oh today, was just lovely! A balm for the soul. We watched 'Monsters Univ...

You know the saying, "If you can't say anything nice...". Well, I  have been a grump for the last couple of weeks. Therefore, a quiet blog. Today, I got my sorry self out of the house and went to a Christmas Bazaar and a castle. I bought some wine and some fabric at the bazaar. But what really lifted my spirits was the fresh air and beautiful fall day at the only castle on the Rhine River that has never been destroyed. There was even a guided tour in English. I always love listening to the "English" tours given by the Germans. They make me smile inside. There is so much sass in this four year old. Noticing in these photos that my boys haven't had a haircut since we were in the states. Maybe a visit to the barber is in their future. My first view of the Rhine. I love doors. These are stairs, people. Very scary stairs. I don't think I've ever seen armor in person before. Trying to be my...

Today is a crisp fall day, with a gentle breeze and blue skies and lots of white wispy clouds. A beautiful day. A perfect day to wear a shawl. And it is upstairs blocking! Oh, it will look so lovely among all these leaves turning such vibrant colors. I can't wait for Sophie to receive it. Probably in a week or so. I will tell you it was the most difficult knit I have attempted so far. The celtic knot cablework is 36 rows of anxious knitting, believe me. I did not want to have to make any repairs in that section, so I was extremely cautious, often recounting stitches several times before moving on. At the same time, though, watching those intertwining patterns emerge was so amazing. I mean, writing a pattern for that is simply mind boggling! Reading has been more honestly listening. We travelled two weekends in a row and listened to several stories. After finishing Richard Peck's "A Long Way from Chicago" and "A Year Down Yonder", I found another of ...

Since we started the school year, I have had little time to write. We have the first four weeks under our belts and we are slowly getting into a routine. I signed the kids up for a drama class and they love it. So once a week, we head out with a picnic lunch, our school books, and the ipad, and spend our day at the craft center on post. Therese's class is in the morning and the bigger kid's class is after lunch. So, after a month, we were ready for a little fun this past weekend. We went to Garmisch and Ettal. God's handiwork is most impressive. Beauty was everywhere I looked. The weather was also perfect. The hotel in Ettal. The view from our balcony. another view from the hotel in the room, waiting to go to Garmisch. They tried watching cartoons in German, but opted for my ipad instead. The view changed moment to moment. The same balcony view at a different time of day. This was in the entrance to our building. The kids were fascinated. ...