What's next!? :)

Whew..... that was a week long binge! hehe... I purchased the shirt last Sunday at the thrift store and just finished the dress! Of course I had to prepare the pattern and research a few things like french seams... and only having a couple hours to work on it in the evenings delayed progress but..... It's done! Onto the next project... I'm thinking a Lily skirt! :)

On a sewing Binge!

So.... I am discovering that I LOVE sewing WAY more than I thought I would. I think that it could very well take over ANY other "hobby" that I have ever tried! It may even rank higher than my love for web/graphic design. Then again, I may be speaking to soon and this is only the honeymoon phase. LOL! I suppose only time will tell. I find myself looking at the stitching of items, turning them inside out and saying.... hmmmm.. "I could do that!"

I decided that I would go all out on my latest project. I am currently working on "converting" or also known as "Upcycling" a men's dress shirt into a dress for Lillian. I almost talked myself out of it b/c it looked pretty complicated. Shirring??? What's that!? Ohhh.... the stuff that looks like smocking. I Love that stuff btw. I ADORE the traditional smocked dresses for little girls. 

I wish I would have known that I was going to do this before I cleaned out ALL of our closets and donated a TON' of stuff to our local thrift store. (CHKD) But.. then again, CHKD is our local children's hospital (where Lillian's neurosurgeon and etc. is) and all the money goes directly to the hospital...Anyway.... I went to that very thrift store and picked up a couple of men's dress shirts. The one that I am currently working on is a Tommy Hilfiger and its pink plaid..... PErfecto for a toddler dress! So... here is a sneak peek of the not yet finished pinned together... cell phone pic.. I am excited about getting this one finished... it has boosted my confidence to continue to "create" all kinds of things! hmmmmm.... Matching Christmas PJ's perhaps! :)

"T-twos?"

I have been seeing A LOT of tantrums lately. Today's example:
I was taking Lils wet washed diapers out of the washer and putting them dryer (it was raining or they would have been hung on the line) Lily was taking the wet diapers out of the dryer and putting them in the living room. (where we usually fold clothes) I went in the retrieve them and she proceeded to throw herself to the floor, screaming. Sigh..... I said... Let me know when your finished and went to walk away. At that, she hopped up and said....."ALL Done!" While using her signs too. Hehehe.... I had to turn away and giggle!

Dada... and Lil off to the golf course AND sewing project 2!

Just a quick update.... I have been "crazy" busy.... between projects and errands.... Whew! Ken is in the process of seeding our backyard and prepping for the next grass season. So.... he spent a good portion of Saturday out in the yard cutting, and seeding and etc..... We usually try and keep the front looking good until it gets soooooo hot that it fries... lol We are starting the process on the backyard for next year. Anyway..... he missed spending time with his Lili-Lil. Also, I think that he knew that momma might like to have a little break. Lily has been exhibiting signs of the..... "TWO"S" rapidly approaching... example??? She decided that she did not want me to pick her up and remove her from a "situation" and bent down and BIT me! She has been throwing some temper tantrums and stuff.... you know "normal" toddler stuff... PRAISE GOD! :) So.... he decided that he was going to take Lil to the golf course. He used to be a regular at this particular course until Lillian was born. In the last year and a half I think that he has gone golfing a half of a dozen times... tops. While they were "golfing." hehehe.... Lily spent time climbing some hills and they zipped around the course with the course manager on a cart... :) I worked on my 2nd sewing project. Tablecloth turned into Toddler top. :) Of course not the entire tablecloth. LOL I LOVE the fabric of the tablecloth just not in my house... not sure what I was thinking when I bought it. It was a clearance item and well now I am glad that I had it. :) We used this tablecloth to cover the table outside when Lily colored Easter eggs. So.... just happened that there was one area that had a few spots of pink dye.... I cut out the orange/rust design and added a couple of buttons. She wore the top today and it looked adorable! I can't wait to start the next project! :)

Sewing.....

I took a sewing class about 6 years ago.... we made a Tote. I had grand illusions of all the wonderful things that I was going to make. Then I promptly went back to work full time outside the home. The sewing machine sat unused in our office until we became pregnant with Lillian. The office became the nursery and off to the attic went the sewing machine. A month or so ago, I gathered up my sewing machine, and sewing supplies and brought it down, dusted it off and set it up. There it sat for the rest of the month...... I could not remember how to thread the machine or anything..... hehehehe..... I have been looking at all these wonderful little outfits on Etsy and wondering...."Could I make that myself?" I have been hesitant in purchasing the online patterns b/c I have this awful habit of getting the supplies to start a project and things going horribly wrong! That doesn't mean that I don't try..... I am just being cautious. :)

Lily has a pillowcase dress that my best friend made her for her birthday. Sooooooo... I figured that would be simple enough. I did not use a pillowcase though.. just fabric that I had purchased for Tori (oldest daughter) to make pillowcases..... Obviously she was 11 at the time and um.... her taste has changed MUCH over the years! LOL..... I created the pattern and just took my time.... I'm sure that an experienced sewer would have had this finished in an hour and it took me a better part of the day... On and off of course b/c I was not able to work on it while Lillian was awake. :) I did not get frustrated..... (Thank you God! hehe) I am pleased with the results of her little dress... what a confidence boost! I am excited about the next project and just may be able to pull off creating her 2nd Birthday outfit... (December... have plenty of time to practice)

Here is her little dress..... simple.... and don't look to closely at the stitching in some areas.... hehehe.... But, I completed it and she LOVES it! Pictures later with her wearing it!

"The Wounded Healer."

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy and the God of every comfort, Who comforts us in every trouble, so that we may also be able to comfort those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I TRY to read a daily devotional or a part of the Bible everyday. By staying and knowing the Word, we are able to stay in the truth and are able to better recognize and hear what God is saying to us while trying to keep Satan at bay. I love Joyce Meyer..... I can really relate to her.

Here is today's (August 10th) devotional from her book New Day New You...

"The best healer is often the wounded healer, because he knows what he is dealing with since he has suffered it himself. That's what Paul was saying in this passage (above) from his letter to the church in Corinth. If you have suffered through hard times in your life, you are going to be even more successful in ministering to those who are going through the same kind of suffering in their lives.
Though you may have had a rough time in your life, God can use what you have been through for His glory- if you will allow Him to do so.! I would be no good to myself or anyone else, But because the Lord gave me the grace to lay down my self-pity and take up the challenge of living for Him, now I am able to help hundreds of thousands of people all over the nation and beyond.
To me the greatest testimony in the world is to be able to say. "God took what Satan tried to use to destroy me, and He turned it around for His glory and used it for the betterment of other people in the Kingdom." It takes God to do that! No matter where you may be today or what you may be going through, God can turn your situations around and use it to further His kingdom and bring blessings to you and many others!"

All I can say is that this really touched me today, and I absolutely felt the need to share it with those that visit Lillian's Blog... for those that need comfort in the fear of the unknown. Never for a moment do I regret any of the struggles that I have endured over the years... there have been many. They are ongoing... they help to form me and strengthen my Faith... in all areas of my life. I typically try to keep this blog about Lily... and don't speak much of my oldest daughter, She turned 17 in June, is trying to find her own way and is not on a very positive course. I have struggled for many years with her, finding proper treatment for her illness and trying to get her to comply. This is a reminder to me that God is in control, and is shaping and forming her to be the person to one day help others........... I pray!

Excellent Nap?

 

Cumin....

Yes, you read the title correctly. Lily LOVES to smell Cumin! Its a spice that I use regularly so I buy it in bulk @ Sams Club. Its soooo much cheaper. Anyway, I store the large container in a cabinet that Lily is able to open. She is obsessed with getting the "jug" and running around with it while smelling it. She smells it then we have to smell it. So cute and funny.

*EDIT* I finally got a MUCH better photo of her in action with the "real" camera!

Just a mini-blog facelift.

Even though I had previously stated that Lily's blog face lift was 3rd on my current "to-do" list... I got to looking around the pre-installed template builder and well.... figured I could handle a simple quick adjustment. Her old blog header were photos that I took when she was 4 weeks old! LOL Dare I say it was time for at least a photo change... being she is now 19 months old!? :D

Soooooo Cute! Soooooooo Blessed! :D

What a Blessing and Joy Lillian is to our family! :D Here are some photos and the link to her "photo shoot" yesterday. She has always been an expressive young lady and yesterday proved to be no different! :) :)

Be sure to check out the rest of her photos posted HERE!