Itty Bitty Baby Dress

I knew I was saving those scraps for a reason...


Made from leftovers of a skirt (the polka dot fabric), a pillowcase (the red pleated trim) and some embroidery floss from who knows when :)

Since I was trying not to buy anything for this, I picked out the stitching from part of the pleated trim and ironed my little heart out to make the waistband.



I used this wonderful free pattern.

And I upped the size a little bit, because well, I weighed 8 pounds... and my husband weighed nearly 10.

(I had to edit this when I showed hubby. I had put that he weighed nine pounds, but he proudly corrected me he came in at almost ten. Scary...)

To be tucked away for my someday...

Progress!

I may not have been posting, but I've been making progress!

Lots of gathering has been done...

And lots of crochet... (I'm finally down to the *last* skein of yarn! Yay!)

And a wee little baby dress in the works, with a touch of embroidery, inspired by Shannon's lovely projects.

Of course, most of my craft time this week has been spent on one certain project, but that can't be posted until a certain someone's birthday is over :)

(And no, I wasn't trying to get kitty in every picture, but he was following me around and sprawling over whatever I was trying to take a picture of...)

What Fun

We went camping this weekend, and had such a great time. Here I am trying to be a "Real Prairie Muffin" (according to my husband) and set up the tent on my own.

A little help from the hubby, and we're ready to go! Its a small tent, but just right for the two of us.

Hubby surveying the dam.

Foil dinners don't look yummy in a picture, but they taste FANtastic!

Beautiful view!

We dressed our friend up as Eve in the Garden.

I barely made it across the river, but hubby caught me before I fell.

It was a wonderful trip, and such a blessing to get away from all the hustle and bustle for a few days. It's great to be outside of cell service and away from the laptops for a while, just listening to the birds sing as you wake up to the sunshine filtering through the trees. Of course, nothing like being a maiden sleeping sound on the dank and dirty ground* will make you appreciate your wonderfully soft bed.

*I admit, I borrowed that from Shakespeare. :)

Happy Tax Day!

To the rest of the world, April 15th might be a bad day. To a "tax wife"... it's the very best of days! Thanks to the (very much appreciated) advice of fellow CPA wife Mrs. Lavin, I made a special meal to celebrate the day I got my husband back to myself for a few months :) This including one of his favorite things I make... Cream Cheese Pound Cake! (Note: I use the 1/4 cup buttermilk substitution in the butter for a more moist cake)

For this cake, You Must Use Your Stand Mixer. You Must.
I tried it with my wee little hand mixer to save time. I gave up when I was adding the sugar and my arm was quickly numbing with fatigue! So I switched 'er over to good old Red. I'm so thankful for this sweet wedding present from my grandmother.

I really know how to make a mess...

Mmmm, but the final product is *oh so* worth it!

Marriage and the Glory of God

I hope if you are married, or someday want to be married, you'll take the time to read this great post by R. Albert Mohler, Jr. In a culture that so disrespects and discredits a marital union, it is refreshing to think of oneself as a "counter-revolutionary" :) Here are a few highlights:

"Our culture is so sexually confused that the goods of sex are severed from the vows and obligations of marriage. Thanks to modern technologies, we can have sex without babies, babies without sex, and both without marriage. For many, marriage has become an irrelevancy."

"The end of marriage is its beginning — the glory of God, the mystery of Christ and the church. The exclusivity and purity of the marriage bond points to the exclusivity and purity of the relationship between Christ and His church.

How does marriage glorify God? Tertullian, one of the early church fathers, offers wisdom: "How beautiful, then, the marriage of two Christians, two who are one in home, one in desire, one in the way of life they follow, one in the religion they practice... Nothing divides them either in flesh or in spirit... They pray together, they worship together, they fast together; instructing one another, encouraging one another, strengthening one another. Side by side they visit God's church and partake God's banquet, side by side they face difficulties and persecution, share their consolations. They have no secrets from one another; they never shun each other's company; they never bring sorrow to each other's hearts... Seeing this Christ rejoices. To such as these He gives His peace. Where there are two together, there also He is present."

(Pictured above is hubby's wedding ring- inscribed with "faithfully yours 6/9/07")

Amazing!

Warning... this is another post about girl things. :)

I'm so amazed! Raspberry Leaf Tea is my new best friend. When I bought it a few weeks ago, I thought when I read the package describing the tea's "female benefits" that it would be really great if it actually worked. But honestly... I bought it because I thought Raspberry Leaf Tea would taste good. And it does! Which is the reason I've been drinking it quite a bit lately.

I was recently surprised by my first "on time" cycle for the first time since I've been plotting it- for 10 months now, since we've been married. This was a wonderful blessing, since having a one to two week late period every month can be a little... emotionally torturous.

Also, I was virtually cramp free. I've had awful back cramps for as long as I can remember- and I'm terribly allergic to painkillers. Every single one (even Tylenol, to the surprise of my doctor) I've ever tried has quickly ushered me into anaphylactic shock. Not a fun experience... so I have learned to just bear the aches and pains.

I didn't even remember that the Raspberry Leaf Tea was for this, until I was making a list for the grocery store and was adding tea to the list. I happened to re-read the box and I realized the only thing that was different this month than all others... I'd been drinking this tea. Wow! And don't worry... I'm not secretly being paid by the Tea manufacturer. But if you are having some of the same problems I had, give it a try! (And I don't drink massive amounts of this tea. Really more like one or two glasses every couple of days brewed medium strong.)

Here's the brand that I happened to buy, but I'm sure any organic brand would work just as fine.

A Trip Worth Taking

I'm getting excited about the end of May...