Tuesday Mornings

Several months ago I was having trouble adjusting to life with two little ones and the loneliness that sometimes comes with being a stay-at-home mom. I asked the Lord for a group of girls, specifically, for Bible study I could be a part of and boy, did He deliver. (I wonder how often He has gifts to give us that we never receive, only because we do not ask.) But I digress...

Not only did He plop me smack dab in the middle of an awesome group of ladies, but He creatively brought old friends back into my life from all the different stages of my youth together in one group. And the amazing thing is, I wasn't really in close contact with any of them and wasn't the one who brought us all together. Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we? And SURPRISE! I have photos to share too. :)

The friend that goes back the furthest is Lil. Oh sweet Lil! I guess you could say she reprents my "preschool years." We were two peas in a pod in 3k & 4K and took dance class together, but lost touch when my family moved away when I was 5.

Then moving along to my elementary school days would be Carrie. (girl, the only picture I could find at my house of the two of us was from Brownies in which you were sporting the ever so stylish "poodle perm" so please don't shoot me for posting this one instead!) Carrie and I were neighbors and played together almost every afternoon after school. She was like our fourth sister until her family moved to a different house right before middle school.

We'll just skip right on past middle school onto high school when I met Ashley. She was an amazing example to me of what a personal relationship with the Lord looked like in real life and we had so much fun being silly and enjoying our senior year together "making memories!" This picture was of Halloween our Senior year when we dressed up like 80's prom queens. All I can say is Oh Wow. Blue eye shadow and pouffy hair = HOT.

Its funny how life comes full circle and now here we are, all friends together again. We each have daughters of our own and it is so special to watch our girls play together. We meet on Tuesday mornings at Carrie's house, along with several other sweet new friends whose friendships I have also come to cherish.

We are reading the book, Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson, and if you are a mother and have never read this book, do not walk... RUN to your nearest bookstore to pick it up. It has greatly impacted the way I choose to view my calling as a mother. As Lil put it one morning, we are divinely appointed. Here is the part of the book that got us interested in reading it. Clarkson writes:

The fundamental mission of motherhood now is the same as it always was; to nurture, protect, and instruct children, to create a home environment that enables them to learn and grow, to help them develop a heart for God and his purposes, and to send them out into the world prepared to live both fully and meaningfully.

For a couple of hours each week, we come together to share the joys and trials of motherhood and I relish in the fellowship. Not only is it encouraging to have one another for support, but our "girl time" renews my spirit and I look forward to getting together each week.

If you are a mother, and especially if you are at home with your children, do not underestimate the importance of your own friendships. Find a time and invite several other moms you know. They'll have friends who have friends, and before you know it, you'll have a fun group to get together with. You will be surprised at the rewards it will bring!

Boo to You!

And just for comparison:

Look no hands!

This little stinker learned to sit up all by herself this week! She thinks she is as big as Anna Cate and seems so proud of herself to finally be "catching up."

Please let me take this opportunity to introduce you to our newest addition, "Lil troll." Ahem. As my grandmother likes to say, he's so ugly he's cute. He (or does the pink hair make it a she?) has been Anna Cate's constant companion since we found him last Sunday. When Anna Cate first introduces him, she will say, Daddy fall through the ceiling and white fuzz everywhere on the ploor (floor) and this lil troll fell down!

Translation: Will was up in the attic and accidently stepped off of the floor and through our laundry room ceiling. While we were sweeping up the pile of sheetrock and insulation, we found this little troll that must have been left behind by the previous owners.

I get tickled every time I hear her tell the story because she thinks it is some sort of miracle that this little troll fell from our ceiling and into our family. Needless to say, he is enjoying celebrity status right now. We'll see how long the infatuation lasts...

Just a thought...

Practicing hospitality should not be based on the condition of our homes, but rather on the condition of our hearts.

Too many times I let the messes and unfinished projects keep me from opening my home up to others. I'm starting to realize that people care less that your home looks like the pages of a magazine and more about the way they feel when they are welcomed into your home.

I have a friend that is one of the most gracious people I know. Her door is always open and her home fragrant with homemade goodies and hospitality. (Seriously, I don't think I've ever been over to her house when some delicious bread or muffin isn't baking in the oven.) Funny thing is, I now live in the home where she grew up and one of the reasons I have always loved this house is the warm feeling I always got when over here as a child. She learned from the best because when I think of her mother, I think of a cozy quilt. I can remember eating fresh sourdough bread at the kitchen table and snuggling up to hear stories before bedtime. Thank you sweet friend for your example.

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

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Disclaimer: I did not take these pictures (although I wish I had...can we say dream home?) However, I found them saved on my computer and cannot remember the source!

Ruffle Apron Tutorial

She loved the apron. Clearly, she did not enjoy me asking her for a picture while wearing it!

While Will was away for the weekend doing manly things (like hunting and working on the cabin), the girls and I stayed home doing girly things (like baking and sewing). One of the projects we tackled was making Anna Cate her own apron to wear while she helps me in the kitchen. I don't know about everybody else, but I for one, LOVE to wear an apron while I'm cooking, washing dishes, cleaning the house, yes, and even doing laundry. There is something about wearing an apron that helps make housework fun and gets the job done a little faster.

Want to make one of these darling aprons for your favorite little helper?

Here's what you'll need:

- 2 pieces of fabric (ours were 10" x 14")

- 4 yards of ribbon

-lighter

Yep! That's it! and it takes all of 30 minutes to put together so let's get started:

Step 1: Decide how wide and long you want your apron to be and add 1" to both measurements. Then cut 2 rectangles out of coordinating fabric using these dimensions.

Step 2: Take the width of the apron and multiply by 1.5. Whatever number you get will be the length of ribbon you need to cut to make the ruffle.

*Then take your lighter and singe the ends of the ribbon to prevent fraying.*

Step 3: Now set your machine to the longest stitch (mine is 4) and run a stitch along the edge

of the ribbon.

Step 4: Gather the ribbon to make your ruffle until it measures the length of the apron.

Step 5: Pin the ruffle to the bottom part of the fabric that will be the front of the apron, making sure to pin RIGHT sides together. (Meaning, the polka dots on my ribbon should be facing the pattern on the fabric.)

Now change your machine back to the regular stitch (mine is 2) and sew the ruffle to the apron.

Step 6: Ok, now this step is important if you don't want your ruffle to get caught up in the side of the apron when you stitch it together. Fold the two ends of the ribbon up at a 45 degree angle away from the edge of the fabric and pin in place.

Step 7: Lay your back piece of fabric on top of the front piece and pin into place. Again, make sure that the right sides are facing each other.

Step 8: Once you've pinned the two pieces together, you should have an apron sandwich with the ruffle sandwhiched between the two pieces. Start sewing at the top of the rectangle, and continue all the way around the perimeter until you come about 2" from your starting point. You will want to leave this "hole" open at the top so that you can turn your apron inside out.

Step 9: Once your apron is turned inside out, find the center of the remaining length of ribbon and pin onto the top of the apron. Stitch the ribbon onto the front top of the apron and you are finished!

Easy peasy and cute as can be!

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While I was working on the apron, Anna Cate would crawl up into my seat and try to "sew" on my machine. I dug out my grandmothers old machine that no longer works and removed the needle. We set it up at the other end of the table so she could work on an apron for her bear while I was finishing up hers.

Then this little munchkin woke up from her morning nap and joined in the fun. I love her crazy hair and it is starting to take on a reddish hue!

Anna Cate is explaining the safety precautions you must practice when you are using a sewing machine to Caroline who is listening very intently so that she too can sew with us one day.

Whew! Now I remember why it has been months since I've posted a tutorial on the Crafty Little Chick blog! I think that took me twice as long to type the tutorial as it did to make the apron!

Tiny ballerina costume...check.

I finished up Caroline's costume while watching football last night with Will after the girls were in bed. I found this great tutorial for the tutu and used this pattern to make the tiny ballerina shoes. The tutu took only 30 minutes to make and if you can tie a knot, you can make one too. It was that easy! The flower is actually a clip for her hair that I made using some remnant pieces of ribbon. I can't wait to take pictures of them in their outfits! Anna Cate was so excited when she woke up this morning and saw Caroline's costume sitting on the coffee table.

We've enjoyed a relaxing weekend of baking and sewing and I have some cute things to share! I'm off to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon, but will be back soon with a cute tutorial for something that Anna Cate and I worked on yesterday. ;)

One down & one to go.

While she did this...

I finished this.

Call me old fashioned, but I like homemade costumes the best. I tried to use what we already had at the house to create her Mini Mouse costume. The fabric and ribbon came from my ever growing stash. I used a fabulous (and easy I might add) tutorial to make the twirly skirt. The shoes were some from her closet that she no longer wears because of a scuffed toe. I used this tutorial to cover them with yellow fabric. The only thing I had to buy was the black headband to make the ears. She is going to make one cute mouse!

Now on to Caroline's costume. Anna Cate keeps asking if Caroline can be a mermaid, but I was hoping for a little ballerina. We'll see who wins out. ;)