My Life As JulieMom

Vision Forum Giveaway!

2011-11-21T14:56:00.006+02:00

Good morning ladies!

If you are looking for a wonderful resource this Christmas for gifts, I can guarantee that Vision Forum will meet your needs. They have wonderful audio programs, such as Jonathan Park, which details the following of a Christian family who starts a Creation Response Team and refutes evolution and other anti-Bible notions- VERY well done. My girls love it! And of course the Lamplighter Theater series, which takes books written long ago and turns them into audio dramas. VERY, VERY entertaining, and teach a great lesson. So worth the money!

They also have a huge inventory of Christian books to choose from. We have purchased quite a few items from them, and the customer service is excellent. Quick ship times too!

This has been a wonderful resource for our family. I encourage you to give gift cards to their site, or order things for your own family for Christmas, and all year long!

Right now they are having a giveaway over at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.

Have a GREAT Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas!!

I'm His Wife, Not His Mom...

2011-11-11T05:08:00.003+02:00

I really like our new dentist. The office staff is friendly, and even though one lady behind the desk calls me "Hon" every other second, I am happy with it. The techs who cleaned my teeth and did the original evaluation were kind and funny, and I felt like I was among friends. It's not often that you find the staff watching The Price is Right and asking what your bid is, while passing tools back and forth and filling a tooth.

It's a great, comfortable place.

But it's obvious they do not deal much with Deaf people.

Blatantly. Obvious.

This past week J-Man and I both had cleaning appointments scheduled on the same day. I was called back first, and I informed the tech that my husband who was in the waiting room was Deaf, so he wouldn't be able to hear them call his name. She didn't seem fazed, and said she would let the other tech know.

So in the middle of my cleaning, the other tech, who would be doing my hubby's teeth, came into the room. The following conversation ensued:

Tech: So, I assume he is pretty good at reading lips?

Me: Um, no. He's actually really bad at that. He doesn't prefer that.

Tech: [crickets] [blank look]

Me: He speaks English, so you could write him a note.

Tech: [looking slightly annoyed] So I have to do everything with writing?

Me: Well, do you know sign language?

Tech: No.

Me: Well then, writing will work just fine.

She left to get started cleaning his teeth, and I finished my appointment. The tech cleaning my teeth made a few comments that it seemed obvious to write a note, and I kept my mouth shut. It was a miracle.

When my cleaning was done I took a seat in the waiting room. Two minutes later the following conversation ensues:

Desk Lady: Hey Hon, did you want him to have x-rays today?

Me: What?

Desk Lady: Did you want him to have bite wings done today, since he's new here?

Me: Did you ask him if he wanted them done?

Desk Lady: No. Do you want him to have them done?

Me: You need to ask him.

Desk Lady: Ok, Hon. Thanks. [disappears briefly, then sticks her head out the plexiglass partition again] Do you want him to have a doctor exam today Hon?

Me: If he wants one. Did you ask him if he wanted an exam? It's his first check-up in a year, so if that's what you normally do, then do it. But you should really ask him. You can write him a note.

Desk Lady: Thanks Hon. [to another employee] Yeah, she wants him to have one.

Now, was that even close to what I said? No. I am not his mom. I do not make his medical decisions. At least not until he's in a coma and can't speak for himself.

Now, I totally understand that a lot of people have no experience with Deafness. In that case, it can be awkward trying to communicate. Writing things down is never as easy for hearing people as verbal conversation. Hearing people are often afraid of saying something offensive if they try to use body language, and to be honest, they fear looking foolish.

Can I just clarify a few things about Deaf people and Deafness, please?

1. Deaf people are in no way of lower intelligence than hearing people, nor are they mentally retarded. They do not think like babies. They can't hear, that's it.

2. Most Deaf Americans you meet read and write in English. If you do not know sign, write them a note. (Unless they are immigrants, and speak another language.)

3. Body language will very rarely be mistaken for swearing or something sexual, unless that is your intent. So don't be afraid to try and communicate! Body language can go a long way to get your point across.

4. A wife/husband who is hearing does not act like a mother/father to their Deaf spouse! Deaf people are perfectly capable of making their own medical decisions, ordering their own food/drinks, disciplining their children, and listing their preferences on any and every thing. ASK THEM.

You wouldn't presume to answer medical questions for your hearing spouse, would you? When they are in the room with the nurse already, and you are in the waiting room? Wouldn't that seem a little offensive to you? Think about it for a sec. Yeah....

5. Do not assume that all Deaf people read lips. Have you ever tried to read lips? It's hard! Look at your mouth in the mirror and mouth the word 'mom' and then 'bomb'. Do they look different? Not. Easy.

6. Make sure you have their attention before trying to communicate. Tap them gently on the shoulder, or wave slightly near them, and make eye contact. If you're in a lip reading situation, don' turn your head sideways, or turn your back to the person. Your lips are much harder to read through your skull.

7. Shouting is futile.

8. As is over-enunciating words. Making your mouth look freakishly twisted in order to somehow convey an 'L' or 'O' sound more clearly just makes you look weird. It's actually worse than just speaking normally.

9. When asking a question through an interpreter, don't treat the Deaf person like a third party who is not present. (Example) "Tell him I need him to...", "Ask him if he can...". Look at and speak directly to the Deaf person, not the interpreter: "I need you to...", "Can you...". The interpreter is there to convey information, they are not speaking FOR the Deaf person.

This can be awkward, because the Deaf person will be looking at the interpreter, but they will glance at you every so often to make sure of tone, etc. It's important you look at them too.

10. If you know how to fingerspell, do it! Use what you know. It goes a lot farther than you might think. If you can get the context of the conversation across, it helps.

11. There are varying degrees of Deafness. Some people may be hard of hearing, while others are profoundly Deaf. Never assume that because a person has hearing aids that they can understand everything you are saying.

12. Never appear frustrated that the Deaf person doesn't understand, or you don't understand them. You don't speak their language (sign language), so it may be slow going. Keep trying. Do not throw your hands up and say "Never mind", or "Nothing". They cannot help not being able to hear.

In this day and age of fast paced everything, it can seem like a huge inconvenience to slow down and communicate with someone by writing, or trying to use lip reading. However, if you really want to convey information, or to include a Deaf person in an event or conversation, then you will take the time to make sure they understand what is going on.

Trust me when I say it is frustrating for both sides!

With a little consideration, thoughtfulness, and patience, it can be successful!

[end rant]

Tutorials- Coming Soon

2011-11-08T20:23:00.003+02:00

Hello friends!

When the craft show I am doing next weekend (already?!?) is over, I will be posting some how-to bits here on the blog so you can get your craft on. Christmas gifts are so much nicer when you can make them yourself, (a.k.a. Money-saving!!) and I have a whole boatload of things to share!

There are necklaces, rings, bracelets, clutch bags, pins, clips, and headbands. Possibly American Girl/Springfield Doll clothes, baby onesies, and various home decor items. Simple but pretty.

I will also offer a giveaway on the blog of an item that doesn't sell at the show. Isn't that exciting! Even though you don't know what it is yet! I am sure you will love it. (I don't even know what it is yet...) Maybe I will post several items and the winner can choose their favorite. [But hopefully there won't be several items left...]

I am totally in the Christmas mood because we will be celebrating it with my sister when we visit her for Thanksgiving. I have several wrapped gifts in my living room, and I am in the mood for the music that goes along with them! But since it's 60 degrees outside, I will refrain. But I don't think I can hold off much longer!

What are you making for Christmas? Is anyone interested in posting their own gift idea tutorials, and linking them all here? I would be happy to host, if I can remember how to work the linky guy.

Anyway, those are the thoughts tumbling around in my noggin today. Oh, and go out and vote!

Are you there, Blog? It's Me, JulieMom...

2011-11-03T20:44:00.002+02:00

Hey, did you know it was already November? Yeah, I thought you did. It sorta snuck up on me.

Why the lack of blogging? Well, Facebook has taken over my life. Not literally. I do have some self-restraint, but more people check my updates there than would ever even click a simple link to come here. Sad, isn't it? But I am going to try and do better, because some people don't even HAVE Facebook....do you know anyone like that?

Anyway, here are just a few brief updates for you until I get back into the swing of things:

-My children are growing up. [boo! hiss!]

-Some ministry changes are coming in our future. [scary! exciting!]

-My middle daughter has Hashimoto's Disease. It's a thyroid condition (hypothyroidism) that slows her growth rate, and metabolism. The good news is it's possible she can outgrow it by the time adolescence is done. Right now she takes 100 mcg daily of levothyroxin. This has given her normal levels. She has grown! And thinned out a lot! Praise the Lord for good medical care!

-I am working on recording a CD of worship and praise songs I have written. I feel weird saying that out loud on the blog! [pretend I didn't tell you, ok?]

-My dad retired to WV and I am not really too sad about not spending much time in my hometown. My heart is somewhere else now. [It followed my Dad to WV]

-PollyDoodle Designs will be doing a craft show in November. Please pray I would do well, as the money will go toward our tickets back to Africa. I may post pics here of some of the items.

-I am crafting in the evenings while catching up with Biggest Loser online. It's been challenging me to work out, and I have walked three out of four days this week so far! [with incline!]

-The few grey hairs I have plucked from the center of my part are now trying to grow out my chin.

That's about it for now. I have some post ideas I'd like to share. Maybe a couple tutorials for items you might want to give others for Christmas.

It feels pretty good to be back.

Life, Life and More....Life

2011-08-12T00:25:00.002+02:00

Well, it's been over a month since I've blogged here, shame on me. But life has been busy. Lots going on, places to go, things to do, people to see...

Anyway, here's an update. You know (or maybe you didn't) that my husband's dad has Parkinson's Disease and is bed-ridden. My husband is an only child, and feels a huge responsibility to help his parents as much as we can. I do too. His mother needs to have surgery on her feet, and we both want to see them come to know the Lord as Savior before we go back to Africa.

So, we have made some decisions. We are extending our furlough until January, 2012. It's really unavoidable. They need us, and we believe we would not be honoring them to leave when they need help.

So we're staying. Please pray about our school situation, as I didn't bring 3rd grade DVDs with me...so I have to figure out something for six months until we get back to SA. We'll be traveling here and there as well, so it's gonna be another long haul I'm afraid, but the Lord is giving us strength and we wait on Him daily for leading.

If you think of it, would you pray for us? Lots of decisions still to be made, and of course answering lots of repetitive questions from different people. Par for the course. Thanks friends!

Salad Bowls and Chicken Florentine Soup

2011-06-30T13:16:00.006+02:00

I love soup. Yesterday started out cold and breezy, so I was determined to make soup. (Even though by the end of the day it was sunny and warm...doesn't matter.) Just the day before we had taken the girls out for lunch as a reward for doing so well on their testing for school. At the restaurant, I ordered a cup of their Chicken Florentine Soup.

Wow.

It was pretty yummy! So I decided I needed to recreate it here at home, minus the noodles, which are not worth the WW points, in my opinion. So I looked up a recipe online, tweaked it quite a bit (did you know there's heavy cream in it? And butter? Eish!) and came up with a very tasty soup that we would all definitely eat again. Too bad the photo isn't that appetizing. I need a prettier kitchen maybe. Or better photography skills.

Here's the recipe:

Low-Points Chicken Florentine Soup

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

1.5 lbs chicken breast, cubed

4T olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2C carrots, sliced thin

2/3C all purpose flour

Pinch of cayenne pepper

8 cups fat free chicken broth

4C spinach, chopped

1/2C unsweetened plain almond milk

salt and pepper to taste

How To:

1. Spray a medium skillet and heat on medium-high. Add chicken cubes and cook through, until no longer pink. Set aside.

2. In a heavy-bottom pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and carrots, cooking until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook one minute more.

3. Add flour and cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for several minutes to remove the raw taste of the flour. (Stir often, so it doesn't stick to the bottom)

4. Slowly add the chicken broth. Stir well, until flour seems incorporated. Cook until boiling, then reduce heat to medium. Let bubble and thicken a few minutes.

5. Add spinach, chicken cubes, and almond milk. Stir, and serve immediately.

Serving size: 1 Cup Servings per Batch: 11 Points: 4

Now, you can use soymilk or cow's milk in this recipe, but it will affect the points. The almond milk is 0 points for a half cup. And only 1 point for a whole cup! Good stuff, and there's no animal products involved. Yum!

I always like to have soup and salad together, and this next "recipe" is how I make edible salad bowls at home, for low points!

Edible Salad Bowls:

Ingredients:

Joseph's Flax Seed Lavash Bread (found in the deli dept. of Super Wal*Mart)

Cooking spray

Garlic powder

Salt

Salad

2T low calorie dressing (I like Newman's Own Raspberry Walnut, personally)

How To:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. On a baking tray, lay one lavash flat. Spray the entire side of it, then sprinkle with garlic powder and salt to taste. Pick up the lavash (carefully so you don't rip it) and invert a small metal mixing bowl onto the baking tray. Lay the lavash (sprayed side down) over the bowl. Arrange it so four sides are touching (or almost touching) the bowl. Spray the top side of the lavash.

*You'll get a pretty good idea of the dimensions of your bowl at this point. If the "bowl" part looks too small, use a larger bowl. If it looks too big, use a smaller bowl.*

2. Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. If you want it more brown, bake an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes. Remove the lavash (you may have to pull a little) and place on a serving plate.

3. Fill with lettuce, cucumber, grape tomatoes, peppers, spinach, carrots, blueberries, strawberries...whatever you want. Use 2T low fat dressing. Serve shortly after filling with salad.

Serving Size: 1 lavash Servings per Batch: 1 per lavash Points: 5

This is so yummy! And it looks fancy, so you can impress your in-laws, or just make dinner at home a little special for the ones you love. These lavash bread wraps are really good. They are 3 points for the whole rectangle. I've used them for this, to make wrap sandwiches, and we have a pizza recipe we made up using them. So versatile and so little points!

So, try out these recipes and let me know what you think! I may be going back through the Foodie Friday Archives to lighten up some of the recipes there. I'm kinda scared to look at what I used to eat!

The Widow of Zarapheth

2011-06-24T14:42:00.003+02:00

Imagine yourself at the point of starvation. I know it's hard since we live in America with a McDonald's on every corner, and food at every church function, board meeting, school event, ladies meeting, and open house in the area.

People even have birthday parties for their dogs with food, for crying out loud.

But try to imagine yourself at the point of starvation. Remember a time when you had to work through lunch, or, that you were fasting. Sometimes you just get hungry, am I right? [Like maybe once a month you feel the need to eat your weight in M&Ms or something.] Times that feeling by about a million, and that should help you. So, you're imagining yourself at the point of starvation.

And you haven't been this way for a couple hours, it's been a long time coming. You have a little bit of meal (flour, if you will) and just a touch of oil that you've been portioning out between you and your son, hoping it will last long enough for the rains to come and make everything better.

See, there's been a drought too. And no doubt food prices have skyrocketed, and you are just a poor widow who doesn't have the luxury of credit at any place, and of course there are no savings laid by...so you make do with what you have, hoping to ride out the drought. It has to rain sometime, right?

Only, now you're down to your last bit of flour. Your last drops of oil. Just enough to make a cake for your son and yourself, and then you will die of hunger. Not right away though. Your body has adjusted to being malnourished. It doesn't expect an awful lot at this point, so you know it may be days or weeks before you really die, if the water lasts that long, but you'll wish it were only a couple hours.

So this morning you are out getting a couple sticks together to make a fire. You will go home and make the cakes and eat with your son your final meal, and then wait to die. You think of your husband who has been gone these years, and wish he were here to tell you what to do. You can't help but feel this is somehow your fault, that your sins have somehow brought this upon you and your son.

As you are turning to go back home, a man calls to you and asks for some water. You head to bring him some, thinking it might put off your death for a little while longer, when he also asks for some food. You stop, and worries fly through your head. You know exactly how much flour and oil it takes to make the cakes you were planning, and now this stranger has asked you to feed him. You debate with yourself whether to tell him the truth or not, but decide it's best to let him know your condition.

He answers without pause, and with some authority to not be afraid, but to do as he asked. God will not let the oil or flour run out until it starts to rain on the earth. You aren't sure that can be true, but you figure you can make a cake for the man and one for your son instead of yourself, so you set to work.

And amazingly enough, the man's word was right! There was flour still in the barrel, and oil still in the bottle! But how long would it last? What if this man leaves, will the food still continue? Better not get too excited about it...but now it's been many days...and it still has not failed...

Can you imagine what this widow was feeling? Sometimes I get through my Bible reading, and think of these amazing stories without trying to put myself in their shoes. This one was easier to do because I am a mom who loves her children. And because I have doubted the provision of God on occasion.

The story goes on with the widow's son becoming so ill that he stops breathing. The widow's first response is to ask Elijah if this is why he has come, to remind her of her sin and take her son from her?

But Elijah takes the boy and the Lord puts life in him again. Then the widow is overjoyed and believes that Elijah is a man of God and that his words are truth. Some interesting things the Lord showed me in this story...

The woman was not impressed when the food didn't run out. She doesn't praise God or even say thank you to Elijah. I think she was so overcome with fear of it running out again that she dared not hope it would last. Maybe she thought if Elijah left them, the food would leave too.

Elijah stayed with her many days. Surely during this time he spoke to her of God. Of the things he had seen, and maybe he revealed to her (if she didn't already know) that he was the one who had proclaimed the drought in the land. Surely he had tried to convince her the ways of God were good. But she was not swayed.

It took the death and resurrection of her son for her to believe that God was able. But even during her doubt, during the time she couldn't praise Him because of fear, or guilt of her sin, or whatever, God continued to feed her. He didn't take away the provision because she had doubt. He sustained her through it.

I think that is such a powerful truth! God asked her to make a small meal for someone else, even in her dire circumstances, and her obedience caused the blessing of provision. Isn't it so easy during our hard times to stop tithing, or giving to others? Isn't it easy to go into self-preservation mode and think only of what our family needs?

Yet God provides. Now, it doesn't tell us that the flour bin was miraculously filled to the top, or that the oil was overflowing, but maybe every morning when she woke up, there was just enough flour and oil to make the cakes they needed for the day.

Maybe that's why she had a hard time praising, because the miracle didn't look the way she wanted it to. Isn't it so much easier to praise God when He provides abundantly? When he just provides the basics, we tend to forget to be thankful. But it's all HIs provision. It's all from His hands.

There is so much in this story to learn! It may need another post...have a blessed day!

Poor Solomon

2011-06-20T15:05:00.004+02:00

You may think that's a weird title for a post, especially considering who it's about. This is a man who was given everything. He asked for wisdom only, and God also gave him riches and honor. He had everything he could ever need or want. Why "Poor Solomon"?

Well, I was reading this morning in Ecclesiastes, and came across this verse:

Ecclesiastes 1:18 "For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."

I never thought of the gifts God gave him as being a burden. I thought they were a blessing. Being wise enough to handle all the problems he would face. I have often thought, in the raising of my girls, that I would love to have the wisdom of Solomon...sure would help when I don't know who wrote on the mirror with lipstick, or threw all the clean laundry in the clothes hamper because they didn't want to put it away...

But when I think back to when God originally gave him the wisdom, it explains how vast that wisdom really was:

³⁰And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.³²And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.³³And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. ³⁴And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

He was wiser than the Egyptians! And all the wisdom of the east! These are the ancient civilizations the world digs up and stands in awe of how "advanced" their cities were, and their use of language is praised time and again. They were the source of knowledge in their time. And yet Solomon, this one man, had more wisdom than them all.

He could speak on trees, and birds, and animals, and fish and creeping things. Word of his wisdom spread so that kings from all over the world came to hear him speak. Maybe he told stories of these animals, or maybe he gave exciting lectures on the things he had learned from God. We know he solved the problems of the people in a wise way.

And yet, it was a burden. With much wisdom is much grief. Earlier in this chapter, Solomon says he was acquainted with all things that were done under the sun. With his penchant for trying out anything and everything (like he did with the women of the world), he also says he gave his heart over to seeking the knowledge of all things done under heaven.

So he had seen nothing new. People were fickle and forgot what things had been before...he says from generation to generation nothing new happens, we've just forgotten what we've done before. Maybe it has a new name, or a new style, but it's the same old thing.

So, I can feel for Solomon. It's like when you talk to a person who is close to, or over 100 years old. They've seen so much and experienced so much, that they know there's nothing new. They also know they don't want to continue living forever.

Solomon was definitely frustrated with his life at this point. He said all was folly and vexation of spirit. Maybe he was looking back on a wasted life and a wasted gift. Maybe he was repenting of his former lifestyle and wishing he had made better choices.

I know that when I was reading these verses this morning, it encouraged me to not waste the knowledge or gifts God has given me. I don't want to come to the end of my life full of regret, and wishing I had done better.

So, I do say poor Solomon. Poor man that he couldn't get a grip on his desires. Poor man that everyone around him wanted something from him. Poor man that he chose wrong things.

I love it when God warns me of something through another's experience so I can avoid the same mistakes. I believe God was merciful to Solomon, as he is merciful to us.

Any thoughts?

Weight Watchers

2011-06-11T10:03:00.001+02:00

I promise you I am not a spokesperson for Weight Watchers. They are not paying me to say any of the things I will say here, although it would be nice if they'd offer...

Recently the hubby and I decided that since (seriously) 98.645% of the people we know are on Weight Watchers, and we've seen them shrinking, we would join too. But we didn't want the hassle (and probable embarrassment) of going to meetings and actually weighing in with other people.

It's disturbing, really if you think about it.

And I'm sure quite humbling.

Especially if you can't get your act together, and you weigh the same weight for a month of Sundays, and everyone already knows what your weight will be before you step on the scale, and some people are taking bets as you walk toward it, and others are thinking 'Why does she even come here if she's not going to follow the program?' and you try to duck your head in shame, but since there's nowhere to hide, you stick your hand in your pocket and get strength from the snack pack you put there, and go sit down.

At least that's how I imagine it would be for me.

But since we've started WW, which has been three weeks ago now, I really feel like I am in control of how much I eat. Yes, they decided what point value was good for me, and yes, I use their calculator to figure out how many points I get every day, but I am telling you, I had no idea what a portion size was before doing this.

I had no idea how many of something I was eating until I started counting points. Before I joined WW I really thought it would be a hassle. All that weighing food and counting, blah blah blah...I really didn't want 'one more thing' to have to manage.

But I only joined online, and it has been really easy. Lots of recipe ideas, a recipe builder where you can plug in your own family favorites and get the points values per serving, and a calculator where you can get the points for any food with nutritional info posted on it. AND they give you tips on how to make your own recipes "skinny". So cool.

I have lost almost nine pounds, and I haven't even been exercising consistently. Yet. I'm working on that. The batteries for the Wii Fit are charging as we speak. But I would say this life change was totally needed, and is such a help to me.

I'm sold. And I'm convinced this will be how I do things for the rest of my days. I may not need the online part of it after a while, but right now it's given me the confidence I need to get control of the food in my life.

If you're new to Weight Watchers, or you don't even do it but are looking for healthy recipes, then I will try and help you. I have several recipes I've made up, and am thinking about posting them here as I test them out. Sometimes you just have to figure things out by trial and error.

So, is anyone interested in low-fat, healthy recipes that are weight watchers friendly? Don't get me wrong, I'll be posting them anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter if you're interested or not.

I just like you to feel involved around here.

Anonymity

2011-06-09T14:30:00.001+02:00

Have you ever wished you could say anything you wanted, or do anything you wanted, and no one would ever know it was you?

I do.

Sometimes I wish I could say something to a person they desperately need to hear (in a loving way of course) and have them never know it was me, because they would never receive it from me. Though, with some issues I see, they would know it was me for sure because I was:

a.) the only other person there.

b.) the only person they told.

So, that could be problematic.

But really for this issue of anonymity, I was thinking more along the lines of my blog. There are times when I wish I could ask some questions of people out there and put some very specific details into them, and post them here on the blog to get people's feedback. But then I think about my picture being on here in the sidebar, and this thing being linked to Facebook when I post, and suddenly I don't want to ask those questions anymore.

Does anyone with a blog know what I mean?

They aren't bad questions, just things that are personal. Or personal to my family. Or my church. Or specific people I know. And I can't go around throwing that all over cyberspace, now can I?

Can I???

No, I cannot.

I will not.

But, I may need some listening ears who are willing to give me honest feedback and not look at me all one-eyebrow-raised-head-cocked-to-the-side kind of deal. Because I don't think I could handle that. And the questions aren't even that hard. At least I don't think they are...

Anyway, invisibility is another super power I wish I possessed, but I don't. Oh well.

And flying.

And forever thin-ness...

Real Sisterhood

2011-05-17T15:01:00.003+02:00

Real Sisterhood

How many of you have a sister who is also a great friend?

Or a friend who is like a sister?

Think back to when you were small, and you stayed up late talking, how you'd keep each other from getting caught if you did something naughty, and you'd protect one another. NO ONE messes with my sister!

A family bond is a strong bond. Even when things get tough, it always seems to boil down to "family is family". You have the same father (most of the time) and you share the same bloodline.

Well Christian women are spiritual sisters. We have the same Father- God, if we've put our faith in Christ, and we are bonded by the same blood- Christ's blood.

You know, in either family it's easy to love when people are doing what you want, and behaving in a way you expect. It's easy to love someone else when they are taking care of you and putting your best interests before their own.

But what about when your sister borrows your favorite shirt without asking, and brings it back all stained. Maybe a few holes are in it...not so easy to love then, is it?

With spiritual sisterhood, maybe someone has hurt you. Maybe it was unintentional. Or maybe you just feel left out. And in feeling left out, you've decided that church is stupid and the women are snobby, and no one loves you.

It's easy for us to do that, isn't it? Be all dramatic about something and let it affect our whole lives, when really it's been blown out of proportion because we've been thinking about it over and over, and blown it up into this HUGE thing...well let's read some verses in Galatians about the relationship of believers, and how I think it applies to women specifically.

In Galatians 5:14-17 “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

I love these verses for women. What is easy for women to do? Gossip. Tell one-sided stories. Be a victim. A martyr. Bite and devour one another with our words or thoughts.

However, if we walk in the Spirit, we won't fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It's interesting, because many times we relate the lusts of the flesh to sexual immorality. But here the lusts of the flesh are 'biting and devouring' one another. Maybe it's all just mental. Maybe you rip people apart in your mind, but never to anyone else. That's still sin. You're still giving in to your flesh.

And in doing that, you cannot walk in the Spirit and do the things which your spirit wants to do, which is get involved with a ministry, give people the benefit of the doubt, and forgive.

For those of you who may be spiritual sisters since forever ago, what are we doing to make sure we're tightening the bonds of our sisterhood? Do we seek out those who look alone? Or nervous? Do we have the eyes of the Lord on Sundays and Wednesdays to find those who would be lost in the shuffle? We have a responsibility too...no matter what we think we need to get done, we really need to look out for our sisters.

Let's read 1 John 3:16-18 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

It's so easy to get consumed with out own little world. What we need to do. Who we want to talk to. Who will make us feel good. Who looks good so I can stand with them and look good. But that's not what Christ is calling us to do.

We are to lay down our lives for our spiritual sisters. This means that no matter what we have planned on Sunday or Wednesday, (or any other time for that matter) no matter who we plan to see, we need to give our day to God. Let Him lead as He desires. Ask Him to show us someone who needs pulled a little tighter into the group. Someone who has a need He might use us to meet.

It's VERY easy in this digital age to just send someone a text or write on their wall on facebook and tell them we're praying for them. Or write “If you need anything, let me know.”

Who is going to reply through their facebook wall that they are going crazy and need someone to watch their kids? Or that they can't get motivated to clean their house and they have fifty piles of laundry around everywhere? Or that someone has hurt them and the reason they don't want to come back to church is because it's full of people who love in word only and have never done one thing to prove their words?

It's easy to use Facebook because people will see we're "involved". Our name and our promise to pray is there before the Lord and everybody. People can see we care, right? But, whatever happened to physically coming alongside someone and supporting them? Knowing a need and meeting it without someone having to ask us?

We have a huge job before us. Making people feel loved takes effort and sacrifice. Doing for others is sometimes exhausting. Being part of a sisterhood is never easy. Lots of personality issues. Lots of drama. LOTS of emotion!

But it boils down to this: family is family. No one else can fill your role in the family. No one will take care of their sisters as well as you can.

If we are all walking in the Spirit, we will look out for one another. We'll give each other the benefit of the doubt. We'll forgive when we need to, and be humble enough to ask for it when we need to. Being in the body of Christ doesn't mean you coast until the end.

Can we make it our goal be to really tighten the bonds of sisterhood so we can support and love one another the way God wants us to? Loving when it's hard, serving one another, forgiving faults...sounds pretty good to me!

So It's Been A While...

2011-05-13T20:34:00.001+02:00

Wow, it's been since way before Easter that I posted. Wow! Well, here I am today and absolutely nothing to say to anyone. Sorry about that. I mean, things have happened, LIFE has happened, but I'm not ready to write it all down yet.

So why did I stop in anyway?

I don't really know. Honestly, I have no idea why I popped my head in here.

So, I will wish you all a happy weekend!!

PollyDoodle Easter Giveaway!!

2011-04-13T19:56:00.008+02:00

Hi there readers....hello....is this thing on??

Not sure anyone is still reading the blog, but for my new Facebook business, I am having a giveaway!! If you have a little girl, or you like pretties for your own hair, OR have someone you can share them with...enter the giveaway!!

Check out this photo for the details of how to enter at PollyDoodle Designs

And sorry, it is for Facebook users only. If you're not signed up, why not sign up now?

You will win all ten pretties if your random number is selected. I will ship anywhere in the US. The only catch is that I have to reach 300 fans by Easter! Help me reach that goal!

Hope you're all having a blessed day!

Serving Our Enemies

2011-04-07T15:37:00.003+02:00

Do you have people that you don't really like? Or maybe someone who doesn't really like you?Let's think about that as we read the verses in Philippians together. (Go ahead and read the verses. If you wait until I read them out loud, we'll never finish this...)

In verse one, Paul is trying to comfort the believers at Philippi, so they won't be afraid of their enemies. He wants them to strive together in the Gospel. (Look at Phil 1:27-30)

He tells them to be of one mind, to be lowly (humble) and think of others' needs.

When you think of an enemy, what comes to mind?
1. Unsaved people
2. Devil
3. Tempters
4. Those who persecute Christians
5. Those who hate God

It's easy to think of those kinds of people as enemies. But what about Christians? Can they also be our enemies? Well, think of it this way: do all Christians live perfectly? Do we all have our spirit and tongue under control all the time? Could these people be enemies?

Christians who:
1. Gossip
2. Act in the flesh
3. Say things without thinking
4. Behave in a selfish way

They can definitely feel like our enemies. When those things happen, it seems to be in opposition to the things God has commanded us. They are hurtful, and bother us.

Why does that bother us so much? Because they are supposed to be our brothers and sisters in Christ. But also for another reason: it hurts our pride. It makes us feel bad. It makes us worry what others may think of us, because of another's hurtful words.

Look in Phil 2:5-8. These verses are about Jesus. (Go ahead and read them. I will wait.)

Some things we learn from these verses:
1. He wasn't worried about his reputation. He didn't care what other people thought of him, or what He did, because He was doing the Father's will.

2. He served those that rejected Him. Many of the Jews didn't believe He was the Messiah, but Jesus still served them. Maybe some of them were fed with the 5,000 by the loaves and fishes. They received a blessing from Him even though they rejected Him.

3. He submitted to God's plan and took on the form of man. Imagine how glorious Heaven is. Jesus has always been with the Father. In the splendor of Heaven, that beautiful and perfect place, Jesus was exalted. He was worshipped like He deserved. But He was willing to leave all of that, and take on the form of our sinful human body, so that He could save us. Wow. What a sacrifice for many who would reject Him!

4. He submitted to DEATH for us. EVEN the death of the cross, the verse says. That's important to notice because the cross was a punishment reserved for thieves, murderers; those who had committed really bad crimes against Rome. Jesus was none of those.

Let's look again at Phil 1:27 (Go ahead...)

If something happens to you that is hurtful, it is not important that everyone knows what happened. It's not important that you warn others there is strife between you and another Christian. We must give up our pride, move on in life, and work together so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ might be preached without anything to stop it. If we have bad feelings against another Christian, can God use us to preach to others? Will we be willing to work together with that person for Jesus' sake?

It is so easy to defend ourselves, even to those who don't know a problem even exists. It's our human nature to want to make others hurt like we've been hurt. Or to make sure everyone else knows the problem lies with the other person. And maybe we are innocent. Maybe others are being cruel because we haven't fulfilled their expectations. Or maybe it's all been a misunderstanding. In any case, there will be times when we are unduly blamed or slandered.

How should we respond when someone else (Christian or non-Christian) hurts us?
I Peter 2:21-24 (Please read the verses. I'll still be here!)

Jesus committed Himself to God, who is the righteous judge. God knows all that happens. God sees when someone hurts you. He knows exactly what they have said or done, and He knows if it's true or not.

Just like Jesus, we need only to trust God, serve those who may be our adversaries, and work with one mind so the Gospel can be preached without hindrance.

It's not easy, that's for sure. Maybe those who have hurt us don't deserve our love or service. But do any of us deserve Christ's? If we remember that Jesus' reputation is much more important than our own, it will help us to forgive and serve others for the sake of the Gospel. May God help us all!

And the Winners Are....

2011-03-29T14:34:00.004+02:00

Random.org selected three winners from the nine of you who entered.

And the winners are..... #5!! #9!! and #3!!

Those translate into the names: #5- Jen! #9- Chrissy! and #3- Angie Nobel!!

Congrats ladies!! If you would get back to me at PollyDoodle with the headband and flower design you'd like, plus a shipping address, I'll try to get them out to you ASAP. We're on the road for the ministry right now, but I will have a little down time here and there.

Thanks for joining in! For those of you who didn't win, I'm giving you 25% off any order you make by the end of the week. Stop over and let me know what you'd like.

Happy Tuesday!!

(And I tried to capture the screen shot of random.org, but I am using someone else's computer, and don't know how to do it. I copy and pasted into my email, so if anyone is interested in seeing the results for proof, I am happy to send them to you. Thanks!)

Launching PollyDoodle Designs

2011-03-22T05:29:00.007+02:00

Guess what? I am crazy. I know.

You didn't have to guess that?

Thanks a lot.

Anyhoona, I've started a little side business called PollyDoodle Designs on Facebook. I make various and sundry pretties to wear in your hair, or on a coat or sweater, etc. I will also be offering faux camis to wear under your summer shirts. If you want to know what they look like, click here. Kim has graciously given me permission to make and offer these in my little shop.

But for the big news...I'm going to have a giveaway!! That's right, you heard it here first! (and only probably...)

So, in the sidebar there is a new link to the PollyDoodle Designs page. Please click on over, LIKE us, and check out what's available. Then leave a comment below telling me what you like best. Three winners of the giveaway will receive their favorite flower and/or embroidered thing and a headband!! (The camis are not available in the giveaway at this time, sorry.)

Since three is my favorite number, I thought it only appropriate to give three away.

The winners will be randomly selected by the random number generator.

Please head on over, tell your friends, and leave a comment below for your chance to win!!

The giveaway will close Monday, March 28th, 2011. Hope you join us!

A Healthy Brownie Recipe

2011-03-11T16:10:00.005+02:00

CHOCOLATE!!!

Well, it's low-er fat, and FULL of fiber. If you're going to try this, and fiber isn't part of your normal daily intake, you better stay home the rest of the evening, I think. If you normally have trouble with that sort of thing, then maybe these will get things moving along.

And no, they're not trick X-lax brownies, but thank you for asking.

I had been playing around with the idea of a healthier brownie, and even searched the web for one. I found a black bean recipe, but it used a box mix and a can of black beans. Not the kind of healthy I was looking for.

So I dabbled. I've made three different versions, and the one I am sharing with you is my favorite. And the kids' favorite. The hubby has been out of town and has no idea I've made two batches of brownies in the past two days. Well, he'll be thankful I finally got the recipe hashed out anyway.

I think.

We've been on the quest to eat healthier, and flax seed and wheat germ have become staples in the fridge. Did you know you can substitute 1T flax seed plus 2T milk or water for an egg in a baking recipe? It works extremely well in these brownies, and doesn't affect the taste. I haven't tried it in a white or yellow cake, but in chocolate it's so good.

And these brownies (when you cut them into 16 pieces in an 8x8 pan) are only three WW points each! And pack a TON of fiber! So I'm thinking they're pretty awesome. They bake up thick too, so don't think you're getting a fingernail full of chocolate.

Alright already! Here's the recipe!

JulieMom's Yummy (Healthy) Brownies

2/3C oatmeal (I used Scottish oats)

1/3C wheat germ

1/4C special dark cocoa

2t baking powder

2T flax seed mixed with 6T vanilla almond milk (or water or soy milk)

1/2C butter

2/3C semi sweet or milk chocolate chips (your choice)

1/4C agave nectar

2T honey

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Spray the bottom only of an 8x8 metal pan.

2. In a blender or food processor, blend the oatmeal and wheat germ until fine like flour. Dump into a large mixing bowl. Add the baking powder. Stir.

3. In a small bowl (like cereal size) combine the flax seed and almond milk. Set aside.

4. In a small pot over medium low heat, melt the butter with the chocolate chips until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder. Stir in the honey and agave nectar. Add the flax seed mixture. Stir well.

5. Add the wet mixture to the dry in the large bowl. Mix until moistened.

6. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, then check with a toothpick 2" from the edge. It should come out clean or nearly clean.

7. Cool thirty minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Please try these and let me know what you think. My family (and the people upstairs) LOVED them! Just check with others for nut allergies (because of the almond milk) before sharing.

Oh, and HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

A Shout Out and Randomness

2011-02-25T21:53:00.003+02:00

We were recently at Baptist Church of Glen Este in Batavia, Ohio. Wow, what a wonderful time we had! The other missionaries who came were so nice. The people in the church obviously have a heart for missions, and love the Lord. It was great to have fellowship with people who read their Bibles and like to talk about what God is doing in their lives. What a blessing!! (Not to mention Dr. Charles Keen was the main speaker...yay!)

In some random news, I am having such a nice time being snowed in with my cousin. It's been great to have my Dad come over every night for dinner. Not sure if we'll be able to head home tomorrow or not. I really don't mind it so much, but she might be sick of us...

So tonight we are making homemade pizza, having a Wii tournament of some sort, and playing cards. Probably Hand and Foot, and Rat-a-tat-tat. Possibly some Spoons thrown in there too. And maybe the Dictionary Game. Talk about a fun evening ahead! Can't wait for some fun family time!

Hope you have a great weekend!

This post was really just to assure you that I haven't forgotten about this blog. I actually have an idea for a new post...but that will be in the next few days. I really have a lot of posts floating around in my head, just not the time to post them. I'm sure you know how that is.

Again, have a great weekend! Snuggle up with your family and get some good memories in.

My Newest Obsession

2011-02-09T03:15:00.004+02:00

I have always envisioned myself sitting in front of the fireplace, a perfectly dainty cup of coffee or hot tea on a small side table next to me, possibly a couple of those Milano cookies there as well, classical music in the background, and a lovely new embroidery project on my lap. In this vision, I sit for many hours, contentedly stitching until it is finished.

There a just a few problems with this vision. Namely:

I don't have a fireplace.

I don't like coffee or tea.

I don't have a stereo.

I never learned how to embroider.

I have children. (So that negates the many hours of sitting part.)

However, there has always been this sort of distant longing inside me to create through embroidery. (Though I have never been a fan of cross-stitch as a decorative accessory.) I'm not into creating stitched landscapes to cover the walls of my home. I don't want to make Christmas ornaments out of plastic canvas to give away. It's just not me. (Although my mother was very good at it.)

I am more of a 'make something cute we'll actually use' kind of person. Such as embroidered pillows, or curtains, or clothing, or hair ties. Practical things that will not gather dust from hanging up, and be impossible to clean.

Recently I have been determined to learn how to embroider. I find the cutest things on the internet that other people have made, and I think: 'I could do that! How did they...?'

And so began a search for online tutorials, handmade projects, videos, etc.

And these are the firstfruits of my labor:

They are hair doo-dads. There is a loop of thread on the back (quite a sturdy one, mind you) that can accommodate a pony tail (looped like we all used to wear our jelly bracelets), a clip, or be slid onto a headband. And I must say they are pretty cute. I think you can tell which are my first try, and which were the last ones.

It's all about improving anyway, right?

I am in love with making these. The possibilities are endless. There are other designs I want to try. Other color combinations to put together. Other stitches to master. (Like trying to get blanket stitch to go right on a corner, eish!)

And my girls watch me and say "Mom, we want to sew something now." So I am slowly gathering the courage to teach them how. Once I have the stitches down without having to look at directions, I will proceed with small projects they can make.

Like felt bracelets with embroidered do-dads sewn on them.

More hair ties. (Can you really have too many?)

Felt pins.

Getting funky and adding in beads!

Limitless.

And if you are wanting to learn to embroider yourself, there is an excellent video series on YouTube called Freestyle Embroidery. I love their videos. There isn't any audio commentary, but by watching them do the same stitch for a good two or three minutes, I can really pick up the gist and do it on my own.

Another good reference for internet instruction is Stitch School. Very clear instructions, and a L-O-N-G list of stitches in the sidebar to keep you busy. Very sweet site.

Sorry, where was I? Distracted by the stitches over there. Seriously good instructions!

There are two books I recently ordered from the internet, and they are both by Aimee Ray. Here is a link to her books (though I bought mine through Barnes and Noble). Her embroidery designs are super cute, although her art is definitely 'fantasy' and not really my taste. Can't wait to get the embroidery books!

Have you taken up any new hobbies? Do you have any suggestions for me where I might find more inspiration? I am always looking for new ideas, seeing as how I only started embroidering three days ago.

Get your craft on!

The Princess Birthday Party

2011-01-25T20:01:00.002+02:00

Book Worm turned ten last Thursday, and wanted a princess theme. If you recall (or if you were even paying attention) I asked for some advice on things to do/make/eat. Thank you for all your ideas! The party was a complete success, and the sisters have been asking now 'How many days until my birthday Mama?' Ahhh...that's how you know a party is successful!

This was the menu: Cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches (with garlic and dill), Egg salad sandwiches, cheese cubes, strawberries, strawberry cream cheese cracker sandwiches, baby carrots, heart-shaped pasta with tomatoes and cucumbers. Dessert was cake and cupcakes, with ice cream pre-scooped into cupcake papers and frozen that way. Drinks were ginger ale and juice.

I bought a blue cardboard display thingy and made a construction paper castle on it, with little trees and clouds. Each girl had her picture taken in front of it, and then we did a group picture. It was also the backdrop for when Book Worm opened her presents. It was cheap and easy! (Sounds like my college roommate...ahem...)

Each girl also received a bag like the little one I made the other day, in their favorite color, with a little dolly to match it, a fancy straw, a little princess purse notebook (found in the 50 cent section at party city), and a place to put their candy from the pinata.

Yes, we spent a little money on this party, but the material for all the bags was given to me, as was the embroidery thread for the dollies, and everything else didn't cost that much. Because I was rushed in getting everything ready, I used store bought frosting. EW!!! I haven't tasted that in a LONG time, and even adding some butter and vanilla didn't fix it. So, note to self: when in a rush, TAKE THE TIME TO MAKE YOUR OWN BUTTERCREAM!!

If you're gonna eat sugar, it better taste good. That's all I'm sayin'. Make it worth the calories!

Here are some photos, and of course, commentary. These are in no particular order, as I struggled with getting them on here at all, can't log in to my old Flikr account, and had to make a whole new one. Please enjoy.

A picture mostly of the decorations

Here are the Crown and Glass Slipper cookies

The cake (for candle purposes) and cupcakes

Table Decorations

Girls enjoying their cupcakes and ice cream

Making the crown craft

'Get the ball in the cup' Game

Girlie version of a pinata (opens with a ribbon pull)

She was surprised, I think

All the princesses together

The food

Place Setting for each girl

Close up of the dollies

Close up of the cupcakes

Blog Design Change

2011-01-17T04:09:00.003+02:00

This is not really important.

At all.

But it's bothering me, so I wanted to tell you about it.

Before, my background was a perfect reflection of my personality. It was simple, cute, and had flowers on it. I like flowers. A lot. And the muted but sweet colors really fit me.

However...

the source of that background has removed it. It was 'outdated'. I am super-bummed.

Totally and completely super-bummed.

So I scoured their site and couldn't find another one I liked at all. NOT AT ALL.

So now I am back with The Cutest Blog on the Block. This one had very little work required on my part to fix my header, and I like the color combination. Are you digging it?

And the Jets won today, so I feel a little better.

The end.

The Zipper Bag and Some Other Stuff

2011-01-16T02:33:00.005+02:00

Well, remember last week when I told you a friend was going to teach me to sew zippers? Well, she is a great teacher, and it ended up being much easier than I anticipated. Let me show you what we sewed:

The lovely zipper pouch!!

Front View

Perfectly functional zipper.

This is the pattern we used (which is more like a web tutorial- no actual pattern pieces) and we made the small one. It is so easy and so cute!!

It took no time at all, and there are so many ways you could switch it up to make them cute! I have decided to sew one of these for each of the girls coming to Book Worm's birthday party on Thursday. I emailed all the moms and asked what their daughter's favorite color was, so I can make one according to that.

The friend who taught me to sew the zippers also sent me home with a PILE-O-QUILT-SCRAPS, that were the perfect size to cut into strips for these bags. I am a little excited about this party. Maybe a little too excited.

There will be a post coming in the near future all about the plans for this party, and where I got the ideas. But just for a little preview, this link has given me TONS of inspiration. Is she not amazing?!?

There are lots of ways a princess party could go, and we have gone the girliest of the girly routes. I am so happy we can have a party for her here with all her friends, and that everyone can actually come!! And that we are doing cupcakes this time instead of a big huge cake. That is much more lady-like and fancy looking. Especially since WendyMom has a cupcake stand!

I am going to design some clothes for those little cuties...posting more later...good night!

An Upcoming Princess Party

2011-01-11T23:18:00.002+02:00

Book Worm is turning ten on the 20th of this month. As in, a week from tomorrow. I am hosting a party that will include eight little girls, in princess gear, wanting to have fun and be entertained for a few hours.

Could I enlist your creative juices my friends? I have several ideas, I just need help in either paring them down, or getting better ones.

So, please give me your best ideas for a princess party (nothing is dumb! all ideas are welcome!) including games, food, activities, decorations...I think that's everything. And the party is one day before I leave for the Ladies' Retreat. And the theme there is 'Once Upon A Time'...oh how interesting!!

Whaddya say? Can you help me?

Zippers! Sewing Zippers!!

2011-01-10T15:43:00.002+02:00

Today I am going to a friend's house to learn how to sew in zippers. And if we have time (meaning I "get it" and don't rip out all my hair) we will also tackle sleeves. This will be a turning point for me in my sewing!! I can't wait and I am a little nervous, but I will enjoy the fellowship either way.

So, while I have been posting a little more regularly, I will be MIA today as I work on these new skills. What have you tried to learn lately that will expand your crafty potential, or just be a help to your family? I'm all ears!

Felt Glorious Felt!!

2011-01-08T20:06:00.002+02:00

Ok, I am now seriously needing to get crafty. I have been in the States too long to not have sewn one. single. thing. I'm a bit twitchy and itchy. I didn't even make anything for Christmas this year! All the gifts were store-bought, so I didn't get to fulfill any crafty notions.

Now, my girls still love dolls. They love little things (think Littlest Pet Shop stuff) and they love to use their imaginations. So, I thought I would make for them a dollhouse or two from these patterns:

fabric dollhouse from UK Lass in US

Dollhouse from Artfire

Cutest Barn Ever

Gingerbread House

Umecrafts' Dollhouse which I bought but seems to have been the last one...

Little Furniture Here:

Armchair Tutorial

Awesome Couch and Links

Curtains!

Good gravy there are a lot of thing on the 'net for making a dollhouse! Have you ever done this before? Any tips you can give me? I don't want wood, because I want to take it back to SA with us in the fall. Any tips, suggestions, and help are welcome!! Especially what kind of dolls should go with a house...

Hey, It's the Middle of the Night!

2011-01-05T10:35:00.002+02:00

I am up with a puking child. It's been quite a long time since we've had any sort of sickness at all around here, so the pukes wouldn't be my first choice for getting us back into the swing of things. But it is what it is. My poor little Love Bear woke up puking in her bed. Now you know I have to send you to the link of the song I wrote to the tune of Gilligan's Island about a puking child, right? (I know, let's get it overwith already!)

The 'Puking Child'- A Sing-Along!

Now that we all have that out of our system (but lodged in our brains for the next year or so), we can move onto other interesting topics. Such as:

How can husbands really not notice that wife has left the bed and not returned?

Seriously, how is that possible? If J-Man leaves our bed and doesn't come back, I get a little concerned. I get up after a while and go looking for him. I can't sleep very well knowing he left and hasn't made it back. Am I the only one who does this?

It's almost four in the morning here. Poor Love Bear wanted to sleep with me (NO WAY!) but unfortunately our bed is too small for that. So she is on the couch all cozied up with blankets, and I am in the recliner that no longer reclines, so I am sitting straight up. No worries though, I can just pretend I'm on an overseas flight and got stuck seated in front of a very tall person.

I wonder if this flight has a doctor or nurse on board who can check on Love Bear. You know, just in case I nod off or something.

Am I tired? I can't tell. One thing is for sure- Love Bear gets the day off school. And for this she will rejoice, even though it means she can't do Wii Fit in the morning like she planned. And that was the very first thing out of her mouth after I wiped the puke off it: "Do I still get to do Wii in the morning? I haven't made my person on that yet."

And I felt bad that I had to say "No, Honey. Not in the morning. Maybe the next day if you feel better."

The one good thing? We hit the library earlier today and we are all loaded up with books. And I made sure none of them have s*x in them, either!

So I think a fair amount of snuggling is to be had, and reading together. The other two just might feign illness to get some time with Mom too. If it weren't right after the holidays, I just might give everyone the day off school...

HAPPY 40th BRENDA!!!

2011-01-04T15:51:00.004+02:00

It's a birthday party for Brenda!! Today our dear blogging friend turns 40. And while I am a ways off from that number myself, (heh-heh) I am joining some other friends in celebrating this special and milestone day with her!

I cannot even tell you how I met brenda online, or when I started reading her blog (some friend, huh?) But I CAN tell you that she is a great encourager. I love it that she is a researcher. She doesn't just accept something at face value. She studies God's Word and finds the answer for herself, as she seeks God. Some of those instances can be seen here:

Moving Past

Shaping Me Archives

And she is an excellent crafter! I love the creativity she has, and instills into her children. I actually started doing more with my own girls after seeing all the fun Brenda was having at her house!! Some of my favorite projects are:

Because She Loves Them

The Teddy Bears' Picnic

The Doll Beds Are DONE

And while she is not the best at keeping up her house...(evidence)...she is honest about it!! And encourages others to improve their weak areas too.

Thank you Brenda for being a wonderful bloggy friend! I have thoroughly enjoyed our forays into Fitness Friday, Casually Feminine, Keepin' It Real, and Modesty Is Beautiful (thank you for the idea!).

I love Brenda's sense of humor, and the snarky comments she sometimes leaves on my blog posts. She makes me laugh a lot! And while it may seem weird to call her a friend when we've never met in real life, she does all the things a friend should do: including giving good advice when asked, and being discreet.

Brenda, I pray for you the richest blessings God can send...a long life with your fabulous hubby....beautiful daughters to grow and reflect the Spirit found so freely in their Mama...and someday....a perpetually clean house!!

HAPPY 40th BRENDA!!!

Thought-Provoking Reading

2011-01-03T19:30:00.004+02:00

Of course I'm talking about the Bible.

A few friends and I are reading the Bible through in six months. Yep, that's right, six months. It will be a first for me, so I am hoping I can stay on schedule. Really, who can't carve out an hour (or less if you aren't obsessed with taking notes like I am) to read God's Word? Seriously, we can do it. Don't turn the TV on, or pick up another book, or play the Wii, or a video game, until it's done.

And if it's feeling like a chore, you need to ask God to forgive your attitude, and help you love it. Seriously. Malachi 1:13 "Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD." (This was written to the priests in the Old Testament about their service to the Lord.)

I have found since doing the reading, that I have a lot of questions. Things that I've known for a long time, stories that I've heard over and over, still have new things for me to learn and think about. Such as:

1. When the serpent talked to Eve she didn't freak out and run away. Did all the animals talk? If so, that would explain how the serpent was the most subtil. If the others did talk, they obviously weren't tricky. Thoughts?

2. Adam was punished for 'hearkening to the voice of his wife'. Oops. Kinda makes you want to re-think some of the pressure you put on the hubby, doesn't it? How far is too far to share our opinion? Don't want my hubby punished for harkening unto me instead of God!

3. How come Adam and Eve didn't have any babies while in the Garden? Did things change physically for them? Surely they figured out how their bodies worked before the fall...

4. Cain doesn't answer God's question directly, just like his parents didn't. When confronted with the sin of killing his brother, he in turn questions God. Just like Adam and Eve went on to blame others, Cain doesn't admit his sin either. Makes me want to be more careful!

5. After Cain killed Abel, he was afraid that whoever saw him would want to kill him. How big was the population at this time? The only recorded kids we've seen are Cain and Abel. Were there others before them? Or was he afraid his mom and dad would kill him? How is a whole other city (Nod) populated with people out of the 'presence of the Lord'?

6. When Enoch was born and men started calling on the Lord, why don't we have any cool stories from that time? How come there aren't any miraculous things that happen? And why/how did men stop calling on the Lord?

So you see, there is a lot to learn! I may never know the answers to these questions, but it's fun to think about them! Today I will be reading through Genesis 19, and I am SURE there will be more questions.

My girls are on a different schedule, with reading it through in two years. So far so good. Book Worm got right up this morning and did her reading without being reminded! Yay! She will be turning ten this month, so I am happy to see some responsibility on her part. This also makes for some good discussion time as a family about what we're reading.

Are you reading the Bible through this year? What have you learned so far?

The Talk of A Lifetime...

2011-01-01T00:56:00.004+02:00

So it's been almost a month since I've blogged. Why? Well, various reasons, I suppose. Mostly because I have been crazy busy, we've travelled a lot, and there hasn't been much to say except: 'Yes, I'm doing laundry again so I can pack it all up again so we can travel again so I can come home and do laundry again...' and I think you get the idea of how boring that would be.

I am here now because I have something to confess: I am not a perfect mom.

What's that? You already knew I wasn't a perfect mom? Well, then. Let's move on, shall we?

I'm getting to the point, which is that I recently had the big s*x talk with my children. That's right. You read it correctly. And it all happened because I didn't check carefully which books my children took from the library. In the children's section was a book with a drawing on the front of a group of children around a very pregnant woman. They all looked happy and smiling, and so of course my seven year old was attracted to it. And the title 'It's SO Amazing!' didn't help matters.

She didn't notice the sub-heading which was "How eggs and sperm meet to make babies" or something equally inappropriate for seven year olds. Just thinking of sperm and my seven year old in the same thought makes me sick. Ya know?

So, it ended up in our home without my knowledge. I cannot tell you how, since I helped hand all the books to the librarian for check out. Totally slipped under my radar. My two oldest ended up looking through it, got grossed out, and brought it to me telling me I shouldn't have gotten it from the library because it had bad things in it.

[clearing throat and hanging head]

I didn't visibly freak out, but inside I was kicking myself and wondering how in the world this happened. Many of you probably know this talk was looming over me for a long time now, because of the culture in which we minister. Now God totally allowed it to be dumped in my lap, and I wasn't ready. At. All.

I wanted to have a whole power point ready with notes and verses, and everything. But I wasn't that prepared. It had actually just been a niggling thought that I ought to put something together about it. So I sent messages to trusted Facebook friends and asked their advice and prayers. And pray they did!

God totally gave me a logical and open approach to help them understand God's plan, their own bodies, the process of how babies are made, and how wonderful a gift it is that we, as women, get to have babies grow inside us.

There was much laughing and questions, and a little embarrassment, but it was GREAT. Seriously, I don't think it could have gone any better. Unless, of course, the book had never been a part of it, and I had been on the ball. But for the circumstances, it was GREAT.

And just to clarify, there was nothing pornographic in the book, and the only thing they saw that was gross was a "puberty chart" of babies to adulthood. I agree...it's not the most attractive thing to look at.

If you are a mom of girls who is struggling with how to approach the whole s*x talk thing, you can email me, and I will be happy send to you what the Lord gave me! The book was helpful in some ways, because it showed diagrams of their inside parts, and explained things scientifically. But most of our talk came from the Bible and God's plan for women, and families.

I hope it's a resource that can help someone. I don't remember my mom ever having a talk with me that explained things in a clear way. I do remember a friend coming over with a book titled "What's Happening to My Body" that not only explained girl parts, but gave boy parts and slang words for those parts. Oh my- bad idea for pre-teen girls. I prefer my method, lol.

So, if you've had 'the talk' with your kids, let us know how it went!

IAGTYCS

2010-12-04T15:22:00.006+02:00

Photo courtesy of: this site

Wondering what those letters stand for? Perhaps:

I Am Getting Tired: Yank Corn Strings.

Nope. Besides, that makes no sense.

If A Guy Takes Your Clutch, Scream!

Um, no. But nice try!

What they stand for in my mind is just this:

It's A Good Thing You're Cute Syndrome.

What does that mean? Well, let's suppose you're talking to a dog. A very cute teacup size pup who has somehow single-handedly managed to destroy every pillow in your house (including couch cushions) and is now sitting in the midst of the pile-o-fluff looking up at you with those, well, puppy dog eyes.

Your first thought is to drop kick it across the room right? [That goes double if it's a cat we're talking about.] This is going to cost a lot of money to fix. But, it keeps looking at you with it's head all cocked to one side, those eyes wide and innocent-looking...he's telling you "I had no idea that if I did it to one pillow, the rest would pop open too. I....I...[blinking slowly a few times] am so ashamed!!"

Now tell me, when you rear that foot back, see the dog wince, then resort to the "It's A Good Thing You're Cute" Syndrome and let it go, have you taught that dog not to do it again?

Nope. You've pretty much just given him the green light to tear up anything he wants anywhere in the house. Tell me I'm wrong.

Let's take it a step further. Have you ever seen a child who is SOOO cute that they get away with murder? I don't mean actual murder, because I don't think being cute would excuse that for anyone, but I mean this child's behavior can be downright rude, they can talk ugly to others, act selfish, and yet they get off scott-free because they are "cute".

I am not even going to mention where I have seen children like this before, [pretty much every place I've ever been] so don't think I am talking about YOUR KIDS as you read this, because chances are I have never even met your kids. [But if your first thought was: "I suffer from this syndrome!", you might take it as a clue that the Lord is convicting you. Just a thought.]

Let me give you a real-life scenario, ok? Help you "get" what I mean.

[Scene opens at a dinner party. Several well-dressed families are seated around a large, nice table. Lots of wonderful food is laid out. Everyone is smiling, because it's a special time. Prayer is over and the passing of food begins.]

Dad: [looking to his right] Hey son, pass me the rolls, would you please?

Son: [who is so cute it hurts] No! [smiles a million-watt smile while holding the basket away from his dad.]

Dad: [chuckling] Haha. [a little stern now] Son, please give me a roll.

Son: Ok! [throws a roll and hits dad in the head. Then continues throwing rolls at everyone, and knocks grandma's glasses into her gravy and mashed potatoes.]

Dad: [obviously frustrated and slightly embarrassed in front of everyone] It's a good thing you're cute! [grabs bread basket from son and places it firmly on the table. Looks around for confirmation of this fact through the glares of others]

[The End]

Now, what did we learn here? What kind of behaviors and thought processes are being encouraged? Did 'son' obey? Absolutely not! He is obviously not used to ever obeying, as he wouldn't pass the rolls to his dad the first time he was asked, and even flat-out said 'No'.

His misbehavior is not dealt with at all. He has been rude, disobedient, destructive [poor grandma!] and disrespectful. All in the span of forty-five seconds or so. Yet no one has corrected him, or made him apologize, or stopped him.

His father has just told him that because he is cute, he can do whatever he wants.

What would the sentence "It's a good thing you're cute" end with if 'Dad' had finished his thought? "It's a good thing you're cute, or I would drop kick you across the room." or "It's a good thing you're cute, or I would tan your hide right now." or "It's a good thing you're cute, or I would send you to bed without any dinner or getting to open presents." or "It's a good thing you're cute, or I would sell you to the gypsies!"

You can finish that sentence with any number of idle threats. And that's what they would be; idle threats. Children who are allowed to behave poorly because they may be cute, will be unmanageable by the time they are four or five. Not dealing with rudeness, lack of obedience, and disrespect breeds monsters.

Can I let you in on a little secret? Compliance with a bad attitude, stomping feet, and whining voice is NOT obedience. Like the girl above. She is standing in the corner, yes, but letting you know she's not happy about it. She needs ~~drop kicked across the room~~ properly disciplined.

And that one sentence [It's a good thing you're cute] reinforces the idea that pretty people are better than ugly people, and ought to be able to do whatever they want. If it were a child who was equally as wrong, but didn't have dimples and perfect teeth and shining eyes, would they be spared? Do we overlook discipline in "cuter" children just because they are cute? What kind of message does that send? Cuteness fades real quick. Remember that.

I guarantee if your old mangy hound dog tore apart every pillow in the house, you could think of plenty of things to do to it as punishment so it would never do that again. And you would probably do every single one of them.

What it boils down to is parents being lazy.

There, I said it.

Instead of dealing with obvious behavior issues, they throw out the 'It's a good thing you're cute' sentence, and move on. Please don't do that. For your sake [so you don't have a monster on your hands later], for my sake [so I don't wish I could drop kick your kid across the room], and for grandma's sake [because no one deserves not to have their glasses knocked into their gravy more than her], discipline your kids!

Control your young!

Don't take the cop-out and laugh "It's a good thing you're cute!" instead of doing what you know they need.

And just FYI, other people resent you and your kids when you let them behave poorly. They may not say anything to you [because of the cries of 'judgmental' and 'critical' so prevalent among the brethren these days, and a little issue most parents have with swallowing pride] but trust me, they are thinking of all kinds of ways they could get your kid to behave. And they are acting them out in their mind. Seriously.

I'm not saying 'Dad' should grab the arm of 'Son' in front of everyone and demand an apology right there at the table. 'Son' would be embarrassed and wouldn't do it anyway. What I want is for 'Dad' to take him out of the room [by restraint if necessary], explain to him why he was wrong, spank him with a rod and not his hands [or whatever you do for punishment that is reasonable], make sure he is repentant, pray with him, set the expectation for apology and behavior when they re-enter the room, and then bring him back to apologize. If he refuses, start all over again. If 'Dad' is unwilling to do this every single time he disobeys, then he is going to have a monster on his hands very shortly. Not so cute now, is it?

Yes, it's a lot of work. Yes, it is time-consuming. Yes, it is frustrating to repeat yourself four hundred times a day. Yes, they should 'get it' a lot sooner. But part of our job as parents is to TRAIN our children. We do this through repetitive, consistent discipline. They are creatures of habit just like we are. Don't lower your expectations. Help your child achieve them with a firm, but loving hand. My children are not perfect by any means, but I am happy to say that by following this formula, they are very well behaved almost all the time.

It has nothing to do with them being angels and everything to do with the fact that we disciplined them from an early age and didn't let it slide just because they were cute. Or funny. Or because I didn't feel like getting up and dealing with it again. We were given good advice early on, and I was determined to follow it. I didn't want children who ruled the nest. I wanted children who had a strong conscience, were a joy to be around, and who were easily convicted and repentant.

So, be the grown up. Discipline your kids in spite of their cuteness. And respect the people around you enough to not let your child get away with bad behavior. If you're a Christian, consider your child's ways. Do they honor the Lord in their behavior? If not, it needs to change.

Proverbs 29:15 "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

Family Photos

2010-11-24T17:54:00.003+02:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

"Advancements" in Technology

2010-11-12T14:41:00.005+02:00

So I have been thinking about my health a lot lately.

Why? Did I suddenly get convicted about eating better, being a good example to my children, losing weight and getting healthier?

Well, I wouldn't say it happened suddenly, but over the course of a year or two. I have exercised and lost weight, and then wasn't able to keep the same schedule, so I stopped. Now I am back on the wagon with something I can actually do, and we've revamped the way we eat. Seriously. Not going back to the sodium and chemical-laden food, the fast food on the road, the unnecessary (and scary) amount of calories in fruit juice...the list could go on and on.

What does this have to do with technology?

I'll get there eventually. Just give me a minute, ok?

Thank you.

So I was reading in the Bible (of all places) and found some interesting verses. In III John 2 it says: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."

Wait a minute, you mean those two things are related?!? What's up with that?

Think about it for a minute: When you are in good health, isn't it easier to praise God and be about His business? Isn't it a blessing to have all your body parts working orderly and doing their jobs without the aid of machinery or medication? Don't you have more of a spring in your step, and carry yourself a little higher? I do.

And the adverse is true as well. When we're in poor health (or just FAT) it's easier to be lazy about everything else (including spiritual things) because we're just tired. And we aren't as thankful (at least in my experience) because we don't feel well.

Can I be honest here for a minute? We are usually in those kind of circumstances because of disobedience. I know not all physical conditions are cause by eating poorly and not exercising, but how many of them are?

Our physical condition can affect our spiritual condition.

That is more likely than our spiritual condition affecting our physical. Meaning, being so spiritually fit that even when we're dealing with physical pain or illness, we aren't griping or crying all the time, but can be a positive testimony of the Lord.

So when John was saying that ABOVE ALL THINGS he wished for their physical and spiritual PROSPERITY, that was a big statement. Not for their physical or spiritual COMFORT, but PROSPERITY, which I think means HEALTH, since that was the actual word he used anyway. (And I'm not really into the 'name it and claim it' Gospel, in which prosperity equals RICHES OF ALL WONDROUS KINDS.)

Now here comes the technology part...

I am not one of those people who hates technology. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know I probably love my laptop a little too much. (Especially now that I'm a Mac girl, heh heh.) However, I do think that technology has made us, as a society, lazy and fat. How?

Think about it: Long ago in the days of farming, people worked hard outside all day long. Even those who had "office" jobs still had to care for their grounds, and pitched in to help others. Women did all their laundry by hand, many people walked where they went, and NOT doing hard work was basically unheard of. Life in general was hard. Today, machines do so much for us that when the power goes out we don't even know how to function.

And then came Facebook. No comment.

And we've gotten to the point now where (we're SO ADVANCED) we've had to build other machines to make us exercise. Whole businesses have been established and devoted to helping people "work out". Clearly we are not "working out"side enough anymore. When was the last time you helped plow a field? Um, never. Or planted a garden in order to feed your family? Um, double never. Or even hung your laundry outside to dry in the sun? Um, when I was in South Africa and the sun actually shined.

I basically go outside to walk to and from my car.

Are you getting me?

I am glad they have these machines and stuff available for us, but I don't always think technology is the greatest thing ever. How many of us depend less on God and more on "stuff", just because the "stuff" is so reliable nowadays? How many times do we find ourselves, even with all our conveniences and 'time savers', and Bible programs for computers, STILL not taking the proper time we need to with God?

How is this possible in a society as "advanced" as ours?

Well, I am taking things back in hand. I have exercised these past two weeks, we are on the right track in our eating habits, and I've lost four pounds. (My pants, however, feel tight which is weird. Whatever. I will not be deterred!!)

And I'm not going to let the fact that I live in the Information Age prevent me from prospering in health and spirit.

If you want a website that makes eating healthy SO EASY, check out this link. They even make your shopping list for you! And you can sub even healthier alternatives (like Stevia for sugar) when you're at the store.

We can do this!! And if you want to check out what else we've been doing, go here.

And one more link. This is where technology has taken us ladies, and it's not pretty. [FYI- this video has a woman in revealing clothes, so not kid or hubby friendly.]

God is in the Details

2010-11-03T02:46:00.003+02:00

So Aunt Bossy and I went out to find me a winter coat yesterday. Not too successful. We went to a horrid store where all the sizes are wonky. I don't like criticizing stores directly, but the name of the place rhymes with Curlington Boat Tactory. You might be able to figure out where we went.

Yeah, not going back.

Anyway, since we were already in the mall, and the hubby sent me on a mission to find a blender, we walked around a bit. And of course we pass CJ Banks. (Can I say I heart that store big time?) I wasn't shopping for clothes. I wasn't even looking at that store. Didn't plan to go in. At all. And yet...I walked out of there with no less than six new tops (all from the clearance rack) and a big old smile on my face.

But the smile wasn't even about the clothes. It was about a conversation that happened at the register.

Want me to tell you all about it? Ok, I will.

So, Aunt Bossy and I are getting ready to check out with all the loot I found, (and giggling about Baby G's diaper filling abilities) when we talk about something related to South Africa. Don't even know why we mentioned it, but the cashier asked how long I had been there, then how long I was here for.

Then, on her own, she used the word 'furlough'.

Ding ding ding!! This person knows something about missionaries!

She casually mentions that her sister is a missionary in Canada. Working with BMM (Baptist Mid-Missions).

So a light goes on in my head and I ask if she was working with the Indians there. (The cashier says yes.) Then I ask what her name is. (The cashier tells me.)

Then I yell "Get OUT!" (At this point I am violently shaking my head.) "I KNOW HER!! She was influential in my life, and a major reason I went into missions! NO WAY! She spent a whole summer at our church when I was a young pre-teen or so, and we even were pen pals for a while. NO WAY!!!"

She is equally as shocked. (Though I'm not sure if it's from the fact I know her sister, or the way I'm screaming my head off in this quiet store.)

She confirms it's the latter when she tells me she has goose bumps. And it's a God thing.

So she gives me her number, and I give her my email and number. Unbelievable.

Seriously, what are the odds? Not even planning to go into that store that day. Never intended to mention the mission field, and never ever in a million years did I expect to hear about someone who influenced my life in such a huge way, and get her number.

God is SO in the details. And this is proof He delights in surprising and blessing His kids.

Hey- I'm Over Here!!

2010-10-27T02:49:00.004+02:00

Can you tell it's been busy since we got back in the States?

I haven't posted ANYTHING in almost a month. How is that possible? It definitely feels weird to be so distanced from this blog. I haven't sewn anything in that length of time (LONGER) either. That makes me sad.

We haven't been home longer than two weeks in a row (and have run around crazy when we have been home), so it's felt unsettled. Still.

However, we have seen some beautiful things, and I am sharing those photos with you now.

Enjoy. The end.

Lost and Found

2010-09-28T15:26:00.003+02:00

A few weeks ago my engagement ring was lost. It doesn't matter how or who. The important thing is that it has taught me a lesson.

No, not to be more careful with my things, but thank you for the reminder.

If you're married, think back to the time when you first got engaged. It was an exciting time, wasn't it? Just the thought of definitely becoming someone's wife, of relating to another person in a way you will never relate to another, to think of setting up home, and starting a family is enough to make any girl heady.

And then comes the ring.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding the engagement ring. What exactly will it look like? How big will the diamond be? When will he give it to me? How has he planned to propose? Should I say yes right away? So many things to consider and dream about.

And then you get the ring.

The engagement ring is so full of promise. It's proof that a man wants you. He will spend lots of money (as much as he can reasonably go without) to prove this to you. The engagement ring is a symbol of his desire to make you his and his alone. It is sparkly. It is shiny. It is attractive to the eye. You can't stop looking at it a million times a day, and showing it to everyone else, no matter how many times they've already seen it.

And then you are married.

You receive a wedding band, which is the real symbol of your belonging to one other person and him alone. It's usually a very simple circle of metal that kind of rides along the coattails of the the engagement ring. It's never really something you show to other people because you are so proud of it. It's just kind of there.

But since I lost my engagement ring I have looked, I mean really looked at my wedding band. At first it was because my finger looked so weird. I was not used to having such a simple ring on that finger. But the more I looked at it, the more I realized something. It's pretty! It has a glittery sparkle to it, though much different than my diamond had. I really, really like it. A lot.

And the more I look at it, the more I realize it is truly a symbol of my marriage. There are little dings and scratches in the surface from when I haven't acted carefully enough, and have banged it around. You can't see them unless you look closely, but they're there. And yet they don't take away from its beauty. And, it fits like a glove. It's comfortable. It makes me feel good knowing its there.

And it's also the more important of the two rings anyway. My wedding ring still lets people know (at a glance) that I am taken. Not so with just an engagement ring. An engagement can be broken. A simple removal and return of the ring ends an engagement. Removing a wedding ring doesn't end a marriage.

So I have lost some things. I have lost my engagement ring. The diamond that belonged to my mother. And the little diamonds that were bought and set just for me.

But I have also found some things. I have found a new appreciation for this symbol of my love for J-Man. I have been reminded that the engagement ring only represents a temporary time, but the wedding band is a symbol of the lasting love we share. And the strength of my marriage to J-Man is more important than any diamond, any problem, any dings and scratches that might come along. And it's still beautiful.

So if I see you around, I just might make you stop and take a look at my wedding band.

Careless Women

2010-09-20T14:36:00.008+02:00

**WARNING** Long post ahead. Hope it's worth the read.

Before we left South Africa, I was invited to sing at a Women's Day Celebration. The hostess shared with us a devotion on the above title. I admit I had never read (or at least didn't remember reading) the verses she shared that day. But they really impacted me. So much so, that I have meditated on them quite a lot. I also have a few things to share about these verses. So, let's learn together, ok?

Isaiah 32:9 "Rise up ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech."

Verse nine here is obviously the beginning of a warning. God is saying 'Listen up! What comes next is not pretty.' But one thing we can take as a positive, is that he is addressing these women at all. He hasn't given up on them, even though he calls them 'at ease' and 'careless'. There is always hope!

[Until you're dead. Then it's over, ya know?]

But what exactly does 'at ease' mean? What does 'careless' mean? Well, if we think of this in terms of the military, 'at ease' is when the soldiers are allowed to relax, and rest. They aren't standing at attention anymore. So, the women who are at ease, are relaxed. They are resting, just kind of floating through life, if you will. They pay attention to nothing.

Careless here (I think) means without care. (Since that's the obvious definition.) But to define it further, let's say it means without care for others. These women have no interest in the people around them. They don't care what is happening to others, or with the government, or problems in their neighborhood. They are looking out for Number One (themselves) and have no time for anyone else.

The next few verses (actually verses 10-14) outline the things the people of their towns will suffer because the women are selfish and self-absorbed. They will lose the harvest, they will be naked, they will grieve for their losses. Their city will be destroyed, palaces will be empty, and the forts will be useless.

Wow, that's pretty harsh. Lots of bad things coming their way. This complacency, this relaxation they have enjoyed (or fooled themselves into thinking they enjoyed) will bring destruction to not only them, but everyone around them.

Let's chat for a minute about the role of women in society, shall we? God created us especially to be soft hearted and nurturing. We are the sex that carries life. We are emotional, and can easily get caught up in the details of another person's story, feeling what they felt as they re-tell it to us.

So what happens when women decide not care anymore? When the women in a society do not care for others, do not care to do their assigned work, do not care to teach their children anything but 'doing what feels good', then society will break down. I'm not trying to say that women are the leaders of society, but think about the influence they have.

When you've had a bad day with the kids, and the hubby walks in all smiles, how long does it take him to be frustrated with the kids after you tell him all their sins of the day? It's been my experience that it takes about .05 seconds. A woman is the thermometer of the home, whether she likes it or not, and influences those around her emotionally with her mood.

So rather than the leaders of society, I guess really women are more supports. Take, for example, bridge supports. These supports are never really noticed or thought about unless they stop working. When bridge supports give out, people get hurt, the bridge is ruined, and engineers will go over the supports in fine detail to see what went wrong.

See, when women stop doing their job (nurturing others, teaching their children to care and have compassion, as well as work hard) then society will begin a slow ruin. Men, who are already geared for survival, will have no one to temper their feelings. Soon it will be every man for himself. When this happens, no one will help another when drought hits, or pestilence strikes. Your loss is your loss alone. Also, there is no way for an army to form to fight off the enemy. The city will be destroyed, the people will leave (or all be dead) and the palaces will be empty.

I want to come back to these verses, but for now hop on over to Isaiah 47:8-11. They say:

"Therefore now hear this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as the widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: (9) But these two thins shall come to thee in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments. (10) For thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me. (11) Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth:"

Again, wow. Have we ever thought we were alone? Ever put on tunnel vision and really thought what was important was only what happened to us or our family? How many times have we heard a prayer request given, and we're touched for the moment, but soon forget about the grieving, or sick? How many times have we even dared to think 'That would NEVER happen to me.'?

For these women, because they have thought they were alone, (and that no one was watching them) they also have not noticed the creeping in of the enemy. They don't see the warning signs that something bad is coming. They are content in their knowledge and wisdom. They don't need God. They have done exactly what they have wanted to do, and not cared that their children were gaining bad habits. They have not cared that the world has seen hypocrisy. They are an island.

However, all the things they fear will now fall upon them in one day because of their tunnel vision. They won't even know what hit them. As much as we women desire security and the strength and care of a man, for some reason these women have shaken that off. (Sound familiar?) They are content on their own, needing no one. When catastrophe hits, they will not be prepared, and they will be destroyed.

How can we prevent this from happening? Some verses in Jeremiah are the answer.

Jeremiah 9:17-18 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider we, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the cunning women, that they may come: (18) And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters."

The answer is to keep our hearts open. To be softened toward others who are suffering. When the women in society become hard of heart, especially toward their own sin, destruction will happen. (It may be called 'progress', but it isn't. Not in God's eyes.)

Honestly, when is the last time you actually wept over someone's condition? Whether it be an illness, or spiritual condition. Dr. Charles Keen (one of my favorite preachers of all time) asked us a few Sunday nights ago: "Who actually loses sleep because the world is still lost?" Think about that for a minute. What are the things that cause us to lose sleep?

Probably for most people it's financial worries. Self-inflicted crises.

When was the last time we wept and mourned for the condition of a family member's soul? Where is our compassion? Are we so consumed with ourselves that we worry more about what others think (should we dare to weep in public) than how God would want to touch our hearts? I can't tell you the last time I hit the altar with a mournful spirit, and actually wept.

Verse 20 continues: "Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation."

What are we teaching our daughters? Have we taught them to mourn for others? Have we taught them to feel and pray for people who are in need? For their sin? Or are we so hard-hearted we can't even imagine such a thing?

I think it's time the women in our society learn to mourn. We need soft hearts so God can touch us and use us. We need to pass on a legacy to our daughters to be women who can hear God, who see danger coming, who are aware to the issues and problems around them, and who respond by weeping and admitting their dependence on God.

Now let's quickly jump back to Isaiah 32:15-17:

"Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. (16) Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. (17) And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever."

When we are open to God, and keep our hearts soft toward Him and can mourn for our sin, then His Spirit will be poured upon us. And with that, His blessing. The fields will be so full of harvest that they will look like a forest. Righteousness will remain. No longer will it be every man for himself. We shall have peace, quietness, and assurance forever.

Just what every woman wants. But it's not just given to us. We must not be careless women who are at ease. We must be willing to do the work God has for us. We must be willing to weep when it is necessary. We cannot close ourselves off and focus only on our own family.

I just can't stop thinking about this, and am praying God will help it sink in deep.

Proverbs 24:10

2010-09-14T12:09:00.003+02:00

Reading through the Bible the other day, I really got some great encouragement from the Lord. Let me share the verse with you:

"If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small."

I love it when the Bible states the obvious. This verse, if we sort of skim over it, can be one that makes us initially think "Um, duh!" and leave it at that. I've read it before and done just that. But this time it grabbed me. God helped me to meditate on it, and gave me some good encouragement. (As only the Holy Spirit can, you know.)

It's tucked in the middle of wise one-liners that are part of the 'warnings and instructions' section of the book of Proverbs. (Which we all know were written by Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived. Might be worth a read or two, eh?)

Like I said before, if we gloss over this verse, then we'll miss what it doesn't say as well.

It DOES say that if we faint (become weary, give up) in the day of adversity (problems, trouble, hard times) then our strength is small.

[Let me interject a story here about my great-granny. It ties in ONLY by the fact that she spoke the obvious (like this verse seems to do). She was in a nursing home near the end of her life, and she cracked us up when we went to visit with the things she would say. She told my cousin Holly one time: 'You know, I believe if we cut your hair short, it wouldn't look so long.' Take that in for a minute. The end.]

Anyway, back to the verse. What is says is completely true! Hard times cause many (if not all people) to realize their frailty. The 'day of adversity' is not something we welcome or desire. I don't know anyone who has gone through a tough time who says: "Wow! Can't wait to do something like that again! That was great!" Most of us shrink from challenging situations, proving indeed that our strength is small.

Let me say this: That's a good thing!

How is this good? Well, it's only when we come to the end of ourselves that we'll ever trust God with anything. Once we've reached our limitations, we turn to God. I'm not saying it's good when we wait so long, but once we get it, then we get it. If you've ever gone through something stressful (and I'm not talking 'everyone thinks it's a big deal, I'm talking something that's a big deal to you) you can learn to trust God sooner than in the past. Isn't that good?

Let's talk about what the verse doesn't say. It doesn't say that your faith is small. Or that your God is small. It only says that YOUR strength is small. It's a very subtle reminder that God can. And we can't.

The human-ness (is that a word?) in us will give up shortly after we encounter resistance of any kind. See, we can become so focused on the situation in front of us, trying to manipulate the circumstances in our favor, that our strength soon runs out, and we admit defeat. It's exhausting trying to do God's job. Especially since we have don't have His mind.

However, if we learn to let the burden fall on the Lord, and trust in His strength, we can keep our chin up. We can encourage others that even though it's dark as night right now, joy will come in the morning. We may not know how, or when, or what God will do, but he gives beauty for ashes, joy for mourning. We can see things in the light of eternity, and know that one day, if we belong to Him, this struggle we now face will not even be on the radar of our memory.

God's strength never fails!

Extremely Blessed

2010-09-06T13:37:00.003+02:00

I haven't taken the time to inform you all on how blessed we are here in our neck of these United States. God's people are so good to us, and we don't deserve any of it. I guess that's what makes it a blessing, right?

Let me start with Thursday, when we arrived at the train station. I knew two families were coming, because they were going to truck us and all our 'freight' (as the train conductor called it) home. Imagine my surprise when we exited the train and there were most of the ladies from my prayer group! This is no small feat, since we only decided the night before (after dinner time, I might add) to come home. So I am sure the mighty Prayer Group Leader ('Erin'**) made many sundry phone calls to pull all that off.

They were there with balloons, and roses (Thank you 'Erin'**), and many, many hugs. And a few tears of relief and joy thrown in for good measure. Which I appreciated.

Oh, what a blessing!!

On the way home, my friend (whom I will call 'Sandy'**) went through Tim Horton's and bought J-Man a HUGE iced cappuccino, and me a bottle of water and a passion fruit drink. AND she also bought the new 'Devil Bits in a Box'. Which may or may not really be called Tim Bits.

WOW.

When we got home there were groceries and more flowers waiting for us (thank you 'WendyMom'**), and two people had slipped us envelopes containing gift cards to our local AWESOME grocery store. (Thank you 'Sandy'** and 'Nana Mary'**). Socks officially blessed off.

Friday we went looking for a vehicle. Can I tell you how much I hate this process? If someone were to hand us the keys to a brand new car, it would be a lot easier. But all the research, the data checking, consumer reports reading...it's all starting to turn my brain into jelly. A very viscous and decidedly un-tasty jelly. There are some nice vehicles out there. It's just trying to decide what's a good balance of mileage, consumer reviews, body condition...and it is FAR from easy. So any used car suggestions would go a long way to relieve my jelly-filled mind.

Then we went grocery shopping. Um, I know I'm not stupid, but when you're used to three or four KINDS of bread, and then there's a WHOLE AISLE full on BOTH SIDES with choices of bread, you get a little overwhelmed. And grocery shopping for just a few days takes you over an hour.

Let me put it this way. We started out in the store with three girls with us, and when we left there were none. And I can't even tell you when 'WendyMom'** snuck them away. I was a bit dazed. And I admit I started crying about three times. America is a little overwhelming.

I actually think I did pretty well. That is, until we finished with cereal and juice, turned the corner, and faced the most enormous freezer section I have ever seen. I mean, it was like I could hear the dramatic music in my mind, with the voice over 'Will she be able to do it? Or will the vast quantities and varieties of food break her totally down? Stay tuned'. So, I grabbed two packs of chicken nuggets and then fled.

Whew! Crisis averted!

And I was so exhausted all I did the rest of the day was go through school stuff (It arrived! Yay!) and watch television. HGTV is way too fun. And so is Food Network. We were pretty much vegetables.

Our first Sunday in our home church was GREAT! Lots of people in the Deaf ministry are on vacation for the long weekend, but it was great to see those who were there. They ALSO had flowers, fruit, homemade bread, and juices (Thank you 'Jocelyn'**) waiting for a good fellowship. Which we engaged in after the service.

Hugs abounded. Literally. People were bounding over to us to give hugs. It was great! My little one's love tank should be quite filled. (She's a physical touch kind of person.) It was weird seeing some people change their total style, so much so that a first glance didn't make me recognize them. (And other people have just grayed a bit. Others a lot. But they all looked good to me!)

It was weird in the evening service when our pastor announced we were home, and people clapped. It's hard to know what to do. We were all still standing during the announcements, so it wasn't like he asked just us to stand. Not sure how that would have gone down. I know I'm not on a game show, where the camera cuts to me and I have to wave frantically and look all excited to be there. I really was excited to be there, but I didn't want to scare anyone.

But it's hard to know what to do. (I may or may not have already used that phrase. I blame the jelly-filled mind.) Do you turn around and smile at people? Do you wave enthusiastically so people know you're alive and not cardboard cut-outs? And so the new people will know who you are? Or do you stand there awkwardly like I did with your fingers laced in front of you, and smile at the pastor, turning slightly toward to the other people, but making no eye contact, while the applause dies down, and try to pretend like it doesn't make you feel weird?

I think any of those are acceptable. Just don't faint.

So that brings me to this morning. Actually, let me back up. Last night my family had time together alone for the first time. One of those nights that's just fun. You get out a bunch of food that is usually not an acceptable dinner, spread it all out on the counter, and let people go to town. It was great. And we snuggled up on the couch and watched TV. Can you believe it? I was determined that we didn't need (or want!) television when we came home. I was actually adamant about it. And yet, it's already taken over our lives. Something must be done! (I might need an intervention.)

Anyway, today my friend 'Nancy'** is picking us up and carting us out to the outlet malls. Oh, brave, brave soul. I have lots of shopping to do. Artsy Sis and Book Worm both need about four pairs of pants each. And winter coats. Mittens and stuff too. And long-sleeve clothing. And they all need boots.

And it was a good feeling when I asked J-Man what my budget was, and he said: "Just spend money. I trust you."

Great cap to an awesome home-coming.

**So, it's their real name. So what. I don't have time to come up with cool pseudonyms.

Update

2010-08-22T21:42:00.002+02:00

Hello there friends, relatives, people I don't know who read this blog for some odd reason...just wanted to update you guys on how/what we're doing right now.

We are currently in NYC with J-Man's parents. His father is improving a little, but is battling pneumonia, water in his lungs because of that, kidney problems, and being tired and weak. Keep praying for him to recover so he can come home, and also that we would have a chance to share the Gospel with him again. He is not awake very long, so it's hard to have a conversation with him.

But we keep praying!

We are doing well. Waking up at 4:30 has tapered off I hope. This morning it was 6:30, so that's an improvement. The girls have been tired, and eating everything in sight. Is it normal for kids to eat so much when they get back to the States?!? Really, I'm wondering if they contracted a tape worm or something on the plane. :0)

Well, I can't stay here long because we're at McDonald's. Did I mention there's no internet at the in-law's house? And no car? We've been walking everywhere. It's good for us, but tires out already tired girls too easily. Twenty minutes one way to the hospital. Ten to fifteen minutes one way to the grocery store. People with cars are spoiled!

They all got new shoes yesterday, so that was a blessing. And guess what? They had all the sizes we needed, and they were reasonably priced! And I feel good about the quality of the shoes too. Yay for us!

I've already said I can't stay long, so I will be signing off now. Hopefully we'll make our way home soon and be able to unpack all the suitcases. It drives me crazy living out of them. It's nuts! Too much stuff, and they all look the same, so I don't know where anything is. Soon we'll get settled.

We're looking for a car too. We have no idea how we're going to get home, just that we need to sometime soon. I'd like to attend my family reunion Sept 3rd, but no idea how I would get there either. So please pray God would work out the details for us. We know He will.

Thanks for praying, friends!!

One of THOSE Days

2010-08-12T17:46:00.001+02:00

Well, friends, it's been one of those days.

I was up late last night watching my hubby pack [because frankly, I've had enough] and thinking about how we were going to finish everything that needed to be done. I was trying not to stress, and did a pretty good job. Although the lack of sleep and long days was making me kind of crabby.

Kind of.

Well, the hubby tried to wake me around 6 AM, but I ignored him and slept a little while longer. He succeeded in waking me up a bit later, and shocked me with the news that his dad was in the hospital, and had been in a coma.

I'm sorry, what?!?

Am I still asleep? Please tell me this is just a bad dream...please!

Nope. Harsh reality indeed.

So, the morning here was spent trying to contact our travel agent to change flights around (sorry for waking you in the middle of the night your time there) and succeeded. She had to wait for the wholesaler to contact her back, and they would only open at nine or so in the morning.

Well, there was still packing to be done, so the hubby and I tried to focus on that until it hit a decent hour to phone his mom. His cousin emailed us a while later and let us know J-Man's dad had a heart attack and was having liver problems. He was more responsive than the previous night, which was good, but it was still not good. Ya know?

So we tried to call his mom, and wouldn't you know it? Our internet refused to work. Would. Not. Call. Through. Skype. At all. Wouldn't let me open emails. Wouldn't let me Facebook. Nada.

Talk about frustration.

So, we continued to pack. And I did laundry. And cleaned out the fridge. And never once changed out of my pajamas all day long. And I went to the neighbor's house. Go. Me.

Isn't it interesting when you have lots of plans? You know, tomorrow is our moving day. We have a truck coming, and people to help, and everything was going to go so nice and smoothly. And then we were going to have three wonderful weeks in Greece to spend together as a family with no stress, and getting to meet new family the girls and I had never met. I was looking forward to it because the past month or so has been hectic to say the least.

Plans scratched. Trashed. Tossed aside.

Needless to say I was stressing a little because I had no idea what time a flight would work out. Whether it would be J-Man only, or if all of us would get to fly together by some miracle. Either way, that put a big question mark over what would happen to moving day.

And then I also remembered our church people. They have been having top secret meetings for at least six weeks, and I know they have something up their sleeves for Sunday. I could not in good conscience leave them hanging. So J-Man and I discussed it, and decided I would stay with the girls at least until Sunday to be there for their surprise. But he will miss it.

My heart is hurting here, people.

So, to make a long story short [too late!] we now have tickets for J-Man and Book Worm to fly out tomorrow night, [praise the Lord there were two seats available] and the rest of us TBD at a later time next week. After Sunday.

I don't like all the separation, but J-Man needs to be home as soon as possible. His Dad needs another chance to accept Christ as his Savior. I need to be here for our church people. Our girls need the assurance that although it's been a crazy day, and that Mommy has been short-tempered, that God is working all things out for our good and His glory.

Would you please pray for us?

Eight Days Left

2010-08-09T07:39:00.002+02:00

Things have been crazy around here. There is so much to do it's ridiculous, really. I was thinking about it the other day, and it's not like when you just move to a new house- where you can set up everything right away, so it doesn't really matter how it gets packed, just that thing don't get left behind. When you're going to store things for a year, how they're packed is essentially what you're most concerned with.

Love Bear has not been happy as of late. She is the most sentimental of all the girlies, and wants to keep everything. She is trying to stuff all her stuffed animals into her carry on (the tote bag I made her) and while it is ENORMOUS, there is no way she will be able to walk carrying it. And that's kind of a requirement: that your bag doesn't cripple you on the way to the plane.

But she has been lamenting the fact that she has to leave things behind. In storage. Where no one will play with them for a whole year. And what if they get lonely Mom? What if they get scared in the dark? Who will love them?

[feels the tears welling up] Well honey...

[tough love to self] Ok, just stop it already. They're just toys. Not real. Get a grip JulieMom!

But it's an emotional time, you know?

I can easily compare it to coming here in the first place:

There is some tension, hoping you'll get everything done in time and you won't forget anything. There are lists to go over again and again. There are items to sort through, keeping only the necessities. There are feelings of apprehension and excitement, wondering what you'll be facing when you finally arrive. There are prayers going up for safe travel, peace, and health.

And as much as I thought the excitement of coming 'home' would overshadow any feelings I had toward South Africa, I am finding myself teary-eyed when I think we only have one more Sunday left with our church people. Only one more Sunday to impart to them the wisdom of the Lord. Only one more Sunday to laugh together, talk, tease, and hug.

Only one more Sunday.

And then I start wondering what will happen to this little band of people who have come together and become a family because of Jesus. Have we done everything we could to ground them in God's Word? I wonder if they will remain faithful. Will they give up when things get hard? Who will encourage them to run their race with patience?

They will truly be in God's hands.

We know leaving is part of missionary life. Friends you make on either side of the world will eventually get left behind, at least for a while. There will inevitably be casualties to the Devil in the church.

We are depending on the Lord to keep His hands on them. We are praying without ceasing for these precious people whom we love, and hope to see again when we come back. They are His people and the sheep of His pasture, after all.

It's just that leaving is so hard.

[sniff]

JulieMom in French?

2010-08-04T10:31:00.003+02:00

So sometimes I entertain myself by plugging my blog into Google to see what comes up. I have been surprised to see that some sites have used my Paint.NET tutorials, others have used some of my devotions, and some have just linked back to my blog.

However, I found a really weird one that makes me laugh. Hard.

Apparently it's a french website based in Quebec (that's in Canada, folks). Not sure why they wanted to use my back to school post from this year, but they did. It seems they first translated my original post into french, then translated it back to english using BableFish or something.

I highly recommend clicking the link and translating something. Then copy that and translate back to English. It's pretty funny!

You must go over and read it. I see pieces of the original there, but now it makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE!!

And I can't contact anyone to take it down, or to tell them to at least link back to my blog. Is that annoying or what? Maybe it's a good thing...people who would read this article and want more like it might not be traffic I'd desire anyway.

Well, it was good for a laugh. Especially the making whoopee part...ugh.

Cowgirl Birthday Cake for Love Bear

2010-08-02T19:54:00.004+02:00

When I asked Love Bear what theme she wanted for her birthday, she was hesitant. Hmmm...ballerina or cowgirl? Cowgirl or ballerina?

Hmm...

Cowgirl won out, and I am SO glad. What a cute theme! There is SO MUCH you can do with it. And it's much easier for mom to make clothes for a cowgirl than a ballerina. And easier for others to come to the party dressed up too. (If they so choose...)

The cake I did for the first time with fondant. I bought some from the cake shop we frequent. Red fondant. In my mind I imagined making a smaller layer at the top of the cake and wrapping the fondant around the edge to make a handkerchief. The bottom I planned to make a fence and sky, then more cowgirl things above like cactuses (cacti if you want to be technical), and horses.

It worked out way better than I anticipated. Which is rare. And it didn't even have the trademark JulieMom lean. Go me!

Here are the pictures of the cake, and from the party. Happy 7th birthday to Love Bear!!!

Ah, typical cowgirl pose.

Posing again. For mom's sake.

Gotcha ya yellow-bellied crook!

Posing for the camera with the flaming cake.

YESSSSS! A GUUUUUNNN!!

Mom and Love Bear

So, are ya gonna come peacefully, or do I hafta rough ya up?

Blow Love Bear, blow!

Yep, it was a real cake.

Tote Bags- CHECK!

2010-07-31T17:32:00.003+02:00

Well, the tote bags are finally done! I was going to make a tutorial with the last one, but I forgot. Sorry! All of us decided to make initial tote bags. Well, except for Love Bear. She didn't want to sew hers, so I decided to make it a cowgirl bag to go with the theme of her birthday party coming up on Monday.

I sewed her bag today while she was out with Daddy, so I didn't have the time to take pictures and write instructions, etc. Maybe another time. I'm sure I'll be making something similar again.

Here are the photos: But first, some commentary. (Don't roll your eyes. It isn't polite.)

Book Worm sewed almost her whole bag herself. The only parts I did were to sew around the initial the second time and cut it out for her. She did all the straps and everything else. Pretty impressive for a nine year old.

Artsy Sis has an eye for color for sure. She did sew the basic parts of the bag, but got tired of doing it, so I took over and finished it up. She jumped in here and there to help, so mostly it is her own work. Not bad for eight years old!

My bag was done by me. And my sewing on the initial is sloppy. Go ahead and look. And judge. Really, I don't mind.

Then here is Love Bear's bag. Honestly, it's my favorite. She is going to be so surprised, and will love it! I can't wait to show her on Monday.
I'm also trying something new with her cake, so we'll see how that turns out. I hope it goes well. You know I'll post pics...watch for them. And enjoy your weekend!

Wow. That Was a Close One

2010-07-22T16:45:00.003+02:00

Have you ever lost something, but you were pretty sure you knew where it was? Only, when you looked there, it wasn't? Has this something ever been very important to you? Maybe something you only get once in a lifetime?

Like a wedding ring, perhaps? Hmmm??

Well, the Prince's wedding ring has been fitting weird these last few months. Something happened to his finger, and now it fits some days, and others it doesn't. On the days it doesn't, I wear it on my left hand middle finger, next to my own wedding ring.

So we wouldn't lose it.

One morning as we were all getting ready to leave the house, he handed me his ring. I slipped it on, put away a loaf of Italian bread back into it's store-bought crinkly bag, (please don't ask me why it was out all night and then put away. Just don't.) grabbed my purse, and the girls and I hit the road to do some shopping. The Prince went to teach his class at the Bible College.

We stopped and got petrol. We shopped. We came home and unloaded everything. We actually went through two more days of stuff before I wondered what became of the hubby's ring. I looked in the usual places and it wasn't there. I even checked his finger.

Not there.

Hmm...what could have happened to that thing?

Oh no. I started thinking back to all the places I had been in the last two days. The more I thought, the more I felt sick. I was sure we would never see that ring again. I mean, it wasn't like it had our phone number etched on the inside or anything.

I tried putting off the inevitable, but eventually had to ask J-Man if he knew where his ring was. He remembered that I was wearing it last. And then he had the gall to ask me what I did with it. And since I had already ran around Jo'burg in my mind and didn't stumble across it, I was pretty sure it was lost.

See, it's a little bit big on me and slides around. I've never had it fall all the way off when I was doing something, but it's worked its way close to my knuckle. I was sure if it had fallen off I would have felt it. I would have heard it. The girls surely would have said something.

So I decided to ask God where this ring was. I told Him that since He knew right where it was in that moment that would He please keep an eye on it, and make sure nothing bad happened to it? And could I please find it soon so I can get on with my life already?

I went to make supper and settled on pasta. Oh, looky here, in the pantry there's a loaf of two-day old Italian bread. Wonder if it's any good...probably not. I should just chuck it.

[small voice telling me to check it out]

[me arguing that it's only a third of a loaf, really, and I should just throw it out already.]

[small voice insisting that I check it out]

[me dumping it out on the counter, getting ready to tell the small voice 'I told you so']

WHAT?!?

The hubby's ring dumped out of the bag with the Italian bread.

[me sheepishly thanking the small voice for being so insistent. And not rubbing it in.]

I mean, I almost chucked J-Man's wedding ring in the garbage!! So glad I listened to that small voice. But I have to tell you, this isn't the most interesting place we've found his ring...not by FAR...but that's another story for another day. Maybe.

Reconstructive and Creative Sewing

2010-07-17T17:30:00.005+02:00

So, I've owned my sewing machine long enough now that I should be able to re-make things that are no longer in their prime, or give things a little "fix up" should they need it. Right?

Right.

So today, amid all the PACKING and SORTING and STORING of clothing in preparation for our departure one month from today [insert freak-out scream], I found some clothes that needed a little fixing.

Namely: things that were too small, and things that were too big.

Sounds about right, eh?

So, the thing that was too small was a gathered dress for Love Bear. The top is fitted, and the skirt part is gathered. The top was snug before buttoning. So, I took it apart, added an elastic waistband to the top of the skirt part instead, and...voila!! It's now a new adorable skirt for Artsy Sis!

Dress Before

Now, you must ignore the pile of clothes. We were sorting today, remember? Thank you.

Skirt After

And you must ignore the Barbie piles. It is Saturday you know.

Two pairs of shorts that are hand-me-downs from Big Sisters to Love Bear fell right off her. Hmmm...she could really use those in Greece....aha! I took a strip of elastic and sewed it (stretching it while stitching) so that it would gather up the back and make the shorts tighter without affecting the general shape. So much better!!

Inside the Shorts

Back of the Shorts

And yes I do realize thinner elastic would be better, but this is what I had. And I also realize pink thread would have looked nice, but this was in the machine from the other two pairs I did. You know how it is.

Maybe this doesn't impress you much, but I was pretty doggone proud of myself.

Our Version of Crayon Roll Ups

2010-07-16T14:45:00.004+02:00

Our next sewing project for our lessons were Crayon Roll Ups. I used the tutorial over at Skip to My Lou and it's very straight forward.

Of course, being me, I had to change it up just a bit. We don't have tiny little ribbon like that, so we used a hair tie and button to close it up on the outside instead. It's quite easy actually, and if you add your button before sewing the pocket on, you'll not even see the button threads. You could even center it. Imagine that!

However, if you're like me and don't realize you have no appropriate ribbon until after you've already begun, then just sew it on at the end. No one will care.

Pinkie Promise.

See how sweet they are?

Now, we don't have our new boxes of crayons to fill them up yet, (they hold a box of Crayola 16s) but we'll be getting them soon.

Next stop? TOTE BAGS!!!

P.S. Am I the only one having trouble with Photobucket?? I switched to Flickr to get these pics on here. I'll let you know if I like it...

So Learn Your Lesson Already!

2010-07-13T15:14:00.003+02:00

Have you ever felt like God was trying to teach you something? I mean really teach you something. Not just a 'you better be nice' kind of deal, but letting events happen in your life that obviously are pointing at something, and they just keep happening- so you better pay attention?

Me neither.

Just kidding!

I haven't blogged in a week because my family was going on 'vacation' to see our friends in the North West. I have the 'vacation' in quotes like that because it was actually us bringing books for storage to our friends' house. The first steps toward cleaning out our house to go back to the States! And we were staying a week to go to the nature reserve and have a braai, etc.

Oh the well-laid plans of mice and men...

Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. [name the movie]

And if you know me, you know I can't sum up. I'm too long-winded for that.

A few weeks ago a drunk man hit the gate and wall at our missionary friend's church. They are in the States for their daughter's wedding, and a short visit. (Two months total) So we are the go-to people when something happens there. The Deaf students let us know what happened, and we went to check it out. (This was during our dinner, and Sunday is a LONG day for us [we start at 8:30AM leaving our house and finish church around 2 or 2:30], so we were already tired. I was hoping to go home to my jammies, lol.)

We get to the church, and right there on the ground amid all the broken bricks and the gate, is the license plate of the guy who did it. I pick it up and hide it in our car so he can't come back and get it, then deny it was him. Not ten minutes later the guy shows up, stinking BAD with alcohol and some slurred story about being hijacked, etc. I tell him we've called the police, and would he please come back to tell them the story.

So we wait. And wait. And wait for the police to come. Finally after an hour and a half they show up. Now, in the meantime a woman has also come and said she was the driver, and the man was the passenger. Our witnesses all say it was the man driving and he was alone. I am thinking they are (obviously) trying to avoid a drunken driving charge, so they are lying.

The police, the people we look to for help in time of trouble, ask if anyone was hurt. When we answer no, they tell us there is nothing they can do. They can't open a report because no one was hurt. They don't question our witnesses. They don't ask anyone anything.

They do however tell me that they are almost off shift. That it would be a big hassle to bring the man into the station to test his blood (guess they never heard of breathalizers) and we would end up having to go to court. They also tell us "to make this easy for everyone" we should just make an agreement between us and the drunk guy that he will fix the wall and gate.

Wait. I'm supposed to take the word of a drunk liar that he will do what he says he will do? And it's okay that these people are lying, and have severely damaged our property? That's not a crime? And you, as policemen, cannot be witnesses of the 'agreement'?

Thanks a lot.

And guess what? They were supposed to fix it by Friday, and they did not. Then it was Tuesday, and they have not. It is still not fixed two weeks later, and I have no idea what to do about it. The police were so helpful. Protecting the criminals because it's 'easy for everyone'.

That's not all...

There was a problem with the municipality where this church is located, meaning they never sent an electric bill. So it didn't get paid. On Wednesday when were going to have service, the lights wouldn't come on. One of the students takes a paper out of the cabinet and hands it to J-Man. On the front in big red letters are the words FINAL NOTICE. Oh boy, here we go again.

It was dated for a week prior, so it sat in a cupboard for a week. We could have let our friend know and taken care of it immediately. Now it is too late, because in the mailbox there is now a DISCONNECTION NOTICE.

Oh. My. Goodness!

These are only payable at the rates hall. Not online. Not by check.

IN. PERSON.

Which means J-Man now has to give up his very first day after teaching his last class, and wait in line to pay the bill.

Don't you love it when people are irresponsible?

Oh the fun never ends...

Then, the first day of our 'vacation', we are five minutes from our destination when we receive a call that our friend's house (the ones out of country) has been broken into and something was stolen. WHAT?!? You must be joking. Right? RIGHT?!?

Seriously, am I being Punk'd?

Nope. So J-Man and the husband of our friends we're staying with drive the two hours back home to fix it. They worked until after midnight and got everything all situated. The best they could anyway. I, meanwhile, spent hours on the phone with our friend in the States, trying to figure out why the alarm company failed to respond, help with insurance estimates, etc. and just setting up who will stay in the house. The girls staying there before were now too scared. I don't blame them!

So J-man arrives at our 'vacation' in the late afternoon of the second day. The day we were supposed to have our nature reserve and braai. He is exhausted. The next few days are spent trying to get someone (through sms- not easy with the Deaf!) to stay at the house, and finally by Thursday everything is all set.

Friday we are all packed up to leave, and I break our car key off in the boot (trunk). How can this be happening?!? So the men get it removed, have a new key made, and we head home. Well, almost. We go back to our friend's house and spend a couple hours trying to get the alarm system to work.

Then we do some quick food shopping, eat quickly, and go to BED.

So, whoever is supposed to learn a lesson- (um, maybe that would be ME) would you please do it quickly? I'm EXHAUSTED!

Greece can't come too quickly.

Happy Independence Day America!!!

2010-07-03T17:10:00.003+02:00

Thank God for the men and women in our country who are willing to continually lay down their lives so that we can live in freedom. I feel blessed that others would make that sacrifice for me, and I pray they would all find the One who made that same sacrifice for them. God bless America!

Cultural Relevance Revisited

2010-07-01T09:50:00.003+02:00

The other day I wrote a post about Cultural Relevance. One person whom I respect greatly brought up the issue of being all things to all men that Paul mentions in the book of I Corinthians. This is an interesting thing to say, and an important point to address. We want to reach as many people with the Gospel as possible, right? I agree. And they will not all be reached the same way.

But how ought we to go about being all things to all men?

I am going to say something that may anger you. But hopefully it will just result in a little more self-examination, as it has for me.

Is it possible that the church (and by 'the church' I mean the group of believers who gather to receive encouragement and edification from the Word of God on a weekly basis, not individual Christians in general) has had to become all things to all men because we, as individual Christians are not as effective in our personal evangelism?

How many of us actually take the time to go out into the 'highways and byways' to reach those who may have heard of Christ, but have no hope of ever getting out of their current situations on their own? How many of us actually know our neighbors and are there to minister to needs they might have? How many times a week are we even in close enough contact to make an impact in the life of someone who may not know Christ?

Churches nowadays host so many activities and things geared to keeping Christians together and that are aimed to keep our kids out of the world, that many of us have little contact with lost people. And how many of the events our churches host that are supposed to be evangelistic actually have lost people attending?

Is this an accurate train of thought?

When I lived in America, I was not in a position to be around lost people unless I specifically sought them out. I didn't work outside my home. My kids didn't go to public school. We traveled on deputation, so we were in church constantly and surrounded by Christians. My kids never had anyone they could invite to visitor day in AWANA because family were all out of state, and we didn't know anyone outside our church.

Am I alone in this? Or is it more common than just me?

My point in all this is that if we, as individual Christians, don't make the effort to reach people for Christ, then the church will have to take up the slack. Suddenly churches are catering to "seeker sensitive" needs rather than building up the Body of Christ. The Bible says there are none that seek after God, so catering to the needs of the lost when the Christians are supposed to be fed doesn't really fulfill the purpose of the church.

When I come to church, I want to be challenged. I want to learn something that maybe I haven't thought of before. I want to be convicted of my sin. Hearing the Gospel at church is important, but to have every sermon in every service geared towards those who may not know Christ and are still only ready for 'milk', or have the worship service minister more to a worldly mindset, does not minister to the Body.

In Paul's time, he traveled everywhere to reach people with the Gospel. He was not your average Christian. However, they did not make changes in the services at the Temple to reach people who 'might be interested in religion'. I don't think that the early church was established with the idea that they had to make church 'comfortable' for those who may not be ready or willing to hear truth.

The early church was already full of new believers, and they took care of each other. They met each others needs, they encouraged each other in their walk with Christ, and they supported one another during persecution. They also reached out to orphans, widows, and were extremely (what would be considered that way now at least) radical in their evangelism. They didn't wait for people to show up in church and then try to minister to and entertain them in that slotted hour and a half.

I guess my point is that we must be all things to all men in our personal evangelism, and let the church minister to and encourage those who are already Believers. Yes, we need to be prepared for the fact that lost people will come to our churches. We should want them there! But in most cases, they won't come until someone (meaning a Christian) has invested in their lives to the point they want to know more.

Like someone way smarter than me said: "People won't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Meaning, if we show people how much we care for them (because Christ first loved and cared for us) then they will want to know more about the Bible, and God's plan for people. We must individually be willing to be all things to all men to reach the lost. Then they can come to church to learn more about God's Word and be encouraged to serve Him faithfully.

Does that make any sense?

Sewing Machine Lessons

2010-06-29T13:24:00.003+02:00

**I promise to upload pictures another time. I've tried ALL DAY and can't get them to work. They're really cute! Coming soon...**

We just started this week in our sewing machine lessons. The girls were so excited to start, but then Book Worm got the pukes, we had out of town guests for a day, things got busy, so it's been put off until now.

One of the first things we did was go over every part of the machine, some other tools we would use with it (seam ripper, tiny scissors etc.), and how to plug it in. Then we practiced threading the needle and the bobbin, talked about safety, then took the thread out and practiced sewing on paper.

At first they just followed a solid line I drew on paper, then moved to doing a zigzag stitch over the line. This was obviously more difficult, but the girls focused, tried to go slowly, and did a great job.

Love Bear went out with Dad to pass out tracts for the World Cup game today, so it was just Book Worm, Artsy Sis and I. They were ready to move on, so we had a lesson on using the iron. What the different settings meant, what setting goes with what material, and then they used it for the first time.

We moved then to the machine where they practiced sewing with back stitches, pivoting corners, and sewing material together. Then we moved on to make...pillows!

They chose their own material, we cut rectangles, they ironed them flat, then sewed, flipped them inside out, stuffed them, and I did the finishing stitch since it was pretty tricky for them.

And then...then...they wanted to iron all afternoon!!! So I let them! They got the laundry basket, picked things out, and practiced ironing...all day long. They are in love with the iron, I think. And I really don't mind! So, looks like I'll have helpers for that too. What a blessing!

We're on track to make our crayon roll ups tomorrow (I think) and then we'll have plenty of time to finish our tote bags before we head to Greece on August 17th. Whew! I was afraid we'd never make it!

What is Cultural Relevance, Anyway?

2010-06-24T14:08:00.004+02:00

Have you gotten tired of hearing this term yet? It's everywhere. Everyone is trying to be "culturally relevant". The 'emerging church' seems to be clamoring to be the most "culturally relevant" place in society today.

But what does it all mean?

Well, relevance is basically 'having to do with something at hand'. Suppose you're having a conversation about sports, and someone intrudes with a comment about the weather. Or cooking. Their comment is not relevant, because you're talking about sports.

Being culturally relevant means that people are trying to fit into today's culture in order to reach people with the truth of the Bible.

I mean, I guess that's what they're doing.

It's not really clear. But from what I've read online, it seems that this movement of cultural relevance focuses on studying the current culture, and adapting to meet their needs. There was also an article (please forgive me if I can't find the link again) I read that said Jesus was totally culturally relevant; that the things He taught (meaning his parables) fit so well into the culture of the day.

To my way of thinking, if Jesus' teachings were perfect for the Jews long ago in Bible times, does that mean they are NOT culturally relevant now? Are the things Jesus taught eternal and timeless truths, or not? How does this idea fit into the culturally relevant train of thought?

Maybe I have misread the Bible, but I believe that Jesus taught counter-culturally. He was tired of them just going through the motions of their 'religion', and not really worshiping God.

For the Jews, their religion defined much of their culture. The reasons they lived the way they did were because of their relationship to God. They didn't just suddenly throw Him into the picture. He was the Creator and Definer of the Jews. Their feasts and celebrations were direct results of miraculous events between them and God. These two things (religion and culture) were inextricably combined. If you were a Jew, you worshiped Jehovah. End of story.

[And I am not saying here that all the Jews of the day practiced heartfelt worship either. I think that's pretty obvious. Just wanted to be clear.]

Today's popular culture in America, however, does not know God. There is not a general celebration of events that remind us of God's power and goodness in our lives. People are disgusted with the phrase "Christmas", praying in Jesus' name in the military is no longer allowed, and were are encouraged (very strongly I might add) to be tolerant. Even if my neighbor wants to watch my small children take their baths, that is his right. [Yes, that's an extreme example, but I bet anything there will be laws protecting this 'choice' in the future...]

Our culture has no formal religion. America has rejected God, and has embraced 'freedom of everything' as their religion. Americans desire freedom above all else. Try to convince me otherwise. So, how does this fit into the church? How can realistically adapt the truth of the Bible to reach the people who want nothing to do with God?

I understand the concept of reaching out to people where they are. I get the "love thy neighbor as thyself" statement. I know God wants us to be open-hearted and merciful toward others in order for them to truly see Him. That's how I want to be treated as well. We all sin, we all have the opportunity for redemption. No one has "arrived" spiritually, and we all fail every day. We are to show love and understanding (be longsuffering, if you will).

I get it. Be like Jesus.

In order to live like Christ, we must know Christ. Studying American culture is not going to help me learn about Christ. As I mentioned above, our culture is far away from God. However, the truth will be the truth no matter what happens in culture. I'm not against using new methods or ideas to reach people, but when we focus so much of our time in studying culture and trying to gauge people's reactions to what will be presented, we have less time to study God's Word, and devoting ourselves to prayer.

Do we really think that studying the culture and adapting to it will make our churches successful? It may fill the pews, certainly [or chairs or stools or whatever] but will it make lasting disciples? Are we more concerned with what society wants than with what God's Word has to say?

The 'culturally relevant' church takes into consideration the reaction of the popular culture to what is being represented and shared. Words like 'edgy' and 'cool' are commonly used to describe these places. The pastors are non-traditional (many even women) and the worship is what I would call 'extreme'. Meaning, there are often colored lights, rock instruments and an atmosphere of 'electricity' in the air.

People can worship however they want. God receives praise in all forms. I know that. My worship style is certainly not the only acceptable style. However, I ask you: where do we draw the line in being 'in the world but not of the world'? How is worshiping in a rock concert atmosphere in church being apart from the world? Is this cultural relevance wearing down our discernment?

Hasn't the church figured out yet that the world is not satisfied with the things of the world? That's why there's always a race for bigger and better and more exciting. How can we think that bringing the world into the church will make people want to stay? Where does it end? What lengths will the church eventually have to resort to, just to keep people coming? When did good Bible preaching, solid fellowship, unity in prayer, and encouragement from like-minded believers cease being enough?

Our church back home has had people leave. I am not there so I don't know exactly why, but I do know our church still preaches the truth. The pastors are still dedicated to reaching the lost with the Gospel, and they do a lot of good in our community. Worship is edifying, but more traditional. We don't only sing hymns, but there are no lights and smoke, if you know what I mean.

There is another church in the area, a new and 'culturally relevant' church, that people have started attending instead. The pastor is a young and vibrant man who uses interesting things in his messages (fire, paint, headstands, 300 jars of honey, explosives, mousetraps- all examples taken from their website) to draw people in. There are women pastors there. They believe you are not filled with the Holy Spirit at salvation, but rather receive a later baptism in the Holy Spirit which will allow you to speak in tongues, etc.

Will this satisfy those who have left our church? Will the 'cultural relevance' (if that's what you call it) be enough to keep people attending? How can an acceptance of such a change in doctrine be explained?

I don't know. I hope they are truly cultivating their relationship with Christ, getting to know Him better, and seeking to do His will. And not just being carried along on the wave of 'cultural relevance'.

Cultural relevance, to me, is teaching the truth of the Gospel of Christ, discipling people in the Word, in spite of what is going on in the culture around me. I live in South Africa. Culture here is different. I am not trying to make Americans of those around me, I promise. I am simply teaching them Christian culture. It's up to them how they live it out in their individual lives. They must learn, as must each person professing Christ, how to reach those around them with the truth.

What's your take on all of this?

Late Last Night When We Were All in Bed...

2010-06-19T09:49:00.002+02:00

...Book Worm came to me and told me she puked. She had mentioned before bed that her stomach didn't feel well, but it had been a really long day, and she'd had pizza for dinner, so I thought maybe it was just too much fun for one day.

WRONG!!

Oh when will I start following my kids' senses about their bodies?!? I could have saved myself MANY minutes of rest if I had only given her a bin next to the bed for pukes. Instead, she puked right in the middle of it, with a direct hit on Love Bear's dalmation, Spotty. So I stripped everything (after scooping up warm handfuls of it in paper towels [wretch] [shiver]) and put it straight into a hot wash cycle. Thank God we have pillow covers that kept it from seeping through.

Then I put her to bed on the couch in the lounge, tucked in with a sleeping bag and extra blanket. I got on the computer briefly to try and call my sister at her request, only to find she was not answering her phone. Oh well. Then I went back to bed, straining for puking sounds, and being awakened forty minutes later by the washing machine's bell.

So much for sleep!

In light of the recent events, I thought a link to a post I wrote many moons ago was in order. Here you will find a song about a puking child written to the theme song from Gilligan's Island. Hope you enjoy it. Book Worm is looking a little better today, though she puked two more times in the night. Please pray for her to recover. She's the easiest to nurse, but it's still not fun for any of us.

Thanks!

Life....? It's Good

2010-06-16T10:26:00.003+02:00

Again, just checking in to let you know we're still alive and well. We've been very busy lately, and I haven't had the time to post pictures of all we've been doing.

We've continued with our sewing lessons and made bookmarks and stuffed animals. We'll be moving on to the machine soon, but you did know it's World Cup FEVER here, didn't you? We may have become a little distracted, what with all the vuvuzelas blowing any time day or night.

The girls have also joined an Upward soccer clinic for the week, so every day from 9-1, that's where we are. Well, they are. First time ever I've dropped them off somewhere and LEFT. I KNOW!! But it's hosted at a church just around the corner (we've walked there before) and I am actually comfortable with this set-up. I've gotten lots of laundry and cleaning done.

Funny how the ironing isn't finished yet...

The hubby is taking the college students today up to Loftus Stadium to pass out Gospel booklets, then coming home where we will debate whether to go to the church around the corner (Christ Church) and watch the game on the big screen. It's from 7-10 PM so not sure they kids can last.

Also, did I mention it was 0 degrees Celsius last night? Yeah, it's COLD! So that's another factor. Freezing inside and out. I have on two pairs of socks, a turtleneck, sweatshirt, scarf, and my slippers, and I am still cold.

AND I'M INSIDE THE HOUSE!

So, fingers don't work so well when they're frozen stiff. As if those of you in NY didn't already know that...I'm going to go now.

And I don't drink coffee, so don't recommend that please. Not happening.

Have a wonderful day and know that pictures are coming soon. When I thaw out.

Recent Baby Projects

2010-06-07T14:17:00.002+02:00

I have recently sewn some gifts for a friend's baby, and I just gave them to her last night. So now I can post the pics! What is more fun than little baby skirts and shirts?!? This first one is an embellished shirt- I put the applique of a bunny on it, and it matches one of the burp cloths I made (that I didn't get a picture of.)

This second one I bought the pin to put on the shirt, but I made a skirt with a little ruffle on the bottom. Despite the light quality, the colors really DO match perfectly. I promise!
I made another burp cloth with appliqued hearts in black and white polka dot material, but alas, I forgot to take pics of that too. They turned out really cute though!

There is nothing more fun than sewing things for babies. The tiny little pleats for the ruffle, the applique cuteness, the colors and patterns...just too cute! And the baby who will be wearing these? She's precious too. See?

Chocolate You Need

2010-06-04T18:52:00.004+02:00

The girls and I were in the mood to do something in the kitchen, and I wanted it to be something quick and easy. They didn't really care what we did, as long as it tasted good. So, I scoured my recipes and came up with nothing. Then I went through some files I had saved in Word, and BINGO! Found the perfect thing.

Are you ready for this? It's homemade Peanut Butter Cups. That's right! No more shelling out money for Reese's. (This is really a post for you, Sister.)

What You Will Need:
Paper mini muffin cups
Melting Chocolates (I recommend the disks or Magic Melts)
Microwave safe bowl
Spoons
1/2C Peanut Butter
1/4C Powdered Sugar (icing sugar)
3T Graham Cracker Crumbs
Pinch Salt

What to Do:
1. Set out your mini muffin cups on your work space in a single layer. You may want to place wax paper or a tray of some sort underneath in case of drips.

2. Melt your chocolate in the microwave until it's totally liquid. (Do this in thirty second intervals, stirring after each.)

3. Using a small spoon, place some chocolate in a muffin cup. Spread it up the sides all the way to the top, trying not to let it spill out. (This will make it hard to peel off the paper to eat them when it hardens if it spills out over the edge.) If it seems too full at the bottom, just pour the excess chocolate into the next muffin cup. When all are filled, set them in the fridge for about five minutes to harden. (I'm thinking they'll eventually harden if left on the counter too, then you don't have to deal with the sweating after they come out of the fridge...just a thought.)

4. Meanwhile, mix up the peanut butter filling. This would include the PB, powdered sugar, salt, and graham cracker crumbs.

5. When your cups have hardened, remove them from the fridge, and fill each with some of the peanut butter filling. Make sure you leave some space for more chocolate.
6. When all are filled with peanut butter, melt your chocolate again if it needs it, and cover the peanut butter with more chocolate. This will seal the peanut butter inside. Place them back in the fridge for five minutes or so to harden.

7. Peel off the paper and enjoy!! They are so easy. My girls ended up doing most of it themselves because I was called out of the house to check on a friend's house alarm. They did a really good job on their own.

These will be great to make as part of a goody tray for Christmas time, and also to give out as hostess gifts, or birthdays or whatever. Yummy!! Give them a try, you KNOW you want to.

It's WAY More Than Just Sewing

2010-06-01T16:33:00.003+02:00

Sewing. Does that word strike fear in your heart? Does it make you angry? Frustrated? Annoyed? Hard to believe, but it did with my girls the first lesson. Wow, we're learning so much more than just sewing in our daily lessons. We just started Saturday night, and we've already completed needle books and tissue holders out of felt. All hand sewing thus far. We'll move on to the machine after a little while. I want to teach them to sew on buttons and do mending first.

They can thread their own needle, tie their own knots, and tie off when they're finished.

As we were having our first lesson, there was much more complaining than I thought. Many times Artsy Sis was frustrated, and she threw her needle down in disgust. We are learning that needles are dangerous and sharp, and if you throw it down out of frustration you will be excluded from the next lesson. Also, scissors are tools, not toys.

Persistence. Patience. Careful work. Slow and steady. Finishing what we start. Self-control.

These are all things we are learning in addition to our sewing skills. Spending time with my girls in this way is so valuable. Who would have thought so many life lessons could come out of sewing lessons? Can't wait until we start using the machine...that should be interesting!

So, here are our pictures of the things we've made.

Book Worm's needle book and tissue holder

Artsy Sis's needle book and tissue holder

Love Bear's needle book and tissue holder

And I realize their real names are on their needle books, but if you promise not to tell the kidnappers where we live, then I'll leave the pictures up. I did promise the girls I would post their efforts. Yes, the stitches are a bit crooked, yes the thread has been tangled in some areas, yes some things aren't exact- but we are learning. Together.

And it's been a lot of fun! We laugh a lot. We play. And even though there's been frustration, every morning so far they wake up and ask me what we're doing next, or if they can finish the project they've started. Wow.

I. AM. LOVING. IT.

Raising Homemakers Has Launched!

2010-06-01T15:45:00.004+02:00

There's a great new website called Raising Homemakers, and they've just launched their new site. I'm excited about this because, with three girls to train to someday take over their own household, I can use all the help I can get!!

This will be a great and valuable resource for any and all moms who are raising girls. Christian values and principles are the basis for all teachings. Does it get better than that?

Yes. Yes it does: they're having a giveaway!! So, run over there and sign up. Now. GO ALREADY!

And thank me when you win, because I never win these things. :0)

Are you still here??? Get over there!

A Promise is A Promise

2010-05-27T10:21:00.004+02:00

I did promise my girls that when they finished school, we would start sewing lessons. And since Book Worm and Artsy Sis are done, and Love Bear has only one day left, I need to get it in gear. Now, I really had no idea how I was going to go about this, because I really am a beginner myself. I just got my machine back in December, and have been teaching myself through online tutorials. (I still have no idea how to do sleeves or zippers.)

So, I was starting to think, I mean really think about what to do with them, and decided to scour the internet for ideas. Because, really, if someone else has done it, and done it well, and especially if it's FREE, then why try to re-create the wheel, ya know?

I found there are LOTS of places you can go to find kids' projects for hand or machine sewing. But I wanted instruction as well. So I kept looking and came across this great site.

EVERYTHING IS FREE!!!

They have ideas for instruction lessons (which can be used freely with their permission as school curriculum), project ideas, picture tutorials, contests your kids can enter, a free subscription to their magazine, and great encouragement!!

The pictures and instructions are very clear and easy to understand. I plan on using them as a springboard for our own lessons. My girls are super-excited, and now I am too, since I don't have to make my own lessons.

They also offer an e-book version with 100 lessons that you can print and keep in a 3-ring binder. How great is that?

And this kind of learning is too much fun to feel like school. My goal is to give them enough instruction so they can each make an embellished tote bag for our trip back to the States. They can also make a felt needle book to keep inside it, and a crayon pouch....the list is endless! Simple and great projects for the whole family. Boys too!!

What are you doing to keep learning when school is done?

I Need God's Vision

2010-05-26T09:35:00.004+02:00

Image found here.

How many times have we heard in sermons that God sees things differently than we see? Have we heard it so often that we've forgotten this statement actually has real meaning? Maybe we don't understand it fully because we can't see as He sees.

Our vision as humans is limited to what our eyes can take in. We can't see the inside of someone's mind. We can't look deeply into their eyes and know their intent. We cannot see the future, to know what someone might become.

God sees it all. He sees the potential in each person. And it's awesome.

I've been studying stories in the Bible for my Ladies' Sunday School Class that fit in the category Against the Odds. I'm starting with David and Goliath, then moving into Gideon. In studying Gideon, I noticed something interesting I never noticed before.

In Judges 6 the story of Gideon begins. There is no background of Gideon's life given here, we just come in on Gideon being approached by the angel of the LORD. He is threshing wheat behind the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites (who have come to torment Israel and take them captive).

Now, some people would say he is a coward for hiding his work, but I think he is being prudent. In the previous verses we learn that the enemy had destroyed everything the Israelites had. All their crops, everything. They were left destitute. Do you think if someone raised more grain, it would have been spared? I don't think it's cowardly to outsmart the enemy. I think it's wise.

Anyway, that's not what I want to talk about...

The interesting thing I want to focus on happens right away. The angel of the LORD approaches and calls him a mighty man of valor. Gideon doesn't argue with this right away, but he does after the second time it's mentioned. He reminds the angel how he is the least of his father's house, and that they are poor. (Humility is never a bad thing. Although Saul said something similar when he was chosen as king...)

[Anyway, I'm getting off the point again. The Bible is cool, isn't it? So many things to study...]

The angel tells him he is going to defeat the Midianites. Do we see anywhere that Gideon has battle experience? Do we see that he has even been a strong person up to this point?

Gideon did not have confidence in himself. He didn't say: "Well, angel, it took you long enough to show up and ask me. I've been biding my time threshing this wheat, just waiting for something brave and awesome to do so I can prove to everyone that I am a hero." He didn't think he could do it. He wasn't trying to prove anything.

Again I go back to how the angel addressed him. He called him a mighty man of valor.

The angel of the LORD gives him a job to do. He tells him to destroy his father's idol of Baal and the grove next to it. Gideon obeys, but he goes at night. And he takes people with him. (How long does it take to destroy a grove? I'm thinking it was a lot of work, and Gideon would have been captured and stopped had he tried to do it all on his own.)

[Anyway, that's not really important. Just interesting. Freebie number two.]

The angel called him a mighty man of valor.

So, I believe this angel is the Lord, because Gideon calls him Lord with a capital 'L', and verse 16 says: "And the Lord said unto him..."

So the Lord (who is God) sees the future, right? He can see the potential that lies in Gideon. He can see that even though this man is afraid to obey and break down the altar of Baal in the daytime, the point is that he was willing to obey. He did what was asked of him.

God didn't look at Gideon's strength. He didn't look at his experience. He knew that Gideon wasn't revered by every person because of his mighty reputation.

God took a man who was doubting the miracles he'd heard so much about, saw that he was willing to obey, poured out His Spirit upon him, and helped him fulfill the 'mighty man of valor' prophecy on his life.

See, God knows our potential. He sees all the things we could do when we are in submission to Him, and He treats us like we've already done them! He doesn't call us lazy, or scared, or weak to get us to wake up and obey. He already knows we can do nothing apart from Him. Instead, He calls us by what we could be. He encourages us to reach for what He can see in us.

What does God see in you? Do you see yourself through His eyes?

Don't put limitations on what God can (or wants) to do in your life. The weaker you are, the more He can use you. Remember, He loved you BEFORE you put faith in Him. He doesn't love you MORE because you choose to serve Him. But He is infinitely pleased when we let Him have His way in our lives.

Are you living up to your potential?

New Blog Title, Same Great Place

2010-05-24T22:39:00.003+02:00

So that was lame. I'm okay with it.

I decided to change the name of my blog without changing the url. I have been thinking a lot lately about all the things that I do as a mom, and the phrase "jack of all trades" came to mind. So I thought it was appropriate to tweak it a bit to "Mom of all trades". And of course I had to throw the Julie in there so you didn't think you'd gotten lost on the information superhighway.

Now, I am truly striving for balance. I don't want to be "Mom of all trades, master of none", which would mean I have my hand in a lot of things, but do none of them well. That would not be a very good testimony now, would it? I want to keep my home well. I want to school my children well. I want to have a close relationship with my Savior. I want my husband to know I love and support him. I want to be excited about teaching the Bible to others. I want to improve my sewing, cooking, baking skills. And pass them on to my daughters.

So it's all about balance.

And that's not easy to find. Because in the midst of striving for excellence in all these things there is also Facebook, this blog, personal emails, guitar playing, fellowship... many things that steal my attention. Not that those things are wrong, but every thing has its place.

I am hoping since my little revelation a few days ago, that with the new design will also come a new and refreshing attitude of transparency and honesty. The good, the bad and the ugly. Can I count on you to help me keep it real?

Have a blessed day!

Transparency- Not Just for Overheads Anymore

2010-05-20T14:26:00.004+02:00

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you were transparent? What if everyone could see what was in your mind, or in your heart at any given time? What if you couldn't hide when you were feeling inadequate, or lonely, or depressed, or unloved?

I am not the kind of person who easily shares when I am struggling. I guess I feel like it would be a burden to others. I am a very good listener, and give sound advice (I hope!). I am the one people come to with their struggles, but I never have felt able to really share my burdens with others.

Ask any of my good friends when the last time was I admitted I was struggling with something. (That wasn't masked in generalities) And they will probably say: Never.

Why is that?

Well, I suffer from a disease called "Caring too much what people think of me" Syndrome. Even typing that makes me wonder what you're thinking about me right now. What exactly causes it? An inordinate amount of pride. An unwillingness to admit my humanity. A feeling of letting down others if something is wrong or imperfect with me.

How did I get to be this way? Well, I have always had a very independent nature. I like to be in control of things. My mother died when I was a young teen, and so I took on a lot of the home responsibilities (of my own choosing) and grew up quick. I have always acted as though I have never needed anyone's help for anything. Maybe the fact that my sister (no offense Sis) was very needy at the time, and I enjoyed mothering her contributed. It developed in me the mindset that I can handle it. No matter what 'it' was, I could take it. I didn't need anyone or anything. I was fine.

But you know what? I wasn't fine. There have been lots of times when I haven't been fine. And there is no freedom in that kind of mindset. There is no joy in serving, because you're too focused on getting it right, of pleasing others. There is only stress, and expectation, and more stress.

As of today, I am letting that mindset go. I am clinging to the strength I can only find in Christ my Savior. I am shouting to the world that I AM WEAK! I need help! I can't do it on my own! I WON'T do it on my own ANYMORE!

I am resolving to ask God for strength and wisdom every day. Every minute. Every time I feel overwhelmed. I am not going to act like everything is okay all the time. If I need to cry, I will cry. But I will not pressure myself to be perfect. I will do my best, and that will be enough. It's all I can do.

Doesn't that seem elementary? Shouldn't I already know to do that? I mean, asking the Lord for strength is pretty basic. Yeah. Maybe you're different from me. Maybe you don't want to control every single aspect that touches your life. Maybe it's easy for you to reach out and ask for help. For me it's not so easy. I like being in control. I like manipulating circumstances. I am comfortable with having my hand in the pot at all times.

Sometimes I think that God won't come through, so I better do what I can to make sure things happen the way I want. It sounds childish, doesn't it? It sounds ridiculous! I can trust Him with my eternity, but in the little every day things, I am fearful. How silly.

I am not good at waiting on the Lord to move.

I am tempted to erase this whole post and pretend it never existed.

Yesterday I was reading through some songs I've written, and I was really convicted by them. I wondered how I ever got the idea for some of them. The Lord spoke to me so clearly in those times. I am working on getting back there. Giving Him back the control and not worrying about the details. It's a daily battle, but today I feel victorious.

Thanks for listening. I feel better now.

Do You Ever Get the Feeling....

2010-05-19T15:05:00.003+02:00

...that you're a whole lot weaker than you thought? That if something tragic happened to you right now, this moment in your life, that you wouldn't be able to handle it? That you're lucky to be plodding along through the daily grind without any added stress? That you are just in desperate need of fellowship and being ministered to?

I've been in that place for a little while now. Feeling fragile, weak, open to the elements.

Struggling to drum up excitement for all the ministry things that have to be done, wishing school were done for life instead of only this year, preferring to lie in bed in the afternoon instead of wash the dishes from breakfast and lunch, thinking it would be nice to have a door I could lock and no one would know I was on the other side...

I'm hoping this is hormonal and will soon pass. Would you please pray for me?

Just trying to keep it real. Hope you're in a better place today.

It's Been Ten Days

2010-05-15T12:40:00.003+02:00

I haven't blogged in ten days. TEN DAYS!! I don't know what's come over me! Maybe I've been busy. That's true. Maybe I haven't felt like it. That's true too. We've had a lot going on, and blogging just didn't make it into my top hundred priorities the past few days.

I have been doing stuff though, I promise. Now, what was I doing?

*Oh yeah, I made a couple reversible skirts.
*I made dinner for some friends who were leaving the country.
*I cleaned my house a couple (ten) times.
*I sewed some baby gifts for a friend or two
*I made an invitation in Paint.NET for a fun party coming up.
*I baked two different kinds of scones.
*I made squeeze bottle pancakes.
*I graded papers and encouraged my girls to finish the school year strong.
*I added some things for the first time to Craftster.
*I celebrated my eleventh wedding anniversary with the hubby. (It's actually today)
*I organized my sewing tutorials notebook. I feel SO much better now!
*I experimented with sewing fabric flowers to use as pins and clips.
*I made a felt hair clip for MONEY!

And that about covers it. Although there are other things in there that I didn't list. Like chatting with my Sis on Skype, emailing people, cooking regular meals, grocery shopping...you get the idea. I am working on some things to post, but in the mean time can you answer a question for me?

What is up with all the skull and roses things I am seeing in kids' clothing? So not cool in my opinion. I mean, what is beautiful (or sweet) about the combination of life (roses) and gross death (skulls). And also, why are people thinking it's ok to introduce their toddlers to corset-style dresses without undershirts? Do moms really want to raise Lolitas??? REALLY???

Just some thoughts I've been pondering while doing the stuff I listed above. Enjoy your weekend!!!

Casually Feminine: Blouses Schmouses...

2010-05-05T11:50:00.004+02:00

There is, I think, a fine art to properly attiring your upper half. Many women have issues of their breasts not being the same size, and in an ill-fitting blouse, that will be evident. (Some also do not hang at the same level, etc.) Fit is essential in making the most of the way God made you. While I do NOT have a perfect body, by FAR, and the top half of me makes it difficult to look slimmer, there are some tricks we can all follow to ensure we don't look fat in every single photo taken of us.

The first step I recommend is heading over to Myshape.com and figuring out what your body shape is. Yes, you have to register to use their site, but you can click if you don't ever want to be contacted. I think it's a great idea! They tell you your shape based on your measurements (you'll have to face them sometime!) and then recommend styles of clothing that look best on you. It's like having a personal shopper. It will definitely stretch your thoughts on what looks good on you.

Now, their clothes are pricey, but when you see the styles they say fit your body shape, you can keep an eye out for them in the stores where you live. Don't be afraid to break out of your fashion mold and try something new! However, they also send you sales info and sometimes they have really great deals. I've never bought from them because I live in another country and will NOT pay for international shipping.

Most important of all: The right fitting bra will do WONDERS for your shape and fit. No one wants a 'uniboob', but you don't want them so separated that they're living in different time zones either. Ya know? Also, please do me a HUGE favor and NEVER put your bra in the dryer. It will ruin the underwire (should you need it) and wears out the Lycra. It will make your bra mis-shaped and all-around WRONG. Ok? Thank you.

Having said all that, let's get back to fit, shall we?

Decide if you have:
*A large bust
*A small bust
*A wide neck
*A think neck
*A thick middle
*A thin middle
*Thick arms
*Thin arms

All of these issues have their own fixes to make them look better.

For a large bust, try a v-neckline. This looks best on me. Or a wider circle neckline. You know, the kind that almost makes your bra straps stick out. (But don't let them!) Things that are square or too high just make my neck look fat (since mine is short) and visually increase my bust size (and the focus on them). Which is NOT what I want!

Small bust? Wear what you want.

If you have a wide or short neck, also try a V-neck shape. This will elongate the area between your neck and chest, and make your neck look longer, which makes your whole upper body look thinner.

Thin neck? Wear what you want. Just don't brag about it when we're together.

If you have a thick middle, do not wear long shirts that cling to that area. I look best (with my thick waist) in jackets and shirts that are cut shorter, and don't go far below the top of my pants, which is my waistline. (And they NEVER go below my belly button, BTW.)

Layering is also helpful, but NEVER layer with a thick top underneath. Camis are great for this, as they look good under a jacket or other top. A-line shaped tops are also great, as they skim the middle of the body but still have shape.

If you have a thin middle: Wear what you want. And don't mind me if I briefly glare at you and try to decide whether you actually have all your internal organs.

If you have thick arms, do not wear sleeveless tops. They will only emphasize your arms since they aren't covered up, and make you look wider. Instead go for a short sleeve or 3/4 inch sleeve. It will slim you and take the focus away from your arms.

If you have things arms: wear what you want. Just don't flex in my face.

One last tip on fit for tops: your bottoms will affect your top. If you are an apple shape, then do NOT wear pants that are fitted. You need a looser fit, or it will only accentuate your round top.

Go out and get a good bra, so you have the support and shape you need to put the other tips into practice. Don't skimp on quality either. A cheaper top (or bra for that matter) that fits now may lose it's shape with repeated washings. Quality means longer life, especially with clothing.

Now, head on over to Brenda's and get some more tips, or at least a good laugh.

Reversible Patchwork Skirt Tutorial

2010-05-02T15:49:00.006+02:00

Top Photo: side one Bottom Photo: side two

I was thinking the other day that I wanted to try making a reversible skirt. The material I use to sew with here is pretty thin, and I can always see through what my girls are wearing. And slips just aren't available. I figured making a skirt reversible would take care of that problem, and would be more versatile.

I just had to figure out how to do it!

I must admit it took me a while to figure out the dimensions of each square. The skirt this makes is not a twirly skirt. I have yet to try one of those. It's an easy rectangle-turned-skirt shape, and hangs like such. A bit poofy, but it's cute. If you want to download the .pdf click here.

I decided to try and make a .pdf because it is SO much easier to get uploaded than a million pictures onto this blog. Also, you can save it in your computer if you want to, and look at it whenever you like. Hope you give it a try!

Love Bear wanted hers "old fashioned-y".

Top Photo: side one Bottom Photo: side two

More Sewing...Are You Bored Yet??

2010-05-01T09:33:00.003+02:00

So I've done some more sewing. The little onesie things were for a Deaf woman in our church. Her baby is due next month, so I sewed a little skirt to go with a long-sleeve onesie, and then I sewed a skirt to a onesie, put a fabric rose on it, and a little embellishment at the neckline.

I also made a plastic bag holder from this tutorial. They don't sell things like "sweet charm packs" here, so I looked up what the sizes of the squares were and did it on my own. My sizes are different from hers, as are the elastic lengths. I wanted my holes smaller. It took me like an hour. It was great! I can see these being great gifts...or something. Didn't it turn out cute?
I am so obsessed with patchwork now. Not enough to make an entire quilt, mind you. Words like binding and quilting are still a little out of my league, but I AM working on a tutorial for a reversible patchwork skirt. I am making it up as I go along, so it may take me a while. Figuring the size of the squares alone was a doozie!

I'm hoping to get some work done on them today, however, since it's supposed to thunderstorm. I have three to do, LOTS of squares to cut out, and figuring to do. I have the idea in my mind, and I'm pretty sure it's executable, I just have to put it into action. Which means I need time.

Maybe early next week I'll have it ready...we'll see. Have a wonderful weekend with your families! If you have nice weather, go take a walk. You won't regret it!

How to Whiten Teeth in Paint.NET

2010-04-27T20:06:00.001+02:00

This is a really simple thing to do, but it has a lot of steps. When you memorize the steps it can take as little as two or three minutes. Ready to try it? Let's go!

First of all, you want to open the image you'll be using.
The next step is to add a new layer on top of our image. We do this because we can't whiten and do all the other effects we need to directly onto the image. Everything on the new layer (like laying a transparency over the image) will show up on the image, but will not be permanent. Until we save it, that is. :0)
In my next few images you'll notice my 'Layers' box is missing. Just ignore that, ok?

Now we want to zoom in until we can see the outline of each individual tooth clearly.
Now select the paintbrush tool from the skinny box on the left side of the screen. Set the brush width to three. Then go to your color palette and click on white. Now draw an outline around each tooth, making sure you connect the start and end of your lines. This is important for our next step.
Now select the paint bucket from the tools box. Make sure white is still selected on your palette, and fill in each tooth. Just click once inside the outline of each tooth.
Looks like a mouth full of Chiclets, right? We're going to fix it, don't worry. Go to 'Effects' at the top of the page, and click 'Blurs'. Now select Gaussian Blur.
Set the radius to two or so. You don't want them so blurry you can't tell the outline of the teeth. Mess around with it until you think it looks good.
See how it's made a softer outline? This is good; exactly what we want. Now, it's still weird-looking, so we need to make a few more adjustments.

We're going to click now on 'Layers' at the top of the screen. Then slide down and click on 'Layer Properties'.
In the box that shows up, set the opacity to about 62. You can change this depending on what look you want. (Not sure where my pic went, but I can't find it. Sorry!)

Now we'll choose 'Layers' again, then 'layer properties'. Now we'll click on mode: overlay. Set it to about 81. Fiddle with this one too, depending on the look you want.
You can go back in now and do the same for the bottom teeth if necessary. Start by adding a new layer, and follow all the directions the same way.

See the difference?

Now, to save your image. Go to the top corner and click 'File'. Then 'Save as'.
In the box that appears, click on the 'Save as Type' box, and scroll down to choose either GIF or PNG. Both are widely used formats. If you work with Paint.NET doing other things, you'll quickly learn that Jpeg format does not save nicely.
When the next box appears, click 'ok'. These default settings are fine for what you're doing.

And that's it! Well done!

Some Changes

2010-04-26T07:16:00.003+02:00

I have made the decision that I will no longer be calling my kids by Disney Princess names here on the ole blog. While the Prince is still my Prince Charming, and the girls are still my little princesses, I decided that Disney has changed enough over the years to warrant my not supporting them (albeit in a roundabout way) with the names I call my kiddos.

So I asked them what they wanted me to call them, and here are their new names:

Snow White is now Love Bear.

Cinderella is now Artsy Sis.

Sleeping Beauty is now Bookworm.

And the Prince is now J-Man. (Although I picked this name, not him!)

Those are the updates. Maybe I'll put their old names in parenthesis next to the new ones for a while, just so no one gets confused. Just wanted to fill you in on the little changes going on around here. Hope you have a wonderful day! We're having waffles (homemade) for breakfast, so it's already a good day around here!

The Princess and the Frog

2010-04-24T06:47:00.004+02:00

Photo courtesy yourmoviestuff.com via Google image search

The other day a friend brought us a copy of the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog. We had never seen trailers for it because we don't have a TV, but the pictures we saw posted around the mall looked really cute. Typical Disney, if you will. There was nothing blatantly weird or demonic-looking like the new Alice in Wonderland movie, so we put it in.

I must admit I wasn't sitting 'right there' with the kids while it played. I was in the same room, but I was at the sewing machine. So I missed the first sign that this movie was going downhill fast.

I almost always look movies up on Plugged In Online, but I figured since this was a Disney princess movie it would be alright. WOW, was I ever wrong. And I regret it. Big time.

The general story line is not a bad one; poor girl has dreams to make it big, works hard, gets cheated, and looks for new ways to work hard. Meets a talking frog, kisses him and turns into a frog herself. Has to find a way to turn human again, and make her dreams come true.

Sounds good, right? Innocent, right? Wrong.

I went to iron some material in my bedroom, and I hear my middle daughter say "TURN IT OFF RIGHT NOW!!!" and then I hear little feet pattering down the hall, and three voices trying to tell me there was a sangoma in the movie! Needless to say I was floored and angry.

Yes, the movie is set in Louisiana. Yes, they have a history of voodoo. Yes, it is real and people believe in it. And yes, many Americans think it is harmless and based in legend.

Here in South Africa, sangomas (voodoo men and women) are scary. They are witch doctors. They are real. And they are demonic. They wear goat's gall bladders in their hair along with bird feathers, have white painted faces, have bracelets and anklets of assorted colors that clack together, talk with your ancestors as they burn herbs, prescribe muti (their medicine) for a price...

SO many people, even in our Deaf churches don't understand the importance of staying away from them, because they are so strongly rooted in the culture. If you see a regular doctor, and you aren't getting well as quickly as you'd like, go to a sangoma. If your baby cries too much and you want them to stop, go to the sangoma. If someone has hurt you and you want revenge, go to the sangoma. There are many cases of muti murder, where a person is killed by with doctor medicine.

They have potions, and charms, and feather bracelets, and bead necklaces, and stinky rubs they will give you, for a fee, and their solutions many times work. Can I explain how? No. Do I know it's evil and not God-honoring? YES. Was I very angry that a movie marketed to families and especially to little children had some of these freaky elements in it? YOU BET!

Needless to say they turned it off right away and didn't see the rest. I could kick myself for even letting them watch it at all, because they were all so scared they slept in my room that night. And the little one, Snow White, is still scared of the 'sangoma man' when it comes to bed time.

Apparently there is a scene later in the movie (I found out from pluggedinonline.com) where the voodoo man is going to stab a voodoo doll with a pin! And he has scary masks on the wall of his 'abode' and tells people they will be able to gather up souls too with help from his 'friend on the other side'. Now, tell me HOW IN THE WORLD that is acceptable content for children?

The Prince Navoo is also a work. He seems sex-hungry and makes inappropriate comments a lot. Not cool. Yes, it may fly over the heads of my kids, but do I want those kind of things even introduced to their psyche? Do I want them (once they DO understand) to think that kind of thing is acceptable because 'mom let us watch it in a movie once'? NO WAY!!

Just wanted to warn you away from the movie if you haven't seen it, and get that rant off my chest. I am terribly disappointed, and angry. I think I need to write Disney a letter, even though they will probably never read it. And from now on I will NEVER let my kids watch a movie I haven't either screened myself or checked out from a reputable source for content.

EVER.

Casually Feminine: Accessorize and Maximize

2010-04-21T15:57:00.004+02:00

Non-essentials. Pretty things. Girly. Feminine.

These words are all related in my mind when thinking of accessories. They aren't essential- you can totally go without them and not have anyone's mouth gape open because you forgot. They are (in my taste anyway) girly and feminine, and can add a little something special to an outfit, and dress things up a bit.

I agree with other posters that there can be an over-abundance of accessories. When someone has something in their hair, on their ears, on their wrist, painted nails, pins on their shirt, etc. where do you look? It's like trying to find Waldo in one of those books: your eyes shift all over the page trying to focus, and they just can't. There's too much to take in.

So I think the key word for accessories should be this: understated.

They shouldn't demand attention. They should be complementary. And that goes both ways: they shouldn't be so garish that they stand out, but they shouldn't look like an afterthought either.

And since this Casually Feminine series is about how we're striving to be more feminine, I think it's worth a look at some ideas to get the creative juices flowing.

There are some lovely things over at ruffles and stuff. I love her blog! Her ideas are lovely. She is a minister's wife, and has some very sweet ideas on how to make your own accessories. Such as:

Handkerchief rosettes

Ruffle cuffs and collar (Not really my taste, but pretty)

The Scrunch Belt (She is so skinny!)

Flower Cluster Necklace

Rose Cuff Bracelet

Those should be enough to get you started.

Let me share just a bit more about accessories, ok?

One important accessory is free, and fairly easy to wear.

It's a smile. A smile makes a woman look lovely. It shows a satisfaction with life. A smile means you are content with your situation. A smile can open the door of conversation with a complete stranger. It can put another person at ease. A smile shows you are approachable, and welcoming. A smile will help you swallow hurt feelings, pride, anger, resentment. A smile will help you show love to those around you. A smile, when you're feeling grumpy, will help cheer you.

It's an accessory any feminine woman should never be without.

If you want to read what others share about accessories, pop on over to Brenda's.

That's More Like It

2010-04-20T09:37:00.004+02:00

Her new musical talent!

Cinderella woke yesterday feeling MUCH improved. I am so thankful! There were so many birthday things she didn't get to play with or do because it was a Sunday, so I was very glad to see her up and ready to take on the day. I still canceled school because she needed the rest (and so did the rest of us!) so she was able to do easy things like mine for crystals, design her T-shirt, and watch movies. All things which she likes doing very much.

After ten minutes of work, crystals start to emerge.

After about an hour....

All clean and shiny!

She designed the t-shirts and I added the ruffles and skirts to them.

Kanga and Cinderella in their matching designs.

Twins!!

Cinderella Turns Eight

2010-04-19T08:37:00.002+02:00

She likes cake.

Things are all set for her to wake in the morning...

Snow White is almost more excited than the birthday girl.

The finished cake.

And the inside.

Blowing out the candles.

Me and my girl. Don't we both look tired?

It was a really great day. Church was wonderful, one man putting his faith in Christ! Then lunch out, home with friends, gifts and cake. The fellowship was sweet and we laughed a lot. She put on her new jammies, used her new hairbrush, had a braid put in and made a bed on my floor to "sleep special".

And then...then...

The puking in the middle of the night. Birthday girl was projecting like nobody's business. Having to change her new pajama top...thank God we put her hair in a braid! Poor thing. She had awakened with a sore tummy in the morning, but ate a little breakfast, so I didn't think anything of it. During the day she was fine and played, although she looked tired. Guess she has a little virus. She's sleeping it off as we speak.

Not such a nice way to end a birthday. But she does look cute all snuggled up.

The Love Dare

2010-04-15T19:37:00.005+02:00

The Prince and I were in the Christian book store the other day (when we actually had some time out alone) and we found a copy of 'The Love Dare' from the 'Fireproof' movie. We own the movie, love it, and think it's a great story that shows the mercy and grace and power that God can have in a marriage.

So we were thumbing through the book, and decided it was something we wanted to do together. Is there a marriage anywhere that can't benefit from a closer relationship? Especially when there is material available that will draw you closer to God in the process? I think not.

The book is written as a forty day challenge. Each day has a scripture portion, commentary, and a challenge. There is also a notes section where you can record changes you see in your spouse, prayer requests, or struggles. I think the whole concept is brilliant.

We started this morning. The first lesson (and I am assuming many following lessons) quotes from I Corinthians 13, which is widely known as the "love chapter".

Many of the things in the book's commentary are common sense, and well stated. It's easy to read, and just getting the time alone together for us was a victory. I must admit that, while we discuss things we've read on our own, we rarely sit down and read the Bible together. We have family devotions, but not really a time set aside for just the two of us. Do many of you do that? Should we be striving toward that? Hmmm...

Anyway, today was about patience. It was great! I don't want to share the whole devotion here because I am sure they would rather you read the book. The dare for today was that you say nothing negative to your spouse at all. When you feel angry, or upset, or have disapproving thoughts, you choose to say nothing. Because once words are out, you can't get them back.

It was great to talk about our relationship. It was great to know that we are both interested in making our marriage the best it can be, rather than just floating along with 'good enough'. We are both very busy with ministry things, and we don't always have as much time alone as we would like. The Prince stays up late studying a lot, so many times I'm in bed before him. Date night has been put on the back burner as well.

So this morning was very refreshing. I liked being proactive on my end of our relationship, and I think this daily dialogue focusing solely on our marriage will strengthen and deepen our already close bond. I was reminded that God and His Word must be at the center of all my thoughts regarding my husband, and that if I truly love him, I will give him my best. This includes being patient and giving him the benefit of the doubt when something happens that I don't like.

I will probably be sharing about the things I'm learning, although it may not be weekly. I highly recommend this book. If you are struggling in your marriage and could never convince your spouse to do it with you, then read and apply it on your own. Let God work in your heart, and see how showing true and unconditional love can transform your marriage.

Anyone else up for the challenge? I double dog dare you!!

Casually Feminine: Face the Facts Edition

2010-04-13T16:43:00.006+02:00

This is a bit much for my taste. How about you?

I do not have beautiful skin. I've never had beautiful skin. And that's ok, because there are products out there to help people like me. I have no problem admitting I wear make-up every day. Every. Day. I do not (usually) leave my house without it, so I avoid scaring anyone who may happen to look in my direction.

That is not to say that I look like the women (I think they're women anyway) in the picture above. Far from it. Most people think I don't wear make-up, because mine is very basic and natural-looking.

I do not wear eyeshadow or eyeliner. They do NOT look good on me, and I don't care to learn how to apply them properly. Mascara is good enough for this gal. I'm all about simple and quick. I do not try to be a high maintenance girl, although the hair requires a bit of work. (As do the non-existent eyebrows.)

I don't believe wearing makeup is a sin. I think if God has given you beautiful skin, you are truly blessed! If you wear makeup to make the most of what He's given you, then that's ok too. Just don't go overboard, ok?

The right haircut and makeup can make a world of difference in your appearance.

What's wrong with wanting to do the best with what God has given you? I think we ought to represent ourselves in a way that honors God, is modest, and makes the most of what we're given.

Some women try so hard to make themselves look better that they actually look worse. Although I am not an expert, let me give you some makeup tips anyway, alright?

1. Your neck and your face ought to be the SAME color. If they aren't, you are using the wrong foundation. Do not let streaks show up anywhere.

2. Your eyes should NOT look like you have spiders taking up residence over them, nor should they look like they've been punched repeatedly.

3. Your lips will make or break your face. Find out your color undertone is, and stick with shades that match it. Women with yellow undertones should not wear pink. Ever. Check it out

4. Blush is meant to be just that: a blush. Do not apply it so you can actually see a stripe of color along your cheek. This totally defeats the purpose, and makes you look odd to say the least.

Ok, that's it for make-up tips. Now let's chat a bit about a feminine face, shall we?

The Bible speaks of a woman with an "impudent face". Impudent means without modesty, bold with contempt of others, saucy, shameless. Is it any wonder this is the strange woman I spoke of before, related to the mouth?

Would you agree with me that a woman's face is like a window into her personality and spirit?

It is not lady-like or feminine to roll your eyes at a person who says something you don't like. It is also not acceptable to stick out your tongue at someone. Ever. How you carry your face will say a lot for what you are meditation on at the moment, or how you are dealing with life in general.

Have you ever seen a woman with a sour face? Does it make you want to approach that person and ask how they are doing?

How about a woman who is snobby? Who looks like the whole world is beneath her, and don't you dare disturb her with your measly presence!

What about a perpetually angry woman with a furrowed brow? Maybe you're a mom of young children (like me) who is frustrated a lot. Does that always show on your face? Or anger?

When we let negative emotions play out on our face, it is a reflection of a lack of peace in our hearts. Do I let things bother me to the point that it shows on my face without my even knowing it? Surely if you're clenching your teeth, etc. you will know you are angry about something. Wouldn't you?

So, I will try to make sure I keep a pleasant expression on my face. To do this, I will keep my dialogue with God open so I am not holding in anger, or frustration, or any other negative emotion. Not only will this keep me at peace, it will prevent aging my face! :0)

I want to be approachable, and likable, and an honor to my Lord.

Pop on over to Brenda's to see what the other ladies have to say. This is so encouraging!!

My LORD and My God

2010-04-09T12:04:00.004+02:00

Have you ever read through the books of Genesis and Exodus (and numerous other places in the Bible) that list the names 'Lord' and 'God' together, and wondered why LORD is always capitalized fully, while God is just a capital 'G'?

I have. And I've been thinking about it a lot recently.

I'm not sure why, but it seems that as a society, we seem to think the name 'Lord' means less than the name 'God'. God is holy and righteous, the King of kings, the Author of creation, the One whose mighty and unfathomable plan offers us perfect and complete salvation.

So, who is the Lord? I know 'the Lord' and 'God' are one in the same. My point is that many times we think of 'God' in a reverent way, and don't think about 'Lord' with the same reverence. It's a name that's almost an afterthought. Like 'God' is the heart of the matter and 'Lord' is a title, like Mr. or Dr. or Sir. Maybe it's just me, though.

I did a search in E-Sword today. I just put in the words 'Lord God'. Know how many hits I got? Three thousand seven hundred ninety-nine. That's a lot!! The name 'Lord God' together like that is mentioned over three thousand times in the Bible.

THREE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-NINE TIMES.

So this leads me to the question I'm wanting to ask: Is the name 'Lord' less important, holy, strong, reverent than the name God? The Scriptures themselves deny this. They in fact, emphatically prove that the names are to be equally reverenced.

Which leads me to another question: Is it okay to take the name 'Lord' in vain?

Exodus 20:7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

We are not to take the name of the LORD in vain. The LORD is the One who will have vengeance for this particular sin. I find that extremely interesting, don't you?

How many times have you heard people (like me) who would never exclaim "Oh my God!" outside of a reverent call, saying "Good Lord!" or "Oh my Lord!"? I have been guilty of this myself, and I aim to make a point of stopping it.

How in the world I came to the point where I thought the name 'Lord' was less important, or deserving of less reverence than the name 'God', I'll never know. Maybe it has something to do with my upbringing- some southern family (and a Grandma in particular whom I loved dearly) who used the phrase often.

Whatever the reason, there is no excuse for this lapse of obedience. The God of Heaven, the Lord of the universe, the Savior of my soul is deserving of any and all reverence. I suppose all the thinking of my mouth from yesterday has brought to the forefront this subject which has been dangling in the back of my mind for some time. Especially the point Aussie Mama made about not really being anything 'casual' about what comes out of our mouths. A hearty amen!

I don't need to know if you've struggled with this too. (Although you can feel free to confess your fault if you so desire.) I do not want to be consoled with the idea that I am not the only one who has been in error. Many times I make statements here that encourage others to remind me that I'm not alone in my sin, looking for something to somehow excuse it.

This time (and from now on) I simply want to confess it and forsake it.

Lord, I am sorry that I have failed to fully reverence Your wonderful name. Please help me to remember to think before I speak, to honor You with each and every word, and to obey Your commandments. Please forgive me, and set a watch before my mouth. In the holy name of Jesus, Amen.

Casually Feminine: The Mouth Will Tell Edition

2010-04-08T06:34:00.002+02:00

This week's topic is our mouth. Like Brenda mentioned when she gave us the assignment, there is SO MUCH we could cover here. If you wanted to go a physical route and talk about lipstick, etc. you would certainly have a lot of options.

However, I am going to focus on the spiritual aspect of our mouths.

In my introductory post I mentioned that the word feminine brings to mind the idea of being a lady. While we've all used that word before, and it's meaning has become obscured so that it has been intertwined with the definition of 'woman' (meaning a female), let me tell you what Answers.com says 'lady' means:

"A well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behavior."

Wow, that's a lot different from the casual way we throw that word around, agreed? I admit I have used the words 'lady' and 'woman' interchangeably, but no more! Now that I know the proper definition, I am responsible to use it well, properly.

How does this fit in with our mouth? Oh, I am so glad you asked!!

When thinking of the mouth, there were immediately two passages of scripture that came to mind. They contrast the difference between a 'woman' and a 'lady'.

See, a 'woman' is a general human of the female brand. The 'woman' I am going to talk about is called the 'strange woman' in scripture. She knows she is a woman. She knows what appeals to the opposite sex, and she uses all of it to her advantage to get what she wants. Especially her mouth. Let me show you:

"(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house.)" [Proverbs 7:11]

Two things already we learn of her mouth: she is loud and stubborn. Ever see a woman like this? This woman is always talking. She is loud to prove her point, since her argument may not be valid, she laughs uproariously at everything (mostly) that men say, and she doesn't know how to control herself.

She is also stubborn, meaning she will not listen to counsel or wisdom. And she likes to argue, to try and persuade people to see her point of view. It's important to her because, as the next few verses show, her behavior is unseemly. Whorish. And if she can convince you with her mouth and words that it's not so bad, then she doesn't feel so dirty.

In verses 13-20 she uses her words to convince a young man to come and "take our fill of love" while her husband is away. Her words [not her beauty or her clothing] cause him to fall into her trap. Verse 21 says:

" With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him."

Remember her stubborn streak? She didn't listen to his arguments, or his reasoning, or his denials of desire. She continued to talk as she led him to her house, told him it would be ok, described all the nice things she had waiting for him, and forced him.

That's not ladylike. Neither is sleeping with another man while your husband is out of town.

A real lady is found in Proverbs 31:26 "She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

This woman (who is a lady) has wisdom to share with others. She gives counsel, and is not stubborn or loud. She doesn't have to raise her voice to make her point, because she has the reputation of being wise. She also has the law of kindness in her tongue.

She does not yell at her children, or use sarcasm to get them to obey. She is kind and gentle, and soft-spoken. She obeys her husband and does not argue with him. She is the exact opposite of the 'woman' mentioned in the first verses.

And she has convicted me. My mouth does not always make me appear feminine. I like to debate. I like to get involved in conversations that don't include me. I like to bring out points no one has shared yet.

But many times I have not been asked to do so. I will work on this! I will not butt into conversations that do not include me, and I will work on speaking with kindness- especially when disciplining my children.

The law of kindness....the law of kindness...the law of kindness....

T-shirt Dress Tutorial

2010-04-06T13:46:00.004+02:00

Yes, the third in what seems to be a long line of sewing tutorials. Hope you're up for it! Lots of pics in this one, as usual.

Materials:
T-shirt
Matching thread
Sewing machine
Straight pins
Material to make the skirt

**If you want to embellish your t-shirt in any way (like I did with the cupcakes and ruffles) then do it now before you cut it and start to sew. It will be a lot easier now, than trying to add do-dads after you have a pretty full skirt around the bottom.**

STEP ONE:
Try your t-shirt on the intended wearer, and mark where you want the skirt to start. Then lay your t-shirt flat on a counter (or some other solid surface) and cut it straight across on your mark. The bottom will roll up on you, but don't worry about that.

Kinda looks like a google-eyed monster, doesn't it?

STEP TWO:
Measure the width of the t-shirt where you just cut it off, and make a note of it. If it's not on an even inch mark, round up to the nearest full inch. (For example, if your shirt is thirteen and 3/4 inches, round up to 14 inches.)

STEP THREE:
Have the intended wearer slip the cut shirt on, and measure from the bottom of the shirt to where you want the length of the skirt to stop. Remember to add two inches for hemming, and sewing the shirt to the skirt.

STEP FOUR:
Fold your chosen material in half width-wise, making sure your desired length will still fit. For example, if your material is 45 inches in width, fold it in half to make it 22.5 inches wide. This was the perfect length for me, so I didn't need to trim it at all.

Measure across your material double the width of the t-shirt you measured in step two. Why? Well, we want our skirt to be a little gathered and full, don't we? And we can't gather a skirt that is the exact width of the shirt we're sewing it to. So we double the width and add a few inches for seam allowances. (My t-shirt measured 14 inches across, so I doubled that to 28 inches. Then I added two inches for seam allowances, so my width was 30 inches.)
Cut at the mark you measured for your width. Then (if folded) cut your material on the fold to make two panels. One will be for the front of the skirt, and the other for the back.

Your two panels.

[If your material isn't wide enough to fold, then measure your desired width first, and mark it. Measure your desired length, then cut on your marks. Make two panels this size. Continue on to step five.]

STEP FIVE:
Lay one panel right-side down on your ironing board. Press the bottom hem on your panel up toward the wrong side. I made mine about an inch, but do yours however you like. Do the same for the other panel.

STEP SIX:
Lay your panels right-sides together. Pin down one short side, and sew the seam. (I don't pin with cotton. It doesn't slip much. But I DO hold it rather tightly to make sure the edges are lined up.)

STEP SEVEN:
Now that your panels are attached, sew up your bottom hem.

Then sew up the final side seam.And press your side seams open.

STEP EIGHT:
Now, turn your skirt right-side out. Set your stitch to the longest length, because we will be sewing a basting stitch now around the top of the skirt. DO NOT backstitch at the beginning or end. I started at one of the side seams and sewed all the way around so I could keep an eye on where my beginning stitch was.
At your ending stitch, leave a long enough tail to tie a couple knots. I usually leave two or three inches of thread to work with.

STEP NINE:
Tie a couple knot in one set of threads you just sewed, either the beginning or the ending threads. NOT both! Then cut the excess thread to get it out of your way.
Now, gently pull on one string of the threads you didn't knot. It will gather your material. You will have to slide the gathers down the thread to evenly distribute them.
You want to end up having your gathered material the same width as the bottom of your t-shirt.

(Your material will be right-side out, so ignore that part of this pic.)

When your skirt is the desired length, tie off the thread you were pulling on with a couple sets of knots. Trim the excess.

STEP TEN: (I didn't get a picture of this step for some reason. Sorry!!)

Turn your t-shirt inside out. Slip the bottom of your skirt into the neck of the t-shirt and pull it through. Align the bottom edge of the t-shirt with the top edge (the gathered edge) of your skirt. This makes the right side of your t-shirt and the right side of your skirt facing one another. You can kinda see it in the pic below.

STEP ELEVEN:
Line up one side seam of your skirt with one side seam of the t-shirt. Pin in place. Do the same for the other side. (No pics of this either. Sorry.)

Then pin all the way around, making sure the gathers are even. As you can see, I didn't skimp on the pins. You can use less if you want. I need all these pins!!

STEP TWELVE:
Very slowly and very carefully sew around the perimeter of your skirt/t-shirt. Pull out the pins as you go along. DO NOT try to sew over your pins, as you will probably hit one and break your needle. Not cool.

Turn your dress right-side out and slip it on the intended wearer. Watch her prance and do ballet! Admire your handiwork, and get a cup of tea. Or coke. Or water. And relax a few minutes before starting the next one.

Oh, and double check to make sure none of your basting stitches are showing on the dress. If they are, carefully remove them with a seam ripper. You want a clean look, not sloppy.

Good luck, you can do it!!

Can't. Stop. Sewing.

2010-04-04T21:22:00.004+02:00

Yesterday I sewed up a storm! The man who is visiting from the States is leaving Wednesday, and said he would be happy to bring things home for my nieces and nephews and ship to them. I, of course didn't think about this two weeks ago when he got here, so I have been forced to get creative and be quick about it.

Since we will be out of the house all day tomorrow, I sewed seriously all. day. long. yesterday. I had to make the slips for my girls to go under their dresses, I wanted to come up with something adorable for their hair, and then I wanted to get a good start on the stuff for my nieces and nephews.

So I buckled down and did it.

Here are the clips I made for Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.
They are just cut outs I free-handed from felt, and added stitches to. Nothing hard. I sewed loops on the back to run bobby pins through, but I'm not satisfied with the durability of that. Any suggestions?

The next few are gifts for my niece and nephew. The other niece's and nephew's aren't done yet.
I just bought plain t-shirts, and sewed the designs on the front with felt.

This is for the red-headed nephew.

It's a tree.

This is for the southern niece. She loves pink and purple.

Close-up of the cupcake.

Remember the ruffle t-shirt? I took that idea and applied it to the collar, then sewed a sparkly button in the middle where the two colors of knit met. (The knit I got from a friend who wasn't using it. Score!)

So, what have you been up to lately?

Easter Dresses

2010-04-02T12:18:00.003+02:00

Here are the pictures of my girls modeling their Easter Dresses. Of course there will be commentary...you know how it is.

This is the first dress I've ever made without a pattern. I did some measuring, used what I've learned about pillowcase dresses, gathering, and whatnot and put this one together. Not half bad for a first try! What do you think?

Cinderella in her dress. Love the pose!

Full length view.

This is the top that's featured in my Ruffle Shirt Tutorial. I think it came together very nicely!

Snow White in her dress. Love those eyes!

Full length view.

Sleeping Beauty posing.

Full length view. Does it look too much like a nightgown???I sewed some Yo-yos and attached them to the ribbon. The ones at the shoulder strap have a green button sewn onto them first. I think I'll make a tutorial for the yo yos too. I'm just full of explanations!! I'm also going to make some bigger ones to put on bobby pins for their hair.

Happy Resurrection Sunday and Easter and all that jazz. Our Lord is risen indeed!!!

Ruffle Front T-shirt Tutorial

2010-04-01T06:42:00.004+02:00

My second attempt at a tutorial, and nothing could be easier, I promise!!

You will need:
A t-shirt that is too long for your child
(Or a t-shirt you want to spruce up, and coordinating fabric- perhaps an second old t-shirt you don't mind cutting up.)
Needle and thread or sewing machine
Scissors
Patience

**This shirt I'm using here is actually the top of Snow White's Easter dress. That's why it's so short. This tutorial assumes you'll use a different, coordinating t-shirt for the ruffles.

STEP ONE
Lay your coordinating shirt (the one you want to cut up) out on the counter and cut four strips width-wise from the widest part of it.

STEP TWO
Cut the strips apart at the seams on either side. You will now have eight pieces of material that are the same length. (I only ended up using three of mine.)

STEP THREE
Take one of these strips and sew right down the middle with a long basting stitch. (Set your machine, if using one, to the longest stitch length setting.) Leave a moderately long tail of thread on either end.

STEP FOUR
Tie the threads at one end together in a double knot. This will prevent your thread from being pulled into the ruffle, which would make the whole thing come undone. Not cool.

STEP FIVE
On the other end of your strip, take the front thread (not the bobbin thread) and gently pull. Your material will make itself into pretty gathers. Make it as tight or as loose as you would like. When finished, secure the threads with a double knot like you did at the other end.

Pardon the camera strap. Cinderella took this pic. :0)

They scrunch up quite a bit, so if you want a longer ruffle, sew a couple of your strips together at the short end before ruffling.

STEP SIX
Set your machine's stitch back to a normal length. (For me that means two and a half.) Center the ruffle on the front of the shirt you want to spruce up, and sew into place, following the line you've already sewn down the middle. Back-stitch at the beginning and ending of this stitch.

You'll want to sew slowly to make sure none of the ruffles are being pulled into the seam. I had to stop and lift the foot a few times to readjust.

STEP SEVEN
Cut your next strip a little shorter than the first one. Cut another one to match. These will go on either side of the first ruffle we've sewn to the shirt.Continue following steps one through seven, until you have as many ruffles as you want.

If you want your ruffles like a poof ball (like mine is) then you will need to lift the side of the center ruffle a bit, and sew the new one close to the seam of the first.

TA-DA!! New life from a couple old shirts!!

I bought some new shirts on sale for me recently (two fifty each!), and I'm not thrilled with the fit. So I will be posting the spruce-up of those once I actually hunker down and get to the sewing. What do you think? Easy, right?

And if you're cutting off the shirt to turn it into the top of a dress, save the bottom portion and whip up a skirt for a dog. Your daughter will love you for it!

Easy to please!

Casually Feminine: Hair Everywhere Edition

2010-03-31T10:03:00.000+02:00

Hair. Hairhairhairhairhairhairhair. Prepare for another long post.

There is LOTS of debate about hair length among Christian circles in this day and age. I do not believe one needs to have hair to their waist in order to be feminine, or obedient to God. I do believe that one looks feminine in the way they style their hair, and yes, cuts that are super short all around look very masculine, so personally I would stay away from those.

I think if you're a woman, you ought to look like one from any angle. Including the back. Someone shouldn't have to see lipstick and mascara to know you're not a man. (Well, in this day and age that might not even be a deciding factor...) Although I have had some short haircuts in my day. And no, I will not be posting those pictures. Unless you beg. Hard.

Onto the discussion!

I have often thought when I wake in the morning and look in the mirror: "My hair doesn't look so bad. Yay me! I'm getting off easy today!"

And then I get dressed. After I have normal clothes on, the hair starts looking worse. Add the finished made-up face, and yep- the hair needs help.

See, believe it or not, my hair is naturally very curly. Very curly. It's not like black women's hair, but it is very curly. And many times when I wake in the morning, it is also unruly to say the least. Before I get into my hair routine, let me share some thoughts on why having well-groomed hair is important.

Your hair gives people a very definite first impression of who you are. From the cut and color to the style, people get a glimpse of the real you when they look at your hair. Maybe you've seen people with bright orange (or neon) hair and you can tell, before they even speak a word, that they are outgoing. They want attention.
Maybe you've seen a woman who wears her hair in a tight bun at the back of their head every day. You can tell this person is all about business. No messing around, no time to wipe bangs out of her eyes, she needs to get things done.
Other women find some new thing to do with their hair all the time. Styles, clips, braids, straightened, they always look chic and pretty. These women show they care about their appearance, and know hair plays a big part of an overall image.

Some women wear a ponytail every. single. day. And it doesn't matter if it matches their clothing or not. They find one in the bathroom (or on the floor of the hallway) and toss their hair up. Done. Or they have it in a half/pony bun with little bits sticking out all over the place. This look says 'I have neither the time nor desire to do anything with this mop on my head.'
Even if your clothes look nice, this kind of hair style detracts from it and ends up making you look sloppy. I believe making our hair attractive is a very small thing we can do to make our husband happy. Even if they tell you your hair is fine, they may not know they like the put-together look until you start doing it!

So, if you are a person who doesn't like to mess with your hair, let me recommend you get a low-maintenance 'do. Find a good stylist, ask their opinion on what fits your face, and get at it. And low maintenance doesn't mean a butch cut either. There are plenty of casually feminine options!

What does your hair say about you?

Now, with this naturally curly hair of mine, it gets put up in a clip, ponytail, or claw clip about every other day. Because at some point the sheer thickness of it makes me sweaty on my neck, and needs to be contained. However, curly hair has the benefit of a ponytail that doesn't look sloppy. It looks put-together and cute.

Why do I resort to this? I don't shower every day. Curly hair needs prodding and coaxing to do its thing. And it works best when using product on wet hair. Lots of product.

I am growing my hair out at the Prince's request, (even though I think it makes my face look fat) so I'm using more product than in the past. My favorites right now are Garnier Fructis Curl Defining Spray. They may not make it anymore, since I can't find it on their website. But I brought a lot of bottles with me. I spray about fifteen squirts into my hand, rub my hands together, then scrunch it through wet hair. Then I spray another ten squirts, and do it again. Then I follow up with a handful of mousse. (I don't have a favorite brand.) When my hair air dries (and assuming I haven't run my fingers through it a million times seeing if it is indeed dry) I have defined, un-frizzed curls.

Good deal.

I throw a headband in it, sometimes straighten my bangs, and I am good to go all day.

Here are some links to hair-related things:
Styles for LONG hair
Curly Hair Help

Can we talk about other hair now?

Some women have a hard time keeping facial hair under control. I know it's a hormonal issue, and can be embarrassing. Maybe you have a hard time with it. Maybe not. However, I believe in the "hair" post, this deserves a mention. Please don't be offended if you have one of the following issues. I'm here to help. Really.

Ever seen a woman with either of these problems?

I think the one on the right is a photoshop job, personally.

It's not really what I would call attractive, or feminine. I can't imagine me letting my facial hair get to this point, and the Prince not calling me on it. Honestly? It's gross. I have seen a woman like this, and I wonder why no one in her family has told her she "has a little somethin' on her chin".

There are many options. Plucking before it gets anywhere near this point. That's a totally viable option for me. I only have three hairs that grow on my chin, and they never get past a millimeter or so. If you're going to pluck a unibrow, make sure you do it in the evening (when you know you won't be going anywhere) and ice it afterward to prevent swelling and redness the next day. I don't have a problem with a unibrow, but I do pluck my regular eyebrows, so that's how I know about all that.

Waxing is another choice (but was invented by the Devil, so I would never do that. Ever again). Especially on my face. I tried it on my legs once, and it is WAY too painful!! Maybe I am just a big wuss...I know there are women who wax often and wouldn't do anything else. Not me.

If you have unlimited funds, then perhaps a more invasive treatment like electrolysis or laser would be an option for you. These can be quite costly, however, since you must go back for months or even years to get rid of all the hair. And laser may not result in total permanent hair removal. Something to consider, eh?

If the hair is minimal and on your upper lip, I would recommend bleaching. I have never tried this before, but I have recently noticed some of the hair around the perimeter of my lips looks darker in the sunlight. I'm thinking of doing this to eliminate the worry of someone else seeing it. Anyone have a favorite brand?

And of course there is leg hair and armpit hair...and they need taken care of. It's really an American thing to shave all that stuff off. Did you know that? Here in South Africa, there are plenty of (black African) women I've seen who rarely, if ever, take care of it. It's just not cultural to do so.

If your hubby wants it gone, get rid of it. If he doesn't care, then do what you want. And that goes for the nether regions too. I'm not even going to get into that today.

Let me clarify that, or ever.

So, I hope this was a helpful post. Better than last week's where I just pretty much told you my situation and offered no help at all. I have since made a pajama pants tutorial that you can check out at your leisure.

Pop on over to Brenda's and see what everyone else has to say. It'll be good for you. I promise.

Oh My. Is It Easter Already??

2010-03-30T08:21:00.005+02:00

Here in South Africa the Deaf people in our church don't buy new clothes just because it's Easter. They can't afford to. Little girls come in dresses they wear at least once a month. Sometimes they only own two or three dresses at all. So, I haven't found it terribly pressing to get my girls new dresses each Easter since we've been here.

This year? I don't know. I'm feeling like they need something special to wear. Why? Because they asked me about it, that's why. Nothing like pressure from a six year old.

But I am reluctant to go out shopping because:
A) I don't like to shop. There, I said it. Yes, I am a woman, but I get what I need and get out. I'm not up for the challenge of trying on and consoling when things don't fit.
B) We have lots of material lying around here right now that can be used to make something cute, before I run out and invest in store-made clothing.
C) I'm not so sure it's in our budget right now to get three new dresses that are frilly and fluffy and will (possibly) never be worn again.

Because did I mention it's dusty here? And if we wear open-toed shoes we come home with orange toes because of all the dirt and dust? And the chairs we use from the Deaf school often have food still stuck to them? So we wipe them down the best we can without access to water or soap...Yeah, frilly dresses seem like such a waste here.

But I have determined (I still have five days to get them done!) that I will make them something new. I will stretch my sewing skills and come up with something they will love, that will fit perfectly, that will be worn again and again, but still look special on this first time out.

These are the inspiration I've found so far.
Twirl Dresses
Spring Dresses
Dressing up t-shirts
Men's Shirt to Girls' Dress

Any other suggestions? I could really use some fast help here.