tea cups and mugs

Sometimes I have tea cup days. Those are the days when I long for the feeling of the dainty china in my hands. Those are the slow days, the days where I have time to just sit and sip my tea without worrying about homework. Maybe later I'll knit something lacy, write a letter of two. 

Then I have mug days. These days are more frequent. These are the busy, stressful days where I need lots of warn tea in a sturdy, hard mug to help me get through the day. I need all the support I can get, so if some comes from a firm grasp on a large mug full of steaming tea, so be it.

Novembers

November 30. 

Another month is over. 

We are one month away from a new year. 

Christmas is less than 30 days away, meaning that I can now listen to Christmas music without judgment and decorate and bake. 

I turned 18 (it's scary, really). 

Thanksgiving was lots of fun with lots of pie. 

The Doctor Who special was fantastic (I may or may not have watched all of season 6 and half of season 7 in one week). 

Thanksgiving break ended too soon.

I knit a Captain America hat for a friend's birthday.

Yarn makes me happy, always.

November has always been a month of endings, but also beginnings. Autumn's leaves finally disappear, but there's not much snow yet. Warm days are gone until spring unpacks them once again. The excitement of a new school year and activities wears off and the hard work really begins.

But...

Preparations for Thanksgiving and Christmas begin, bringing a whirlwind of visits and road trips and crafting and eating and baking and all those wonderful things. My birthday lands in the middle of the month, marking another year of abundant life.

I like Novembers. 

Happy end of November, friends.

laughter is sunshine

"Laughter is sunshine,

it chases winter from the human face."

-Les Miserables

Wise and reasonable

"She hoped to be wise and reasonable in time; but alas! Alas! She must confess to herself that she was not wise yet."

-Persuasion by Jane Austen-

     No, no I am not wise most of the time, and I am often quite unreasonable.

But that's not where I want to stay.

I want to study the Bible to gain wisdom. I want to grow in judgment and reason until I can indeed confess that I am wise and reasonable. 

I know that day will never come, but I can still strive to become so. Hopefully someday I will be able to look back and see how I have increased in wisdom over the years. Yes, it will be a slow process; yes, I will not see the results of wise living immediately. But it will be worth it.

But until that day when I can look back and see how I have grown, I must confess, along with Anne Elliot, that I am not wise yet.

A world that is new, that is free

"It's not what the world holds for you. It's what you bring to it."

-Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Anne always seems to have just the right words to say what I am feeling. Right now my life is one of waiting. Waiting for college, for adulthood, for my FAFSA to be processed, for graduation, for Christmas, for summer plans to come together somehow.

But in this season of waiting, I need to remember that life is not about when those things eventually will happen. I must prepare for them now, while I can, instead of simply sitting and waiting. When I get launched into a world that is new, that is free (sorry, I couldn't resist the Les Mis lyrics), I should be as ready as I can be, not shaking off the dust after waiting for a few months. 

What are you waiting for?

p.s. I'm still listening to this song on repeat.

I'm counting on you

But where are the heroes,

Where are the dreams that I had

When I was young?

Am I hoping in vain, just to think

She could change anything?

Well, I'm counting on you.

My generation is losing its way

We don't know what we're leaving for you.

There is so much to know,

There is so far to go,

But you are not alone

When this is your world and 

I'm counting on you.

-I'm Counting on You by Chris de Burgh-

This song. Just this song. Especially this recording of it. Do yourself a favor and just listen to it.

Go ahead. I'll wait.

Did you listen?

Now you know what I've been hearing for the last 20 minutes.

This song just says it all.

I'm growing up. I'll be 18 in a couple of weeks. I'm applying to colleges. There is so much that I don't know, so far I have to go.

I keep fluctuating between being excited to head out and start a new journey and feeling scared to death of that exact thing. I know this is normal, but that doesn't stop this constant pendulum of dread and anticipation. As high school stresses and pressures continue to mount, I just need to remember that God is in control and this will soon be over.

There is so much to know,

There is so far to go,

But you are not alone.

I'm counting on you.

Lydia, my goofball

Meet Lydia Grace, my younger sister.

I wish you could meet her. She can be a total goofball then pop out a philosophical comment then discuss theology then talk about her dreams of becoming a nurse, preferably all in less than ten minutes.

Sometimes, I want to take pictures of her modeling my knitting projects. Half the time, she makes so many faces while I do this that most of my pictures end up not having her face in them.

Other times, though, she channels her "inner senior" and behaves like the gorgeous model she is.

On this particular day, Lydia chose the latter option which worked out well for me.

learning and remembering // october lists

listening: the piano guys // 2 cellos // the isaacs

reading: chronicles of avonlea // the adventures of sherlock holmes // cry, the beloved country

learning: how to calculate momentum // to accept things as they come instead of trying to plan every 

          little thing

remembering: how much i love autumn // memories of childhood holidays // to enjoy simple things

going to: my cousin's wedding // the library // school // and school again 

planning: college // trips // a summer job
wearing: purple skirts // sweaters // handknit socks
eating // meatloaf // pringles // bananas

aroma

I can smell it, this aroma of autumn. You might think it was the scent of apples in an orchard, or leaves underfoot, or pumpkin pie baking in the oven. 

But as much as those things remind me of fall, there is a certain indescribable smell that I can sense when I step outside on a brisk autumn day. 

It holds all the nostalgia of summer and the bleakness of winter, but there is a promise of new life underneath the leaves crunching under my feet. 

It holds the crispness that characterizes fall. I can’t describe this scent to someone who has never smelled it. It’s one of those things that you just know. 

You know that it means autumn, and leaves, and apples, and pumpkins, and promises.  

giveaway winner

Hello, all! I have a giveaway winner for the Worme Wool giveaway! 

The winner is...Karen Woodward!

Congratulations! Thank you so much to everyone else who entered.

it never left her

It never left her. It haunted her, in both her quiet and her tempestuous moments. Sometimes it came like a refreshing breeze, soothing her aching heart. At other times, it came charging in, full of clashes and clangs and noise and pain.

It filled her up then came flowing out of her, sometimes against her will. Some people understood, but most just gave her funny looks. But she did not care about any of that, because she needed its eternal presence. It filled her with joy and sorrow, life and pain, serenity and a desire to act. It was her life.

She could not live without music.

life lately

life lately...

apple picking

little brothers mowing lawns

little brothers becoming not-so-little

scarf weather

sighs of relief

finishing my first college application and essay

wearing cute shoes

looking ahead {not at my shoes}

too many opinions from too many different people

knitting plans and getting up the guts to design my own patterns

being afraid of the unknown

wanting everything to change but stay the same all at the same time

good fellowship and learning at Bible study

eating banana chocolate chip muffins

What have you lovelies been up to?

Hugs,

Emily.

// read // listen // agree // eat //

p.s. I test knit a sock pattern on Ravelry! You can see it here. Those purple socks? Yeah, I made those. I wasn't paid to do this, I just wanted you all to know. *smile*

giveaway // wormewoole

Hello, all! I don't know about you, but I have certainly been enjoying the fall-ish but still warm weather lately.

Speaking of fall, I have another great giveaway for you all! Today's giveaway is sponsored by...

// etsy // facebook //

WormeWoole (pronounced Warm Wool) is an Etsy shop full of products made from reclaimed sweaters. Sara felts old wool and cashmere sweaters to craft her fantastic items such as scarves, handwarmers, and coffee cozies. As Sara writes in her shop description, WormeWoole is full of "Eco-friendly accessories handmade from reclaimed upcycled felted sweater wool for gadgets, friends, family and home. Featuring mittens, scarves, gadget sweaters and home decor. Created in Northern Wisconsin where we wear wool year-round. Sit down with a cup of coffee and see if you can't find something that warms your heart!"

Take a look...

Peach Cashmere Infinity Scarf

Blue and Grey Fair Isle Mittens

Rose Pin Felted Brooch

Turquoise Chevron Coffee Cozy

Pink Heart Handwarmers

Lavender Floral iPhone Sleeve

Mauve and Brown Hot Pad

Pink Argyle Kindle Cover

Sara has kindly offered one of you lovely readers your choice of handwarmers! These are perfect for the approaching chilly days of autumn and winter. You could slip them inside your pocket, mittens, boots, or just hold them to warm you up. 

Blue and Cayenne Pocket Handwarmers

This giveaway will run until 12:00 a.m. on Friday, October 11. The winner will be contacted and announced shortly thereafter.

Sara is willing to ship internationally, so any of you outside of the U.S. can enter.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway