As-salaam alaikum,

Can you believe it? My little newborn is now three months old and she’s laughing. They grow up fast. I have been too busy to blog but I did manage to find a little time here and there to “play school” with my oldest. She’s learning to spell even though she’s not reading yet; I figure it’s a good start. I have been scouring EBay for used children’s books and she’s delighted when she gets a new shipment. All in all, it’s much cheaper than the bookstore chains.

The recent addition to our small library is the Little House on the Prairie series. I know there are a lot of Christian themes throughout the book but overall there are some good examples of modest family living that I admire.

It also reminds me of where I’m from. The country. My husband would have a fit if he were anywhere that could only carry dial-up Internet service and some of your neighbors (most likely some sort of kin) raised cows or goats, lol. It’s a whole other way of life.

Some day, InshaALLAH I might take the family down to visit my father’s place, which is about fifteen acres of land with only one neighbor on the other side. My kids would love it and the fresh air would benefit them. He’s eager to see them again and talks about taking them fishing and taking my husband on a deer hunt. It would be awesome to see them learn a skill like that. Nobody has ever been harmed by self-sufficiency.

I made some brownies the other day and let my oldest help out. Of course when I wasn’t looking she was licking the chocolate and egg batter (ugh). The first batch was good, we couldn’t stop eating them.

The good thing is, she has a real interest in hands-on tasks and isn’t shy about getting her hands dirty.
I’ve also been knitting up a storm in the past few weeks. I am reading a few books by Elizabeth Zimmermann.
I used it to make this

and this.

Those underarm holes are hard to darn. I need a good finishing book to improve my techniques. Knitting is only half the job. A shoddy sewing / finishing throws all of your hard work right out the window. Sigh. Sabr InshaALLAH.