thoughts

With the sunlight streaming in my dining room this morning I take advantage of the quiet moment and am inspired by the picture on my shower gel bottle.  Using my sons rainbow colored pencils I recreate the winter scene as best I can.  One of my earliest memories is standing over the easel in kindergarten adorned with a painters smock.  They were watercolor paintings with broad strokes I am sure but oh how I loved it!  In this new year of 2012 I am hoping to devote more time to drawing and see what becomes of it.

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My thoughts drift to yesterday when I walked through the Cancer Care doors with a friend of mine and it was a sobering moment.  I, a healthy mom, her a mom with a lump in her breast.  Although this is her second time with the cancer diagnosis, it is a daunting road ahead of her.  She fought the giant and won over 20 years ago.  Now, she is faced with this other giant.  On the drive home with talked about everyday life and laughed over the challenges of raising kids.  As we neared her home she pulled out a white paper from her purse and read out loud the lab report of her lymph node.  A lot of technical words that went on and on but left such a heaviness in her and my heart for amongst the technical jargon we knew it wasn't good.  What can you do but pray and love one going through such a battle?  I don't know, but I do know this, I want to be by her side supporting her along with her other friends and family.  Back again at her home,  I took her hand and prayed for her and then she prayed for me.  A woman faced with such a battle found the words to pray for me.  Me?  I. was. shocked.  

Oh, Lord, how great your love is, for words can never express the height, depth or width of it.

Show and Tell

I wanted to show you my doll's new Christmas dress!  While I love to sew for dolls it's a treat to buy something new, out of fabrics not easily found.

 

The red sweater dress is a discontinued American Girl outfit I purchased from ebay back in November.  

Aren't the silver glitter tights and red patent shoes too cute? 

Changing topics now . . . amongst the busi-ness of Christmas I didn't have time to post about a Christmas party my church puts on every year for the moms and children who are a part of our local transitional housing program.  This year my part was to do a craft with the older children.  What an honor it was to do so.

They made cards for their moms along with these simple wreaths constructed from strips (2x7.5") of red organza.  They are simply tied onto a coat hanger shaped into a circle.  The children really enjoyed tying the strips and watching the wreath fill out. Some kids made them more full than others but either way they turn out really cute.

This is one I made as a sample.  Topped with a green satin bow they are very festive looking and can adorn a door or wall.  The coat hangers were generously donated by my dry cleaners.

No party is complete without gifts, right?  It was so much fun to watch the kids open theirs.  If you look closely on the girls shirt you will see her name "Miracle."  What a beautiful name don't you think?  Children are indeed such a blessing and miracle from the Lord.

Thank you for reading and may you be blessed by heaven above!

Happy New Year!

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with our families in Minnesota and just returned home.  It was an unusually warm and brown Christmas, but perfect weather for traveling!  During the ride back I read out loud to my oldest son, who was driving, the book, "Heaven is for Real."

If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend it!  It is a story about a 3 year old boys experience in heaven while he was being operated on.  My, oh, my is it ever a good read!  He talks about seeing Jesus and the "markers" He has.  Through his young eyes and limited vocabulary he describes heaven exactly like the Bible does.  At times we all feel as if our prayers don't matter but this book will chase those false thoughts away.  It has whetted my appetite for more of heaven.

With each passing year we draw closer and closer to our real home which is heaven.  Our life here on earth is just a vapor and we are only passing through to our eternal home.

My prayer is you know Jesus so that you too can go home to meet His Dad.

Blessings in New Year!

Winter Party Dresses

Rain, rain go away 

please come back another day . . . 

We would love some snow instead 

For after all days and days of rain I dread

Wouldn't snow be so much better?

It is white and lovely

pure and crystalline

and just perfect for December

My boys want to enjoy winter

the shoveling, sledding and snow ball throwing,

after hours of play to come inside

with their frosty cheeks to sip on hot chocolate

Okay, so rainy weather doesn't make for great photos and I'm a struggling poet (he he!)

Even if it's raining outside I have had fun creating these winter dresses for my neices.  In case it's hard to see one is in lilac and the other in white.  They both feature silver snowflakes on the sleeves and skirt overlay.

McCall's pattern 5554 (View B) was used to create the dresses.

Only 10 more days to Christmas!  Can you believe it?  

Since my boys are getting new sleds for Christmas I am praying for some fluffy white snow!

Plus, it really helps set the mood for Christmas don't you think?

Pretty in Pink

Sewing for dolls is pure delight for me.  This dress was no exception!!  Sewing with fancier fabrics scared me a bit but I found it really wasn't that bad.

This dress was an order for someone after a sparkly gem look.  They wanted a rose colored swirl sheer fabric but sadly I couldn't find any.  But, this pink satin  with pink sheer is pure princess if you ask me!

I made a few modifications to a McCall's pattern (5554, View B) to achieve the right look.  I also used a 3-thread rolled edge to hem the sheer fabric.  Worked just perfectly without a lot of effort.   

Now she's all ready for a fancy tea party and a Merry Christmas for a special girl!

Blessings!

(View my Doll Catalog tab at the top to see more doll clothing - 

please e-mail me if you see something you like!)

Secret Santas

A few days ago I announced to my family we should have a little fun with each other by playing secret santas.  Oftentimes I noticed we can treat strangers better than the very loved ones we live with.  I wanted us to think of each other better than ourselves and to go out of our way to do something kind and thoughtful with the restriction of using our own time and talents (no spending allowed!)  With excitement then we quietly drew names from a hat.

Now that we've been playing it for a few days it is a lot of fun!  I chose my oldest son's name and I am beginning to see he picked my name, too!

I was in shock when he asked me if I wanted help with editing our christmas card photo.  Why, yes I certainly did want some help.  My boys would much rather give blood than be all dressed up posing for a silly camera for a sentimental mom.  So the time he took to help me make the final photo cut was a gift indeed.

My oldest son loves to eat and boy do I mean eat!  He feels loved when I make him a snack or a nice meal (he's a lot like his paternal grandpa that way).  His day on Monday was spent mostly away from the family as he had a couple of friends over after school to study and then after dinner they left for youth group.  I had a snack ready for him when they came home and then made dinner for him and his friends.  Then before I went to bed I left him a little toy train filled with Hershey kisses on his bed, knowing he would see it before he crawled under the covers.

I awoke to this note on my ipad the next morning,

Good morning and good day!

Although yesterday may seem so far away,

Truly this note was scribed before midnight,

So your Secret Santa had not forgotten your delight.

And surely a few cheesy couplets can amend

My negligence toward you (which I really did not intend?)

Alas, I will bid thee adieu and entreat that you have an incredible day!

I knew instantly it was son #1 - for he has way with words that leaves me in awe!!

We will probably reveal our secret santas tonight and draw another name so I want to bless son #1 with his favorite meal - PASTA!  They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and that is certainly true with him. 

Those are a few things I have done for my secret santa.   How about you?  Do you play secret santas?

Blessings!

Decorating for Christmas

After enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving with our parents the fall decorations were soon put away and out came the Christmas boxes!  My boys always enjoy helping set up the tree and this year my youngest 2 were the most excited about doing it.

Once the decorations were on the tree then it was time to put the Christmas train around it.  My youngest likes to pretend the train delivers presents all over the place!  This year we are using an advent calendar book to remember the events leading up to Christ's birth.  Each day is it's own tiny little book that also doubles as an ornament after it is read.  Just the activity we need to keep our focus on Jesus during this busy season of giving, baking, decorating and mailing cards!

On our mantel I hang Christmas stockings from my dear friend who had them made in China when she lived there.  The boys favorite nutcrackers also hold a prized spot on the mantel.

I have several nativity scenes set up in my home but this one always makes me pause and ponder the humbleness of Christ's birth.  It was a wedding gift from my maid of honor.  While I was given several handmade gifts this one is the most unique!  Can you tell what it is made from?  The barn is actually made from birch bark.  It has moss, mushrooms and lichen attached to it.  The pen inside the barn is made from sticks as well as holding up the birch.  This creche has moved with us all over the midwest and has survived well!

How about you?  Have you gotten your decorating done?  Or do you do something else first, like write out your cards?

May your day be blessed!