February 2013

 

Ramblings of a Restless Me

• So the last hour or so I have dedicated to updating Ean's baby book entries and wrote for the first time in new little ones book. Even did a little research about birth stones and flowers. I like that sort of thing. Someday when our house/family is full I hope to have a mother ring/necklace... and I know it will at least have an aquamarine and an emerald! Off to a good start there I think. As far as the flowers go, I am starting to get an idea of individual art pieces with names/facts/something and each child's flower to be hung in their room or a symbolic bouquet of my children. Lilies of the valley for May (which always remind me of my mum's mum, because they are her favorite) and Daffodils (which I have always loved and even more since visiting England in the spring of 2007 and the countryside was covered in them!) for March. So March and May. Know of any good facts monthly features or whatnot to get more creative juices flowing??

• My month long art kick seems to be slowing down. I have a few more ideas that I hope to see come to fruition, and a couple watercolor washes that crave either Bible verses, motivational words or some crazy ink art... but my pile for the month consists of ten or fifteen large and small works... So January was my crazy, cotton potholder month and February has been my cranking out art month. Both have refreshed me and helped get some of my pent up art/color ideas out and opened up new spaces in my brain for whatever comes next...

What should it be?

• I love art. beauty. children. rocks. my husband. ice cream. walking. clothes. ideas. symbolism. jesus. singing. lists. yarn. giving. plants. flowers. books...

• Thinking of which. Just finished "Peter and the Starcatchers" series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson... and going into withdrawal. No other books currently begun and little desire to read anything else. Those books were so dang fun! The backstory to the character we know as Peter Pan. Fun stuff. I highly recommend!

• Pregnancy pillow - Most definitely NOT the waste of space and money I thought it would be! I have slept so much better since getting it a couple weeks ago. If you're pregnant or ever plan on being so... invest!

• Gluten free living is getting easier. Thankfully! I DO miss bread though. and pasta. But love the fact that I eat a lot more fruits and vegetables with those things gone... so all in all, an upgrade in my healthy eating habits! Who doesn't need a little help with that now and then?! Now it's off dairy again it looks like. No more Reese's ice cream for me *sad face*

• But seriously... What should I read next? What should I knit next? What should I paint next? What do I need to do next? I am restless!

Do you ever get that way? In between projects and the craziness of life it feels like things stop/slow down for a minute and you're left blinking and wondering what in the world has been happening for the last year (or five) and taking as many deep breaths as you can for the months and years ahead before the next lull....

Do two quiet days count as a lull.... or is this just the weekend speaking?

Sleepy time. Sorry for wasting your time. But not really, because I'm publishing. You can't have the ten minutes back you gave to reading this. Weird.

Abi

Arizona Rocks(!)

Fire agate picked up today at a rockhounding site about a half hour from our house.

Some fun colored rocks, petrified wood and quartz I picked up in the desert in our front yard.

Rough fire agate.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Artsy Stuff and Stuff

A lot of reworking/recycling old art.

Black and White work. Still a favorite.

Just for fun.

Crazy colors...

A "2013 Pay it Forward" art piece.

Another reclaimed piece from ages ago. Kind of a fun work over.

Line drawing by: twiggyabi. Rainbow by: God

Trying to redeem some old painting fails instead of just tossing or using the back. I rather like the way this one turned out. It was only the watercolor splashes before (which I did about five years ago) and have finally finished it to my liking. As a kid, I marveled at famous artists and wondered how in the world they could leave work unfinished... no longer a mystery to me.

This is one I did over Christmas while at my parents house in MN. Unfortunately it's just black pen on printer paper. Will have to pick a nice sunny day to trace it onto some better quality paper with ink.

It Worked!

I am extremely pleased to announce that my jade leaf has a baby!

After weeks and weeks of waiting and wishing, it finally made an appearance.

This is my first attempt at this type of propagation and am just tickled pink that it worked!

So many beautiful things in the world.

I cannot get over them all.

Abi

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Stash Busting • Cotton Edition • January 2013

 

I had fun! :)

This New Year • Finding Joy in the Everyday

The beginning of a good day/month/year.

Sunlight through leaves.

Always and forever my little wood elf :-)

From stroller to Strider bike. Ean has new wheels!

Putting away dishes one night... I saw a pattern emerging...

23 weeks. Still feeling great! Littlest man is getting busy in there... His daddy felt him for the first time last week. So special!

Showing off my husband's handiwork (the plant shelf). I found a picture of something similar and showed it to him as a means of solving our growing lack of window sills/space and before I knew it, he was in the midst of figuring out how to build it. His honey-do list just multiplied by about a thousand... i had no idea he was so talented!! :-)

Found this FANTASTIC rainbowy shadow as I was rushing out the house the other day. I stopped rushing and took this picture. God's promises are abounding and so beautiful.

A grapefruit mandala (these were picked fresh from the tree yesterday by yours truly!). I love Arizona.

Finished this hat for my littlest man this morning. I am so excited for the day (next winter, probably) that he will be able to wear it!

So there you have it. A few snippets from our life these first weeks of 2013. 

Needless to say I am excited to see what God has in store for us the rest of this year. 

These past weeks have been so blessed. 

I am thankful.

Peace and love to you all. 

Abi

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Happy 2013!!

Some of the family. Back row, left to right:  Peter and Claire (Røise), Josiah and Elizabeth (Benton), my dad and mum as the center and anchor of our family. Me and Michael (Kramer) and my brother Michael. Front row, left to right: Peter, Michelle, Mona, Lewis and Ingrid (all Peter's children) and then Ean! Photo credit goes to Peter Røise Photography.

This is an abbreviated family picture, because only half the original Røise family is present.. that is Peter, Libby, Michael and I. My brother Andrew, his wife and their three children, and my brothers Stephen, Christian and Douglas were absent also.. though all except Andrew were around at some point during the festivities. 

Some of my 2012 hand knit gifts made their way into the photo also!

Anyway. That's all for now.

Peace and Love!

Abi

Sweet time with my sister!!

 I am one HAPPY girl! :-)

It is more than amazing to be HOME for the holidays. Many more pictures to come!

Blessed New Year Wishes to You All!!

Abi

BIG News, Folks!!

IT'S A BOY!!

 

 

I am over the moon today, picturing Christmases to come when my baby boys will play together and be best buds... and all the fun we will have as a family with two little men running around! I cannot wait to meet this little fellow. I am in love!

 Hope you are all having a blessed Christmas day, wherever you may be. 

Peace and Love this Christmas day!

Abi 

December Snippets

Cozy Christmas-time 

My growing babies and me.

Those with small amounts of money do well with large amounts of creativity!

4th Anniversary flowers. My honey and I spent the day thousands of miles apart, but are thankful for each other, our growing family and our journey through life together every day!

Came in one Sunday morning after getting little man ready for church and he had emptied the contents of his toy chest onto the floor and had made himself comfy inside.

Rainbow yarn always brightens my day!

Little mountain man.

Breaking Free

I Love Flowers

Did this piece a couple months ago.
Bright, colorful flowers.
Peace.

A New Little One to Love!

Expected to arrive: May 2013!
Thankful!
Peace.
Abi

This Boy

Love him so much!

Final Finished October Project

October Isn't Over

And I'm still working...

Whipped up this little guy today. 

My first amigurumi attempt.

Inspired by this cute little guy:http://www.flickr.com/photos/amurphy/3475608441/in/set-72157594535564605

Ean has fallen in love. This hippo is destined for another owner, but I may have to work up one for my little fellow :-)

Who knows, I could be back again tomorrow with another finished project. 7 or 8 more gifts to start and finish before Christmas... and probably more, because not all requests are in. 

It keeps me out of trouble....

Kind of.

Peace.

Abi

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