Knitting in the Round...dpns

Previously, I posted how I have started knitting a hat in the round. I started on circular needles...but as you start to decrease your stitches, you have to switch over to dpns (double pointed needles). So I am excited to show you this picture (above)...I made the switch on to the dpns and all is going well, so far. I pray I am doing it right. It seems as though I am. The pattern is still looking good. I guess we will see how it finishes up! *fingers crossed*

The pattern for this Baby Pixie Hat that I am knitting is located HERE. **Please note, however, that if you try to knit this one, there are some corrections located in the comment section that you will need to use! :)


While out today, I found the basket pictured above. I think it is great! :) (Small and simple things give me great joy!) I love the idea of putting my soaps and dishcloths in there. I saw it from Deb's blog and loved the look of it! :) **She has a super cute dishcloth pattern on the link I gave, as well!**

Today was absolutely gorgeous! Blue skies, super comfortable temperatures, a nice breeze...the perfect day! I had clothes out on the line and weeded out in the garden for a couple hours. The boys went to "work" at my dad's garage (where my mom's office is)...and had fun there for a bit today...so Madelyn and I went out and got some lunch together and ran some errands. Then we came home, played Yahtzee and then read for a bit and then snoozed. :)

Today was just one of those days that you just take a deep breath of the air in and let it out in a long, deep sigh of contentment. I hope you enjoyed your day too!

Kindly,
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

Playing on the Windy Hill

So technically...the place we picnic on my inlaws' property isn't called the Windy Hill. ;) But if we *did* name it, I would definitely think that would be appropriate! Despite the hot and humid temperatures, the weather at the pavillion is usually pretty comfortable because there is usually a signigicant breeze! :)

If you look in the photo above, you can see the swings that they hung from the pavillion. Isn't that a great idea? It's so nice to swing there! Everyone sets up chairs around the fire ring, as well (and of course, blankets on the ground for my baby nephew!) :)

Last evening, we went and enjoyed a picnic with friends and family!
Big Boss working on some plans for something he and his brother are trying to create....


Madelyn's hair is getting so long! I love it! :)

Jaxson and one of my nephews, digging in the mud....

Xavier...always on a bike ;) . My inlaws' got a few bikes at auctions to keep at the pavillion for all the grands to ride! The boys don't care if the bikes are pink. :)

Pa (Big Boss' dad) with Jaxson and my nephew...

X riding *through* the mud (he couldn't resist) ;)

Big Boss and his brother...

Madelyn and her cousin...

Hide and seek! No peeking, Madelyn! ;)

Great hiding place X!!! :)

The boys, just before this picture was taken, were *in* the corn field....

Madelyn, snuggling her smallest cousin (isn't he a doll? I love all my nephews!)...

Today, I awoke early and went downstairs. Read and ate some breakfast and then started my chores. Started Chris's coffee and made his lunch, did dishes, got laundry started and did some general cleaning.

Then, after Chris went off to work...the children and I got busy cleaning. The boys' room didn't look too bad...however, if you took a peek under their beds ~ you would know their room didn't meet my standards for a *clean* room. So we all got to cleaning and rearranged their room just a tad, for something new.

Since their room is pretty small...I think I may get some "under the bed" bins so that I can organize some of their stuff in them and put them under their beds. That way, things will be in their proper places and plus, then there won't be room for them to push stuff under their beds! :)

I must admit, I think I need a nap. It's not even 3pm yet and I am exhausted! I have a roast in the crock pot for supper and the children and I will make some cookies later for dessert (and for Chris's lunches). For now, though, I think I will take some time to work on my knitting while listening to it rain! :)

Thank you for visiting and I hope you are having a great day! :)
Kindly,
Katy

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

Knitting in the Round

I have started my first-ever project while knitting in the round. :) Although you can't tell...the yarn in the picture above is actually a beautiful shade of blue. (The light seems to make it appear to be gray.) I am attempting a hat....but I know when I start decreasing, at some point, I will need to switch to dpn's (double pointed needles). I watched a tutorial on how to do this and it seems easy enough..but having never done it before ~ I get nervous! ;)

So far, I am enjoying knitting in the round. :) If you are a knitter, do you prefer just using dpn's or do you like the circular needles? Also...if you have any favorite patterns, whether they are hats or mittens or dishcloths...I would love if you would want to share any with me. I have a bunch I have used...but always love finding a new pattern! :)

Below is a picture of Jaxson. He's sitting in my chair in my bedroom, enjoying the AC while reading a book. :) I love the chair! It used to be my mom and dad's...but they got a couple matching chairs for in their living room so they passed this one on to me...it's so pretty and super comfortable!

Hope you have been enjoying your weekend! It's been hot and humid here in PA. Like I said in THIS post, I am so, so thankful for AC. ;)

***I wanted to share with you about something on my left sidebar that I have added. There is a section that lists a few shops that I love and trust. I may add some, over time, as well. I'm not being paid to advertise for them or anything...I just like their products and thought that some of you who read my blog, may like them too! :)

Wishing you an enjoyable week ahead,
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

Boys & Their Toys

On some of the hotter days of these summer months, the kids will usually play outside a bit...then come inside, faces red and beaded with sweat. We'll get a few popsicles out of the freezer and then all retreat to my bedroom.

Chris and I's room was part of the addition we built onto our house. Our room still isn't 100% complete...neither is the downstairs part of the addition that will one day be a living room. We do things as we have the money to. :) Anyway...our bedroom is pretty large and roomy. It's the only room we have A/C in. (Many warm summer nights the kids will bring their sleeping bags and pillows in and *camp out* in our room!)

The boys will bring in their cars and set up their "houses" and such. Madelyn will sometimes join them or else lay on my bed and read or watch a program on tv.

I will check my email, read or knit while they play. It's so cute to hear their "people" talking to each other from their *cars*...."Hey Buddy!" says one in a deep voice....the other drives their car over while making loud muffler sounds. :)

I also love how children line cars up. I have noticed that my boys do this...as well as other boys in my Sunday School class or friends' children! :)


I am a lover of all things old-fashioned. However, I am truly grateful for the ability to retreat to a place of comfortable coolness on those really hot summer days. So, I am quite a fan of air conditioning. It makes rest time more pleasant as well. (I don't know about you...but I have trouble sleeping if I am too hot.)


Yesterday, Jaxson and I made the hour trip to my sister's house. Her guest room/craft room (baby's room-to-be) needed organizing and she asked if I would help. I love doing that kind of stuff and gladly agreed! My mom kept the older two kids and Jaxson and I made the trip over!

Later, on our way home, we got stuck in construction traffic. Again...another wonderful time to appreciate the invention of air conditioning. We sat, sun blazing down, for quite a long time. Without that air conditioning, Jaxson & I probably would have fried! ;)

Jaxson, while wearing a hat (which he *loves*) from Aunt Nen, enjoyed reading while we sat amongst a long line of vehicles. I turned in my seat to take a picture...and when I did, my left elbow/arm hit the car horn! I was so embarrassed! All these people waiting in lines of traffic with me were probably thinking I was incredibly impatient and rude...when in actuality, it was an accidental *honk*!!! ; ) Oooops!

**If you were wondering what was on Jaxson's t-shirt in the top few pictures...it says: Satan is a poo-poo head. ;) HERE is a picture of what it looks like, although Jaxson's is blue!

Today, I am having a slow and calm morning! It is wonderful! Madelyn had a sleepover at Grammie's house last night, so she is spending time with my mom. Chris and the boys went to run a few errands and I have been working on *knitting in the round*. (I have knitted a sweater on my circular needles...but never actually knitted in the *round*. :) There are things that need to get done...so I should get going. Wishing you all a beautiful weekend! Thank you for visiting!

Joyfully,
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

Pages of Memories

I have posted about my memory journal previously. It's still going strong! :)

I have actually changed something about my organizational methods though. For *years* I have had a daily planner....but now, I have just a monthly calender book that I use to record appts and things to remember...and then in my memory journal, I daily record things I need to do for the day and fun things I want to remember! :) I have set the *official* daily planner aside!

Here are some pages I have done recently. Some are more decorated and neater than others...some days I have more time than others! :)

I originally found the idea for journaling in this way from Jewels' blog. :) But over time, I have found a few others who do this as well, like Susan at Joyfulmomofmany! :) I love seeing different journals. Everyone has a different way of doing things and decorating them and I love to see each of them!

An entry from just the other day....

A clean slate...ready to be written in and decorated...

Do you do this type of journaling? If so, I would love to see what you have done! If you do a post on it...I would love if you would email me (left sidebar) or comment and let me know so I can view it! It's so fun to see each person's unique styles!

Well...I gotta run...lots to do today! Going to visit with my sister and need to go to JoAnn Fabrics too (need some circular knitting needles)! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!! :)

Cheerfully,
Katy

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

Pulling Weeds

I always think of my sins when I weed.
They grow apace in the same way
and are harder still to get rid of.
~Helena Rutherfurd Ely, A Woman's Hardy Garden, 1903

Oh how quickly the weeds grow! I am thankful for the tiller that chops up the ground between the rows of plants...but still, we always seem to have lots of hoeing and weed-pulling to do! It seems never-ending! I love that quote above by Helena Rutherfurd Ely. Sins can seem to pop up and want to take us over...but we need to keep weeding them out of our lives as quickly as they want to appear!

Spending lots of time with our Creator in His Word and prayer is a good weed-prevention in our spiritual lives! I have to tell you, the other day, I had a small, private but important prayer answered. It is something just between *me* and *Him*. It was a healing that I truly needed. I prayed and cried out to Him fervently about it...and I can tell you with 100% certainty that He answered my prayer that very day. I have continually thanked and praised Him for what He did for me. Thinking about it, I could actually just start to cry as I type. I can't even describe what this has meant to me.

He *does* care. He *does* love. He *does* hear.

"From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth -- He who forms the hearts of all, who considers all they do."
~Psalm 33:13-15

Take your troubles, worries, sickness, hurts, and burdens and lay them at His feet. Every-single-one of them! He will provide rest for your spirit. He doesn't want you to handle things alone....even what may seem to most as a *little* thing (but it is important to you)...take it to Him. Turn your eyes upon the One who loves you most. Who loves you more than you will ever understand while on this earth. He tells us in Matthew 11: 28-30:

"Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (emphasis mine)

He directs us to come to Him. He will give us rest. He teaches us. He is gentle and humble. He will give us rest. His yoke is easy. His burden is light. It's all about HIM! :) He is everything we need. Give it all to Him and trust. I promise...one way or another...He will answer. He knows what is best for you and wants only the best for you! :)

While you are weeding in your garden...let Him weed out your heart! ;)

They know, they just know where to grow, how to dupe you, and how
to camouflage themselves among the perfectly respectable plants, they
just know, and therefore, I've concluded weeds must have brains.
~Dianne Benson

Despite the weeds we have been pulling...the plants are growing pretty well. The tomato plants are growing strong and Chris had to move the ties (to the stakes) on them already! Even Jaxson was busy digging in the dirt...

Jaxson picked me a flower! He wanted me to put it behind my ear...and I gladly obliged! :)

After a couple hours of weeding and wiping the sweat from our brows with our dirt covered hands...we went up to my in-loves' pavillion where we had a small fire. We made hotdogs and marshmallows and sausage.

Although difficult to see, as night set in quickly by this time...the children had fun swinging, riding bikes and catching fireflies while us adults enjoyed resting our tired ole legs! :)

The swings are something new that my in-loves added up by the pavillion! They are just fantastic! If you look closely, in the picture below...you can see there is a ladder golf game set up behind the swingset! All the guys love to play that! :)


I was quite happy once we got home though. Got the children bathed and tucked into bed...and then happily fell into bed myself! Most nights, as I first lay my tired body in my bed, I lift up a gracious thank you to God for the blessings of a nice, soft bed to lay upon. I know there are many in this world who do not have that luxury and I truly am thankful for it. :) Be thankful for the small things in your life...those things we take for granted are most often things that many may never enjoy!

Thank you for stopping by for a visit. :) I pray that God uses me as a vessel to shine His love and care for each of you. I hope you each are well and are experiencing joy daily!

Joyfully,
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

A Family Favorite Meal

Hamburger Stroganoff
over homemade noodles

If you have never made this meal before, I hope you will try it! It is delicious and a favorite at our house!

First, I make the noodles and lay them out to dry (below I have a batch of wheat noodles and white noodles made). HERE is a recipe for egg noodles, similar to the one I used! :)

I also made bread (to go with the meal and for our general eating)...

To make the hamburger stroganoff...you first want to brown a pound of ground beef. When it is ready...you will add a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of mushrooms (I use stems and pieces) and some pepper. Let that heat up to boiling (or super hot). :)

**While your meat is browning...you will want to have a large pot of water on the stove, heating up to boiling for your noodles!**

Then, to the stroganoff, you will want to add approx. a cup of sour cream (I don't measure...I just put some in.) You can add more, to taste, if you want. :) Heat till warmed through completely.

Once your noodles are cooked....drain and rinse them....

Make sure you get your bread all buttered and covered in jam! *yum*

Serve the stroganoff over your homemade noodles and with your favorite veggie, add the homemade bread and there you have it! :) A delicious meal your whole family will enjoy!

If you make this meal or have made it in the past...I would love to hear what you and your family thought of it! :) I, actually, may have posted this recipe in the past...I don't remember...but just thought I would share it again! :) I hope you enjoy!!! :)

Joyfully,
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

VW Cruise

Saturday my dad and my sister took the kids on a Volkswagon Cruise. :) They did this last year, as well. My sister has the yellow bug and the red bug belongs to a family friend. (I have a red VW bug that looks very similar to the one in the pics...but it hasn't ran in years and years!)

The boys rode in the *buggy* (as Jaxson calls it) with Aunt Nen....

And Madelyn rode in the red *buggy* with Pop-Pop....

My sister, with baby bean in her womb...

And off they go!!!


The kids had a lot of fun! :) I was so glad that they all got to go. Such great memories for them!

Quickly, before I go....I just had to share this funny thing with you. Yesterday, for no particular reason, I wore a pair of jeans. I haven't worn jeans in *months*. But I just decided to put a pair on.
Well, after my shower, I was in the kitchen doing dishes...and Madelyn walks in and says, "What are you wearing?". The shocked look on her face made me laugh as I said, "Jeans". Then she informed me that I look skinnier in jeans.
Hmmm....well, I suppose she was trying to compliment me...but considering I wear skirts most of the time...I am wondering what that means about how I look when I wear them!? ;)
Chris came home from work and walked into the kitchen and stared at me with a puzzled look on his face too. It was so humorous! Smiling, he quizzically looked down at my jeans and I told him I just felt like wearing jeans that day! ;)

It's raining as I type, with a little thunder and lightning as well. I am so thankful. The gardens need it. We were out working in the garden last evening. We stayed busy through the day, as well. From baking bread, hanging out laundry, cleaning and working on schoolwork with X...the days are full and accomplished. :)

I hope you are having a good week. I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit! My life may not seem super exciting to most...but I appreciate that you take an interest and take the time to read! :)

Kindly,
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26