#TheAlmonsTakeNottingham

It's been a wee bit since we've travelled in our new neck of the woods. Our travels this time took us to Nottingham, England. The Hubs had been selected to present a paper at the Society for the Study of Theology's annual conference, so Damaris and I tagged along for a wee family holiday. His paper was titled "Perichoresis, postmodernism, and pietism: the peril and promise of Stanley J. Grenz’s Trinitarian revisioning of evangelical ecclesiology". I'm sure if you're interested in this, he'd be happy to discuss it with you. ;-)

The Hubs spent most of his time at the conference, but he did sneak away for a visit to Nottingham Castle. Meanwhile, Damaris and I found a local yarn shop (we needed souvenir yarn of course!) and had pedicures. We enjoyed our leisurely walks through city centre, played loads of games, and drank lots and lots of coffee.

Who would have imagined a year ago that I'd be able to go on a trip like this and actually walk around the city? I'm so thankful and grateful for how my health has improved in the almost 2 years that we've been living in Scotland. I'm even venturing out on my own for a trip to London in May (I'm vending with my JavaPurl Designs patterns at a yarn festival with my dear friend Sam who lives in London). Pics of that coming after the trip.

So now, on to the photos of Nottingham:

Specialist Update

After a 6 month wait, I finally saw the rheumatologist today about my fibromyalgia. The doctor was amazing, she spent 30 minutes talking with us. She re-confirmed the fibromyalgia diagnosis + added a new diagnosis of hypermobility. She can't do much, but is asking my GP to increase one of my current meds + referring me to a pain clinic. She thinks I need a multidisciplinary treatment in order to improve. So good news and bad news as now we wait again for the referral to go through. Here's hoping the waiting list isn't 6 months long like this first one was. She thought my case was extremely severe + agrees nothing will change without the multidisciplinary treatment. Thanks for yall's prayers + support during this journey!

The Post In Which I Check In For January 2014

I can't believe we're already a month into 2014! Where does the time go? I wanted to write this post to check in on how January went with my goals for the year.

One bit of good news that doesn't necessarily relate to my goals is that I am finally off the waiting list to see a specialist about my fibromyalgia. The appointment will be on 26-February. I'm anxiously anticipating it and hoping that we can come up with a plan to improve my health.

So, let's have a look at my 2014 goals progress:

~Keep a daily journal.
I'm doing quite well with this one. I absolutely adore the Bullet Journal system I'm using. I haven't missed a single day so far this year.

~Continue keeping a list of the eucharisteo/gifts/joys/Thanksgivings in my life.
I'm doing this in my daily journal. I just hit the 2800 number mark in the last few days.

~Read at least one non-fiction book each month of 2014.
1 ~ Girl Meets God: On the Path to a Spiritual Life by Lauren Winner ~ completed 5-January-2014
2 ~ Almost Amish: One Woman's Quest for a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life by Nancy Sleeth ~ completed 18-January-2014
3 ~ In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed by Carl Honore ~ currently reading

~I plan to continue sharing about the creative part of my life which includes knitting, spinning, and designing patterns on a month to month basis here on my blog. Hopefully that will include sharing about designing at least six knitting patterns, knitting at least two sweaters for myself, knitting at least six pairs of socks for myself, spinning at least five batches of fiber, knitting several preemie hats to donate to charity, and who knows what else!
So far, I've completed:
*Gloves ~ 1
*Hats ~ 1
*Socks ~ 1
*Washcloths ~ 5
*Misc. Items ~ 1

In progress are:
*Cowl ~ 1
*Spinning ~ 1
*Super super super super super super secret sock design project ~ 1

Details are below.



Finished Projects
Garter Stitch Headband ~ From the Garter Stitch Head-Band pattern by Coranda Berry. Knit on US6 (4mm) needles with Adriafil Knitcol in the Fantasy Novel colourway. I knit this for myself to use up the leftovers I had from knitting myself a cowl + hat because I love the colourway so much!




Take A Bow Hat ~ From the Take a Bow Hat pattern by Therese Sharp. Knit on US8 (5mm) needles with Robin Chunky in the Silver colourway. I knit this for myself with some leftover wool from a baby gift. I love it!




True Love Socks ~ From the True Love pattern by Chrissy Gardiner. Knit on US1.5 (2.5mm) needles with Wendy Happy in the Mars colourway. I wanted a pair of Valentine's Day socks for myself and these definitely fit the bill. I used the OMG Heel and am really impressed at how it fits.




Urban Necessity Gloves ~ From the Urban Necessity Gloves pattern by Colleen Michele Meagher. Knit on US4 (3.5mm) needles with New Lanark Donegal Silk Tweed DK in the Dark Graphite colourway. I needed a pair of convertible gloves to wear in the cold weather we experience in Edinburgh. I had purchased a pair from a store and they fell apart after only a couple of months of wear. So I decided to knit myself a pair and I love them so much. They are a much better fit and are so cozy warm.




I have five completed projects that I can't share at this time because they are surprises. I have the photos & information saved to share after the recipient receives them.



Current Works in Progress
*Casu Cowl
*Super super super super super super secret project
*Third Spinning Project ~ 35 grams of Merino (British Shetland Batt) from HilltopCloud



2014 Completed Projects:



Gloves
*Urban Necessity Gloves ~ completed 23-January-2014



Hats
*Take A Bow Hat ~ completed 14-January-2014



Socks
*True Love Socks ~ completed 20-January-2014



Washcloths
*Details coming after the recipient receives them (5 completed)



Misc. Items
*Garter Stitch Headband ~ completed 2-January-2014




As always, find all my completed projects plus what's currently on my needles on Ravelry:


And you can also find all my knitting pattern designs (those available for purchase and some freebies as well) on Ravelry:


Thanks for journeying with me during 2014! I'll talk to yall next month with an update on my progress for February.

The Post In Which I Share My Spoons for September

Sharing Our Spoons is a monthly link-up for those of us with chronic illnesses where we support and encourage each other in a holistic way by focusing on five goals each month. The five goal areas are: Physical, Mental/Emotional, Spiritual, Something fun, and BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone each month. We'll be linking up on the first Tuesday of each month. We'd love to have you join us.



My Goals For August were (and how I did):
1. Physical: Focus on getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night and preferably get to bed by 1am especially with the upcoming time change (we'll be moving 6 hours ahead) with the move which will be a difficult change for me. ~ The time change was actually not as bad for me as I expected. In fact, of the three of us, I seem to be the one who has adjusted the best. Not to say that it has been easy, but it was not as difficult as expected. Out of the last 7 days, 4 of them I got to bed by 1am (and 3 of those nights earlier than that) and I'm averaging 9 hours of sleep each night which seems to be a good amount for me.

2. Mental/Emotional: Finish some current knitting projects that are on the needles and start designing a new pattern so that it can be knit up and published. The design is in my head but I need to work on it. ~ I finished all the projects that were on my needles and I'm almost 50% done with my new design. Hoping to have it to testers this weekend.

3. Spiritual: Restart my weekly Sunday posting of a prayer for the week. As I worked over the last few weeks on revamping my blog, some of my favorite posts to look back at were these posts. So I really want to start doing this again. ~ I've successfully posted a prayer for the week each week for the last 4 weeks.

4. Something fun: Take the time to paint my fingernails and toenails. I always feel better when my nails are painted. ~ I've done this successfully and my nails are looking great. This makes me so happy!

5. BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone each month: Move to SCOTLAND! If this doesn't get me out of my comfort zone, I don't know what will. LOL! ~ We've moved to Scotland and been here about 1.5 weeks now. We're getting all settled in and are loving our new home!


My Goals For September are:
1. Physical: Being in Scotland now, we are entitled to healthcare through the National Health Service. This month, I want to get registered with a GP (general practitioner) surgery and see what we can do to help me find a new normal with my health. I can already tell a difference with the change in weather (the extreme heat of Texas was very difficult for me) so I hope that we can make things continue to improve.

2. Mental/Emotional: Finish designing my new knitting sock pattern and publish it hopefully by the end of September, but no later than October.

3. Spiritual: Find a new church community here in Scotland. We visited a church this past Sunday. It was very nice and the people were SUPER friendly. There were no kids Damaris' age though and we really want to find a community where she can be active as well. We're planning to visit another church this coming Sunday.

4. Something fun: Participate in the Single Handed Knit Buddy System K2gether. I "met" my buddy yesterday. Her name is Eileen and she's from Ohio. We've discovered we have TONS of stuff in common. We're talking now about what our projects are going to be for the KAL.

5. BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone each month: Have some new friends over for a meal. It's been a long while since we've had friends over. I'm also getting back into the whole cooking thing (Russ & Damaris have done the cooking for us for most of the last 1.5 years) so I'm a bit nervous. I hope everything goes well.



Your turn! Link up with Jamee here.

The Post In Which I Share My Spoons for August

Sharing Our Spoons is a monthly link-up for those of us with chronic illnesses where we support and encourage each other in a holistic way by focusing on five goals each month. The five goal areas are: Physical, Mental/Emotional, Spiritual, Something fun, and BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone each month. We'll be linking up on the first Tuesday of each month. We'd love to have you join us.



If you've been a reader of my blog for long, you might remember that Sharing Our Spoons used to be a weekly link-up, but it kind of fell by the wayside. Jamee has brought it back to life as a monthly link-up and I'm excited to join back up.



My Goals For August:
1. Physical: Focus on getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night and preferably get to bed by 1am especially with the upcoming time change (we'll be moving 6 hours ahead) with the move which will be a difficult change for me.

2. Mental/Emotional: Finish some current knitting projects that are on the needles and start designing a new pattern so that it can be knit up and published. The design is in my head but I need to work on it.

3. Spiritual: Restart my weekly Sunday posting of a prayer for the week. As I worked over the last few weeks on revamping my blog, some of my favorite posts to look back at were these posts. So I really want to start doing this again.

4. Something fun: Take the time to paint my fingernails and toenails. I always feel better when my nails are painted.

5. BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone each month: Move to SCOTLAND! If this doesn't get me out of my comfort zone, I don't know what will. LOL!



Your turn! Link up with Jamee here.

The Post In Which I'm Back

Wowzers! So I kind of fell of the face of there earth there for a few months. Yeah, sorry about that. It's been insane here, just a little bit, just slightly, oh who am I kidding? It's been down right driving me out of my mind craziness in our world. LOL!

In case you missed the news, Russ, Damaris, and I are moving to Scotland. Yes, that Scotland. The one across the ocean. A whole different country. Almost 5,000 miles away from where we currently live in Texas.

And we leave on Sunday, August 25th, (less than 19 days from now at the time of the writing of this post) so you can surely understand the craziness I mentioned above.


Another reason for my disappearance has been my health. It has gone from bad to worse to the point where I struggle to function through each day. I leave the house only about once a week and spend most of my time in the recliner. Sleep has been difficult (insomnia issues, troubles staying asleep, pain during sleep, etc.) which has been hard as well. It stinks! I hate it! I'm hoping for a change after the move.

So, yes, Russ is going to be attending the University of Edinburgh to study for his PhD in Theology. Damaris and I are going to homeschool (she'll be starting 9th grade after we arrive) and knit. Hopefully, I'll be getting my chronic illnesses under control (we won't get into a political discussion about healthcare) because I will have healthcare in Scotland. Damaris and I are hoping to be able to go to a swimming pool that is located very close to where we will live for exercise. And we want to explore and travel as much as possible in this totally new to us city and country.

We have sold (or are selling - for Abilene people, we're doing another garage sale on Saturday, August 17th if you're interested) almost everything we own as we prepare to move. My parents are storing 4 or 5 Rubbermaid tubs of stuff for us (memories type stuff that we want to keep but won't be taking with us) and Russ' mom is storing several boxes of books that he wants to keep but can't take with us. As for what we're taking with us, we each will have 4 bags for a total of 12 bags (3 of those are military duffle bags full of clothing, 3 of those are suitcases full of other stuff although 1 of them is completely full of Russ' books, 3 small duffle bags that will be our carry-on luggage that are full of Russ' books, and our 3 personal bags that we'll carry on the plane) plus my folding wheelchair. That's it. It's kind of scary and kind of refreshing all in one. LOL!

We have secured a flat (that's an apartment in American speak) from the University that is 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom that we'll move into upon our arrival in Scotland. Thankfully, it is furnished with the necessities of furniture as well as the basics for cooking/eating and cleaning. We'll have to fill in all the blank spots but at least the basic stuff is there for us. Our official arrival date in Edinburgh is on Monday, August 26th, and we'll move into the flat on that day. Russ doesn't start University stuff for a couple of weeks after that so we'll have a bit of time to recover from jet lag and adjust to our new surroundings.



You may have noticed that my blog has undergone a makeover of sorts. I have moved to a different host and made some changes to a few things. I also updated the RSS feed but as long as you're subscribed to the feedburner RSS, you shouldn't have to change anything to keep receiving my posts. If you want to receive my posts via email, you'll need to enter your email address in the box over in the far right column (near the top just under my photo) ----> and then after you do that, you'll receive an email that you'll need to click a link in to confirm your subscription.

The reason for the changes are we're planning to use my blog as a platform to share photos and such about our time in Scotland. We'll be there at least three years and we hope to have lots to share.

I know I owe yall a HUGE post to check in on my word of the year, create, since I haven't done that since March. I hope to do that soon but will need to fit it in between all the other things on our "to do before we move to Scotland" list.



Prayer Requests:
1 - For Russ as he finishes out his final days of work at his job here in Abilene (his final day will be Friday, August 16)
2 - For our garage sale on Saturday, August 17
3 - For safe driving travels for us as we visit family in New Mexico and Texas between Saturday, August 17, and Saturday, August 24
4 - For no complications with flights and for safe travel (we fly from DFW to Newark on Sunday, August 25th in the morning hours and from Newark to Edinburgh in the evening hours of Sunday, August 25th into the morning of Monday, August 26th when we arrive in Edinburgh)
5 - For my health as we are doing all this traveling.
6 - And for my health after we arrive in Scotland. Especially that we find a good doctor and can work together to make my pain manageable and life more livable.
7 - For our adjustment to life in a new city and country
8 - For Russ as he begins his research and figures out a schedule for his studies
9 - For financial implications of our move including a part-time job for Russ in Edinburgh (his visa only allows him to work part-time)
10 - For us to find a community to live life with, for new friends for all of us



Thanks for your prayers and support during these past months and during the days, weeks, and months ahead. I'm glad to be back to blogging. I've missed it more than I realized (it has felt amazing to sit here and write these words to yall today). I'll be back as soon as I can with the post I owe yall and hopefully much more regularly in the days and weeks ahead. If not, I give you permission to pester me repeatedly until I post. :-)

The Walls of My Home Are My Constant Companion

As my 12 year old daughter Damaris and I participated in the (in)RL conference several weeks ago, I cried buckets watching Sara’s story.

I cried for numerous reasons.



I wished I had known Sara before she journeyed into Heaven. I grieved with those who were so affected by her words and those who hold Sara close in their hearts. And finally, I cried for me. You see, I could relate to Sara’s story because I spend much of my time homebound.

Homebound, that’s a word that I would never have imagined would describe me. Such a strange word, so sad, so foreign, so isolating, so alone.

Will you read the rest with me over at (in)courage?



Image Credit: Home Alone by lobbiaz on Flickr

The Post in Which I Update and Ask for Input

I'm sure yall know that I've been on a blogging break for a week now. I wanted to give yall an update and ask for some input. There are a couple of reasons I took a blog break.

First, I got some difficult news. My application for disability was denied. They agree that I can't do the work I was educated and trained to do, but they think I can work a different, more basic job. If they were to spend one day with me, they'd see that wasn't true, but... Anyway, we knew I'd probably be denied, but reading the words on paper and what they said was much more difficult than I expected. I do plan to appeal their decision. Please keep praying for me (and Russ and Damaris) as we go through this process.

Second, I'm burned out. I've been blogging in one way or another for over 13 years now. I've been blogging on an almost daily (and sometimes more than once daily) basis for almost a year now (and prior to that, I was blogging several times a week). I used to love blogging, but in recent weeks, it's become a chore.

Taking this past week off has allowed me some time to rest and think about what's next for me. And that's where I want your input.

What would you, my dear readers, like to see me blogging about? Should I keep doing the same things I was doing (Gratitude/Joy Dare/1000 Gifts; Sharing Our Spoons; InstaFriday; Five Minute Friday; quote of the week; prayer for today; monthly Pinterest challenge; reviews/giveaways; knitting, homeschooling, and other things as they occur) or should I downsize some of those things or write about something totally different that what I had been?

Another question - how frequently are you interested in me updating my blog (once a week, twice a week, three times a week, more often, less often)?

I don't want to stop blogging, but I can't keep up the pace and frequency that I was doing. So please help me as I determine what's next for me! Please let me hear your input.

Thanks for reading and continuing this journey with me.

Sharing Our Spoons Week #9

Sharing Our Spoons is a weekly link-up for those of us with chronic illnesses where we support and encourage each other in a holistic way by focusing on five goals each week. The five goal areas are: Physical, Mental/Emotional, Spiritual, Something fun, and BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone each week. We'll be linking up on Tuesdays. We'd love to have you join us.



My Goals From Week 8:
1. Physical: Continue working on getting to bed before midnight every night.
Ugh, I've had horrific insomnia this week. I can't seem to make this work. But I know I need to. Such a difficult state to be in.

2. Mental/Emotional: Continue knitting on my sweater & Lola's gift.
Sweater is progressing and Lola's gift is finished.

3. Spiritual: Continue reading/journaling What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms by Angie Smith.
2 more chapters done. Loving this book!

4. Something fun: Take two at a time toe up sock class at the yarn shop.
Amazing class and my socks are progressing well.

5. BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone a week: Continue working on plans to open an Etsy shop - Finish knitting pattern I started on and knit up another pattern.
So much knitting, so little time. I did design a pattern this week so that is progress.



My Week 9 Goals:
1. Physical: Continue working on getting to bed before midnight every night. Please God, make this insomnia go away!
2. Mental/Emotional: Continue knitting on my sweater & socks.
3. Spiritual: Continue reading/journaling What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms by Angie Smith.
4. Something fun: Work on the goodies for the official Ravellenic Games Team Yarnies goodie bag (I'm the team captain).

5. BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone a week: Continue working on plans to open an Etsy shop.

Your turn! Link up with Jamee here. You can also join the Facebook Sharing Our Spoons group by clicking here.

Sharing Our Spoons Week #8

Sharing Our Spoons is a weekly link-up for those of us with chronic illnesses where we support and encourage each other in a holistic way by focusing on five goals each week. The five goal areas are: Physical, Mental/Emotional, Spiritual, Something fun, and BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone each week. We'll be linking up on Tuesdays. We'd love to have you join us.



My Goals From Week 7:
1. Physical: Continue working on getting to bed before midnight every night.
Ugh, did crappy on this again this week. Egads! Will be working on this again this next week.

2. Mental/Emotional: Continue knitting on my sweater.
It's going really well plus I cast on a surprise for my niece Lola for her upcoming birthday in September.

3. Spiritual: Continue reading/journaling What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms by Angie Smith.
Only 1 chapter this week. Making progress though.

4. Something fun: Take felted bag class at the yarn shop.
It was fun! Plus, the local newspaper came and took photos during the class for an article they ran about the Ravelry / United States Olympic Committee (USOC) brouhaha that happened at the end of last week. Here's a link if you want to read it & see Damaris (in the background of one picture) and me (in two of the pictures): http://www.reporternews.com/news/2012/jun/24/olympic-letter-leaves-knitters-including-those-a/

5. BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone a week: Continue working on plans to open an Etsy shop - Finish knitting pattern I started on and knit up another pattern.
I didn't make as much progress on this as I had hoped. I'm about 60% through with the first pattern.



My Week 8 Goals:
1. Physical: Continue working on getting to bed before midnight every night.
2. Mental/Emotional: Continue knitting on my sweater & Lola's gift.
3. Spiritual: Continue reading/journaling What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms by Angie Smith.
4. Something fun: Take two at a time toe up sock class at the yarn shop.
5. BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone a week: Continue working on plans to open an Etsy shop - Finish knitting pattern I started on and knit up another pattern.

Your turn! Link up with Jamee here. You can also join the Facebook Sharing Our Spoons group by clicking here.