Freeform Crochet class

These are pictures from the pieces that I made in a free form knit/crochet class on Saturday. I loved learning how to make the flowers - I have a young friend, Ellie, who will LOVE them! Another piece I made (not shown) is a free form piece and is both knitted (mitered square in the center) and crocheted. The best part about free form crochet and knit - is NO RULES! I learned a crochet bouillon stitch which is difficult at first - but fun once you get the hang of it and see the beautiful stitch it creates! The teacher was lots of fun and very encouraging! If you ever get a chance to take a class on free form crochet with Fayla Reiss- do - you will enjoy it! I sure did!

Crochet bouillon stitch

A better dishcloth

I had to post this picture of the blue dishcloth that I made. Much truer to the pattern and definitely more square.

I Remember Always - Graduation Day

I am back to putting song titles in my blog. I went back to school in 1991, the year that my son started kindergarten. I was a full time worker, a full time single mom and a part time student for 15 years and this summer, when I had some time off work I took the last two classes. I completed my Associate of Science (AS) in August 2006. This is a major accomplishment for me and one that I am so proud to have accomplished. I am proud to be able to add the degree to my resume and hope it will open some new doors for me.

My daughter Beth went to school part time and worked full time for the last few years, and she completed her AS in December. My daughter, Beth, and I will be graduating with our AS degree in Business on June 8, 2007! I am so proud of her and all that she has accomplished. She was an assistant teacher at a local Montessori school for 3-4 years and became a head teacher when a new school opened 2 ½ years ago.

The Cantata

On Sunday, April 1, 2007 (no foolin’) I sang an original cantata with my church choir. We had 200 people in attendance and it was a big smash hit! A fellow choir member who was not able to perform, said that she loved watching me and that I was very intense and very into the music. I loved all the songs, but the second song, where Jesus is telling the people at the temple to “Get out! Get out! Get out!” was one of my favorites. The lyrics are based on the gospels of the new testament and told a very complete tale of the last week of Jesus.

Everyone in attendance were moved by the wonderful music – especially since our choir director, Ken Potter, wrote it all in only 5 days! Ken had a gigantic smile on his face and you could tell that he was just SOOO PROUD of both the choir and how well it all came together. The Cantata will be sent to the Library of Congress and I’m sure it will be published as it is truly a great musical feat! I am excited to have been a part of the premiere performance and I have one of the original scores signed by the composer. How exciting!

Welcome to Holland

Today I am going to post a poem by Emily Perl Kingsley - "Welcome to Holland". This is a very beautiful and moving poem that touched my heart. Enjoy!

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.