The Race Question

I just finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I just read it to myself, not out loud, but I'm starting to think there is a collective cognizance in my home.
As I was eating lunch and thinking about my little note I was going to write about the novel, my daughter pipes up and starts explaining how you make colors.
She tells me this story, claiming that Daddy told her:
"There was a red crayon that was sad. The white crayon asked her why she sad. She say she sad because there no crayons her color. So, the white crayon boy mixes with the red crayon girl and they have purple ones."
Okay. So, she understands that colors can change based on what you mix them with, but she has the colors wrong. Last I checked, red and white make pink, but there's no telling her that because she is SURE Daddy told this to her.
I was a little taken aback by her use of different genders "mixing together" but she is right. No one should be sad because they are different. We're all a bunch of mixed up races and colors and sometimes you just don't know how it's going to turn out! And, we'd all do well to remember this and stop enacting restrictions and privileges because of the color of our skin.

Paid Modeling

Seriously, this was the person to deserve it! I had so much fun taking pictures of our friend. It really has boosted my confidence and I learned a lot ...during and after. For instance...pesky little weeds can really detract from an otherwise amazing photo. Dumb weed!!>

However, overall, I am happy with the outcome and glad I had some great shots to give to my model and send him off to college. There's more to view on a Picasa album, so check that out, too!

Everyone Can!

In our household, you gotta sing. Or, at least, that's what is seems like. We have about 3 CD's that we rotate through in our van on a regular basis. One CD is titled (by Emily) "Daddy's Songs" another called "Cosette" and a third for the Primary songs Emily is learning in church this year. Emily calls out her requests and we enjoy listening to her sing. Gianna now sings along with her, only in pitch, not actual words (Gianna is still so like "Boo" in "Monsters, Inc.").
As we were driving the other day, Emily announced to me that she is going to be the greatest singer. I concurred. She immediately told me that I could be the greatest singer, too. In fact, she further modified her statement by declaring, "Everyone be the greatest singer a-cause everbody has moufs and we sing wif our moufs!" It's true. She's got the concept of the Lord to "make a joyful noise." We all will become better singers the more we practice.

And, some more...

Since I had the sewing machine out, I decided to make a couple extra things.
I've had this teal shirt for 5 years. Due to a little run-in with a doggie, I haven't really worn the shirt in nearly as long. It's been in my drawer to mend forever and I finally pulled it out when I saw the fabric another friend gave me to salvage. Cut-cut and sew-sew, and VOILA! A dress and a skirt are made from more recycled materials.
The dress is for Gianna and I thought she looked quite darling today. However, there will need to be some alterations as the snaps as closures leads to a problem with a child who likes to undress.
The skirt is going to be given back to the lady who gave me the material in the first place. It's beautiful material and I was sad to think her beautiful little girl wouldn't be able to style it. One of these days I'll have an actual pattern or at least sizing that will better assist me in creating these articles of clothing. In the meantime, I'm learning and loving!

Skirt Encore!

 
 
Another birthday, another skirt. I really had fun making these flowers and they certainly add to the skirt. I just can't decide if I should add a few more or leave well enough alone.
Also, my headband addiction continues...

Reality Check

Back in the day, I was a decent athlete. Not spectacular, but I was pretty in shape and could hold my own. It isn't that day anymore. Sad, but true.
I started working out with some friends of mine this week and discovered that there are a lot of muscles that I know I used to have because I don't ever remember hurting like this before. Seriously, conditioning weeks for sports has been nothing compared to the two days I've worked out this week.
Worked out. Surely I now know what that means. Hot, sultry Georgia mornings (yes, even at 8am) and a body that, although thin, has almost zero muscle tone.
Now, before any of you think I'm fishing for compliments here or anything, I want you to know that I'm not working out to get the "better body". I'm just trying to take better responsibility and care for the one I have. Sure, there are things about my body that I wish were different, but that reality check came awhile ago. Now I just want a functioning body with fewer joint issues and more energy. Anything else that comes along with it (the flat, defined abs, lets say) would be an added bonus, but nothing that I am looking for.
I just have to give a shout out to my buddies who don't laugh as I shamelessly drag behind them doing lunges or what-have. You ladies are GREAT!!
(PS: Anyone local that wants to join our "free gym"...feel free to leave me a msg b/c we'd love to have you!!)

And Then There Were...

Yesterday morning I noticed high-pitched mewing outside. I knew our cat was preggers and knew it was about time for her to have them. She gave birth in a play house we have set up on the back porch. I counted four kittens and scratched her head and fed her. We had things to do that morning and I didn't think much more about it.
When we came home, I went to check on her again, as this morning she hadn't cleaned herself up yet. Well, she had good reason to: she wasn't done giving birth! I discovered a few more kittens in the little house. Seven total!! That's a lot of babies for her first (and last) litter!!
She's been a good little mommy. I don't know that I would have the patience for 7 hungry mouths. She only gets up to leave them when she needs to stretch, eat or drink. Otherwise, she's laying down there happy to have her little brood.

Hope Thru the Darkness

We received some terrible news this weekend about an elder Eric and I served with during our missions. This elder was in my last zone and seemed happy and productive. I would never have guessed. Eric served even more closely with him, as they were companions (two or more missionaries are assigned an area to teach the gospel in and are referred to as a "companionship"). He didn't know, either.
It's hard to hear news of a friend dying, especially in a tragic and sudden way, not that any death is easy to take. However, it is through knowing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we can heal.
I am so grateful that the fullness of the gospel is here on the earth today. I'm grateful to know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who will sort this all out for the family in the eternities. Only HE knows what this man was dealing with internally and God's mercy will heal the family and take care of our friend.
My prayers and my heart go out to those who were closer to him, especially his wife and new baby. It will take time for the shock to wear off and the "what if's" may linger, but God's love can heal these wounds. I know the gospel heals wounds.

Seamstressed

My niece's birthday party is today. I knew I wanted to make her a skirt and shirt set, but the skirt gave me several problems. To start with, the "instructions" were a little misleading as the sizing said it fit a child who was size 5-6. It was definitely a size 5 and NOT a 6. I'd much rather a garment turn out a little big as I can always take it in some. Starting small left me without enough of the same fabric to remake it.
MIL to the rescue! My mother-in-law saved me by offering me the fabric you see here. I'm so grateful she did this for me as it took me an entire day to get the skirt finished with all the "whoops, those are wrong-sided to right-sided" bumps in my creation. With the final skirt, I think I had to redo the lower ruffle three times before it worked out. The red portion is a bit heavy, but it also makes the ruffle stiffer. I even lined the top portion to make it look and feel more "professional" and also to make the top band a little less see-through.
The shirt was pretty easy and I left it a little long. And, what's an outfit without accessories? I made the headband and found the bracelets at the store.
I hope she'll like it!!

Meet The Hamster

It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's The Hamster!!!
Err...well, so he isn't a superhero or a hamster, but we can't convince Emily that this animal is called a guinea pig. We can't decide on a name at the moment, so we just call him "The Hamster". It might just stick. We'll see.
Anyway, we have our friends to thank for this addition to our family. Somehow as they were trying to convince us to get one, Emily thought we agreed to get her one. She guilt-ed us about it afterward and was really upset that we didn't go home with one (our friends weren't giving us theirs, they just wanted us to go get one...but, explain that to a nearly 4 yr old). In fact, the next day she brought me my cell and told me I should call our friends to ask them if they were taking naps or if we could go get "The Hamster".
We eventually ended up at a pet store where Emily barfed (seriously, as soon as we got to that section of the store). She and I went to clean up and came back to find Eric and Gianna with guinea pig supplies loaded in the cart. He figured since they were "on sale" and that they were now only $8 more than where our friends got their newest (but there was a drive involved in getting the one from the farm), it was a go-ahead.
Lesson learned: guilt your parents then barf and you'll get what you want. =)

Finally Put Together

A few years ago a lady in my ward gave me all her sewing materials. I sorted through and found this great fabric. I immediately knew I wanted to recreate a skirt another friend gave me, but adjust it to be longer. I made my pattern and cut the fabric and then realized that I had no clue how to put in a zipper...and that I didn't even HAVE a zipper.
Fast forward to yesterday when I was working on some other sewing when I remembered that we finally found an appropriate zipper (seriously, it's kinda rough trying to find certain sewing materials in my are). I decided to sew the skirt and attempt my first zipper.
Sure, if you look closely at it, or if you are a good seamstress yourself, you'll notice that it isn't perfect and that I need more practice. However, I'm so happy that I can create something that I can get past my perfectionist attitude and just wear it proudly. If I could have gotten over that when I was younger, I may have pursued a different course in life. I've only been teaching myself to sew since I got married and my in-laws gave me the most awesome gift of a sewing machine, but I think I've come a pretty long way and have become more confident in my abilities (which, truth be told, is the key to being successful in my book!).

(And, yes, I'm standing on the side of our tub to get a picture. My camera has been having issues and it's about the only way I could take a picture of myself...especially since the automatic focus no longer works. Do you know how hard it is to balance in heels on the side of a tub while looking through a camera? I'm just saying... Another point: I'm not sure why it looks like it's asymmetrical...it's not supposed to be. I think it is just the way it is hanging off my hips?? Maybe no one else noticed or they were too nice to comment at church?)