Little Projects

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The Meticulous Mr. Wooley

Within the past few years, I've taken up knitting and crocheting.  I don't claim to be an expert, or even proficient, at either hobby, but it is certainly a pleasant way to pass an evening while listening to my favorite television shows.  I did a lot of knitting and crocheting a few Christmases back to make gifts--mostly blankets, but I also made a few scarves, and I tried something that is so fun and easy to do called amigurumi.  This is, quite simply, making a cute little plush animal or toy.  I made a wool kitty cat out of the remains of a brown wool skein used to make a scarf for my husband (which sadly has gone missing).  I made the kitty cat and gave it to him, and he aptly named the little cat "Mr. Wooley".  Too cute!  I'd like to make more, and perhaps if I do get around to it I'll list them on the "for sale" page on this blog.  If you would like to see examples of what I'm describing, click here.  There are many other sites out there that offer free amigurumi patterns as well, but I find that these are great examples.  I have so many projects that I would like to start, and I just never seem to find or make time to do it.  Plus, I have a hard time starting something that takes a long time to finish, which is why I have so many started projects and few finished ones!  But that's where these patterns are good.  Depending on your level of skill, these cute little projects might only take two or three hours to finish.  Now, that's what I'm talking about!

The Civil War

Flags of Gettysburg

Some of you know that I recently blew through the documentary "The Civil War" by Ken Burns in three nights while my husband was away on business.  It's one of his favorite documentaries, so I don't know why it took this long for me to see it.  Of course, I didn't really have a strong interest in the Civil War until we took our trip to Gettysburg last fall (to view that blog entry, click here).  I have to say, I really liked the series.  (Side note: it will be airing on PBS starting April 3 at 8 pm in honor of the 150th anniversary of the start of the war).  While still heavily focusing on the slavery aspect of the war, it was very in-depth in portraying aspects of the war as seen from soldiers' and civilians' point-of-views.  There are a total of nine episodes, most running right around an hour in length (with the exception of the first episode), and each one is just as interesting as the one before.  I think that the person I enjoyed listening to most was author Shelby Foote, whose books we own but I have not yet read.  With a smooth, deep Southern drawl, he is shown in more interview segments than any other expert, and he lent a bit of humor to the documentary.  As it went on, I felt more and more like I was really understanding, and almost in a way, experiencing the battles for myself!  Very well done.  Another great aspect of the documentary was the wonderful soundtrack that accompanies the various segments.  This is a collection of common mid-1800s music that fit perfectly.  From the theme song "Ashoken Farewell" to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", to "Lorena" and "Dixie", the songs feel familiar and comfortable regardless of whether you've heard them before or not.  I think I will have to add both the documentary and the soundtrack to my ever-growing list of things that I would like to buy someday.  Summary: If you are ever looking for something to watch one night, cue this one up in Netflix.  You won't be disappointed, and you might even learn something!

There was a common theme in the documentary that pointed to the country's belief in divine providence--both sides believed that God was on their side, and that their side was bound to win because of it.  Many in the North felt that God was with them because they wanted to abolish slavery, and the South believed that God would allow them to win the war because of the many victories they were able to enjoy at the beginning of the war.  Truthfully, God was with them all.  God allowed the war to happen, He allowed for the slavery, He allowed for the abolition of slavery, He allowed the states to become one entity, and He allowed us to slowly, over the course of the next 150 years, to give away our freedom, piece by piece, until we no longer remembered what true freedom really was and is: "¹⁹They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him" (2 Peter 2:19).  But there is freedom in Christ, as long as we accept His gift: "¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).  We always have that freedom to look forward to, even when we are slaves to earthly things: material possessions, addictions, debtors, the list can go on and on.  Christ can set us all free when we least deserve it, if we will only let Him!