michael, you have been warned

my son michael, pictured here with the family looking goofy after his high school graduation in may, was giving me grief this weekend about having a blog. so i thought i'd write about him!

that'll teach him not to make fun of me!

here's a few things i love about mike:

courage: whether it is working as a high school student on a congressional campaign or deciding at the last minute to veer off from his friends and go to college thousands of miles away, michael bravely steps out. he is aware of the risks and goes anyway. as a leader at church he taught elementary kids that Jesus is fun and exciting by bringing truth to life through crazy costumes and role play. i guess all those hours watching rescue 911 and playing luke skywalker have paid off: he is a courageous man.

conviction: michael is rarely without opinion. he learns about and then unashamedly professes the things he believes in--politics, faith, football, poodles, nascar, halo 3 and now sigma chi. when michael believes in something, he works diligently and speaks with great intensity. (he has never been very convinced that his room should be clean.) i love his passion; he reminds me of paul the apostle.

sensitivity: i love this about mike. he is strong enough to care for the feelings of others, to admit when he is wrong and to desire to set things right. he will certainly argue with his sisters and bop his little brother on the head but he loves them dearly and is a really great big brother. he is always aware of a person in need, holding the door at the grocery store or rescuing lost dogs. he genuinely like to help people.

i miss michael so much but love that he is happy and thriving at college. i am very proud to be his mom.

and if he harasses me any more i do have a picture of him snuggling with button.

creative fun and challenge

i have had two things going on in my crazy creative life: a knitting deadline and a fun new class!

the knitting deadline is the lily of the valley shawl by nancy bush from the lace style book. i am teaching this class at string boutique and have been knitting like a maniac to get it finished...which i did last night! yea! it has been fun and a little challenging (what is the deal with borders??) i love the way it has turned out in scrumptious koigu! the pic above is of me and button knitting and watching football. now that is FUN!

the fun new class is a 6 month class i am taking a the great american quilt factory, which is called the creative process. we are exploring all aspects of art quilting, from idea to completion. it is a lovely group of ladies, including my dear friend carolyn, and i am excited to see the new ideas that will be sparked in this creative community.

speaking of community, my Bible study began 2 weeks ago. we are studying acts and the emphasis is on community. the concept of individualized faith is not very prevalent in acts; it is always part of God's bigger plan and the community of believers. i am thrilled to watch Him teach all these wonderful ladies and humbled that He chooses to do it through me. (i'll write more about that later! this is a blog tease. tune in again for the full story!)

spelling or eyesight issues

i just reread my last post and discovered several typos. disturbing. this is not due to my spelling abilities but to trying to write without reading glasses. i hereby vow to never do that again. i am officially old and need reading glasses ALL the time. phooey. is that how you spell that?

my knittng dream

okay i will start with the disclaimer that this is weird. i dreamt last night about the red baby alpaca shawl that i am knitting from the book victorian lace today. here's what i remember: i was sitting in my car in new york city (something i've never done, drive in nyc) and a lady came out of a shop wearing a shawl that i noticed right away looked like my shawl. as she walked in front of my car i realized it was the same frog tree alpaca and as she passed by my window i saw it was the exact same pattern! my one though was, "wow, she figured out that knitted on border. i wonder how she did it since the directions are so wonky." here's a pic on of my shawl. if i only i could go back to sleep and get my dream lady to help me with my border.

still trying...

to do this blog thing! today's challenge: i'll see if i can post pictures. my sweet daughter liza gave me a little lesson on posting my projects on ravelry. but it's been a few weeks and she isn't here to help me. soooo...i'm gonna try it on my own! (aren't you proud of me liza?) yea!

this quilt above, "new beginnings" was my first quilt of 2008.

and this one is"big cookie". i was inspired as i stood in line at einstein's and fought my desire to get one of these! i just quilted it instead. :0)

i'm off to spend 24 hours with the 20 wonderful women who comprise the leadership of the wednesday morning bible study at my church! lots of laughing and sharing our hearts, eating fun snacks and praising Jesus! and maybe a little knitting!

please join me as i'm praying for all my friends and family in houston as hurricane ike approaches. much love-

k