Download “Songs of the Adopted”

I’m so excited to make the following announcement: Williamsburg Church Worship is releasing a 3-song EP for you to download, donate toward if you can, and (hopefully) enjoy. All proceeds go toward our adoption of sibling brothers in Russia.

This little project is the culmination of lots of hard work on the part of the worship team I sing with at church. Our guitarist Sara Merten wrote the songs, and, along with Dailey Crafton, helped me record them at our church space over the period of a few months (no budget means no “professional” studio production, but I’m amazed at what these guys could do with a few microphones and Garageband). I’m ever so grateful for their sacrifice of time to bring this project to fruition.

Just download the songs via these links. On PC, just click the title and Save. On Mac, right click the title and Save Link As.

The Good Forever

Jubilee

Who Shall Separate Us

If you have a moment, show your music appreciation and please donate toward our adoption at this Paypal link:

It’s totally secure and easy and takes credit cards too.

Every time you hear these songs, we hope they will remind you about the two precious boys you helped bring home. Thank you!

knit-wit

Last night, some of the girls invaded Kelly’s house for crafts and convo. I brought along a knitting project I’d started, and was amazed that nearly everyone there had knit at some point. I finished my project tonight, and thought posting about it would be a great kick-starter for all the other people out there who, like me, knit in a previous life.

Seriously, I have not picked up a pair of knitting needles since middleschool, when my best buds Erica and Eve and I got into it. I made a pair of slippers. That sounds really complex, and I think it was. I have no idea how I did it, and could barely remember how to purl until Bill’s sister was so kind as to teach me last weekend.

I’d purchased these bad boys (I also keep Bill in check with them while knitting):

"Are those training needles?" Bill asks when I get home from the craft store.

Along with 2 skeins of chunky Lion brand yarn (by the way, this brand is so soft and the color palette is fab-dab-ulous). I’ll buy nicer, more expensive Yarn Tree yarn when I’m better at this.

So after 7 (yes, s-e-v-e-n) false starts, I figured out what I was doing, and cast on 40 stitches. And just kept going until I ran out of yarn.

Notice those stripes. They are mistakes. I purled instead of knit, or knit instead of purled. I decided to embrace the flaws, and I'm glad I did.

Toward the end, when Heather was no longer around to answer my novice questions, I realized I needed buttonholes. Youtube to the rescue! Then, I didn’t remember how to get the finished project off the needled. Youtube again. I lurve Youtube.

See those buttons? They are literal slices of wood! My heart skipped a beat when I saw them at M & J Trimmings today.

Final result:

2 buttons buttoned, 2 unbuttoned for a shawl style. But wait, there's more...

Button them all up for an oversized cowl that deep down inside you know you'll mock yourself for in 5 years, but for now you LOVE it.

My favorite part--it's a hat. I'm ready to adopt my boys in Russia in the middle of winter!

So break out the rubbermaid storage box in your basement, unpack those old needles and moldy yarn, and get stitching, friends! Send me pictures if you do.

And completely unrelated to this post, I saw my nieces and nephew this weekend. Cutest. Kids. Ever. No contest.

They refused to take a normal shot.