Nicholas' Gift, Olivia's Hope

In July 2007 a family from our church in Winnipeg had twins. A few months later, Nicholas was diagnosed with a fatal disorder, and passed away when he was only 3 months old. A couple of weeks later his twin sister Olivia was diagnosed with the same disorder, and was five and a half months old when she passed away as well.

Click here to listen to the radio interview they did about their story in support of the Winnipeg Children's Hospital radiothon.

It breaks my heart whenever I think about it. One of the radio hosts said that it is "the saddest story I've ever heard". In reflection about that comment, Lisa blogged:

Our story is not a sad one. It is one of victory. And of peace. And hope. We have gone through bitter loss and have emerged whole and strong. We have not been destroyed.

Their faith journey through tragic loss is incredibly inspiring. God has truly seen them through and been a faithful source of strength and comfort. Read more about their journey on Lisa's blog.

The Latest Crochet Project

I merged my current obsessions and tried crocheting a wool diaper cover. I knew I'd make some mistakes first time around so I first made one using some old wool I had. Which made for an outcome which, I am first to admit, is not aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, the wool is much heavier than the wool I bought for the real thing...

What I was shooting for

What I produced

... which means that even though I followed the pattern for the size small, the final product is HUGE. Micah was kind enough to model to give perspective.



I am so glad I made these first. I learned a lot! I am interested to see how my next pair turn out and if they will actually fit a real baby. I'm not holding my breath that they will work overly well, since the closest I could come to 100% wool yarn was a 50/50 blend with acrylic. I'm pretty sure that acrylic doesn't have the amazing properties of wool which make it such a great diaper cover material.

Wool diaper covers are highly absorbent and can hold up to 30% of their weight in liquids without feeling damp, are breathable and can help prevent diaper rash. Another advantage of wool is that it has antibacterial properties and is easy to care for.

So Ends the Surprise Vacation

Andrew heads back to work tomorrow. It has been awesome having him home with us. Today he cooked up some yummy stew. My obsession moved from crochet back to cloth diapers. I have almost got my purchase strategy nailed down. Claudia dug us out from under the toys and clothing. The kids did some more swimming and watched Tarzan.

I just realized I didn't post some photos from a few days ago. Micah dumped pencil shavings on the rug so I asked the kids to get the vacuum cleaner. To my surprise, not only did they GET it, they also plugged it in and actually did the vacuuming!


Micah's undies are not white. They are inside out. Often if we point out that his clothing is inside out and/or backwards, he will flat out deny it. I guess he thought they went better with his backpack that way.

Crocheting Up a Storm

I'm a crocheting maniac! I finished the monster today and it's a huge hit. By extension, the owl has gained popularity as well. I was so happy with how the monster turned out and with the kids' reaction that I am making another one. Eventually I want to make the giraffe, which is super duper cute. I am going to have to buy some more wool- all of the bits and pieces I have been using are kind of in boy colours...

Adjusted Owl

I fixed his eyes and wings. Nobody around here is impressed by my creation except for me... here's hoping that Wee3 will appreciate it!


This one is next.

Amigurumi Success!!

My first attempt at crocheting an Amigurumi animal was a miserable failure. Eva insisted that black yarn was the way to go (note to beginners: it is hard to see what you are doing when you are using black yarn and working primarily by lamplight) and I chose an octopus (note to beginners: avoid projects that require rounds until you figure out what you are doing). Also I think it was just the wrong type of wool for this type of project.

This is what the octopus was supposed to look like:

This is what my octopus looked like. After I made one tentacle I called it quits. Obviously there was no salvaging this project.


So I chose something a little more straightforward:

And this is how it turned out! I'm pretty pleased with myself. Though now that I look at it (I was working from memory when I sewed on the parts) I should have sewn the wings and eyes on differently. Maybe I'll redo that. But for now I'm just happy I got the crocheting right!!



Thanks to Melissa for the inspiration, and to LionBrand for the free pattern and crochet instructions.

Another Yummy Recipe

Andrew LOVED this. He said it "screams more". The kids were already in bed so I don't know if they will like it. But it'll make it again soon so they'll get a chance to give it a try.

I had to use spinach because Andrew couldn't find bok choy at the store. I wonder if it will be even better with all the right ingredients?!

Nutty Bok Choy Salad

dressing-
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp peanut butter

salad
5-6 cups thinly sliced bok choy
1 thinly spiced red pepper
2 thinly sliced green onion
1 pkg ichiban noodles- (roasted 8-10 min 350)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts