It begins...

A friend recently forwarded an email to me titled "The Invisible Mother," a short essay comparing the tireless and often thankless job of a mother to the builders of Europe's great cathedrals. Both give their whole lives for a work they will never see finished, both make sacrifices and expect no credit, and both are fueled in their passion by the faith that the eyes of God see every detail. The writer of the essay was inspired by the thought that our endless efforts in motherhood, invisible as they may seem, are worth it and can make an enriching life.


For many of us, the way we choose to hold our invisibility at bay is by creating something tangible. For me, my days often end with knitting - my love of fiber and the need to do something relaxing end up producing something I can hold and look at. Nobody will know how many times I swept under the high chair that day, or how many toys I picked up, or how many times I tried to coax a "please" or "more" or "sorry" out of my 5 year old. But a darling, handmade infant hat? That you can see.


I start new projects every day, and my 10 year old does the same. In this process of creating (and yes, often not finishing our projects!) we connect with each other and a bigger picture of ourselves in the process. My plan for this blog is to share the projects that excite me and bring some accessible proof of my existence in this invisible world of mothering!


So, this blog is dedicated to the mothers out there whose days are filled with the minutia of tasks that build our children and our families. I often tell people that I haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up. But for now, I am the builder of a great cathedral. With every shoelace tied, lunch packed, and forehead kissed, I build.


And I can hardly wait to create something new...


Sunday, April 10, 2011

Blueberry

The pajama cat is done!  I managed to get the final seams sewn in time to have her waiting for Rowan on Thursday after school.  We've needed lots of extra things to cheer Rowan up over the past 4 days - the braces "honeymoon" was over after about 5 hours! Rowan loved the cat, and has named her Blueberry due to her blue spots. Blueberry has been carried around all weekend, and has a prime spot on Rowan's bed, so clearly she's going to be well loved! I thought I had taken a picture of Blueberry when I finished her, but apparently not - and now she's asleep with Rowan. Here's a fairly representative photo of Rowan holding her tonight.
The lace knitting is in full swing. I've finished the left and right sides of Rowan's sweater, and am about an inch from finishing the back.  Then I'll work on the sleeves and be able to sew them into the armholes and put on the finishing touches. At this point, I've memorized the lace pattern, which makes it go much faster.  I didn't do a gauge swatch first, so let's hope it fits her!!
With the gorgeous weather today, the girls and I spent some time gardening and playing in the back yard.  We  pulled all the sandbox toys out for a good hosing, and Brynn got right to work getting grubby!  She took a giant handful of sand and shoved it in her mouth right as I was going to take a picture. Yummy!


Brynn also attended her first-ever birthday party on Saturday for another 2 year old. SO CUTE! Everything about the party was just darling - Martha Stewart would have approved!  It was a "Puppy Adoption" theme.  Each kiddo got to walk into a "pen" filled with stuffed puppies and choose the one they wanted to adopt. Brynn went straight to the one she wanted and was grinning ear to ear the rest of the party. We got to fill out adoption papers, and each child received an information sheet about the kind of dog they chose.  Then the puppies were taken to the "vet" for a checkup and the "spa" for a bath and brushing. They played a Doggy Trainer game (similar to Simon Says) and then each child got to design a Shrinky Dink dog tag to tie with a ribbon around their puppy's neck.  The treats were delish - homemade cupcakes with doggy paw print decor. And each kiddo received a doggy bag of Scooby snacks, as well a bag of puppy chow (coco puffs cereal). The party favor bags were darling as well, and the pink balloon we got to take home is a big hit.  So fun! Every station at the party had a darling sign - all brown and pink themed with paw prints. They truly outdid themselves!

And that was our weekend! I'm going to see if I can finish the back of the lace sweater before my eyes get too tired.  Catch you later!
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1 comment:

  1. KathyApril 12, 2011 at 12:02 AM

    Awww... so sweet to see those happy girls and all that wonderful stuff you've made. The pj bag is adorable. So glad it is cheering that sore-mouthed girl. The lace sweater looks great! And, if it doesn't fit Rowan, it'll fit Brynn - someday. :) What a fantastic theme for a two year old birthday party! I love the pictures!

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