Growing Up

Today was a special day in our family.  Today was my son's 16th birthday.

Making the birthday cake

It has been such a joy and a privilege to watch this child grow up (and up and up!).  I know it's cliche, but I can't for the life of me figure out where the time has gone to!  At one point I was rocking him, and the next moment I look, he's driving me around!

This year, in order to mark this special milestone, I asked him what he'd like to do, and he said, "Make a 7 layer chocolate cake with you, Mom."  Of course, how could I say no to something like that!  So that's exactly what we did yesterday.  It is a time commitment, 7 layers, but during that time, we got to talk, listen to cheesy '80s music, and create a masterpiece.

It starts with butter and sugar (of course)

 Over the two to three hours it took to get this cake made, we laughed, I sang (Son doesn't), and had a general good time.

How many eggs??!!?

 The time went a little more quickly than usual, thanks to Nana's generous legacy of her cake pans.  This was Nana's cake.  When she passed away this past year, I was so thankful to not only receive her cake pans, but also the sweet knowledge that she, herself, had shown me how to make this special cake.

Hard at work cutting out parchment paper for the cake pans!

Now that's not to say that Nana told me exactly how to make it the first time.  She held a little secret ingredient out.  I remember telling her one time that I was disappointed that my cake just didn't taste quite the same as hers.  After double checking that I was using the Lily White flour and no other, ("Yes, Nana.") she kind of smiled, and mentioned that she had perhaps forgotten to mention one little ol' ingredient that I might not have known about.

Now, she told me, but apparently it's Southern tradition to guard family recipes carefully, and never share them with others.  After all, if ya'll know how to make my special 7-layer chocolate cake, I diminish in my overall usefulness to the community at large.  So, I could tell you what this ingredient is, but then I'd have to kill you, so let's just not even go there, ok?

Just know there's lots of flour!

 Well, we got all the ingredients added, and all the cakes baked, and then it was time for the icing.

I never quite understood why it was called a 7-layer chocolate cake, when the batter obviously isn't chocolate, but there you have it.

Baked 3-at-a-time for efficiency!

Count 'em.  Seven!

 The icing is another slightly different combination of ingredients, but you can finally see why it's a chocolate cake!

Premixed, before it goes on the stove.

 It's a little tricky to work with.  It needs to be spread at just the right temperature.  Too hot, and the icing soaks into the cake and runs down the sides.  Too cool, and it isn't spreadable.  I tend to spread it slightly too hot, but oh well.

Freshly iced, and still glossy!

Well, we got to cut into that lovely cake today, and it was a hit all around.  I'm certain it's the best one I've ever made, and I think all that extra sweetness came because I made it with someone I love.

 Happy Birthday, Son.  I love you.  You have given me so much.  The gift of motherhood.  The practice of patience.  The delight of discovery.  You, your brother, and your sister are my delight, and I know I am blessed to have you all in my life.

De Leon Springs State Park, FL

Touring

As many people know, thanks to the proliferation of media talking about Lance Armstrong and his problems with doping, the Tour de France is now in full swing.  As I write this post, riders from all over the world, the elite of the elite, are in full-on competition mode to see who can claim the yellow jersey.  And I'm right there competing along with them!

Now, this competition requires no Cervelo bicycle, costing several thousands of dollars (upwards into plus $10,000!), Rather, all it requires is some fleece, and some means of turning said fleece into yarn.  For many of the competitors in the Tour de Fleece, that means is a spinning wheel (hence the reason for the competition, the wheel), although there are plenty of individuals using only spindles.  This year, my first year ever, I am one of them.

"Competing" in the Tour de Fleece is a bit of a stretch.  The winner of the competition typically gets a new skein of yarn (you guessed it, the one she spun!), but really it's about having fun in the greater community of spinners.  People are coming together, both online and in person, to spin, talk, and enjoy each other.  And I love it!

Here's my setup for the competition.  Note the Tom Bihn Travel Tray holding my roving!

 Now, the wheel I'm using for this year's competition is my Majacraft Rose.  I named her Charlotte, after my grandmother, and I love using this wheel.  It's smooth, versatile, and attractive.

Frabjous Fibers BFL

 I decided to go stash diving for this year, and selected some Blue-Faced Leicester to spin.  It's one of my all-time favorite fibers to work with, and for its staple length, is very soft, given its small micron count.

Fiber turns into lace

This is only the first stage of the spinning process with the bobbin.  I still need to fill another bobbin and ply them together to have a more stable yarn.  As I am only spinning 10-20 minutes a day, I'll be lucky to finish before the competition ends, given that I'm spinning lace-weight.  Nevertheless, I'm having a great time, and falling in love with my wheel (and spinning) all over again!

As I Understand It

Having a 15 (almost 16) year old in the house is endlessly entertaining and occasionally exhausting.  My boy, my baby, now at over 6 feet tall, has always been my quiet, compliant child.  When he was little, he was the type of boy who wanted to please his mama.  If I asked him to do some work for me, he gamely attempted it, even if he had no clue how to accomplish the task.  As a peace lover, he never really questioned my assertions about life and why and how things have happened.  That has been a sobering and sweet thought lingering in the back of my mind all these years, and I have taken my responsibility to him (as well as his siblings) very seriously.

But that has all changed.  I don't mean that he has suddenly risen up, angry and defiant, boldly challenging my requests and assertions.  But he is challenging me in his own sweet way.  Classical educators would understand this to mean that my child is living in the midst of the rhetoric stage of his education.  As a semi-classical homeschooler, I totally get that.  I just didn't understand how challenging, exhausting, and occasionally threatening that reality is to this mama.

No longer does my dear son accept my assertions about life, politics, religion, or (heaven forbid!) literature without question. After working so hard all these years to light a fire for knowledge under him, I fear I may have laid a little too much kindling! This kiddo, who never questioned my political leanings before in his life, is actively questioning them now, and watch out if I don't have a plausible, well-thought-out answer! He no longer just accepts that just because I believe in something, that it must be true.

The same goes for religion. I am a Creationist. Although I never considered myself anything but a Christian when I was a child, it took until adulthood for me to really claim that identity for myself and be baptized.  I chose to live an active Christian faith after a great deal of questioning, challenging, and praying.  I came to see our beautiful creation not as a slow, accidental expansion of the complexity of life, but rather as a deliberate design lovingly crafted by an all-powerful God.  This has been a matter of debate in our little household as of late.  My son has taken to looking up articles in Answers in Genesis and then attempting to analyze them critically to see if the writer is using any fallacy to underscore his assertions.  If he finds one, he enjoys discussing them with me, sharing with me the writer's flaw in his argument.

All of these situations I believe could unseat any mama, but I have chosen instead to enjoy this beautiful child of mine and celebrate his intellect.  I realize that the Lord gave him his mind, personality, and abilities.  And I acknowledge that a faith claimed simply through inheritance, isn't as strong unless it is tempered in the furnace of struggle, doubt, and questioning.  I continue to pray for this child, this blessing, my son, and I know that he has had the benefit of a grace-filled Christian home.  I don't believe that my personal theology is unassailable in all points.  I believe that Christ covered my sin by his atoning death on the cross, and I believe that His grace is available for us all who cling to His name, regardless of how old we believe the earth, moon, and stars to be.  Does that shock you?

One of my favorite quotes out there comes from Madeleine L'Engle.

"Those who believe they believe in God, but without passion in the heart, without anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, and even at times without despair, believe only in the idea of God, and not in God himself."

I'm not 100% certain, but I believe that quote comes from Walking on Water.  Feel free to correct me if I have attributed it incorrectly by letting me know in the comments.

Anachronistic Lifestyle Living

To say I'm a bit anachronistic may not be the most accurate description of me. Maybe I'm a bit more Steampunk, in that I love to incorporate technology into my anachronistic ideals  Lately, I've been knitting. And spinning (Tour de DeFleece).  And cooking.  Yesterday was a bit of all three.

Yum!  Blueberries!

I've been wanting to make blueberry jam, and yesterday I managed to squeeze in some time to get a few batches finished.

Start of jam.  Lots of sugar!

I had forgotten how much sugar went into it.  That's 5 cups there, baby, for just a small batch!

It's not looking so great, but trust me, it gets better!

After cooking, and getting it to mash up well...

It's cooking more and more!

It started to look better and better.  And finally, I ended up with some delicious jam!  Trust me.  It's really yummy.  Full of some Florida sunshine and sweetness!

The finished product!

But cooking isn't the only thing on my mind these days.  After all, the Tour kicked off yesterday.  No, not THAT tour, this tour!  The Tour de Fleece!  As a participant, I am dedicating myself to spin each day and challenge myself with different spinning techniques all through the Tour de France.  Yesterday I divided my fiber and began spinning some lace-weight on my Majacraft Rose.

Blue Faced Leicester Fiber

Turns into Blue Faced Leicester Lace!

Needless to say, it's been awhile since I have spun.  It's not that I don't like it anymore.  I love it as much as ever.  But I never seem to prioritize it in my life (kind of like my blog).  That's why I love the Tour de Fleece.  It helps me to prioritize, just for a while, my spinning life.  Each time I go back to it, it's such a joy to me that I wonder why I stopped to begin with!

After getting some help from my son, I got the fleece all divided up, and I started spinning.  It didn't take long for my smile  to come back to my face.  I am looking forward to seeing what it will become in the future, but I anticipate using it to incorporate into one of my lace designs.  It's only 4 ounces, so it will necessarily be small, but I'm looking forward to seeing the result.

Spinning isn't the only thing I'm working on these days.  I started a special project for a dear friend and am almost finished with it.  Worked in the round with an easy to remember pattern repeat, I anticipate I'll do more of these in the future.

My little surprise for my friend.

One of my treats to myself when I was in Scotland was to go to a local yarn shop named Kathy's Knits in Edinburgh.  I picked up a couple things, but the yarn that I really got excited about is St. Kilda's Laceweight.  I'm using my single precious skein to turn into a scarf, the pattern being Jardin d'hiver.  It's been a true joy to work on it and think of the sheep on that tiny island in that harsh climate.

As for finished work, I finally finished working on my Carson shawl, which you can see below, blocking.

Carson, finally complete!

I can hardly wait to have the opportunity to wear it this fall!

Homeschooling continues to occupy the greatest portion of my day.  Right now I'm in lesson planning mode and culling mode.  I'm trying to sell the old to make way for the new.  It's been a lot of time and work, but I'm beginning to make headway.  As of right now, I have only two more lesson plans to complete, and my lesson planning days (at least for this year!) will be over.  The kiddos are doing their end of year testing this upcoming week.  In reality, it's pretty much just another typical day for us.  I really don't want the kids to get stressed or feel pressure.  I want them to always do their best, no matter what they're doing, so I treat it just as another typical day.  I hope all goes well, and afterwards we'll celebrate by going out for pizza.

School will begin for us officially the beginning of August.  We are still finishing up a few loose ends with a couple of classes, and I am planning on having the kids do a study skills class, via a course named  Victus Study Skills.  That, coupled with the kids' mission trips and camps and visits to grandparents will occupy all of July.  I'm uncomfortable with the idea of starting so late, but after all that's happened this past year, one month's delay is pretty decent!  And as long as I don't have a year like I did last year, we should be in good shape!

Curricular Pursuits

Ready or not, here it comes!  The annual FPEA convention begins on Thursday, and for the first time ever, I am not nearly ready enough.  I still have so much planning to do!  Let's begin with what I know we will be working on, and then go from there:

• Math U See for math.  This year, I'll have one in Algebra II, one in Algebra I, and one in Zeta.
• History will be Biblioplan (Ancients) for at least the two youngest.  I'm still not certain what to do with my oldest.  He wants to remain with Biblioplan right now, so that is probably what I'll do.
• Literature will follow off of Biblioplan, although I do want to study Shakespeare a bit.  
• Bible will also dovetail with Biblioplan.
• Writing will be IEW.  At this point, I think I'll combine the boys (8th and 10th grade) to do The Elegant Essay along with Windows to the World, but I'm not certain yet.  My youngest will also be IEW in a B level writing class, but I have no earthly idea which one.
• Science will be Apologia.  The 10th grader will be doing Chemistry, while my 8th grader will be in Physical Science.  My 6th grader will be studying the stars with Jeannie Fulbright's Astronomy.  She loves to use the journals, so I'll pick one of those up as well.
• Grammar will be Analytical Grammar review units for the boys.  For my daughter, I will likely pick up Fix It by IEW.
• Foreign Language:  for my oldest, it will be German for both!  Yay! To that end, we are using Rosetta Stone, along with German Demystified.   No extra purchases in that regard!  My youngest will continue her study of sign language.
• Language Arts for my daughter will continue to be Barton.  She's up to Level 5, and doing so well with it!
• My 8th grader is not the best speller in the world, so I'll probably continue with All About Spelling, Level 7, and hope to finish with spelling for him this year.
• As my oldest has already completed Government, I will also be adding Economics via Notgrass this semester for 1/2 credit.

I'm sure I'm missing something.  I must be, but I will have to continue to look at things and pray.  Now that I've got one in high school, things have definitely kicked up a notch.  So far, though, I feel like we have done a very good job of preparing for the rigors of high school and beyond.

I'm looking forward to hopefully having less interruption and stress.  The last academic year has been a doozy for sure, but through grace we have managed to pull through.  I expect to have our school work for the year completed only slightly later than I was expecting, and am glad to be facing a "tabla rasa" for the next year!

Exploring the Medium

So many thoughts and ideas have been crowding my brain recently, that I decided to take a rest from writing and see which thought would win the day.  I'm still waiting, in fact.  It's as if my mind is stormy, and while I am waiting for things to settle down in there, I thought I'd write about things that relax me.  Today's focus is yarn.

Carson Shawl, nearly complete

Above is my nearly completed Carson Shawl, by Romi Hill.  I say nearly completed, as I am six rows from the end, and have just run out of the brown.  By the way, isn't the edging lovely?

Edging, almost done!

I'm trying to decide if I switch over to the green yarn to finish it off (I've got enough of that) or bite the bullet and buy more brown to keep it consistent.  At $22.00 per skein, I think I will think about it some more...

In the meantime, I cast on another project, this one a gift (not saying for who yet!).

It starts in the center with a unique cast on.  It's mostly known as the Disappearing Loop Cast-On Method, and I found an excellent video on it by Laura Nelkin.  I like it better than the other method I was using. The center motif is supposed to be a lotus blossom.  I love that I was able to pull from my stash for this project!

In contrast to these projects, I also started something a little different.  I found this stuff at Walmart in the clearance bin, and just had to try it out:

 Currently, I'm turning it into a little crocheted basket...

It's early, but trust me, it will work out!

I don't have a pattern for the basket, I'm just trying to work it in however.  It will be a nearly indestructible thing by the time it's completed, and will hose off quite nicely!

But, knitting and crochet aren't the only things I'm doing these days.  I'm also teaching...

Here's the boy with his first completed skein!

My middle guy has been showing interest in spinning, so we took some time to work on his spinning skills.  I thought he acquitted himself nicely.  Using only a basic CD spindle, he turned out a nice little single, which he then plied using a plying bracelet.  Next stop, dyeing, but first we'll build a little on his length.

And now I will leave you with some prettiness...

This is just one of the profusion of roses we are enjoying in our front yard.  Between the roses, the magnolias, the agapanthus and the jasmine, we are absolutely filled with fragrance and color.  Now, off to enjoy some more of the outdoor loveliness!  Blessings!

The Time is at Hand!

I'm so excited!  As of tomorrow, What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit? releases (in ebook format) to the public!  I'm thrilled, and can't wait to get my hands on a copy to check out all the great patterns and essays!  I'm linking to the information about the book to make it easy for ya'll to get your hands on it!  Read on!


I am so excited!

My latest labor of love is headed your way and I can't be more proud of our little bundle of joy!

What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit?—the second book in the WWMDfK? series—will be coming out Friday, 3pm EDT in digital format (print version to follow).

In the book you will find 28 patterns written by designers you may be familiar with (some returning from the first Defarge book) and new designers I'm thrilled to introduce to you.
As in the previous book, we have a range of difficulty levels so everyone should be able to find something to love. You can see pretty pics at Ravelry. As before, I think you'll find yourself falling in love with these women (and a man!) who have created these lovely patterns for you. Their essays and stories of their acts of creation are heartfelt, honest, and in few cases, just darn funny. While building the book I over-and-over felt myself nodding in agreement, knowing I'd found a kindred spirit.
I hope you feel the same.

To celebrate our release—and to give something back to all of you who make this possible—we have some goodies we'd like to send to you!

If you've already pre-ordered the book, check your inbox or spam filter tomorrow afternoon! The links to the goodies should appear!

If you haven't already ordered the book (what are you waiting for?) you have two choices:

• Pre-order W(e)WMDfK? —learn more here or order
  Print+Digital. $26.95 or
  Digital only $16.95 through Saturday at 3pm EDT

or

• Pre-order W(e)WMDfK? and pick up a copy of the original WWMDfK? in print and digital formats —$50 plus shipping for both books, both formats! For those of you who don't already have the first book, this is a nice deal. Learn more here or order  Print+Digital of both books.

The discount on the two-book package and all of the goodies disappear at 3pm EDT on Saturday, April 6, 2013 so ordering before then means Big Fun! No Whammies!

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