Counting 1000 gifts

#8 days off

#9  cheesin' babies

 #10 running

#11 Friends

#12 morning sunshine

#13 Charlie's imagination 

#14 Picnik, where little girls can edit photos however they want.

#15the photo editor.

#16 Freedom
#17 America
#18 our Military

Counting 1000 gifts

I have seen others counting their blessings, the little gifts in life that often go unseen, now it is my turn.

Clara after her baptism

#1 Faith of a Child

#2 family

Clara being baptized 5-15-11

#3 dying to the old

#4 church family

#5 silliness 

#6 laughter

#7 Cameras that can capture life's greatest moments.

 

Rag dolls

Clara is always wanting to take out her sewing machine and sew. I have a hard time wanting to take it out. She imagines the projects that will come out of it, I know the arguments that will come out of it.  She sees the quality time, I see the frustration.  I am trying to let go of my need to control her every move, let her lead in a project.  We had time during her spring break to take out the machines and sew.  She wanted to make a doll, so I found one that she would be able to make.  We cut out 2 dolls the first evening, one for her and one for Lindy.  The next morning we stitched them together and followed the directions.  I will admit, it went a lot smoother than I had anticipated, we only had one argument (I had to rewind her bobbin and let her use my machine, she jammed it good while she was on it).  We spent most of the morning working together on it and we had fun.

 Of course, I couldn't just make 2 dolls, I have 4 kids and they all needed one, right?  Well after I sent them to bed after we cut out the dolls on the first night, I cut one for Elise and made it, I had to test the pattern to see if it was really 7 year old doable.

    So I had Elise's made, and Clara and Lindy made theirs (with a little help), what about Charlie? Could I get away with making him a doll?  I was gonna just let it go, and not make him one, do something different for him later, paint rocks or something until he came to me with his oh so sweet dimple and said, "you make a boy doll for me mommy?"  I couldn't resist so I worked a pattern in my head and came up with a super cool Super Charlie doll for him (he later named him Zach).

The only thing I had to purchase to make these was the paint pens for the faces and the stuffing to stuff them. All the rest of the stuff was stuff we had around the house.  The hardest part was the hair, I had to do all of it, but other than that it was a pretty doable project for the kids. Here is a link for some other patterns we looked at.

Hopefully this is a video of a song I think of every time I say the words "rag doll"

What is it?

Do you know what this is?  

I will give you one clue as to what this is.  My kids love to drive me crazy making messes and this "mess" reminded me that they love me.

 

 

 

Here is another clue.

Lilac

I have always loved lilacs.  I think they bring back memories of childhood.  We always had a very big purple lilac in our yard when I was a child. The fragrance of the blossoms filled the air in the spring. The very first plant I planted when we purchased this house almost 9 years ago, a lilac.  I could not find one with purple flowers, so I got the white.  They are in full bloom now, the spring breeze is full of their scent. I am brought back to my childhood, and I am happy.

This is my lilac bush outside my kitchen window (you can't really see the window anymore).  When I planted it, it was only one branch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the flowers close up.