I’m sure that everyone is breathing a sigh of relief to not have to listen to me whine anymore about my head.

Thankfully, my Motrin did the trick and I am pain free today. One unfortunate lingering effect is the nausea but hopefully it won’t last too much into the day! I really hate migraines!

It’s “Works For Me Wednesday” again! I thought all week about what I would post today…sometimes the simplest things are what comes to mind.

Today, I am sharing our method for storing and organizing our homeschool flashcards. We got this great tip from someone that we used to attend church with and it’s stuck with my home ever since.

Shoe organizers work great! This one was one that someone had given us. It keeps all the flashcards neatly in one place and off the shelves (which is highly valued book space!).

It works for me…maybe it will work for you too.

Onto our Wednesday knitting pattern.

If you are just joining us, last Wednesday, I shared a knitting pattern for a chick finger puppet that I had made for my little boys for Christmas.

If you would like the pattern for this puppet, click HERE!

Today, we are going to continue on with that theme…we are making a tiger finger puppet (well, actually, I’m making a few!).

Please remember that I am *very* new to knitting. My patterns definitely leave a lot to be desired…but they seem to turn out O.K. That being said, if you have any comments or ideas on changing the pattern to make it a little easier to read and follow, I would welcome them!

So here goes:

Cast on 15 stitches (this will be loose on the finger but I was trying to accommodate Daddy hands that might want to play along!) …Leave a tail of several inches.

Row 1: K
Rows 2&3: K in black in ribbed stitch pattern (knit, purl, knit, etc.)
Rows 4&5: K in orange in ribbed stitch patten
Row 6: K in black
Row 7: P in black
Row 8: K in orange
Row 9: P in orange
Continue in orange until puppet measures 1 1/4″
Last full row: K2tog all the way across (knit last stitch)

Carefully slide work off of knitting needle and with a large eyed tapestry needle (or whatever big needle you might have…I had a plastic canvas blue one), thread yarn through all holes and pull tight to close on top.
You want the purl side to be facing out at this point. Using the tail that was originally left from casting on, re-thread needle and use this to stitch closed the finger puppet along the back. Secure tightly.

Turn finger puppet inside out.

Thread needle and take one stitch (leave tail dangling). Using the tail and loose thread now threaded through needle, tie a knot to secure to puppet. Make a twisted cord tail, tie a knot in the end.

Make two french knots from yarn where you would like to place the eyes.

Take a couple of stitches in black to make a nose in the shape that you wish. Take one stitch on either side of the nose and tie on the top side of the puppet for whiskers. Comb through yarn to separate strands.

The ears are made from orange…

Cast on 4 stitches, leave a tail.

Knit 3 rows

On the 4th row, k2tog all the way across and then bind off in the last row.

Try and shape this piece into a triangle, stitch across with orange yarn and stitch in place onto finger puppet.

This is what the little guy turns out like:

I’m having to be careful because Timothy (my four year old) is pretty quick to catch on to the fact that they are finger puppets. He is just itching to play with them! I hope that we can hold out until Christmas! 🙂

*On a completely different note, we are planning my soon to be 13 year old son’s birthday celebration. We would love to hear your ideas. We celebrated my older daughter’s birthday in a very special way but I don’t think that my son is going to want to sit with his friends in a tea room! 🙂

Please send in ideas that you might have for his birthday in February!

Prayer Requests

Today Paul has a couple of things going on, one with a possible job promotion and the other with an attorney for some legal matters to settle before we can proceed with investors. This is a HUGE step forward for us as it will free us to openly pursue investment for our infant company.

We also looked at the outside of a home last evening. It would definitely need a lot of work but the additional space would be so nice. Please pray that even if this is not a home meant for us that the Lord is already preparing a larger home for our family.

Please continue to keep Tanya Beutow’s Grandmother in your prayers.

Remember Fay, on of our Lines’ Yahoo moms….she was to be induced yesterday.

Please continue to keep Joshua in your prayers…his back is still bothering him.

Today I’m Thankful For

The Greenlaw’s seem to have been able to resolve the situation with their neighbor yesterday. I’m so glad for them. I know that this has been a stressful situation for quite some time.

My daughter who prepared a most wonderful dinner last night for our family. I’m so blessed to have her!!

The last few days (Before I say this, don’t get me wrong…I’m always glad for the cooler air!) I’ve been very aware that I only have a few more weeks, maybe, of hanging my laundry out before I’m left with the dryer again. Even at 5 this morning as I was finishing folding a little lingering laundry from yesterday I could smell the outside air in our clothes. I love that! I’m going to miss it! I’m thankful for a few more days of the wonderful smell in my laundry!

A little indulgent, I know, but if anyone has tried Hershey’s new Sweet and Salty granola bars…they are definitely something to be thankful for! YUMMY!

My two year old that for the life of me, we can’t keep out of his Super Man p.j.’s! We dress him five times a day and he always shows back up in those p.j.’s! Maybe he thinks they give him super powers??? Who knows but I adore my little super jammied man!

Tracy’s Task

O.K., back on the wagon today….I have got to do some much needed fall maintenance on my garden and my yard for that matter.

Look around your home today…are there things that are going to need some attention as we move into the cooler months? Remember that the outside is the first thing people see of your home! It should look nice and tidy….we’re working on ours…we hope that you will join us!

What I’m Learning

What am I learning?

I think if I could roll all that I have learned from the Lord over the last few years into one thing, it would be centered around this:

My home is where I find contentment.

For years, I felt like the only way to be content would be to stuff as much into my day as I possibly could. Lessons for this and lessons for that, clubs, meetings, church groups all seemed to be the way to better my family and myself.

A series of events brought our family to a place where all of these things were taken from us. Prior to this happening, I would have grieved over the loss of activities, our time out and all that I thought our family was gaining from the outside interaction.

What I’m learning, is that my place is within our home. It is only in our home that my children can learn the things that are REALLY important. It is only in our home that the foundation of life that my children must have will be built. It is only in our home that I will feel satisfied and invest my time in a way that it will come back to me more than I will ever know.

Today’s Scripture Meditation

This is my favorite part of posting everyday!! 🙂

2 Pet 1:10-14
“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.”
(NIV)