Yarn Along

Here's this week's edition of the Yarn Along,  I'm still working on my Heart to Heart Shawlette.  I've reached the halfway point and am ready to start decreasing.  I am loving this yarn and can't wait for this to be ready to wear. 

I am reading Chinatown Beat by Henry Chang.  It's the story of a Chinese American cop in Chinatown.  I've only just started it, but it's dark and fascinating from the get-go.  

This week I was finally able to finish the prayer shawl I've been working on. It's prayer shawl for a 19 year old girl who's been diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Most of the prayer shawls in the closet at church aren't really suited for a young lady, so I decided to make something cooler for her.  This pattern is based on the very popular Clapotis, but works up easier because it isn't knit on the diagonal so it doesn't require the increases/decreases that make it complicated.  The pattern is named Dummy Clap.  It's knit in stockinette with a few ktbl's and the stitches are dropped when binding off to create the lacy look.  It is simply beautiful and I hope she feels surrounded with prayers and love when she wears it. 

What's for Dinner? Crock Pot Orange Chicken

My friend challenged me to join her in her Wednesday What's for Dinner.  Tonight we will have one of our all-time favorite crock pot meals.   I don't know where I first found this recipe, but it's been our go-to dinner for busy days.  I serve it with rice and steamed veggies.  There are rarely any leftovers!

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (if they're huge, cut in half)
3 T flour
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
1/3 cup water
1 Tablespoon ginger
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
red pepper flakes

1. Toss chicken with flour in slow cooker
2. Stir in all remaining ingredients; cover with lid
3. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or on High for 3-4 hours

Noah, you're a child of God!

Surrounded by family and friends, Noah was baptized.  It was a sweet blessed moment as we made the commitment to raise Noah to know and love the Lord.  Hal and Mary, Noah's godparents (and Anna and Grant) were right there with us and made the moment even sweeter.

Micah was the proud big brother and insisted on being part of the action.  He even wore a silk outfit and looked very handsome.

Noah was very curious and didn't seem to mind the water or the blessing from Pastor Fritz. 

Micah and Noah were asked to present the offering to Pastor Miriam. 

 

Yarn Along

At a friend's suggestion, I am going to participate in Ginny's Yarn Along.  It seems that a lot of knitters are readers too.  Or is it readers who are knitters...?  Anyways the idea is to post a picture of what your knitting and what your reading. 

Right now I am really working on this little beaded shawl.  I started this last year as part of a mystery knit-along at Sugarfoot Yarns last year.  However my lace skills weren't up to the task and it ended up sitting in the basket for the last 11 months.  I'm on a mission to finish WIPs (works in progress) so I resurrected this one.  I'm a better knitter than I was a year ago and it's going much better this time.  The pattern is Heart to Heart Beaded Scarf by Sivia Hardin.  The border features little hearts, perfect for Valentine's Day.   Edited to add a close-up to show the beading.

I'm also knitting heart shaped dishcloths to give as Valentine's gifts!  This is a quick and easy pattern and is giving me a break from knitting lace.

I'm reading Crush by Alan Jacobson.  It was a Free Friday download from Barnes and Noble.  This is the second book featuring profiler Karen Vail (think Criminal Minds).  It's a good read and has kept me up later than is wise a couple of nights.

Some thoughts about attachment

According to Wikipedia: 

Attachment theory describes the dynamics of long-term relationships between humans especially as in families and life-long friends. Its most important tenet is that an infant needs to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for social and emotional development to occur normally, and that further relationships build on the patterns developed in the first relationships.

Adoptive parents worry a lot about attachment.  The relationships mentioned above are a challenge for a child who is first abandoned, then placed in an orphanage, and then possibly into foster care before finally being adopted.  A child's attachment to a parent breeds trust and faith that allow them happiness as they explore relationships with friends, teachers, baby-sitters etc.  We feel that our children must attach to us before we leave them with other caregivers. 

How do you know when attachment occurs?  For a child it seems to be a trust that the child will be there for them.  To feed, clothe, care for, and heal them as needed.  

The path to attachment between us and Micah was a rocky one.  He came to us torn from his foster mother of over one and a half years.  He hated the blond woman calling herself Mama.  He tolerated the fun guy called Baba.  I didn't really like the wild ball of anger we had adopted.  He hit, scratched and rejected me.  It was all I could do to not shut down and reject him too.  Over time, he allowed me to care for him and through that we developed a mutual trust and tenuous bond.  Then came his palate surgery.  When I saw my boy afraid and in pain, it was like it was happening to me.  I was small enough to curl up in his hospital bed with him and through the days in the hospital he learned that Mama was there for him, offering comfort and relief.  We were attached. 

Noah is a completely different creature.  He left the orphanage and never looked back.  He was thrilled to have a Mama and Baba to care for him and most of all to feed him!  I immediately took to this smiling, curious boy.  Attachment was not immediate, but it grew steadily from day one.  Then one day about a month after coming home, he fell on the asphalt and scraped his forehead.  He immediately reached for me and I ran to him crying as if the pain were my own.  Wow - attachment was happening already!   We're not done with our work on attachment, but we're well on our way.