Why Marriage is Like Knitting a Hat and What's For Dinner

I was writing 25 random things about myself yesterday for Facebook when something occured to me. I've been knitting hats and things like a madwoman lately for an upcoming party my friend is having. She's also having a baby and a few of these hats will be hers when it's all said and done. I also need to get something done for a local silent auction and...who ever thought people would actually be willing to PAY for something I made???

Anyhow, for one of the random things, I started rambling on about the hat that I was knitting. (Still am, actually.) I discovered that the middle of a hat (or most projects, for that matter!) is the most challenging for me. Really, the middle is usually the easiest. At least, the way I knit them! The beginning is exciting because there are all these possibilities and it's always exciting to cast-on a new project. Once I get going and figure out what I'm doing (because I usually just make up my own patterns as I go with most of them) I feel like I'm in a rut. Once I begin decreasing (all of my hats are knitted from the bottom-up) I feel like it's all downhill from there and I finish so quickly. I don't even mind finishing up and weaving in all the ends by then. The project flies off the needles. But, in the middle, it's easy to get bored. It's not nearly as exciting as the beginning and I'm nowhere near seeing the end result.

I think that marriage can be the same way. When the honeymoon is really over and it's their morning breath taking your breath away instead of the smile that used to, I can see how people get bored. For a long time, it's the same-old same-old. Since David and I have been married for almost seven years now, we're at a point where each day is much like the last one. Lucky for us, we like it that way, most days. Yeah, we still get in each other's way sometimes or don't pay enough attention to each other when we really need it....but that's okay. You're not supposed to be happy every single day of your life. I think marriage often ends too quickly for people who suddenly feel like their partner is no longer fulfiling their dreams. But, I can't leave it up to David to fulfill my dreams. They are my dreams, afterall. Not his. We share the same dreams when it comes to the big stuff. On the days that David isn't making me happy, I have to look within myself to find happiness. Or, just hope I'll be happy tomorrow.

And I will be. There is so much more to come.

The hat on the left is one I finished yesterday. The hat on the right is the one I'm about halfway through. It takes a lot more effort to pick it up once I've put it down, because it's going to be a bit more of the same-old same-old. But, it's totally worth it to stick it out. I want to be here to see how the entire thing turns out. Not just how it looks up to the middle.

And all of the wrinkles and gray hairs will be sort of neat, too. Because we earned them together. And we will be one of those old couples who yells all the time. Not because we're angry, but because we already have have trouble hearing each other and it's bound to get much worse.

To me, that's totally worth sticking out this middle part to see.

Here's what's for dinner tonight: Barbequed Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot.

This is the recipe that hangs on my fridge. I copy and paste it from HERE (or sometimes other random sources) to my word processing program so I can print out a copy. It's not the most space-efficient way to keep my recipes, but it works for me. I just have to look through my stack of recipes to plan my meals for the week, then in turn make my shopping list. It doesn't take as long as I thought it would to stay organized and we waste a lot less food this way. I just clip the recipes I'll need that week to my fridge and they are totally accessible. I don't have the counterspace for cookbooks and the handy little stands that can hold them. This works for me!

For now, I need to get myself and 3YO some lunch. Dinner already smells FANTASTIC and it won't be ready for HOURS, so lunch will have to do. Mmm...leftovers!

Have a terrific day and try to finish what you start....it should be totally worth it! (But, does that mean that I have to finish EVERYTHING I start? That sounds so overwhelming...)