Regency Dress

These are pictures dd took after I finished the muslin version of the Regency Dress. She added the red trim, which, definitely, adds something to it.

I got the pattern from Sense & Sensibility. I had challenges getting a few things right, but overall it's an easy pattern. I hope to start on the "real" thing tomorrow.

Check out Shereen's blog for Sew Crafty Friday.

Memorial Day parade

We went to Green to see their parade because we wanted to see our friends from Maidens IV. Turns out that most of their family was on the float and in the truck.

It was our first parade as a family. It was fun, although once the Maidens went by we were ready for it to be over. : )

After the parade we drove to Amish country and spent the afternoon. There are some great fabric stores there. I did restrain myself and not buy anything from them. I was tempted by a couple patterns, but they didn't pass my "only buy it if I love it" rule.

Dear Daughter-Creative one

When she was a baby (less than two) she took pictures that we dubbed her "Floor and Ceiling" period. Now she's becoming a young lady and her photography is usually quite good. I'm still thinking on what it should be called. ; )

(The yellow flowers are no more than 1/4" in diameter.)

Oh, and I'm seriously thinking I'll let her take her own birthday picture this year rather than paying someone else to do it.

Target "bargain"

I found this on clearance at Target. "Clearance" really must be a relative term because $2.50 isn't a great bargain. But I thought it was good enough to buy it. : )

Non-bread breading

http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/recipes/recipe157.php

I found a breading recipe at the website above that I tried tonight on tilapia.

Ingredients:
2 cups freeze dried onion, about 5 ounces
2 teaspoons ocean sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves, crushed

Place the onion in a blender and blend for one minute, add the spices and blend for 30 seconds. Store in air tight container in refrigerator or freeze.

I coated the fish in egg then dredged in the mixture and fried it. The onion is the dominant taste, but it was pretty good. I was excited to have a breading I can eat, since I don't eat any grains for health reasons. I'm also going to try adding garlic powder to the mix.

Spring flowers

I love looking out my back window at the flowers. They are very colorful and cheerful. With all the rain we've had they are doing well.

Anna Tunic dress

I finished the dress version of the Anna Tunic. I really like it and the pattern in general.

Marriage Memo

Here's an excerpt from today's Marriage Memo.

The Power of Words
By Dave Boehi
I was out walking in my neighborhood this morning, and for the first five minutes I was lost in thought about a challenge I was facing. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that I was in the dumps wishing I didn't have to deal with it at all. I felt tense and irritable.
I passed a man who was dragging some trash out to the end of his driveway, and I nodded hello. Then he made a simple comment that changed my day: "Beautiful morning for a walk, isn't it?"
"Sure is," I replied automatically. "It's perfect."
Then I looked around and thought, "This is a beautiful morning." The temperature was a refreshing 65 degrees not too hot or cold. No wind. It was quiet enough to hear birds chirping everywhere.
My mood totally changed, and I began rejoicing in the day God had given me. I didn't come up with any solutions to the issue that troubled me, but I felt differently about it.
In fact, I've been in a positive mood ever since. And it all started when a complete stranger said something positive.
It reminded me of the power of our words. Using that power for good is one of the most critical challenges of married life.
The Bible often speaks of the power of the "tongue," and the difficulty of controlling it. Look at James 3:5-10:
So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way."

Each day, you and your spouse decide how you will talk to each other. Will you build each other up with your words, or tear each other down? How will you speak to each other in public, and in private? What words will you use as you work through conflict?

More of Emily

Isn't she just adorable? Thanks to dd for the great pictures.

Chippy

Our lovely friend has been back.

He's perched on the little crocus container either drinking from it or finding little bird seeds. I really hope he didn't eat the bulbs.

In this view you can see a little of the flowers we planted.

He's very resourceful and cute. ; )

Anna Tunic

Here's my Sew Crafty Friday project for this week.

You may see the pattern here.

It's an Anna Tunic from Amy Butler. I really liked sewing this, the pattern directions are fairly easy to understand. I plan to make the dress pattern next.

Check out Shereen's blog for more.

Mothers

I came across a couple quotes in the book "Mother and Daughter Reflections" by Pat Ross.

"Mothers have need of sharp eyes and discreet tongues when they have girls to manage." --Louisa May Alcott 1869

"If I could have given birth to you, I would have. I would have taken you inside me, held you and given birth to you again. I like to think that wherever you go, you will keep some memory of sunlight in the room where I first loved you, and you first loved." --Fran Castan 1986

Ruthie

American Girl is coming out with a new doll, Kit's best friend, Ruthie. Someone on the message board posted that the Joseph Beth bookstores had a display. There happens to be one of those stores in Cleveland. (I'd never heard of that bookstore before.) Anyway, dd decided we had to go there to see Ruthie. She didn't exactly drag me there since I had to drive...the whole time I'm thinking this is costing a fortune in gas to do this. (Absolutely, do not take that personally, dd. I enjoyed doing it with you.) So here's Ruthie.

DD was very excited to get home to make a photo album to post on the message board and that we were the first to see her. ; ) You may see the album here.

We did manage to get school done before we left. That's something I'm happy about. : )

Mother's Day photo album

Here's a link to the album dd made of Mother's Day:

Mother's Day Goodies Album

Fabric Obsession

They were having a sale. Anyone arriving between 9:00 and 9:30 received 30% off. The savings went down every half hour. So, I got myself out of bed around 8:35, got dd up, quickly dressed and ate a little. I think we made it there by 9:10 or so. I came home with a few fabrics that are saying "HAPPY." And I didn't overdo it too much. : ) Maybe it could be a Mother's Day present to myself. ; )

Speaking of Mother's Day, I praise God that He's given me the priviledge getting to be a mom. I'm thankful for my dear daughter. I'm also thankful for my own mom and the relationship we have.

The rest of today was spent planting flowers for the deck pots. DD and I spent a good long time on that. We are both worn out. By the time we were finished I did not want to plant another flower. I never even thought to take the camera out to get a picture. There are still some left that I'll have to find places for in the flower beds. Pictures to come.

Marriage

I was cleaning out email files when I came across an email from Family Life. I'm on their list to receive "Marriage Memo." This one was entitled "'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' in Marriage." There was a quote at the end of that email that I wish I would have written.

"A marriage is about seeing each other through God's eyes, hearing each other with God's ears, lifting each other with God's hands, encouraging each other with God's Words, and loving each other with God's heart. Marriage is about choosing each day, each minute, to honor God with our words and actions, and in turn, we honor our spouses. Marriage is recognizing that God created my husband specifically for me … How can I not love, honor, treasure a perfect gift from my perfect God?" -Sherry Jennings

The pillow

Here's the pillow dd made for Teacher Appreciation Week. It's got a green crushed velvet-type fabric for the back. It was very sweet of her.

Teacher Appreciation Week

DD informed me that it's Teacher Appreciation Week. : ) She made me a pillow that says "Thank You" on it. I don't have a picture of it yet, but I will. She also picked me a tulip and a little bunch of lilacs. I never noticed the detail on this variety, but I continue to be amazed at God's creativity.

DD also cleaned up her side of the work room, WOW! It's so nice and neat, a great place to work for her. I've been informed by both family members that now my side looks worse than her side. : ( I guess, I'll have to clean it up, but not until after I'm done scrapbooking.

I should also mention that our lily-of-the-valley are very fragrant even without flowers. I never noticed that before either. All sorts of new discoveries. We're going flower shopping this weekend for annuals for the pots on the deck. I'm sure we'll see more of God's work then. : )

C & C's visit

We spent roughly 24 hours watching this little guy and his big sister while their parents had an anniversary date. (Happy Anniversary, BTW.)

We read books, watched all the Winnie the Pooh movies we have in our house, walked in the rain, played with the dog, played with the Duplos, played in the basement and celebrated his birthday a little early (he'll be three soon). His sis and dd stayed up with him until 1:20 a.m. when he finally decided to go to sleep. Bless you, girls. They were all up around 8:00, I think.

We were all concerned how he'd do without his mama. This was the first time they'd been apart overnight. He did very well, so we were all very happy.

I should also mention that he carried the tricycle all the way up the stairs from the basement all by himself until the last two steps when the peddle got stuck. Never underestimate the strength, speed and power of a toddler.