Comfortable Constant

After a lovely Thanksgiving with family, 

we had a nice, relaxing Black Friday at the Pretty house. There was no shopping (save for picking up a few groceries), but there was a bit of decorating.

Not much, just the tree and lights. The ornaments are still in the attic, and the cats are just getting used to this. I will probably grab the boxes and finish putting out the Christmas this weekend but at this moment, I am enjoying the quiet of my sleepy cottage, my Minnie pants and my first pair of Christmas socks this season!

I am sure there will be a couple of Christmas cats thrown in for good measure at some pont today, 

but for now they are happy over there, playing with their Amazon box. 

As it turns out, they LOVE the Christmas season, what with all its boxes, and dangly things and curly ribbons and crinkle-y wraps...and I am also a fan. There is just something about shopping for gifts (in person, online, however you do it), wrapping them, baking treats that make the whole house smell yummy, and glazing over in front of the Christmas tree with a holiday movie...and maybe some holiday knitting!

There is not as much secret knitting going on in 2017 as in years past, but there is some...yet I know that my dear readers will not spoil the surprise...right?!? Right. So, here's another peek...

This year will probably bring some new traditions, even though the grandkids will not be in town until after the big day...Christmas concerts and Christmas Eve services at a new church, hope and joy as the family finds new reasons to celebrate, and the tried and true traditions of Hallmark movies and It's a Wonderful Life!

So much same. So much different. Christmas is a comfortable constant, and I am thankful for this. I am thankful for a time to specifically celebrate the birth of a Savior...although this and his resurrection are something I celebrate all year, it is nice that the media gives me a constant backdrop of festive in December. I am thankful for the memories I hang on my tree each year, and a time to admire them and remember a little Christmas past (without a ghost!) all through the month. I am thankful for the hope of new beginnings that the promise of a New Year will bring!

I hope you will join me in celebrating this month. If you like the idea of Christmas concerts and festivities, maybe you will even consider joining me for an hour at church...it is just down the street, and I would love to share in the festivities with friends! Whatever your faith traditions are, I hope that you are thankful, and that you know I am thankful for your friendship.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (and celebrate) in Good Health!

Raining Cats and Dogs?

Today is keeping its promise to be a rainy day. You might even say that it has rained cats and dogs out there. Or you might not...but there are cats and a dog in my house, much to the dismay of the resident felines! You see, today the World's Okay-est Runner ran a half-marathon, and tomorrow her soon-to-be-husband will be running a full marathon (they are pretty impressive, no?), 

so we have our grand-dog for the weekend! Isn't he a cutie?

Even the cats agree that he is cute! Well, in all honesty, that may be an exaggeration. There is one cat that we may not see again until the dog leaves. We know that she is still here, because we hear her constant growling and hissing from under the couch, under the beds and under the chair. She is not pleased. Not. Pleased. At. All. The older cat is a bit more tolerant. In fact, we had a moment of calm, cat-on-lap time this morning!

Then Alvin brought us his toy, and asked us to play...

She was not impressed...lol!

But she tolerated it...for a bit. I feel like that is just what I do, too. I tolerate it (whatever "it" happens to be in each moment) and do my best to get on with life. The real test of tolerance, however, is not how much I am able to tolerate before I run, hissing and spitting, to the ends of the earth. The real test is how I live my life right here, despite what is going on around me.

Do I set consistent boundaries with negative people, refusing to be pulled into their drama? Most of the time. Do I allow myself to be sucked into situations where I know I will be tempted to behave badly? Sometimes. Do I entertain the lies in my head...the ones telling me that I am not good enough, or smart enough, or happy enough? More times than I would like to admit.

Life seems to be always invading my space. Sometimes I dream of being able to do what I want, when I want, and with whom I want, forever. I remember thinking once that this would be one of the perks of being an adult. Life, however, counters with all the jobs that need to be done (paying gigs and other tasks), and people who need to be loved. How well do I tolerate that?

Most days I do pretty well. Other days, I need to remind myself that I am thankful...for everything. I am thankful that I have a warm home, clothes to wear and enough to eat. I am thankful to have a job, and a paycheck, and a sense of purpose. I am thankful to have friends, old and new, who love me and lift me up. I am thankful that I live in a place where my relationship with Jesus is legal and well-tolerated by others, even those who do not walk the same path (most of the time). Oh, and I am thankful for knitting, my meditative exercise of choice! (If only knitting burned more calories...!)

I think that I tolerate more, and I generally behave better, when I am thankful. Therefore I am constantly striving to make it my way of life. As Thanksgiving approaches, I am especially grateful that I also see thankfulness all around me. I just wish I could find a way to convey this to the cats!

If you are thankful for something, please share it in a comment below. I hope that your Thanksgiving celebrations, whatever they might be, find you counting more blessings than regrets this year.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

I Am a Keeper

I am a keeper. I do not mean to say that I am so unique and special that I should be treasured (although I do believe that to be true as well), but rather that I like to keep things. To collect things. To amass collections that make my husband scratch his head in wonder. To  stash sometimes useless-looking items that make my kids sorry they will someday have to clean out my closets...and attic...and basement...and...well, you get the picture.

The upside to being a keeper is that I can usually come up with just the right item to finish a project, whether I am working on artsy-craftsy things, home improvements or special holiday decorations. Duct tape with Dorothy's slippers printed on it? I have that. 6 pair of scissors with different types of scalloped blades for scrapbooking? I have those. Googly eyes to glue on or sew on? I have both, in several sizes. Dowel rods, three kinds of glue, paper grocery bags to cut up for origami trees, polyfill stuffing for toys and pillows? I have all of this and more. This is without even considering the yarn...ohhhhh, the YARN!

Occasionally, I get a bee in my bonnet to clean and/or declutter an area, which actually happened a little earlier this week. I was getting ready to cast on a pair of socks, because I had a dentist appointment. (You all know by now that I cannot sit in a waiting room without knitting!) Well, my favorite sock-knitting bag had become a collection of odds and ends that made finding my yarn in there a little challenging, so I emptied it out next to me on the sofa. Among the dental floss, tiny balls of leftover sock yarn, stitch markers, row counters, chap stick, hand lotion, pens, coffee sleeves, paper clips and toothpaste (I had taken this bag to the dentist on many occasions), I found this:

Yes, it is a foot. This is my preferred method to "measure" people for sock knitting, and although this foot appears to be about my size, I noticed there was writing on it. The writing indicates that Randy wears a 10 1/2 shoe and Dean wears a 12. It also notes color preferences and that Randy would like "fuzzy bunny" slippers. I know that he was likely joking, but you know what I knit, right?

Right! And he would tell me, almost every time he talked to me after Christmas that year, that they were the softest, coziest slippers he had ever had. He even asked for another pair a few years later, because these had worn out from so much use. It was a nice memory, to be sure, but I really don't need to keep this "pattern" or the notes about the sizes of these brothers' feet anymore, so I did something that is starting to become more common for me. I took a picture, so I could share the story without feeling obligated to keep all of the things. 

As I was listening to my daily dose of audio-Bible this morning, I thought again about how this is just what God has done for us. The Bible is the divinely inspired recounting of the memories of what God has done for his people (that would be you and me), from the beginning of time. And no matter what kind of clutter there is in your life, there is something in the book for you. The words that I come back to again and again in my life are these: "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." (Ps 34:4) There are many others, but this one usually comes to the front of my brain first, and it comforts me. It is my own personal truth. He has already delivered me from so many fears, and although I know that I will have new fears (daily, sometimes hourly), I completely trust his promise to continue to deliver me. Even though I walk through the shadows of my cluttered life, I will fear no evil, for God is with me! (Ps 23, VERY loose paraphrase)

Mork and Dollface, when I am gone, there should be at least one tiny knitting bag that you will not need to sort through and clean out. I know you are thrilled about that! In the meantime, we can all hope that the next bee in my bonnet leads to the decluttering of a closet...or the attic...or the basement! Now, friends, on to the knitting!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Three Black and Whites

When I get ready to blog each week, I first have a decision to make. Will I start with photos, or with a general idea? Usually I have an idea, and I always have a multitude of pictures and words to work with. Regarding those words, I am often convicted by a certain Bible verse which states, "Where words are many, sin is not absent." (Proverbs 10:19). I have many, many, many words, and I often struggle to not use them all in one sitting. But I know that there is likely no one out there prepared for that many words at the same time. Besides that, the more I talk, the more likely it is that I will say something silly...or sinful.

This past week has been no exception. There have been so many events and emotions that I could go on and on about how the world has wronged me. I could talk about the people who have offended me (intentionally or not), or I could lament the many opportunities I have missed. If I did that, however, I would most certainly sin by spreading gossip (intentionally or not), speaking harshly or saying something that would offend a friend or acquaintance. 

Therefore, I am choosing the photos today. No conflict...just coffee.

No catastrophe...just cat.

No yelling or yammering...just yarn.

And a sunrise reminder that God's mercies are new every morning because of his great faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Thank you to all of you doing the 7 black and white photos, no people, no explanations on social media. Even though I have only done 3 today (and one in color), your simple yet striking photos have inspired me to calm down, to be eager to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19). This is a good thing for all of us to do!

Today I am taking the high road with my words. I am also asking God's forgiveness (again) for the times this week that I have used those words in ways that were neither constructive nor encouraging. I know that I have complained about situations and people, despite knowing that I've really got it pretty good overall. Thank you, Jesus, for the sacrifice you made that covers my sin. (John 3:16) I am made perfect only in you, in your timing, and not in this lifetime. While I am here, among the very people you love most, please keep watch over my mouth (and my blog) to keep me from sinning with my words. Amen!

I hope your words are encouraging this week, and that you also receive words of encouragement in return. Words are just one of many opportunities to love one another well (or not), so I will pray that we will all use them carefully.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!