Writing

I haven't been doing very well with keeping a blog.  Sometimes I just get lazy but mostly it's because I'm so easily distracted by other things that I never keep THIS a priority.
I can say one thing lately, I have been writing, just not here.
Just recently, I was pondering over writing and how I was never good at it when it came to test and in English classes.  I had a college professor tell me I wasn't "A" material and no matter what I did I would never make an "A" in her class.  That really builds a person confidence.  I wanted to believe that I could prove her wrong and that maybe she was actually pushing me to prove her wrong, but that never happened.  If I recall I barely made a "B."  I never even told my husband I liked to write because I knew he only knew me as the girl that stunk at English. 
Grammar has always been my weakness and English outside of speeches and class discussions, putting it on paper I just couldn't do it.  However, I have always found myself interested in writing.  When I was in middle school, my Kaleidoscope teacher, Ms. Dunkersly would take me out of class twice a week and take me to the computer lab.  She told me to write.  Write anything.  I would write poems.  Actually I wrote poems all the time.  She liked them and told me to continue to write more.  I was enjoyed reading poetry and lyrics of music.  I see that she saw that in me and told me to write.
In elementary school, I remember one summer I wrote a letter to every kid in my class from the previous year.  Simply because I loved to write.
I went to a Student conference in the eighth grade and was excited to take a journal class, not journalism, but keeping a journal.  I already kept a journal.  The class to this day I remember how she spoke of suggestions of writing to yourself, naming your journal, etc.  I have always tried to keep some type of journal/blog.
In tenth grade, my teacher entered me in a writing contest for the local paper.  She had to fix most grammar, but the context she loved.  I even made an "A" on a summer reading writing exam on a book I had only read the first chapter of, she encouraged me to write.  She also encouraged me to speak publicly.
For five years I wrote a family newsletter to send out to my family.
Overtime I have written hundreds of letters between friends, cards, poems, even a few stories.  I don't know where half of them are, if I even kept them.  Today I keep a fairly regular blog in the place of my journal, but that one English professor damaged me slightly.  I believed I could never be good enough to write.  I let her break my confidence in something I realize I love to do.  I love to write.  Good or not.
Every-now-and-then, a story will come to my mind.  Sometimes a love story.  Things that I would imagine and think about, things that I felt guilty for consuming my mind such as a sweet love story.  For a long time I thought these thoughts, characters in my mind were bad thoughts, because they weren't real and they were temptations in my mind.  That sounds really bad. . .how do I explain.  For example, I would start to think about a guy who wasn't real.  I would give him a name.  I would play out his character in my mind and create a girl for him.  But to even think of another guy, real or not made me feel that I was doing something bad.  Eventually, I started reading again (thank you Hannah) and found these were like stories I was creating myself.  I could do this.
Then recently, this little epiphany came to me, WRITE IT DOWN.  So I did.  It has felt so good to put characters on paper.  Whether they ever get read doesn't matter.  For years I have been creating stories and letting them come and go, because I believed I could never write.  It's fun and realize my thoughts were bad.  I was being inappropriate.  I love my husband and I don't have those kind of thoughts.  I just think of my life and girls lives growing up and make stories.  It's fun to put pieces of my experiences and feeling into these characters.  It has been joyful.
I'm not afraid to write anymore and now wish I had written sooner.  I have found that when I write and read it helps me better at writing. 
It makes me happy.
To this day, for my first story to actually write down, I have written 90 pages (81/2 x 11 size) turning that to book size becomes 180 pages.  I had a lot to get out of my mind.

Leslie

I have so many things I want to blog about or at least get some of my thoughts down and never do.  I wish I had one of those magic feathers like in Harry Potter that wrote down everything while you spoke.  I need one of those while I'm doing dishes and cleaning when all these little thoughts come to my mind.
Until then, I at least wanted to post some of my most recent projects. 

LESLIE
This bag was not easy for me to do.  I couldn't be satisfied with the fabric and then I kept changing the design of how I wanted it to look.  I knew I wanted to get this done in time for me to deliver over the holidays.  Leslie was our neighbor that let us stay with her and her family while we were in transition of moving.  She helped watch Marshall for me while I made bags for the teachers.  I knew then I wanted to make her one I just didn't know how I wanted to do it.
She is one of the kindest people I know, who is a good mother, strong faith, loves pink, looks lovely in purple, sentimental, thoughtful, loves babies, works hard and enjoys gardening.  And with our time together at her home I learned she liked ruffles.  She's very girly.

 With this bag I was going for a different shape.  At first the bag seemed so big and it was big!  She likes the  big kind of bags, I've heard her say but I was still kind of leery about it.  (Later I realized it was big because I had made the bag with the leftover fabric not the part that I had originally cut out.)

 I also tried my seams in different places.  I did one in the back and one on the bottom instead of two on the side.  I also have to do this so that I don't have upside down fabric anywhere.  I didn't think it would make to much of a difference but I was wrong.  I still liked it.

 I always do something vertical or horizontal on the front of the bags I make.  With this particular fabric I couldn't seem to find anything that coordinated the way I wanted or didn't hide/take away from the pattern.  Then I thought I would try a 3-D effect going with the leaves and flowers, but I knew I needed the flower to pop and that's where I put a completely different color, purple. . .because I think Leslie looks beautiful in purple.

I was pleased with the outcome, but doing this bag differently than my others I realize several things I will do differently if I try this design again.  I just hope her bag doesn't fall apart.

Jane

This is my most recent diaper tote:  JANE.

Can you tell there are a lot of babies being born in my circle of friends?

I had a hard time picking out just the right style for this friend.  She loves blue I can tell simply because she wears it all the time.  I could find nothing blue that would satisfy what I was looking for for her.  Black, white, damask. . . they all seemed very classic, traditional and timeless.  I also know that her kids are like Strausburg clothing advertisements.  She's a true Southern classic.  I was going to have to pull my sister-in-law Celeste in for this one because this were her style to a tee.  I was afraid to go too whimsical.  She helped decide on pink and even some green.  I wasn't going there but I'm glad I did.

Then I found some pink gingham ribbon in my stash and I was finally satisfied with taking on the pink.  I think it is sooooo my friend (and I hope I'm right).  It was just what I needed, another pattern to break it up. 

 

 But then, to complete it I had to throw in a little green.  You can't be more Southern than initialling your things.  I thought I would just make a little tag to hang from the back.  I stitched the "J" because my embroidery doesn't make letters that big.  That's okay because I actually kind of enjoyed the stitching.  I was surprised it turned out as well as it did.  I think I might start tagging all the items I make.  Like my own little touch to know it was made by me.

BOO

There is nothing more flattering than someone asking you where you a bought an item only to tell them you made it.  Okay, there are a few more flattering things but that is definitely in the top five.  Especially, when that compliment comes from a male.

Now that I am living closer to my mom and she has unfortunately lost her job, we have been able to spend more time together and do a few things.  One of those was to make "BOO" signs to put up for decoration during Halloween. 

I was hesitant about this project because I felt the "crafty" look wasn't going to look so swell in my house and the scrapbooking-patchwork-kind-of-cutesy-items just weren't my thing anymore.  Halloween is one of those holidays I kind of skip when it comes to decorating.  I could come up with lots of excuses, but I thought I would give it a try anyway.

It was pleased with the result.  I got kind of excited and now have made plans to add to the setting next year.  And you can't really see but there is a vase full of sticks on the right side.  I had seen several "trees" like this on Pinterest and in the store.  I decide to create my own version and collect some sticks from the backyard and spray paint them black.  Total cost on that project, $1!  I've decided spray paint is a staple around the house when it comes to crafts.

I have had several people that thought I bought the signs and then some proceeded to tell me that I could sell them.  My ego hit a high that day.

Rain Gutter Regatta

This was Liam's first time competing in a Rain Gutter Regatta.  It was much simpler than a Pinewood Derby and making a boat is ten times easier than a car!
We tried to let Liam do everything himself.  He is quite the competitive one and went and did some research online to determine the best way to build his boat.  I thought he did a good job.
There were a lot of notes to make for myself, however.  This too was my first race and I'm not going to deny that I have a bit of competitiveness in me.  I just had to keep telling myself this is our first race.  Some of my notes:


1. work on blowing technique

 

I was going crazy considering Liam had researched and practice how to blow into the sail.  I think technique went out the window when under pressure.

 

2.  Don't lose to cousin!

Liam had made it pretty far into the race and then he had to face Kevin, who hadn't lost a race yet.  Kevin ended up winning overall with no loss.  These pics are courtesy of Celeste's cell phone.

 

 

3. Pay close attention to first and second place winner designs.

This is where I have to be a good sport and not complain when someone wins knowing that the child didn't make the actual racing item but the parent did. . .uhm, uhm Jim.  Oh yes, the battle's on! 

 

 

4. Remind child that they did great!

 

 

In all seriousness, Liam and I did have fun, as did all the siblings that were there to watch the race.  We did give Kevin a hard time about his win and his dad doing all the work, but we really are happy for his win and look forward to next year.





LB

I finally got around to doing a little sewing (I still have several things in process).  This is my version of a diaper tote.  Take it out when you don't want to have to haul the whole diaper bag but able to keep the diaper, wipes, and changing pad all together.  I can't claim it as my idea but I've tried to make some adjustments to make it my own.
This one I call LB.
I couldn't resist.  The mommy's name started with "L," the baby's name started with "B," and those are my initials.

Thank goodness for pinterest so that I can better stalk people to make something that is just for them.  It's my favorite part of making things.  This happen to be my sister-in-law, who is stylish, chic, LOVES color, fun, likes homemade things, and now I know has a things for flowers.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do the moment I saw the fabric.  This was going to be easy.

I should know by now to NEVER say "this will be easy."  In my mind I know exactly how I want things and actually doing it is ALWAYS a different story.  Chevron is a beast.  Trying to line the pattern up and making sure the pattern was straight added more time than I had anticipated.  However, this was still a very simple and quick project.
I'm still thrilled with how it turned out and hope that Linda enjoys it. 
I feel I am slowly getting better at my sewing skills.

3 years

 It's been three years today that Doug was killed.  It's amazing how you can do great thru the whole year but that one day it still gets you.  I find it is easy for me talk about his death.  I'm at peace.  I find joy in eternal families.  I find joy in seeing that his widow has been able to re-marry and not had to raise their children alone.  I have found that death, his death in particular has helped me appreciate all the memories in life that are made.  This counts as knowledge, to me, and I think will go with us after we leave this earth.  It's wonderful.  And yet, I typed this with a lump in my throat and tears swelling up in my eyes.  This day is hard.  This day is hard.

All this pictures are things I took when I went to Arizona for the funeral.  The pig is Molly.  Unconsciously, I think she was my distraction from emotions at the time.  C'mon how could she not be!?  She's so cute!  She helped give me something to smile about.

So here's to Doug.  As the sun sets, I know it will rise again.  Just as our Savior.  Just as you will.  Just as I will.  It's a beautiful doctrine.  It is glorious like the sun.  I love you.