"...To work with your own hands."

We made a tunnel out of the dining room chairs.  Christian had a blast! 

   One of my dreams has been to have a little girl to sew for.  I'm living that dream now...finally!  Audra's outgrowing everything it seems, so I got out my sewing machine and have been digging through my fabric for the past couple days.  I love to sew.  For me, its relaxing.  I've made a little spot in the corner of Audra's room for my sewing table, and how I love to sit there feeding beautiful fabrics through my machine, creating pretty things for my children.  Though I can't spend the time I used to in my special spot, due to constantly having to get up to check on a child who's crying, or find a bottle for another, or change a diaper, or break up and argument, I did come up with a great idea to stretch those seconds into actual minutes.  The fact that my sewing table is right down the hall from Christian's room/play room really helps!  I set up a child gate at the top of the stairs between the two rooms, and the children can go and come from play room to sewing room as they please.  There's always something to keep them occupied.  At least until lunch time, snack time, diaper time, nap time, etc, etc, etc.  But with this arrangement, I do manage to get a little bit of sewing done.  I've been working on some skirts for Audra and I'm also finishing a small quilt for Christian. 

Over the years, I've collected a little bit of this and a little bit of that, so for the most part I never have to go to a fabric store for bits of elastic, or a piece of ribbon, or a few buttons.  I save everything when it comes to things like that.  I salvage Andy's old shirts if they are still in good shape for quilt fabric, remove all buttons from any old piece of clothing before it goes into the trash.  I save zippers, bits of ribbon, lace that is still usable, and leftover fabric of practically any size from every project I complete.  It comes in handy too, eventually.  I made a 1950's era hat for a party I attended last weekend using little bits of leftovers, and an old camouflage ball cap that Andy never wears.  I cut off the bill, then started building on the cap part with black velvet, netting, ribbon, flowers, feathers, and of course lots of hot glue! 

I had so much fun!  But the most satisfaction is the fact that many such projects don't cost me a penny because it all consists of seemingly worthless leftovers.  I  love running my fingers over a finished quilt and finding little bits of color that used to be a shirt in its previous lifetime, or finding a piece of satin in a VBS costume that came from a formal dress I wore on a date with my husband.  I've used beautiful wine colored velvet for a king's robe for VBS, and then years later, used leftover bits of the same soft velvet to line a wooden box for a Christmas gift.  I hate to throw anything away when it can come under the label of "craft material".  There's always a use for it somewhere, sometime.  I love a challenge.  That's why I love making VBS props for our church so much.  Andy will give me a theme, and my brain starts to spin with ideas.  I dig out my boxes of "treasures" and get to work.  Cardboard is a wonderful invention!  You can make anything with a cardboard box, a knife, paint, and some duct tape!  And the bigger the box, the better!  The ideas are limitless!  Its good to work with your hands.  I want to teach Audra someday how to sew, how to "create" and "build" an idea.  I want her to experience the joy I find in "homemade" treasures.  And I want to teach her how to put her heart into it, do an excellent job, go the extra mile, and enjoy the simple things.  Creativity is becoming a thing of the past.  Imagination is almost a lost art.  Kids miss out on so much these days due to TV, computer games, and technology.  They don't know how to simply "play" anymore!  They don't know how to use their own minds, their own imagination to entertain themselves.  I had so much fun growing up because we didn't have many real toys, no computers, no TV.  We played outside and made up our own games and made our toys.  We actually played with sticks and weeds!  We climbed trees and played in the rain.  We built mud castles in the absence of sand.  And it was much more fun than playing inside with the few toys that we did have.  I want my kids to see their hands as God given tools.  I want them to love working with their hands, using those hands and minds the way God intended them to be used.  I want them to love learning, to ask questions, then hunt for the answers, instead of swallowing everything that's handed them.  I want them to be the best they can be for the Lord, using every gift that He gave them to their utmost ability, doing it "with all their might!"

I love Audra's very blue eyes.  I did not "touch up" the picture.  They really are as blue as the sky!

   My new pregnancy has probably been the easiest one yet...so far.  It actually hasn't really hit me yet.  I was pretty sick the first few weeks, but it seems to be slacking off already, which is very new to me!!   I hope it continues!  :)  I'm in no rush to go to the doctor, even though I'm 10 weeks along.  They're just going to tell me I'm pregnant!  I'm planning on waiting a few more weeks so that I can get that silly dating ultrasound done on my first visit.  At least I'll feel like it was worth the effort to go.  :)  The pregnancies always become real when I actually see the baby.  I'm showing a whole lot earlier with this one than with the other three.  Some folks at church are confident I'm carrying twins!  Wouldn't that be wonderful!!!  This pregnancy is flying by, probably because my mind is so consumed with my other two children.  I don't really have much time to dwell on it, especially on the days when the nausea isn't too bad and my mind isn't consumed with staying close to the toilet!  I can hardly wait to find out what the baby is so that I can start preparing and setting up another crib.  I was thinking about that the other day and the question that came to my mind just about overwhelmed me with joy.  "Who would have thought that I would be the mother of four???"  Who would have thought that I would rock my own children, and sing them to sleep???  After trying so hard for so long, and now God has given me my desires, not just once, but four times over...who would have thought???  My heart was bursting and my eyes just about spilled over with tears.  I AM truly greatly blessed!