SEW cute (and what a cause!)

So, I have every intention of putting together my own little blog-worthy tutorial complete with pictures...but that's about me and this is time sensitive...What's more important is that people join in and help Haitian orphans so here's the deal...

If you have even the tiniest most meek sewing skills (como yo) then you too can turn extra/mismatched/goodwill pillow cases into sweet (and practical!) little dresses for Haitian orphan girls!!! Take my word--this is super easy! In just a few hours (while Owen naps) + $15 for bias tape, elastic and 10 (yes, ten!) pillow cases from goodwill (all in good shape) I will have made 10 dresses and you just can't beat that!

Like most good ideas, this one wasn't mine. I found it on Noel Piper's blog and she links to another blog as well. I'll put a few links below because you might find the pictures/tutorial wording more or less helpful on a given site.

Noel Piper's blog 
Her inspiration 
Another tutorial 

You can send the dresses to the following person/address which will ensure that they make it to the Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center. (Per Mrs. Piper's blog--I just can't call someone I respect that much and have never met by her first name!--there is a container being shipped to Haiti this week so the need is urgent, but if you can't get around to it until a little later, I'm sure the need will continue...but you might want to check their website for details.)

Debbie Woodward
1500 Jackson St. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Confession: I spent almost all of last Saturday making pillow covers for our couch. They turned out pretty cute...but this is a WAY more soul-satisfying way to use my meager sewing skills...


Questions: Will you join me? Will you teach someone how to sew using this project? Will you search out other organizations that support orphans that might benefit from this simple craft???


I'm excited, can you tell? :)

March catch-up

It's been a while since our last post. No real rhyme or reason to this one...just what I can remember since the last one.

Shall we begin with Owen playing with Rebecca's exersaucer? (FYI, that is not the world's largest booger, but the remnant of a little bloody nose.)

Here is a series we took outside yesterday...it's been so nice lately (dare I saw warm?). The kids and I have been enjoying lot of time in the backyard and lots of time at the lake. (Personal brag: I can now run the 3.2 mile loop at the lake while pushing their double stroller--this was a big goal of mine when I started running.) Owen really looks forward to it--he talks the entire time we run and points out every bridge, dog, person, other stroller, bike, boat and duck we see. He also sings his EIEIO anthem over and over and over again.

 

How precious is she?????

 Owen playing hide and go seek with Dadda. He's hiding behind the really skinny tree. If that wasn't funny enough I believe this particular game started by Owen telling Kyle to count so he could hide behind the tree. They also play "tag you're it" a lot. But Owen (even after being tagged) rarely chases Kyle, so it's really "tag, (Dadda is) always it".

The "Hill Country Camping Society" met again last weekend. Unfortunately,  Kyle had to stay here to study so the kids and I just went for the day. Owen had a great time running around with all the kids (seeing older kids lead make-believe games with younger kids is so great!) and spent a lot of time playing with his truck toy in the "sand". Here he is just taking in the view. 

 

 Rebecca

• Rebecca and I took a quick weekend trip to Nashville to see some friends. It was a great time (apart from me getting a nasty little stomach bug while there). We got to spend some time just hanging out with and praying for my dear friend Andrea who is moving to India with her husband this spring--it was Rebecca's first prayer meeting. :) We also got to spend some time with our dear friends the Ketch's (with their new baby Hannah) from Winston-Salem. One highlight was David (4 years old) asking me if next time for his birthday I could send him money. Too funny! Of note: everywhere we went people commented on what a good/sweet/content baby Rebecca is and it's so true. She's a great little travel buddy. 
• She is getting hair!!! It's just like I remember Owen's--this long fuzzy stuff in sort of a mohawk patturn (with a few really long, like 4-inch long hairs around her crown).  The best part is she likes to play with it, especially when she's nursing and/or falling asleep. She keeps her hand up on her head and just sort of tugs at it and rubs it. It's perhaps one of the most adorable things I've ever seen. 
• She LOVES bathtime, and now that she's eating the (messy!) baby food, I'm proud to say she's getting one much more regularly. We're even able to do both of them at the same time (now that she's sitting up) which is fun for both of them (and much more efficient)!

Owen

• The weekend RSM and I were away Owen went to a birthday party where he got to pet bunnies and ride a pony named Mustang. And of course there was cake. Oh, to be a kid!
• The other day I found Owen laying/lying (?) on top of Rebecca. Luckily, she was giggling. When I asked him what he was doing he said he made a "Betta sandwhich".
• Owen is into dipping pretty much everything in ranch dressing (which he got from Kyle). But he is still experimenting with what tastes good w/ ranch (and isn't satisfied to take our word for it) so he's tried banana, vanilla waifers, blueberries, etc.
• Someone taught Owen how to stick his thumb up (tricky) and say "Giggem' Aggies". Awesome.
• Lots of pretend games...driving his ambulance to church and then the grocery store, being chased by a bear (with Bailey), making up nonsense words and then telling me its a kind of bird...
• One night last week we were hanging out with the Foshea Family and we decided to try putting Emmy and Owen to sleep in his room so we could hang out longer. They did great for a while, Owen in his crib and Emmy on the floor on her "nap mat". They talked and sang for a long time, but didn't get up so we thought it was a success...then I walked by the room and peaked in the cracked door to find them greasing their faces and the crib posts down with lotion. After I yelled for backup and flicked the lights on (causing a frozen deer-in-headlights look on their faces) Owen calmly told me they were "playing lotion". I'm supposed to be glad Owen is taking ownership of his eczema, right? 
• When your kids start talking, and I don't mean saying words, but really talking, it's undoubtedly funny what they come up with. But it's also humbling because you often hear yourself/your words come out of their little mouths. I've learned (by reflection in Owen) that I say "I'm about to...(or) we're about to..." preceding almost every verb. Owen has started repeating this, but he also just says "I'm about" and that's it. I'll say, "Owen, we need to get in the car to go to school now," to which he replies "I'm about". I'm just gonna let this ride...I figure it'll self-correct. :) 
• Owen is trying to understand kindness/niceness...and right now he just associates it with saying no (i.e. when he tells me no after I tell him to do something I tell him it's not nice, among other things). So, he's in the habit of telling me "Do not say no to Owen, it's not nice. You need to be nicer to Owen." This is a tricky one...

FYI: The Blogger set-up has changed and I can't find the spell-check link so my spelling is sure to be worse than even normal...Sorry!