Yeah, you saw that right.  I'm in for KCWC Fall 2013.  I'm ready.      

The Long and Short of It

We spent 4 days at the beach and this is the solo picture of the actual beach

So my family was away this weekend on a beach trip.  It was wonderful being with everyone again--seeing cousins play together on the beach *for the first time ever*.  We built sandcastles, flew kites, swam, sunbathed, giggled, played, and had a blast.

While we were drinking in the beauty of the beach, an anniversary came and quietly went.  There wasn't much fanfare.  In fact, the whole of it was marked by a sweet text from my CC.

September 1st marked 13 years without Mama.

13 years.

It's a long time friends.

The best way to capture how I feel now, 13 years later, is to direct you to this beautiful post by Lisa Jo Baker.  I read it and wept, hoping I could keep such a promise to my girls.  I wept knowing that my Mama made the promise to me oh so many years ago, and kept it, each and every hard day.  Losing my mother meant losing the maker of such a promise.  It is a very lonely feeling.

This song saw me through some pretty dark days

I remember the days of reeling, wondering how I would ever survive another.  How would I plan a wedding and walk down the aisle without Mama?  How would I prepare for motherhood without her?  Who would I call when babies were fussy with fever and there was mess from start to finish?  How would I do this?

And yet His grace is sufficient.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion--

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3

This scripture (a little out of context, maybe?) describes perfectly how the past 13 years have been.  I pray, how I pray, that I can be called an oak of righteousness, a display of His splendor.  I am so thankful for the healing in my life these past 13 years.  I am thankful for the reminders of Mama I see in Nikole.  I am thankful for the safety of CC.  I am thankful.

Not Your Grandma's Kitchen Towel

So this is a total knock off.  I saw one of these at C-Cs house, where my sister casually said, 'You could so make those.'  I filed that juicy tidbit away until I found the time to make one.  9 months later.

I got the pot holders at the Dollar Tree and the Microfiber towel at Fred's for 3/$5.  The fabric is leftover from recovering my kitchen chairs.  Didn't I show you that?  Darn.  You missed a great update.

Want to make one too?  Great--let's gather some supplies

Supply List
thin pot holder
kitchen towel (thin, unless your sewing machine doesn't mind sewing through super thick things)
fabric scrap measuring 5" x (towel width + 1")
marking pen
ruler
button

1.  If you are going to embroider on your pot holder, go ahead and to it now.  I placed my initial a little too low.  Oops.  Notice I did the embroidery with the loop at the bottom on the right side of the pot holder.

2.  Making sure that your pattern is running the way you want it (I'm notorious for sewing things on upside down), press the sides and top down 1/2" and then mark 1/2" on the right side at the bottom edge of the fabric scrap.  You can do the marking before the ironing, but I use a marker that disappears with ironing, so you have to the the ironing before the marking.  Or you have to go back and remark.  I speak from experience.

3.  Open up your side edges and align the bottom of the towel, right sides together, with mark you made (and remade) on the bottom of your fabric scrap.  Pin.

4.  Sew as close as you can to the bottom of the towel, making sure that your edges are still flipped open on your fabric scrap.  I think my seam allowance is about 1/8".

5.  Now with the right side of your towel up, turn your fabric scrap to the front, making sure your edges are turned under.  Pin secure and stitch down.  I went ahead and edge stitched all four sides.  Press.

6.  Using a disappearing fabric marker, mark on the right side of the towel both the center running horizontally and vertically.  Do the same on the wrong side of the pot holder.  Now lay your pot holder on the towel, right sides together, matching the centers.  The loop on the pot holder will be pointing towards the bottom of the towel.  Pin it secure.  You can't see it too well in this picture, but your center lines run from the edge of the towel, through the pot holder, and on to the other end.  I let a lot go when I had baby #3 (like colors matching perfectly, and embroidery being perfectly centered) but that doesn't mean I don't still try.  I just don't always rip out and redo when something isn't perfect.

7.  Flip the whole thing over, and fan fold the edges in.  You will be looking at the back side of the towel, so fold the towel edges in (length wise), wrong sides together, so that the fold is even with the edge of the pot holder.  Then fold the edge of the towel again so that right sides are together and the edge of the towel now runs along the side of the pot holder.  The explanation is much harder than just doing it.  Pin secure again.

8.  At this point, flip the whole thing over again, so that you can see the markings on the pot holder back, and sew down the center (width) of the pot holder, making sure that your folded edges under there are nice and flat.  Theoretically it would be easier to sew on the towel side, but you would have had to mark the center line on the back of the towel too, which is just another step, so I opt to do it this way.

9.  Now fold your pot holder in half, right sides together.  The towel should be hanging underneath, and the loop should be on the back side.  Sew your button on the front of the pot holder and you're done!

Now if only I knew someone whose last name starts with B and whose color scheme is black and tan.  Hmmm.

Hope you enjoy!  Let me know if you have any questions, and if you think this is totally lame, please keep such comments to yourself.  I have enough stress in my life.

Where have you been?

So, we've been a little quiet on the blog, not for want of topics or wish to blog.  Summer is kinda busy and I went back to my real job that actually pays money, so I've done less sewing and more not-as-fun working.  Don't get me wrong--if I have to work, then I love my job.  I still don't get why someone won't pay me to sit around and eat bon bons while simultaneously sewing and surfing Pinterest.  Just being real.

So, here's what you missed while I was out.

This little boy turned 7.  I make no bones about the fact that he has my heart and just won't let go.  There's just something about Mamas and their little boys.  He's had a good summer, including our first scare with a broken bone.  He took a spill from the monkey bars and fell with his arm under him.  The Lord graciously kept me calm (I was out of town with just the kids) while we decided via phone with Daddy what was the best course of action.  Turns out it was a sprain and we are back to full speed.  It's funny how when my heart is pounding from sheer terror when it comes to my kids, a wave of utter Shalom washes over me and we can just get it done.  I'm not usually the calmest person out there, so this is a gift from God and I am so thankful for it.

 Bobby and I celebrated 12 years of marriage.  What a joy.  It is such a delight to look at him and realize that we are doing what we pledged to do 12 years ago--loving each other through thick and thin.  There is such a deep friendship between us that grows with each day.  Of course, marriage is work and there are things that he does that drive me to new degrees of crazy.  But, then again, I do things that are pretty tough to live with too.  We give each other grace and let the petty things go.  I am so very thankful for him.

And lastly, we bought a new van.  Not a new to us van, but a brand spanking new one.  My Honda spent more time in the shop than I liked.  I mean, have you ever had to take a van to the shop, transfer 3 kid seats from the van to a rental (all the while ensuring someone isn't running through the parking lot or climbing up the lifts) only to have to swap them back in a day or two?  6 visits to the shop in 1.5 years and I was o-ver it.  So, to get into a new van I had to give up a few things (like my beloved seat heater) but I put the key in the ignition and don't worry about whether or not it's gonna start.  I am very happy.  I went to cloth seats, which my snobby self had always looked down upon, but, we have all agreed that it is nice not to stick to the seat in the dead of summer.  I kinda like the change.

I actually have photos made for a tutorial--I just have to clean them up a bit and do the instructions.  It's a 30 minute project, so I'm certain the write up will take me like 4 years.

This was my favorite of all the wedding photos.  Bob put his arm around me as we were walking off--it is so very much how we are and how we walk together.

The Toms Outlet--my experience

So the other day I ran across a pin touting Toms shoes at outlet prices.  If you don't already know, I am cheap.  And sometimes it shows.  So the thought of paying $40+ for a pair of shoes that look kinda like something like what my high school Geometry teacher wore (every day because she had a pair in every color) makes me a little nauseous.  I actually scored a pair or glitter Toms for like $20 back at the beginning of Spring on Zulily and I should have left well enough alone, but the durn things are crazy comfortable.  I digress.

So I got all excited about buying a pair of Toms for less than $20 a pair and I started thinking of who needed a pair of Toms from me for a little present and so it went.  My cheap got ahead of my brain.  The kicker is that when I found out that the shipping was $15 for one pair, I got to thinking that ordering two made the shipping per pair even less.  Yes, they sucked me in.

The website in question is http://tomsoutletshoesale.com/.  In the upper right corner of the site there is a currency converter but I didn't even let that bother me. The website advertised that they accepted PayPal, which is my preferred method of payment, but when it came time, that wasn't an option.  Still I was undeterred.  I clicked the button and parted with $49.66 of my hard earned cash.  And then I waited.  And waited.  And waited.

My credit card statement came in with a payment of $50.15 to a www.sohotrade.net in Beijing with an additional fee for a payment in a foreign currency and an exchange rate that made my Toms slightly higher (by about $2, but remember, I'm cheap).  So then I started to get worried.  How was I going to tell my hubs that a) I spent $50 on shoes that kinda look like they came from the Dollar Tree and b) that I spent $50 on something that may very well be a scam.

I went back and looked at my emails.

So I knew back when I was on my 2-pairs-of-Toms-for-less-than-$50-shipped high that I had used a 3rd party vendor as a payment service.  I vaguely remember clicking the buttons and there didn't seem anything hanky, but I was high on a deal, so forgive me.  I may have signed away my 4th kid, but who knows (no, there's not a 4th kid, nor are there plans for one).

Then I logged back into the website and looked at my account.

So a few days ago during naptime the doorbell rang, inciting running and a few choice words.  God help the unwitting solicitor that wakes the baby trying to sell me something.  Wouldn't you know it, it was the nice postman, wanting me to sign for a package.  What?  and then it hit me.  I scribbled something on his paper work and slammed the front door, forgetting the sleeping baby and everything but the fear of what lurked within the package.  Sorry, I ripped it open before I got a good picture.

Yup, that is authentic Chinese writing on that customs form.

It looked like an elephant sat on it.  Literally.  What was inside wasn't any better.

 In my disgust I didn't take a picture of the inside.  I don't remember what the inside of the box looked like with my glitter Toms, but the iconic flag was in there and some other things.  This box from the outlet held a pair of shoes and a sheet of tissue paper.  One pair had a tag on them, but that's it.  Let me speak a little bit to one last thing.  I have the nose of a bloodhound.  I can smell things long after they've been discarded.  So when I opened the outer shipping wrapper I knew something was amiss.  But when I opened the box, I thought that I had buried my nose in shoes that really came from the Dollar Tree.  It's a smell you probably know from inexpensive Keds your mom may have made you wear as a kid.  (don't even deny it).

It got worse.

I ordered a 7.5.  I got an 8

The outlet shoes have a cheap Euro size tag sewn in the side seam.  The non-outlet shoes do not.

A big difference is the insole.  The outlet shoes have no arch support.  The non-outlet shoes have a cushy arch.

From the outside, they look okay.

The back tags are identical.  The teal ones with dirt on them are my 'real' Toms.

Side tag and sole are fine.

I had packed up the camera when the ultimate betrayal caught my eye.

They didn't attach the insole piece to the doggone shoe.  UGH!!!!

As I sit here typing this post, I have these gray shoes on my feet with a band-aid on my heel from the blister they've rubbed.  So, here' the thing.  If you are strapped for cash, just dying to have the look of Toms, and can wait 3 stinkin' weeks for your shoes to arrive, go for it.  But if you want the comfort and quality of the expensive Toms, better take a pass on the Toms outlet experience. I am not saying that www.tomsoutletshoesale.com does not sell real Toms.  I am saying that they are not like my other Toms.

****I could have returned these shoes for a refund, but would have had to pay the postage back to China.  I opted to keep the shoes because on the outside they look the same.  I may never wear them again.  Who knows if I'll actually give the other pair as the gift I planned.

PS.  I am pinning this post in the hopes that others will be informed consumers, unlike me.

Happy Father's Day

I have always been so thankful for my Daddy.  I had the most normal of childhoods, which by today's standards wasn't really normal.  I never went to bed crying because my Daddy didn't love me, beat me, wasn't around, drank, lied, or any of the other horrible, horrible things daddies can do to their daughters.  No, my childhood was just the opposite; I lived day to day solidly aware of how deeply my father cared for me, and what that meant in my daily life.  It meant that he got up and went to work and, dog tired, he came home.  He prayed for me.  He complimented me, even when it was kind of a stretch (think 3rd grade, glasses, buck teeth, and unkempt hair).  He gives me a small glimpse of my heavenly Father's love for me and it blows me away--if my earthly father loves me this much then how much more does God love me?

Through the teenage and college years I tested that love, and his was unwavering.  We fought.  I lied to him and let him down.  Over and over again.  My father never once walked away from me.  I disappointed him in ways I don't care to admit, and still he loved me.  Patiently he waited and when I came to ask his forgiveness, he was there with open arms.

There were times when the money was tight, the times were tense, yet there was always time and desire to play one more round of Scrabble.  The nights were countless when I'd be asleep in bed, only to wake to the sound of my Daddy playing his praise to Jesus on the piano.  I could go on and on.

And then I had kids.

I don't have a picture of Daddy holding Aubrey for the first time (digital one that is--I have one in A's room, but the boy is asleep and I'm not going in there!!) but let me assure you, it was a sight I'll never forget:  my precious Daddy holding my brand new little boy, tiny in his big hands, with tears running down his cheeks.  He greeted each of my children the same.

He continues to love them fiercely, spending as much time as the distance will allow.  Oftentimes we see him on his way through Mississippi and we covet each second he gives us.  My daddy plays with each of my kids, takes us to dinner, and reminds me every time that I am extraordinarily blessed. 

That's just MY daddy.

Then there's my kids' daddy.

When I married my husband I knew he was a fantastic man, but I had no idea.  Our firstborn came and I only began to see.  Almost 7 years later I know him to be a patient teacher, a fair disciplinarian, a loving kisser of hurts, and above all, present.  His answer to the frequent request, 'Will you play with me?' is always yes.  He is a builder of tree forts, fishing line untangler, bike without training wheels running alongsider, swim buddy, and an outstanding tea party guest.  He makes our days fun.  I loved him when we married but I love him so much more for the father he is.  I know I got a catch.

I could not sign off without mentioning my father in law.  I can see the amount of time he spent with my Bobby in the amount of time my Bobby spends with our kids.  He comes to baseball games, school programs, birthday parties, and just because he hasn't seen his kids in a while.  He loves my children and boy do they love him.  He is the instigator of many a pocket knife and trips to the drug store for a sucker.  He can hardly say no to them.  In fact, I don't think he does. 

Happy Father's Day to you all!

PS, I have, like, 1500 pictures of my dad, hubs, and FIL to put on this post and Blogger won't cooperate.  Seriously!!!!????

Our Anchor

Have you every seen something, thought it was really neat, only to pass it up?  I did that with the embroidery file for this shirt.  I really liked the design but thought I wouldn't use it.  Then I saw the anchor fabric line at a local quilt shop and instantly thought of that embroidery file.  I couldn't stop thinking how cute the two would look together, so I broke my 'I'm not going to buy any fabric until I have destashed' goal for 2013 and bought the fabric and the design.

Here's a close up of the shirt.  I had to rehoop that bad boy 3 times because the design was so big.  I really like the size of the design, just not when I'm rehooping it!  This is a great design--everything I've ever gotten from www.theitch2stitch.com has always sewn out beautifully.  Her fonts stand up tall and her jumps are logical.  In this design she has her letters placed so there aren't so many threads to trim at the end.  I de-spise such finishing work!

I used this skirt tutorial yet again.  I gotta say, a simple skirt is the easiest thing in the world to sew.  I love making them double layered like this--they poof out, and more importantly, there is no folding over the top 1/4" or so, ironing, and then folding the top over another time and ironing again to make a waistband.  I had planned to sew in bloomers but each girl has white panty covers and it is better to be done than perfect!

 My original plan was to make the simple skirt with a band of chevron sewn at the bottom and bite the bullet and do the waist band thing.  It really doesn't take that long--it's just one of those things I don't like to do (And I have a serger, so it's even easier than the fold, iron, fold, sew method).  But then when I got to thinking about making the skirt a double layer, I knew I didn't have enough of the chevron fabric to do it.  So, I added a white piece to the top of the chevron piece and it worked.  BTW, I quit being so cheap and bought some sew in satin labels.  They make me so happy and my sweet Lille Jo loves the labels on her clothes.

Just because the photo shoot for these little outfits went as mine always do, I thought I share some of the not so good shots.

Lillie Jo is the easier of the two to photograph, most of the time.  We must have a prop, and her current favorite toy is the bird from Epic that she got out of a Happy Meal.  She is a pretty sweet big sister (or at least she was being sweet yesterday) and shared her bird with Cate.  Of course we had to have the over the shoulder shot which she loves and then the 'the sun is in my eyes can we be done now???' shot. 

Cate is a booger to photograph.  She likes to run away and I have multiple pics in triplicate of her running away from me.  In the upper right corner there's a pic with her and a very strange look--she was playing a stomping game and she refused to look at me.  I thought I'd take her in the pool and may get some cute pics of her looking at the flowers.  Yeah, no, the net was by the pool and that was way cooler.  I quickly took her inside after this--I've gone in the pool after her fully clothed once and I don't care to repeat it.

I did end up with one sweet, slightly off center photo with both girls and a pappy smiling at the camera.  The bird is only peeking out from behind Caitlin and so that's good.

And, never to be left out, here's my main man.  He pulled his 6th tooth the night before we took these pics.  You notice I said night.  As in, he should have been sleeping but was instead wiggling his tooth so that it finally came out around 10 pm and then he was so excited that he wouldn't go to sleep and I almost outed the fact that I am the tooth fairy.  It's amazing he can eat anything at all.  I don't think any more are currently loose, thank goodness.

Thanks for stopping in.