A Wee Catch Up

When I was planning this post in my head (loosely), I was thinking what a difficult week this has been for me. Without being overly specific, I thought there may be some news on the baby front but sadly it all changed.  This has been colouring my view of things, but actually, when I started to collect my thoughts together on what else has happened in the week, I have had to admit, it has actually not been a bad week at all.

Duncan had his birthday on Tuesday, and he had the day off work, which is VERY rare, so we all really enjoyed the day. I cooked a lovely salmon dinner for him (his choice) and we watched a ridiculously silly movie (John Carter, again, his choice). 

Duncan's Rainbow Birthday Cake

Oscar and I went into town with church friends, and although having 2 little boys running all over town is much more than double the trouble, it was still fun. We even had lunch in Burger King, another very rare event.

I managed to find some Scooby Doo Goo for Oscar for 99p a tub, which although I despise the stuff, I keep buying because he loves it. Previously we have had to pay £4 a tub for black Goo from the joke shop, so this was a real find.

I have totally fallen in love with this coat

Can it really just be granny squares? The image came from this blog HERE, but the blog author does not seem to answer questions about it. I have decided the best thing to do it crochet up a pile of squares and have a play about with them. I am hoping to make a short sleeved shrug version.

Yesterday I found out I had won a blog competition, and the prize is a gift voucher for a photography course, which I am really excited about because I have wanted to do one of the courses since I saw them last year.

You can find the courses HERE

We have also started putting Oscar to bed on his own for the first time. Duncan normally reads to him until he falls asleep, (which can take 5 minutes or 50 minutes). It went surprisingly well, but watch this space, I have been parenting for 23 years and know better than to crow about an early success. 

Talking of sleep though, I was forced out of bed this morning. This picture probably explains it best..................

Poor Duncan!

And finally, in church news, this weekend is the stake conference. I had no idea what this involved until the missionaries explained it and I did a bit of online digging. 

• A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. A stake is approximately comparable to a deanery in the Catholic Church, or perhaps to a diocese, in some Christian denominations. The name "stake" derives from the verse "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes" (Isaiah 54:2).  A stake is sometimes referred to as a stake of Zion.
• Stake Conference - Each stake will hold a stake conference twice a year under the direction of the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The stake president is usually instructed to preside in the absence of a general authority or to organize the conference under the direction of the general authority that will preside. The conferences are used to conduct stake business (primarily the appointment and sustaining of stake officers) and to disseminate counsel and guidance from the stake presidency. Speakers at stake conferences generally include the three members of the stake presidency and other stake members, called upon by the stake presidency, to speak on assigned topics. When a general authority of the church presides, he is the featured speaker. The general session (for all members of the stake) is usually held on Sunday. This general session may be held in a local tabernacle if available. If held in the stake center, the general session may be divided into multiple sessions, by ward, so that all stake members may be accommodated in the building. A session for all adult members is generally held on the preceding Saturday evening. A priesthood leadership session is also held in conjunction with a stake conference. Some stakes are so geographically large that at times multiple sessions of stake conference are held at different locations to accommodate those who live in distant areas.

So tonight and tomorrow I will be attending Stake Conference and I am pretty excited about it. 

Really not a bad week at all. I hope you have had a good week too?

Valerie

Yarn Along And Banana Bread

Knitting

I finished the 'Freddy' jumper for Oscar  (see the last yarn along), yesterday and he was fairly pleased with it, although I was informed that sometimes Freddy's jumper has a blue stripe on it (I actually knew that, but decided to skip it).

Oscar being Freddy

I have only just started my next project, which is a Prayer Shawl from Lion Brand free patterns (based on this one HERE, you need to be a member of the site to view it though). 

I knitted 2 shawls last year, but one I gave to my mother-in-law and the other, Duncan shrank in the wash. Hopefully this one will stick around and be as squishy and comforting as I anticipate.

Reading

I am of course still reading the same as as last week.

And I may be on these for quite a while, but I have added a new 'religious' book to the collection, only this one is for Oscar.

The illustraitons in this book are SO cute, although I was surprised to see someone in biblical times using a telephone. I love Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen, so I was prepared to overlook the phone in exchange for otherwise excellent art work. Oscar sat through the first few stories and then asked to take the book to bed for some more, that is a sign of a good choice for a 4 year old.

And finally ....

Yesterday was Duncan's birthday, and the Missionaries from the church baked him some Banana Bread and brought it over. I have to say, I was impressed by their thoughtfullness but a little wary of the taste, but it is absolutely delicious. 

The Elders Banana Bread

Afternoon tea was extra specially good, since I didnt even have to make the cake myself.

Valerie

Elder Portraits

Elder Butikofer

Elder McCarthy

Sundays

Church was wonderful today, but now that dinner is done, Oscar is bathed and taken to bed and the house has quietened down (it is amazing how much noise one 4 year old child can make), it is time for some of this

And some of this

And then I will be tucked up in bed with a hot chocolate, Netflix and a big pile of this

However your Sunday has shaped up, I hope you have had a wonderful day.

Valerie

Boys Will Be Boys

When the sun shines, they do what they do best.

And when the sun goes away, and the rain comes, you can always go to a friends house and match your outfit to your strawberry Tic-Tacs.

Yarn Along

My very first yarn along, since moving the blog over to 'A Mormon Mama' If you are not familiar with yarn along, its a blog hop from all around the internet, where participants tell others about the books they are reading and the knitting and crochet work they are doing. It is a great way to get ideas for yarn work and to see what others are reading and enjoying, or not enjoying. If you click the image above it will take you to Ginny's blog Small Things, which is where the links are posted.

READING

I know this may seem a little like advertising (considering the title of this blog), but these are honestly the books I am reading right now. Because I am at the beginning of my journey into faith I really don't have time or head-space for anything else right now. I expect I will be reading these books for the rest of my life, but maybe with a little less intensity than I am right now. 

[As an aside, if you would like to request a free copy of the Book Of Mormon, you can do so HERE]

KNITTING

My 4 year old son Oscar is completely crazy about the cartoon show Scooby Doo. He has amassed quite a bizarre collection of outfits over the last year, so that he can dress up as members of the Scooby Gang. One notable exception was a white jumper (to dress as Freddy), and so he asked me to knit one for him. Since this item is destined to end up in the dress up box, I have used inexpensive white wool, and I am also using a very basic pattern (this one HERE). I have knitted up the front and the back fairly quickly and I will start on the sleeves tonight. Pictures of Oscar as Freddy Jones to follow.

Valerie

Ellie Rose

On April 27th 2012, I went to hospital and delivered a baby girl. A tiny baby girl who had died in pregnancy. Our hearts ached for her and Duncan and I both grieved for what might have been and what never came to pass. 

During my journey into The Church Of Jesus Christ LDS, it was inevitable that our baby, Ellie Rose, would come up in the conversation. A select few people have told me that I am over-dramatising an early loss (although Ellie Rose had died, my body continued with the pregnancy and eventually I was induced into labour), and it was just a miscarriage and I should  "get over it". 

Here is what the Church has to say about our early existence.

" Your life didn’t begin at birth and it won’t end at death. Before you came to earth, your spirit lived with Heavenly Father who created you. You knew Him, and He knew and loved you. It was a happy time during which you were taught God’s plan of happiness and the path to true joy. But just as most of us leave our home and parents when we grow up, God knew you needed to do the same. He knew you couldn’t progress unless you left for a while. So he allowed you to come to earth to experience the joy—as well as pain—of a physical body.One thing that makes this life so hard sometimes is that we’re out of God’s physical presence. Not only that, but we can’t remember our pre-earth life which means we have to operate by faith rather than sight. God didn’t say it would be easy, but He promised His spirit would be there when we needed Him. Even though it feels like it sometimes, we’re not alone in our journey."


I can  not express what a comfort this has been to me, especially as we approached the anniversary of our loss. I had felt the spirit of my baby every step of the way. We knew she was in difficulty for several weeks, and each week we went and saw a little heart beating on the sonogram and each week we marvelled at what a little fighter she must be, until sadly one week, after many many weeks of hoping, there was no heart beat to be found. To say she was "just a miscarriage" was cruel at best.


Of course, it is not just the issue of 'if' a baby  lost in pregnancy, is really a life, but also, what happens to that little soul when they depart.
Much to my utter sadness, some religions believe that anyone who has not recieved baptism before death, regardless of age, will not enter into Gods Kingdom. That can't be right can it?

Teachings of Joseph F. Smith (founder of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Later Day Saints)

Little children who pass away before they are accountable are redeemed.

With little children who are taken away in infancy and innocence before they have reached the years of accountability, and are not capable of committing sin, the gospel reveals to us the fact that they are redeemed, and Satan has no power over them. Neither has death any power over them. They are redeemed by the blood of Christ, and they are saved just as surely as death has come into the world through the fall of our first parents. …
… Our beloved friends who are now deprived of their little one, have great cause for joy and rejoicing, even in the midst of the deep sorrow that they feel at the loss of their little one for a time. "
I will admit, it is difficult to have 'joy',  but for now, I can settle with the comfort that my precious little baby is safely back with her Heavenly Father.
I know many people wont agree, but honesly, I feel the alternative is just too grim to be part of God's plan for us.



"Regardless of what you do or don’t have in this life, your deepest, most lasting happiness will come from knowing God’s plan and following it."
* All photo's from Ellie Rose's memorial garden
Valerie