Trying new things...

The girls and I have been busy over these past weeks. Busy making things. Trying new things. Loving all of it. First up are these delicious chocolate covered orange peels. I'd bookmarked these when I first saw them on one of my favorite blogs and last week I finally made them. Yum! Lauren has been busy making rings and necklaces galore! She received a Shrink-It Art Set in her stocking and is amazed and excited about how small everything becomes. It brings her hours of joy. She also is now enrolled in sewing class with Emma. She made three scrunchies the first day and a sweet little backpack this week. To say she is thrilled would be the understatement of the year. I just realized I have no pictures of her latest creations, but I will remedy that soon.
Emma is enjoying her new embroidery kit very much! Also a stocking stuffer, we opened it last week on a particularly dark and rainy day hoping it would provide some distraction for a child who normally spends 4 hours every afternoon outside (read: mom was about to lose her mind and was desperate for a distraction that involved sitting quietly indoors!). I (ahem, Santa!) found this adorable little kit at TJ Maxx for $3.99! It came with 7 small skeins of embroidery floss in different colors, a stack of iron-on transfer patters (which can each be used multiple times), an embroidery hoop, needle, 2 tea towels and a simple, easy to follow "Instructional" booklet! She is currently working on this tea towel for grandma Pam....so shhh! Don't tell! (She was actually quite worried that grandma might see this post thus spoiling the surprise.)


Emma is also quite thrilled to report that she made her first "sale"! She has overheard many older girls in sewing class talk about making things for friends and classmates and being paid for it. It's hard to explain to an eight year old that you can't exactly go up to someone and say, "Hi. Want me to make you a backpack? Ok, that will be $15 please." Um, it doesn't quite work like that. However, she has been making birthday gifts for friends in the form of backpacks, purses and pj pants. Well, a few weeks ago when a friend opened her gift my dear friend, Kati, asked Emma if she could pay her to make one for her too. If you have spent any time around my daughter over the past 2 weeks, this is probably old news as she has told nearly everyone about her new "job", as she calls it ! :)

And here is my latest obsession. Flower hair clippies. I ♥ them! I wear them nearly everyday. And since I only had 4, I decided to make some more. Ok, a lot more. I may have a problem. I also may have 13 new flower clippies.

"Hi. Want me to make you a flower clippie?" :)

In all seriousness, I think 2010 shall be the year of "New Things". I'm going to make a concerted effort to try something new every week. Whether it's a new recipe, a new sewing pattern (or not...I detest patterns. It will likely be a stolen idea that I will try to recreate without the pattern or instructions. You should stay tuned as this often proves to be quite hilarious.), new fabric, new restaurant.....the sky is the limit, really. It's not about the "new" so much as it is about the "try".

I already have my next new "try" lined up and it's a good one! I can't wait to tell you all about it....soon.

Also, I met a lovely piano instructor last night that recently moved to Shafter and so the girls will begin lessons soon! They are very excited! And who knows, maybe I'll join them. I have always wanted to try to learn an instrument as well.

This is going to be a great year!

And the winner is....

....my dear, sweet friend from college, Amy!

Congratulations!!

Thank you to the other girls who entered.....I promise I'll have more giveaways soon! :)

Haiti Update

Because my previous post was wildly unsuccessful, we will simply be making a donation for the amount we originally anticipated making.

Not $4.20!

Thank you so much to those who took the time to comment!

We will also be donating to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church's Committee on Foreign Missions. There was an update in our bulletin yesterday that was received by our pastor via e-mail from some of the missionaries who are in Haiti. It was written 48 hours after the earthquake.
"Communication is still very difficult and all you get from the embassies are recorded messages. This has made it very stressful for folks. Pray that the airport would be back to normal operation to allow commercial flights to resume. The facts are that fuel is no longer available. Soon food and water will be in short supply. In Port-au-Prince it is very likely that the desperation from hunger and thirst will drive people to violence. It may not be safe by the weekend. Help is on the way, but reports on the ground are that airplanes full of supplies are not being met by anyone who can be in charge of distribution. The UN is busy rescuing their own workers from the rubble of collapsed buildings. Pray that the rescue efforts would be stepped up so basic food and services can be provided.
It will probably take at least two to three weeks before things to settle down to the place where it might be wise for [short-term mission teams] to attempt to travel to Haiti - going in before then, even if it were safe, might result in the team finding itself competing for scarce resources with the very same people they went in to help.
...please pray that it would please our Lord to use even the great suffering and loss of life occasioned by the earthquake to draw men and women unto Himself, our only refuge."

The Committee on Foreign Missions has established a "Haiti Earthquake Relief" fund. If you feel led, you may mail donations (I assume with the above written in the memo line) to CDM, P.O. Box P, Willow Grove, PA 19090

Help for Haiti

We all know what is happening in Haiti. But did you know that there are amazing things happening in the "blogosphere"? Go here and be inspired! I did!

Which is why our family is going to donate $.30 to Numana, Inc for every comment left on this post today. Go to their website and see how they are providing meals to Haitians for just $.30. Thirty cents, people! You don't have to be a millionaire to make a difference! In fact, all you have to do is leave a comment! :)

And pray! Because we already know that the most amazing things happen when we start there! James 5:16b

A (Pretty) Giveaway

*****Updated: Comments Closed! I'll pick a winner in the morning! ****


So I haven't done a "Resolutions" post as it seems everyone else has in the past 2 weeks, but I have made some "resolutions" of sorts. One of those is to have more pretty in my life. I read and am inspired by all of these blogs and etsy shops (Oh etsy! How I love you....) and it finally occurred to me the other day that I should just make something already! So, I made a checkbook cover. And I am ever so pleased with how it turned out!



But it sure was hard to say goodbye to this little beauty. Ahem. Despicable I tell you! Do you have an ugly, plastic, free-from-the-bank checkbook cover? Don't worry, I'm here to help, not judge. And while we're on the subject of "issues", I have another one....I'm incapable of saying anything other than "One yard, please!" when the kid at the fabric store asks how much I want. It's sort of a problem. Needless to say, this project took substantially less than one whole yard of fabric. Soooooo, if you want a lovely checkbook cover of your very own, leave a comment and I will pick a winner next week.

Tell your friends! :)

Creativity

Each of the girls received 2 yards of coordinating fabric and threads from a sweet friend for Christmas. They are in heaven! And look at how adorable Lauren's is....it fits her perfectly. She immediately declared that she needed a purse made with hers. So we designed and sewed this little number together. She decided after it was done that she needs a little pocket on the outside to put her hand in when she's wearing it on her shoulder. Who am I to judge....a pocket she shall get. I love how decisive she is about her creations. She knows exactly what she wants and just jumps right in and does it.

Her sister has yet to decide what to make with her fabric. She's a bit more like her mother. You know, the one who bought a yard of the most fabulous fabric ever about a year ago and has yet to make anything with it. I've thought of roughly 284 things I could do with it. Maybe next year I'll decide.

Jake, Lauren and I spent most of the day outside. (My feet still haven't thawed.) We moved horse panels around and cleaned stalls.

And then the sun started to set....

He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down....O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches. Psalm 104: 19 & 24

So, today I am thankful for creativity.....especially His.