cozy cabin socks

 

Last weekend and for most of the week we went and stayed at a cabin up in the north woods with my husband's large extended family. I started to knit a new pair of socks on the drive up. Now that we're home the colors in the socks remind me of the orange campfires and the crisp blue skies above the north woods.

Logan's starting to rock on all fours for longer periods of time. The determined look in his eyes tells me he won't be staying put where I put him for much longer. My baby is growing so fast! I cheer him on, while part of me feels sad that we're leaving behind his plump baby limbs, frizzy hair and joyous raspberries. His timing is perfect!

We are always moving forward though - into the great, unknown, big kid future. 

xo Jill

faith on our journey

We have been busy these past weeks, traveling to make some connections for our adoption and then scrambling to catch up with work when we returned. Our journey took us to the eastern United States and I'm feeling very hopeful that it is where we may finally catch a break and find the baby that we have been earnestly hoping and praying for - for three long years.

It's been a difficult journey. Hope and faith are lifelines. But sometimes it really is hard to keep the faith alive. I think I read somewhere that faith kicks in when hope has started to fade. Faith takes a lot of strength. Some days I'm good at it, other days I stumble.

Faith is enduring.

Before our trip I made a big batch of chicken noodle soup. I think this recipe has kept me from falling ill all winter (knock on wood) I hope my immune system holds out as it seems that a new batch of the flu bug has broken out at work. Seriously, I don't know why some people won't just stay home when they are oozing symptoms, but such was the state of my office last week.

I will be traveling for work again this week. This is the third of four travel sessions that I will have to take for this particular project. I can't wait for this phase to be over. The days are grueling and it really wears you out.

Finished the little sweater. I'm tucking this one away in a drawer scented with lavender that holds other precious baby things. (Faith and hope again.)

I hope you are all well and starting to thaw after this grueling winter we experienced in the Northern Hemisphere.

Jillian xoxo

winter weekend

We went to a bed and breakfast in Stillwater, MN at the end of January. I have never been to anything like that before, the house was beautiful. We had a fireplace and an hot tub in our room. For dinner in the evening we went to a grill house and had chicken wings and burgers. We stopped by a yarn shop. That's where I got the yarn for those hot pink socks.

I think this is the first time in the history of my blog that I haven't posted for one whole month. Times have been busy at work and at home. G has started up grad school again. With that, his day job and his other activities we've both been running around like crazy people. Our third anniversary was earlier this month.

The winter here in Minnesota has been sorta boring. No large accumulations of snow and no terribly cold weather (except for the past three days) to report. Cold, with no snow - where's winter?

As you can see - I've been knitting. I had to return the pattern book to the library for the mittens that I was working on above. I was so busy at work that I forgot to copy the pattern before the library book came up due. So I had to return it. I'll check it out again to finish off the mittens. For the socks - I know that pattern by heart.

I hope you're having a cozy February night, wherever you are.

XOXO

Jillian

apple orchard

Last weekend we stopped by the apple orchard that my husband's grandparents used to own when he was a boy. He spent many October days there sorting apples and helping out in the orchard. He had lots of fun stories to share as he led me around the farm.

"This is different." He would say. "They didn't have a fire pit here when I was a kid."

When we were in the barn he commented on how small it all seemed to him now. Of course, I thought, everything seems huge to us when we're kids. Some days I wish I could go back to being a kid again. Especially in the fall when the leaves are so crunchy and the nights are so crisp. Who would you choose to become on Halloween night? Would you skip down the sidewalk with your friends feeling nothing but joy and anticipation over your bag full of candy and the school days stretching out in front of you?

Last night - which was Halloween - I made a big pot of chili for dinner. As we sat down at the table Garrett commented that pretty soon we would have our hands full on Halloween. Meaning he hoped we would be blessed with children soon. I felt so grateful for him in that moment - reminding me of what we have to look forward to - not our school days, but our kid's school days and costumes. 

We'll bring them to the orchard someday and let them sit on the tractor and pet the goats and tell them how "Daddy used to work here." And all of these days of waiting for things to begin and of forcing myself to stand strong on the sidelines of motherhood will shrink from the huge mountain they are today into a mole hill. A mere speed bump on our journey to become a family.

Praying for you little ones!

XOXO

Jillian

lake rebbecca

Lake Rebbecca, MN

Garrett and I loaded up the dog on Saturday and headed west to stretch our legs and find some adventures. We're still learning all of Bree's quirks. One of them is that she gets car sick. We're not sure if it's because of anxiety . . . or because she just gets sick in the car. We were smart enough to pack some spare towels, because she did end up getting sick in her crate, but we cleaned it up quickly and she was fine after that.

The destination was worth the effort. We were able to park the car and take the dog for a walk along the lake and into the woods. It's that time of year when the leaves are just starting to turn. The nights have been chilly around here. We woke up to a light frost on Sunday morning.

I had a good start to the work week today. I'm glad I have my job to keep me focused and busy. Both Garrett and I have signed up for community education classes this fall. I'm taking a yoga and dog training class and he's signed up for two nights of volleyball. I'm also going to try to get in on the local knitting circle that meets at the cafe up the street every Tuesday. Busy is good.

There was a wedding going on at the park as we were visiting it. I thought their sign was really cute. Best Day Ever! Makes me smile.

Happy Monday!

Jillian

north shore

This past weekend Garrett and I took a surprise trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior. We decided to go late Friday night and booked the reservation then. I had no expectations - just the desire to get away. The trip turned out to be a wonderful experience.

It was 70 degrees on the shore. We couldn't believe it. There I was dressed in layers and flannel and we had to start shedding layers - we both got a little sun. We stayed at Pine Cove Lodge in Beaver Bay, MN, which is just south of Silver Bay. (I love that name.) The only other people at the resort seemed to be a wedding party - other than that Garrett and I had the entire cove (and what felt like the lake) to ourselves. I needed this trip. I lived for seven years in Duluth, MN. For seven years I had the lake on my back doorstep - that wonderful view that you can lose yourself in. And the sound of the water . . .

This was not the way Garrett and I hoped to spend Mother's Day this year - we'd hoped for a little one squalling in the backseat. It was hard and bittersweet for me. A day I can't celebrate . . . yet. The lake and those old, old stones comforted me.

Garrett and I will come back to this place and walk along the shore with our child someday.

That's a promise.

prairie and woods

Camping this weekend to Willow River State Park in Wisconsin. I brought some knitting, but ended up reading and lounging around the fire cracking peanuts. We ate well - brought too much food, actually. We had perfect weather, and only had one evening visit from a lone raccoon. She was after the sunflower seeds that we mistakenly left out.

I'm currently on a winning streak in our ongoing cribbage tournament. Hope my luck holds . . . as well as this beautiful summer weather.

Have a lovely Sunday afternoon everyone.