What, you may ask? All you may be listening to is silence.
Well, that’s because my children are busy doing homework. Today was the first day of school, and a couple of the teachers decided not to waste a moment, digging right into the course material. Good for them! After a summer spent beating the drums to the latest tunes on Rock Band, the Chick children need their brains to be stimulated.
For Soccer Chick, this was a regular day. She is now officially a Junior.
Rockin’ Rooster, on the hand, had a big day. It was his first day of high school.
Last night, as I was driving to church to pick them both up from youth group, a slow song came on the radio, and I got misty-eyed as I began to think about Monday morning’s event. How well I remember his first day of kindergarten. Rooster was my buddy when he was a tot. After Soccer Chick started school, Rooster and I had two glorious years to ourselves (at least until 2pm). He ran errands with me, almost always without complaining. Even after he started preschool, I always picked him up in time to eat lunch together.
The day he started kindergarten was rough for me. It was the first time in many years that I had to go home to a quiet house. Being a stay-at-home mom was the best, except for that morning. I walked aimlessly around the house, feeling like one of my appendages was missing. It was…my four-foot walking stick was no longer glued to my side.
In my sorrow, I went to my local ice cream shop and ordered my favorite treat. I was the first person in the shop that day, and I sadly told the owner my story. She commiserated with me as only another mom could.
I remember the relief I felt when Rooster walked out of school that day, as I eagerly waited with the other parents. He had survived, and so had I.
So, the tears flowed down my face last night as I drove. As I pulled into the church parking lot, the following song began playing on the radio:
I do not believe in coincidences. God sees us in our need and provides comfort and wisdom when we need it. Such was the case with the timing of this song. My favorite hymn has always been Amazing Grace, and this modern version is incredible. God was reminding me that His grace would see me through, and it did.
Rockin’ Rooster got up with his alarm clock and was dressed and ready for devotions when I emerged from the bathroom this morning. I prayed for my children after we read from the Bible, and throughout the day, my thoughts turned to him a few times. Once again, just as I did ten years ago, I eagerly waited for him outside of the school. When he split off from the swarm of kids, I released a contented sigh. My son was fine.
I’ve spent so much time lately discussing non-knitting things, that I thought it was about time to catch you up on projects that I’ve been working on.
First of all, I realized that I never posted a picture of the completed bag I started on my trip to Virginia. The pattern is called A Little Slip of a Thing. You can find the pattern here. The yarn is Lamb’s Pride Worsted. The colors I used are Spruce and Dynamite Blue. The pattern was very easy…something I did not expect with the color changes. It is knit totally in the round, and you only carry one color around as you go, using slip stitches to incorporate the different colors. You can find helpful instructions for the i-cord bind off at this site.
I-Cord Bindoff
Pre-felted
A Look at the Inside - Yarn Carried Over
The Finished Product
After finishing the bag, I began work on a series of dishcloths. I started a Knit-a-Long on KnittingHelp.com. I’ve named it the Olympic Dishcloth KAL, and the purpose is to use up the stash of cotton dishcloth yarn that has accumulated. I started out with this pile of yarn.
One of the gals who is participating worked up a pattern for the Olympic rings. That was my first dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Cornflower.
Olympic Dishcloth
Since Opening Ceremonies, I’ve completed one dishcloth almost every day. All but the last dishcloth patterns came from this booklet, which you can purchase at almost any craft store:
For the Bee Stitch Dishcloth, I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is called American Stripes. It’s self-striping yarn. The yarn was very rough and thick. The pattern was easy. The rough texture will be good for cleaning dishes (yes, I do use these…what’s the point in having them?).
Bee Stitch Dishcloth
The next cloth is called Elfin Lace Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Ecru. Again, the yarn is a little rough, but the color is great for knitting lacy patterns.
Elfin Lace Dishcloth
The next cloth is called Zigzag Eyelet Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Tea Rose. This yarn was fabulously soft. I don’t understand how you can use the same brand of yarn but a different color, and one be different from the other. Strange. Oh well. The pattern was extremely easy, and I like the result.
Zigzag Eyelet Dishcloth
The next cloth is called Climbing Lattice Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Lime Stripes…another self-striping yarn. The pattern was easy but seemed to take forever to knit up. I like the end-result though.
Climbing Lattice Dishcloth
The next cloth I knit is called Slanted Squares Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream (big surprise, eh?), and the color is Potpurri. I really liked this pattern.
Slanted Squares Dishcloth
Next, I knit the Shapely Diamond Dishcloth. Sugar ‘n Cream was the yarn of choice, and the color is Ecru…again, a perfect choice for the pattern.
Shapely Diamond Dishcloth
And last night, while Michael Phelps was winning his seventh gold medal, I knit the Papillon (Butterfly) Cloth. Very appropriate considering the timing (Phelps’ medal was for the 100m Butterfly). I used a new yarn called I Love this Cotton, which is sold by Hobby Lobby. The color is Buttercup. What fabulous cotton yarn! It is unbelievably soft and not as thick as the Sugar ‘n Cream.
I Love This Cotton - Buttercup
You can find the pattern here, a site with many great, free patterns. The pattern was a bit difficult, for a dishcloth, and I had to learn how to p2tog through the back loop…not an easy feat. The result, in my opinion, was well worth the effort. The picture does not, unfortunately, show the color. It is a soft yellow.
Papillon (Butterfly) Dishcloth
Believe it or not, I still have more cotton yarn. So, I’ll continue staying up very late and knitting my little heart out as it swells with pride for the valiant efforts of all of these amazingly talented human beings.
This is a long post. Please bear with me. I’m exceptionally long-winded today. Actually, this story just takes a while to get through. I think you’ll find it worth it, though.
Monday morning started early for me. Monday was a big day, you see. It was the day I was registered to take my Social Sciences certification exam, one of several required before I can begin my teaching career.
I left the house before daylight since the testing facility was 2 1/2 hours away. Don’t forget that AuburnChick hails from Podunk, U.S.A.
This is what it looked like about 45 minutes into my drive…
My appointment was set for 9:30. I got to my destination with about 40 minutes to spare. I sat in my car for about ten minutes trying to calm my racing heart. I was a nervous wreck. I prayed for peace and then made my way to the building, getting a little lost on the way and thinking about how I should probably go potty beforehand. I never did find a bathroom, but I was so concerned about not being late that I really didn’t hunt too hard.
As I sat down and began reading the test questions, my nervousness increased. I quickly realized that I had not studied the right stuff. The test covered material I was supposed to have learned from grades one through college. Only 120 questions. Who in the world decides which facts to grill prospective teachers on? It was like me trying to pick out chocolate in a Godiva store. Have you ever been in one of these places? The Godiva place, I mean. About a month ago, I went shopping with a friend (shout out to my chocolate comrade-in-arms). Here are pictures to prove it.
The Best Store in the World
Inside the Best Store in the World
Caramel Chocolixer - The BEST Drink in the World!
Oh, but I digress. Sorry about that. Any time I think of chocolate, my mind wanders.
Getting back to my story (and it’s good, so keep reading)…
As I progressed through the exam, I grew more and more concerned. When you take one of these computerized exams, there’s a button you can click to mark a question. Then, when you want to review questions you weren’t sure of, you can click the Review button and up pops a list of the iffy questions.
Well, I started marking questions, one after another. I finally decided that I was being ridiculous. I was going to have the entire test marked and would never finish in time. I took a deep breath, prayed for confidence and proceeded. There were a few questions I knew straight off the top of my head. The tune, “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” kept ringing in my ears. Other questions…well, I had no clue and did my best to analyze them to their logical conclusion. Some I plain ole guessed.
Oh, and do you remember ever thinking, while you were in school, what’s the point of learning this? I’ll NEVER need it.
Monday was one of those times when you needed to know those random, ridiculous facts. I can now fully empathize with a Jeopardy contestant.
“Alex, I’ll take Supposed to be Basic Economics Facts for whatever my sanity is worth.”
Yeah, not easy. Did you ever watch Little House on the Prairie? If you’re reading my blog, then you’re probably old enough to remember when the originals aired. I remember the episode when Laura was studying for her teacher exam. She carried her books everywhere. She studied while eating, doing dishes, scooping hay. I wanna think she failed it the first time but tried again and finally passed. Of course, back then, they didn’t have two World Wars, Vietnam, and the global war on terror to study.
Sorry…I’m digressing again. Misery loves company. Move on AuburnChick, move on.
I completed the exam with an hour to spare. I had reviewed my marked questions and opted not to go through the entire test again. Sometimes over analyzing is not a good thing.
When you take these exams, you get an instant, “unofficial” test score. I waited while the printer spit it out. The proctor handed it over, upside-down. My legs were weak, and I wanted to throw up. I had studied my behind off for two weeks…for what the study books recommended you study for six weeks. The odds were stacked against me.
I turned the paper over.
Underneath the ugly picture they had taken of me prior to my exam…when my hair was sticking straight out and I had the worst look of fear on my face, I read the following word…
PASS
No way. I looked again to be sure that it was my name on that paper. It was.
I wanted to hug the proctor. I refrained. I’m sure she was glad.
What did this test teach me?
Teachers have to be smart. Oh, I thought they simply studied while preparing their lesson plans. Not so. Wait a sec. Does this mean that I’m smart? Not likely. I’ll attribute my passing to God’s graciousness.
After leaving the test, I pretty much floated on air. I had another 2 1/2 drive home, but it was going to be much better than the trip over.
I turned on the radio. This song was playing on the radio…
Yeah, I was feeling good, cruising right along, not a care in the world.
Until I saw the blue lights flashing behind me…just as I was about to get off on my exit.
Rats, rats, rats.
Florida Highway Patrol.
I felt like I had an ulcer in my stomach.
Young guy in a uniform.
“Ma’am, can you tell me what you were thinking just now as you flew down the road?”
I was almost in tears. You see, I’ve never had a speeding ticket in my life. I’m 38 years old. I’ve been driving since I was about 10 (that’s what you do in the country).
“Um, I just passed this HUGE exam and was writing my blog in my head,” is what I wanted to say. To my credit, I did not utter that sentence out loud.
I did explain about the exam and that I had never gotten a ticket before…hoping that he would give me a break.
No go.
As I sat in my car, embarrassed while other cars passed by me, I felt humiliated and ashamed.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
The officer was nice as he handed me the ticket I deserved. I sadly drove away and contemplated this extreme change in direction that my emotions had just taken.
I went from feeling on top of the world one second to the bottom of the bottoms in the next.
I tend to be a perfectionist. I made an A in every college class this last go-round (the last two years). I am a rule-follower.
Apparently not today.
I called Mr. AuburnChick and bravely explained what happened, half-heartedly asking if he could do anything to fix it. He knows people, you see.
“Sorry Mrs. You’re on your own,” was his response.
So, I had to deal with it, spending the drive home trying to rationalize what had happened.
“This is the first time I’ve broken a law,” I told myself.
Well, not exactly. How many times have I driven over the speed limit?
“This is the first time I’ve ever gotten caught breaking the law,” I continued.
Well, not exactly. I’ve been pulled over twice before — once for not stopping completely at a red light (as I was turning right), and the other for speeding.
“This is the first time I’ve ever had to pay for breaking the law,” I finally concluded.
Ding, Ding, Ding.
You’re slow, AuburnChick, but you eventually get there.
Um, exactly who was I having this discussion with? Me thinks it was the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart.
As I sat in the car on what should have been a happy drive home, it dawned on me that this is what it will be like on the Day of Judgment. Many people are coasting by right now, thinking that they are good people, not breaking any laws. Perhaps they are getting their hands slapped, gentle reminders that all is not well. But in the end, everyone has to pay for their crimes against God. There’s no avoiding it. It will eventually happen, just like my getting the speeding ticket. And although Mr. AuburnChick couldn’t step in and fix the ticket for me, God sent His Son to pay the penalty that He must exact for sin.
So, although I’m still irritated with myself about this lapse, I am pleased that I won’t walk away without learning something. I’ll do my four-hours online driving class to avoid getting points on my license, and I won’t complain. I did the deed, and I’ll pay what’s due.
I am thankful that at the end of my life, I won’t have to pay what would justly be due for my human condition. Thankfully, Jesus stepped in and paid that fine for me.
I’m on my own this weekend. Missing church was a tempting thought. I had stayed up late watching the Olympics.
Before I went to sleep, I asked the Lord to wake me up in time to get ready. Sure, I could have set the alarm, but I was feeling lazy and was still iffy about going.
The Lord is faithful. He woke me up at 6:45. Come on, Lord, you know I don’t need that long to beautify myself. I turned over and went back to sleep. I woke up again at 7:30. Ugh. Thirty more minutes please. This time, I didn’t fall asleep hard but kind of tossed and turned. The next time I looked at the clock it was 8:15.
Ok, ok. I’ll get up. God was gracious, even in the beautifying. My hair cooperated, and my eyeliner went on straight. Off I went.
Let me tell you…boy am I glad! The music was AMAZING this morning! There are some songs that really get me, and we sang one of them today. The song is I Stand Amazed (How Wonderful).
If you’ve never heard it, please give it a listen…
I have never really understood why I can be smiling one second and be brought to tears the next. Something about these songs opens up my heart, and my soul is laid bare. It goes beyond comprehending with your mind. I can’t really put this feeling into words. I guess it’s like the outpouring of love I felt for my children the moment I laid eyes on them. The love seems to ooze from deep within, and you’re powerless to stop it.
In this mindset, I sat down to listen to the sermon. This morning, our pastor spoke about prayer. He talked about pagan and religious prayer. The focus of pagan prayer is the prayer itself, as if some magic can be performed if the right words are spoken. Uh oh…I’ve been guilty of this more times than I can count.
Religious prayer is prayer that focuses on the person. This kind of prayer seeks God’s answer by attempting to call attention to itself by its grandiose nature.
Compare this to Paul’s prayers. Paul prayed that people would grow in their knowledge of the Lord and the depth and height of His love. Everything about Paul’s prayers pointed to Lord and away from self. Prayer is about honesty…seeing ourselves as God sees us and acknowledging our need for Him.
What was striking to me is that there is nothing we can do to make God answer our prayers. He alone gets the glory for answered prayer.
I heard the challenge that was put out today. I need to set aside dedicated time to pray each day. My pastor suggested this, as well as journaling. Journaling can entail writing a brief synopsis of spiritual highs and lows from the day before, prayers for the current day, and what we hear or even thoughts that hit our mind during that time, regardless of how unrelated they might be. He also suggested reading the Word and praying the Word. Often, God leads us to passages that are relevant to what needs to be prayed that day.
I’m sorry if I sound preachy. It’s just that I think that the world’s idea of prayer is vastly different from God’s idea. It’s another reminder that there’s still much to do.
I added a new page, at the top, to my blog. This is something that’s been on my heart for a while. If you have anything you would like me to pray for, please go to that page and leave a comment.
Have you ever had an unpleasant experience that had a silver lining? I had one of these today.
After a long telephone conversation with my friend Rabbit, a buddy from KnittingHelp.com, I decided to go out and spend a gift card I had received. Did I really need to go shopping?
No.
Why not, you may wonder.
Well, because I am still studying for my certification exam. This test is going to be quite difficult, I fear. Social Sciences is a discipline that encompasses many areas of study…history, geography, and economics, to name a few. I am set to take this exam on Monday. I would appreciate your prayers. I’m gonna need them.
Anyhow, I need to study, but I really wanted to get out of the house for a bit. So, I trotted out to the car, eager to get back before the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.
I turned the key, not really expecting anything because I, like most people, tend to take for granted that my car will start when I want it to.
Not so this time. It made a small noise and then nothing happened.
Uh oh.
I tried again. Nothing. I pulled the key out and noticed that the odometer and rpm thingy were going crazy, like they were possessed.
I tried a couple more times, praying that the car wasn’t possessed. Nothing.
Normally, I would expect Mr. AuburnChick to fix this; however, I have been blessed with an entire weekend to myself. Soccer Chick is headed across the state to a weekend training session with her team, and Rockin Rooster will be visiting his cousin, whose house is on the way. I opted to stay home, study, and keep the dogs company.
With the family gone, I was forced to turn to a friend. Thank goodness for friends who live on the same street.
Ring, ring.
“Hello, Friend, it’s AuburnChick, your ever-needy friend. Can I borrow your husband and his handy man-brain for awhile?”
Like the true friends that they are, they were at my house in five minutes. Within a minute, Friend’s hubby had discovered the problem. Badly corroded contacts on my car’s battery. Thank goodness for baking soda and water. He used both to dissolve the corrosion just enough to hook up the cars and get mine going.
And then it died again.
Great. Was I going to have to get it towed?
“Not to worry, AuburnChick. All Knowing Man is here to rescue you.”
Starting over, we went through the entire process again, and he got my car started for the second time. Friend sat in one car, and I sat in the other, revving our engines like the start of a NASCAR race. When the car didn’t die after a few minutes, they left for home, assured that I would make it to the repair shop.
I crept my way the two miles (remember that I live in a small place), praying that the car wouldn’t stop along the way. CHECK GAUGES was ominously displayed the entire time.
Yeah, you’ll get checked, if you can hold on for two minutes.
I made it there and was assured that it was my battery and that it would cost me a small fortune to fix it. I didn’t care. Just fix it. I’m not interested in bargain shopping right now. Mr. AuburnChick should pay for leaving me with a car that didn’t run. Shame on him!
So, the silver lining? I sat down and studied for a solid hour with only one interruption. Had I been at home, I would have been tempted to go online, write a blog post (like I’m doing now), or knit a dishcloth for my Olympic Dishcloth KAL I started over on KH.
I live in Florida. My hair is naturally highlighted every time I step outside…all year around. My dark blond hair looks nice with these highlights.
As I stood preening in front of the mirror last night, my eye was drawn to these highlights. Not bad, I thought to myself. So much for being humble, eh?
Oh, how the proud are quickly brought down.
As I stood there admiring myself, I slowly came to the realization that some of the highlights were shining a bit more brightly than they ought to. I grasped one of these highlights between my fingers and inspected it closely.
My blond highlight was, in fact, white.
Disbelief.
I pulled it out and turned it every which way. I held it up against my skin. Please let there be some color on that strand. Nope.
It didn’t take me long to spy another one of these rogue hairs. Surely not again, I thought to myself.
Yank.
Out went the hair.
Yep. It was white too.
I took a quick scan of the hair surrounding my face…just a quick scan because my hair is very, very thick. I managed to find and yank out about five more of these hairs. I didn’t dare pull out a mirror to look at the back.
To be fair to myself, I’ve known for a while that I have some gray hair. Soccer Chick gloriously announced the news one day when she was straightening my hair. Somehow, it was easier to ignore that fact since I don’t look at the back of my hair very often. I’m pretty much a low-maintenance kind of gal. I wash my hair, comb through it, and let it go, sometimes pulling it back into a less-than-perfect ponytail.
This stuff surrounding my face though…it was hard to ignore.
In the middle of my search and destroy mission, I had a flashback.
I was in my teens, and I walked into my mom’s bathroom to find her pulling out her gray hairs. I witnessed this more than a few times until Mom’s tweezers couldn’t keep up with God’s plans to recolor her head.
The memory hit me like a punch to the gut.
I do not have a problem aging, nor do I have a problem with white/gray/silver hair. It’s a lovely sign of maturity.
I think I’m not ready to be mature yet.
Good thing I have a lot of hair. I can pluck for a while without fear of going bald.
I’m not sure if you remember my posts about Ms. Jean, Knitting_Guy’s mom who had a recurrence of cancer. A group of knitters from KnittingHelp.com, and a couple from Ravelry, joined forces and knit up a variety of goodies. The group decided to make a blanket. We wound up with 30 squares, which one knitter seamed up and another made a border for. The above picture is the finished blanket.
In the last few months, I have immersed myself in charity projects, and I am LOVING it! There is something very rewarding about doing for others without expecting anything in return.
I have received a lot of kudos for the initiative I’ve taken in organizing some of these projects. I’m embarrassed by this. I am only doing what I’ve been called to do…serve. And I’m humbled that God allows me this privilege.
Where does this drive come from, though? Many people don’t understand…what with the hectic schedule I have traveling with Soccer Chick, raising two teenagers and a husband, and until recently, attending college…how I continue to put in the hours I do in service to others.
My desire, along with the energy, comes from a deep-seated concern for people’s salvation. I was reminded of that this morning and two weeks ago (missed last Sunday) at church. My favorite time during the service is the praise music. There is something very powerful about the words we sing each week. As I sing, I think about my friends and the trials they are suffering through. Many of them are not Christians. They have told me this. My heart hurts for them. Some are enduring nearly unbearable burdens. I long for them to know the presence of the Lord…His steadfastness…His plan for their lives.
During the praise songs, I shed tears for these friends. And I shed tears out of thankfulness for my own salvation and the knowledge that I serve, not out of selfish motives or out of any good within myself, for there is no good there, but out of a desire to glorify the One who has turned my wretchedness into something beautiful when filtered through His grace.
What is that, you might ask. Well, it is one of my books from a class I took last year.
Why is it sitting on your table, since you’ve already graduated, you continue.
Well, if you want to teach, you have to pass various exams. I’m on the quest to NOT fail the Social Sciences test. So, I pulled out this book, which was in too poor of shape to sell, and have begun studying. Social Sciences is a hodgepodge of disciplines, and one naturally melds into the other. Hence, the volume of information to cement into this Mom Brain is ginormous.
My test date is the 11th…of August…leaving only two weeks to prepare.
I am not the happiest of campers, but I know this is a necessary evil in my quest for a career change.
Despite the studying, which began in earnest last night, I still managed to pull out the knitting and take a short break.
Over on KH, I’m heading up an Olympic Dishcloth KAL, during which I plan to use up my stash of cotton yarn.
My goal is to knit one dishcloth each day of the Olympics. Lofty, I know, but what’s the fun in obtaining the prize if a little challenge isn’t involved?
One of the gals over there designed the pattern for the first dishcloth I want to make. You can find it over on KH or here, I think. Here’s a picture of what the finished cloth looks like.
And here’s a picture of mine…in progress…
My Little Slip of a Thing is currently blocking. Here’s a picture of the inside of it. You can see where the yarn got pulled across each block.
And here’s a photo of it blocking…
Oh, and I thought I would show you pictures of the i-cord bind off…in progress…
I have to say that the finished edge is LOVELY! I’m quite pleased with how it looked…actually like I knew what I was doing!
A note about the yarn…Lamb’s Pride…
It’s really awesome to work with. In the past, I’ve only used Noro Kureyon for my felted bags. As you know, the colors are lovely, but the yarn is rough and takes a bit longer to felt. Not so with the Lamb’s Pride. It’s very soft, although it does shed quite a bit while knitting with it, but it felts so FAST! I only had to put it through one agitating cycle in my washer before it was done. So, if you use this, make sure you watch it very carefully.
AuburnChick's Adventures 