Car and Marker Cozies

Oh, this was fun. And sooo easy! I saw these cozies at My Little Gems, and had to try my hand at them. If you know how to sew even a tiny bit, I’d recommend making these. I didn’t go all out with the appliqued denim road, but I think the cozies I made work just fine. Here’s a photo of them rolled up:

This shows Jackson’s car cozy, full of cars:

I made an art cozy for Katie’s markers, which turned out well too:

Then I got all kinds of crafty. I made another art cozy as a birthday present for one of Katie’s friends, and included a pocket for a small notebook (personalized with the birthday girl’s name), along with a set of colored pencils. This one is my favorite:

Purses I Made

In the midst of all this craftiness lately (more posts on that coming soon!), I came across two purses I made at least a year ago, and wanted to show them here. The first is a placemat purse. Here’s a link to a tutorial if you want to make one too, although I didn’t use this exact tutorial to make mine. I made this black one from a placemat I got at the Dollar Store, then added handles I bought at a craft store.

The second purse is made from a pair of jeans that Katie outgrew. I just cut off the legs, sewed the holes up and added handles. I love this one because it reminds me how little Katie used to be, and I also like having the extra jeans pockets to stash lipstick and my cell phone.

On a sidenote, I also wanted to make sure you click here to see a cute shirt set I made for the kids last night.

Easter Outfits

I wanted to share photos of the kids’ Easter outfits that Grandma and Poppy bought for them yesterday. I will have to exchange Jackson’s because it’s a bit too small, but you get the general idea. The outfits color coordinate (light green) without being too matchy-matchy.

I think my kids are pretty darn adorable. I’ll post photos after Easter when I have better full-body shots, which will show their cute dress shoes that I got for a bargain price at Wal-Mart today.

And here’s one last photo to show another dress that Grandma bought Katie. It won’t be for Easter, but we couldn’t pass up the pleated red, white and blue skirt. We made excuses that she can wear it this summer when I’ll plan a special photo shoot.

John Denver Lyrics Keep Floating Through My Head

Seriously. I kept hearing this on repeat all day long: “You fill up my senses/Like a night in the forest/Like the mountains in springtime/Like a walk in the rain/Like a storm in the desert/Like a sleepy blue ocean/You fill up my senses/Come fill me again.”

Do you think there might be something wrong with me?

Nah. I can attribute this John Denver-itis to the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G weather we had yesterday and today. It has been fantastic. I think my heart dug up the John Denver song as a way to say thank you to God for reminding me that winters never last.

We played outside for almost three hours yesterday, after Katie and I shopped for Easter outfits. I was struck by how the good weather made all my senses come back to life. I saw colors I haven’t seen in so long, felt the wind brush my skin and the sun kiss my cheeks. I also got a kick out of watching Jackson when I put a short sleeve shirt on him. He has gotten so used to having his arms covered that he kept yanking on his short sleeves, as if trying to pull them down and cover his skin again.

Today, we were outside for another three or four hours. We had lunch on the front porch, and I borrowed an idea I read recently on someone’s blog. (And now I’m annoyed because I can’t find the correct link to copy here! I thought I got the idea from Muffin Tin Mondays, but can’t find it there. So I apologize for not being able to give the proper credit here.) Anyway, I served the kids’ lunches in empty heart-shaped chocolate boxes. The plastic liners that usually cradle the chocolates were made perfectly for bite-size portions of sandwiches, cheese and tomatoes.

Jackson wouldn’t take off his helmet for lunch.

Unfortunately, the forecast calls for rain tomorrow. Bummer. But at least we got two unexpectedly beautiful days this week, and I will try not to be greedy for more!

The History of Aprons

“I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath. Because she only had a few dresses, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the menfolks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.”

I received this email from an old family friend last week. It made me feel nostalgic, so I visited the local antique mall this past weekend. I found a full-size apron and bought it for ten bucks. One of the ties in the back was missing, so I sewed on pink ribbons and it’s as good as new. I’ve been wearing it all week while I cook and craft, and it has already been a stand-in for a Band-Aid (I cut my finger) and saved my clothes from splashing tomato sauce.

Here’s a photo of me wearing it while sewing a birthday gift for Katie’s friend. Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to sew my own NEW apron and it will hopefully fit a little better!

You Belong to Me

You press your nose against my cheek, and I smell peanut butter. It must be lingering from this morning's breakfast. I nuzzle in close to your neck, and I smell your dip from lunch. I inhale and breathe you in, the little boy scent that's kind of like dirt mixed with sugar.

You wrap your arms around my neck, and tell me you want to listen to a different song before nap time. I ask which one and you reply, "Oh Danny Boy." I start that song, and then you say, "No. I want Mommy's favorite song." So I skip to number seven on your CD, and you lean in close again. You are in motion even when you're laying quietly against my chest. Some part of your body is always moving, and it makes me think of how much you moved when you were still inside me.

We whisper-sing the lyrics of the song to each other, and your voice elevates a little on the line, "Fly the ocean in a silver plane." My mind forwards to years from now, when I imagine you traveling the world as a middle-aged man who is taking a business trip, or maybe just 15 years from now when you are leaving for college. Will you still be in love with me then like you are now?

You sing the last lyrics to me, in a declaration that quiets my worries. No longer whispering, you say, "You belong to me, Mommy." Yes, sweet Jackson, I belong to you!

You Belong to Me
See the pyramids along the Nile. Watch the sunset from a tropic isle. Just remember darlin' all the while,
You belong to me.
See the marketplace in Old Algiers.
Send me photographs and souvenirs.
Just remember when a dream appears,
You belong to me.
I'll be so lonesome without you.
Maybe you'll be lonesome too, and blue.
Fly the ocean in a silver plane.
See the jungle when it's wet with rain.
Just remember 'til you're home again,
You belong to me.
Lyrics by Pee Wee King, Chilton Price and Redd Stewart

Bracing for Cycle Break

I haven’t been very good about posting lately, have I? I’ve been spending Jackson’s nap time looking up crafts and projects online in preparation for Katie’s cycle break from school, which starts on Friday. If you remember, we are in a year-round school district that has school in session for nine weeks and then off for three (which we call cycle breaks). I love that school goes back in session in July, but those three week breaks can be pretty rough. The good news is that this coming cycle break is shortened to 12 days instead of 16, because of snow days. Yahoo!

I’ve compiled a list of projects Katie and I can work for the next two weeks. I thought I’d share the ideas here too.

Cycle Break Bingo – This is an idea from my friend Carrie, and Katie completed one on the fall cycle break. That link shows the bingo sheet I blogged about in the fall.
Fairies like the ones here or here.
Flower suckers like these here – but Katie had the brilliant idea of making them into shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day. Cute!
Spool letters – I think I’ll be the one making them to surprise Katie.
Marker and/or car caddies – another craft that will be mostly me-oriented (since it involves a machine).
Fantasy photos – oh, how I love crafts in Family Fun magazine!
A marble run on the refrigerator.
A marble maze – we already have a nail board like this, but I never thought to add marbles and turn it into a maze. Fun!
Sock bunnies – won’t these be so cute for Easter?

I’m actually looking forward to this cycle break because of all the projects we have planned, plus some other fun outings with my mom’s group. Grandma also says she wants a sleepover with the kids, which always helps break up the chaos a bit. I don’t know how many of these projects we’ll actually complete, but I’m hoping for some fun bonding with Katie. We already visited my current favorite store (Leftovers, of course!) to stock up on supplies. I’ll let you know how the projects are going!

A Day in Our Life

Feel free to skip this post if details bore you. I am posting this for posterity… kind of like I did in this post from 2008. I’m focusing on a typical school day this time.

I start my day at 6:45. I get dressed in workout clothes, insert contacts in my eyes, and head to Katie’s room. I lay with her until about 7:15, then we start the day by praying, “Dear Jesus, please come into my heart today. Thank you for loving me. Amen.” We also say, “Good morning. I love you. We’re going to have a great day!” to each other. It helps set the tone for the day.

Katie gets up and makes her bed and gets dressed. I put sunscreen on her face, even though she whines about hating it every day. (Katie, if you’re reading this and you’re past the age of 30, I’m hoping that you are grateful to me for protecting your skin from sun damage and wrinkles!) We also clean her pierced ear holes with that stuff they give you when you get your ears pierced. She cried so hard the first time I took her earrings out that I won’t let her take them out anymore. Now we just clean them with Q-Tips.

Katie heads downstairs to start her breakfast while I head to Jackson’s room. He’s usually awake by 7:20, and has started fussing in his crib. I change his diaper and dress him on his changing table, then we say the same prayer and mantra that I already said with Katie.

Jackson and I join Katie for breakfast. Every morning, they ask for “Daddy’s blueberry muffins.” These are the mini kind that are four to a package and are so not great for a kids’ breakfast. I got tired of hearing them beg for muffins each morning, so I started buying individually packaged muffins at Wal-Mart. They are pretty small and there’s only one to a package. It gives them the muffin they crave and still leaves room for a good breakfast. Katie usually packs her muffin to take to school as a breakfast snack (the classroom gets a snack in the morning). Jackson wolfs his muffin down first thing, then asks for whatever cereal Katie is eating. I eat cereal and/or a banana and/or a Clementine (oh, how I hate when these go out of season!). Katie finishes her breakfast, checks the school lunch menu, and usually packs her lunch (I let her buy 2 days a week). She has a checklist on the wall that tells her what to pack: a pb&j*, a yogurt tube, a juice box, a fruit cup, and a vegetable (carrots or grape tomatoes that I pre-pack in a container for her at the start of the week). She brushes her hair and sometimes I put it up for her.

At 7:40, Katie gets her shoes and coat on and heads outside to the bus stop. We are blessed to have a neighbor who lets the kids stand in his garage or on his driveway, and keeps an eye on the kids. When it’s cold outside, I don’t go to the bus stop because I lose circulation in my extremities too quickly. (When it gets warmer, I’ll walk out with Katie and Jackson.) When Katie leaves for the bus, Jackson is usually done with his breakfast so we go to the window and watch Katie walk to our neighbor’s driveway.

As a birthday present to me, Dan and I joined a gym. The past three weeks, Jackson and I have been heading to the gym almost every morning. So when Katie’s bus has come and gone, Jackson and I load up and head out to the gym. I exercise for an hour or so while he plays – and it’s the first time in my life that exercise has ever seemed like a vacation to me. I also try to shower before I leave the gym, which is a doubly good pleasure. (Showering! By myself!) If we have an activity with my mom’s group, Jackson and I leave the gym and go meet our friends. If we don’t have an activity, usually Jackson screams and cries about leaving the gym because he doesn’t want to go home, and we end up sitting in the parking lot for about ten minutes while I wait for him to stop screaming. (I refuse to drive while he’s screaming at me.)

When we meet our friends, it’s usually an activity and then we have lunch together. I usually pack our lunch earlier in the morning. We leave our friends around noon, and head home to unwind before Jackson’s nap. Jackson plays while I unpack the lunch bag, then we sit in the LoveSac and read books together. Jackson’s nap starts at 1:00, and that’s when I can exhale!

I spend naptime catching up on email, folding laundry, maybe starting dinner, making calls, blogging, and sometimes I might even craft. (!!!!) On rare occasions, I might watch TV while I’m doing another chore (unloading the dishwasher or folding laundry).

Katie’s bus brings her home around 3:30 or 3:40, and she knows there is a list of things she has to do when she walks in the door. First, she gives me a hug. Then she hangs up her bag and coat and takes off her shoes and washes her hands. I am adamant about all of us washing our hands when we come home so we kill any germs before they enter the house. Katie puts her school folder on the counter for me to check and sign, and then unpacks her lunch bag and puts the containers in the dishwasher. She usually starts on homework or reading or does some project in the craft room. (At this exact moment, she’s filling out the Dr. Seuss book My Book About Me.)

Jackson usually wakes around this time – mostly no later than 4:00 – and we have a snack together. On Mondays, we load up the car and head to gymnastics class for Katie. Dan meets us there at 5:00 and takes Jackson home while I stay and watch Katie. She and I get home around 6:00 on those days.

On any other day (when there is no other evening activity planned), the kids play after snack and I get dinner started. Dan is home around 5:30 (on Tuesdays and Thursdays he goes to work early in the morning so he can leave in time to work out at the gym before coming home), and we eat dinner at 6:00. We’re usually done by 6:30, and one of us will bathe the kids while the other one cleans up the dinner dishes. We start a show for the kids by 7:15, and they pick Dinosaur Train or Word World or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Martha Speaks. At 7:45, we brush teeth (and Jackson cries about it every night) and then take each of them to their separate bedrooms to read a story and listen to one song before bedtime. The kids are in bed by 8:00, and we do whatever else needs to be done for the evening. We might finish cleaning up, fold laundry, pay bills, email, or catch up on TV on the DVR. If it’s a Tuesday night, we will ALWAYS be watching Lost.

We try to head up to bed at 10:00 and read a little before turning the lights out. Some nights we are up until 11:00, but we have every intention of being asleep earlier than that.

So… there’s a little peek at our daily routine. I hope I didn’t bore my three faithful blog readers, but I wanted to give my kids’ insight into their lives at ages 6 and 2. Thanks for humoring me, y’all!

*No, I do not make a fresh pb&j sandwich every morning for Katie’s lunch. Every other weekend or so, Dan or I will make a big batch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out of an entire loaf of bread. We make an assembly line, then cut the sandwiches with the handy dandy Pampered Chef Cut-N-Seal tool. It’s a tool that makes the sandwiches into round sealed pockets, kind of like Uncrustables. I reuse plastic containers – like the kind you get for hummus or sour cream – and each sandwich goes into one of those then into the freezer. When Katie packs her lunch, she grabs one and it thaws in her bag before lunch time. It has been a great timesaver for us, it saves money (as opposed to buying the actual Uncrustables), plus we use whole wheat bread and natural peanut butter and reduced sugar jelly. It’s a healthy choice for her!

My Little Buttercup

On school days, it’s my job to go in and wake Katie in time for breakfast and the bus. I used to walk in, wake her and expect her to hop out of bed and start her day.

That didn’t go so well.

I have found that I need to quietly enter her room about 15 minutes before her you-must-be-dressed-and-headed-downstairs deadline. I open a window shade just enough to let some light into the room, and then I crawl in to bed beside her and say, “Good morning.” Slowly, she wakes and we start to whisper about nothing and everything. Sometimes we talk about her dreams. Sometimes we discuss the plans for our day. Sometimes we just hold each other and doze back to sleep. It’s a lovely morning pillow talk ritual and I love how it guarantees us dedicated time alone to touch and listen to each other.

This morning, Katie asked me to sing to her. The first song to pop into my head was “My Little Buttercup,” so I sang it to her. When we were dating, Dan used to sing it to me. I was so entranced by his voice singing gently to me about how wonderful I am. The words go like this: My little Buttercup has the sweetest smile./Dear little Buttercup won’t you stay a while?/Come with me where moonbeams pave the sky/And you and I might linger in the sweet by and by, oh!/Dear little Buttercup, with your eyes so blue,/Oh, little Buttercup, you’re a dream come true!/You and I will settle down in a cottage built for two - oooo…/Dear little Buttercup, I love you!

Now, wasn’t that the sweetest thing ever? Dan made up such an adorable little song, just for me. And now I can sing it to our adorable little girl in the mornings.

Uh, what’s that you say? Dan didn’t make it up?!! WHAT?!!

Yeah, that was my reaction the first time I saw The Three Amigos on video. Yup. I had NO clue. All those times Dan was singing to me, and I thought it was his original song. Good thing I was already in love with him by the time I found this out.

That memory came to mind this morning as I was singing to Katie. It still makes me chuckle. If you are like me and are one of the last living people who hasn’t seen this clip from the movie, here it is. Note: You'll need to pause the music player on my blog sidebar before you watch this video.

Retro Barrettes

In this post on February 10, I wrote that I’d be making some ‘80s style barrettes for Katie as a Valentine gift. I worked on a few different sets, and gave them to her and she LOVED them. I even found some old photos of me and my cousin Catherine wearing some back in the day, and showed the photos to her. She was so excited to wear barrettes like the ones I used to have.

It was such an easy project. It helps that I remember making them years ago, but I think it would be an easy craft for any beginner too. I even worked on some in the car on the way to a Girl Scout activity, and another troop mom saw me making them and decided to make some for her daughter too.

Here’s a photo of the two-tone pink ones Katie wore this past Saturday to a reptile birthday party. (Yes, that’s her with a crocodile!)

One tip: if your daughter has fine hair, buy some adhesive Velcro and put a small strip inside the barrettes to keep them in her hair. It help the barrettes stay in place! The next set I make will also have some Super Glue under the final ribbon knot. I am hoping that will help keep the ribbons from slipping along the barrette.

I’m thinking of making these as birthday presents for Katie’s friends. They are so inexpensive. You can get a roll of 1/8” ribbon for about fifty cents at Michael’s or Wal-Mart. The barrettes were four for $1.00 at Wal-Mart too. String some beads on the end to finish the look, and you can make a set for just pennies!

Let me know if you make any. I’d like to see the results!

Project instructions can be found in Family Fun magazine’s February issue or online here.

Cutie Patooties

Oh, my kids. They act like little devils and yet they are so incredibly cute. God does that for a reason, you know. Otherwise I might ship them off to North Carolina – my sister has offered to take them in the past. Oh, it’s tempting… until I see these photos.

Hugs & Kisses Coins

I finished up the Valentine crafts for the kids, which I wrote about here. Jackson’s party was today, and he took the recycled crayons and Hugs & Kisses Coins that I made. Here’s what the final product looked like:

I saw this idea from my Stampin’ Up consultant, Carrie. I used a permanent ink stamp pad (Staz On) and stamped a flourish on little zipper baggies. Then I printed out papers with Jackson’s name and “Have a colorful Valentine’s Day” (I got that idea here) on one side and an original poem on the other. The poem reads: “Flip the coin,/See what appears./Give a hug or kiss/To someone who’s near!” I stuck the wooden coins onto the paper, bagged it with the crayons and zipped ‘em up for the party. I love how it all turned out.

Katie’s tissue cozies are also finished and ready for her party on Friday. Here’s a sample:

The photos I printed with the “ah-choose you” saying arrived in the mail, and we trimmed them to wallet size and Katie wrote her name on the back. Then we punched them and tied them onto the tissue cozies.

My last project is to weave some ‘80s style ribbon barrettes to give to Katie for Valentine’s Day, like these here. I’ll post photos of those once I make them, if you’re not too tired of seeing all these Valentine crafts on my blog!

Date Night

Dan and I had a nice date on Saturday. It was a mixture of a Christmas present, my birthday, and Valentine’s Day. For Christmas, Dan gave us three tickets to see the musical The Color Purple at the Fabulous Fox in downtown St. Louis. The plan was to take Katie with us for her first show at the Fox. But Friday night, we found out online that the show is not recommended for kids under age 10. We got a refund for her ticket, then dropped the kids off at Grandma and Poppy’s.

Dan and I drove downtown and had a nice, leisurely lunch at the Schlafly Brewery’s Tap Room. Our appetizer was warm beer bread with a creamed blue cheese spread and a tasty garlic butter. Oh, yum! We both had a refreshing beer, then our meals arrived. Mine was a Turkey Monte Cristo, but it was an odd spin on your regular Monte Cristo. It had cranberry chutney, brie, and turkey on brioche (French bread). And THEN it was deep-fried. And then? It had powdered sugar sprinkled on top. Yes, really. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but it was actually pretty tasty (and not at ALL low-fat!). I could only eat half of it because it was so big. Dan had their Cuban, which was large and yummy too. We sat for more than an hour and ate, and discussed our futures and some of the weight on Dan’s shoulders. I really enjoyed myself.

After lunch, we went to the show at the Fox Theater. I liked it, although it was very different from the movie. I read the book a few years back and don’t remember enough details to compare the musical to the book. But Dan’s opinion of the musical wasn’t very good at all. He rated it a four out of ten. I think that’s because The Color Purple is his very favorite movie of all time (and I’ve mentioned before), and it would be very hard for anything to live up to that for him. I will agree with him on one aspect, though: it was disappointing that not even one song from the movie was in the musical. No Miss Celie’s Blues, and not even Speak to Me/Maybe God’s Trying to Tell You Something. Nope! And I think that lost song is pretty pivotal (at least in the movie) to show the character development for Shug Avery. I was disappointed that it wasn’t in the musical.

After the show, my sweet husband humored me by standing around while I took photos of the Fox Theater (you can see him in the first photo below). I had written Michelle Sidles in advance and asked her for tips on shooting in dark places, and got some decent results. Here are my favorite shots:

 

 

The staff at the Fox Theater was not amused by my lingering to take photos, and they quickly shooed us out the door. Actually, “shoo” is a nice word. They weren’t that nice.

We left the theater and went to a local favorite, Crown Candy. We stood in a line that was almost out the door, then decided to get our treats to go. I got a delicious hot fudge pecan sundae, and Dan got a milkshake. It was fantastic.

Our bellies were still full from lunch and dessert, so we headed to the International Tap House for some beverages. It’s owned by a college friend, and this weekend was the first birthday of the bar. We ran into some friends there and stayed for the rest of the night talking and listening to live music.

Dan and I both needed some time away to relax and unwind. This day helped our mental outlook tremendously. Thank God for grandparents who will watch our kids so we can have adult time together!

Robins

I wanted to share these photos that I took yesterday. There was a flock of robins that was swarming the crab apple tree in our backyard. Snow on the ground made it difficult for the birds to find other food, so they were picking crab apples off the tree. I stood in the window on the couch, with the kids bouncing beside me, and took some of these shots. I hope you like them!

Malachi 3:3

Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to read the scriptures, and make them the subject of conversation. While reading the third chapter of Malachi they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: “And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

One lady’s opinion was that is was intended to convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a silversmith and report to them what he said on the subject. She went accordingly and, without telling the object of her errand, begged to know the process of refining silver, which he fully described to her. “But sir,” she said, “do you sit while the work of refining is going on?” “Oh, yes, madam,” replied the silversmith; “I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured.”

The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Christ sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come at random, and they are only as intense and last only as long as is necessary for the refining process.

As the lady was preparing to leave the shop, the silversmith concluded by saying that he knows the process of purifying is complete when he can see his own image reflected in the silver. What a beautiful example! When Christ sees His own image in His people, His work of purifying is accomplished.

This was something I received by email a few years back, and it still comes to mind when I think of the trials and tragedies that I and others have experienced. Jesus "knows the process of purifying is complete when he can see his own image reflected" in us. He doesn't keep us in the fire one moment longer than is necessary because He knows our hearts and knows how much fire is too much. He protects us, loves us, and makes us shine with His reflection!

How blessed are we to have someone on our side who loves us that deeply? God is so good.

Ewwww!

I just read this article online about germ havens. I had to share it because it's grossed me out a bit. I wasn't surprised by some of the items on the list, but didn't realize bath towels (and hand towels) and washing machines are that incredibly dirty. And how about salt and pepper shakers? Ewww. Time to break out the bleach!

Getting Our Valentine's Craftiness On!

We had a fun craft session this afternoon when Katie got home from school. It started with a craft we were making for our friend who just had a baby. Katie got bored quickly and moved on to making her Valentine Party, uh Friendship Party mailbox to hold her Valentines. I gave her a bag of lace bits and she went to town taping and gluing pieces to an empty Kleenex box. It turned out pretty darn cute.

I made the lace pipe cleaner heart on the front, but she did everything else - including writing her name on wooden circles to glue to the top plus her stamped photo on the sides of the box.

Before Jackson's nap time today, we made a quick stop at Leftovers and got some crafting supplies. At the last minute, I dug into the box of broken crayons there and brought them home to try out this craft, which I made while Jackson napped. (This link also has a great idea for other shapes.)

I tried this once a few years ago with a silicone IKEA ice cube mold, but it didn't work well. This time, I used nonstick spray and it worked like a charm. I will make one suggestion, though: you might want to use Crayola brand crayons. I made a batch of circle ones with off-brand crayons, and the Crayola ones were more pure. The no-names worked okay, but it seems the colors sank to the bottom of the muffin cup and the paraffin wax settled on top. Can you see the separation in this photo?

I am pretty sure it won't affect performance, but it's an odd little effect. I made enough little hearts for Jackson to give to the kids in his class.

Almost as an afterthought, I came up with another item for Jackson to give to his classmates: Hug and Kiss Coins. I had blank wooden discs that I got at Leftovers a while back, and decided to stamp one side with an "X" and one side with an "O." The idea is that you flip the coin and do whichever side lands up: a hug or a kiss. Fun, huh? You can also find these circles new at craft stores, so you might want to make a batch yourself.

Last week, I finally sewed up the Tissue Cozies that I wrote about here. I made 26 of them - enough for Katie's class, and I'm hoping there are enough for Jackson's class too. They really turned out so cute and were amazingly easy. I ordered wallet size photos from Shutterfly with the "ah-choose you" saying printed on them, and I'm waiting for those to arrive so I can finish up the cozies.

My final project is one I read about on Color Me Katie's blog. It's a kiss flip book that my Katie and I might make for our #1 Valentine! Here's the photo she posed for, and I used Microsoft Paint to add a heart. I'll have to print a bunch of them without the heart so she can draw her own!

Goodbye, 35

You can look at it two ways: today is the first day of the rest of my life, or it's the last day of 35. Both are true!

Yes, tomorrow is my 36th birthday. Let's just get that out of the way now. Yippee, happy birthday to me, "...and many more..." and all of that jazz. Thanks for the well wishes.

Now, on to business!

I have a special wish for my birthday. Yes, I know writing that makes me sound like my six year old daughter, but it's true! Here's my special wish: I want you to go to this link and give me a dollar. That's it. Just ONE. Think you can swing it? In case you don't feel like giving me a dollar online, you know I'll take your cold hard cash in person next time I see you too.

C'mon. Give me some love, y'all! And feel good knowing you are helping to save lives too.

Tissue Cozies

Thanks to Holly at stitch/craft, I now have a new obsession. I will be making 20 of these tissue cozies for Katie's class "Friendship Party." (Can't call it a Valentine's Day Party... huh?)

I made my first one today, in just a few minutes. Seriously. It was so fast. If you can sew four straight lines, then you can make these. Here's how mine turned out:

I would have preferred the green gingham be on the inside of the cozy, but it was my first attempt and I was just thrilled that it actually worked. (I have a history of not giving much seam allowance and messing things up.)

So I dug through my stash of fabric scraps, and found a pile of these odd little bib-shaped pieces that I got at my favorite store. For those of you who have read my blog for more than three days, you know the name of my favorite store: Leftovers!!!

I found these bibby things there at least a year ago, and grabbed them with no plan in mind. Turns out they are exactly the right size for the rectangles of the tissue cozies.

I spent the rest of Jackson's naptime cutting rectangles with my handy rotary paper cutter, and all 20 cozies are ready to be stitched together. That will happen tomorrow during nap.

And, yes, Jackson actually took a real nap today. He hasn't been sleeping for the last 10 days. Instead, he prefers to turn nap time into Wrestlemania, and kicks and bangs around in his crib. I was terrified that nap days are over, but he psyched me up with a real nap today. Katie was home early from school because it was a half day, and she spent her time making those melty bead thingies while I cut rectangles from bibbies.

Oh, I can't wait for nap time tomorrow! I'm gonna be in sewing frenzy!

Camping in the Living Room

Jackson went to Mother's Day Out yesterday, and the day's theme was Camping Out. There was a large tent set up in the classroom, full of books so the kids could go inside and read. We came home from MDO and pulled the IKEA igloo tent out of basement storage. It is now the main fixture in our living room.

This morning, Jackson and I hung out in the igloo.

The light from our front windows struck the side of the igloo and was perfect for some silhouette photos.

But these are my favorite photos of all:

I love this last one because it so perfectly captures my son at this point in his life. He so completely adores guns. Yes, I know. It isn't quite P.C., is it? But it is what it is. At first, I tried to deter his gun  love by calling guns something else like rockets or fire. But that didn't work. Then I wouldn't let him have anything that remotely resembled a gun. Uh, nice try. The boy will make a gun out of anything: fingers, carrot sticks, and he even built his own rudimentary gun from Legos about two weeks ago. (I was both proud of his building and imagination skills, and horrified at his deep-seated desire for guns.) So now the rule is that he can't shoot guns at people, even the guns he makes by extending his pointer finger. Today, I asked him to show me how he shoots a gun. He wrapped the fingers of one hand around the fist of the other, pointed his index fingers, and started making "pshew" sounds. This photo shows the result. His eyes are all shifty (because he's in battle, you know), his mouth is in mid-pshew, and his fingers gun is a blur of action. This, my friends, is life with a boy. Sweet and terrifying at the exact same time. Oh, how I love my son!

Breathless

Dear Lord,

Just when I think I've got my balance and figured a few things out, You sweetly sneak up and surprise me. With a little tap on the shoulder, You remind me that You are in control. You are working in him, in countless unseen ways.

And it leaves me breathless.

I love all the ways you gleefully enhance my life, all the little love notes you leave me in unexpected places. The ways You tug at my heart, the ways You speak to me through other voices. How amazing it is to be loved by You!

Elizabeth

How Much Eraser Do You Have Left?

Each time I volunteer in Katie's first grade class, it strikes me how often little kids use the erasers on their pencils. By the time they finish their first opening sentence during creative writing, their desks are covered with little rubber shards from their erasers, which get swept on the floor and make a mess. Some pencils are completely flat on top, with no visible eraser left. These kids have made so many mistakes that they have no eraser left.

After my volunteer time was over this week, I walked away thinking how my life's "eraser" is still pretty pink and definitely not very short. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to say I am perfect and don't make mistakes. On the contrary! Maybe my eraser is still pink and pretty because I am not getting out of my box often enough to even try anything new. Therefore, I'm not messing up too often. If I stick with what I know and keep doing what feels comfortable, then it's pretty easy to get it down pat. Right? But when I step into the unknown and have no clue what I'm doing, the eraser gets lots of use. I write and color outside the lines. I make mistakes and I correct them.

On Wednesday, I was talking to another mom I know about making mistakes. She thought she messed up on parenting her kids, and emailed me about it. I told her not to sweat it and that I've learned a big part of motherhood is making mistakes and learning from them. Then again, isn't ALL of life that way? We just do the best we can with what we have, and pray that it can be redeemed into something significant. It's trial and error and as soon as you find your footing, you get another curve ball that throws you off balance. I told her we'll make it through, we just have to lean on others for support.

The question is: do I want to live my life in such a way that my eraser is hardly used? Or do I want to continue learning and growing and, inevitably, making mistakes which will need erasing and correcting? I think God put us here to make mistakes and learn and grow from them. It's why we have a memory, so we can learn and move on.

I don't want to live my life in the same rut, doing the same routine over and over. I want to keep learning, keep stretching my soul, and I want to use my darn eraser. I know there will little rubber shards to clean up when I'm done, but I know that in advance so I'm prepared to forgive the mess I'm going to make.

The Fresh Reflection

Want to make someone's day? Specifically, my sister Mary's? Then head on over to a new blog, The Fresh Reflection, and leave a comment.

Fresh Art photographers Jodie and Kim started a new idea after this blog post about seeing the worst in ourselves while strangers see the best. We point out our ugly chins or our mismatched eyes and say how awful we look. Turns out others think those very qualities might be our most beautiful. So Jodie and Kim started a blog where they'll post a photo of a woman and ask strangers to comment and give love and confidence to that woman.

I submitted a photo of my sister Mary (one of my very favorite pictures), and I'd LOVE for you to leave a comment and boost her self-esteem. She can use a boost these days. Originally, I wrote a long email to Jodie about why my sister is so awesome, but Jodie decided to post only the photos of the women so our comments are strictly based on their beauty and not the things we do that make us beautiful (or haggard, in my case!).

Once you're done commenting over at The Fresh Reflection, feel free to poke around my blog and read about my sister and how much she means to me. Here's a good place to start.

Winter Haikus

There's a challenge at (in)courage that I am joining. It's an artistry challenge to create and stir our souls.

Today's challenge is to write a haiku set in winter. I started writing and Katie came over to see what I was doing. She and I worked on haikus together. Here's my first one:

Winter is in me

Silently frozen down deep

His warmth will melt me

After explaining a haiku to Katie (5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables), she came up with this:

Jesus’s birthday

Icy crystals falling on me

Snow is white and cold

And then, my last haiku:

This winter’s tight grip

Can’t stop spring’s tiny whispers.

I see buds outside!

I'd love to see you join in the challenge too. Leave your haiku in the comments, or link to it on your blog.

The Dance

I am seeing some amazing things these days: God is working in so many lives, mine included. I don't mean that in the cliched, trite way either. I mean it in the true, life-changing presence He is developing in people He has put in my life. It makes my heart skip a beat to think of those I love drawing close to Jesus. When someone experiences such a huge change in their life, it makes my faith seem even more real. There is power in community and shared experience.

So I'm praying very directly for a few certain people, these "Nestlers" who are drawing closer and walking alongside our Father. It struck me today as I was praying that I'm not quite sure how to pray for them. I'm not praying for an end result. My prayers are not, "Dear Lord, please make them love You and it'll be all good. Amen." My prayers are not for a "fix" in their lives, not an end destination. I feel like my prayers are that their journeys will finally coincide with His. That their life walks will no longer be taken alone and they will feel their burden being shared. Notice I didn't say their burdens should be lifted, because we're not talking about a one-time event in their lives. I am praying that these Nestlers will feel the heavy burdens aren't theirs alone to carry.

I'm praying for a process in these people's lives, not a finish line.

My faith life so far has felt like a dance. Sometimes it's a slow dance, with very little movement and just a gentle swaying. Sometimes it's been a gut-wrenching, feverish convulsion full of upheaval, sweat and tears. Sometimes, it's just a good spin around the dance floor. Nothing too fast, nothing too slow. And, yes, there have been times in my life where I refused to dance at all. I got tired of dancing alone and trying to keep up with the pace all by myself. I stepped away from the hardwood dance floor onto the carpet, and watched from the sidelines. I didn't really feel like I needed to dance anyway. But last year I realized I didn't want to be a bystander to the dance anymore. I saw the other dancers and felt compelled to have what they had. I wanted to join in, but didn't really have a Partner that I was committed to. And that's when I finally looked to see that Jesus had been holding out His hand to me all along. I guess I always thought I was a better dancer on my own. At my church's baptism party last June, this was one of the signs beside the baptismal lake:

"I'm taking Christ's hand and finishing the dance with Him." I wrote that in my application for baptism because I felt like it was time to Dance. That photo is posted on my bathroom mirror. Each morning as I'm getting ready for the day, I look at that photo and ask Jesus to dance with me. I envision Him holding out His hand, pulling me to Him, and showing me the dance steps for that day. Sometimes I get off step because I'm not so good at following His lead (like if the kids frustrate me and I yell at them), so I have to mentally re-center myself and re-envision Him starting a new song and showing me a different step. I even have a song that plays in my head for this: "Skin" by Rascal Flatts. "They go dancing around and around without any cares and her very first true love is holding her close. For a moment she isn't scared."

Jesus has made me love Dancing again. I hope the Nestlers are enjoying their new Dance too.

Hawks

A little less than a year ago, I wrote here about what hawks mean to me. They are a physical reminder of my father's presence in my life, even though he is dead and gone.

I still see hawks almost every single day. Maybe because I live in the Midwestern suburbs, not in the deep city? I like to think that it doesn't matter where I live; hawks would find me regardless.

One thing I really wanted to do is capture a hawk with my camera. I've had that little wish in my heart for a while, but every time I would see a hawk, I'd be camera-less. I started taking my camera with me on days when I'd have time to stop and capture a hawk if our paths crossed (i.e., not when the kids were with me). All of a sudden, I wasn't seeing them as often! Aaargh.

On Christmas Eve, Dan and I were running last minute errands before going to his parents' house for the family festivities. I had my camera with me in preparation for the family event, and we saw a hawk! It was a drizzly day, but I asked Dan to pull over and let me try to capture the hawk. I went tromping through a muddy field and got this shot:

That poor, wet, cold hawk! I couldn't get him to move no matter how many shrieks and noises I made, so I didn't get my wish of a great shot of him with his wings spread wide.

And then this past Wednesday, I got another chance. I saw a hawk in a field, then did a u-turn to go back to him. I only got a few shots before he spooked and flew away.

As a wanna-be photographer, I have a compulsion to want to record things, events and people. I want to capture the moments before they slip away. Capturing the moment makes it feel more real to me, as if giving my poor memory proof that something truly did exist. At face value, my quest for a hawk on film seems straightforward. But what is the underlying drive? Am I trying to capture my dad again, however fleeting he may be? Maybe.

In my quest, I have realized there are some things in life that just can't be captured, and some things that were never meant to be anyway.

Gratitude

This weekend's message at church was about money. Personal finances. How humans love money and use it to measure our worth. 1 Timothy 6:10 says: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." Greg, our pastor, was quick to point out that MONEY isn't the root of all evil, the LOVE of it is.

He also talked about our current economic climate, and how some people are barely making ends meet. I think our tendency is to tenaciously hold on to money when it starts getting tight, and that makes it feel even tighter.

Greg said there is one word that will release you from those material ties: gratitude. In a sermon from November 2008, he said it best: "Gratitude is the antidote to discontentment." Yes, times are tough. Yes, we as a nation are scared and worried. But feeling gratitude for your situation - no matter how dire it is - keeps you from being a "plaything of your circumstances." Even if you are unemployed or facing a terminal diagnosis or a divorce or loss, there are still things you can be grateful for. Greg said, "Notice what God has already given you. Be around people who aren't afraid to laugh with you but will also cry."

And: "When you notice the gifts and are grateful it leads you to the kind of worship that calibrates your soul." I think that quote right there explains my outlook on life. I want to notice and be grateful - even for the pain - because it is part of the experience God has chosen for me. And when I can be grateful for the good AND bad, it brings me to my knees. It silences me with awe and amazement as I realize how overwhelmingly good and great God is.

You do understand that I can say that, even with incredibly large and painful holes missing from my heart? There's a loss I live with every day, an ache that is sometimes sharp and other times just a tremor. It's a loss that has seeped into the rest of my life and forever changed me. And, yes, I am actually grateful to God for that loss. My gratitude certainly doesn't mean I would choose this same outcome if I had a second chance, but my gratitude has come from hindsight and faith - looking back to my past and seeing how God never once stepped away from me.

At the end of the sermon, Greg talked about a pastor from Texas who was killed on October 30, 2005 during a baptism. Kyle Lake was electrocuted while standing in the baptistery of his church. A few days later, someone found notes from the sermon he was planning to preach that day. Greg read these words to us:

Kyle Lake's last sermon "Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.
If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well.
Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own.
If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift."

So, what are the gifts in your life? Here are a few of mine:

I am grateful for darkness because it means light is coming.
I am grateful for stretch marks because they are the proof of my babies' entry into the world.
I am grateful for friends who have moved on, because they have taught me how to live and let live.
I am grateful for clutter, because it means I have abundance.
I am grateful for snow that chills me and sun that warms me.
I am grateful for sleep and rest so that I have the energy to appreciate my blessings.
I am grateful for laundry, because I have a family who gets those clothes dirty.
I am grateful for sweat, because it means I'm exerting my strength.
I am grateful for my son's runny nose because it means his immune system is working.
I am grateful for weakness because it lets others be strong.
I am grateful for pain because it means I'm alive.
I am grateful for tears, because they evaporate and never last.
I am grateful for hope and breath and joy and today.

Who Was Right?

Thanks to my six blog readers for making me feel loved and leaving me a comment last week. I asked you to take a guess as to how many emails I purged before we transferred Outlook over to Frank (my laptop).

The sad thing is that none of you were close. My neighbor/friend Sheryl was the closest with her guess of 5,000. Oh, that would have been so nice. But, no! I actually ended up deleting about 7,900 emails. A decade's worth. Ugh! (Sheryl, I'll be bringing you a "happy" in the next few days. Stay tuned!)

Charity asked how long it took to purge and whether I read the emails before I purged them. It took me about a week to purge, and it took me that long because, yes, I did read a lot of them before I deleted them. I have to admit that I didn't delete ANY of my mom's, dad's or sister's emails. I couldn't bear to part with the first two, and didn't want to go through the 619 that I still have from my sister. The day I went through Mom and Dad's emails, I was an emotional wreck. I read through some very tender and tumultuous emails from them both, and it made me very happy that I saved those emails for so long.

I spent a long time reading the emails from my two high school best friends, and realized how much we have grown up in the past decade. I became a mom in the last ten years, and also became an orphan. Looking at the emails from 2000, it felt like I was reading a letter from a long-lost friend: me. I wistfully remember those days when my biggest anxiety was being fired and trying to decide whether to sue the company that fired me. I miss those days, and yet I don't! I am so thankful that God had other things in mind for me, even though it didn't make sense at the time. (Isn't that my life story?!)

I have succeeded this week in exercising my delete button lots more often. It feels good!

Purged!

My blog has been relatively quiet this past week, after my DAILY posting during the Christmas Countdown. I didn't realize how time consuming daily blogging could be when it was on my To Do List every day. So I'm a little relieved to blog just whenever I feel like it now, not on a schedule.

I've been quiet for the past week because I've been busy purging. I told you about Frank, our new laptop that we bought for Christmas. The sad thing is that I haven't bonded too well with Frank because I haven't been able to transfer a lot of stuff to him yet. First thing to transfer is my Outlook, and it turns out that I have saved WAY TOO MUCH for it to transfer over. Yes, I confess that I save MANY emails. After I really started looking into it, I realized I have emails from ten years ago. Yes, ten. And, no, they are not life-impacting emails either! They are just static from my life in 2000 and since.

I've spent the last week purging all those non-essential emails. Guess how many I deleted? Go ahead, guess. How about you leave a comment with your guess? Then I'll send you a little happy. (And I better not get a guess ONLY from Gina. C'mon, lurkers! Now's your chance to show your face!)

Anyway, I finally finished my purge last night. Now I feel so free and relieved! That leads me to my first New Year's resolution: I resolve to STOP saving every email. Just let it go, baby.

Aren't you proud of me?

2010 Scripture

This is the fifth year in a row that I have started the new year with by choosing a specific Bible verse to focus on all year long.

I started in 2005. That year, I used my brother's Bible that Mom inherited after he died - which I then inherited after she died. It was the same Bible that she and I read from when he was newly diagnosed with cancer, and he was at rock bottom after his first chemo treatments. Mom was there nursing him, and around bedtime she invited me to his room to read their nightly Scripture. It was Isaiah 40, specifically verse 31: "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." I didn't make it through the Scripture without stopping and crying. Mom gave me "the eye" from across the bed, silently telling me to buck up and be strong for Jackson. I will never hear that verse without having flashbacks of my brother.

So... back to my story. In 2005, I started the new year knowing that my father would probably die in the coming year. Mom had just died four months earlier, so I was bracing myself for yet another shoe to drop. I sat down on New Year's Day with my brother's Bible, and said a prayer. I asked God to direct me to some of His words that would speak to me in the coming year. And, then I just flipped my Bible open and blindly pointed to a verse on a page. It was Job (of course!), chapter 33, verses 29-30: "God does all these things to a man - twice, even three times - to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him." If that wasn't directly aimed at me, I don't know what else it could be! I felt God speaking to me, acknowledging the fact that the third major loss of my life was about to happen ("twice, even three times") and He was promising me that His light would shine on me and warm me, even in the depths of my grief. I focused on that verse throughout the year, and meditated on it often.

In 2006, I did the "blindly pointing" thing again, since it worked so well in 2005. This time, God directed me to Luke 21:33: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." He was telling me that He is faithful, ever present, and the physical world that I focus my energies on is fleeting.

In 2007, I decided to focus on verses that I liked for no other reason than because I liked them. They were Job 19:25-27: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God, I myself will see him with my own eyes - I and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" Say that last sentence out loud. You can't help but say it with conviction and hope.

In 2008, I again chose a verse for myself. It was Psalm 23, but not the usual translation. This was from the Good News Translation, which starts "The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need (emphasis mine)." I really liked that version because it helped me focus on what I have instead of what I don't have. It helped me focus throughout the year, especially when I was diagnosed with lupus that September.

In 2009, I really can't recall how I chose my verse for the year. I think it was one of the little Bible verses on a card that sits in my kitchen window, but I can't be certain. It was the Good News Translation of Lamentations 3:22-23: "The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue. Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise." I also loved the NIV version: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." I posted this verse so I could see it every morning while I showered. It took half the year for it to sink in to my brain. I remember one day I was showering and thinking about how the kids were smothering me with responsibilities and I literally felt like I was being consumed. I looked at the verse, and, of course, the word "consumed" jumped out at me. I knew God was telling me that no matter how exhausted I felt, I wouldn't be consumed. It was so reassuring to me.

So, here we are in 2010. A few months ago, I was looking through my Bible and read Psalm 100. I have a parallel Bible with the NIV and Message translations side by side. Verses 1 and 2 in The Message spoke straight to my heart: "On your feet now - applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence." I felt like it was such a jubilant way to approach God. I wrote the verses down on a Post-It note and stuck them on my bathroom mirror. I liked it so much that I chose it for this year's Scripture.

Are there any verses that speak to you? Which will you focus on this year?