Sew Pretty!

I was so busy trying to get gifts purchased, events gone to, gifts wrapped, food prepared that my latest craft was a hurried project. And that's why there are no before or during pictures of it! I bought most of the materials early enough but I didn't have the right color of thread to even start on the project. I wanted to make a t-shirt dress for my 4 year old niece, miss T for Christmas. I've done a few very simple sewing projects before but it had been a while since my machine had some major issues that needed to be fixed. I finally was able to get the machine into a repair shop so it's back in working order just in time for me to work on the Christmas gift for my niecey! I was pretty nervous that I was going to mess it up so badly that I'd have to go buy another dress to take it's place. With a couple measurements and combining several different craft/sewing blog tutorials to make the dress I invisioned, I started out. I had an aqua long sleeved girls t-shirt that I cut the bottom of the shirt of at the point it would hit at my niece's waist. I cut the bottom off of a 2 XL ladies mock turtleneck shirt the length that would hit to below her knees and stitched the two together. Using the piece I cut off from the girls t-shirt, I made three rosettes on the skirt. And cutting out a flower shape from the ladies shirt left over, I appliqued by hand the piece to the shirt part of the dress. I was so happy when I finished and it actually looked decent (not perfect but I wasn't expecting it to)! But the best part of this whole experience was when miss T opened the present and said "It's beautiful!" I am so blessed to have 5 nieces in my life to do girly things with and for since I wasn't able to have a girl of my own!

Apologies and Reflection

I need to apologize to anyone who was keeping up with this blog.  I'm sorry that I haven't been posting anything for several months!  I guess I just have been busy and then didn't think I had much to blog about but I should really try to do better.  After all, this blog is supposed to be about the blessings, of which I have way more than I deserve, and of the blunders, of which I have more than I'd care to admit.  So I should have plenty to blog about, right?
I am so blessed to have a wonderful church and church family!  I really enjoy going to the different events, the bible studies, just for fun and fellowship events, and services where I know I'm going to be told the absolute truth and learn more about God's word.
Lately I've been really discouraged with how Christmas has become such a gimme, gimme time of the year and incredibly stressful for me with figuring out what to buy for everyone, doing the shopping and spending the money, and all the focus being on material things and feel good stories of Santa and other things that are NOT the reason Christmas is supposed to be celebrated.  Christmas is about the greatest gift of love ever given.  God gave His only Son, born to die, for us so we could know how much He loves us and a way to have a personal relationship with Him.  How can we overlook that year after year and get so caught up in our worldly views of the holiday season?
My family and I are making changes to the way we celebrate Christmas from now on.  Christmas isn't our birthday so why should we go overboard with the gifts?  Next year we will only buy one gift per person.  We'll go all out for the birthdays.  No more impersonal, boxed Christmas cards.  It will be a picture card and/or a family newsletter.  It's a better use of my time and money.  We will keep the focus on Christ and the love He shows us and the love we are commanded to show to others.
So for anyone who happens to be reading this, merry Christmas!  May you be abundantly blessed as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior and share that love with others!

Finally, a new post!

The past few months have been a blur of busyness!  We had several graduation ceremonies to attend, camp, my brother's wedding and various other activities going on.  It's been unbearably hot here in KS this summer and we've been swimming as often as our schedule will allow.  I haven't been doing many crafts because of this and my fashion of late is just what is comfortable in this heat.  So I really have not had anything to blog about in those regards.  Spiritually though I have a lot going on.  God has really been working on me and showing me that I've "let myself go".  I've let life get between me and Him.  How can I really know what He wants me to do if I haven't been reading His word and talking to Him regularly?  I feel I haven't been a good example to my children lately and I'm seeing how that is effecting their behavior.  We've been having issues with one of our sons and the guilt I feel over my poor parenting has made it difficult for me to hold him responsible for the choices he's been making.  I know that it's not right, it's just the way I feel.  I'm thankful to have a godly, loving pastor's wife to counsel me and pray for me along this trial.  And I'm so thankful that God will forgive me for my sins and give me His strength and wisdom to continue on.

Neck Bling

My older sis got a metal pendant and wanted me to turn it into a "fun and funky" necklace for her.  I finally got it done after fretting about making something she would like.  It's hard to start on a project for someone when you aren't really sure what they have in mind!  I'm a perfectionist and did NOT want to disappoint her!  But she said she really liked it and I'm trusting that she's not just saying that to make me feel good!  ;o)
So here is the finished product.

Everything was half price at the craft store or what I already had on hand (which was probably purchased at half price!) so including the cost of the pendant this necklace only cost a little over $2 to make!

Easter blessings

Yesterday was Good Friday.  It's "good" because Jesus died on the cross for us.  I am so grateful for that and I look forward every year to celebrate His resurrection from the grave. 
This year, since my boys are getting older and don't do Easter egg hunts anymore, I had the idea to ask family members to send me their testimony (the story of how they came to be a believer, how they got saved).  I will print them out and put them in the boys Easter baskets to read on Easter Sunday and then I will put them in the boys' scrapbooks.  I have enjoyed reading the testimonies as well!  What a blessing to know that those family members will be in heaven with me someday!

Diligence

Have you ever realized that there are 31 chapters in Proverbs?  That's just the right number to read one chapter a day!  Today's date is April 12 so this morning I read Proverbs 12.  Boy, is it full of verses I needed to read today!  The main point I felt that God was trying to get across to me is to be diligent and not waste time.  I tend to waste a lot of time "playing on the computer".  There are lots of things I do on the computer that help me in serving my family and managing my home but most of the time I spend on the computer is just wasting time.  Proverbs 12: 11 says "He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense."  Now I don't have a field of corn ready to be planted but it doesn't mean that literally.  I believe it's talking about doing what is necessary to maintain my life - food, shelter, all my housewife responsibilities.  So by me sitting at the computer doing "worthless things" I am being senseless!  I don't want to be senseless.  So today I am going to work on being more diligent with my time.

Little blessings

Today was such a good day!  Church was good and we got to spend all afternoon and evening together as a family.  I discovered some red flowers growing by the gazebo.  I don't remember planting them but they are evenly spaced so I must have.  No matter.  They are pretty and I'm going enjoy them!