Yesterday was an awful day. Our teenager called to tell me that she thought she should move out of our house. When I pressed the issue, I found out that her mom had signed her out of school. She dropped out of school. Since I didn’t want to have the whole conversation on the phone, I told her to come home so we could talk about it. Then I hung up and freaked out. What was I going to do? I tried to get ahold of Jim, but I knew that he had a meeting scheduled for that time of day. So I called Josh, the youth pastor at our church. He said that he’d come over and help me talk to her.

The hardest thing about teenagers is getting to the heart of what their problem is. I think she, especially, has a hard time talking to us because she’s afraid of being vulnerable. Every person in her life has abandoned her and I think she’s just tired of getting hurt. I’m not sure that’s the total reason why she dropped out of school, but I know part of it is a test of our steadfastness. Our conversation with Josh was cut short because she was very angry and insulting. I can only take so much and after a particularly mean insult, I got up and walked away. I know that she was just trying to be mean, but it did really hurt.

But it all boils down to the fact that we’re NOT going to give up on her. I think she wants us to, but we won’t. It would certainly be easier and we really considered just being done, but I don’t believe God brought her here for it to end this way. So Jim called her and had her come down to the office. He talked her into homschooling via correspondence. She also has to come work for him a few hours a day at the office.

So things ended up working out, but it’s all a matter of what she’s willing to do. We can’t force her to succeed, but we’re going to do everything but force her, to ensure that she does succeed.

It’s definetly spring in Grand Junction. I always love this time of year, the tulips are starting to poke out of the ground and green buds are starting to form on the globe willows. The neighbors forsythia bush will be blooming amazingly yellow blooms next week. Our trips to the park will become more frequent and on the weekends we’ll all walk down to main street and window shop, maybe eat lunch in a little cafe.

There are only two bad things about spring. First, spring means that the sweltering heat of summer will soon be upon us. Here in Grand Junction, it could be really hot by the beginning of May. Second, it means cockroaches. I HATE cockroaches. There’s really no way totally get rid of them. We have pest control come out and spray every year, but that means that we’re just finding dead cockroaches not live ones. At one point our house was so infested that they had come up from the basement and were found crawling up the couch and our bedroom door. Not to mention all over the bathroom. There were a few nights that I didn’t sleep because I was sure they were going to get in the bed.

I’m so paranoid of it getting like that again, that as soon as I find a live one marching around, I call pest control. I hate to have poison sprayed in the house, but knowing Honor, he’d eat one and I’d have to dig it out of his mouth. I might just die if I had to do that. Jim insists that our kids will not be afraid of bugs. (But, I think deep down, Jim’s creeped out by cockroaches too.) He wants to bring praying mantis’ in our house so the kids can pet them. I’m fine with the kids not being afraid of bugs, as long as he doesn’t expect me to pet the bugs too.

Edit: Because I haven’t posted a picture in awhile. Here’s Honor sitting in the doll house.

I’m writing this as Eden sings along to a Charmin Ultra commercial. I think her hour a day television allotment needs to be decreased.

Yesterday I made Empanadas, from Martha Stewart Everyday Food. Those of you who read my weekly menus know that I LOVE my Everyday Food magazine. There have been very few recipes from the magazine that I haven’t liked. Unfortunatly, Empanadas were one of them. To me they tasted like Sloppy Joe Pockets. I HATE, I LOATHE sloppy joes. I was very disappointed because I spent a lot of time on the Empanadas. Friday I made the filling and yesterday I finished them up by making the dough and filling them. I baked half of them and froze the other half (so I get the pleasure of eating sloppy joe pockets again!!!!) Oh well, I guess Martha can’t be perfect.

Now that we have Tivo, I’ve been recording cooking shows. I love cooking shows. Everyday Food just started doing a show on PBS. What could be more perfect than watching my favorite cooking magazine on TV? I’ve also been watching Barefoot Contessa. It’s a little cheesy, but I really like Ina Garten’s cookbooks and any cooking show is worth watching.

I’ve got TONS to do today. I just stuck some chicken curry in the crock pot for the family in our church that I’m delivering a meal to tonight. I’ve got to go to the store and get plates, cups, napkins and candy for Eden’s party. OH, and stuff to make a veggie tray and some other snacks. (I feel so unorganized!)

I’ve also got to clean the kitchen, dining room, master bedroom and my desk. I have to finish weaving ends into my poncho (I’ll post pics later) and be ready to leave the house by 4 so I can drop off the food, drop off the kids, pick up Jim and head to the theater.

I’m tired just thinking of it. And now I’m going to start running around like a mad woman trying to get this all done.

I finished all the squares for the scarf swap this weekend. I see that I got the same idea as Nadia and made cabled squares. Here are a few of mine.

Baby cables:

Basic 6×6 cable:

8×10 cable:

I think cabling is really fun. I’ve been thinking about trying to make this purse, just because cabling is so fun. But the style is totally not me, so I have to figure out who would like the purse or how to alter it to my style.

Margaret and Nicole Cabled Clutch

Sometimes I feel like there is so much that I’d like to make, but so little time.

I’ve finished my mittens! And I’ve discovered the power of blocking. When reading the word mittens, you must pronounce it in your head the way I say it. Enunciate every syllable. Mi-tt-en-s.

I know that everyone says that blocking makes things nice, but good night! it makes them SOOO nice. Amazing. I think that the wool/silk blend of the yarn helps too. I just want to wear my mittens all day long. They’re so comfy! And they match my hat and scarf that I made awhile back.

A couple of things…

Michelle (chicken flicken) is not able to participate in the swap, she just found out that she’s moving at the end of the month.

So just make 12 squares, the scarves will still be long enough.

Also, a couple of us have posted our progress at Ktog (knit together), so check it out!

So, it’s official. We moved out of our office yesterday. It’s the begininning of a lot of great changes for our business, but I’m still SO SAD. I really loved our office. We spent so much time (and money) working on it, not to mention that our rent was NOTHING compared to any other place in town. And it was mere blocks from our house. The new office is across town.

Why did we move? We’re merging our business with another company in town. This company offers video production and some graphic work. With the merger, our combined businesses will now be able to offer a total marketing package, web design, graphic design, television commercial and radio commercial. There are many other benefits, but I don’t need to bother you all with the boring details.

I just miss our office.

OK. Here is who I have signed up.
Christa
Elizabeth
Sarah
Lactivist (Carol)
Gina
Jolene
Dawn
Chicken Flicken (Michelle)
Nadia
Charity
Maryrose
Brooke
Me

That’s 13. We will each make 13 squares 6 inches long and 5 inches wide. The squares DO NOT all have to be the same. Label each square (with a pinned note card or sticky note or something) with your name and, if you wish, your email/url. I think it will be fun to know where each of your squares comes from. The deadline for your squares is Feb 1st. Please have your squares in the mail no later than Feb 1. Don’t forget to send along a self addressed, postage paid envelope, so I can send it back to you. The sooner I get all the squares, the sooner I can send you out your scarf!!

I will be emailing you with my mailing address. If anybody has decided to back out of the swap, let me know immediately so I can tell the others to make fewer squares.

If anyone wants to send me pictures of their progress, I’ll post them. Let me know if there are any questions.

To sum up.
13 squares – 6 inches long and 5 inches wide
Self addressed and stamped envelope
Mail by Feb 1.

I’m excited!! This is going to be great!!!

Last chance to sign up for the scarf swap spectacular. There’s 3 spaces left, so email me if you want to sign up. I’m going to post the specifics by Monday.