Time marches on!

Yesterday my hubby and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. Time marches on..... quickly! I cannot believe that much time has passed. We have certainly had ups and downs, bumps along the road of life. 12 years ago our marriage was over... I was done. He was done. God intervened and brought restoration and love back into our marriage. He transformed two self-centered people into people seeking Him and wanting a marriage based on His plan. I am blessed. I have a man who loves me even though I weigh significantly more than I did in 1991. Even though hormones rage in this middle aged body. Even though I spend money when he thinks I should save it. Even though I love home improvement projects and he only tolerates them. I am blessed. Not every woman can say she has a man who loves her no matter what.

Here are some pictures of then and now:

Jennifer was 9 and Jason 7 when we walked down the aisle toward Rick, making us a family. Rick was a brave guy of 23 years of age to take on a wife, two kids, and all my baggage! LOL!

Here we are 20 years later.....I think I need to work on a better photo! LOL

Here is the whole family in August 2009 when my eldest son married his beautiful wife, Jenny. God is so good!



This beautiful couple is our eldest child, Jen with her fiance', Dave. They will marry this year in September. Love this guy!

So that is our family then and now. Again, God is good.

Goin' to the Chapel!

My daughter is getting married on 9/10/11. I am in the process of making many of the things for that day. My list includes:

Birdcage veil and fascinator

Wreath for the altar area

Lace "shrug" for her to wear during the ceremony

Vintage Brooche bouquet

Purses for the bridesmaids

Flowergirl dress

Resize a bridesmaid dress (from a lady's size to a girls size)

Bake corn bread muffins for 180

Bake cupcakes for 180

Make bridesmaid bouquets

I have been blessed with a multitude of gifted friends so I will be calling on their help during the next 8 months! ;)

Here are a few things I have completed.

This is the fascinator for the birdcage veil. I am not sure this is the actual brooche she will use in the center but it worked as a stand-in for the photo! The fascinator is about 5 inches across. Very pretty and vintage looking! I could not phathom paying 150.00 for a birdcage veil when they are so simple to make!

This wreath photo is what we are shooting for at the "altar" area. The wedding is outside. The ceremony area has trees surrounding it and a wreath will hang from the trees with organza draped down to two small pillars that will have boston ferns resting on them.

Below is the wreath I have created so far.

Progress is slow but she is a working girl living 70 miles from me so we don''t see each other often. We are planning a weekend where we can get together and work on wedding things. Some of the things I just need to get off my plate so I can feel a little less overwhelmed!

Linda

Green Skirt with wings!

Made a skirt of a green gabardine found on a clearance shelf at JoAnn's. I use a Today's Fit pattern V2933 http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v2933-products-5479.php?page_id=283&search_control=display&list=search

The pattern is out of print. I have had it in my stash for years. It's a cute and easy skirt but not one that you need several of in your closet! I have not really styled myself in the photo. Need to get some jewelry on and my sweater before I head out the door!

I am looking through my stash for a coordinating fabric to make a top to go with it but for today it is a brown tee with a cream sweater.

I hate photos of myself. I want to lose 15 pounds but am struggling getting the scale to move despite going to the gym and following Weight Watchers. Why must we base our worth and value on our size.... I wear a ready to wear 10/12 but find myself saying things like "you are a big fat cow". Why? Why? Why????? I am 25 pounds lighter than I was 3 years ago but I focus on the 20 pounds I gained back from my lowest point. Always the negative.... Sad.

Fabric and Pattern for a wedding

My daughter is getting married this coming year on 9/10/11, to be exact.

Her dress is purchased, the bridesmaids dresses were found for a steal so the only sewing I will be doing is the flowergirl dress and my own. Well, I will do all the alterations but does that really count as sewing?

Here is the pattern I am leaning toward for me. I will shorten it to just below the knee.

http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8556-products-9765.php?page_id=943

Here is the fabric I found that I love, love love!

http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/xcart/812049-Charmeuse-flloral-print-57-Wide.html

The fabric arrived today and it is stunning.... STUNNING!

Can't wait to sew this dreamy dress but will wait until spring to dive in!

Blessings- Linda

A little something for a little someone

I have a dear young mom in my life. She is newly married with a 11 week old baby boy. He is my "grandbaby" and I love him to pieces. I made the little baby coverall out of a double sided faux suede/sherpa piece of fabric I bought years ago to make a dress coat for a daughter. The pattern called for two pieces of fabric sewn right sides together then turned right side out. Since this was a double sided coat fabric, I just too a matching boyish stirped knit and cut some binding on the bias (so the stripes would be slanted) and bound the edges. Easy peasy sewing project for Ottobre Autum 2003

I will see him this weekend. Can't wait to give him his new "coat"!

I also made this little shirt for him. It is a Ottobre too but I don't remember which issue. It is to be a knit but I used a fleece remnant I found for about a dollar at Joann's.

I have a few pieces laid out to make a couple tops for me and a skirt to hem so better get busy. Snow is falling here in Mid-Ohio, everyone is safely at home, supper is over, dishes are done and I am ready to sew!

Monday evening blessings-

Linda

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? That all my kids have a wonderful holiday and know that I love them and that their Creator loves them even more.
2. What is your Christmas morning tradition? Monkey Bread for breakfast
3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? A 7 day holiday cruise where I did not have to worry about money AT ALL!
4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? We make a birthday cake for Jesus. Spend the ay in our pj's, go nowhere on Christmas day, and watch movies/play games all day!
5. What games did you play with your family growing up? As a late in life child, /i had no other kids to play with so did not really play games
6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? Stockings are a BIG thing!
7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip? A cruise to an exoctic place
8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? 2 DSI's for my daughters and Kinect sport game and Kinect Zumba

My En"light"ening Day!

I had plans... big plans. I planned for hubby to move the linen closet doorway from the bedroom side of the wall to the master bathroom side. He did not want to do that. He did not say that in so many words but rather started doing other projects on the "honey-do" list.



First he started taking down old light fixtures and "stuff" (my technical term) on the front porch.

The picture below is where the ugly, 1950's original light fixture was. It was

by the front door. U.G.L.Y.

This is the light fixture now. Now is where I tell you that I have the greatest husband EVER! Did I mention that I purchased this light fixture at a Hospice Thrift Store in Chicago? I paid a whopping 5 whole dollars for this baby!

SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the other fixture he added. The base is in the center of the porch ceiling and we swagged the actual light over with chain to above the sitting area. I would so be sitting out there right now with a magazine if it weren't a measily 40 degrees outside!

This picture shows the price tag of the above light fixture! SCORE!

The final light bulb moment happened in the kitchen. We removed a teeny, tiny pantry last year and that removal left a ceiling light fixture typical to closets. The porcelain basic fixture. It has been sitting on my ceiling waiting for the "right" light fixture to be found be me at a premium low price. I have been following a whole bunch of ingenious and frugal women who blog of their decorating deals. Someone, somewhere had used "work light"for fixtures over a counter. El-cheap-o. My kind of thing! So while at Home Depot getting supplies for the front porch, I found a clamp on cheap "stainless" work light. Around $7.00. I bought some chain and one of those screw in plug thingy mabobs. Once home we (hubby) screwed in the plug thing and put up a hook and took the clamp off the lamp and WA-LA a light over the "coffee station". Perfect!

Here is the entire "coffee station". I do love my coffee!

And THAT my friends was how we spent our day! Perfect on a cold, blustery May day!



Blessings- Linda