I Made Maddie a Dress.

I made this dress for Maddie.  I LOVE the fabric.  I first used this fabric in the apron I made my mom for Christmas and just loved it so much that I decided it would be perfect for this little girl dress.  It's pretty with roses but 100% cotton so it will be cool for summer and washable.  I went back to the store to buy it and it was in the clearance pile so I bought a couple yards of it. What should I do with the rest make myself a shirt or a crochet hook case?  I can't decide.

Any way back to the dress.  It was super fun sewing for a little girl and it went pretty well.  I ran into one snag it was too tight in the bodice so either the pattern is off or she grew after I measured her.  I cut into the seam and added a little piece of fabric on both sides that I cut "on the bias" to give it a little stretch and give.  Hopefully it will fit her for a little while.  When she tried it on so I could hem it she, of course wanted to see.  So I lifted her down from the chair and she danced to the mirror where Hunter saw her and said with awe, "Maddie you look very pretty, like a princess." I wanted to laugh, cry, and clap all at once, Honestly could they be any cuter?  I think it's the kind of dress she can just wear and play in but she could also wear it out and maybe even to church.  I love how cool and breezy it looks.  I want one to wear when it gets super hot.

And the best part is... I made a matching dress for her Bitty Baby!!  I mean what little girl wouldn't want to match her doll?  I don't have a picture of her doll in the dress because it was a birthday present for her but I was pretty happy with that too seeing as how I had to make it with out a pattern.  If we're keeping track sewing for a little girl is super super fun way more fun then sewing for a chubby me!

I Made a Dress.

I made this dress.  I had a vision in my head.  I picked out the fabric.  I cut out the pattern.  I painstakingly transfered all markings from the pattern onto the fabric and cut out the pieces.  I worked on this dress for a long time.

    

It is cherries and pink checks.  It is a homage to summer time as a little girl.  It even matches this necklace I made out of vintage buttons, this dress was sewn very well and looks so good on the dress form.

This dress looks terrible on me.  I am not being picky or sensitive, it really truly, looks horrific on me!

Maybe Megan can do something to help it.  Maybe it will look good on my pregnant sister (since that is what it does make one look pregnant), maybe it was a bad idea and I should stop wasting time sewing dresses for myself.  Maybe I need to put away the sewing machine and do some actual laundry, and cooking and cleaning.  Maybe... On the other hand I do have a great idea for a little dress for Maddie...

The Ice Cream Man.

It's been so amazingly warm here!  I wonder if the neighbor knows how much I love his trees.

I don't remember ever going to get ice cream from the ice cream man as a kid and as an adult it seems silly to me, you could buy an entire box of frozen treats for the cost of one off the truck.  Maybe if you could get soft serve off of one, like on TV but in real life it is super hard ice cream on a stick.  But it's been so nice here and Hunter has had the experience at Carla's so he gets very excited and Brian is from Toledo so he has a long term relationship with the ice cream man and well I broke down and let them get some and let me just say I have never seen Hunter so excited in all my days I will have reign myself in or he'll be getting ice cream three times a day!!

When Hunter hears the ice cream truck coming down the road he gets more excited then any thing.  He thinks that the ice cream man decides where to stop so it's always a gamble will he stop to give us ice cream or won't he, the hope and expectation is palpable.  So if he drives by our house he says "oh they didn't stop" a little disappointed but a good sport.  But if we take him to the ice cream man and he stops, OH HAPPY DAY!!!  He literally skips and hops all the way squealing with delight.  If he hears him coming down the road he will run to the window jumping with glee.  And since we've gone to the ice cream man he now plays "ice cream truck" with all of his trucks and his bike bringing me dirty sand box toys to lick.

Conner also loves ice cream, and as you can see it's serious business.

That first bite is the best.

Conner loves ice cream more then muffins and that's a lot.

Isn't summer weather the best?

Long days, cool evenings, ice cream with the three best boys in the entire world; this is the life!

Weekend Away

Ahhh shopping is there any thing more fun?

Megan and Sarah and our urban chick food.  Aren't they beauties?  

My fancy food. What is that green stuff on the side any way?

I spent the weekend in Grand Rapids with two amazing women!!  My friends Megan, and Sarah are wonderful they know me so well and I them that we can be ourselves and silly and serious.  We've all been friends since sixth grade (Megan and Sarah even longer) we grew up with in a bike ride from each other and spent all of our time at each others homes.  Even after I moved we stayed friends and though we lost touch for a time God saw it fit to bring us back into each others lives.  They road tripped it to my wedding and Megan and I rode tripped it up to Sarah's.  The three of us get together at least twice a year and this time it was kid free (thanks to my amazing husband).

We shopped most of the day in this really cute part of Grand Rapids that has all these little down town shops and we stumbled upon, in my opinion, a really nice antiques shop where I bought a pari of embroidered pillow cases, two hankies, and a cookbook from the fifties "How to Cook with Children".  It was perfect as I love linens and old cook books because the illustrations are so fun.  We also spent some time in the mall where I had the best bra fitting of my life.  Just FYI it was Macey's and they were soooo helpful (not in that annoying way but a good way) way better then any help I've received at Victoria's Secret (what about her is actually a secret any way?).  They really were knowledgeable about sizes and the fit.  I am embarrassed to say that I am a size I didn't know existed, one that requires specialty not-on-sale bras (but she still found me a lacy one and some matching undies) good news is if I'm ever in a plane crash I can just whip off my bra and use it as a parachute!

I tried a martini for the first time and sushi.  We were at this upscale bar/restaurant the type of place Brian and I would be too nervous to go but Megan had been there before so she took the lead and it was really fun.  Why am I such a wimp any way?  I hate being some where and not knowing what's expected even a restaurant but you can really miss out on stuff with this attitude which is why I am glad that I have friends who are brave.  Any way I had veggie sushi and it was good I did try the girls which had raw fish and it was ok but the texture was too much for me.  The martini was excellent I've always shied away from them because they seem like they would be dry but I had a pomegranate blueberry one and it was a perfect balance of sweet and warm.

We stayed up late laughing, talking about kids, pets, loneliness... everything that friends should be able to talk about with out the worry of hurt feelings or being told on.  I know that every woman has many sides and roles to her but, for me, to have friends who don't know you as: mom, wife, or pastors wife is really good for the soul, to be able to just be.  Thank you Megan and Sarah for not only a good time but a healing one as well.

So I got my hair done today and I don't think I like it.  You should know that whenever I get my hair or make up done I don't think I like it.  I have this problem where I don't like the way I look but I don't like it when I look different; in fact it really stresses me out makes me wonder "is this me?" "am I posing?" and when the hair dresser asks me if I like it all happy and expectant I can NEVER tell the truth I always smile an squeak "Oh it looks great I'm really happy."

The real problem is that I'm not very stylish.  I don't know why because I love fashion, I love to look at patterns pick out material and sew, I think my house is decorated very nicely but when it comes to me it all just falls flat.  I own very little make up and don't wear it when I'm at home at all (I don't even own an eye liner pencil although I have considered getting one) my hair blah, my body blah (this is my own fault and I am working on it) my own clothes worn out and blah blah blah.  I just can't seem to get it together weird thing is I don't remember having this problem in high school and even college it's like I had kids and bam worn out frumpy mom syndrome hit me hard.  Maybe it's partly because during those times my mom was by my side helping me to shop and choose and I was constantly surrounded by girlfriends.  Also I'm older not as in shape and don't have the time or spending money like I used to but still seems like I could do something more.  My wonderful husband thinks I'm cute and doesn't mind but I do-- I mind.

So what do I do?  I'm working on sewing a new dress although today instead of sewing I made cookies, and dinner rolls and folded clothes (I find sewing for myself to be way less fun then for kids and little girls and am very good at procrastinating) this weekend I'm hoping to pick up a few new things like bras, shoes and maybe shirts but I'm not sure it's really going to make a difference especially with this weird new do I'm sporting.

I'll tell you one thing for sure, when I get that big publishing deal and have to have jacket cover photos taken and go on that book tour I am going to have to have a stylist; someone that doesn't dress me like them or the hippest thing but dresses me like the best version of myself.

So easter has come and gone and I thought I'd share some pictures from the season.  One funny story though; we had our neighbors over for Easter lunch and it was so laid back and nice.  I set my papa's table with my old flowery table clothes and it was very nice but I decided that I wanted to make rolls from scratch.  Now, how I do this at christmas time with my sticky buns is to do everything the night before including the rising time and bake them in the morning so that is what I decided to do for  these rolls... only it didn't work when I took them out of the fridge the next day they had completely deflated!  They were very small and very dense, oh well now I know dinner rolls must be baked the same day which is probably why they are made for dinner that is the only meal in which they can be ready in time.  Hope you had a blessed Easter!

I'm thinking about Judas

So in the spirit of Easter and the resurrection I have decided to reread the accounts of the last supper-resurrection in all four gospels.  Not a bad or hard thing to do I've probably read it at least ten times and heard sermons and lessons on it a million times but isn't it funny that when you read scripture things you never noticed just pop out (maybe that's why they call it the living word which always makes me picture a breathing some what scary looking book).  I've started in Mark (because most scholars believe this was the first gospel to be written) and read chapter 14 I'm cruising through trying to stay focused and imagine what is smelled like, looked like, sounded like etc when "bam!" verse 44 hits me like a ton of bricks "Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, 'Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.'" (emphasis) mine.  Now maybe you've always known this and it doesn't give you pause but that one little word "safely" really struck me and forced me to think "who was Judas anyway?"  I've always pictured him as the dark angry looking fellow from Davinci's Last Supper painting.  In my mind he's bitter towards Jesus about something, stealing from the coffers (he was in charge of the finances and he did skim off the top see John 12:6) and I honestly don't know why he's still tagging along with the disciples.  But why then did he care if Jesus were safe?  He didn't want Jesus hurt for some reason and that makes me think there was more there then just pure hatred there.

Maybe he thought he could move things along.  You know put Jesus in a position where he would have to take over as an earthly king, over throw Rome and they could all start participating in this new and better-than-David's Israel.  And maybe he was thinking that and clearly not understanding that Jesus' kingdom is a spiritual kingdom was a little miffed when Mary poured all that oil out on Jesus feet and Jesus scolded him for scolding her; maybe that little reprimand along with his love of money pushed him over the edge and he decided to get things moving his way.  Maybe he's thinking God won't care that he "betrayes" Jesus because it's the ends that justify the means right? (I'm saying this could be what's going on in his mind not that it's what actually was or that it's correct thinking; a professor once told me your not suppose to analyze dead people but I can't help it).

So if your still tracking with me and you can imagine that this might be what was happening it sort of makes you feel bad for him doesn't it?  I mean how many of us have totally missed the mark of what God was trying to get us to do or totally jumped in front of him while he was leading only to swerve way way off course.  It makes you realize that the ends don't justify the means no matter what your government or peers tell you, integrity always matters (you could also ask Dr. Baltar from Battle Star Galactica that but he's not real and I know I'm obsessed.) And that we have to be so so careful that we are truly searching for God's will and that we're willing to wait.  We so often get into trouble because God tells us something but we're not willing to wait for His timing and then we get in there and try to push things along which never works.  The ironic thing about Judas is that by trying to do things his way he actually was playing an instrumental role in God's real plan, that Jesus had to die and rise again, it's nice to know we can't thwart God's ultimate goal but we sure can make a mess of things for ourselves and those around us (that's free will for you).  And if I now have you thinking maybe Judas didn't have a choice he was predestined to do all of this, well, I don't think so, we always have a choice.  Really the priests and rulers would have found a way they didn't ultimately need one of his disciples in order to arrest him, it just made it a bit more convenient for them.

The saddest thing about Judas is that when he realizes what he's done he kills himself.  That's it game over but there is another disciple that betrays Jesus with a different outcome, Peter denies him (and not just a "who are you talking about" deny but he swears and oath that he doesn't know who Jesus is) and is forgiven and becomes one of the founding fathers of the church.  It's never too late for us no matter what we've done, thought, or ruined there is forgiveness and redemption for us that is the entire reason that Jesus did die so that we could come back to him; even after the worst betrayal we are welcomed back into the family of God.  Let's be careful of what we say and do "in the name of Jesus" but let's also be forgiving of those who do and say things in His name that shouldn't be; we've all been there.