And . . . . I started a new blog:
mydesiretocreate.blogspot.com
Friday, April 30, 2010
entered!
And . . . . I started a new blog:
mydesiretocreate.blogspot.com
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Why we love humidity
Curlies!
A few weeks ago while I was driving home from dropping kids off at school, a thought came to me . . . .
"I should go to the track in the mornings."
I have been twice--it works pretty well. It is an asphalt paved track at the end of the school property. A & B use it during gym class. Caitlin and Diana liked playing there--Caitlin runs almost the whole time. So far so good. I don't always go the pace I want, but sometimes I do. Diana and I sang "Once there was a snowman" and other songs as we walked together.
I took these photos on Friday after we got home from the track. It was very humid.
Other random tidbits:
Yesterday Andrew went to a birthday party at the Waco Zoo. Since Nathan didn't go with us last year, he took everyone but little E and I. They had fun and ran into our neighbors from around the corner. I enjoyed a couple hours of distraction free sewing. No finished skirt, but I do have half of this blouse made, (view A if you were wondering). I am hopeful it's wearable and photo worthy! If it is, will you vote for me in the contest I am going to enter? (More details on that when I enter).
The mama bird who built a nest in our tree in the front yard hatched her eggs this week.
Ed wins for first teeth at the youngest age. Both bottom middle teeth poked out through the gum this week. It's too early!
I substitute taught R. S. today and titled my lesson "Persist in Doing," which comes from this quote:
"That which we persist in doing becomes easy to do; not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do has increased."
It's true.
On Monday, I helped can 14 pints of beans. 9 kidney and 5 pintos. Beautiful.
A few weeks ago while I was driving home from dropping kids off at school, a thought came to me . . . .
"I should go to the track in the mornings."
I have been twice--it works pretty well. It is an asphalt paved track at the end of the school property. A & B use it during gym class. Caitlin and Diana liked playing there--Caitlin runs almost the whole time. So far so good. I don't always go the pace I want, but sometimes I do. Diana and I sang "Once there was a snowman" and other songs as we walked together.
I took these photos on Friday after we got home from the track. It was very humid.
Other random tidbits:
Yesterday Andrew went to a birthday party at the Waco Zoo. Since Nathan didn't go with us last year, he took everyone but little E and I. They had fun and ran into our neighbors from around the corner. I enjoyed a couple hours of distraction free sewing. No finished skirt, but I do have half of this blouse made, (view A if you were wondering). I am hopeful it's wearable and photo worthy! If it is, will you vote for me in the contest I am going to enter? (More details on that when I enter).
The mama bird who built a nest in our tree in the front yard hatched her eggs this week.
Ed wins for first teeth at the youngest age. Both bottom middle teeth poked out through the gum this week. It's too early!
I substitute taught R. S. today and titled my lesson "Persist in Doing," which comes from this quote:
"That which we persist in doing becomes easy to do; not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do has increased."
It's true.
On Monday, I helped can 14 pints of beans. 9 kidney and 5 pintos. Beautiful.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Two doors down
One of the bonuses of having lived in several homes is meeting new neighbors. We've had wonderful neighbors in all the places we've lived. Some of their names are Virginia, Gena, Vivian & Denny, Claudia, Victoria & Isaiah. My children love greeting them when they are coming or going. They've become cherished friends.
On Saturday, my neighbor brought roses to me from her yard. As you walk up the sidewalk to her front door, you can smell the herbs growing there. She also introduced me to lemongrass and moong beans. Enjoy the beauty of her green thumb.
On Saturday, my neighbor brought roses to me from her yard. As you walk up the sidewalk to her front door, you can smell the herbs growing there. She also introduced me to lemongrass and moong beans. Enjoy the beauty of her green thumb.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Killeen (Round 2 of 2)
Nathan spoke in Killeen again today. Two wards, one began at 11, and the second at 1. It is nice because we attend all the meetings of the first ward while he does both, and we get out at the same time.
His topic today was Elder's Christofferson's message on moral discipline.
Nathan said, "I believe two habits will help all of us to maintain the highest moral values: first, be in the right place, and second, remember why we choose to live the standards we have been taught."
Then he gave two examples to illustrate the importance of being in the right place at the right time. David, the example of being in the wrong place, and the 2,060 stripling warriors, being in the right place.
"Satan tries to convince us that if we are strong, we can withstand temptation, so putting ourselves in a compromising situation is not a problem, if we are strong; but the wise know that avoiding temptation when possible is as honorable as overcoming great odds. You will be tempted enough without looking for opportunities to overcome impossible odds."
"When I turned sixteen and began dating I consciously chose to avoid exclusive dating, which was very difficult at first, but I found as I dated many different girls in large groups I had more fun, made more friends, and avoided compromising situations where I could have been tempted to do something I would regret later. My moral cleanliness began by being in the right place."
"When I was in college, after my mission, I decided to make the temple a focus of my education and I would attend regularly. As a result of this decision, early one Saturday morning, a beautiful young returned missionary saw me in a suit and inquired where I was going. I replied, "to the temple," and was off without another word. That was enough to interest her and we began dating shortly after that incident and she has blessed my life ever since."
This was the last time that Nathan will speak in Killeen. We will probably only attend one more speaking assignment together during our time in TX. I like what it has done for my children and my family as a whole. They understand that the church is bigger than our own ward. Andrew told me today that he made a new friend. That was big for him, because he's one of only two boys in his regular class.
Andrew also rocked Ed to sleep in his car seat at the beginning of Sacrament meeting. Awesome!
His topic today was Elder's Christofferson's message on moral discipline.
Nathan said, "I believe two habits will help all of us to maintain the highest moral values: first, be in the right place, and second, remember why we choose to live the standards we have been taught."
Then he gave two examples to illustrate the importance of being in the right place at the right time. David, the example of being in the wrong place, and the 2,060 stripling warriors, being in the right place.
"Satan tries to convince us that if we are strong, we can withstand temptation, so putting ourselves in a compromising situation is not a problem, if we are strong; but the wise know that avoiding temptation when possible is as honorable as overcoming great odds. You will be tempted enough without looking for opportunities to overcome impossible odds."
"When I turned sixteen and began dating I consciously chose to avoid exclusive dating, which was very difficult at first, but I found as I dated many different girls in large groups I had more fun, made more friends, and avoided compromising situations where I could have been tempted to do something I would regret later. My moral cleanliness began by being in the right place."
"When I was in college, after my mission, I decided to make the temple a focus of my education and I would attend regularly. As a result of this decision, early one Saturday morning, a beautiful young returned missionary saw me in a suit and inquired where I was going. I replied, "to the temple," and was off without another word. That was enough to interest her and we began dating shortly after that incident and she has blessed my life ever since."
This was the last time that Nathan will speak in Killeen. We will probably only attend one more speaking assignment together during our time in TX. I like what it has done for my children and my family as a whole. They understand that the church is bigger than our own ward. Andrew told me today that he made a new friend. That was big for him, because he's one of only two boys in his regular class.
Andrew also rocked Ed to sleep in his car seat at the beginning of Sacrament meeting. Awesome!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Waco Children's Museum
Today we had a delightful family fun day at the Waco Children's Museum.
It is a lovely red brick building on the Baylor campus. It is very large and beautiful. (I think that only Children's Museum I've been to that is bigger is in Indianapolis. . .. I haven't been to that many). As we were walking in, we saw a man whose trailer said, "Puppetry" on it. I asked him if there would be a show later in the day. He said he was performing at 1 pm. There were 3 puppet shows and we saw two of them, The Gingerbread Man and Little Red Riding Hood.
Favorite exhibits or parts of the day:
N: The tornado (pictured below), weather station, (a setup where you could pretend to do the weather report), animals and insects, and the display about mammoths found in Waco
B: One of the highlights of this museum is that they have seating areas for you to bring your own lunch. We didn't know this when we planned our day--but it worked out great. We had it all to ourselves. We had turkey sandwiches and clementines.
I also liked the room where you could play with water and bubbles, The Gingerbread Man, and watching everyone discover. It was a perfect place for someone Caitlin's age. She spent the day saying, "Look Mom!" and laughing as she discovered something new.
Least favorite: the reptile room
A: The "science rooms." Building the arch, the holograph pendulum, pulleys, levers, and the model train set.
B: Watching the Gingerbread Man, the trains, dressing up as a pioneer
(pictured below is the holograph pendulum)
C: The train set, dressing up as a pioneer, picking up a garbage bag with a lever and pulley, Gingerbread Man
D: Little Red Riding Hood and Gingerbread Man
p.s. This was a sponsored family fun day! Thank you sponsor, you know who you are!
It is a lovely red brick building on the Baylor campus. It is very large and beautiful. (I think that only Children's Museum I've been to that is bigger is in Indianapolis. . .. I haven't been to that many). As we were walking in, we saw a man whose trailer said, "Puppetry" on it. I asked him if there would be a show later in the day. He said he was performing at 1 pm. There were 3 puppet shows and we saw two of them, The Gingerbread Man and Little Red Riding Hood.
Favorite exhibits or parts of the day:
N: The tornado (pictured below), weather station, (a setup where you could pretend to do the weather report), animals and insects, and the display about mammoths found in Waco
B: One of the highlights of this museum is that they have seating areas for you to bring your own lunch. We didn't know this when we planned our day--but it worked out great. We had it all to ourselves. We had turkey sandwiches and clementines.
I also liked the room where you could play with water and bubbles, The Gingerbread Man, and watching everyone discover. It was a perfect place for someone Caitlin's age. She spent the day saying, "Look Mom!" and laughing as she discovered something new.
Least favorite: the reptile room
A: The "science rooms." Building the arch, the holograph pendulum, pulleys, levers, and the model train set.
B: Watching the Gingerbread Man, the trains, dressing up as a pioneer
(pictured below is the holograph pendulum)
C: The train set, dressing up as a pioneer, picking up a garbage bag with a lever and pulley, Gingerbread Man
D: Little Red Riding Hood and Gingerbread Man
p.s. This was a sponsored family fun day! Thank you sponsor, you know who you are!
skirt preview
I have only sewn one knit item of clothing before--PJ's for Nathan. They turned out pretty well--he wears them.
The last time I sewed a skirt was when I was taking summer school between 3rd and 4th grade. I chose sewing, or my mom chose it for me?? No one remembers that far back. I am hopeful it's wearable. I don't have any shirts that match it either, so I might have to postpone wearing it until I can find (or make) something that matches. I want to enter this contest for making a spring top. I have a pattern, fabric(s) and ideas. All I need is time and the discipline to get it done.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter dress stress
(A lovely weekend spent mostly at home listening to Conference on Nathan's work laptop in the living room. Much better than crowded into the office on chairs pulled in from the dining table).
This year I didn't find my dream Easter dress, but I wore a blue sweater set with my favorite skirt. I also purchased 3 other skirt patterns in my size while I was searching, so hopefully one of them will turn out well soon. I sewed a lining for a skirt for myself this week as a practice run. It was AWFUL . . . . no photos, and I eliminated that pattern from the hopefuls. It was a great learning experience despite having nothing to show for it. I guess my learning will show up when I am able to construct something worth wearing.
Bryn wore her baptism dress. Caitlin wore a pink linen dress I found in Chicago, at a thrift store? I can't remember. The lace tore off the bottom and I replaced it with lace leftover from the baby girl blessing dress my mom made. Diana wore a new purple dress I made. I don't know if she will ever wear it again, because she tried very hard to get out of wearing it this morning.
It is Simplicity 5695, View D in a size 1. At least two of my sewing group friends have made this dress, and it always seems to run large. I overcorrected, because it is a touch too small.
Several weeks ago, our sewing lesson was about gathering. Our teacher demonstrated three techniques. Traditional--basting and pulling threads, using elastic thread to shirr fabric, and by using clear elastic. Her lesson gave me confidence to try again. It was much better this time. I am happy with it.
I felt comfortable with the pattern. It was right at my skill level. Sewing is not easy for me. I enjoy it in spite of that fact. Maybe, because of that fact?
****If you make this dress, be sure to make the elastic around the neck shorter than what the pattern indicates. I took off about 3 inches for this dress.
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