Levi, Levi God Claims You!

If you've never heard this sweet baptism song, you're missing out. I think it's so precious. I sing it to Levi every day as I get him up in the morning and from naps. He just smiles! I've tried to tell him that we are not morning people around here, but he keeps smiling! Even though we didn't sing this song at his baptism, I still love it.

Levi, Levi God claims you.

God helps you, protects you and loves you too.

We this day do all agree,

a child of God you'll always be.

Levi, Levi God claims you.

God helps you, protects you and loves you too.

We your family love you so.

We vow to help your faith to grow.

Levi, Levi God claims you.

God helps you, protects you and loves you too.

Levi was baptized on Sunday in The Vine contemporary service at First Centenary. Lots of family came from out of town, and it was wonderful to share the day with them. I have to brag a little, I made his gown.

It was a proud day for our family

With Hilary, Levi's Godmother

The Needhams

The Blacks

The Trousdales

4 Generations

3 Generations of Black men! :)

Brian told Matt to ask me out, he married us, and now he's baptized our son! He's pretty special to us.

My favorite pic of the day, Levi and Grandad.

In the waiting...

Upon seeking council from a very good friend, she gave me some wonderful advice. Her own experience in her journey to becoming a mother had some bumps along the way. She and her husband had planned out the "perfect" time to start their family, but things didn't work out as they had hoped. She told me that while they were waiting for God to bless them with the child they desired, she decided to use the time she was given (even though it was against her plan and desire) to prepare herself for becoming pregnant and being a mother. Instead of being sad or discouraged about "be[ing] still and wait[ing]" (Psalm 37:7), she made the most of her time by preparing to receive God's blessing.

I decided to follow this wise council for myself. Matt and I have been trying to lose weight and get in shape for a while now. So I felt good about already being on my way. I have a walking partner that I try and meet up with several times a week, and I've decided to start adding in some weight training activities at home.

We have fallen into a rut with our dinner menu. I find that we eat the same few staple meals over and over again. I'm trying to find creative ways to incorporate more "color variation" in our diet, specifically more green veggies. Matt is much pickier about his green veggies than I am, so this one is difficult! I have to sneak some spinach into the quesadillas and hope he doesn't notice!

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this on the blog, but I'm an addict. I have fully embraced the fact that I'm addicted to coffee, and not just coffee, the caffeine in coffee. I LOVE COFFEE, and rather enjoy my addiction to it. If I don't have my morning cup of leaded joe, by 3pm I don't want to live my head hurts so bad. I've always said that if I make it through life and coffee is my worst vice, I've done fairly well.

Well, as of this past weekend I'm slowly giving up my love. I figured weaning myself off of caffeine now would be much easier than quitting cold turkey once I get pregnant (removing caffeine withdrawal from all the usual early pregnancy physical ailments). This way Matt won't have the desire to smother me in my sleep and put us both out of misery from the demon that takes over during my withdrawals. I've quit caffeine before, it AINT pretty. And the withdrawals can last a week or more. UGH.

So, in order to avoid the VERY unpleasant withdrawals from my dear love, I've started by drinking 1/2 caff and 1/2 decaf. With each week I will add a little less caff beans and a little more decaf beans to the grinder until I'm brewing all decaf (otherwise known as USELESS) coffee. So I'm still a little bitter about giving it up, sue me! Hopefully, when the time arrives, I will be caffeine free and feeling fine. :)

I also want to start preparing spiritually by doing a new individual study book of some kind. I haven't visited the book store yet, or put out feelers to acquire advice from knowledgeable friends. Any suggestions are appreciated. My search begins soon!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

"You take it on faith, you take it to the heart.

The waiting is the hardest part."

I feel like this is my theme song (by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers). So here goes. I did not clear this blog post with MDH, and he rarely reads it, so don't mention it ok? We are waiting on a lot of things, and it SUCKS. We are waiting for this house to sell so that we can move on with our lives.

Let's face it, I'm approaching 31 and I can't just assume that I have all the time in the world to have children. All I've EVER wanted to be is a mom. Anyone who knows me IRL (that's blog speak for in real life) knows that I am, and always have been, a very maternal person. Motherhood is the deepest desire of my heart, and I will take it in whatever form it comes, but I have a real and deep longing to be pregnant. It's normal, age appropriate, biological, and I'm not going to pretend it's not there anymore, because it is.

I've also been plagued by the fear that I wouldn't be able to have a baby. Infertility is a real problem that many of my friends have faced, and it is a very real fear for me. There is no medical reason that has surfaced to support this fear, but it's real just the same. The thing about fertility is that you don't know whether you can or can't have a baby until you start trying. And we can't start trying until the house sells.

HOUSE = BABY

We can't afford childcare as long as we are paying two mortgages. And we can't afford two mortgages if I'm not working (at home with a baby, eliminating the need for child care).

So we wait. We wait for the house to sell. Because there is nothing else we can do. We wait, and wonder, will we be able to have the family we desire when we are done waiting? Only God knows. In the mean time, we wait. And it sucks.

Under Attack

So I'm ready to completely acknowledge that I am under attack. For those of you who feel that spiritual warfare is "wierd," you may want to skip this post! We Methodists don't really talk about spiritual warfare often if at all, but I grew up in a Methodist church in ALABAMA. Truly, it was more like going to a Baptist church where we said the Apostle's Creed, but I digress.

It took a textversation with my girl Christie for me to realize that the devil has been really working me over lately. She texted me at 11:20pm to make sure I was ok, because she had been thinking of me all day. Luckily, I was able to "talk" because I'm having trouble sleeping... I was telling her about how much that our house not selling was weighing on me. She was telling me to "COMPLETELY give it over to God," so that I could quit worrying about it and "pray for God to take it everytime it crosses your mind. Because if you've really given it up to God completely, and you're still thinking about it, it's the devil trying to take control of it."

I was amazed that I had been on her mind all day. Matt and I had a rough night the evening before, really talking over how emotionally burdensome this house has become. And I woke up meditating on Matthew 11:28, "Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." The Holy Spirit is cool like that. He gave me the words I needed, and encouraged a friend to pray for me all day. Because He already knew what I discovered while texting with Christie, that I was under attack.

I told Matt before he went to bed (and before Christie texted me) about the verse I woke up meditating. And I told him, "I know the scriptures. I have the answers. I just need to be reminded from time to time. The Holy Spirit and I are cool like that." Talking about the Holy Spirit kinda wierds Matt out (he grew up in the church we now attend, which is more like an actual Methodist church where you don't talk about spiritual warfare). It brought me comfort to be reminded in such a direct and obvious way that God is with me wherever I am, whatever I'm going through. As much as I KNOW that I am under attack from the evil one, I am reminded that GOD is fighting for ME, so I need not worry!

Cool, huh?

Struggling...

So, obviously I've "fallen off the wagon" with Lent, so to speak. It started out so well, and I was so enthusiastic, but here lately I'm struggling. My Lent was about something that I should be doing all the time, not just for 46 days. I should be focusing on the blessings that I have and the things that are going my way, instead of selfishly obsessing over the things I don't have. I know all of this in my head, but my heart is stubborn like me. And so I struggle.

My struggle is ambiguous. It's hard to describe or pin down into one thing. But it's real just the same. I have a job that I LOVE. I have family and friends that I LOVE. I have the most AMAZING husband that I LOVE and adore with all that I have in me. I have a gorgeous house that I LOVE, with a front porch and a rocking chair that I get to enjoy while I'm working (in a job that I LOVE). I mean look at what we're doing this afternoon:

I am blessed beyond measure, but still I struggle. I'm having a hard time falling asleep, even when I'm exhausted. I'm trying to stay positive about the house we're selling, but look at how long it's been since we started trying to sell it! That's right folks, over 7 MONTHS. UGH. We had it listed with a realtor for 6 months to no avail, and now we are doing it on our own. We've worked really hard in the last few weeks improving the one thing that was consistently lower on the feedback from our showings, curb appeal. We are hosting an open house on Sunday, April 11th 2-4pm. Hopefully something good will come of it.

This is before:

If you can't tell, the foundation and trim are a "country blue" color that I've ALWAYS hated!

This is after:

Taupe foundation and black trim, with landscaping and shutters (those teeny bushes are azaleas). Tomorrow we add a window box under the picture window & hanging plants!

If you know ANYONE in the Chattanooga area looking for a great starter home, that's close to downtown, in an awesome neighborhood in Red Bank (that's county not city taxes people), please send them our way!!! I loved living in this house, and am very attached because I bought it as a single girl. It's a great house that I spent lots of time and money updating and, if I do say so myself, it's a fabulous buy! Here's the link to our listing!!!

In the mean time, I'm going to continue to remind myself how blessed we are that we could even MAKE this move and afford 2 houses so that we could get the house of our dreams while we wait on the perfect buyer (or ANY buyer) for our first home. I'm also going to try and pull myself up out of this funk, with the good Lord's help. Prayers are appreciated, buyers welcome!

Lent is a process...

SO, I missed Sunday AGAIN. But I'm still grateful! Obviously, these Sunday Gratitude postings are not in order of priority, but they are inspired. This week I am particularly grateful for GRACE! That ultimately means that I'm grateful for my salvation, yes. But even more than that, I'm grateful to be a child of God. I'm glad that HE is my Father, my Judge, and my Redeemer. I'm grateful that God sets the standards for me, and gives me GRACE when I fail, just like a Father does with His child.

Sometimes I feel guilty, because I take for granted the amazing gift I've been given. My heart has belonged to the Father since I was so young, it's part of who I am. I can't look back on a time "before" I became a Christian. I was raised in the church, by a wonderful loving mother. I was Christened at 3 months old. I asked my mom if I could be baptized again when I was 8, and my pastor agreed to do so (even though I don't think it's technically Methodist doctrine to re-baptize someone). And the Holy Spirit entered my life in rather dramatic fashion when I was 14. In the [paraphrased] words of Brother Jim (according to my mother), 'I've never seen the Holy Spirit get hold of a child the way He did Jill.' I don't say this to seem Holier than Thou or brag, but to illustrate that God has always been in my life in a very real way. And for that I'm truly grateful.

Now, I admit to you that at times in my life I walked close to His side, and others I've been further away. But His presence never left me, and I'm constantly convicted and drawn back closer when I stray. Conviction is not at all bad. It's the loving correction of the Father, and I cherish it. Like any parent-child relationship, discipline shows the child you care about them enough to set limits for them. I'm grateful for God's conviction, knowing that with it comes His GRACE.

God loves us enough to walk with us, comfort us, guide us, convict and correct us. He loves us enough to cherish us, and count each hair on our heads (even the gray ones!). God loves us enough to create us, and draw us into His presence through the sacrifice of His only Son. Most of all, more than anything, I'm grateful to be a child of God.

Sunday Gratitude

So this Sunday's Gratitude was a little more challenging to find; it's been a rough week. We have been faced with worry, tough decisions, and stark reality. Matt's grandmother (Grandy) went into the hospital this week with difficulty breathing, but she is home now and doing much better. Our contract with our Realtor expired this week, and we were faced with decisions about how to proceed in selling the old house. In general our hearts and minds were very heavy.

Instead of focusing on those things that were causing worry, for Lent I am trying to focus on the blessings we have. This week's Sunday Gratitude is FAMILY!!! When crisis strikes, you see who is really around you, who you can count on. This week I saw what a wonderful family we have, and what an amazing group of people I picked to marry into!

We are so blessed to have Matt's grandparents still here with us (mine are waiting for me in heaven ;) ). His mom and step-dad, aunts and uncles, are all such amazing, loving people who have been so accepting of me. They really do come through in a pinch, let me tell ya. My mom ain't too shabby herself. She called me every day to check on Grandy and to let us know she was thinking of us.

In the midst of worry and heavy hearts, God reminds me that we are truly blessed to have such a large, wonderful FAMILY who will walk with us through good times and bad. We are especially blessed with the wisdom and love that only grandparents can give, and I count myself lucky to have that experience again. I thought as time went on and I got older, that it would get easier not having my own Meme and Papaw around, but notsomuch.

So, take time this Sunday thank God for your FAMILY. And if you are blessed enough to still have them here with you, GO HUG YOUR GRANDPARENTS!!!

Join the blog hop (even if it isn't Sunday) and tell us what you are grateful for!

Sunday Gratitude

OBVIOUSLY I am grateful throughout the week, not just on Sunday. But I wanted to "take on" something, as well as "give up" something this Lent. SO, as part of my Lenten season Fast from discontent, and feast on gratitude, I have chosen to write a Sunday Gratitude post each week focusing on one thing (of many) that I am grateful for.

For my first post, I chose to write not about the thing that I'm necessarily most grateful for, but the thing that stands out for the week. This Sunday Gratitude is SUNSHINE!!!!! Yesterday was the first day of real, semi-warm, enjoyable SUNSHINE in about 4 months. We truly had a gorgeous weekend here in Chattaboogie, and I was extremely grateful.

I will admit, this winter was seriously starting to wear me down physically and emotionally. The clouds, rain, snow and dreariness were playing a large role in exacerbating my discontent of late. Now obviously I can't blame it all on the weather, but it certainly didn't help. I know that I must take responsibility for the things I was doing, and not doing, to worsen my moods. But I sure was glad to get a little help from my friend SUNSHINE this weekend!!

[she sings, "I get by with a little help from my friends"]

AHEM. Sorry.

So I went to worship this morning, with a grateful heart and a smile on my face, in no small part due to the beautiful SUNSHINE that God gave us this weekend. His whole creation is beautiful; everything He made is perfect.

[she sings, "You make everything glorious, and I am yours! What does that make me?"]

AHEM.

But the SUNSHINE that shown all around and warmed our faces this weekend reminded me that I AM GRATEFUL!! I am grateful to be a child of God, blessed in so many ways. And I will continue to feast on gratitude.

If you want to participate in Sunday Gratitude, write your own and link up here!!!

My LATE LENT blog post

So this year I had a tough decision to make. I fumbled around for several weeks about not knowing what to give up for Lent this year. All the while, there was one thing that represents what draws me away from the gratefulness I should have for our God and the blessings He gives. It doesn't matter what it is, and for my own sake, I'll keep it to myself. The point of Lent is to re-focus our hearts and minds on what truly matters, do what we can to draw closer to our God, and to prepare to receive God's grace through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. That being said, it's not too late for you to find YOUR ONE THING.

Our Prayer for Living the Lenten Discipline

Pastor: Now we are called to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. We are called to prepare ourselves for both Jesus' death and His resurrection, knowing as we do so that as we die with Him- so also we will rise with Him. We are called to a holy fast- and a holy feast in each of the days of this season.

Congregation:

So let us:

Fast from complaining, and feast on appreciation.

Fast from negatives, and feast on affirmatives.

Fast from unrelenting pressure, and feast on unceasing prayer.

Fast from hostility, and feast on tenderness.

Fast from bitterness, and feast on forgiveness.

Fast from words that pollute, and feast on the phrases that purify.

Fast from self-concern, and feast on compassion for others.

Fast from idle gossip, and feast on purposeful silence.

Fast from judging others, and feast on the Christ within them.

Fast from discouragement, and feast on hope.

Fast from discontent, and feast on gratitude.

Fast from facts that depress, and feast on truths that uplift.

Fast from lethargy, and feast on enthusiasm.

Fast from thoughts that weaken, and feast on promises that inspire.

Fast from problems that overwhelm, and feast on prayer that undergirds.

Strengthen us, O God, to complete the fast with humility, have mercy upon us and save us.

Amen.

Enough for Today

That was the title of my daily devotional. I started receiving The Upper Room (a United Methodist publication) email devotional on Monday. I signed up here. It is short and a great way to start the day.

Anyway, it put some things into perspective for me that have been on my heart lately. It also reminded me of one of my FAVORITE old hymns we used to sing! Feel free to sing along as you are reading!

I KNOW WHO HOLDS TOMORROW

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.

I don't worry o'er the future
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

Ev'ry step is getting brighter,
As the golden stairs I climb;
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter;
Ev'ry cloud is silver lined.

There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eyes,
At the ending of the rainbow,
Where the mountains touch the sky.

Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

I don't know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the One who feeds the sparrow,
Is the One who stands by me.

And the path that be my portion,
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I'm covered with His blood.

Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

I hate New Year's Resolutions...

So I'm not making any. Instead, I'm just going to "ponder" a few things. My dear friend Meghan taught Common Ground Sunday School today. She is in school to be a Nurse Practitioner at Southern Adventist University, but is obviously not Adventist since she was teaching at a Methodist church! However, she did share with us some of the Adventist beliefs about spirituality and health. Adventists live generally long and healthy lives, the most strict are vegetarians. They believe that our bodies are not ours, but on loan from God. But the thing that struck me the most is that they view healthy eating, exercising, rest, and general care of our bodies/minds/spirits (all intertwined) as an act of WORSHIP!

So how's that for adding motivation to all those new goals? It's not about VANITY, fitting into those favorite jeans or looking good in a swim suit. It's about HONORING GOD. The basis of their beliefs is living the life we were CREATED to live, following principles in the book of Genesis.

C-Choice

Choice is the first step toward improved health because people who believe they are in control over their own lives are healthier and live longer.

R-Rest
Rest is good sleep and also taking time to relax. Relaxation lowers blood pressure and reduces stress.

E-Environment
Environment is our external world but also affects what happens within us for the better or worst.

A-Activity
Activity includes physical and mental conditioning. Our goal is to be active in mind, body and spirit.

T-Trust
Trust in God speaks to the relationship between spirituality and healing. A link exists between faith and wellness.

I-Interpersonal Relationships
Interpersonal relationships strengthen our well being. Social connection fortifies our resolve and improves our health.

O-Outlook
Outlook creates our reality. Our mind influences our body and our attitude impacts our health.

N-Nutrition
Nutrition is the fuel that drives the whole system. Small improvements and strategic substitutions produce profound results.

the above is copied from www.creationhealth.com

I took their test to see which principles of health that needed improvement in my life. So in the spirit of accountability, I need improvement in Choice, Environment, and Activity (the last being the greatest need by far).

Following Meghan's lesson was Brian's sermon in The Vine titled "The Quest for Spirituality: The Ultimate Thirst Quencher" based on John Chapter 4, Jesus's encounter with the woman at the well. He spoke of spiritual thirst, a desire for God's presence. Both of these lessons summed up where I am right now, what I want.

I am taking the first step in improving my health according to the CREATION principles. I CHOOSE to live the life I was CREATED to live in the PRESENCE of God. And hopefully, I will remain mindful of my daily choices regarding my mind, body and spirit.

Overwhelmed

I'm a bad bad blogger. A lot of stuff that has been on my mind lately I don't feel comfortable blogging about just yet, so I've avoided my blog altogether.

Since I last blogged, Matt had his 27th birthday. He reminds me often that he turned the age I was when we met. Thanks hunny, I remember. I got ZERO pics of his birthday, bad wife. I did buy him an awesome ukulele for his birthday. It's an authentic ukulele from a maker in Hawaii. He loved it. I still don't have any pictures of him playing it, but hopefully when things calm down I can get some.

Matt has been working an insane amount of hours trying to get a job out on time. They were supposed to post July 15th, then the deadline was Friday, July 24th. Today they were told that it's been extended to Sunday night and they are expected to work this weekend. BTW, my 30th birthday is tomorrow (more on that later). So, he's wrestling with doing a good job, giving me time, properly celebrating my birthday, etc. We thought after they extended the deadline once that we would at least (FINALLY) get to sleep-in together, enjoy the day and have my birthday party in peace. Not so much. Oh well. I know he feels horrible about it, so I try not to complain and make it worse. At least we will have 5 or 6 hours on Saturday to celebrate.

Matt being gone so much lately is starting to really affect me. By the end of the day Sunday (the 19th) he had crammed 6 weeks worth of hours into 4 weeks at work. Monday and yesterday I think he worked about 21 hours in 2 days. My love languages are Physical Touch and Quality Time (I'm bilingual), so obviously I am affected by this.

Last night I lost it (again, this seems to be a regular cyclical occurrence). I feel so overwhelmed and I can't break out of it. I will have a good week or two, then a bad. I never can seem to time my counseling sessions with bad weeks, so we've yet to address it. UGH. Anyway, there are a lot of things that are important to me as a wife.

1. I love Jesus and want to have a close relationship with him, so I need and want to spend time studying the Word.
2. I love my husband, so I need and want to spend lots of quality time with him.
   
3. I want to be healthy and feel good about myself, so I need and want to exercise regularly.
   
4. I want us to eat healthy, nutritious foods, so I need and want to cook good meals often.
5. Clutter stresses me the heck out, so I need and want to keep up with housework.
6. I want to take care of myself, so I need and want to get to bed in time to get a good night's sleep.

These are all things that are of the absolute highest importance to me, and they are ALL things that are daily or nearly daily things that need taking care of. BTW, I work a full-time job too. I am stuck in this vicious cycle of setting goals for all of these things, FAILING MISERABLY, flipping the heck out about it, trying to do better, setting more goals, FAIL, flip out/ rant, and so on. This has been going on for 3 freakin' months now and I have NO IDEA how to do any better.

THEN I start to think if just keeping up with life is hard now, what happens when we are ready for kids??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!??!!

OH, and BTW I turn 30 tomorrow, chubby, childless, and totally overwhelmed. AWESOME.

Praise and Trust

A couple of girls in my small group have adopted this motto in the last month or so, and I think it's my turn. I've got a couple of things in the hopper and I'm feeling better about life in general. At least things are MOVING instead of me feeling STUCK like I did here.

So that's what I'm going to give my God, praise and trust.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you."

Psalm 32:8

Trip to Arkansas

So I promised to write more about our trip to Arkansas for Mother's Day. It was SO wonderful. I really miss Molly because she lives so far away, I don't see her much. She is one of my dearest friends from college and I just cherish spending time with her. She also gets along splendidly with Matt (basically she laughs at all of his jokes and means it!), which makes it that much more enjoyable to spend time with her. Pictorial evidence...

Yes they are playing with deer antlers at the Nature Center!!

I was so honored last year after Joshua was born when she asked me to be his godmother. I have a wonderful relationship with my own godmother, and I so look forward to the special relationship that Joshua and I will have. Matt asked if he is the godfather, since I am the godmother, and I informed him that he got the job by default! Until this weekend, he argued that he never signed on to it, so he can't be held responsible. He's not arguing anymore, Joshua and Matt are big buddies now... case in point.


























Molly cooked some WONDERFUL food for us (I learned how to make Chinese dumplings from scratch). We had fun really just hanging out. There were a couple of older ladies in the grocery store (Matt went on a run while we went out) that were fishing to see if Joshua had 2 mommies (I think it's my new glasses plus the short hair)!!! I'm always flattered to be mistaken for "family"!


We had a great time Saturday at the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center, especially since it was FREE!!! Molly put on a great puppet show for us about a squirrel named "NuttBag". As you can see, Matt enjoyed the show as much as Joshua if not more! But most of the time we chilled at home and just caught up on life and played with Joshua.

He's really not terrified of me, REALLY!

Sunday was Joshua's baby dedication at Molly's church. It was wonderful to see her stand in front of her congregation of peers and promise to raise Joshua in a Christian home. I hope as his godparents we will set a Christian example for him as well.


It was a fabulous weekend, and I was still beaming even yesterday. I am looking forward to a (tentative) visit from Molly and Joshua in August!!!

our adorable godson Joshua

I will blog more about our wonderful weekend with Molly and Joshua. But for now, a couple of precious pictures of Joshua before his dedication.

Precious treasures, the old becomes new

I've been doing a lot of sewing lately, and most of it has remained unblogged-about. But this project is very special. It's been in the works for months now (talking, searching for pattern and materials). Our godson Joshua's baby dedication ceremony is this weekend (they do it once a year on Mother's Day at Molly's church). Baby dedication is similar to Christening, except without the water. The family of the child stands in front of the congregation and promises to raise the child in the church.

When I first started searching for patterns and thinking about this project, I realized that it has been over 8 years since I've done any "heirloom" sewing. I've made lots of other things, cutesy stuff. But heirloom sewing is what I truly love, not just because the items are so beautiful, but also because it is becoming a lost art and not many people can do it (especially in my generation).

I became increasingly excited when I started gathering the materials. One reason this is so special is that I was able to use leftover fabric Mom had from making my wedding dress to make Joshua's outfit (and I still have nearly 2.25 yards left!). When doing heirloom sewing, I try to use only the best, most authentic materials. I thought last week that I may need to purchase some vintage buttons for it as well. I went to the local antique store (BAD BAD JILL) in search of buttons. I came home with lots of antique linens and trims, but no buttons.

Then it dawned on me. I was the only one of the grandchildren in our family to learn to sew, so I got my Meme's sewing machine (it's one built into a cabinet). I've been putting off going through the drawers, but this gave me the perfect excuse! Last Saturday, I spent the first half of the day cleaning out, sorting and restoring one of two drawers in Meme's sewing machine. It was so cool to sort through all the things that she kept at arms length when she was sewing. I found her metal scissors with the handles painted black (thought the paint is all but gone now), TONS of vintage buttons still on the cards, little promotional item cards with needles attached from Liberty National Insurance, and my favorite - a welding rod. My Papaw was a welder/ ironworker by trade. Meme kept a welding rod in her sewing maching to help push out the corners of pieces when you turn them right-side-out for sewing. Just knowing that I was touching the things that she used to make every dress for her daughters and granddaughters, every Easter outfit for her grandchildren, every suit for church, and maybe even the veil Aunt Pam wore in her wedding that we later repurposed into my veil, was very special to me. These things that look like not much to anybody else, are treasures to me. Most people would open that drawer, pull out that welding rod, and say, "What is this and why is it in a sewing machine?"

Wouldn't you know, I found BOTH size buttons in the exact color that I needed in that drawer? I also used that welding rod a couple of times to make the little button belt in the back of the romper :) Without further ado, the final product. I will DEFINITELY post pictures of our precious godson in this outfit when we get back!!

Why being GREEN is a matter of FAITH and what YOU can do about it

STOP!!! THIS IS NOT YOUR NORMAL EARTH DAY POST!!! Before you brush me off as some tree hugging, hippie, liberal??? Christian!!! (BTW, thank you for the compliment), please give me just 5 minutes and read the rest of this post.

Most of you who read this know that I am a very passionate environmentalist. I want to take this opportunity on Earth Day 2009 to tell you WHY. Many bloggers are telling you things that you can do to "be greener," and by all means feel free to take their advice!!! But I want to do something a little different and talk about my values (hard to imagine I know).

I am, unashamedly, a follower of Jesus. I am a Matthew 25 believing, red letter Christian, who tries to put her FAITH into ACTION as much as she can. I believe that we are commanded as Christians to do what we can to bring God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10 But as we know, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 I'm not perfect. I can't do it all. But I can do something, and I hope today I can do something for someone reading this.

No matter whether you believe in the literal translation of the Creation story, or believe it is a poem written to reflect the expansion and evolution of God's creation, or some other view in between. If you have Judeo-Christian faith, you believe "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground...God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:1, 28, 31a

We as Judeo-Christians are scripturally charged with caring for God's creation. There are a finite amount of resources, a finite supply of clean water, a finite supply of coal for energy, a finite amount of space for trash. This Earth is the only part of creation that God gave us as humans to inhabit and care for, and it hangs in a delicate ecosystem balance. Whether you DO or DO NOT believe in global warming, you must admit with the number of people living on this Earth that eventually we will AT LEAST run out of places to put trash! And arguably, at some point, this planet will not be able to support its population with adequate supply of food, water, space and air (some say we have already passed sustainability).

To ME, I see this as a faith issue. I believe in the scriptural commandment of STEWARDSHIP. Those of us who have heard many sermons on tithing know what stewardship means, but for those who haven't, Christian stewardship is the management of resources (most commonly financial) in a way that glorifies God. I believe that we are also commanded to be stewards of the Earth's resources as part of God's perfect and good creation. I see our trips to the recycling center, purchase of Energy St*r appliances, and use of non-toxic cleaning products to be just as important as our bi-weekly checks to the church in our Christian stewardship.

We are even told in Luke 8:1-3 that many women traveled with Jesus and His disciples "proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God...These women were helping to support them out of their own means." We as women, who for the most part run things around the home, have the opportunity and the responsibility to use this role to glorify God and be good stewards in every aspect. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." I Peter 4:10

Each of us can do simple things to be good stewards of God's creation, and we should. "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." I Corinthians 4:2

Here are some helpful websites to get you started:

You don't have to do EVERYTHING all at once, but BABY STEPS can make a big difference. Picking one or two things is a good start.
www.50waystohelp.com (if you are a little intimidated by all the lingo, this is the best place to start)

To learn about how to GREEN your workout, this is a great article THE LEAST we can do is invest in a reusable water bottle that stays in our gym bag!!! I was excited to read about recycling old sneakers to make the surface material for basketball courts!!

We pay a small fee to Tonic Mail Stopper to cut down on all the junk mail that comes to our house (and also saves trees, yay for oxygen)!!!

www.freecycle.org is a great website to list your stuff you don't want but is still usable to someone who can use it. It keeps it out of a landfill!!

Simple tips from me:

*Use scrap paper* If someone has already gone to the trouble of cutting down a tree, might as well make the most of it! When I'm printing out all those online coupons for my crazy couponing adventures, they usually only take up the top part of the page. Save the bottom for notes at work or at home.

*Reuse envelopes* All those "reply" envelopes for the bills I pay online, I write my shopping lists on the back and gather my coupons for that trip and put them inside. That way I don't have to lug around my coupon sorter through the store! THEN I recycle the envelope!!

*Use reusable bags* This one isn't original to me, but it's the best practice. It saves oil and keeps the plastic bags from killing our marine life.

*Contingency plan for when you forget your resuable bags* If you happen to make it home with those God-awful plastic bags, you can use them for other things. We use it to line the plastic trough on the automatic litterbox (so we don't have to constantly buy those plastic recepticle things). We also have dog-friendly parks all over the city with freestanding poopy bag dispensers. It's up to park users to fill the dispensers with grocery bags, so whenever we take the kids to the park we also take a load of bags for picking up poop!!

*Use cloth napkins at dinner* This is my favorite one. It doesn't take much effort at all to put out cloth napkins at the dinner table. So take a few bucks to www.etsy.com and stock up on about 12 cloth napkins (or make your own). It saves trees, they go in with the rest of your laundry, and it just makes dinner time a little more special!