our new shop is open!
Matheau and I have been working on getting an online shop open. Please go take a look at Chestnut 203!
Luke is ten years old.
Happy Birthday Luke!!!
Some great things you need to know about Luke.
He believes in fairness at all costs
He loves to make people laugh
He is a super brother to three sisters
He only gives dad and mom kisses if they are before we near the school
He loves homemade pizza and dessert
He loves pop tarts and cereal and especially loves that he gets them when he stays with Grandparents
He loves the wii
He is involved in tae kwan doe, tumbling and loves socer
He is a follower of Christ and shares his faith
new hats for winter.
I’m glad they are finished. It is cold outside!! Notice Lizzie has no socks on in this photo? Yea, how do kids feet not get cold? Mine are always cold.
I knit Matheau a new hat as well, I took a couple of really quick photos so I am hoping to get one of the both of us to post.
more catch up…
This is going to take a while. Since last September, the older 3 kids and Matheau have been taking tae-kwan-doe. This was at Matheau and Hannah’s second tourniment, Alli and Luke’s first. They all rocked!
Decorating this last weekend at Mom and Dad’s.
All the Burwick and Casner great grandchildren with Grandpa Harvey.
well, it has been a long time.
and we are getting close to winter so now as good of time to jump back in and blog here again.
Let’s start simple with some photos from birthdays and apple picking. 😉
It is no longer winter.
Over three months is a long time not too post. It is hard to know whether I should start again or just let the blog be.
There have been a lot of snows, some really lovely days, and rain, all since January 15. And there has been a lot of life taking place. School done, piano practiced, inches grown (at least it seems like inches), new recipes tried, more miles logged in exercise, trees and flowers have bloomed, stitches knitted, singing and concerts…. next will include the youngest’ turn to learn to tie her own shoes, classes and days of school finished, clothes swapped out for the warmer days of spring…
math time.
It looks peaceful doesn’t it?  In one of our  home schooling days these moments last about 4-5 minutes, and then someone needs help with a new section of math, finding a missing crayon, pencil sharpener… a plea for less work is made…
However short they may last, these moments – they do help carry me through the not so peaceful ones.
*Still thinking of Haiti today. Indie Fixx is hosting a Haiti Relief Fundraiser right now to help raise funds.
Haiti.
Just last year around this time our friends Suzanne and Chris were in Haiti bringing home their daughters, Lovely and Rosalynda. After 2 years of waiting for the girls, they were picking them up. I just keep thinking of the miracle that they are here safe with  Chris and Suzanne and still not in Haiti today.
I’m praying for more miracles to happen for Haitians today after the 7.0 earthquake hit January 12.
Through Suzanne’s blog is a link to a family in Haiti with information. Ways to help.
a pattern for knitting.
The Autumn/Winter of 2008, Toast catalog had some beautiful, simple hand warmers. Just lovely, anyway… when scrolling some blogs I found a free pattern for them. So, I must confess, basically all I have done is tweak the pattern to use smaller needles and change the size a bit to fit a younger age group (specifically my girls). I also added a larger size in parenthesize for an adult-still using the size 4 needle.) I am one who doesn’t feel too confident to stray from patterns, so if you are like me, here is one more knitting pattern for your collection.
If you want a pair for yourself with a worsted weight yarn and size 7 needles, please find the original pattern at a-friend-to-knit-with. (It is on her side bar.) I have made both “toast” and “toastys” many times.
Hand warmers
yarn: dk  or sport weight. (I used Blue Skys Alpaca, Sport weight)
needles: size 4 double pointed. (4 of them)
Cast on 34 (46) sitches. Divided onto 3 needles.
Join for working in the round. Knit for 5 1/2 (7 1/2) in.
Make thumb: Knit 6, slip 4 (6) stitches to a piece of waste yarn. Cast on 4 (6) stitches using the backward loop method, knit to the end. Continue knitting in the round until entire mitt measures (from cast on edge). 8 3/4 (11) inches.
Loosely bind off all stitches.
Thumb: Place 4 (6) sts from waste yarn on one of your needles. Pick up and knit 4(6) sts around thumb opening using another double point. Using a third needle, pick up and knit 4 (6) more sts around the thumb. 12 (18) sts.
Join in the round. Knit for 1 (1 1/2) in.. Loosely bind off. Weave in ends. Repeat for other hand warmer.
If you need help with any of the directions feel free to email me. If you want to watch a tutorial on backward loop cast on or any of the steps – I love to use knittinghelp.com.
the beginning of the week.
making plans for the week. school starting back up, a visit to the library and the grocery store. searching for our “groove.”