A Snow Princess Sleep Set

I can see why nap time sewing projects can be so addictive. I started this little project yesterday while Caed was sleeping. Today, I popped him into nap time a wee-bit early so that I could finish my project. (He didn't object, so he probably needed the extra sleep, right?)

I bought this set at Wal-Mart on super clearance.  It's probably intended for kids learning to sew...but in the world of sewing, I'm just that: a kid!  I have learned a lot with this project. I got to practice hemming, create a casing with an elastic neckband, and use a gathering stitch. I'm super excited about the gathering stitch. The hem on the dress is a little wacky, but I'm really pleased with the way the ruffle turned out.  Well, let's be honest, the ruffle on the nightgown is my favorite part!  I wonder how many things I can add ruffles to?  You may be seeing my kids in some very ruffly clothing in the coming months!

I still have much to learn (much, much to learn)...but I am SO enjoying the process!

A dress, a pillow, a blanket, and a toy dog. I even had enough fabric for a pillow and blanket for the doll's doll.

Ready for beddy-bye!

So comfy!

A Clean House Starts with a Clean Kitchen

Ever have one of those days when you just NEED some alone time?! Desperately you will sacrifice anything for 10 minutes of peace to get your thoughts together. That was me this morning. I woke up way too sleepy to answer all the questions, track with all the pretend play, or deal with life, basically. Even coffee didn't help.

On top of that, I felt restless. Endlessly restless. Full of a sense of expectation unfulfilled. Full of uncertainty. I needed to spend some time with the Lord. Pour out my heart. Read His word. Fill up on His Spirit.

So I left the kids in the kitchen to play with water in the sink. I knew that I would have water to clean up afterwards, but it didn't matter. I needed to be away for a few minutes.  They were quietly playing, not fighting, sharing.  I even heard giggling.

I had a wonderful time in God's presence. I finished up by thanking Him for my kids.

I'm SO glad that I spent that time with the Lord because otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to handle what I found in the kitchen.

The picture does not even come close to fully capturing my kitchen. Yes. That IS a sprayer in Abby's hands. Abby and Caed found a new way to shower...the sink sprayer. EVERYTHING was soaked. I walked in to find Abby spraying down the walls. Yep, that cake? Wet. The table? Dripping. The floor? Puddled. The stove, the trash can, the crock pot, the notepad, my neighbor's mail that was wrongly delivered yesterday: WET!

It was God's grace covering my children in that moment. I simply asked them if they had fun and they simultaneously squealed out "Yeah!!!"

Then we got out the towels and dried, dried, dried.  At least my kitchen is clean now!

A Man Healed of Leopard Seed!

I just love the things my kids are learning at church. The teachers at Blue Ridge are awesome and I love how much they love my kids!  It is funny to me, though, the way kids process information. Today Abby has been telling me all about her Bible story from Sunday. It comes from 2 Kings 5:1-15.

Naaman was an army commander who was very brave, but had the terrible skin disease called leprosy.

This is how Abby told the story.
"Elisha told a  little servant girl to tell the man to go wash in the river 7 times. When he did he was healed of Leopards Seed."

Holding back my laughter, with as much seriousness as I could muster I asked her what Leopards Seed is.
 
"It's when you have spots all over your skin like a leopard."   :)

The Creation Story According to Caedmon

Today at Blue Ridge Community Church, the two year olds learned that God created water. They made a cute little craft to remind them of this truth: a Ziploc baggie with blue toothpaste and "God made water" written on the front. Caedmon has played with and squished his "water" all afternoon.

To follow up on his lesson today, we sat down before bedtime and read the creation story aloud from The Beginners Bible. I let Caed fill in some of the blanks. It went like this:

Me: "In the beginning, the world was empty. Darkness was everywhere. But God had a plan. God separated the light from the darkness. 'Let there be light!' he said. And the light turned on. He called the light 'day'. And he called the darkness 'night.'  This was the end of the very first day."

<The following page includes a lovely picture of the ocean waters and fluffy white clouds in the blue sky.>

Me:  "And the next day, Caed, God made what?"

Caedmon: (with full enthusiasm as he throws his arms into the air)  "BISCUITS!"

<The next page is of a beautiful garden full of brightly colored flowers and trees>

Me: "And what did God make the next day, Caed?"

Caedmon: "SAUSAGE!"

I was really enjoying this, so I continued into the story of Adam and Eve.  I read: "Adam loved his new home. His job was to name all the animals" and then added: "Caed, if you had to name all the animals, what you would name them?"

He pointed to a butterfly and named it "Neigh." A toucan was named "Burred."  And a rabbit was officially named, "Daddy."

There you have it...the creation story from a two year old's perspective!

My First Refashion!

Okay don't laugh...here's my first refashion. I took two pairs of Abby's pants that were too short and made a skirt!  I ripped out the seams of both pants. Then cut the pink floral print to fill in the gap and sewed it up!  The seams are all crazy and wild...but Abby enjoys it so that's a success!  The whole time I was sewing, Caed kept commenting, "Pretty, Mommy! Pretty!"  That's always nice. I really like that boy!