Blankets for Orphans ~Update~

Posted on May 25, 2012 by katandcompany

You read about the volunteer project I’m participating in, right?
If not, you can catch up here.

Here’s the update on our progress as of Thursday 5/24.

We have 11 blankets completed.
96 squares (2 blankets) have been promised.
Leslie has 2 in progress.
192 squares are being mailed next week from Mississippi (enough to make 4 more blankets).

That brings our total to 18 blankets.

We have given yarn to approximately 10 people and Leslie has given 2 classes teaching a couple of gals how to crochet.
There have been 30 more 1-pound skeins of yarn purchased and a sizable yarn donation has been offered.
We have a couple offers to help a little with the (sizable) postage fees.

I, personally, have decided to forgo the squares and make a complete blanket myself.
If it’s easier for you as well, feel free to make it in the pattern you desire.
We would like the blankets to be approximately 4 1/2’ x 6’ but the important thing to remember her is that we’re trying to get some orphan children snuggled into some new blankets.

All in all, we’re about 25% completed towards our goal of 77 blankets.
We’re doing pretty good but are still looking for some help.
If you, or someone you know, might be interested in helping in any way, shoot me an email so we can talk.

A Personal Reminder for Patience

Posted on May 24, 2012 by katandcompany

Following up on yesterday’s mini vent, here’s a reminder I printed up for myself.

I find it helpful to have the little reminders to glance at when I am having a hard time.

I pray for patience with myself more than with anyone else.
I hold myself to a higher standard than is necessary and it makes me more stressed when I can’t even be patient with myself.
The quote from Eknath Easwaran, (who was a spiritual teacher) is especially pertinent for me personally.
Patience cannot be acquired overnight.
I need to work on it every day.

I’m trying damn hard.

And as Mr. Dumas said, I’m hoping.

What do you have more trouble with?
Patience or tolerance?

Would you like a copy? Download it here:

Patience vs. Tolerance

Posted on May 23, 2012 by katandcompany

I’ve struggled with patience for years.
(I used up my natural patience years ago.)
I’m pretty tolerant though.

When I’m having a tough time, I pray (a lot) for patience.
I’ve been told I should be praying for tolerance.
I stand by my declaration of a wish for patience and here’s why:

Patience is defined as the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

Tolerance is defined as a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one’s own.

I have a 13 year old daughter.
Do I really need to explain further?

Alright, just in case you’ve never had to deal with a teenaged girl, I’ll explain further.

I personally don’t believe that she has the right to have certain opinions or practices.
For example, inappropriate language or taking off whenever she desires.
She can have all the opinions she wants when she’s an adult.
Until then, I refuse to be “permissive”.

However, I fully believe that I could be more patient with her lack of adult experience, and therefore, her ignorance on the real life consequences of treating people in an inappropriate manner.
I can definitely not allow myself to be provoked and improve upon my “loss of temper”.

I can’t wait for the day I can take a picture like this with my firstborn. I miss her.

I will continue to pray for patience for another four years or so.
Then maybe I’ll start praying for tolerance too.

Student Conferences ~Miss Margaret~

Posted on May 18, 2012 by katandcompany

Miss Margaret had student-led school conferences recently.

She did a great job making sure she went over everything she was supposed to show me.

She loves to show off her work.

She even gave me a tour of her classroom even though I’ve volunteered in class numerous times this year.

She wrote the descriptive words of herself.
I think she chose just the right ones.

We took the scenic route out of the building afterwards.
I spied this awesome reminder for the students.
I think it’s quite appropriate for the grown-ups to remember too.

They have some amazing art.

I love these!

And these.

And those little heads are so cute.

We went home and made some notecards to give her teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week the following week.

We made these for last year’s teacher whom she still sees everyday and loves.

These were for this year’s teacher.

The cards were a hit.

I am so grateful that she likes school so much and has such amazing teachers.
We are lucky indeed.

*****

I hope you all have a safe and happy weekend.

My Little “Boyfriend”’s Birthday

Posted on May 16, 2012 by katandcompany

So my favorite little redhead turned two recently and I got to go to his birthday party.
It was held at Papa’s Pizza Parlor in Beaverton on Saturday.
I was impressed with the party room.
It held an amazingly large amount of people (the birthday boy is really popular) and had tons of light.
I took over 300 pictures and managed to whittle them down to almost 40.
You get the pleasure of seeing the final cut here.

Cute cake.

Yeah, a certain little man couldn’t wait to taste the cake.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t feeling too hot the day of his party.

This is what happens when a two year old doesn’t feel good.
Poor guy.

I love this shot.
He and his mama are so gorgeous.

This is his best buddy.

That’s the papa there watching everything.
Or maybe he was hoping to sneak into the cake too?

Someone caught sight of the camera pointed at him and looked away.
I think it’s a cute shot anyway.

I just love this one with the birthday boy next to the papa.
He looks so little and so big all at the same time.

Mama looked fresh and Spring-y in her cute floral top.

It seems someone needed a cuddle.

What a sweet boy, giving away his kisses.

I had about 20 shots in this one pose.
Little man wasn’t too sure about blowing out the candle.

He was too happy to lick the frosting off the truck though.

Little man was upset until the big guy picked him up.
They are so cute together.

He needed some cuddles after such a busy day.

I love the look on her face. So empathetic.

Happy birthday little man.
I had a great time.

My Little Buddy

Posted on May 15, 2012 by katandcompany

I have always been a cat person.
As long as I can remember, I’ve always had a cat.
Or two, or three, or four.
My mom and my step-mom were both cat lovers.
I love how they’re independent and clean and generally don’t require a lot of care.
The wild cats are so strong and fast.
And they’re all so beautiful.

Somehow, I ended up with a dog.
Barney is a miniature pinscher.
At first I thought he was just an ankle biter who would be a pain to take care of but he became my little buddy.
The best part of having a dog, for me, is how happy he is whenever I get home.
He is the sweetest, most cuddly dog I have ever met.
We are still working on some training issues, but overall, he has learned so much since he joined our family.

Since I take a lot of pictures of my family, I end up taking a lot of pictures of Barney too.
He’s surprisingly photogenic.
I decided to have fun with his pictures and try out a bunch of different filters and effects.

When my little buddy isn’t rocking his hoody, you can often find him near a heater.

I suppose if I could get away with it, I might haunt the heaters when I was cold too.

If there’s nobody around to cuddle with, Barney will cuddle into whatever he can find.
He especially loves the pile of laundry waiting to be folded.

Does he not look like a sweet puppy?

He’s kinda weird sometimes.
See the three legged pose there?
He walks like that whenever it’s cold or wet outside.
I don’t know how many times I have been asked if there’s something wrong with him.
I wondered too at first. Until I saw that he switches legs.