My darling husband decided this weekend that my mental health would quickly deteriorate if my sewing machine was not replaced. So here she is! This thing sails. I couldn't believe it. I just can't wait to break her in on a major project soon. In the meantime I finished the pillowcases for Abby's room. She was very pleased. Although I am mourning the death of my old machine...I think my grieving period will be short!
I came upon this idea on Kelli's website. Its a fun idea for this time of year. I'm always looking for ways to observe the Lenten season in an original and meaningful way. So for the next forty days I am going to try to "pay it forward" a bit. Whether that means opening doors for people or just helping out a friend. Maybe a bit of crafting love for those not normally on my list. I love to think about it. Maybe you should too! For the next 40 days it would be great if we could all make that EXTRA effort to make our lives and our worlds a more peaceful place.
Speaking of peace, I truly enjoy the opportunities I have to watch my children dance. The grace and peace it has instilled in their lives is unmeasurable. Abby is getting to an age where she really feels the music and can interpret emotion into movement. It truly is an amazing thing.
The stitching gods are not smiling on me today. Shortly after I finished the bag, old reliable finally bit the dust. It wasn't the most expensive, fanciest sewing machine. It had a very limited stitch selection. Even skipped a stitch every now and again. But she was a good machine. I learned how to sew with her by my side. She will be missed.
So no WIPs this Friday. Maybe some creative accounting and a post about a new one. Keep your fingers crossed.
Please be spring, please be spring, please be spring!!! The power of positive thinking (or sewing) can be oh so powerful. The weather went from 8 degrees this day last week to a balmy 64 here today! Playing outside, walks around the neighborhood, and drink on the porch...so much to do with so little time. You see, while it is warm today, it will inevitably snow on Sunday. I'm serious. God love Kansas.
So here I am with my new tote. I thought I would do a handbag, but I found this fabulous floral print and I thought a BIG bag would be called for. Bright colors and big flowers...at least I can think like spring. And carry my big, bright new bag!
My sweet, sweet nephew (and my sister and brother-in-law) came to Topeka to see us yesterday. Oh what a day. I couldn't decide what was more amazing, how much he had grown in so few weeks or how amazing a mother my sister has become. To see that kind of special love between a mother and her son is really something to behold.
The other amazing part of this trip was seeing my own girls with this small babe. It seemed like yesterday when my ten year old was in my arms. Now...she's a baby hog! I swear...I had to pull that baby out of her arms!!! Thanks for making the trip guys.
Well, she won. Abby is now ten years old and feels as though she is in need of her own room. Abby and Morgan have been sharing a room since Parker was born. This was all fine and good until recently. Abby has taken a turn away from playing with dolls (unless she wants to), watching cartoons (unless she feels like it), and playing with her sister (unless she is bored). Morgan and Parker have hit a stride recently and decided it might be fun to share a room. We do have four bedrooms...but no one has enough guts to sleep in the basement (including mama). So all are happy about the Wise household. Abby has her own room (albeit 5 feet away from her old one) and Morgan is the boss for the first time.
And with a new room of course come new fixins. Abby and I picked out the fabric for her curtains on Saturday. Blues and browns and pinks and peaches. I want her color palette! Its still very feminine and girlie, but not too pink and fluffy. It suits her. I finished the new curtains (a bit of a dark picture...of course I can't finish a thing in daylight) and pillows and such are soon to follow. For now, I think I just like the peace that has covered my home for the past few hours. Whew!
When you grow up in Kansas you get a lot of flack from other folks across the country for being bumpkins, or cowboys, or generally less intelligent. I beg to differ. While some folks do still farm and raise livestock, the vast many of us are just like anyone else. We love our families, work hard at our jobs, and live a pretty average lifestyle. We like cool music, we don't all wear pig tails in our hair (all of the time), and not everyone has a pet pig.
However, we are proud of our heritage. Maybe if its slower here it just means we can spend more time on what's important. Family and friends. Food and the best crafters around. Sunsets and wheat fields.
These ads were sent to me by a friend from LA. A Kansas transplant. So funny!
Oh baby, its cold outside. We are talking middle of the afternoon, bright sun, and 5 degrees. That is cut you in half, freeze your boogies, make your eyes water...cold. The kind of cold that seeps deep into your bones. Yuck. Not my favorite time of the year.
But there are things that make it all a lot better. A new scarf (my first try at the patchwork kind with chenille) with bright colors. A sky so blue it doesn't even look real. A new coat of freshly painted sunny yellow paint on the walls. A fire and while watching Jayhawks basketball. My babes all cuddled up under one blanket, their warm little bodies making the whole room nice and toasty. Hot tea...or hot cocoa sipped from my favorite mug. Good things. The best things. Even if its cold enough to freeze your tongue to a telephone pole (anyone ever actually heard of someone doing this?). Time for some chili, cinnamon rolls, and friends. mmmmmmmmmmmmm!
When I really need a new purse, I can never seem to find just the right one. Thus was the case last weekend. Will's end of the year party was Saturday night. I have been needing a new bag for quite some time and I wasn't about to carry that old rag tag bag to this party. So I had my perfect excuse for shopping (like I really need one most of the time). Multiple shops later I hadn't found one (the Coach purse that was FABULOUS was a bit out of my budget ). So off to the fabric store. It was a last ditch effort (those seldomly work for me). An hour later I was pleasantly surprised at how my bag turned out. It was just what I wanted. The grand total had to have been under $3. Add a few yo-yos and an antique button and I was done! I love it when things turn out better than you were expecting!
So the eldest is ten tomorrow. How did that happen? It seems like just last weekend we were bringing her home. A little piece of trivia...it has snowed on January 28th for the past ten years without fail. Abby is pretty aware of this bit of trivia as well. She has been glued to the weather channel for the past week. We have a chance for flurries in the morning, so I think we are safe for another year.
Can I tell you how loud 13 nine and ten year olds are? My ears are still ringing. We went swimming early in the evening, then had 6 of these sweet gals at our house overnight. Will wussed out when they started talking about boys...went to the bar! My sanity (and my hearing) were tested and we came out the other side with "the most awesome birthday ever"! Happy birthday sweet Abby.
After church yesterday we decided to take a few moments outside with the kiddos. Will taught Parker how to make snowballs, then promptly threw one in my direction! You can see the flying ball of ice heading toward me the picture below! I ducked out of the way just in time! It was warm enough to shovel the walk and play in the snow with a bare minimum of snow garb on. My favorite way to play in the snow. It is never quite as much fun when you feel like your nose could fall off any moment!
Abby and Morgan made a snowman while we shoveled and such. Abby really loves the snow. I could barely keep her inside at all! 
This is what I saw first thing yesterday morning. I love the purity of snow. You know, before it get all dirty and the kids stomp through it! So much peace in snow. So much.
Charles (Charlie) Thomas Eddy was born this afternoon at 2:18pm. He weighed in at 7 pounds and 9 ounces. This wee babe is 18.5 inches long. And I dare say, he is one of the cutest babies EVER! He has his mamas dark hair and eyes, but he has this look on his face that reminds me of his father. Mother and baby are recovering in Kansas City. Dad, who has a wicked cold, is recovering as well!
Clark and Kerry...you guys will be a blessing to this child now and always. He could never have picked parents who would love and care for him more than you. Congratulations...job well done!
Abby put together this board last night with very little help from her mother. Goes to show how much simpler her tastes are. No color...just the pics, some comments, and lots of straight lines! I loved sitting on the living room floor with her and picking through all of the old baby photos. She will be 10 next weekend. Started tearing up a bit, watching her look through her own baby pictures. What a grown up she is becoming. And I love her even more now than I did in those precious baby pictures. Never thought it would be possible.
On another note, I have been excited by the possibility of Barack Obama running for president. The more I listen to him and read about him the more I feel he could change the way politics are run the Untied States. His passion is obvious. His sincerity clear. He gives me that sense of what politics and leadership are really supposed to be. Servants and leaders...not back stabbers and bitties.
Sorry the color is so dark on this pic, the square for this quilt is actually light green and yellow. I finished my square for the Quilt for the Kims project just in time. It went to the post this morning! It's been fun being a part of a project on a national scale like this. Knowing that these quilts will somehow embrace those sweet little girls with the love of dozens of mothers makes me feel a bit better. There is so precious little we can do in situations like that. Empathy, love and prayer. And maybe a little quilt love thrown in for good measure.
After seeing a growing number of my favorite blogs participating in "National Delurking Week" I thought it would be a fun time to really find out who reads this blog anyway! Its a bit scary...what if i only get one comment?! I know an awful lot of family and friends read without commenting, and that's just fine! Please drop me a line and say hello! The picture above is me with some of my family. I'm in the white tee on the left. I am the photographer, so there just are not a ton of pics of me.
I would adore hearing from you crafty gals too! I love reading your blogs each day. They inspire me!
The weather here finally turned bitter. I knew it would show up sooner or later. I really do love living in Kansas. We have definite seasons...and it is definitely winter. Snow and ice and wind...oh my! But what better to do on a snowy, blowy day? Make baby blankets for wee ones to stay warm! First I finished a quick patch job for a friend. The tush hole was a bit too much...even for a college student. She found the fabric and I fixed the hole. The rest of the fabric could have gone into my pile o' scraps, but a sweet little pouch with a vintage button will be going her way instead.
You have to understand, there are 7 babies due just from my hubby's group this spring. I have 3 that are going out this week and the rest are a head start on that crew!
Kerry, if one of these tickles your fancy I may show up with one in tow this week sometime!
This is a post with a ton of pics, but we sure had a grand time at the inauguration of Kathleen Sibelius on Tuesday for her second term as the Governor of the state of Kansas. My mom was very active in her campaign, and my dad prayed at the event! The kiddos were out of school and we made a whole day of it!
Abby and Parker in the Rotunda.
Parker loved all of the new touches and the beautiful color.
Abby was cold, but really enjoyed the music and the festivities.
And here is the old man in full dress blues. What a handsome guy! I promise...more words later!
I was able to enter the sanctuary for what will likely be the last time today. The fire that destroyed our beloved church has changed our lives in ways I would never have imagined. We now attend worship at the Temple Beth Sholom (a local synagogue who has opened their doors to us). The hospitality and support from the entire community has been overwhelming. A friend of mine said recently "we lost a building and found the church". So true. People have been amazing and the spirit has truly embraced us. Dozens of other churches have offered support, organizations we have given to for years were there for us in our time of need, and even the local pizza place designated a day and gave our Resurrection Fund 15% of their profits for the day. The kids made cards for the firefighters (all but one house answered the call on that day...unheard of) and we were so teary about the whole batch we color copied them all and lined the walls of our temporary office. I cried so much (and I'm not a crier) that first few weeks I would have sworn I was pregnant. Which of course I'm not. It still hits me now and again that we won't be in our blessed space ever again...they are tearing her down within the next few weeks. But we move on. Discovering what it really means to be the church on fire...not just the church that burned down.
