Hot Tea and Handspun

I'm sitting here with a large cup of tea (decaf), and I have to stop typing every couple of words to pick up my mug and warm my hands. I feel like I probably shouldn't be holding it until it cools down some or I might burn myself, but I can't stop! I guess that's what you get when you have had a cold spring week with no heat in the house. That's right. Our boiler has a gaping hole in it and needs to be replaced. We are thankful that it didn't happen any earlier, but this week has been cold for spring, and so, now, are we. The next few days are supposed to be sunny and warm, so we hope to be in the clear until fall, at which point we like to think we will have figured out some way to pay for a new heater. Joy.

I think I was just starting to get used to the cold air though. I have always said I prefer cold temperatures to super hot ones. (But no, growing up in the sticks, so to say, did not prepare me. We had a wood stove, and those who have had a wood stove can surely tell you that when that fire gets roaring, the house gets super toasty and warm; almost too warm.) It was 54 degrees inside when I woke up, but that was actually three degrees colder than it was yesterday, and I think I have tolerated it slightly better so far, minus the monster headache I woke up with this morning. (Logan, putting his face up to mine: "Mommy! Mommy! Hi." Me: "EEhhhhh." When I finally did open my eyes he got all excited, turned to Brian, and said, "Daddy! Daddy! It's Mommy! MOMMMYY!!" Then he put his face up to mine again, and I had no choice but to give him a happy-as-I-could "hi." No, I'm not much of a morning person to begin with, but having cute kids who wake up with grins and giggles - and in Logan's case, super cuddly hugs, sure does help!)

Next week we have some major work being done on the house (hence the waiting-until-fall to replace the boiler). The price tag is alarming at best, but I can't wait until it is done, which might seem odd when you find out what will happen; basically we are having our basement waterproofed. In the process we are having new windows put in as well as a sump pump, high quality dehumidifier, and the whole place cleaned and then walls sealed, amongst other things. Ultimately we aren't finishing anything down there. In fact, some of the interior walls will have to come down in the process, but I am looking forward to 1) the peace of mind that comes with knowing that we will no longer have any mold or water in our basement and 2) just having the whole thing cleaned. We were told that there wouldn't be a cobweb to be found - not even on the ceiling. We will try to re-organize when we move all our storage back down there, and I will look forward to a cleaner basement and one that is safer for the boys. I hope to let Gabe and Logan ride their little bikes down there, like I did in my house when I was growing up, and maybe I won't be so grossed out when I go down to tackle the laundry!

We definitely found ourselves in over our heads this year with expenses, and in hind-sight, we should have waited to replace our TV. What's done is done though, and we'll just have to work our way through it...

I do have lots of things to keep myself - and the boys - busy in the meantime. Gardening is something we all (except Brian, maybe) enjoy, and you know I have my own list of hobbies for entertainment. In fact, I just added a new one.

Do you remember when I wrote of saving up for a kindle? Well, one day I decided I really needed to use all those points to buy some new curtains, so the kindle would just have to wait. It wasn't a healthy obsession anyway (though I'm not saying I wouldn't still love one). I went ahead and ordered some curtains from amazon.com, but in person they really looked nothing like I expected. I thought they were hideous. I asked Thomas if he liked them, as he needs new curtains for his room too, but he hated them also. Oh well. When I sent them back I opted to use the credit to purchase a drop spindle that I had added to my wishlist ages before, and some roving to go along with it.

I played with it several times over the course of a month or so, but it wasn't until this week that I finally managed to spin my own length of yarn. Thanks to my very generous friend, Stephanie, who turned me on to spinning in the first place and brought over a larger bag of roving one day, plus alerted me to an incredible deal on this video (it was temporarily marked down to ten cents - no joke), I now officially have my very own homespun. I am sure I made countless mistakes, it's horribly uneven, and I just basically still have so much to learn, but I am so excited because I enjoyed it anyway, and I can't wait to practice some more. How cool is it to make one's own yarn? To some of you, maybe very "un." To me, it's "very." :) I sense a new addiction in my immediate future.

Hopefully soon I will have a project to share. I'm going to try using my first homespun to knit up a small toy sheep or two. Then I will be back to spinning, I suspect. Of course, this has been a hiccup in my charity project, so I need to balance my time well enough to keep up with that too, and I really need to take an extra chunk of time to catch up on my Old Testament readings. Today, though, the sun beckons, so before anything else, I'll be taking Gabe and Logan out back for some play time and maybe a little gardening.

How about you?

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24