when the saints

I can't get THIS SONG out of my head ...

When the Saints

Sara Groves

Lord I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
and I cannot let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind
it often overwhelms me
but when I think of all who've gone before and lived the faithful life
their courage compells me
And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
And when the Saints go marching in
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul

I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear

I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sister standing by the dying man's side

I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come and kicking down the door

I see the man of sorrows and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
and when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them

and the winner is...

Hello friends! Happy Friday!

I am here to announce this week's giveaway winner - Ms. CORY!

 

Cory is going to have her first little baby in March! She definitely deserves to win :)

I also want to share these pictures with you.

Stella and Addie are becoming best friends.

 

 

  

  

 

 

get creative: closet dividers

As I have confessed before, I am a thief. A blogger thief.

I steal most of my "creative" ideas from other people. 

I feel proud of myself about this project because I really did "tweak" it a little.

I stole the inspiration from Ashley Ann.

There are TONS of gems of inspiration that I will someday steal from Ashley. Her blog is amazing & if you do not already read it, then I would definitely suggest it. 

Her blog is always one of my first reads of the day. 

So anyways, I went to Micahel's to buy the supplies and I couldn't find the little O's that she used. This is where I had to improvise / be a little creative myself.

While at Michael's I picked up a couple pieces of scrapbook paper that I knew matched my friend Cory's nursery. 

I also picked up a pack of sticker letters, small wooden frames, and a pack of itty bitty clothespins.

Once you have all of your supplies, then you can ...

paint the back of the frames

Trace the shape of the frame onto the scrapbook paper. 

Cut and Glue

{I also used an exacto knife to trim the paper along the edges} 

Glue on the itty bitty clothespins. These pins "make" the dividers because of their irresistible cuteness.

Add the # stickers to represent the months that you want to divide the clothing into. You could also do this for yourself and divide things into categories.

Now you're all done. Enjoy!

a new love

white chenille

burp cloth tutorial

Along with the little owl, I made my friend Cory a couple sets of burp cloths. 

They were SO easy. Literally ANYONE over the age of maybe like five can do this!

So here is what I did {and I must be honest like most projects ...  I stole the inspiration from somewhere else ... someday I will be more original!}

First, you start with one yard of flannel. I chose to do a 1/2 yard of two different fabrics so that the front and back of the burp cloth would be different.

Next, I took this pattern and traced out the front and the back pieces.

 

  

Next, I used the pattern to cut out the same shape in batting. You will need about a 1/2 yard of batting. 

 

Now, you should have three layers to assemble.

Layer the three pieces, with the batting in the middle.

Next, pin away. 

 

  

Sew all along the edges. Leave 1-2 inches on the ends to cut slits that will create a cute fraying effect.

Cut out the batting that is on the outside of the seam and between the two flannels. 

Does anyone spy something? MY DOTS ... aka my winter at-home uniform. 

When in the world did I become such an old lady?? It's like it snuck up on me or something. 

Next, you cut slits in the side and wash the burp clothes 1-2 times. Washing them creates the fraying effect. The best thing about fraying the edges is that it makes any stitching mistakes virtually disappear! 

I used the ABC fabric as my trial run, and I used this retro owl fabric for Ms. Cory's burp cloths. I thought that they would go nicely with her plush owl.

These burp clothes were so easy, that I have decided to make them a staple shower gift! 

Also, I'll be back soon to share a little tutorial on the closet dividers that you see above 

... until then ...

One last thing - a puppy update. The girl's are doing a lot better. We put away all of the toys and bones for the time being and they have been playing great! Addie is a real sweetie. I do have one concern though - my house smelling like a kennel. I have been compulsively lighting candles and spraying air freshener since we added Addie. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep our house smelling fresh and clean? 

Ok, I lied! 

Really now, this is the last thing. I started my half-marathon training on Sunday. I am really excited to get back on the wagon and take better care of myself. I can't wait until the weather warms up and I am able to run outside. 

Alright, I think that is really all. Not much else to say, except that it is rainy and nasty AGAIN. E and I are going to have our weekly Tuesday night date tonight. His suggestion for our date - Steak and Shake. The sad thing is that I feel really excited about it.I'm not sure which is more sad our Sunday after church White Castle dates or my best friend and I's Long John Silvers dates?? You choose. 

I am one classy lady.

addie's first night

It's official. We are now a two dog family. 

Really we are a four pet family - two cats and two dogs. 

Don't judge me.

Meet Addie...

She's a cutie -  isn't she?

This is one of my favorite parts about her. 

Her tail is permanetly curled up like this.

I think that she likes her new home :)

Honestly though, I think that she is adjusting really really well. 

We are so happy to have her.

Overall, the girls are doing really well adjusting to each other. Notice though I did say - overall. We have hit a couple bumps in the road already. 

Turns out Ms. Addie is a little possessive over toys and bones. This scares Stella a whole bunch.

I know that they are only dogs, but I can already sense the mom in me wanting to be protective over Stella. 

This morning, Addie bit Stella while they were playing with toys.

Does anyone have any advice for this situation?

They play beautifully when toys or bones are not involved. I'm sure that as time passes they will adjust to one another and things will work themselves out.

Bringing the two dogs together made me think about how crazy difficult it must be to blend a family. Good step moms and good step dads must truly be saints. 

E and I would really like to have children of our own someday, as well as adopt. I know that if ever happens, that it will be a challenging thing ... but also an AMAZING blessing.

Maybe bringing these girls together will help get us ready for something like that. Maybe - I know that the dogs can't back talk or throw temper tantrums, but it has to help in some way, right?

If I am like this with pets, who knows what I will be like with children. Will I also have a house full of kids one day?

Only time will tell.

stuffed owl

As one of my gifts for the baby shower, I made Cory this sweet little stuffed owl! 

I told you that I was trying to expand my sewing skills. 

 

It actually wasn't very difficult, except for the fact that I had to make two. I got a little overzealous and sewed the entire thing shut ... leaving no opening for stuffing. I used the seam ripper, but the fabric was too frayed and sewn too close, that it was just easier to start over. Live and learn right?

Start by creating your own little pattern. I had E do this part for me because my drawing skills are unbelievably terrible. I had him draw one side and them I traced it to ensure that it was symmetrical. 

Next, I traced out fabric for the front and back. I used a brown linen for the front and a fun polka dot pattern for the back.

I also used the same polka dot fabric for the wings.

Pin the wings in place.

Sew around all edges using a zig zag stitch. You can also use a fusible bonding material to keep the wings in place. I didn't have any in the house so I just didn't use it. Use the same zig zag stitch around the feet.

I use felt for the eyes, nose, and feet. You could also use whatever scraps of fabric you had around the house. Sew the front and back together. Then, turn it inside out as you would with a pillow. After you turn it inside out ... it should look like this. And ... don't forget to leave a place to stuff. How silly could I be? Who does that?

 

Stuff & sew an invisible stitch to close the opening. 

Here is a great tutorial if you are I was and not sure how to do an invisible stitch.

Adorable huh? I hope that baby Margrave enjoys "her" little owl!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Umm and totally not related - NEVER go into Sephora and ask for help picking out ANYTHING! You will totally get suck in. It happened to me tonight. I went in to buy eye cream and after talking to someone that works there, my hands were full of foundation, concealer, a concealer base, a brightening stick (didn't even know they made that before tonight), bronzer, and eye cream. The cosmetic industry is an unbelievably scary and amazingly fun thing all at the same time. 

One last thing ... we are officially becoming a two dog family TOMORROW. Yes, it is official ... Stella is getting a sister. I promise to post a picture of our newest addition real soon.

and the winner is...

Hello friends! Happy Friday. These pictures just makes me happy. 

I am here to announce this week's giveaway winner - Ms. Kayla :)

Congrats! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I know it's a lame excuse just the daily grind has been catching up with my lately. 

Hopefully sometime tonight I can get away with a warm cup of tea and tell you all about some of my recent projects. Until then ...

pins and needles