Now & Then, Here & Now, This & That

Aaaaaand again...

2012-01-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

I made more stuff. Annnnd I may need a Pinterest intervention.

You can follow me on Pinterest and see what keeps my attention to the exclusion of all else, simply by clicking the 'Follow me on Pinterest' button at the top right of this blog. Do it. I should probably link back to the original posts, but I just can't make myself do it right now, but Pitnerest will do it for me, and you may find some other stuff you like.

Someone at the bridal shower I attended even made a Pinterest comment when my gift was opened. The covered cake pan the bride registered for was filled with crocheted dishcloths and a variety of potholders I made.

(Sometimes Blogger is so frustrating. Like today when this photo is obviously supposed to be turned the other way. Gah! No matter what I do, it's wrong. Maybe someone from the Google corp. will see my complaint and want to give me a huge gift card to make up for the inconvenience?!? It could happen.)

Cute, bright materials, all backed with repurposed jean material. Jean is so durable, these should wash up really well. And the jean parts should interfere with the grooms masculine preference...'

Cupcake potholder.

Japanese style potholders, minimalistic, nothing extra to get in the way...

In lieu of a bow, I added this little guy to the outside of the package. I like these kind of little primitive crafts, good for not much at all, other than getting a smile! I liked him so much, I started on a few more.

These are sitting in the basket of socks & underwear I should have been sorting & folding instead of crocheting. Maybe the socks will get done tonight. Or, if I leave them long enough, the family will have dug through the basket, picking their own stuff out... and then I could crochet more...

How I Might be Growing Up, and Some Gifts I Made

2012-01-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

The Chenille quilt I made this fall has found a new home. It is living with a cute little snuggler named Henry. He also received these letters I found a pattern for online (I can't find the original link - sorry!!)

I used scraps from the chenille quilt and a couple other coordinating fabrics, cut the edges to rag and washed them up. They are pretty cute. Next, I sewed them on a wide ribbon, vertically, to hang on a door or wall. So cute. Unfortunately, I did this last step in a hurry the morning of the shower, which I was hosting. Here's a blurry shot of the result:

Do you see what I didn't? ? ? ? Yeah, it says 'Herny', which is CLOSE to Henry, but not close enough. I had this hanging as a decoration to go home with the mom, and finally someone was nice enough to point out my spelling error. Bah. It was a good laugh, and now it's been fixed and is ready to go in the mail back to Henry. Embarrassing, but we had a good laugh.

Henry also got a couple rattles that I made. The first one, I saw Stephanie, a friend, post on her blog 'built to last' a while ago (check her blog out - you'll like it!), and then when I saw one on Pinterest it reminded me how much I liked them. I totally free-handed mine and let's just call them an interpretation of the cute ones I've seen. Or maybe 'artictic'? He has a little bell in his nose so he makes a small noise, not too obnoxious.

Then I crocheted a wormmy kind of stacking-ring-ish rattle. (I may have called his back end slightly phallic shaped in the past. Don't judge, I just kind of made up the pattern as I looked at a picture.) This one has a cat toy in his head (a bell in a plastic ball) so he rattles a little louder. The rings come off and the yarn is all 100% cotton as are the tshirt strips I stuffed him with so he can be thrown right in the wash. The rings should be good sizes for baby hands.

Also, some fun paint chip garland was made. This was fun decoration, and almost free - just the cost of some thread, and time. Grace even helped punch these out, and I think the garland will live in her room now that the shower is over. I ended up with almost 15 feet of garland. We sprinkled some extra pieces on the bar where the shower treats were, very festive!

The baby shower concluded a couple weeks of lots of company. We had some good friends over a few times over the Christmas holiday, hosted a game night for our small group, and then the baby shower. My husband likes to have people over. I don't, not as much anyway. But I noticed something in myself as we were having company. I was enjoying it. I was relaxed and having fun. I wasn't worried about getting on to the next thing. It was even OK when I didn't get to play a single game with our small group and refereed kids instead so other parents could have fun.

I'm also in an accountability group with a couple other great ladies to encourage each other in the area of health. We would all like to lose weight, but want to not do a fad diet. We all feel like there is a spiritual component to this fight, so we are fighting. And most of all, we are praying for each other and trying to allow God to speak into this area of our lives. We're reading a book about this together, using the 'my fitness pal' app on our phones, and meeting weekly. I've lost 9 pounds so far (2 or three weeks? Three maybe.) by cutting out some extra eating and just being aware of how many calories are in the regular food I eat. I still need to add in exercise, throw out the McD's Mocha Frappe that I love, and commit to better meal planning, but it's a good start.

But the thing I'm noticing is that I feel better about myself. Typical of my experience of God, I'm asking Him to do one thing, and He's doing that and other stuff at the same time. He seems to be speaking to my identity, telling me I'm OK, and making me comfortable in my own skin. I think that's why I liked having people over and didn't have to worry overly much about the house being perfect. I think I could relax and have fun because God made me OK with myself. Crazy. Great. I jokingly told my husband that I am 41 and it feels like I'm just growing up in this area. I want to get healthy, but I can't wait to see what else God will do through my willingness to let Him in. Stay tuned!

Memory Quilt 2

2011-12-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

The quilt is really done, and gone. See my previous post to see where the pattern came from, but here's a little more information on how I did the photos.

I stole them. Well, I stole some of them from facebook. Yes, again this year, I was a super-stalker and snagged photos from relatives fb photo albums to complete my Christmas project. (Warning, if you do this, the photos will not be high enough quality to enlarge them. Facebook compresses photos to save memory so enlarging the photos will make them grainy. If you plan to make them the same size or smaller, they are fine for most purposes.) I also scoured my photo albums to find photos.

[Want to save photos from someone else's facebook album? Right click on the photo, choose 'Save As', name the photo and save it to your computer (I usually make a folder on my desktop for easy access). The photo is now 'yours', but beware of really stealing an image to re-use, I'm sure someone could get sued for something like that in today's sue-happy society!]

After I found the photos I wanted to use, I spent a good amount of time on Picnik (which you should be using for easy free photo editing!) cropping photos, fixing colors and exposure, and softening the edges of all the photos. I wanted them to fit into the quilt window and not have a distinct edge for uniformity. Some photos were so old I couldn't fix all the yellowing without messing up the overall color, but that's part of the charm, I think. Like this gem from Gramdpa & Gramma's wedding 54 years ago, that's my mom in the middle:

Then I threw them in a Word document, four photos to a page, and printed them on our HP inkjet printer at home, in mirror image. This is the product I used:

I was really pleased with this product! Previously, I've had iron on sheets that immediately peal at the edges or don't seem to really bond well to the material. Not so with this, this was great! The transfer papers almost melted right into the material and the photos were very clear with no bleeding. I will use this product again for sure.

I was really excited to give this gift. (It really is better to give than to receive! What? Cheesy? True.)

I love how Grace was almost as excited as I was to see Grampa receive his gift. You can see her in a couple photos above, just unable to stay back. =0) There may have been a few tears and a nose blown.

Everyone stopped to check out the quilt on the pool table, finding pictures of themselves and absent family members.

DONE!

Memory Quilt

2011-12-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

Grampa is not online so I can post his Christmas gift and not have to worry that the surprise will be ruined.

I first saw this pattern at A Passionate Quilter and loved it, 1) because it's a great way to use up scraps, 2) it uses repurposed jeans, which I love extra much, and 3) because I thought I could make it into the memory quilt I've been thinking about making for a couple years now. My gram passed away a couple months ago and doing this family quilt for grampa with lots of pictures, including gram (she's in the red, second square from the bottom on the right), and finding a great pattern made this a good time to try. Check out A Passionate Quilter for her pattern, the only change I made was to make bigger circles. The biggest circle I could find that I didn't mind drawing with permanent marker all around the edge was a foil pie tin, 9.5" diameter. That required geometry to figure out that a 6 3/8 " square would be the correct size for the insert.

Anyway... I'm struck by how often I hate a project by the time it's almost done, especially a big project. I think that just helps push you through the end of the project. I'm so done with this project. I'd change a few things about this quilt. I'd make it a square smaller on each side. I wanted it to be a lap quilt (and thanks to my poor geography skills) and this quilt is a little big for a lap quilt but not big enough for a twin bed. I love the denim, but I think next time I would use flannel. With all the quilting on this quilt, it actually made the quilt stiffer rather than more flexible and I wanted a cozy snuggle up quilt. And the denim was heavy to sew. The quilt was put together in four pieces so I only had to quilt the middle line right through the middle. Thank God I actually read the directions because it would have sucked to quilt the whole thing when it was together. SUCKED.

I originally thought I would rag the edges like the pattern linked above, but saw this other quilt at Juicy Bits where she left the edges raw and I though that might be best to not distract from the photos. And who wants to do that much cutting? Then I added another line of quilting so it was probably just as much work either way. It looks like I gave a bit more allowance than she did and I hope the edges hold up OK. I know this won't be getting washed a ton so I hope it's good.

My son says that this is definitely the gift that will make grampa cry this year. Not my goal, but I do hope he likes it!

Here's one of the sections before I joined them. And here's what the back looks like.

I really do like how the quilting looks.

Sunny

2011-12-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

When I was little we had a pastor who had a daughter named Sunny. I don't' even know if that was her real name or if it was a nickname. But I loved it. I still kind of love it. And more and more, I want to be Sunny.

Not that exact person, just the personality that should go with that name, ifyaknowwhatImean.

Lately I'm not sunny. I'm busy. Tired. Old. Fat. Unmotivated. Uncaring. You get it, I'm just not sunny.

But I'm trying to figure out how to get there from here.

Birthday, Redesigned

2011-12-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

I recently had a birthday.

I don't like birthdays. Not because I don't like getting older, though. OK, I don't like getting older, but that's not the reason. It just seems like a big deal over nothing. It's not like I did something to earn a day just for me. Woohoo, you were born, way to go, you outgrew the womb! We don't usually have celebrations over stuff like, "Congratulations, you managed to eat your way to a bigger size! Happy XXL, big guy!" Now I'm just being silly. Yes, birthdays are a great opportunity to tell people how special they are. And I appreciate being appreciated, I guess I just don't know how to graciously accept it. But that's not the post I'm writing right now.

I'm not really a big gift person, either. I like really practical gifts. I still miss the underwear my gram would buy for me, every year. If it's something I needed and didn't have to buy for myself, you've blessed me, indeed! I frequently ruminate on the fabulous giftedness of the foldable, electric griddle (great product!), at least every time we make french toast or crepes. That's the kind of gifts I like. (I feel like need to let you know that my husband gives me great gifts, too. He watches what I like and then he blesses me with something I'd never buy myself, and tells me to just let him do something nice for me, so I do.)

And then I saw a link on Pinterest linking to Robyn's 38th birthday post (@ Mix Mingle Glow) where she decided to do 38 Random Acts of Kindness (RAOKs) on her birthday. She planned ahead and made a plan, proactively thinking about others. And then she invited her family and friends to participate, and the response was huge! Check out that post and see if you aren't motivated, too.

My church has a motto, and it's my church because I believe it: Love God. Love People. Period. It sounds a lot like a RAOK to me! So that's what I want. I'm putting in my order for my 42nd birthday right now: in 345 days I am having a birthday filled with loving on other people, and I'll invite everyone (you, if you are reading this) to participate with me. I'm going to spend this year thinking about ways to bless people, and practicing them. Won't you please join me?

Prophetic Arts & Crafts

2011-11-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

I saw these beauties pinned on a website I'm not going to keep harping about (See my last two posts!), and followed them to the original post. I love them. Again, something I don't need, but compelled to make one. So Grace and I each made one.

These were fun. We drew the pattern, Grace traced her own and cut the pieces out. She added wings to hers. They are supposed to be rustic so it didn't matter that the eyes weren't exactly even, or the wings weren't perfectly cut out - the best kind of project to do with kids! And it's good for Grace to loosen up and not have something she made be too perfect.

I did all the sewing, she did all the stuffing.

She's happy with the results. I had to get up at 2:30am to go get the owl she'd kicked out of bed!

And she had to take a picture with both animals we've made together now. Evidently, when you are a two dimensional, stuffed, handmade creature, you are automatically friends with any other two dimensional, stuffed, handmade creature you meet. Good to know.

Here's mine, I love this bright, cheery seersucker fabric. I made it with a friend in mind, she wouldn't get out of my head all week. I wish I had fuzzy material for the back, but I'm pretty into using what I have or repurposing other stuff, so this guy was backed with jeans.

And there was a little message free motion quilted onto the back:

Whoooooo is loved?

Annie is!

I felt corny with this (corny) pun, but again, couldn't get it out of my head so I went with it. And the recipient assured me that that is exactly what God has been speaking into her heart over the last few days. She also said that it's like "prophetic arts and crafts!"

I loved that! I walked into church carrying this little stuffed guy, and felt kind of silly, but pretty sure I was supposed to bring it, and it seems like that was right on. Sweet! Maybe this is why I get hooked on making something. right. now. And love giving stuff away. Maybe it's prophetic arts and crafts? Maybe.

Poor, Muppety Llama

2011-11-18T06:33:00.000-08:00

I saw this on Pinterest (again with the Pinterest!?!) and it made me laugh. Out loud. And I do not laugh out loud at just anything...

Poor, muppety llama

Happy Friday! I hope you have lots to laugh about this weekend, and someone to laugh with...

Jump on the Bandwagon!

2011-11-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

(Should it be Band Wagon or Bandwagon? IDK)

Did you read this post where I talked about TARN? Because now I am seeing it all over, and people are evidently paying a lot for it. Or 'they' want people to pay a lot for it. Whichever. Check these out:

This one was at Michael's craft store, 12 loops, 4 of each color, for $7!

And this one is at the store on the university where I work. These Boho Wraps can be used for "bracelets, headbands, necklaces, belts, or ponytale holders," per the packaging. $8! For a quarter of the material above.

So jump on the bandwagon, people! Grab some tshirts, make your own tarn, and save a few bucks! What can you make?

(See Wikipedia for Bandwagon origins here.)

Woodland Gnomes & Captive Thoughts

2011-11-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

I've talked about Pinterest on this blog before. I love Pinterest, a little too much.

Some of the great things about Pinterest are how visual it is. You can scroll through pictures (what's it called when it's bigger than a thumbnail but not the whole window?) and only need to click something if you are interested, not open each link and hit 'back' because you didn't find what you wanted. Everything on it is something someone else has found 'pin worthy' so you have less junk to wade through to determine if you like something. It is like walking through a art fair with mostly things you can do yourself, but you don't have to secretly sneak a photo or mutter to a friend about how you can make that, too. (There are categories on Pinterest that do not fall into the categories I'm describing, like architecture & fashion, but I'm not so interested in those.)

I saw some cute woodland gnomes made from corks. I knew I had corks, and yarn, and suddenly had to make them. Waiting and crocheting during Grace's dance class I chatted with the other waiting mom's, and they asked what I was making. I showed them the gnomes on my iPhone, which led to a discussion about what I was making them for.

Wait, what do you mean, 'what am I making them for?!?' Obviously they are missing the obvious answer. They're cute, and I have corks and yarn.... And then I realized that I was making something for no reason, and that I can try to simply enjoy the idea that there are creative people out in the big world that can make cute, creative things, that I never have to try. Just because I can, doesn't mean I should. Duh!

So, I made some cute woodland gnomes, I don't know what I'm going to do with them, I don't think I need to make any more.

And again, I learned a few things (all this learning is hard!):
Again, because I can make something doesn't mean I should make it.
I don't always have to have a project, do I?
It's nice to make things for people (who wants some gnomes?), but not necessary.
I shouldn't start a new project when the hat I started this weekend is not done.
(Or the 17 other projects that are waiting for some attention)
It's OK to create margin, instead of stuff.

Stuff I learned

2011-11-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

I went to a conference at our church this weekend, A Cause to Live for, a Cause to Die for. I've realized a few things, possibly not new to anyone but me. I'm writing them down anyway, so I can remember when I need them.

Miracles still happen.

We often don't recognize them.

We often don't ask for them.

We don't give credit to God when it does happen.

We are afraid that our prayers will actually be answered.

We're not always sure we want to be healed. Sometimes we are too happy to sit in our mess.

We're afraid the answered prayer will look like something other than our plan.
.
.
.

And then there's that book. THE Book. I've read it, at least a few times, and many books over and over, taking pride in the amount of writing and highlighting in the. And then I got busy and started using it for reference only. I'm ashamed to say how familiar I've gotten with the Book in a browser with a search window. I've even started reading books that are about things in the Book and glossing over the references. Or the facebook posts that are carefully chosen excepts of the Book. Phooey. I'm so done with that. I'd forgotten that the Book isn't just another Book, it's the Living, Breathing Instruction Manual for living. I'd forgotten that

it's medicine for my wounded being,

and not just a reference guide to use when I need something wise to say.

Good stuff to remember.

Some This & That

2011-11-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

I love that our 16 year old can still be captivated by building creatures with twist-ties.

Such a strange dog.

Girl wanted a braid, NOT THIS KIND OF BRAID!#%@*!!,
so the braid came out.

I was sick Friday-now and started a baby rattle.
Not too bad for no pattern, even if the end is a little phallic.

Two more rings to go on it, the rings come off and the larger end rattles.

On Pinterest I saw a quilt with pixelated pics from Star Wars.

I think Micah would like it.

Maybe I'd get fancier and use these cross stitch pieces for a pattern:

If I ever get ambitious. We'll see.

Chili Dump

2011-11-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

Doesn't that title sound horrible? I think it does. But we did it with our small group, and it was GOOD.

My husband got this idea from a friend at work (which is funny because I also heard this idea from a completely different friend and I dismissed it because it didn't sound good at all!). A chili dump is when you have everyone make some chili, bring it all together, mix it up, and eat it! Even when the recipes are different, even when one has corn and one has bacon and one has butter beans (my favorite!). We had four varieties, and the one Micheal made had freshly smoked tomatoes & peppers, beef, Italian sausage, bacon, Bushes baked beans, and butter beans. Smoking the veggies was INGENIOUS and made the chili smell so good!

My husband also makes salsa with smoked veggies and it. is. GOOD. But back to the chili.

The chili was mixed in the big stock pot of a turkey fryer and kept hot with the gas burner. The group members also brought chili fixings like sour cream, cheese, cilantro, smoked hot peppers for heat lovers, Fritos, cornbread, and other stuff I'm probably missing... The chili was really excellent and everyone kept saying how good it was (I think we were all surprised.) We ate it outside around a bonfire and made S'mores for dessert.

If you need an idea to feed a group, you should try a Chili Dump, I think you'll like it!

Show & Tell

2011-10-31T07:18:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend at a cabin in the woods with a bunch of crafty ladies. There was scrapbooking, quilting, jewelry making, sewing, stamping, ancestor researching, crocheting... and eating. Three whole days and nights of doing whatever we wanted to do. I can't show you some things because they're gifts, but here's a few of the things I made that I can show you:

I was going to make a bunch of different amigurami like these in 3s for juggling kits for Christmas for nieces & nephews, but I don't think so anymore. Anyone wanna buy a juggling book? I'll give you a great deal!

A repurposed pair of jeans into a bag for current yarn projects.

Can you see the vintage sheets I lined them with, above? I love that material!

And potholders I made from some scraps someone passed on to me.

Not colors I would normally pick, but they were already half sewn. I used thermal fleece inside and as thin as they are, they really do protect from heat. They sound a little crinkly.

I just left a raw edge that I pinked. I hope the edges hold up, or else I'll have to throw some binding on. After being married almost 20 years, all our potholders are about that old, and trashed, burned, or stained from the BBQ, I may have been the most excited about these!

And I made a little chapstick holder for Grace. It's chapped lips season and I hope this well help her always have chapstick with her!

Remember these?

2011-10-27T06:17:00.000-07:00

I always wanted to wear these in Jr. High but my mom wouldn't allow me to have long enough hair to get the 'right' look. I was very sad. Sad enough that I remember it 30 years later, and with it the jealousy I felt for a certain classmate who had the long, blond, straight hair I always wanted, instead of my dishwater, curly, short mop...

(Pause for a moment at the poignancy of the memory...)

When I saw the lovely ribboned barrettes someone pinned on Pinterest, of course I immediately put this project on my list. Grace and I made them last night.

The trickiest part is starting them, so I did that, but then Grace could easily do the braiding while I held the barrette steady. You can see some imperfections, and we packed more braiding on them than necessary, but we both like the result!

Here's a tutorial, case you're interested. (Really, if this memory has stuck with me all these years, you don't want your daughter to live under a cloud like I have, do you???) The only difference we did, other than extra braiding, is we started on the other side of the barrette so the ribbons would end up hanging from what will be the bottom, it made more sense to me!

Tip for living well

2011-10-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

At a work meeting, after a co-worker described the redundancy purposely built into the university's network system, he was asked some questions about the design. He said that this allows for a "more graceful fault tolerance" when a network switch goes down. As we are talking about the network on a busy university, this is understandably important. There are classes that can't even be taught without internet access. So our IT staff is constantly, proactively working on ways to minimize failure.

The phrase he used stuck with me.

A more graceful fault tolerance.

I want a more graceful fault tolerance.

I want more (additional)

graceful (characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, etc.)

fault (a defect or imperfection, an error or mistake, a misdeed or transgression)

tolerance (patience, sufferance, forbearance; liberality, impartiality, open-mindedness)

I WANT TO HAVE A MORE GRACEFUL FAULT TOLERANCE!!

And I hope you can have one for me, too. Mm'k? Thanks!

Making

2011-10-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Are you making gifts for Christmas this year?

It's only 67 days away.

In 8 days I'm going on a crafting weekend with a bunch of women. I think most of them will be scrapbooking. But not me, I sold all my stuff in favor of digital scrapping. But I do have a bunch of stuff I'd like to make...

But how do YOU narrow it down? Do you make a bunch of the same thing for everyone? Do you make unique things for each person? Do you eschew all things home-made and buy gifts, or gift cards?

I'm starting to get a little stressed out about it!!! 67 days, people!

My husband wants one of these iPhone thermometer thingies for Christmas. They actually look pretty sweet. But I bet I can't make one of those.

67 days, people!

What are your Christmas projects? (And tell me you are even less prepared than I am. Please?)

Imagination

2011-10-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

We stood outside watching our kids jump on the trampoline. One of the parents shared his trampoline memories with us. (Unfortunately,) I can't get it out of my mind.

He and his siblings would strip down to their underwear, squirt Dawn dish soap all over the trampoline, put a sprinkler underneath so it would spray through the mesh, and jump around on it in big garbage bags. He called it, "Who will die first?"

Crazy picture, huh? If it weren't October in Minnesota, I might try something similar... And I would NOT tell our insurance agent!

I do love when kids make their own fun, though! Here's to imagination!

Flashback Friday

2011-10-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

It's windy, rainy off and on, and the Friday of a busy week where we've all been fighting fall colds and other crud. I just want to snuggle up with my family, watch movies, nap...

Last weekend, Micheal, Micah, and I watched the movie Thor together and for a couple minutes Micah and I were on the same bed under different blankets. I jokingly snuggled up by him and he was so, SO uncomfortable. And I was so sad.

And Grace will snuggle with me for about 4.87 seconds before she's on to the next thing. Unless it's in the middle of the night or early morning hours, then she's like a giant (baby) squid who is suctioned right to my side. And who can enjoy it then?

I remember when everyone was younger and liked each other. Like this:

(7 years ago)

Or this sick day:

I hope you have a great weekend! I'll be taking our princess to Boo at the Zoo tomorrow, which means I'll be hemming a ballgown tonight!

Hotpads & Pictures

2011-10-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

I made a fabric basket for a friend, and every time I looked at the scraps I thought about what I should use them for. They weren't big scraps, so they turned into this:

It was surprisingly challenging to make these random. I'd like to think that my difficulty means that I am a meticulous crafter, but it probably just means that I am a control freak. ;o)

These are backed with repurposed denim with another layer of (way more worn) denim and scrap of batting inside. And the quilted top is sewn to a scrap layer of fleece, so 4+ layers. And then I dropped them off for my friend because, made out of 'her' material, they felt like they were hers.

We had Grace's kid birthday party at the roller rink last Saturday. Only half the kids could skate, but they were troopers and kept getting up and trying when I would have quit. In their goody-bags we put some glowing bracelets, a sticky hand thing, candy, and a container of goo. Grace and I made the goo ourselves (find a basic recipe here), colored it blue and purple, added extra fine glitter and put it in dollar store containers. The goo was a hit! (And if I had planned ahead, it would have been even cheaper to pick up the glue during back to school sales!) And Grace got to pick a pair of gloves to go with her 'I had a skate party tshirt.' She had to wear then to school on Monday. (And insists they are warm and that she could wear them all winter! Ummm, no.)

Flashback to the 80s!

Micah's been sick, wearing lots of sweats, and doing lots of this.

Everywhere we go, Grace wants to pose with something.

And then she likes to flip through them so she can make decide if they are

facebook-worthy or not.

My heart is full

2011-10-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today (now yesterday) is National Coming Out Day and for the third year in a row I spent my lunch at the annual NCOD luncheon at UMD. There always two speakers: one college student who is usually a member of the UMD GLBTQ community, and a staff/faculty/community member with some affiliation with said community. I love their stories. Often heart-breaking, these stories are frequently interspersed with tales of bullying and being ostracized from family and peers. These stories also include moments of triumph and chance meetings of encountered compassion. (Because who wants to listen to a story where nothing ever resolves, where everything stinks and even the tiny seeds of hope sewn in our souls when we were younger are smothered?) So these stories give hope. (And often a politically rallying refrain for a the current issues. NOT the point of this post, so please, let's not go there.) And these stories give us an opportunity to extend compassion. We are invited into their story.

One of my favorite moments in one speaker's story: He had 'been out' for a while but hadn't told his Grandma yet. And he wanted to, and it was hard, but he finally mustered up the courage to say, "Grandma, you know I'm gay, right?" and she looked at him and said, "Everyone needs someone to cook supper for," and they never spoke about it again. I love that!!! No condemning, no picking at the details of right or wrong, no disowning, just love and the understanding that relationship is important.

We have a newer person in our church and small group. She's single, black, and a mom of 5 who has a whole story behind why she's in our community, moving here with 'the clothes on their backs' and not much else. They recently rented an apartment that actually fits their family and it made their meager possessions even more obvious as they had been doubling up on beds and eating picnic style in an empty dining room. From the outside, this family might appear like a few demographics people like to rip on... (AGAIN, not the point of this post...) but when you get to know them, they are just another family in need, or just like you and just like me.

Unfortunately, we aren't in any position to financially help, but I could put a word out. And did - social networking to the rescue! And people heard and helped! In a big way. From church friends, work friends, and even friends from high school gave: a double bed with new mattresses, a twin captains bed, 4 dressers, a standing cabinet, a love seat, a curio cabinet, 3 lamps and a picture, a large dining room table, a kitchen table & 4 chairs, 4 other kitchen chairs, a bookcase, 3 night stands, an end table, a bunch of curtains/drapes, and I'm sure I've forgotten something! And then, one of our men's groups from church moved all this furniture into her 2nd and 3rd floor apartment, installing curtain rods and reassembling furniture! And it all happened because someone (not me!) took the time to notice someone in need and invite them in! Someone chose to become part of their story. The tears in the eyes of the teenager who finally had a place to put her clothes and the wide-eyed amazement on the face of this mom who hasn't had a bed to herself in years told me that the story of their life had changed.

Somehow, we need to start seeing people. We need to see the people around us who are in need - any kind of need. We all have the opportunity to speak into someone's story. At the close of the NCOD luncheon yesterday, someone said, "I don't have to add anything, please pay attention (to what's going on). And if you are paying attention, you should be outraged." I agree. And I would add '... and you will see opportunities to extend compassion, and change a story, change a life."

Stinkin' Thinkin'

2011-10-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

(* this post has been in-progress since 9/27! I've been processing, and needed the space to let it breath and not rip on my family, who did nothing wrong...)

I was dry. Not sure how else to describe it. Something was wrong and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Micheal noticed it, too, but since I couldn't really see it, I could tell him what was wrong.

I finally had an epiphany; I was walkin' in that stinkin' thinkin' and didn't even realize it.

Here's how it went:

My gram had a scheduled surgery and was unable to recover. She died. And we did all the family things, and it actually went as well as these things can go. And in this whole process, I went to a place I rarely go and saw people I rarely see, but who knew me as a child and knew my mom when she was alive so there were many, "You look like her," "I still miss her," and other visual memories. And of course the whole thing was hard and emotional.

And then we all went home, our house guest left and life returned to normal. Except it wasn't. Having lost both parents now, I'm familiar with grieving. And this was different. Obviously, grief was involved, but this was something wrong - everything was wrong.

And then someone prayed for me, and I could suddenly see it: like a silly band that snaps back to it's original shape when you release it, I was suddenly living as a person who hadn't received my identity from Jesus. I know better than that. But I did it anyway. Just being in the place where my old feelings and habits were formed was enough to send me back. And I couldn't even recognize it. I was stinkin' thinkin', and it felt almost normal.

In his book, 12 Steps with Jesus, Don Williams likens this to there being well-worn paths in everyones brain (my paraphrase). Some people follow a well-worn path and drink too much alcohol when they are reacting to life, or eat too much, or don't eat anything at all, or sleep too much, or whatever their chosen 'medication' is, and if we want freedom from these things, we need to forge new paths to healthier things - ultimately Jesus. I had habitually taken the well-worn path that I grew up cultivating, and it was so familiar that I couldn't even see that I had taken a wrong turn.

Last week I heard a dear friend counseling her daughter on how we all have some 'hookedness,'
that we are all 'hookable' and one of our primary tasks is to recognize when we are hooked, and respond appropriately. Sometimes it's by avoiding situations that you know will hook you. Sometimes you can't do that and you need to go into them, armed with the knowledge that you have a choice in your response, and knowing ahead of time what you will do is helpful! I had been hooked.

The idea of getting hooked on things makes me think of me, and you, wearing the finest cashmere, carefully dyed and knit into a masterpiece - the perfect sweater in color, style, gauge and size. And then we walk around everyday, dodging obstacles made out of Velcro, just getting hooked left and right.

Combining analogies never works well, but let me give this a try:
What if I let God say which path to take, let Him guide me through and around these Velcro obstacles? What if, instead of my old, unhealthy habits and self-protecting reflexes, I trusted Him to lead me? What would that look like?

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
~ 2 Corinthians 10:5

What are your well-worn paths? What hooks you?

New Quilt

2011-09-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Pinterest is addicting. I am going on a craft weekend at the end of October and I need to figure out what I'm doing for Christmas gifts, so I've spent far too much time on Pinterest lately. I came across this A.MA.ZING chenille quilt and had to make one. Right away. Seriously, it's like this quilt is made with crack and somehow it came out of my computer monitor and sucked me right in. The day I saw it I went to the store & bought fabric, layered it & squared it up. 10 rows were sewn that day.

When my son came home from work that night, we had this conversation:
Micah: What are you making now mom?
Me: I saw the COOLEST quilt EVER on a blog today and I have to make one right now!
Micah: Really? The coolest one EVER?
Me: Yes! Wait til you see it! It's chenille you make by layering flannel... (I went on and Micah's eyes kind of glazed over. Read the blog post at Aesthetic Nest - all credit to her!
Micah: Great mom. Don't stay up too late. (They know me so well!)

That was Thursday. Friday night I finished the quilting on over half the quilt, Saturday night I finished the quilting, cut the chenille strips, rounded the corners (my first rounded corners ever!) and bound it. I also added a funky little zip-zag on the binding. Thursday night - Saturday night: Quilt - done! Here's my photo log, not a tutorial, but includes any hints or ways I did it that may (or may not) vary from the inspiring blog post.

Background fabric. It's a really fine textured corduroy that I thought could possibly be girl or boy material. (I know it's flowers, but the blue and red are really prominent and until you get close you don't really see that they are flowers.)

Had to roll and fold the material to get it through the machine.

168 lines of quilting. I counted.

The inspiring blog post says it takes a long time and I thought, "It can't take that long, it's only about 45" square." Well, it does take that long. I probably spent 3-4 hours quilting this sucker. Of course a bunch of that time is refolding the material. Oh! And redoing a line when your bobbin thread runs out. (Don't you hate that!?!) Keep your eye on your bobbin! I always forget to look, or think I can do just one more line - and then forget to change it! I used a spool and a half of thread, part of that being 5 full bobbins.

Cutting through 3 layers only, leaving the back layer whole. I don't know how people do it without the Olfa Chenille Cutter! That's a lot of cutting!

My hint for this tool is to actually follow the size gauge. (I know - why wouldn't you do that in the first place?) The guides on each of the 4 sizes looked a little too big for the 1/2 inch rows I was doing, but it's SUPPOSED to be a little bit big so it spits the row. So trust the sizing guide. Also, make your cuts while the quilt is laying on a flat surface to keep the line uniform. I have a couple rows that I am unhappy with the way they were cut, but it's totally user error, and I'm considering ripping out those rows and fixing them. (Would anyone but me notice them? And can I get over it? I'll probably re-do them!)

Rounding corners.

Binding, pre-wash.

Rounded corner binding, post-wash.

My chenille layers were a white backed red on the bottom, followed by a teal that matched the back, and then the cornflower blue.

Don't you love how it gets all wavy and soft looking when it's been washed?

It looks so interesting you just have to touch it.

I love how soft and pliable this quilt is! I'll definitely make more.

I don't even know who's getting this quilt!

I think it costs a little more than a 'regular' baby quilt, you need 4+ pieces of material instead of 2 or 2 1/2 -ish needed for a quilt, but no batting, no piecing... I'm going to try to pick up neutral colored flannel sheets from yard sales to supplement new material costs.

Surprise!!! This tarn necklace!

2011-09-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Blog posts two days in a row! Woohoo!

I just wanted to show you the scarf/necklace thing I made with tarn. (See yesterday's post if you don't know what tarn is.)

Our son was all, "What are you wearing?!?" last weekend when I wore this the first time. But everyone else was complimentary and touching it and how-did-you-make-it-ing, so what does he know? Grace wants one, maybe we can make one together.

I like it. It makes me feel festive. You should make one, too! You could make knots in it, twist it, add beads, braid them, make them longer/shorter... Do it. Tarn is so darn fun!

Oh the things you can think...

2011-09-19T06:37:00.001-07:00

♫♪♫ ♪ when you think about.... T-shirts? ♪♫♪♪ ♫♪♫ ♪♫♫♪

(OK, you might recognize that from the Suessical musical, the tune of which I can't get out of my head thanks to Grace replaying her dance recital DVD over and over.)

I LOVE repurposing things. A couple years ago I made Micah a quilt with old jeans (mostly donated to the cause). You can check out the result here. There is just something that appeals to me about taking something meant for the trash and turning it into something new. I find myself looking at the items at home, at rummage sales, and everywhere, with an eye toward what it could be with some time and elbow grease.

My latest passion is t-shirts. Who doesn't have a drawer full of t-shirts? And who ever wears them all? If you are like everyone else I know, you wear the top 4 or 5, wash them and then put them away on the top of the drawer so they are the easiest to grab again. You probably have T-shirts you thought you gave away years ago, pining away in the back of a dark drawer.

One of my brothers-in-law (or sister-in-law's husband, to be more accurate) donated some of his t-shirts to a fundraising sale for their adoption, and some of them were shirts commemorating things that we knew were important to him. My husband and I talked to his wife and nabbed all the Tshirts to make a quilt. And then she hit up some of their friends to get other T-shirts from them, duplicates of shirts he currently wears and would miss. I also begged my friends on facebook for a Vikings shirt I could cut up, because he would SO notice if one of those went missing!

It was way more work than I anticipated, I should have cut right across the bottom of the t-shirts to make loops for tarn, but I didn't know about tarn yet, lots of cutting, more cutting the logos to size, cutting the fusing, ironing on the fusing... finally assembly and quilting. No batting, just t-shirts, fusing & a layer of navy fleece on the back. I quilted simple frames around each t-shirt logo. I'm very please with how it turned out! Total cost was only for 2 yards of fleece and a bunch of fusible backing.

It's bigger than I anticipated, too. It's almost 5 X 6 feet. I hope it's a good snuggler! When it turned into such a big project I suggested my s-i-l plan on giving it for Christmas because I couldn't do this for every in-law. She came and got it the next day, and b-i-l got it for an early birthday present because s-i-l said she couldn't wait. My only request was that she take pictures so I could see how he likes it.

He looks like he likes it! : )

What do you do with all the scraps? How about:

The best burp cloths

An upcycled t-shirt dress

Shirt bibs

T-shirt bib using existing graphic

Soft bib backing

(I made at least one of the above items, but can't post it because it's a gift...)

Or make 'Tarn' (T-shirt yarn) and make:

Tarn tutorial (this is what I wish I'd known! I would have cut all those T-shirts differently. You live, you learn.)

Beautiful latch-hook rug

Amazing Rainbow Rug

Ruffly scarf or Memory scarf

I love this crocheted tarn rug!!!

Here's another one, this seller is great!!

Joining pieces of tarn together

Scarf for a doll (or make a bigger one for yourself!)

Cute bags & purses

Hipster scarves

T-shirt necklaces

(I picked up a $.50 tie-dyed t-shirt at a rummage sale and made a t-shirt necklace.

I must take a picture to post!!)

And FYI - I tried to make these lists all pretty and multicolored and Blogger is so awesome that it will only let me change those three links, nothing else, and now won't let me change them back so they'd all match either. It's the thought that counts!

Oh look, it'll let me change this, though!

OK, what do you repurpose?

And do you have any colorful T-shirts you want to pull out of your rag bin

-- to give to me???

Scoot-o-rama or That's How I Roll

2011-08-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

I ride a scooter. I love it. The biggest issue with the scooter is figuring out when I can ride it around hauling kids and stuff around. I also wear a big pink helmet when I ride, not because I'm a Pink Lady wannabe, but because it was the cheapest new helmet with a face shield I could find to buy. Cuz that's how I roll.

So I thought I'd share a couple things about the scooter and I. Goofy things, but again, that's how I roll.

When I wear the helmet (all the time) the wind comes under the face shield and makes my lips dry. And them I do that thing where I kind of roll my top lip under by my top gums so it looks like I don't have a top lip - I don't know why!!! But it's a funny face that I make. And then I kind of stretch my face taught and look kind of strange at the car waiting for the light next to me. Because I'm already making the face, and it makes me laugh, and it makes them laugh... (It kind of looks like when Jim Carrey was the fire investigator on MAD TV...)

I frequently scare myself when I talk with the helmet on while I'm driving the scooter. The first time I was thinking about a conversation I'd just had and repeated something I'd said and the combination of the wind blowing from under the face shield and the acoustics of the helmet itself - I thought someone was talking in my ear, while I was driving 30 miles and hour! I jerked my head to the side, looking to see who it could possibly be, and realized I'd just scared myself! Silly.

I also frequently reach to tuck my bangs out of the wind, or adjust my glasses, and jam my fingers on the shield - I forget it's there!

And when I drive my scooter, which means I'm wearing a helmet, multiple people always tell me how nice my hair looks. You might think a helmet would hurt a hairstyle, but evidently it just improves mine.

I love when the older bikers, or most anyone not on a crotch rocket, give me (in the pink helmet) the cool two finger salute at their side that serves as a biker wave as we pass each other on the street. It's like I'm in the biker club, the gang - on my scooter! Hee-hee!

This all probably means I'm a pretty big dork when I ride my scooter, but honestly it's so fun I kind of want to squeal in delight! I love being out in the smells of the day, feeling the temperature change the closer I get to Lake Superior. It makes me so happy I think I get a little squirrelly. And that's how I roll!

2011-08-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Do you 'pinterest'? I do. OK, I've pinned something, once, but I can't wait to pin more!!!

No idea what I'm talking about? Pinterest is a 'virtual pinboard.' Like a visual reference of all your bookmarks, and then you can browse other people's... repinning, commenting, learning, dreaming... One click and you see it bigger, with any comments and repins. One more click and it takes you to the site it was found on. (...or on which is was found - for the English major in me!) And it will link to your facebook, and let you know which friends are on Pinterest. And you can invite people.

My first pin is a photo of peanut butter cup cookies made in mini muffin tins - YUM-O! It's located on my 'Chocolate' board. I also have a 'Lesser Desserts' board, but so far it's empty....

Ok, now I've added more... this could be a serious rabbit hole. Must... get... something... done....

I think it's going to be wonderful, and it would be better if YOU would join it, too!

Go to Pinterest to request an invitation. Join. Do it now! (said in my Arnold Schwartz voice) Check it out! I can't wait to see you there!

AG III

2011-08-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

When I was looking for American Girl patterns I ran across someone who had a pattern for making a jean skirt for your American Girl doll by cutting off the bottom of a one leg of a pair of old kid's jeans, roll the cut edge, insert elastic and - skirt! So I did one of these this weekend, too. (Dolly Outfitters)

Grace found a pair of her her jeans with a hole in the knee so we weren't out anything by cutting them up. I cut the jeans at 8 inches and used a little less than 1 inch to hem the top and add the elastic. I also looked at the jeans to see what else I could salvage and cut the little coin pocket off the jeans to transfer to the doll skirt, and the little Levi's tag. The back pockets on the jeans were so cute with embroidery and sequins, I decided to use them, too, and made a little purse. I used both pockets so it's the same on both sides and I salvaged some of the inseam to made the strap.

Grace says now she just needs a new shirt, like all the other ones she has are 'old' - she's had them for a week! I'm not ready or really interested in doing little tiny sleeves so she's probably out of luck!

AG II

2011-08-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

I powered through the backpack/doll carrier/wardrobe thing for Grace, and her American Girl Doll, this weekend. By the time it was done my jaw was throbbing from clenching it. I was very stressed about the whole thing. Here is a conversation I had with Grace on Saturday:

Me: Grace, I'm working on the zipper right now.
Grace: Why is that a big deal?
Me: Because I've never done one before. Because it's new and kind of scary. And because I'm doing it for you!!!
Grace: Oh..... Thanks, Mom.

(Someone who sews way more than I do once told me that zippers were impossible and that they just don't even try them anymore. So I've been afraid of them. It wasn't so bad. Now I might be able to tackle the cushion covers I've been planning for our couch, put off because they'll have zippers.)

Here's a bunch of photos of the finished project. There are some things I don't like about it, and they are all things I changed about the pattern. Let that be a lesson to me!

I lined the whole backpack with double-sided Pellon and give myself about a quarter inch for sewing. It wasn't enough allowance and as a result, all the angles are not very defined. It doesn't want to stand freely as I anticipated. I would definitely leave at least 3/4 inch allowance around each piece where there would not be the fusible material And when it's in a continuous piece, like all the way around on that zipper piece, I would give a quarter inch or so w/out the Pellon to turn the corner. Oh, well. It was also my first attempt at using a fusible material like that.

One thing I do like is the extra hinged panel I made to tuck inside. The $58 doll bags at the American Girl store had an extra panel and I really liked the idea, so I made one up.

Grace loves the materials I picked and kept saying, "I love the material - how did you know to pick what I liked? It's all my favorite colors!" Ummm, because I'm your mom and I pay attention to what you like?

We couldn't find any doll-sized hangars locally so Grace has to wait until they come in the mail to use the little ribbon hangers in the bag. We did find some that will hang tops, dresses and pants or skirts. I'm so happy this project is finished!!!

(As noted previously, I purchased the original pattern from Dolly Outfitters and used the modifications [mostly] found on Plum Project.)

I can't help it, I love it.

2011-07-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read The Bloggess? You should. Go read her right now. I'm probably not going to wait for you, but you can catch up when you return. Today I was reading her at work, waiting on hold to talk to an accounts person for one of our vendors who double-billed us, and I was laughing out loud and didn't even hear them answer - twice. I want a giant metal chicken, and a half zombie monkey, and the guts to type some of this stuff on my blog.

Maybe with less cussing. (Have your heard people say "swears"? As in, "My mom used to smack me for swears." That is not even a word people. I'm not even sure it's a regionalism, you just sound illiterate. Sorry, but true! My mom didn't smack me for 'swears' because I was smart enough to not cuss in front of her, even mostly as an adult. But I did yell, "What the F*%k do you think I'm trying to do?!?" from the bottom of the basement stairs on the day of my baccalaureate, but I was far enough away to avoid the smack. AND, I don't think it was a big deal that I just wanted to ride to the service with my boyfriend. BUT, my son is riding with me and not his girlfriend, when this comes back around. I was right, but he'll be wrong.) Honestly, I'd probably only cuss less because I know it would offend some readers, and it can get excessive, but it's not like I'm reading these posts to my 1st grader at bedtime, and the placement of the swears is so perfectly ironic.

Micheal and I (he's my Victor) often talk about how I. am. funny, but nobody knows it because I am too worried about what you think so I only say this stuff to him. Stop judging me. It's effecting my creativity. Or affecting it. Now I'm worried you think I'M illiterate. Whatev.

Sad

2011-07-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

I can tell parts of the Freedom in Finances class we are sinking in. I saw this in a store the other day and I was just so sad. I know they are supposed to be funny, but it's such an empty promise. I feel like these are similar to when women, some women, take pride in being called a b#%ch. So messed up. OK, tirade over.

The American Girl Craze

2011-07-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

has hit our house. Frankly, I avoided it, and then someone gave Grace a catalog. I threw it away after a while, hoping she wouldn't notice. And someone gave her another one. She carried it around, chatting about which doll she would like. And we talked about how expensive they are, and I hoped it would blow over. And then Grace came up with a plan. She drafted a letter to a relative detailing how she would gladly pitch in her money (about $2.50) if they would buy her an American Girl doll. I think she offered my change jar, too, and enclosed circled pictures from the catalog.

So we took a trip to the American Girl store at the Mall of America. What an overwhelming experience! From the two story store, hundreds of dolls, outfits and accessories available, the salon, to the restaurant where you can reserve a tea party for you and your doll, we barely knew which way to turn! Grace walked away with a mini-me and hasn't put it down since!

(On the ride home, so happy!)

(When she finally fell asleep that night)

('Sharing' breakfast)

(Micah was with, sporting new clothes)

And now I have a new project to do. The doll needs a bag to keep things together and safe. And I find myself unwilling to buy the $58 bag from AG. I found these cute backpack bags online, made by Dolly Outfitters. And a bit more searching found this modification from plum project to it that turns it into a wardrobe!

Yesterday I picked up some material, blue and peace signs like one of the bags offered at Dolly Outfitters, and I ordered the pattern for the bag. And looking at the original pattern, I'm not worried - except for the zipper, which I've never attempted before. BUT, I may have bit off more than I can chew with the modifications, and I really want to put one more swing-out section in the wardrobe part. So I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but Grace expects this to take 8 days, the random number she picked. Stay tuned for more details, and be ready to encourage me! Please!!

"Team Kathy"

2011-07-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud became more painful than the risk it took to blossom
~ Anais Nin

I did a 5K (see previous posts). It was hard, and I didn't know if I could do it. I didn't even know if I wanted to do it.

Micheal and Grace came downtown to watch (Micah was out of town) and cheered for me at four different locations along the course. Another handful of friends were there cheering, too. Somehow, shortly after the race I was thanking Micheal for coming and he said something about being on "Team Kathy" so of course he came!

I like that: Team Kathy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are taking a financial class at church. The other night we were discussing debt and our leader asked a question regarding why I avoid the topic (or really any other area where it feels too difficult and/or out of my control). A point blank question like that produced an accelerated heart rate and tears, but no answer. Why does it stress me out so much?

Of course we prayed and I realized that I don't want to disappoint... anyone. Ever. And in a backwards way, that I never consciously chose, I have been living my life not trying very hard. If I don't try, don't give my all, I can never do my best - and have someone say how inadequate it is. Something can be incomplete or mediocre, and it's OK if someone says that it's not good enough. But if I give my best, put all of myself into something and then fall short, the disappointment is actually about me, not the task or job.

What if my best isn't good enough?!? But this self-sabotaging hasn't really been working for me so far.

Hmmm, not sure where this is going yet, but the journey continues!

Romans 8:31-39 keeps running through my mind. If God is for me, who can be against me? Because Jesus intervenes on my behalf, He makes me more than a conqueror. Nothing can override HIM telling me that He's on Team Kathy.

Another open page...

2011-07-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Do you know I often click on the 'New Post' link and then sit and look at this blank form? I do. And I think of you, and what you might like to read, or see, or learn about. And then I go to other things on the computer, and come back to look at a blank page.

I also find myself in the McDonald's drive through before I realize I've even decided to get a mocha frappe. Not good, at all. They are really good, and cheaper than a coffee shop. Not. Good.

I did finish the 5K. A bunch of wonderful people cheered me on, not one person said anything like, "get off the course - you suck!" Seriously, I thought something like that would happen. (Satan sucks and he'll tell you anything to get you to not do what God wants!) I had a couple friends who stuck with me the whole way and my best friend held my hand across the finish line, and hugged me while I sobbed. The whole thing was a spiritual fight, and I had to keep myself from crying just about the whole race. And I cried for about 2 hours when I got home. Whew! Here's a picture at the finish line:

I'll do another one, sometime. Hopefully sooner than later. We'll see.

Thanks for stopping by!

5 (Krazy!) Kilometers

2011-06-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

I signed up to do a 5K a few months ago. You know, so I'd have time to train. But I didn't, and it's tonight. Yep, I neglect my blog, and I don't train - that's me. I'm still going to do it with a friend who is walking it with her pregnant daughter-in-law. Which is still doing it. I hope this gives me the kick in the a$$ I need because, apparently, just signing up and paying for the race didn't do it. And that negative voice inside me tells me not to bother, that I never finish anything so why go? But I'm going to anyway. It'll just be hard. And emotional, if my current state is any indication. So, next time we talk, I will be a veteran 5ker and maybe I'll run the next one.

A Quick Run Down

2011-06-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

of our last few weeks includes:

Micah's last band concert. Next year he's taking art instead...

Grace finished her first year of Daisy Scouts.

(LOVE the pledge - we should all live by this!)

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Kindergarten Nature Field Trip

We had a 'Gourmet Hot Dog' meal with some friends.

My favorite dog was the cream cheese & green olives

and my favorite guests were the pirates!

One, two.. the tooth fairy had to come twice in one week!

Memorial Day, trip to the cemetary
and lunch after at the Truck Stop.

A quilt I made for an expectant mom
and a sock monster that I want to make - I love these!

And now I'm collecting socks.

Dance recital, start to finish.

Micah left for a mission trip to Denver CO.

An afternoon drive up the shore

with a stop at the Talmadge River.

And iphoto on the iphone.

Whew!

Trying to get life from the lifeless

2011-06-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Just a brief note on a video someone recently forwarded to me.

How funny. How sad. And how ridiculous, because we all do this.

“My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me, the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water."
Jeremiah 2:13

We keep going to that thing that we mistakenly think can give us life, give us something to make us feel something else. We get thirsty so we take our bucket, trudge over the dusty ground to the well, and laboriously lower and raise our bucket. And then, for all our effort, we get something unpotable, a drink filled with toxins that slowly poisons us. And that's if we get any water at all.

Why do we keep going to the empty well, the broken and dry cistern that we dug, when we have the 'spring of living water' just waiting for us, waiting for us to come and drink? How sad.

It's really like that

2011-05-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

I've been gone for a while. I may still be gone. I may not have any readers left. Who knows? I've kept up on my blog reading, mostly anyway. In the meantime (I wonder where the word 'meantime' came from? That's probably a whole post on it's own.), here are a few things about which God is speaking to me.

I was watching Prince Caspian last weekend and got to this scene. We have Tivo so I rewound it and watched it a couple more times.

I've seen it before so nothing was a surprise, but I really saw it through new eyes this time.You know how sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time and suddenly you experience it completely differently? That's that way this was.

At the beginning of this clip, why do you think Aslan roared which caused the horse to rear up and dump Lucy on the ground? (This part isn't in the book, which is why I wondered why the screen writer added it.) Then Lucy looks at Aslan like, "what the heck?!?" and then he springs on the guy chasing her, ready to shoot her with his bow and arrow. Do you think Aslan couldn't have rushed ahead and just took out the soldier? Of course he could have - he's Aslan! But sometimes instead of doing the thing that makes sense to us, God chooses to do what he thinks is best, and we feel hurt and inconvenienced. Like I mentioned above, this was not in the book and I can't speak for the intentions of the screen-writer. But, it felt like God when I thought about it.)

Next is the part where Lucy finally meets Aslan, running to him, calling his name, and they both fall laughing and hugging on the ground. Clearly, I hear Jesus' voice in that saying that that is how He wants to greet us. Not as some solemn affair where we grovel and our faces look like we suck lemons, but as long separated friends who can hardly stand to be apart. What a mistake we make in thinking it's any other way.

And I love the brief conversation where Aslan gently admonishes Lucy that even if no one else saw Aslan, she should have still followed him. As we should, too!

And finally, when Lucy asks why he "couldn't come roaring in and save us like last time?" and his answer is "Things never happen the same way twice, dear one." We all need to remember that. We are not looking to recapture something that was, we are seeking to do what God calls us to right now! If you can't hear God doing what used to work, change it up. If God seems to be doing a different thing, follow Him. What an idea!

Such powerful spiritual truths from one minute on film. God can speak to us through any medium He wants. He's been speaking to me through C.S. Lewis for years. I don't know why I'm surprised when it works that way on film, too!

Bracelets

2011-05-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

1) Read this at Craft Hope.

A radio station is teaming up with Orphan Outreach to send bracelets to kids in Russia. I'm not going to paraphrase it for you, go read it! Really...

So, you can make bracelets, just about any bracelets you want to make - they just have to be handmade, with your kids or by yourself, then mail them to Grand Rapids Michigan by June 15, 2011. They will ship them to Russia to be distributed.

2) Go through your fabric stash and make some bracelets.

Here's a fun free pattern.
I have stacks of jean scraps and other fun bits that I'd like to use for these. Now I'm hunting for some fun buttons.

3) See what you can recycle. Here's another pattern that uses empty plastic bread bags. Cute!!

4) Or crochet, because I like things that cam easily go with you. Check out this (my favorite!!!), or this, or this! This one could be pretty masculine, make it for a boy.

Or make some beaded ones, or braided t-shirt material bracelets, or go old school with a handful of embroidery floss. Make bracelets, make a Russian orphan's day!

Been a while...

2011-04-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

So long, in fact, that I need a new header. But it did snow here, in Minnesota, just yesterday so I am not going to worry about it today... I'll just add some flowers to spring it up!

I'm not sure I'm all about blogging right now, I seem to be having swirling thoughts and emotions, hard to get down in words, but things are moving along at our house. Parenting is hard, there's never enough time for Micheal and I to connect like we both want to (this needs to move closer to the top of the priority list!), work is work, good stuff at church with women's conference coming up next weekend and worship team this weekend. Plenty going on, just not sure it needs to be articulated here, in detail. But, I'm working (and have worked) on a few crafty things recently. I'd love to jump back into blogging with that!

Someone sent me a link to free quilting patterns and I found this cute cat pattern buried in the Amy Butler site. She has such fun sewing projects, and I love her material choices so they are really fun to look through! I spent last Friday with Grace who was on spring break and I thought the cat pattern would be great to make together. Grace cut out the pattern, I pinned it to the material she picked, she traced around the pattern, I cut the material out and sewed it, she stuffed it with a little help. Instead of fusing the face on we sewed it. A fun project and I really like how modern/anime it is.

When we picked the material, Grace found a bolt with fairies on it, and HAD TO have it, but I wouldn't make it into a cat pillow because I'm stubborn that way. But I did get her enough to make another quick pillow.

And I found these when I visited 'built to last' and followed it to 'Day Life In' where she said she can't stop making these cute birds from Myrtle & Eunice... and now I can't stop making them!!! They are so cute! OK, I've only made one, but still, there are many many more to come!!! =0)

I even put everything I need in a couple little bags - ready to travel!

And then my sister-in-law sent me a picture of the birds at Lint and Lavender, and they are so cute, too! With a bigger tail! I am anticipating our house becoming an aviary! Good thing I like to give away stuff I make!

Some Cheese to go with My Whine...

2011-03-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Pissy. Unhappy. Dissatisfied.

I just feel off. And then I think of something I'm unhappy about. And then two things... which snowballs into eleven things wrong with me... until soon everything sucks and I can't stop awfulizing. You ever do that? And it's not really the way I want to start the weekend with my family.

And I think I need to take a break from facebook, and maybe blogs, because I have a big case of the-grass-is-always-greener-itis. I can see God pointing out how that's just not true, but my answer to that is pretty much, "Yeah, yeah..." but not really walking in it.

Because if you just started a new dance or exercise class, I don't care, and I'm really not happy for you. I still have P90X in the box - from a year ago.

If you just got back from a trip, ever took a spring break trip or mission trip, or plan to go on a trip somewhere fun - ever, I don't want to hear it.

Or maybe you just remodeled, redecorated, or re-anything to your house, good for you, something else I can't do right now. Or a new car? A Toyota hybrid? Forgedabowdit!

Love what you do? Content? Way to go, you.

Because I want to take trips, be passionate about my job, wear cute clothes, not have my mom's @$$ (fine, it's mine and I earned it), not be intimidated so I don't do the things I should do, feeling good and safe would be nice.

I bet you are super happy you stopped by. :-/ I wish I had a happier, bright shining conclusion to tack on the end, but I'm not there yet. I can see I'm being and feeling kind of over-the-top ridiculous, but can't crawl off that ledge. Right now.

The thing that keeps ringing in my head, the Word I hear, is

In Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17.28

Somehow, I need to let that sink in. Who has what or gets to do what or has something, some 'better' life than I think I do is not the point at all. It's not what I have, how I look, who loves or likes me or even how I feel, it's Who I'm in. And Who's in me. I believe it, how do I live it?

Soup Dumplings

2011-03-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Anyone can make soup. Start with some water, broth if you've got it, simmer, keep adding stuff, veggies, meat...

But dumplings! Mmmmm! Dumplings make soup delicious! Micheal's Gram made the best dumplings, light, fluffy, delicious... Start these about a half hour before you want to eat.

Gram's Soup Dumplings

Place in bowl:

2 C. Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 C. Milk

2 Eggs

Mix it up with a fork.

Drop by teaspoon into low boiling/simmering soup, dipping spoon into soup and letting dough slide off.

(Tip: Dip your spoon in the simmering soup before you dip into the dumpling mix the first time and the dough will slide right off the spoon.)

Dumplings will initially sink then rise to the top of soup. Just give a stir everyone once in a while to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom, but not too frequently that you break the dumplings up!

Simmer 20 minutes until dumplings are cooked through.

Delicious dumplings!

Old Sweaters, Young Man

2011-03-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

My dad has been gone for months, now. Last week Micah got a package in the mail from my step-mom. She went through Dad's sweaters looking for a cardigan of his since I mentioned Micah was asking for one from the mall. She sent four shirts. I love seeing him in these sweaters. They make me want to gather him in my arms and hug him. They don't smell like my dad, but I don't want to wash them. It's so strange. And sadly, Micah's not a hugger...

When people give my kids clothes I try to take a picture of them wearing it so the giver can see them in it. Here are the photos I shot to send to my step-mom.

Micah has expressions that remind me of my dad, especially when he laughs. Here's an old slide from the 70s I scanned of my dad:

and here's one a couple years old of Micah (the best photo I could find because now he only poses with a closed-mouth smile. Today, his face is more angular with a hint of whiskers and hormones have made his hair curlier...)

I love seeing my dad in my son.

Season 5, Episode 6 revisited

2011-03-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Are you a Trekkie?

I am. I don't go to conferences dressed in pajamas, but I've seen every episode, many more than once. ALL the Star Treks: the original (starring William Shatner, who's birthday is TODAY - this must be providence!), the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise & all the movies. I also don't want to talk about how much time that equals, even at minimum viewing time.

But, have you seen episode 6 in season 5 of the Next Generation? Man, does it speak to me!!! Not to mention it stars a young Ashely Judd and has these two seriously great quotes, both spoken by Counselor Troi:

I never met a chocolate I didn't like.
and
Chocolate is a serious thing.

So, you can read the synopsis of the episode in way more detail than I'll give you on wikipedia, and see even more if you click those links on the bottom of the page. (Really?!? who has time to note that much detail about anything they are watching?!? But that's another post.)

Basically someone brings this game on board that is super addicting (and controlling, but you don't find that out right away) and then proceeds to get everyone else on board to play it. It makes people feel good when they get this disc in the cone on the game and suddenly people's jobs don't get done and it's all they do. There are a few times where the people who are already addicted to the game try to convince, and then coerce other crew members to PLAY.THE.GAME.

A few things in the last couple years have reminded me of this episode. First, facebook. People said 'You should do it!' 'Sign up.' 'Find people you barely know and haven't seen in years...'

And then I signed up and LOVED it. And it sucked up a bunch of time, but saved time because I didn't need to actually talk to people to know what was going on in their lives. And then you'd run into someone who didn't know those things, figure out they didn't have a facebook, and then YOU turn into the coercer...

Then there was the smart phone. Oooooh! Micheal got one, took it to bed with him 'just for the alarm' (Does that sound like, "I'm only reading it for the articles"?), and bought a bullet and water proof OtterBox case in case he drops it, or in case I decide to SHOOT it because it's always in his hand... (AND I'll be honest and say the same thing about me and the iPad Micheal bought me...)

Does the smart phone really make you smarter, or does it get smarter while we waste our time and get dumber....?

AND now I just got my first iPhone. And I love it, how did I live without this previously? And how sad it it that we had to make an actual rule to not have electronics at the dinner table?

Now there are Angry Birds. Angry Birds is a game where little green pigs steal the eggs of some cute little birds. This causes a war pitting various birds against structure building pigs. You launch the birds at the structures, trying to get them to fall and crush the pigs - all in a frantic bid to bring home Tweetie. Makes complete sense, right?

But do let me warn you about the addictive nature of this game! There is apparently no end to the size, scope, or materials they will use to build these structures and no sooner do you complete one then you get an option to go on to the next one, or do better on the last one... You are liable to stay up way to late trying to kill these little pigs that smile at you when you fail to smush them. And don't bring it into the bathroom with you or you may have a ring permanently imprinted on your butt. O

Just trying to be real here, people. ;o)

The Next Gen episode I talk about above actually ends with the crew finding out that this insidious game was really an attempt to distract them so their ship, and eventually the entire Federation, could be taken over by some really bad dudes. All the other things I mention aren't bad, but they can definitely become bad, have bad consequences, if I let them get control of me, and take me away from what I should really be doing.

Dancing House

2011-03-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

I did my first Zumba class last weekend with a bunch of awesome ladies from church, and loved it! I don't know how to fit in a class right now, so I settled on the Wii Zumba 'game' on the recommendation of a friend. It's only about $40 so it's less than the average $50-60 game and comes with the belt you wear the controller in. It just came and I'm super excited to try it! Micheal says he'll get his 'exercise' by laying on the couch watching me do Zumba.

We had some friend's kids overnight on Saturday to give the parents a break and they brought Just Dance Kids for Wii and it's super fun, too. Grace loves it!! So I bought it on ebay last night. I think I will have fun doing these dances with her! The dances are choreographed for kids, and led by kids.

And here's Micah's dance moves in a tube the 'extra' kids brought over...

I know what you are thinking, but we are not available for parties... yet!

What do you say?

2011-03-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

The rain comes down on everyone...
Rich or poor, great or small,
It doesn't really matter at all

Then the sun shines down on everyone...

Then the flowers bloom for everyone...

(Called 'The African Village Song.' I hear it on the 'Dr. Jean Sings Silly Songs' CD that Grace plays at night sometimes.)

I love this song because I think it's such a good message for kids to grow up with. Hard stuff happens. To me. To you. And good stuff happens, too. Hang in there, kid! It's really not a very silly song.

But what do we do, what do we say, when bad stuff happens to people around us? To people we love?
People we love die.
Babies are lost.
Friendships are broken.
Marriages dissolve.
Infertility happens.
Jobs are lost.
Dreams crash.
Lives take a detour.

What do you say, what do you do?

Just some of my thoughts as I process some hard stuff a friend is going through, and from my experience during the loss of both parents:

1) It's not all about you! (to quote Rick Warren) Don't worry how you will look or sound, just show up! Call, visit the hospital, attend the funeral, swallow your pride and forgive, make a meal, hug, cry, just show up!

2) Love in practical ways (see above). One thing that I have appreciated is the friend who remembers the date my mom died on 13 years ago, and he calls, every year and simply says, "I'm thinking about you as you're remembering your mom." Send a card, say you care, whatever.

3) Listen. Good, active listening. Look at them, listen. Don't tell your stories, just hear theirs. Don't try to solve the problem, listen. Give your undivided attention, listen.

4) Call a lie a lie. Things like, "I deserved this ___(house fire?)___," or "I'll never get another chance," or "God doesn't care/doesn't exist." Lies, all of them. And you can say what is true, gently, and ward off the lie that fights for dominance.

5) Pray. Not as a last resort but as the best resort. Lay your hand on them and pray, pray while you drive, shower, whatever. Pray.

6) Love them, the simplest and hardest thing to do. Love.

The only real mistake you can make when a friend is hurting is to do nothing.

Dance with me

2011-03-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

Grace's recital is coming up and this week she got to learn the end of their song. Their routine centers around the one boy in the class and it's a The Bachelor-like routine where one of the girls actually gets the guy in the end - Grace! =0) She's very excited to be the one to dance with Carson. She just had to show her big bro the other night, with dad standing in for Carson.

assisted arabesque

some kind of turn

at the altar

"Your arm is wrong, dad!"

big finish!

Meet Rika

2011-03-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

She's our Compassion kid! We are super excited to start corresponding with her. Rika's birthday is within 2 weeks of Grace's so they will literally grow up together.

I've heard about Compassion for years, at almost every Christian concert I've attended, but I've grown more and more interested lately. I attribute that to Shaun Groves (check out how his story, and his blog), and Ann Voskamp (at a Holy Experience) who blogged through a trip to verify Compassion's integrity, and my pastor who also recently got to meet one of their Compassion kids on a Compassion trip to Uganda. I'm sold, my heart has been won.

I hope you know about Compassion. Their motto is "Releasing children from poverty in Jesus name," and they do it with our money, yours and mine. $38/month sponsors a child,a child that has nothing, including a childhood. With less than you spend on fast food or coffee each month, you can supply food, clothes, education, medical care and hope to a child in need. Check it out! You can change the world, one person at a time! Your commitment changes the lives of these children, their families, and their communities. Do it with your kids and teach them compassion for others. Check my sidebar for a quick link to locate a child who needs you right now! (Please do not take sponsorship lightly, this is a lifetime commitment.)

♥ ♥ Rika ♥ ♥

Spooning

2011-03-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

Every morning, Grace crawls into bed with me at 5:45ish to watch Arthur on PBS as we slowly wake up for our day. She crawls in on Micheal's side (he's already up), bounds under the covers, wriggles her way to my side, and then DEMANDS that I lay the way she wants me to. I am not allowed to lay on my tummy because she doesn't like where my elbows are then, or my back because the snoring (tmi) makes it too hard to hear her show. If I am not aware enough yet, or just want to make her yell the loudest, I will lay on my side facing AWAY from her. This is not accepted AT ALL and is in fact seen as out right rejection. She wants to spoon. And not snore in her ear, but mostly spoon. She wants to start her day with a little bit of intimacy that makes her feel warm and loved, and I hope those couple minutes of love carry her through all the hard parts of going out in the world, and bring her back for more tomorrow. It's kind of cute. Especially when she keeps her elbows to herself and not jabbing my ~~boobs~~ private areas. I think I'll miss this when she outgrows it!

Then there is the other side of this spectrum. Without too many details, we recently had to make the rule, 'no spooning.' Aaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnd, then we had to back up even more and make it, "Nothing horizontal."

Oh, the difference a few years makes! (I don't even know how we got here!!!)

Because we all know

and that's what we are trying to avoid!

(Images found in google images, none are my own.)

T'sup?

2011-03-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

A few things filling my days, outside of the usual.

Micah is in driver's ed now. I haven't had to take him yet, but the over-dinner time of the class means one of us runs him, and the other does the other running, of which there is plenty! I don't have a picture of driver's ed. But I wish I did. And I can't believe I have a kid old enough for driver's ed. Crazy.

After a girls only lunch date at the Olive Garden last Friday, Grace & I rode the Timber Twister at Spirit Mountain. Fun!

And cold. Two rides was definitely my limit. Grace kept telling me to go slower, not because she was afraid but because she wanted it to last longer!

And I was a sucker for the over-priced photo because I wanted to remember our fun day.

And now the Girl Scout cookies are in. Grace sold over 300. 'Sold' should be in quotations because really, Girl Scout cookies sell themselves. People are really happy to buy a memory.

I love that each cookie is in a different color box and Grace really helped me sort these. I'd call out, "Green green orange purple blue!" and she'd get all the boxes for that order ready. I'd rubber band and label them.

We finished off a whole box of Tagalongs last night. I only ate 3. And yep, I still call them by the old names.

Interruption, anyone?

2011-03-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

A friend on facebook (which is so different than a 'facebook friend', you know?) shared this a couple days ago from the blog Kingdom People. This was JUST what I needed to hear. Do you need to hear it, too?

“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own’, or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination.”
(from a 1943 letter from C.S. Lewis,
and included in Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis)

What are the interruptions that you need to hear are the specific things God is sending your way today?

Just off the top of my head: kids, work, cooking a balanced dinner - or an unbalanced dinner, the person that won't leave my desk, the friend who goes on and on about whatever-it-is, the extra rides your teen needs three times a day, the hollering from your little one's bed in the middle of the night, the delivering of hundreds of Girl Scout cookies to the family & friends you never see enough of...?

Papa, help me be interruptable so I can see You.

I also wonder how often I am called to interrupt someone, and I don't. I just don't listen. I could say, "Stop it, that's dangerous," or "I love when you do this or that," or "I'm proud of you," or "That's something Jesus would do! Way to go!" I'm pretty sure that if we welcome interruptions, we'll see what God is doing clearer, and we'll probably become interrupters ourselves. What an idea!

Help me be Your interrupter, send me. Amen.

It's Monday, All Day

2011-02-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

A new beginning, a new week. I'm going to try to catch up on some stuff.
I might even (wait for it!)... Exercise.
I know, right?!?!?! (what does that even mean?!?)
All I can say is that I suddenly feel like I'm worth it, which is strange. Stay tuned to see how that goes! And if my family will even move the elliptical out of storage for me, again.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Tonight I'm having some of my Freedom for Life ladies over. I love them. ♥ LOVE! We have no agenda, just staying in touch. We don't do that enough, in general. Which is sad. How do you prioritize keeping up with your friends? I love facebook, but nothing beats face to face community.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Grace went rollerskating for the first time ever over the weekend and loved it! She's doing it again today with a friend. I'm taking Friday off to spend with her (she's off all week) and if we don't come up with anything else to do, we might be back at World of Wheels. I need to get pictures of it!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Ben Folds is an amazing pianist. Check out his stuff on youtube, especially 'One Angry Dwarf & 200 Solemn Faces' and 'Landed', to see his amazing key action. Or whatever you call it.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I opened a new bucket of ice cream the other night and it smiled at me, kind of. I know it'd be messed up to say the ice cream made me happy, but this did:

Happy Monday! ♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Crepes or Swedish Pancakes

2011-02-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

Do you ever make crepes? You should - they are amazing and you can fill them with just about anything you like. I get one at the state fair every year that is filled with asparagus and Swiss cheese. The options are endless. Or you can just have them as a breakfast entree and serve them with syrup. Here's the recipe we use (with credit to Phil & Kerry who gave me Dave's recipe):

Dave's Swedish Pancakes

Mix with beaters:
3 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar

To egg mixture, add:
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. MELTED butter
1 1/2 C. milk
1 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
(batter is very thin)

Pour 1/4-1/3 Cup batter onto lightly sprayed griddle set at medium/medium- high. I set the temp at around 350 degrees. (If you have a good seasoned cast iron pan, that works well, too, but you can only make one at a time.) I pour the batter and then use the bottom of the measuring cup to spread the batter into a rough circle shape - it's thin batter so if you don't do this and you're using a griddle that's not 100% level, it'll want to run. Flip them when they look solid enough to... flip them. Cook them until they are just turning golden, roll them up and serve immediately or put in a warm, covered casserole dish to keep while you cook more.

We make a double batch so we have leftovers. Grace likes to eat them cold later!

And when they're hot, she likes them with butter, brown sugar & cinnamon. Yummm!

I like them best with homemade buttermilk syrup:

Buttermilk Syrup

In a heavy bottom kettle, mix and boil for 7 minutes:
1 1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. buttermilk
1/2 butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
(Keep stirring and watching it - it likes to boil over!)
add 2 tsp. vanilla when done cooking.

I like to add chocolate chips to the last crepe I make while it's still on the griddle, roll it up with the melted chocolate inside and drizzle with this syrup. Mmmmmmmm!

A Colorful Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T06:40:00.000-08:00

Grace & I made these fun Valentines for her Kindergarten Valentine's party today.

We used the cards from the long thread

and the directions she linked to at make and takes.

And the project was so fun and colorful I took a bunch of pictures.

We used all the broken crayons in our big shoebox and

I sliced the paper with a razor blade so Grace could peel them easily.

We broke the crayons into smaller pieces, then put them in a heavy ziploc bag and smashed them into even smaller pieces with a rolling pin.

We poured them back into the bowl and Grace filled the muffin tin.

(Gotta love blogger - I can't get this to turn! Ugh!)

Baked 'em, took them out and swirled them with a toothpick.

The backs are not pretty and it looked like we were going to have dark, muddy hearts, but when they cooled and we popped them out, the fronts were beautiful!

This one has some glitter crayon in it.

I also 'shaved' the edges of the back of the crayons because there was kind of a rim and we wanted them pretty flat to tape on.

I printed the valentine on card stock, Grace wrote the 'to' and 'from' on the back and we taped them on with double-stick foam tape.

The cards say, "Have a colorful Valentine's Day!"

The ordinary cards were not good enough for her 'boyfriend' Parker.

(and if he makes fun of this card, so help me....!)

And we put them in sandwich size baggies just in case the tape doesn't hold.

A very colorful Valentine project!!

If

2011-02-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

I head back to small group tonight after being gone for over three months. I think I'm kind of nervous. I have butterflies, I'm not sure why. It might be because I wonder if I've changed. Am I different? Will they see it? Does it matter if they do, or not? Maybe I'm hesitating because I don't feel done, the lovely ladies at my table in Freedom for life know me 'deeper' than the people in the small group. Now it almost feels like starting over. Again.
Someone posted this on facebook today, not the first time I've heard it, but it really resonates today:

If this is true, it changes everything.

If God really does love each of us, it doesn't matter if someone in a new group doesn't like me.

If Jesus really did come hear, die for me and was resurrected, my life has eternal consequence.
And if that's true, it matters how I spend each moment of the day.

If this incredible story is true, if this relationship is possible, there is nothing about me that is hopeless. There is nothing about you that is insurmountable.

If this is true, the way I love will change. The way I parent will change. The kind of employee I am will change. The kind of friend I am will change. The lives around me will be impacted.

If this is true, nothing is as I see it. It. Changes. Everything.

If this is true, I will let it change me. If this is true.

Angry

2011-02-07T14:01:00.000-08:00

I am doing some more work on Freedom for Life, even though the class is officially done, and have been given an assignment: Direct my anger where it belongs, get angry at Satan.

I'm working on it. I am beyond sick of feeling this way. I want to be free!

So I've been thinking about my anger. My words. My actions. And what they convey. And then in walked Mr. Super-Nice-Until-I-Can't-Help-Him. I've been working at the Service Desk at Target part time since before Christmas, and for the most part it's pretty fun. This is a conversation I had on Friday night with a guest:

Me: What can I do for you?
Guest: I would like to return this GPS. I got it for Christmas and don't have a receipt.
Me: I can possibly return it using your driver's license.
Guest: (gives me his license)
Me: (processing return) The GPS was originally $159.99 and without a receipt, the system brings up the lowest price in the last 90 days since we can't tell then or how much it was purchased for. The lowest price in the last 90 days is $89.00. Unfortunately, we can only return up to $75.00 worth of merchandise without a receipt every year, so I am unable to return this for you. (& gave some other options).
Guest: THAT'S WHY I DON'T SHOP HERE! (storms away)

I almost laughed. Not at this guest's frustration (because who hasn't been there?) but because his anger was so misplaced. Target Corp. made $15.59 BILLION last year. Saying something snide to the person behind the service desk is not going to do anything to change the situation. This second job earns me not much of minimum, (it's just grocery money, buddy) so the CEO doesn't really ask me for my opinion of return policy. That person did not have anything to do with the rules and can in no way change or over-ride that decision. It's not even the fault of the store you are standing in. It IS the fault of people who steal, people who commit fraud. People like the woman who, just last week, returned a (supposedly) unopened car seat which she got cash for, the box went back to the sales floor, was purchased by another parent, who opened the box to find just a bunch of dirty clothes, no car seat! This person, and others, are the reason that Target and many other stores won't give you cash back, or even store credit for a large purchase. It's the reason you can't return opened CDs, the music industry doesn't trust that you didn't just dub it and return the original. That's not the store's fault either. So, enough of the tirade.

The whole situation just struck me as a little too coincidental that I am working on directing anger in the right direction, and WALAH! a perfect example occurs right in front of me. So I'm thinking about ways I misplace my anger. I think if I learn to pause before responding, I might be able to better direct my anger appropriately. And even knowing that there are options, that I have a choice about where my anger goes, can make a difference. And it will probably save some hurt from Micheal and the kids, too!

(photo credit here)

Are you angry at the right thing? How do you misplace your anger?

A fruit basket

2011-02-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

'Fruit' is mentioned over and over in the Word:

...every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7.17-20 (also Luke 6.43-44)

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Matthew 3.8

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. Matthew 12.33

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15.1-8

...live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work... Colossians 1.10

...filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1.11

...for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth... Ephesians 5.9

...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5.22-23

It seems like the fruit we bear for God is really note worthy!

For the last night of Freedom for Life, we collected 'Kingdom Fruit,' put them in a basket, and gave them to the leader (and author) of the class. Our fruit is hers too, born of her obedience. I think I'm going to start keeping track of my fruit, maybe I'll make my own basket. How encouraging to have a record of the fruit God is bearing in my life. There are days that I need help remembering.

"if the Son sets you free"

"you will be free indeed"

full of Kingdom fruit

our fearless leader, fruit basket recipient

Do you have any Kingdom fruit to share?

Now & Then, Here & Now, This & That

Aaaaaand again...

How I Might be Growing Up, and Some Gifts I Made

Memory Quilt 2

Memory Quilt

Sunny

Birthday, Redesigned

Prophetic Arts & Crafts

Poor, Muppety Llama

Jump on the Bandwagon!

Woodland Gnomes & Captive Thoughts

Stuff I learned

Some This & That

Chili Dump

Show & Tell

Remember these?

Tip for living well

Making

Imagination

Flashback Friday

Hotpads & Pictures

My heart is full

Stinkin' Thinkin'

New Quilt

Surprise!!! This tarn necklace!

Oh the things you can think...

Scoot-o-rama or That's How I Roll

Pinterest

AG III

AG II

I can't help it, I love it.

Sad

The American Girl Craze

"Team Kathy"

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud became more painful than the risk it took to blossom ~ Anais Nin

Another open page...

5 (Krazy!) Kilometers

A Quick Run Down

Trying to get life from the lifeless

It's really like that

Bracelets

Been a while...

Some Cheese to go with My Whine...

Soup Dumplings

Old Sweaters, Young Man

Season 5, Episode 6 revisited

Dancing House

What do you say?

Dance with me

Meet Rika

Spooning

T'sup?

Interruption, anyone?

It's Monday, All Day

Crepes or Swedish Pancakes

A Colorful Valentine's Day

If

Angry

A fruit basket

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud became more painful than the risk it took to blossom
~ Anais Nin