Busha Full Of Grace

Mother Teresa's Prayer

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. " ~ This prayer was found written on the wall of her Children's Home ~

Projects

I seem to be waiting for some colorful, artistic way to find to post my recent projects and I am NOT waxing eloquent nor artistic. Plus, I'm realizing that I don't even have photographs of it all. So...I'll just slap what I have up here and call it successful! Some days are like that. Even in Chicago. This is a 100% cotton gauze wrapping blanket I embroidered for my new great-nephew, Jacob. A crocheted and felted (for safety) bell rattle and wooden teething toy too: I also crocheted and felted nesting bowls for Fiona for Christmas. The pattern was purchased on Etsy and I used Cascade 220 yarn. And a sweater and hat set. The sweater is the Baby Yoda Sweater (pattern found online) and the hat I made up to match the sweater. I knitted them in Lorna's Lace Lion and Lamb (merino wool and silk). The color is "clay". The only change I made in the pattern was to crochet a chain for the inside tie rather than an I-Cord, because I thought that would be too bulky for a little baby belly. Also crocheted and felted, a bowl I made for Jahan; it was used as a pseudo Christmas stocking and held several little gifts, but its purpose was as a toy, a place to "put things in" and "take things out". Again and again. Amusingly, he found the fuzz of the mohair in the sunlight another place to play! Some hats, made for bigger heads but modelled by Ike. First, two different "Boyfriend's Hats" I knitted 3 Banana Republic Knock-Off hats, one for Camille, one for her friend Sophia, and one for Shannon. Pattern also found online. What I found was, if you want it to cover the ears you need to add several inches in length before decreases. I also made a really bulky and incredibly soft scarf for Shannon out of many leftovers I had in my stash (hiding in her coat). This pair (the hat and scarf) was her belated birthday present....from July! My most recent completion was Jahan's sweater and hat. The pattern is called "Pixie Sweater and Cap" and it was a photocopy I had in my files from an older copy of a woman's magazine. I made the same set for Ike on his first birthday. In fact, as you can see in the picture of discarded sweaters I spotted at Shannie's house, Fiona is wearing it now, and the colors were quite different. And that's it for now...all the photographs I have. And as always, there are a couple more secret projects up my sleeve and in mthe works!

Power of Six

I've been tagged by Eileen at Little Acorn Learning Center for a photo meme. You take your sixth folder of pictures and you choose the sixth photo in there. Post it and write something.... This is a photo of Shannon, Ike, Camille, Fiona and our friend Sarah...taken at Sarah and Charlene's house last year, when we were there watching American Idol and eating dessert! That's my sixth album, sixth picture and the date was 2/19/2008. That's kind of interesting, isn't it? Almost one year to date.

It's All About Love

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY....

hands

Hands are incredible doors to all that is good. And to offer them in a kind gesture, a loving gesture...let's just say without waxing poetic, I am grateful for mine. What do they do that elicits gratitude? Love. Soothe. Create. Speak. Greet. Repair. Prepare. Clean. Feed. Arouse. Drive. Signal. Respond. Deliver. Tickle. Massage. Brush. Applaude. Grasp. I'm sure this list can go on and on. But I gave myself 60 seconds.

Oh and my hands type. And my blog reached a milestone this week: 100,000 hits and 1000 comments. Hip hip hooray! Thank you Blogland friends...

Another Quote or Two...From Ike This Time

" Busha, do you know that the hedgehog came out of his hole and got scared and now there are 6 more weeks of Christmas?"

"And Busha, when winter is over, do the huskies hibernate?"

Quoting a Friend From her facebook Page

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways ... body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming, "WOO HOO -- what a ride!" Don't ya love it????

All In A Day's Work

My job consists of many things uncommon to the regular work week. But I take each task up with pure heart and sincerity. I thought some of you might find it...while quite different from your work week...amusing...

A couple of times a week, I cook organic vegetables and hand mill them down into baby food morsels. I then freeze them into cubes. Once they are frozen, I remove them to a ziploc bag, labelled with the contents and the date. This makes life easier for his parents who long just to be with him while they work all day. When they get home...voila!... they can do just that, and have wholesome, hearty meals to feed to him. yesterday i prepared potato and spinach to add to the other veggies already frozen. I believe there are still some carrots with dal, pumpkin with cinnamon, apples and blackberries, green beans, and chard. 

 And while I cook, Jahan sits in his high chair devouring blueberries. We chat. And chat. And chat. Sometimes though, I can't make heads or tails of just exactly what he is saying! But I respond in kind. Our conversations go something like this:

Jahan: "da-da-da-DAAAAAA"

Me: "da-da-da-DAAAAAAHHHH???"

Jahan grins...and I...laugh.

And we pass a delightful morning together.

And his eyes tell me just how much he loves the blueberries, as they drip down his chin and arms, through his hard working fingers. And I tell him all about the coast of Maine, a place neither he nor I have yet to visit, where the children pick the berries and plunk them into buckets. One in the bucket. One in their mouth.

And soon the time has passed and I am done with my chores and Jahan is sleepy and drunk on berries.

I believe in baths as a healing component to all things. Of course, they cleanse the body; but what they can do for the spirit and the soul. Receptive. Purifying. Soothing. Flowing. And potently equal on a snowy cold day, as a sweltering, humid summer day: a comforting playtime.

 

Oh, and he sleeps. he gets good rest.  And I tend to other aspects of his life.  I make sure his closet is tidy, his things are in order. I get rid of hat's too small, pants too short, and make sure his things can be found in an efficient manner. And as I do this, I realize it's for mama as well as Jahan. It saves her from that aching realization that her baby used to fit into this little shirt or that tiny hat. And maybe he grew just a little bit too much while she was at work.  I just store them quietly away in the box in the downstairs closet to await its next occupant.

 

And some things, like the swadding blankets, I recycle into better use. I cut and sew flannel bibs for

blueberries... ...and so on, and so on.

My life breathes apparent simplicity. But it is in these simple moments that I am able to serve. To serve the young child. His parents. And our environment. I live a dream of quiet days and thoughtful moments of loving unconditionally a little baby with a ready smile. And I am so grateful.