November 2016 – out of the thistle

I thought I’d take a quick break from the Prep- and Dessert-Day minutiae before tomorrow’s hustle. I bet that if asked what you’re thankful for, your first answer is “family.” Now, unlike those of you who just say it to give the good and noble answer, I am truly thankful for my family, especially this time of year. In fact, my family are kind of a hidden treasure. Gold coins, really. On a more technical scale, our family name is Aucoin. Now, “Au” on the Periodic Table of Elements is Gold. And “-coin” is pretty easy to figure out. Gold coins.

On the surface we may seem like a normal group, kind of a simple troop. Nay, I say. We are not normal. Growing up with three sisters was anything but dull. We live to laugh; everything with us ends in a comical skit or joke of some sort. When we were younger we would think of all kinds of antics to arouse some kind of merriment–which may have included pantyhose on our heads from time to time, don’t ask. We just enjoy each other’s company. There have been many times of sadness or frustration where I just needed the entertainment my family bring, and boy do they bring it. I mean, sometimes the 200+ texts may be a bit much, but it’s all good. Aside from all of us girls inheriting same laugh as our mom, I see so many of her characteristics in my sisters and in myself. We are strong, we are forgiving. We are tolerant, we are giving. We commit, we are faithful. Our husbands are pretty fortunate… But faith is the largest trait that I can see in our family. Our family motto is actually: “Pray about everything;” that and “Drink more water,” or “Pie is a breakfast food.” I’m thankful that we had parents who invested time teaching us to do good and be good; to put God first. I’m thankful that now that I’m grown, I benefit from it every time I spend time with them. Now those values get passed onto my kids, and I’m so thankful for a good husband who sees the importance of praying many times a day with us and the importance of being present. I’m so glad that now I see the thankfulness in my children (as seen below). It’s also nice to see that I fall under “bed” for the things that my son is thankful for, hah!

I know that I can call on my family to pray, to laugh, to seek advice. I wouldn’t be who I am without them. Tomorrow, I will wholeheartedly thank God for the treasure he has given me in them, and I hope you do the same with yours. Happy Thanksgiving.

Hugs, Rhonda

I don’t know about there, but it has been unseasonably warm here in our neck of the woods. Today, finally today, the weather dipped a little bit. Our noses were numb on this morning’s walk, but it was good. I was beginning to grow tired of the perfect temps as odd as it is to say. But we are knitters and crocheters. We live for the cold. Those unbearable 70-80 degree days have had their highlights, though. For about a week there, I would look out my front windows to see dozens, if not a hundred little butterflies floating around all of my Perky Sues, Petunias and Alyssum. The kids would go outside and just twirl around in the butterflies. It was awesome. And even for about a week after Halloween, we had still enjoyed ‘spooky sprinkles’ on our cocoa. A certain little someone even wore her costume day and night for a while there (below she can be seen delighting in a yogurt breakfast and walking brother to the bus stop dressed as a butterfly).

The days are more noticeably shorter, the stretched out shadows outside begin at about 4pm now. And there’s just something about November’s light around here. Especially at the beginning and end of the day. Everything seems more golden.

But we are bundling up today–hooray! And so are our creations. I mean, look at my mom’s most recent bear below. Is he not the sweetest little guy you’ve ever seen. With his little hand knitted overalls and cowl… He is available here for a very short time! This little guy is unlike any other artist bear–he was crocheted out of 100% wool then put through a vigorous process to shrink him up, making him more plush and fleece-like. Impressive work from that woman! She also has a pattern just released for her Knot Head bears which is for sale on Etsy and will be offered at other venues soon. We’ve also got some warm wooly knitted designs coming up, so look out! Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs, Rhonda