i have to say...

let's get real--on monday!

Monday is "Let's Get Real Monday" and this week's theme is "My Favorite Artist".  I figured that with summer in full swing, we needed an easy theme to post about.  No rummaging through old pictures this time!

All you have to do is post about your favorite artist, maybe tell us a little bit about him or her, and if possible post a picture or a link to a piece of their artwork.

Everyone is invited to play along!  Simply post on your own blog on Monday and then drop by here and add your blog post URL to the autolink in my post, that way we can come by and see who your favorite artist is!

Happy Friday!

tie-dye day

Our tie-dye venture was a success!  One thing that I forgot to tell people was to bring extra items to dye because once the kids get going, they don't want to stop.  One little guy pretty much tie-dyed himself and the shirt he was wearing, along with a pretty cool piece of fabric that his mom let him do all by himself.  A friend of mine even tie-dyed the shoes she had on!

My favorite item was a pair of underwear dyed by a little guy who had to dye it after he laughed at his older brother for bringing a pair of his own skivvies to dye.  The older brother ended up dying a t-shirt (undies on the right):

Yesterday while I was driving my oldest daughter to catch her plane for Africa, I told her that we were having "tie-dye day" to which she responded, "I always loved doing that, it was one of my favorites things!"  Precious memories made and many more to come!

a summer-fun idea!

Every year we host a "tie-dye" party at our house!  This is something we try to do a sunny day since this should not be done in the house (unless you want hand-dyed carpet!).  Tomorrow's forecast calls for rain (oops!) so we may move cars out of the garage and turn it into a tie-dye studio.

The supplies are cheap and simple: White t-shirts, Rit dye, salt, rubberbands and marbles.  Follow the directions on the back of the dye box to mix your colors and try these methods for creating great patterns.  Our favorite is the twisted spiral method. 

You can also over-dye by first dying your shirt in a light color and dyeing part of it in another darker color.  This can lead to lovely results, but too much enthusiasm with this can lead to a brownish-purplish shirt, so let the kids know that they need to go easy!

I will be back with pictures soon.  Until then, enjoy the sun!

woman to woman--quote day

*** Today's Woman to Woman topic is: "Share an important quote and what it means to you."

This week's topic is tough because there are so many wonderful quotes to choose from.  I write the ones that are meaningful to me in a small notebook that I keep beside my bed, and this little book has proven to be a record of the stages of my life.  If I look closely, I can see a pattern.

These days my heart leans heavy towards reflecting on what it means to be a mother.  My first child has left the home and another is soon to make her own way, and while this has been the whole purpose of the parenting experience, believe me when I say that there is nothing that feels natural about letting your children go--at least that has been my experience so far.

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body." - Elizabeth Stone

This quote states in words what I feel everyday.  My daughter is an adventurer and she is not one to sit around and be bored.  Not only is this disconcerting to me, but it is also an exercise in trusting God.

Tomorrow she leaves for Africa.  My mind tends to wander to all of the bad things that could happen while she is there knowing that I will not be close-by to take care of her.  Only my prayers will be able to shield her, unlike her earlier days when I shielded her physically on more than one occasion.  A mother's heart has only the best in mind for her kids and whatever hurts their child, mentally or physically, cuts deep into the mother's life as well.  I am finding that the older my children get, the more tender my heart is becoming.

Gone are the days when I was completely in control of my daughter's welfare, but my mommy heart still yearns to protect and care for her.  She is my baby.  How I have managed to be a part of raising such an amazing young woman is beyond me, it is truly a gift of God's grace.   

So tomorrow she goes.  And I will pray.

"Lord, please keep my girl safe and under the shadow of Your wings, the true place of peace and safety for both of us."

***You may click here to read more Woman to Woman posts or to post one yourself.  Everyone is welcome!

my girl is a clown...

...and she tends to get sort of uncooperative when she isn't in the mood to get her picture taken!  Believe me when I say that I can sympathize with her since it is normal to find me tracking her down with my camera in hand.  Poor kid!

I made the dress above using this tutorial.   It was a fun way to learn how to use elastic thread.  I did have to reduce the width of the dress a bit because my gal is on the skinnier side of things and I couldn't get the dress to get small enough for her using the measurements given.   But other than that, it was enjoyable and simple to make.  Plus it was a nice way to use up a yard of fabric.

Here are couple of other great tutorials for you:

Tie-top tank--Very cute!

Pleated totebag tutorial--This one is adorable!  All you need to do is click on the link for pictures and directions.

Happy sewing!

my gal and the skirts

My oldest babe left for a missions trip this week and she will return next week only to rest for one day and then head to Africa.  She will be toting 118 skirts in her luggage for the girls in the orphanage she will be serving at, and  I can only imagine the look on the faces of all those girls twirling and smiling in their new skirts, made with love by many of you!

It is an interesting part of the parenting journey when it comes time to watch your children fly into the adult world.  Part of me wants my gal to stay home, be safe and live a quiet, peaceful life, but there is another part of me that watches with amazement as she uses her time in such a wonderful way.  What a perfect way to start her adult life.  I am proud of her.

I covet your prayers for my daughter's mission--her safety as well as how she might serve there--and I will update you as soon as I can (mid-July, most likely).

Have a wonderful Friday!

"Sow the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you."---Hosea 10:12

i'm back!

The computer is up and running!  First off, I hope I didn't come off as overly rude about the bankruptcy of the internet company and the fact that they just went "bye-bye" and didn't notify anyone.  I can totally understand that they were dealing with much bigger things--like the loss of their business--than my inability to check the weather or blog.  A temporary inconvenience and a small one, for sure!

I was bummed to miss Susie's 40th wedding anniversary while I was away.  Susie and her hubby are sweet examples to me of what a loving and enduring marriage can be like.  I love to read her blog and glean from what she has learned over the years.  Happy 40th, sweet friend!

My house has experienced some spring-cleaning over this past week.  Better late than never, I always say!  The cleaning/organizing/throwing-things-away bug has bitten me so my free time from the lack of internet has been well used!   I took down everything on my living room walls and only put about 1/3 of it back up and I can't believe how nice it looks.  No wonder everything looked so cluttered!  By the end of next week, I will be done, and for that my kids are happy!

I hope to be back tomorrow with a post, but first I need to get my laptop hooked up to the internet because it stores all of my photographs.  This is when I wish I was more computer savvy and I didn't have to rely on tech-support to walk me through these things!

Have a wonderful first day of summer!

just checking in...

to say that I will be without internet access until Thursday (the company we were using went bankrupt and forgot to tell their customers!) so I will back at the end of the week. 

See you then!

spinach salad

1 bunch of spinach
1 head romaine lettuce
5 green onions, chopped
6 to 8 sliced, fresh mushrooms
1/4  cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bacon bits

Dressing (mix the following ingredients in a bottle and refrigerate for an hour or more):  2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 3 TB. sugar

Wash and tear spinach and romaine into bite-sized pieces.  Add green onions and mushrooms and mix well.  Just before serving add the almonds, cheese and bacon and shake up the dressing and pour it on the salad.  Toss and serve. 

This makes a large salad so you may want to half the recipe or just pour the dressing on half the salad and save the rest.

I can almost guarantee your family will love this salad!  Enjoy!

woman to woman

This week's Woman to Woman topic is "the pressure to have the 'latest' baby everything".

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was very spoiled and picky about what I felt that I "needed" to have in order to be an effective mother.  A top-notch crib with a canopy, a $200.00 stroller (in 1988 that was a ton of money!), and the latest in fashionable clothes were all that my baby would experience.  I soon found out, however, that at 3:00 in the morning, when I was blurry-eyed and practically delerious with sleepiness, none of those things mattered.  At all.  What mattered was my willingness--or non-willingness--to set my own self aside and focus on the needs of my little one.

Babies are wonderful.  I have enjoyed each and everyone of mine, and I look back on their baby days with great fondness.  Those were some of the best times of my life.  But I will also be honest and say that babies are a lot of work.  Those tiny bundles of joy can easily turn our lives inside-out and often, there is nothing that can be done about that, and with babies once you are "in" you are "in" for the long haul.  Eighteen years to be exact.

Babies need a mother who is present.  One who is available to meet their needs and who cares enough take the time to snuggle and bond.

Babies need a mother who is wise and understanding and who is able to discern what to do in a given situation.

Babies need a mother who is loving and giving.

Babies need a mother who is in control of herself in stressful situations--and believe me when I say that with babies there are many!

Babies need a mother who enjoys laughter and lots of giggling.

Babies need a mother who is excited about their new skills and accomplishments.

Babies need a mother who is ready to teach and to train.

Buying the latest gadgets for baby is not wrong, but I am here to tell you that most of those goodies won't make mothering any easier.  Mothering is a full-time job with little monetary benefit, but it does boast the most amazing dividends. 

When I think back to my time with my babies, I know that I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.  I would, however, do it with a little more life wisdom.   Would I buy the cute baby gadgets?  Sure, a few of them, but most of my energy would be directed toward my baby's welfare and enjoying my time with them.   

Life with baby is work, and all the pink, polka dotted and frilly goodies won't go as far as a mother who is willing to lay down her own wants and needs to do what is needed in the life of her little one.

Click here to read more Woman to Woman posts.