Doll Sling Tutorial

Ok, bear with me, this is my first attempt at making a sewing tutorial!  I made a little doll sling for Wesley for Christmas and of course friends want to know how to make one.  The great thing about this project is that there wasn't any math or measuring.  I just eyeballed it using Lizzi's as a guide.  If you can make a rolled hem and sew in a straight line this is a great project to make in under an hour.  I'm uber anal about my hemline, so I pinned most of them because I didn't want it to slip out and then eventually fray on me!  So if you are more relaxed than I am, it will take you longer to decide on your fabric and find the rings than it will to stitch up.

Materials:

• 1 swatch of fabric approximately 42 inches long (bare minimum, this left about a 1-2 inch 'tail' on the sling when Lizzi  who wears a size 5T tried it out) by 14 inches wide
• set of rings (I found some in the purse crafting isle of joann's, they are about 1.5 inches wide, I'd go larger if you can find them.  I have to work the fabric a little bit more than I should to get it through the rings, but the good news is that I don't have to worry about it slipping.)

Step One

once you have material cut to desired length, do a rolled hem around all edges

Step Two

get rings out of package.  Pull material through on one skinny end until it is in desired placement on sling.  The more that you pull through, the more padding will be created on the shoulder, which some kids may or may not be fond of.

Step Three

fold material to make a gather like in the picture

notice the outer edges of the fabric are touching each other in the middle near gathered portion, this helps to create a nice little pouch for the doll

up close of gathering

Step Four

sew the material in place

Step Five
bring fabric through rings, call in you little one and try it out!

ta-dah!  You did it!

Stars and Sand

I think that a persons favorite Bible scripture gives an interesting insight into his/her character.

My dad's is Eph 2:8-9 "God saved you by His grace when you believed.  And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God."
I know my dad loves this because he understands just how bad off he was without Christ.  He fell away from the Lord hard for a long time, and came back passionately.  My dad gets where he would be without God's grace, which is why I think he loves that passage so deeply, because it is so personal for him.

My mom's favorite passage is Matthew 6:25-34
"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear.  Isn't life more than food, and you body more than clothing?  Look at the birds.  They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.  And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?  And why worry about your clothing?  Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow.  They don't work or make their clothing.  Yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for the wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.  Why do you have so little faith?  So don't worry about these things saying 'what will we eat? what will we drink?  What will we wear?'  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers but your heavenly Father already knows all you needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."
I could stand to be corrected, but I'm fairly certain that my mother's natural tendency is to worry.  And what mom doesn't?  I think that she finds comfort, solace, and is reminded of just how good our God is to take care of us in every circumstance.  Let me tell you, God gives so generously to my parents, that I am blessed because of His giving to them!

In case you are curious of what my favorite scripture, here it is--Psalm 139.  Most especially verses 17 and 18.
"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!  I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up, you are still with me!
Here's a little breakdown of why I love that verse.  I am an insecure person, so I constantly return to this passage to remind myself of the Father's love for me.  My insecurities run as deep as they do long.  As a child I never thought I had friends.  Thought that there was something wrong with me.  My deepest fear (aside from being widowed with young children) is that I am unloveable.  This is irrational I know, but it's still there.  For as close as I long to get to the Lord, I still wonder if he loves me.
"I mean, yeah, He gave His Son for me, but maybe I was just part of the deal.  Had to be 'granfathered' in.  Because, you know, there were all these other people that He loved and wanted to save, and if He offered it to them, well, maybe He just had to (begrudgingly) offer it to me as well."
^These are the crazy thoughts that ping through my head more often than I would like!

This morning when I was having my quiet time with God, out of everything that I read this verse just jumped off the page at me.
Isaiah 40:26  "Look up into the heavens.  Who created all the stars?  He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.  Because of His great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing."
I finished the chapter and bundled up to take the dog for a walk.  When I got outside, I took a look up into the sky and saw all the stars in their shining brillance.  And I thought 'wow, how cool is it that God named each of these and that they obey his command?!'  I never really thought about stars having to obey before.  As soon as I thought that, the Holy Spirit flooded over me and pressed upon me just how much God loves me.  I said, 'yeah Lord I know that you know the number of hairs on my head, but I'm pretty sure a computer could count them since there aren't that many.  And ok, you know my thoughts, but that's just your ability as God, you get that privilege to know everything that's going on with me.  And then He whispered back those verses from Psalm 139 personally to me  "How precious are my thoughts about you Alicia, they cannot be numbered.  You can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!"
And I lost it.  I started crying right then and there.  Because I finally understood, that it was me that He loves.  Not because He has to, or is obligated to, but because he wants to.  I was literally crushed under His love and there was nothing I could do about it but be in awe.  I realized that there is no way to count the grains of sand upon the earth.  And even if all of God's precious thoughts about me were just contained in one cup of sand I would be grateful.  That in itself would be a lot of love right there!  But He has more thoughts about me (that are precious to Him!) than all the sand in the world!  And that is mind blowing.  I have a God, who not only reached down to earth with the gift of His Son, but I have a God who thinks about me, all. the. time.  And it's not how annoyed He is that I failed again, it is precious thoughts of me, thoughts of love, love love.

Wesley's Quilt Photos

Ok, so I gave up waiting for Phil to take pictures of Wesley's quilt, so I just did it myself.  I know that it will give you the general idea of what it turned out like.  Plus, who can resist a cute baby?!

 Loves the blanket and the toddler bed.  Now if only we could get him to sleep in it...

I'm so funny

Hehe

Close up of the contrast stitching that I love

Happy Bubby

Sneak Peak--Holiday Dress

As promised to my facebook friends... a peak at what the girls' holiday dresses look like.  A lot more stunning in person if I may say so!  A deep plum with a gray/silver sparkly accents.  They love them and are very excited to wear them and be princesses!

Also, if you want to make your own, here's the link for the tutorial that I used!
http://www.u-createcrafts.com/2010/11/creative-guest-party-dress-by-cottage.html

On Creating

You know the phrase 'made in the image of God'?  I have always had a hard time relating to that.  I don't feel very much like my creator.  Until this morning when walking the dog and talking with God I told him that I was really excited about the learn to knit party.  I told him that I really wanted to learn how to knit so I could have a craft to take with me.  An antique sewing machine just doesn't fit that bill, ya know?  And He whispered to my soul that He loved to create too.  Which got me to thinking, and then praising Him for that truth.  What a wonderful reason to make the world!  I can only imagine how thrilled God must have been while molding the earth in His gentle hands.  I know how much I enjoy the snip, snip, snip of my scissors while cutting fabric.  And the rhythmic whir of my machine puts my mind at ease.  And the joy of creating when my fabric starts to materialize and I see with my eyes what I've only envisioned in my mind.

How creative and complex our God is!  His creativity knows no bounds.  You can see this by the vast amount of people on the planet, and no two are alike, not even the identical twins.  Or the earth and all that live in it.  Just to try and comprehend it boggles my mind.  Of course I've been told that I'm simple minded, so maybe you should try it and see if it works out better for you.

I guess I've been thinking about creating a lot lately.  This passage from a spiritual warfare book spoke deeply to me.  I suppose God is trying to tell me that I have more than I believe I do.

"We fail to see the creative aspects of our everyday lives.  Housewives especially do not realize this.  While you are doing housework [or tending to children] you are being creative.  You are creating a home and an atmosphere where you can raise servants for the King.  And in which you can build up your husband so that he can be a better servant for the King. This is important to the Lord."

                                                            ---Prepare for War by Rebecca Brown MD

I think that God is trying to catch my attention to the fact that I am doing more than just the routine mundane cook clean wipe noses and bums (which explains why I've felt pressed to memorize and live out Phillipians 2:14--do everything without complaining or arguing).  I am raising up servants for His kingdom.  And they have the same creative gene that He does.  I'm convinced it's what spawns all the pictures and love notes that my children are constantly cranking out.

Thank you Father for being a creative God and for allowing us to be like you!

Getting off the Sidelines

I'll admit it.  I have a hard time doing a lot of kid activities.  Building blocks, legos, role playing, coloring.  I can stomach about five minutes.  And then I'm bored out of my mind.  In contrast there is Phil who can do all of that pretty much anytime and stay there more than a brief moment.  The kids adore him because he plays.  I struggle with playing, even in my own downtime.  I love to read, but mostly it is for learning sake, novels are more of the exception than the norm.  Love my sewing time, but again, it usually is something useful.  There has to be value in what I'm spending my time on, or I just don't see the point.  So I'm the parent who takes her kids to the park, but am sitting on the bench waving and smiling.   I try and find toys that don't require adults because I know I won't want to sit with them and 'play' it.  Most of the games I get are 'educational'.  I realize that this makes me seem like a pretty dull mom, but I'm ok with that.  I'll be the level headed, even keeled parent.  It works for me.

Last night I got off the sidelines a little bit and had a blast.  We went to the pumpkin patch for the last two hours before it closed.  I decided that this year I wanted to have some fun.  Something about that massive gunny sack slide was just calling out my name.  Plus I knew that climbing all those stairs would help me stay warm!  I know that the kids had just as much fun as I did, and perhaps it was just a bit more special since I was actually participating.

If you're waiting to hear that I had an epiphany about needing to add more play to my day you're going to be waiting awhile!  I've always been the 'serious' one.  It's just part of my personality.  In fact this week I just took a personality test and scored huge points on things like 'value, organization, clean workspace, lists, etc'  I love who I am as a mom, and the little people must as well for they say I love you mama quite frequently :)

Feel free to be shocked as I am placing a multitude of pictures that Phil took for us last night.

Sign in the lounge area that we liked, too bad it wasn't for sale!

Wesley playing in the corn box

Lizzi being her glamorous self

Friends!

Apparently he really liked the corn box!

getting ready to ride on the little train

Abi on the zipline

Phil wanted a picture of a country girl, guess I fit the bill :)

Phil taking the kids down the big slide

Me getting off the sidelines for a bit

The pumpkin patch, where we found two perfect pie pumpkins

smores + climbing the bridge = one happy little guy

Wesley and his lady 

he was all about conquering-went down that huge slide all by himself, rode the train, climbed the bridge, oh yeah!

all of the Braden kids are the same ages as our kids and our wonderful friends

Cloth Pads

Ok, so I started to blog about this last month.  I was more done than not when Phil peeked over my shoulder and with dismay said 'you're blogging about your period?!'  Discouraged I decided not to post it, and I even went so far as to delete my draft.  But now that it's 'that time of the month' again, I thought if I could make one gal's cycle more comfortable because of what I do wouldn't that be worth it?

Yes, yes it is!  Where would I myself be if I hadn't read about cloth pads?  Probably still dealing with allergic reactions and rashes each month.  The only time your lady parts should be burning is because of  passion for your lover, not because of chemicals reactions!

Anyhoo....I'm trying to remember how I learned about cloth pads.  I'm fairly certain that it was when we switched to cloth diapers with Abi.  I saw a website make mention of mama cloth.  Not knowing what it was I decided to investigate.  What I read was totally amazing to me, perhaps I wouldn't have to dread all of the pain I went through every month.  And since I was going to do cloth diapers, it wasn't that big of a stretch to rinse out one more thing.

Some ladies choose to soak their pads in an enclosed pot.  I've read that the water makes great plant fertilizer.  Makes sense to me, if it can grow a baby, why not a plant?  I choose to just wash them out in the sink and put them in the diaper pail.

After reading about cloth pads, I was ready to proceed.  Problem was, at anywhere from 3-12 dollars a piece, our college budget couldn't afford the recommended amount for a proper 'stash'.  So I looked at other alternatives.  I found a few things worth mentioning--jade pearls, moonkeeper, and the diva cup.  Jade Pearls, are sea sponges that have been sterilized.  They are reusable for up to six months.  While I found those intriguing, I didn't want to buy more every few months, didn't seem to be cost effective.  The moonkeeper and diva cup are the same principal.  A small cup that you use instead of a tampon, it catches the fluid, then when you remove the cup you just dump the contents, rinse and reinsert.  I chose the diva cup over the moonkeeper simply because it is made of medical grade silicon that you can boil.  At the time I suffered greatly from yeast infections, so being able to really sterilize it was comforting to me.

I laid out to Phil that even though there might be a large upfront cost, it would save him lots of money (not to mention the great service I would be doing the earth by not polluting it with my garbage!).  He agreed, and so I bought the diva cup, three heavy flow pads and three pantiliner pads.  That my friends is what I used for five years!  I never needed to replace them, or buy more.  So for somewhere around 75 dollars, I had something comfy to wear that was green to the earth and easy on the wallet.

Since Wesley has been born and my cycle started up about 6months ago, I haven't found much comfort wearing my diva cup.  Not sure why that is, but I've just found myself desiring to wear the pads.  Problem is, when you only have the amount that I do, it's not going to get you through a whole day, let alone an entire cycle!  I started looking at patterns, was pretty intimidated, and overwhelmed.  I decided to ask my seamstress friend if she would make me some, but as a busy mom to 6, she couldn't guarantee that they'd get done before my next cycle.

So I took a deep breath and started searching again.  Finally I found something that I thought I could use.  A circle pad.  Easy, no waste, and no cutting the wings just perfect.  Ok, pattern found, now to gather fabric.  I had a tote full of baby spit rags, so I chose the prettiest flannel that I was ok with wearing (the whole baby kitty fabric just didn't hold a lot of appeal to me!), and found a thick terrycloth bib that I inherited but never used.  But the waterproof layer was a kicker.  I didn't want to buy anything, just in case they didn't turn out or work, I didn't want to have a financial investment to my project.  Then I found out that polar fleece is water proof.  I had some fleece pillowcases that my washer conveniently took bites out of and rendered them out of service.  So I took them and checked it out--the water actually just sat on top of the material.  So I did have everything I needed, now to take a deep breath and get started.  For a fastener, against the sage advice of the internet, I opted to try velcro since I had that on hand.  I haven't run  into any snagging problems, but it did scratch my thighs.  So I trimmed off the edges and haven't had any issues since.

I started digging through my kitchen for a circle that would be about the right size.  Kid plates--too small.  Lids to my pots--too large.  Finally I found the lid to my pampered chef trifle bowl and it was perfect!  I traced circles on the flannel spit rag, and the pillowcase.  Cut strips of terrycloth about the width of the undies crotch.  Then assembly time.  It was a piece of cake!  I put the terrycloth strip in the center of the flannel and sewed all around it, then put the fleece on the back and stitched all around the edges.  Attached the velcro and was done.  All in all, it takes longer to cut the pieces out than it does to sew them together.  Unless your machine has a strange temperament like mine does.  I think it just doesn't like to work after 8pm :)

Here's what the latest off the press looks like.  Comfortable, free to me, and pretty to boot!

Sorry about the quality of the picture.  Phil takes the camera every day to work, so instead of waiting for my turn, I used photo booth instead.  Work with what ya got baby!

Poo Free

Last summer I had some mamas and their babes over for a little playdate.  One of the gals said she had gone 'poo free'.  Wondering if that was some new terminology for toilet training, I asked.  Poo free is a term relating to people who choose not to use shampoo.  That started a flurry of questions and comments to be sure!

And so for the next year, I wondered about it.  Did a little reading about it.  I already was aware of all the harmful chemicals in shampoo and had switched over to a more natural (think the brand Jason) shampoo and conditioner while pregnant with Abi.

One of the 'factors' a lot of blogs mentioned was the cost of natural and organic shampoo.  That hasn't ever been an issue for me.  With short super baby fine hair (read: female pattern baldness), and washing it only ever other day (per my hairdresser's recommendation), I can make a bottle of shampoo last well over a year.  In fact my last 16 oz bottle was closer to two years than not.

As fate would have it, I ran out of shampoo, and in my haste for something new and different ( the same scent for almost two years will do that to you!), I bought a bottle of Say Yes To Carrots at Walgreens without reading the label.  You would think that after all the times I've been burned by 'all natural' products I would have read the label.  But trying to manage three antsy children wasn't conducive to reading labels.  Oh, and I didn't even smell it.  BIG MISTAKE!

It has several things that met my disapproving eye after the first use.  I hated the scent, it burned my eyes, and no I didn't get any shampoo in them.  When I read the label I saw that it had 'fragrance' listed.  Egads, no wonder my eyes were bugging me!  Like my parents, perfume and artificial scents really bug me.

I kept trying to use that shampoo, and finally I just said, enough!  Why should I suffer through a hot shower that is intended to bring me peace and relaxation?

So I started reading some more blogs.  I opted to not do the vinegar rinse for my hair.  It is so fragile as it is.  I cannot use heat on it more than once a week or it gets brittle and frizzy.  My hairstyles are pretty limited, having thinning hair, and fragile to boot.

I read that sometimes your hair can take up to two weeks to adjust to not being shampooed.  I was pretty nervous about that.  I enjoy wearing my bandanas, but I didn't want to have to wear them for two weeks straight!

I feel pretty lucky that I only had a few days adjustment period.  Now whenever my hair starts to look really oily, I just rub in some of my baking soda water in the shower and then rinse it out.  I love that my hair isn't dry or frizzy after washing it like it previously was when using shampoo.  In case you're curious, I gave up conditioner well over two years ago.  It was too heavy for my hair and weighed it down something fierce.

A common recipe for the baking soda and vinegar rinses are 1 tsp baking soda mixed in 8oz of water.  In a separate bottle is the same ratio for the vinegar (typically an apple cider vinegar).  For myself, I did 1 tsp of baking soda to 16oz of water.  I just put it in my old shampoo bottle (you know that one that I used for nearly two years?), and put it directly on my scalp.  Rub in as a head massage, and rinse under the delightful hot sprays from the shower head.

Oh yeah, and to make it fun for myself, I put a few drops of geranium rose oil.  Smells like the bath oil beads my mom used when I was a kid!

Lizzi's Birth Story

Lizzi turns four tomorrow.  Not sure where how she got to be so grown up, but she is!  Her birth story is one that spans across a few days.  During which time I didn't get hardly any sleep.  In fact by the time she was in my arms, they were so weary I could hardly hold her head up to nurse her for the first time.  I was terrified I would drop her from sheer exhaustion.  Somehow we made it through those first few moments, and she didn't take a spill out of my arms.  For a long time I disliked her birth story, it was semi-traumatic for me.  But in time I realized that sometimes to appreciate what we have, we need to struggle.  With Abi I had the textbook natural childbirth.  Lizzi's had some twists in it, that if I knew then what I knew now, might not be there.  However, it is what it is, and it shaped me, and while it was an epic struggle at the time, I now see all the blessings.  Here is her story written just days after her earthside journey...

When I went to see Barbara (midwife) on Friday the 5th, I found out that I was four cm dilated and 50% effaced.  She told me that since I got that far with basically no braxton hicks that when labor started I needed to boogie on down to the hospital or I might not make it in time  (We lived in Kearney and would have to travel to hastings for the birth where our midwife practiced).  I went home thinking "I just want to be able to go to my party tomorrow and labor can start anytime after that."  So Saturday (the 6th) I went to my baby shower party and had a wonderful time being blessed by the beautiful women in our lives.  We asked Grandma Rose to stay a while longer to watch Abi so we could get my homecoming outfit and the big sister gift.  We got back about two hours later, and I had this feeling like I should get our bags ready (my duedate was the 17th, and we lived in a tiny house so I didn't feel any rush on getting bags packed).  I started getting achy and thought "maybe contractions"  but wasn't sure until I laid down with Abi right before 10pm.  After I got up I called Rachel (best friend since being college roomies, now the kids' Godmama!) to put her on alert and then around 11 called the midwives--Rebecca was on duty--she said I could come in whenever I wanted, I could always leave if labor died out.  So Rachel came and took Abi around 12:30 to drop her off at Rose's.  We headed out shortly thereafter and got to the hospital at 2am.  By the time we got through the admissions process and nurses questions it was 3:30, as we had an especially friendly and chatty nurse.  She suggested that we try to rest as labor wasn't very strong.  So Phil went to the visitors lounge and Rachel slept in the chair.  I tried to rest, but my legs and back ached, so at 4am I got up and started pacing the halls.  At 5am I got in the tub sore and tired just looking for some relief.  I did manage to nod off for about an hour.
Since my labor was dying they brought up the possibility of rupturing my membranes and that Rebecca would be in between 7:30-8 to talk about it.  Rachel and I discussed what we knew about what could happen and at 7:15 I said 'let's go talk to Phil before they come.'  So we did and about 7:30 Rita my nurse came in.  When she mentioned the risk of prolapsed cord followed with a C-section since you weren't engaged I was like 'no way, let's just leave.'  In order to leave I had to be hooked up to the monitors to make sure we were both doing ok.  For a while your heart was tachicardic and Rita said that if we could not get that down soon we'd have to do a cesarian.  Those comments caused my blood pressure and pulse to go through the roof!  So I asked for my music and I laid down.  It took about 10 minutes for us to get calmed down, but we did and we left to walk walmart at about 10am.  We left about an hour later to go to Roses as we were exhausted (and I promised Rita to stay close) and I was just hurting not laboring.  So we went to Roses and I slept for about an hour and a half.
I wanted to see if walking would start my labor up, so Phil, Abi, and I went to the mall.  I walk for a good hour and finally confirmed my suspicions--that I was leaking amniotic fluid.  When we got back to Rose's, I checked the internet and found that, yes, I needed to let my health care provider know.  So I called Rebecca about a half hour after my contractions started again.  She was surprised that as a second time mom that my waters didn't break.  But she told me that once I came in I couldn't leave the hospital without a baby in my arms.  I made up my mind to stay at Roses as long as possible because I didn't want my labor to stop again.  At 9pm I said it is time to go.  I had Phil run in the hospital and have them bring me a wheelchair because I didn't think I could walk in.  Again my contractions were slowing down and I was only 6cm dilated (which is where I was the first time admitted) and had some cervical lip in the front.  So Rebecca suggested walking to make the contractions stay strong and to lean forward with each contraction so your head (which was engaged but not wedged into place) would thin out the rest.  After about 2.5 hours or walking and soaking in the jacuzzi I took the offer to see how far dilated I was.  Much to my utter discouragement I was still only 6cm.  The first check Rebecca had offered to rupture my waters which I declined as I wasn't yet ready for interventions.  But when she offered again I was ready.  It took Phil some convincing, but when I told him how tired I was and scared that if I kept going I wouldn't have enough energy to push you out, he said let's do it.  So we popped the rest of my waters and like Rebecca said, it came hard and fast.  And I guess an hour and a half later you were born.  When it got hard and heavy it felt like a vise grip around my middle and back since I finished so fast it rushed my body to spread my hips so they really hurt.  It seemed like I alternated yelling out about  my hips and back.  I couldn't get comfy at all, every position either my back hurt too much or my legs and hips would cramp.  All I wanted was to sit on the toilet or lay on my stomach, which of course weren't options.  So I took the least offensive-hands and knees.  Except I was leaning so far forward on the pillows that I wasn't pushing effectively so Phil and Rachel would help me up and hold me so I could focus on pushing.  I wore a mask for a while as I was hyperventilating.  It helped me calm down and focus.  After I pushed your head out they kept saying the hard part is done just one or two more pushes for the body.  I was expecting you to slide on out like Abi did so when they kept telling me to push I thought 'can't you just pull it out?  I did the hard part!'  But I did push you out, and since your cord was very short (13inches!) they slid you up between my legs and rolled us over.  You were pretty blue and needed oxygen for 4 minutes and you weren't crying, just whimpering. Bad I guess because you can't clear your lungs without screaming, so they had to make you mad.  I started hemorrhaging and received a shot of pitocin.  My pulse was still high which is bad and I almost had to have something rectally to finish stopping the bleeding.  Thankfully it came down ok on it's own.  And finally I got to just enjoy you my 9lb 5oz baby.  Phil was taking wagers on your size but I didn't say because I didn't want to have the wrong number stuck in my head.  But you were so beautiful with all of that hair and your quiet whimpers.

Extras--I am always amazed at the time warp while in labor.  I felt like it took hours to push lizzi out, when in fact according to our video it was 6 minutes 31 seconds!

If you have ever watched Bill Cosby Himself, there is a part where he says 'put it back, it isn't done cooking yet'.  I felt like that when I saw Lizzi's face for the first time.  She had lots of blotches and had scratched herself badly in utero.  I had a hard time bonding with her at first, but then came to noticed that loving her was like putting on your favorite jeans and sweatshirt.  You don't remember when they first became comfortable and your favorite, but you know that you feel at home when you wear them.  And that's how our relationship has been for the most part.  Two people who just understand each other.  I rarely have struggles with her, it's just peaceful, and I hope it stays that way for a long time!

Thus far Lizzi is what I consider my fat baby.  Even though Wesley weighed over a pound more (10lb 8oz), she was a little ball of fat rolls.  And she had the fatest baby checks that we've ever seen.  When I think of chubby cherubs I think of Lizzi!

The ending line of her letter after the story is as such:
I love you so much Lizzi, may you grow in sweet serenity!

Abscence

Sorry to those of you who have been checking in faithfully waiting for a post from me!  It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks.  A few times I tried to start a post, but it all seemed so trivial and mute in light of what I was struggling through that I just couldn't find the purpose of even trying.  So I didn't.

What happened you ask?  My mom was diagnosed with Cancer shortly after the last post.  And while I was actually prepared to hear those words, I wasn't.  Even if you think you are ready, it still hits you like a punch to the gut.  I raged at the awfulness of Adam eating that dang apple and cursing the rest of humanity with sin and the ravages that come.  I cried, in fact I sobbed in the arms of a dear friend whose mom went through a similar journey.  I cried out to the Lord in terror at the thought of losing my mom.  I am blessed in that I've not lost anyone to death.  All of my grandparents are still alive, so the thought of my  mom being the first was not a welcome one.  The good news is that they caught it in early stages and are predicting a 95% rate of success.  She already had her first treatment on Monday, without any side effects, Praise God!

That night after getting the news I was at Bible study and a book was brought mentioned.  My friend has mentioned book so many times that I almost turn a deaf ear!  But the Spirit had other plans for me, and He prompted me to ask to borrow and read it.  I did, and practically devoured it.  This book is probably not what you would expect someone who just found a beloved one has cancer to want to read.  It is called He Came To Set The Captives Free by Rebecca Brown MD.  It's about spiritual warfare, and God revealed a lot to me about what goes on in the spirit realm.  Because of that book, the Holy Spirit had me cleaning out a lot of closets, both literally and figuratively.  I am so thankful that I listened to the Spirit and read that book, it has brought me to a whole new level in my relationship with my Maker (and gave me a peace in regards to mom's cancer)!

I did read the companion sequel Prepare for War, another excellent read.  Now that I've read some pretty heavy material, I'm switching over to something a bit lighter, the next book in the Patrick Bowers series.  The Bishop, only a few chapters in, but again another thrilling novel that I have to pull myself away from and return to real life duties.

I did get Wesley's quilt finished a few weeks ago.  It turned out great!  I opted to not put the turtle appliques on as the fabric just didn't look right against the rest of the quilt.  My favorite part (aside from being done!) was the contrast stitching on the satin edging.  I was hesitant to try, but Phil encouraged me to use it.  Lime green threads on the white edging.  I know it sounds kinda out there, but it looks wonderful, and you'll see what I mean if I ever wrangle the camera away from Phil and get some pictures taken.  Or better yet, have him take them!

I promised myself that I couldn't start a new project until Wesley's quilt was finished.  Now that it is, I've got a few things ready to go.  First started (but now on hold until Christmas projects are completed) is a t-shirt dress.  My SIL gifted me with a card good at JoAnn's.  Since our store is relocating, and everything was 1/2 off or more, I scored two different fabrics totally 3yrds only costing me 16 cents.  I have the waistband all cut out, my shirt marked and ready to be snipped.  The tutorial I am using is from Elle's Apparel.  Why reinvent the wheel, when so many others have done it better than I ever could!  Here's the link if you wanted to see her blog.  Gorgeous clothes, I'd love to try her maxi skirt someday too!

http://elleapparel.blogspot.com/2010/12/winter-shirt-dress.html

Earlier this week, Phil told me how many days until Christmas.  I kinda freaked out, because I have a long list of things that I want to sew for the children (and us!) instead of buying.  I love homemade gifts, and want to pass that onto my kiddos.  My mom has made us ornaments every year since for about 20 years, give or take.  And no duplicates either, isn't that amazing!?!  Here is what's on my list to sew up-- holiday dresses for the girls, ties for the gents, doll sling for Wesley, doll clothes for the girls.

Did I mention it was barbie doll dresses?  I know, I know, call me a hypocrite.  I've always sworn I wouldn't allow barbies in my home.  And then magically mom produced a whole plethora of items when she found out I loved sewing--patterns, buttons, old jeans, and a box containing two old fashioned barbies (with shoes that my girls will never know about!), patterns, and enough fabric to fill an entire barbie sized amour.  For as much as I loathe barbie, my girlies cannot get enough of her.  So I figured--hey, what a great Christmas gift, and it won't cost me anything, except the time to do what I enjoy!  Umm, did I mention that sewing seams that are the size of my pinkie nail are a bit outrageous?  No?  Well, consider it mentioned.  Let's just say that my first dress was supposed to be a two arm diddy, ended up being an over the shoulder one are gown.  The perfectionist in me would rather burn it than give it as a gift.  The husband said it looked great and that they would love it.  And I decided that since it actually fit the doll, and she has a little stoll to keep her other shoulder warm, that it would measure up just fine as a gift.  One dress down at least 3 more to go!

The coolest thing that I learned from doing that dress is hand sewing on the machine.  I don't know what the technical term is for it, so if you do, please enlighten me.  Basically I was getting frustrated over how fast the machine was (at it's slowest) with the teeny amounts of fabric I was working with.  It dawned on me that I could just turn the wheel (again, you can see I'm all about technical terms today!), and the machine would sew it for me, at a pace I could keep up with since I was the one turning the crank!  I sewed half the dress that way, and it worked wonders on my attitude towards the project.  Now I'm excited for the kids to go to sleep tonight so I can (hand) crank out another one!

Ok, I know this is a mega post, so I'll just end it with a link to what's simmering in my crockpot.  I'm hoping it turns out ok since my 'roast' wasn't firm enough to mold, might just have to stick it under the broiler for a few mins to help with the texture.
http://veganplanet.blogspot.com/2008/03/slow-cooker-seitan-pot-roast.html

What's for dinner at your home?