~Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me each month and share what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Post your photo(s) on your blog or on Instagram (#yarnalong) and then share a link below to either your blog or Instagram post!~ (This post contains affiliate links.)
The kitchen table is busy and crowded this morning as I type up the Yarn Along for November. The dogs are racing around, Mabel is talking non-stop, and I’m glad that I didn’t stay up too late last night. Job’s birthday is tomorrow. I have gifts to wrap, his day to plan, and I’m hoping to take him for a haircut today.
Last month I finished reading Sense and Sensibility, a book I read slowly, usually a chapter a night. My new fiction read is called So Brave, Young, and Handsome, a title that amuses my children. I checked it out from the library wanting to read something written by the author of Peace Like a River. You guys recommended that one years ago and I loved it.
The book that I read in recent weeks that had the biggest impact on me was Theology of Home. It’s a beautiful book featuring full-color photography throughout, but It’s also a quiet, thoughtful read that truly encouraged me in my vocation of wife, mother, and homemaker. I often struggle with all of these roles, particularly the homemaker part, preferring visible work that isn’t promptly undone before my eyes, rather than the neverending cycle of housework. This book was a gentle reminder that the most important work that I am doing is perhaps that very work that will be undone, unseen, ignored, or even destroyed. The collective efforts to care for my family and to keep home have a goal that is eternal. I tend to want to start making the house cozy in the fall as we begin to spend more time indoors, so this read was well-timed for me. A second volume was recently released, and I will wish for that one for my birthday next month!
I just hit publish on this post, and then realized I had forgotten to even mention my knitting! So, here I am editing to say that I am almost finished with my Baby Vertebrae, and I’ve been working on my Heartwood shawl. I am finding that the lace pattern is easy to remember so I can even work on it while I am homeschooling, not typically the case with lace!
Marilyn says
Wishing Job blessings throughout his birthday year.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOB
Joan says
Wishing Job a birthday filled with fun, and happiness.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOB
Joan
Marion says
Wishing Job a blessed birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOB
Marion
Sarah says
Hi Ginny do you know what the difference is between the Theology of Home volume 1 and volume 2. I am struggling so much right now with the monotony of cleaning and caring for our 4 teenage boys (and a 10 year old daughter) who are incredibly sporty and disappear to their rooms a lot so i spend my days shopping for more food, cooking the mountains of food, cleaning up their mess, washing their sports gear and driving them to training or matches! It is exhausting and so mindless! I could do with a reminder of why i am here and a little encouragement too. I care for 2 elderly couples as my job and that also involves cleaning and cooking! Which book do you think might be better to put on my birthday list? Thanking you! Sarah xxx
Ginny says
Sarah, I relate so much! I am not sure which book would be better-I bet they are both great! I started with volume 1 because I have to read in order-ha!
Teresa says
Hi Sarah
Is there a reason your athletes can’t do their own laundry? Each of my 5 kids (4 boys) get a laundry day starting at age 10. They also each cook dinner one day a week and do dishes one day a week. I decide on the menu but they can give ideas. That way we don’t end up with homemade pizza every night. They also have areas to clean (living room, kitchen, entry/ dining, bathroom, and laundry room). Those areas must be picked up and vacuumed or swept before they go to bed. That leaves only two dinners for me to cook and my husband’s and my laundry to do. My husband and I take turns shopping so that neither of us have to do it every week. Your job is to prepare them for real life not a pampered life. All of that may seem overwhelming to implement all at once and I would not suggest it. Instead pick one thing, maybe laundry, and make that a routine for 3 months. Then add another thing, maybe dinner or cleaning. All the best!
Karen says
very beautiful shawl to have on the needles!!
Kate says
I wanted something completely mindless to read, so I picked up a few Agatha Christie mysteries at the library yesterday. I’ve also been plowing through a pruning book . Autumn has been revealing what a tangled mess my yard is. I’m debating about getting rid of (or severely cutting back) some unruly trumpet vines. I think the previous owner planted them for the birds and bees, but I have a love/hate relationship with them.
Organizing our winter outerwear, I realized that our scarf supply is scarce and ratty. So I’m working on fixing that. I don’t knit during the summer, so I’ve enjoyed getting back to the slower rhythm of it. It also hit me how close Christmas is! Got to get some gifts knitted!