Quick sewing projects

There is a personal payoff to making things.  Foremostly I make to give from my heart.  But a close second is the payoff I receive personally.   It is a stress-buster and very gratifying to have done something tangible at the end of the day. I feel  recharged when I have time to create things.  Yet it’s literally been months since I’ve sat down at my machine, and it’s hard to imagine a time in the near future when I will get that chance.  These little projects were quickies I made months ago but I thought I would still share them.

The wine bag was a thank you for some dear friends who watched our crew so Kevin and I could grab a date night.  It’s just a simple, lined bag with boxed corners on the bottom and a tie at the top.  I love it because of the Anna Maria fabrics, of course.

These little fabric eggs were a Sunday afternoon project Amelia and I did together. They were quick to sew and she had alot of fun picking out fabrics to put together.  I used shredded news print to stuff the basket on my front door. They were a cheerful welcome to spring.

Ahh, milk crates.  They help us keep shoes, baseball mitts, drawing paper, and now, the van organized.  I used this smart pattern to pretty up the milk crate in the van and hope to make a few more.  If you click the link, the pattern is on the sidebar.

PS: for families on the run, a simple solution to thirsty kids is to keep a jug of water and plastic cups on hand. We don’t usually travel without one. It saves money at the drive-thru and also saves tears in a thirsty pinch. A word of caution though, you may want to put a potty chair in the back with it.

Nine and Counting

For just about a year now you have been making your birthday list.  Waffling between one thing and another.  Always at the top of the list was a pet to call your own.  Luke had Skip, our beloved black and white dwarf rabbit.   Turtles just aren’t as cute and fun to play with as critters.  So we agreed to let you give it a go.  A guinea pig it was…or two rather.  One for Ty and one for the rest of the crew as everyone knows they are better in pairs.  It was so fun to watch the look on your face as you chose the one you wanted.  Proud and excited.We celebrated your day with family–a steak dinner with lots of fresh fruit ala Grandma; your kind of meal.  You took big cookies to school and as is always the case, you enjoyed your day.

Eight was a growing year for you…I feel like we’re growing too…learning what works best for you as you are clearly your own man.  You loved your teacher this year and sometimes I think you might rather have lived at her house.  You are a pretty easy-going kid with a great arm for baseball and a good amount of patience.  You have lots of friends and you know how to be silly.  You are a good brother to Jack and Britta and though you would not dare admit it, we know you love the other ones too.

I pray the coming year holds good things for your precious life.  That you will do your best at all you put your hand to, and that we will listen and instruct you with faithfulness and wisdom.  You are dear to us Ty!  Happy ninth year!

Dear Little Blog,

I know you are lonely and neglected right now, but 4 kids in baseball and the end of the year sprint are on our plates right now. So that said, I’ll see you in a few weeks.

Sheep without a shepherd

Scripture so often refers to Christians as sheep.  Sheep are not quite the exemplary group in which to be compared.  Why aren’t we likened to a noble steed of horses?  How about loyal dogs?   Clever monkeys?   The Lord clearly has his reasons, and time and again, the scriptures call us just what we are…sheep.

Sheep follow the leader.  They are easily led away and enticed.   They are quick to fall prey to a lurking wolf.  Sheep become stranded and lost, bleeting for help when they cannot loosen themselves from the cliff.  Sheep are not independent thinkers.  They are followers.  They are led.  They need to hear a shepherd’s voice.   A little reflecting shows that indeed sheep are closer to us than we might care to admit. 

The beauty of being a sheep in God’s economy is that we have an infinitely Good Shepherd.  It is our delight to hear his voice and follow.  It is our healing balm to be led by his staff and rod.  He came to seek and save the lost.  He laid down his own life for his sheep. 

In Mark 6 we see the Good Shepherd’s heart.  After ministering to the crowd all day, Jesus is tired and weary so he attempts to steal away for some down time.  Yet the crowd pursues him.  If it were me, I surely would have thrown a fit at the thought of my rest being infringed upon.  I can think even now of “fits” I’ve thrown when my baby wouldn’t sleep, or my child asked for more help when I thought I’d given enough.  How often I view their needs as impositions on my time and energy.  Yet Mark 6:34 says, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So he began teaching them many things.”

As a Christian mother, I am an ambassador of the Shepherd.  He has given me charge over my little flock, and while I am home caring for them, I take note.  Like Christ, I need to have compassion on them.  Tangible shepherding is when I serve and love them sacrificially by ”teaching them many things” [about Him].  

Somedays this seems like an impossible challenge for the mom of young children.  Yet I find great comfort  in Isaiah 40:12 ”He tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”  Our Good Shepherd is gentle with the lambs while at the same time gently leading those that have young.  Indeed, He is infinitely good!

Spring Cleaning

This week I plan to get my house set to rights. Life has been a little hectic lately. It seems I need to actually spend some time at home in order to make it more of a home.  Maybe I’ll enlist Jack-Jack’s help.  I used to strap sponges on my feet as a little girl in order to help my mom mop.  I think his way looks equally fun.  Maybe I’ll even join him for old times’ sake.

I also hope to open a can of “spring cleaning”. (I wish it was as easy as opening a can.) So, I’m making my list and hoping to be scarce on the virtual scene while I tend to my real, tangible life. God’s blessings!

The Daily Post

I was one who often let my little ones rest to Mr. Rogers’
Neighborhood.  His calm demeanor and his simple style are a delightful
understatement for our modern sensibilities.  You could always count on
learning something interesting.  Like how traffic lights are made, or
how a graham cracker assembly line works.  These are the things my
older children will comment on still today.

Last week we toured The Wall Street Journal with Gabe’s Tiger Den.  It was fascinating. I was in the mind of Mr. Rogers the whole tour.  I think it was the wonder of learning something
new.  Seeing how a common object is made in such an uncommon way.

Here the boys are in the yellow-lit room watching the feeds come through the wire for the day’s edition.

I was simply amazed by good ole’ American ingenuity.  It made me pause
at both the vast machinery and the minute technology that make the
printing press what it is.

I have to admit feeling a little patriotic at the same time.  Wanting to see these seemingly waning days in our country turn a sharp corner and start to wax ingenuity once more.   Wanting to tell these boys that they can, by God’s grace, become men who will make meaningful contributions to their communities for future generations.  And to encourage my own sons to set their sights on things above–to live for a prize they cannot yet see; but one which will be worth every ounce they sacrifice to attain.

I know…all of this from a newpaper tour?  Well it was a really BIG press!

So long, old man winter

This could very well be my last pot of chicken noodle soup of the winter.  We’ve had a week of weather which tells my internal clock that old man winter isn’t long for this world.  The light is coming earlier and staying later.  The rivers are swollen and the ground is squishy beneath our feet.  We took a hike last night and the wind was warm.  Aaaah!

We nearly did a little dance at the thought of full-on spring.  Though winters can be brutal, they make rebirth all the more sweet.

Welcome color.  Welcome cheer.  You are more than welcome here!

I splurged on some lovely note cards and a scrap bag from Anna Maria Horner this week.  Her aesthetic is growing more beautiful to me with time.  I was debating between her new book or another for my birthday wish (not till June).  I think I’m going with her’s.  Maybe it’s the fact that she’s having her sixth child that also makes me feel akin.

Hard to Gauge

I had big plans for some hats for the boys this winter.  I actually followed through and knit more than enough.  Unfortunately, not a single one fits right.  I used the dashing London Beanie pattern from Ravelry.  It looked great in the photos I saw, but either my gauge is too tight or my kids have funky shaped heads.    Whatever the case may be, I have 5 knit beanies that might look swell on some little babies in my life, but certainly not on my sons.

I tried various adjustments from needle size to straight vs. circular needles, to adding and reducing stitches.  Anyway ya cut it, the London Beanie and I are happily parting ways.

See how well Gabe’s hat fits my (then) 11 month old!

And Ty’s is even too small for Jack Jack!

Incidentally if you have a go-to hat pattern that you would recommend, could you please share?  I’m not sure my wrists can handle any more knitting this winter, but I’ll keep it tucked away for next time.

Tiny Dancer

I love being a mom to boys-don’t get me wrong! But I would be lying if I said I didn’t invest some time praying on the 4th time around–that God would allow me the privilege of also raising a daughter. He graciously did, and it has been as sweet as I’d hoped. Sometimes she just gets me. She is intuitive and sensitive. A hug really does make it all better for her somedays. Her attention to the details of our home is vastly different than my sons’.

Her first organized activity began a couple weeks back, a little dance class. The whole day before she couldn’t help but mentioned how busy her day was going to be: “I have to wake up, eat my breakfast…go to school, recess…come home, unload my backpack…and go to ballet.” Woa girl! How do you fit it all in?

It was just that fun!

Covering for an Old Friend

I received my Bible from my parents when I was a Freshman in High School. It’s a Scofield Study Bible. I tend to recommend the Reformed Study Bible or the MacArthur Study Bible to friends today, yet this Scofield has served me well.

It’s where I zealously highlighted as a young reader and where I copiously took notes as a teenager. Some of the tabs have fallen off and the binding is worn like a good shoe. It now holds the scribbles of several of my children along with a coffee dribble or two in attempts to balance baby, beverage, and Book at once.

I’ve thought often through the years of replacing it. I’m sure someday I will, but then I would lose the history I have with it. It’s become an old friend with whom I am familiar and comfortable.

A covering is my short term solution. I still want to add a handle and an enclosure, but for now this is serving well to protect and keep my old friend in one piece a while longer. I suppose if all else fails, there’s always duct tape!