Still here. Winter and me, too. Just as Spring is bound to happen, so is change and I've had a big one. We found a small private school with a special ed department for my daughter :) My homeschoolng mom's heart hurts, but I know it is what she and I both need. I still have one more at home :) and I am looking forward to the one on one I can have with her. This is the view from our school table where she and I do work. We all are looking forward to getting back outside in our great backyard.

My oldest is home for the weekend. It is so lovely to have her home. She is suppose to help me make my blog pretty, but we haven't gotten around to it yet.

hteh

Constant sorrow: I have a special needs daughter and on Friday she had a wonderful day at our home school program and then things set her off. She had to sit in the backseat on the way home because my 15 year old was driving home and then she has just been spending the weekend snowballing from there. It's so hard and I really don't have much help. It's so painful. I try to do so much for her and it feels like nothing works. Today I want to just sit and crochet and drink tea all day, but that won't happen. I am weary in well doing and with a heavy heart, I will move on through the day.

Current project...well one of them. I am using the pattern from here: http://www.lemondedesucrette.com/2014/07/01/something-new-on-my-hook-3/ but you have to scroll down a bit to get to the pattern. Today my two youngest have there classes out with other homeschoolers. I get to sit and chat with friends while they are in classes. It is a new semester for them and my youngest will have her cast party because it is their first class after the play they preformed this past weekend. I will have to send her treats because she is dairy and gluten free. So I am sending some paleo brownies that we made yesterday. But back to the blanket, I am using yarn that I used to make another blanket for myself, which was the first one for just me! I will be keeping this one, too. Blessings!!!

If only this was me. It looks lovely, don't you think?! I was thinking I should pull my head out of the sand and start blogging again. I have so many crochet project that I have done over the past two years and I have been reading others blogs lately and that makes me feel like starting up again.

Yet, I am always with you. You hold onto my right hand. Psalm 73:23

I had a very relaxing day on Sunday and made a little cup warmer for my daughter to take back to school with her. I first made the heart, then needed something to attach it to. I love hearts. I used this pattern for the heart:


 http://gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com/2012/01/crochet-heart-bobby-pins.html

I just crocheted several rows of single stitches and made a loop in the middle of the row at the end.


 Blessings- Joyce

Things

I have no beautiful pictures to post of food, crochet, or flowers but felt the need to write. Life has had many challenges over the last several months and now this morning I found out about the passing of a friend from my past. My husband has been out of work, we had to lay off our one employee/friend that has worked for us for 12 years. My mom has been sick, a friend found out she has breast cancer, one of my best friend's husband had a heart attack this past weekend, my special needs daughter is fighting me more and my oldest is going back to college soon. This is what the Lord brought to mind this morning.

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 ⁵ The LORD watches over you—
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
   nor the moon by night.

 ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
   he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore.

Lately

It has been a long time since I have blogged. Busy, busy, busy with home schooling and our youngest is on a special diet call the GAPS diet. She is grain and dairy free. I love to bake and have been making some very yummy baked goods with almond and coconut flour. But my kitchen is always a mess and I make every thing from scratch for her to eat. Not that that is a bad thing, just time consuming.

This past weekend was filled with  our middle two kids playing baseball, and me freezing while watching, and celebrating our oldest daughter daughter turning 19. She was home from school for a fall break and it was sooooooooo nice to have her home.

 I did have time to quickly make this:http://karenwiederhold.blogspot.com/2011/09/pumpkin-time-garland.html
It is a cute little pumpkin pattern and easy to whip up. I hung it on the door into my husbands office.

Blessings everyone!!!

Joyce

Our dog Angus

Here is our Scottie dog Angus. I thought I would post a cute picture of him. I am still working on Hannah's blanket and am looking forward to her coming home for the weekend from school :) It has been an odd week where I just felt like things were out of order and we will be doing Friday's school work over the weekend. The house was just getting too messy and we cleaned this morning before we headed out the door for our co-op.  The kids each take 2 classes and I get to sit in the lunchroom chatting with other moms. It is a nice way to finish up our school week. Well, I off to get started on cooking dinner and I am looking forward to the six of us sitting down to the table together. As my dear, wonderful sister Patti would say. Toodles!

A post without Hannah...but Josh had to help me :)

I have been waiting for my Lucy pack yarn to arrive from Wales and also, I was fearing posting with Hannah back at college. But I  followed the directions she left me and had my son Josh help me put the picture in :)  The yarn is beautiful...but the skeins are small, so I have to plan carefully what I will use it for. I love the colors and so many of them, too!
I have been rather sad with my oldest back at school. I think after growing up with 3 sisters I just enjoy having another female that I can relate to, at least in someways, in the house. Our youngest has some special needs and Hannah is such a wonderful help. But she must live her life and right now that means lots of studying and fun a couple hours away at school.
We are also back to home schooling and it is going well, but it really does take a few weeks for us to get our brains back in the school mode.
And then my dear husband is coaching 2 little league teams for fall baseball. Our sons and our 12 year old daughter who is the only girl on the boys team...go Natalie! Well, I hope to post some crocheting soon, which has been on the back burner with all that has been going on. Blessings! Joyce

A blanket for Hannah...one day.

This is a Lion Brand pattern that my oldest picked out for me to make her. I keep putting it down and work on other little crochet projects...I need to stay focused. She is off to college soon and this won't be going with her. Maybe it will be ready by her Oct. bday :)

Drawstring bag

A bag for Natalie. She picked out the colors while we were up north.