Watermelon Love

Ian LOVES watermelon. So much so that the seed in his belly button may sprout and grow him his very own to have at all times. Wouldn't that be convenient! Sorry you can't see his face. The picture is more about the seed in the belly button :)
Hot like Hades here today. Good training for Mombassa
blessings

Words of encouragement.

I wanted to share with you a blog that is always an encouragement to me. Along the Way The fact that my dad writes it is great, but has little to do with the encouragement I draw from the words. He usually writes scripture or about scripture. Dad writes with humility and a great desire to be more like Christ and find his Joy in Him.
I really appreciated his June 24th entry, "The journey of faith is not about finding your freedom, rather it is about finding your true Master." (Matthew 16:24-26)
I hope you will visit and be encouraged as I am.

knitting, and saskatoon berries

We've got a mix today. First i had to show you this beautiful picture of Grace and Ian. She is a really good helper. I can't thank the Lord enough for the love Elijah and Grace both have for Ian. They are always willing to help me with him.

Second I had to show you the vest completed. I changed it up a bit and he wears it as a tank top. I like the changes I made though. More summery.
And Thirdly, I wanted to show you the Saskatoon Berries I picked this afternoon with the kids and my friend Leanne. I wish I had remembered to bring my camera with me to the berry patch. We had a lot of fun. The kids found caterpillars and spiders and Leanne and I picked. The kids also accidentally knocked over the pails a few times, so they need a good bath when we got home. So that's what I'm doing in this frist picture. Two pails worth in the sink with cold water. Alot of the leaves and sticks and stuff floated to the top conveniently.


Then I took my little strainer and scooped out the berries. As I poured them into the bowl I grabbed out the bad ones and anyother stuff I don't want in my jam.
And here's the bowl full of yummy clean Saskatoon Berries. I picked too small of a bowl so they eventually ended up in my largest Tupperware bowl. It is unfortunately white, so I'm scared it is going to turn purple...but what's a girl to do?! I try to remember to take picture when I turn it into jam.

Idols

"Sometimes God seems to be killing us when he's actually saving us. Here he was turning Abraham into a great man- but on the outside it looked like god was being cruel. (when God asks Ab to sacrifice Issac) To follow God in such circumstances seems to be "blind faith" but actually it is vigorous, grateful faith. The Bible is filled with stories of figures such as Joseph, Moses, and David in which God seemed to have abandoned them, but later it is revealed he was dealing with the destructive idols in their lives and that could only have come to pass through their experience of difficulty."
-Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller (pg20)

Wisdom

Proverbs 3

¹ My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,

² for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.

³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. ^a]">[a]

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.

⁸ This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;

¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.

¹¹ My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,

¹² because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father ^b]">[b] the son he delights in.

¹³ Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,

¹⁴ for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.

¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.

¹⁷ Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.

¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

¹⁹ By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;

²⁰ by his knowledge the deeps were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.

²¹ My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,
do not let them out of your sight;

²² they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.

²³ Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;

²⁴ when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

²⁵ Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

²⁶ for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared.

²⁷ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,
when it is in your power to act.

²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor,
"Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"—
when you now have it with you.

²⁹ Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
who lives trustfully near you.

³⁰ Do not accuse a man for no reason—
when he has done you no harm.

³¹ Do not envy a violent man
or choose any of his ways,

³² for the LORD detests a perverse man
but takes the upright into his confidence.

³³ The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous.

³⁴ He mocks proud mockers
but gives grace to the humble.

³⁵ The wise inherit honor,
but fools he holds up to shame.

could it be?

Could it be? Could I redeem my very unfortunate decision of letting Elijah hold the iTouch only to have it slip from his hand and be cracked?
I was visiting Pioneer Woman today. Her son dropped her iPad on the kitchen floor and it cracked. She of course was devastated. Someone commented with a link to a business called BrokeMyiPhone that repairs cracked screens. I've requested a quote. My fingers are crossed. I may have just happened upon something to make my mistake right again.

Packaging

Do love things in beautiful packages? Do you often wish you had something special to package something you have made? If your answer was yes, I have the website for you. It's called Bake It Pretty
I kid you not, you will be drooling. I spent a good hour (wow that's a long time to give to the internet...sad)exploring, and thinking of all the ways I could use her unique items. Lots of fun.

Trusting

I was reading through some of my journal entries. I came across a quote from "Lessons from the hiding place." The words struck me in a new deeper way, as I considered their meaning in light of our families situation.
"Bestie said, 'It is going to be a harder winter than we have ever had before. We must show through our joy the worth of being a Christian. We should already be doing this, because seeing the dark clouds approaching is often harder than being covered by them.'"
During and coming home from candidates week I started realizing the gravity of what we are embarking on. Health, security, money, culture, heat, language, schooling for the kids, traveling abroad, all these were suddenly before me in a clearer more profound way. How, when, with what strength, and with what wisdom, will I navigate through all these things. Bestie's words challenge me to not grow faint, to not lose heart, but to joyfully head toward the storm clouds. Maybe my life now; how I handle the next year, can be a testimony of the glorious riches of God? Will I fret and worry, complain and grumble, or will I live in the hope of Christ? Putting my life firmly in Him; trusting He will prepare me and guide me now and when the storm clouds are over head.
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him
How I've proved Him o'r and o'r
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus
Oh for grace to trust Him more.
Lord, give me the trust I need. It's by your grace that I will joyfully meet whatever comes our way, so that all will know how great You are.

Communal living

This is a dream of mine. So great to see someone do it.

We're on our way.

Its almost 11:00pm and I should not be sitting down. I have a house to keep cleaning and bags to back. Packing is such a chore. Its a real challenge to know what is really important to bring. I don't want to drag along everything and the kitchen sink.
By the way we are headed to Ontario tomorrow morning. It will be an adventure to put it mildly. We're basically going to Ontario to do a road trip. Why you might ask? Well that's a very good question...I'm asking that very same question tonight. No, not really. I'm excited. WE're doing to road trip so we can see all the people we love, and share with them about our plans for Africa.
I've got to get up now. My husband is lapping me in the "getting things done" department!
I thought I'd tag on these great blog for you to enjoy.
Yes, please - This is a great blog jammed packed with beautiful pictures and great ideas.
And she had this great reminder for me.

Prudent Baby - Yummy homemade pot tarts. Follow her link for to the recipie. This looks like something the Chalmers family is going to have to try...one day when life settles down.

Knitted Vest

On my needles I have a very nice sweater vest for Ian. (pictured at the top) I'm not going to use the contrasting color on the edges. I've been wanting to try Lion Brand's Cotton-Ease. I bought it at Micheal's. When I found it there I was so excited. I had thought I was going to have to order it. I didn't have a pattern in mind when I found it so I only bought two balls of this brown. So had to find a pattern that only used that much. The Lion Brand site has so many great patterns for free.

Little girl hat.

Today I crocheted a hat for Grace. I got the pattern from TheYarnChick on Etsy
I think I'll try selling them here. So if you have a little girl in your life who would look cute in this hat let me know. All $20 will go to our "Car in Mombasa" fund!
Our vehicle in Mombasa is an extra cost, so we're saving up.
Email me if you are interested. thechalmers@sasktel.net
I'll be posting a boys hat soon.
Amie

Links - what I've been looking at

Three Irish Girls Looking for beautiful one of a kind dyed sock yarn? This sight is eye candy just to look at.

Not Martha Is a neat blog. She blogs everything from crafts, cooking, links, shopping, etc... I really like her "Link" blogs. I've found so many neat sites. She is also an amazing crafter and cook. She's got a great recipe for cobbler baked in jars. She also does a pie in a jar. I've got to try that.

The Pioneer Woman This woman can take a picture. Wow! Her blog is linked to this site. look for "Confessions". She also cooks, homeschools, farms, etc... I had so much fun exploring her site. I hope you will too.

Juniper Moon Farm this woman left the big city to start a sheep farm. (If you know me well, you know this is my dream.) She came up with the great idea of people becoming share holders and receiving fleece each year. The quantity of fleece they receive is calculated by the size of their "share". You can watch your fleece grow online,or go visit! What a great idea.

Well that's all you get for now. Ian won't let me continue.

getting bigger every day

Here are some pitures of the kids. Ian is getting more and more personality. I just love watching his character come out. He still hasn't tried to crawl. I'll take it. I'm not interested in chasing him around the house. He's eight months now. Boys, does time fly. He won't take a bottle while mom is at work. This frustrates Jon a bit. We are going to see if he'll take the formula from a cup. He seems to take that better than the bottle. He hasn't starved yet! I don't think he will.
have a great day.
Amie

Eye Candy

I found this amazing blog today called "homespun living". You have to check it out. She is a gifted seamstress, knitter, and home decorator. I am inspired by her art and beautiful photos. It is so generous of her to invite us into her home and work.
I have copied down her pattern for knit dish clothes and am excited to try it out. Need to get some cotton. I might have enough for one cloth. I guess that's a start!
I'm working on a sweater for Ian. I received the pattern from my mom. When I left home she gave me all her knitting supplies and binder of patterns. Its a raglan sweater with finished neck line. ( unlike the last sweater I made which was also a raglan.) I've changed the look of it by knitting a different motif. Its more like a Fair Ilse look. I enjoy uses a pattern but also being able to add my own creativity. My camera's memory card is full and the the battery is dead, so I'll have to up load some photos when that problem has been solved.
I'm looking forward to the day Ian starts taking two long naps a day. I'll start sewing again and get more knitting down. At the moment the sewing has all but stopped and the knitting is done in 5-10 minute intervals. I'm not complaining...just looking forward to the future! :)
Well that's it for me. I'm off to bed. Church tomorrow. Sundays are always big days.
Amie

Mummy's helpers

Here are some pictures of the kids and I working together in the kitchen. Elijah and I made some muffins. He used the mixer all by myself. Grace was especially helpful. She feed Ian for me, peeled the carrot for the soup, opened the cans for the soup and stirred the soup. I think she even helped me with the dishes. I hope this will be a trend that will carry on into her later years...helpfulness!

Ian's stripped sweater.

I'm really happy with the the way this sweater turned out. I had to use needles a size larger than the pattern called for so its a bit stretchy. Its a bit big for Ian just yet. It made it 9-12 months. The neck line is bigger than I thought it would be but I think it will look better when the sweater fits him on the whole. Its so soft and the blue is so bright and warm. I'm so proud of all my seams. I find a sight called Knitting Help. It has lots of videos showing how to different techniques. So this is my first kniiting projects with such great seams.
I've just found this great website in the last few days called Ravelry This is a community that shares patterns, projects, yarn. You can find out info on all kinds of yarn. I haven't yet explored all of its possibilities. Crocheters and Knitters alike will really enjoy this site. Take a look. Lots of free patterns!

Domestic Bliss

I had bought a turkey awhile back because it was a good price. Since, I have not had the time or will to cook it, but today I finally did it. First I roasted it. I boiled the neck, liver and heart with carrot, celery and onion for Ian. I didn't puree the heart or the liver for him but I'm hoping all their goodness got into the veggies the neck meat and the broth. Then I took all the meat off the turkey and put it into a pan to rewarm later for supper. I put some pan drippings in the bottom of the pan to keep it moist. Then I made my broth with the carcass. We definitely didn't eat enough turkey at supper. Lots of leftovers. I'm going to make soup for supper tomorrow with my broth and extra meat. There is a lot of broth so I think I'll give some soup to someone. I'll make a double batch. We can use some of the turkey for lunch meat. I'll freeze some for a cassarole later. I"m not great at remembering to use frozen leftovers. I also have a hard time thinking of ways to use cooked meat. I'm hoping you can use it the way you would meat with less cooking time. I was going to make a lentil casserole this week. You'll find the recipie at my girlfriend's blog on the Jan. 19th entry. I made it a couple weeks ago and everyone liked it. I added some cut up boneless chicken thighs, but I wonder if I could put some cut up turkey?


I thought I would add a picture of the yarn I'm using to knit Ian's sweater. I rolled it all into balls this afternoon. 50g skeins don't take any time at all to ball. I'm used to larger skeins that seem to take a long time to get into a ball.
I put some puff wheat on Ian's tray today and he picked it up and ate it. He loves eating. I actually think he must be having a growth spurt because he's nursing consistently every 3 hours or sooner.

Elijah's sweater

So after i knit Grace's sweater I had to make one for Elijah. So here it is. I used one of his monster drawing as a template for the picture I stitched on the front. I think he really likes it. It is a bit of a heavy sweater. It may be good for the spring, when that's all you need to wear outside.

I also made him a hat. I got the idea for the rim off Etsy . I made a pink one for Grace but she seems to have misplaced it already. Very sad. I'm sure I'll find it somewhere and then I'll post a picture of it. I think it made it a bit deep.
My next project is a sweater for Ian. In Regina I bought some beautiful pima cotton, Merino wool mixed yarn. I'm planning on using a Debbie Bliss pattern.
All this knitting has really dug into my reading time. Not really getting any done. Its hard to knit and read. So I'm still not done "Shake hands with the Devil." Its pretty depressing, and very long. I try to read a few pages while I'm nursing. Ian doesn't take too long though so I only get a couple pages read at a time.
We have been watching a whole lot of Olympics. The TV is on alot. Its a bit addictive. I'm getting tired of hearing CTV say, we have a great chance on getting a medal and then we get 4th or 5th. I wish they would stop jinxing us like that.

The kids are all having fun crafting this morning. Ian is watching his siblings with awe and amazement. It makes a big difference now that he can sit all by himself. He'll sit long periods of time just playing with his toys or watching the older two.

A Saturday with the kids

Jon is gone to Yorton for today and tomorrow. He is playing in a mens tournament.
For the most part my day with the kids went smoothly. We went into town in the morning. I wanted to get a few things at Walmart. I'll have to return a few. I definitly bought the wrong colour yarn for Elijah's sweater. It looked redish-orange in the store but when i got it home it was more pick than anything. So that won't work. I remembered to buy diapers for Grace and Ian. Surprising.
I'm reading a book called "Grace based parenting" I'm only a little ways in but he's talked about loving your kids for who God made them. I was reminded of this today when Elijah was begging and pleading for me to arrange a play date for him with one of his friends. I find this very difficult. #1 I don't want to bother other families. #2 I don't want to and often can't leave the house to take him somewhere. #3 I didn't want even more of a mess in the house from having another 5 year old to help my two take every toy out. Not today. I was getting very frustrated by his pleading and need to be with other people. I think I can say no to him and he needs to except that decision but I also think I don't want him to get the impression that there is something wrong with him for wanting to be with people all the time. I also don't want to give him the impression that he is an annoyance to me. This is very difficult. To not allow my frustration with the situation to dictate the way I treat him and talk with him about it. Lord give me wisdom.
I'm going to attempt to go to church tomorrow by myself and the kids. I may have to send the two older ones to children's church on their own if Ian is sleeping. I can't just leave him there in the pew and I won't want to carry the car seat all the way to the classroom. I talked with Cristy tonight and asked if I could sit near her. Then she could watch the Ian when I take the kids.
Anyways, off to bed for me. Never know what Ian's night will be like.
much love
amie