Knitting Scarf #2 & Raw Milk

I got Rebekah's scarf completed last night on the way to a dairy (about an hour trip) to get raw milk and raw cream. The milk there is wonderful and the cream very, very yummy :-) The dairy is right on the outskirts of Claremore, OK . I wanted to linger there a bit to look at their stuff (even though its not a lot), but they were very busy, so we got 6 gallons of raw milk 2 pints of raw cream, cheeses and cheese curds (a wonderful snack!). We have never been there, but have had their milk and cheese when at a friends house. They have a long narrow room where the cows get milked at that has a full glass front. We parked in front of that and one of my boys got excited when he saw the cows in front of us. Rebekah says "silly, those aren't real cows they're fake!" I turned to her and said those are the real cows and she had the cutest surprised look on her face and seemed embarrassed. Anyway, it was cute!

It's been about six years since we used to drive to a dairy out in the country, around 40 minutes from our house. I would load up two coolers and six - gallon jars. They would let me go in and fill the jars up from their big stainless still tank. Then I'd leave $1.50 per gallon on a small table and leave. I miss those days. I think there is nothing better than raw milk. The taste is indescribably better and I believe it's a lot better for you.

After we got back in town the girls and I had a Keepers of the Faith meeting where we are making cards for orphans in Romania. Then when we got home from that I added the fringe. I had never put fringe on anything; it really seemed to dress it up. This scarf was made with an eyelash yarn, size 13 needles and 15 stitches across. It took excatly the entire skein to make it with the fringe.

Knitting - Scarf

I learned how to knit when I was in third grade. Off and on I get the urge to knit. When I was in third grade I made a chicken shaped pin holder, pot holder, and house slippers. I've always wanted to knit something big, just never have had the time.

Three years ago, I started knitting again. I made dish clothes in several different patterns. Then I put it all away and only until recently did I get the urge to knit again. I made some dish clothes for Christmas gifts and then started on this scarf, that is being modeled my Nehemiah. He liked it so much that I gave it to him.

For this scarf I used Lion Brand Homespun yarn and size 13 knitting needles. I cast on 15 stitches, and knit the whole thing. It used less than one skein of yarn. I didn't make this one with a fringe edge, but for the girls's scarfs I will.

I am now in the process of making a scarf for Rebekah and one for Elizabeth. I'll post them when I get them finished. I am really enjoying knitting again and the girls are having fun learning. These projects are easy to take with you where ever you go, so even when I'm sitting around waiting on someone or something, I can accomplish something at the same time!

Please tell me they aren't all yours....

I have eight children so I think I have heard just about all the comments out there that rude people can come up with. On another day I might even list some, but I don't have much time. I don't remember stuff like I use to, so I figured I had better post this before I forgot!

Today my husband had the day off and we went into town to buy 2 of them shoes. We tried Wal-Mart... nothing. Then we went to K-Mart.... well we got Zachary a pair of shoes there and went to check out. The cashier next to the line we were in leans over her booth (in her boy as can be short hair cut) and starts pointing her finger at each child and verbally counts them. She gets louder with each number and stops at 7. Then she proceeds to say "Wow, that's a lot of kids, tell me your babysitting." I said "No". She then says "Please tell me they are not all yours!" I said "Yep! They are all mine" Honestly I don't remember at the moment what else she said. I just stood there, smiling and waiting to get out of there. I wish I could be bold and stand up to people like that. At least think of something to say, but then I figure that it wouldn't make a difference anyways.

I guess I really don't understand people. Why does it matter how many children a person has. And what does it matter to her? Why in the world would anyone say please tell me.... I don't get it. After over 10 years of hearing it, I still don't get it. When I had my last child, he was born 6 1/2 weeks premature. I was sent by ambulance to Tulsa to have him taken by an emergency c-section at a hospital that could handle that premature of babies. I was in the hospital for 8 or 9 days, and during the middle of the stay I ended up having a group of doctors to help control my blood pressure, ect. and this young lady doctor who was the main one I had to talk to, comes in one night and proceeds to tell me she was from a large family and that she believes it must be an addiction!!!!! WHAT! A doctor telling someone who hadn't even got to see her son, that it must be an addiction for women to have that many babies.... WEll that's a whole nother long story, see I ment to post a couple of paragraphs and now I could write all night long. Guess I shouldn't have brought up those feelings.

Cleaning the girls room....

Today the girls and I started on their room. I decided to have them bring down all their clothes so we could go through them in the living room. It was much easier that way. Usually I just keep everything in their room, but that doesn't give us much space.

I had them go through stuff and get rid of stuff they don't wear, stained, ect. we ended up with 2 outdoor leaf size bags of clothes to give away (we thew away the bad stuff). Hopefully that will make a big difference in managing their clothes. We are still going through all their toys, I am taking a break and then I'll join them again.

My oldest daughter is working on the boys room. She's good! She is 14 (almost 15) and has no regrets when it comes to getting rid of someone elses stuff! lol However, I now have a ton of laundry to do from stuff she is finding in the boys' room. I knew Ezra had some clothes!

I am excited about the change, just don't like the fact that to get stuff really clean we have to really mess stuff up :-) I was wanting to do this over Christmas break, but I got sick, then different things kept going around the house. So my goal is to try and have it done by Monday night. My husband took Monday off, so Tuesday we'll start school back up. Which after having the break, I need to get back on track with that too! Well I'd better take one thing at a time and concentrate on their rooms. My biggest problem is I start looking at everything that needs to be done and then start trying to do too many at one time and I never really ever get one thing done well. But! No more! A new year and a new attitude!

New Years Day 2009

It just seems like yesterday that we were ringing in the year 2000 and now that was 9 years ago. Time seems to fly by faster and faster. Last night we celebrated New Years Eve by playing games with the kids. My husband fell asleep by 10:30 and my 6 yo boy fell asleep by 7 p.m. (he had a headache and fell asleep on the couch). The rest of us ate chips 'n dip and drank pop, played games and when it was 12 am walked out back and watched the fireworks. They were kind of far off but still neat for the kids and it sounded like thunder rolling across the sky. It was pretty cold last night, maybe around 24 degrees, but there was no wind. Still after standing outside for 10 minutes or so I had had enough. I let the kids camp out on my bedroom floor and they still weren't tired. So they laid around reading and I worked on knitting a scarf, while teaching my 10 yo how to knit. It was a fun evening, and we finally fell asleep sometime after 2 am.

Today we all slept in, got up and went to Quick Trip to get a cheap lunch while we road by a place in the country we are interested in buying. Before we left we put 2 chickens on in a smoker/roaster oven. I had 10 pounds of potatoes that needed used up so I made them all in to mashed potatoes, made quite a bit! Tonight we played a few more games and now the kids are in bed.

Tomorrow I am going to start going through each room to start my major rehaul of slimming down our possessions. We have too much stuff, its hard to keep stuff organized and clean. I admit I have the tendency of being a pack rat and can find 101 reasons why something is special or needed. I need to break that cycle. I know I'll be much happier because my house will be much more organized and easier to clean. I've read everything a person can read about it, now I need to put all that reading into practice.

One of my biggest problems is clothes. I always kept all the kids' clothes so that when I had the next one they could wear the last ones clothes. Well that worked out for the first 5 kids, then started becoming a major undertaking. Now I have given away a lot of clothes, but their rooms are so full of clothes that most of the time they are all over the floors. I might try keeping so many sets of outfits and give away the rest. The girls share a room and the boys share a room. So imagine 3 girls in one room and 4 boys in the other! I need to get more creative! My youngest stayed in my room until he was 3, now that he is in the boys' room I can never find an outfit for him. Hopefully this year will be the year that I really accomplish all the things I keep meaning to do :-)

My top priorities for this year that I hope to accomplish is to read through the Bible, organize my home and our school, loose weight, and hopefully buy a home and move!