Oh, Snow...

A while back when visiting hubby's family in Colorado, I partook in eating some snow with hubby's cousin. We both that night were violently ill. We had some theories about it, but then I read this article.

It all makes so much sense now...

Ah, so funny looking back! So not funny at the time.

True Forgiveness

Pastor James McDonald wrote about it. The clip on the post is true- and scary. I think most of what we hear about God in the media is *so* not biblical. May we always be ready to give an answer for the Hope we have.

Butterick B4685... Take Three

The first time I made this pattern, I realized I didn't like the sleeves, or the lower cut of the neckline. The *second* time I made the shirt, I realized I couldn't make it out of a stiff cotton, and the sleeves just looked like lengthened clown sleeves. Hmph. Well, I was ready to give up- but decided to just adjust and switch, and try it ONE *more* time! I'm glad I did- I love the way it turned out this time. Whew, third try's the charm...



So, this time, I made it out of a lightweight eyelet I got on clearance during November or December. I switched out the sleeves from another pattern completely, drawing the lines from the tops of the old sleeve to the new sleeve. I'm so glad that worked! Then I used the back piece for both the back and the front to raise the neckline, and lengthened it a few inches. Finally, I made fabric ties out of the un-embroidered edge of the fabric to give the shirt some shape.



The things I learned were- Make a muslin. Really. And don't be afraid to try again (for the second time) ! :)

Home made Scarf!

Store scarves are always pretty... and always pricey. I found a bit of pretty sheer fabric in the "remnants" bin at JoAnn's this week. I didn't know what I was going to use it for... but it was a dollar. How could I resist? The Lord provides for us always, even in the smallest of things. I realized tonight it would make a lovely scarf!

I wanted to finish the edges, but not lose the "floatiness" of the scarf. I thought about a ribbon edge, but I was afraid that might stiffen it and make it stick up funny. After searching the archives of my sewing forum, I found that you could just zig-zag the edges. I love how it turned out! Ready for church on Sunday. (Ignore the purple ribbon in my hair and the funny angle... this is the best I could do with a self-portrait since hubby is working late!)

Lemons!

Earlier this year, our sweet friends the Lavins gave us a wonderful fresh lemon from their tree. I was so taken with this sweet and tart treat that I decided hubby and I should have a lemon tree of our own. :)
In my mind, this entailed saving the seeds from the lemon they gave us and literally trying to grow our own tree. When I told my daddy about my new lemon project, he kindly chuckled at me, explaining exactly how many years it would take before I would have real lemons (read: 5 to 10 years), and offered me one of his lemon trees! I was thrilled, and he brought it over Christmas morning. Even though I come from a long line of citrus farmers (literally)- I was worried this little fellow would suffer under my care. Well, hubby might not come from citrus farmers, but under his loving care, look how well its done! The light green sprigs are new growth.



Daddy also advised us to graft onto the tree. The Lavins once again obliged us with a branch from theirs! With a little grace, we might get lemons this year or next. Thats much better than 5 or ten years!

And for a little fun, here are 34 things to do with lemons you never knew about!

Jersey Skirt Tutorial

Remember a long, long time ago when I said I would put up the Jersey skirt tutorial? Well, ahem, sorry for the long wait! I decided to just link to another tutorial, since it was such a great one:

Enjoy!

A word to the wise though- make the waist band A LOT smaller than you think you should- I don't really wear the one I made anymore since it's always working its way down! I need to pull it apart and rework the waist band :)

Vegetarianism?

As an "ex-vegetarian", I often find myself questioning the small amounts of meat that do make it into my diet. I wonder if a lot of my "meat guilt" stems from being raised by a momma who loves all animals dearly. After eating half of a hamburger today, I felt a little ill. Did I feel ill because my body simply doesn't like beef? Or did I feel ill because of my internal meat monitor? Hmmm...

I then happened upon this article. Interesting. I know absolutely nothing about the author, and I can't even remember where I saw the link to it from.
I don't eat pork- and I can think of a million reasons as to why I would never touch the stuff. But beef I have allowed to sneak its way in. And now I am rethinking that. I definitely don't want to cause any controversies over what a person should eat or not- but this has just been weighing on my mind.

Here's another link on how beef cattle affect the environment.

Really I'm just left with a big yuck feeling about the whole process- which makes me think I'm probably headed back to a beef-less diet. And I think I'll be the better for it.

I do love my organic milk and organic yogurt though- but I feel a lot better about how they treat their cows.

An Animal Post...

Thank you all so much for your prayers! Ari is doing very well- He is now on the mend from his little surgery. The one problem I am having is understanding exactly *what* the drug manufacturers were thinking when they decided to dye the antibiotic what I can only describe as day glow pink. And from what I can tell by sniffing, the flavor is cherry. ...Another thing I can tell is Ari HATES the stuff. So I have now learned how to clean day glow pink antibiotics out of the carpet. Hmph.

Since I haven't been very crafty this week, I decided I would do a little "meet the animals" post.

My momma's very spoiled orange Aidan... she also has little black Ala, who is our resident bug hunter. I need a good picture of her :)


My brother's cute little Ara and Eli... all snuggled up with my daddy when we went to go visit big brother.



And just for laughs, a very fat squirrel who took the ENTIRE tortilla up the tree.


I should add, every one of our kitties was either rescued or adopted from the shelter.

Some Happy and Some Sad

Some happy:

Momma's birthday present...



I found some vintage postcards with birds and flowers on them a while back. I then bought a shadow box at Hobby Lobby for half off, and I was so excited when I found some little birds, eggs, and a tiny nest. A few fake roses and I was ready to craft! I copied the words from "His Eye is on the Sparrow". My momma loves little birds, so I thought she'd enjoy something like this in her kitchen.

Some sad:

Poor kitty is feeling awful. He didn't get his surgery since he was so sick. He spent all day at the vet being observed, and then came home last night. But he's still not well, and they don't know what's wrong. Here he is curled up with his lovey (mr. ferret). He hasn't eaten in days and is barely drinking any water.



Your prayers are much appreciated for my baby.

Prayers Please :)

Sweet baby kitty is going in to be neutered and declawed tomorrow. I know some think that's terribly inhumane, but our vet does it with a laser, and so it's not so bad for kitty. My hubby and I both agreed that kitty is too free and wild with the claws- and its done out of concern for future babies, Lord willing, and not out of concern for furniture. Please say a prayer for him as he hasn't been feeling well the past day or so.

Making it through an Icky Cold

Step One: When your kitty makes lots of mischief, remember the advice you read on a blog once, "If your kids every do anything very, very bad, don't get mad- take a picture and laugh instead", and apply it to your kitty. What you see below used to be a pyrex measuring dish. Hmph.
Step Two: Take a multivitamin... and Zinc. Eat some yummy organic probiotic yogurt. And drink lots and lots of water from your Klean Kanteen.

Step Three: Watch episodes of 'Cranford' on youtube.

Step Four: Wait for sweet hubby to come home.


And when he did come home, he brought the prettiest daisies for me. Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flowers? :) As you can see, kitty enjoyed them too.

Step Five: Curl up on the couch with a hot cup of tea, and get some good rest!

I'm already feeling much better.