Sew Much Fun - Chapter 2

Here are some new projects I've done in the last week. I'm getting my money's worth on my super awesome Project Runway Brother sewing machine.

As opposed to cleaning my house or other mundane things, I made:

Napkins for my co-worker who has decided the time of talking about love, sex and relationships is over. She is a big Elvis fan so I made her eight Christmas Elvis napkins and four of reversible, fringe-edged dinner napkins. 

Pillow cases - these are not difficult but NOTHING is as easy as it seems. I made Isaac this digital ACU pillow case in honor of his big brother going to USMA. It doesn't look especially fancy but I had to think of my "audience" and my OS don't really want a tricked out pillow case, thank you very much. I'm going to make several of these including one for me so I can feel closer to my son who leaves very soon. It will be a tear-soaked pillow case, btw. I might make that one a little more fun since I will be using it. 

And since I had an abundance of holiday material sitting in my drawer and really like making things, I made this Christmas pillow case and trimmed it with a red and white gross grain ribbon. It is so cheerful and I'm donating it to the family reunion as a prize for an activity planned.  

Words Aptly Spoken

Most people look down on communications majors. They say it's an easy major and not really that big of a deal. Some even chuckle and minimize the accomplishment amongst their Bachelor of Science kin but I think there's real merit in a communications major, because, well, I am one. Ok, I know pre-med and accounting majors are crazy tough but I think there's a lot to be said about well, saying things correctly. I feel so strongly about it that I have devoted a large portion of my life to that cause. And I have instilled this in my three OS, the value in being able to articulate their thoughts in a cogent and engaging manner. It has been a joy in my 18 years of motherhood to see my children flourish in this area of life. To think that I could have passed on a skill to my sons is incredibly humbling and rewarding. I have little to offer them athletically or intellectually. In fact, sometimes I think I don't have much to give or offer, that the only things they could ever get from me are less than admirable qualities. (just being real here) Maybe that's why this means so much. 

However, last week I saw the Lord bestow a gift upon me. I saw my oldest OS  address his high school class for one last time. Nathan was selected by his classmates to be one of a few chosen students asked to impart some final thoughts to his fellow seniors, underclassmen and their families. At the senior assembly, Nathan sent a charge to those left behind. He deftly handled the microphone and boldly proclaimed a powerful message. I have included a YouTube link if you want to see it. It's a little hard to hear but so sweet. Worth 3:47 minutes of your life. 

This week, my middle OS will also speak. He will address his middle school classmates. As the student body president for middle school, Aaron will offer his reflections upon his time in middle school. I have heard snippets of this presentation and I think it is quintessentially Spurny (my nickname for my boy which only his family is allowed to call him so don't even try).

In a few weeks, I will be speaking at a high school baccalaureate to about 500 people and I pray my words will be as wise and clever as my children's. This will be a daunting task so please pray that I will only share the words the Lord desires in a cogent and engaging manner. (sound familiar?)

I beamed with pride as I watched my beautiful child wax so eloquently. Here are a few of my favorite quotes,

"Don't think that you have to be a straight A student to do well because life isn't about grades and you are much more than your report card. You are the son or the daughter of the King of the Universe and He deserves nothing less than your best."

"My parting message to you is to always do your best no matter what happens and no matter what life throws at you. In the end, you must do your best because you know that you are working for someone for greater than yourself. You're not working for your parents or your teachers, you're working for Jesus."

If we are able to tape Aaron's message, I will also post a link. Today I simply pause and puff with pride (in a motherly and most appropriate way, not cocky or boastful, but rather in a humbling and deeply thankful way) and consider this...

Proverbs 25:11

"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."

Trying not to cry, I simply say...

Amen

Awkward carrot

My DH and I do not have a green thumb. We are not great landscapers and do not have an eye for flora and fauna. A while back, we decided we would try a garden. I love fresh veggies and would take a fresh, warm tomato over a piece of chocolate any day. My dad was an avid gardener and I guess I thought it might be in the "genes" as they say.

Well over the weekend, Mark was weeding the "garden" when he traipsed on into the house with this...probably the funniest looking vegetable I've ever seen!

There is a spiritual connection to all this. The Bible speaks about bearing fruit, fruit that will last (John 15:16). So let me ask you a personal question, what kind of fruit are you growing? According to the seed packet, we should have enjoyed this carrot and all its orange friends a LONG time ago. Our carrot has taken a major time to grow, to say the least. How are you maturing in the Lord? Can you see growth or development or are you in a weird kind of place, stuck in a rut for years, much like our carrot? 

Do you know how long it took for this beauty to grow? Three years. That's right, for three years we have been waiting for something to sprout from our pitiful little garden. Take a look at the picture, I think it must be a boy carrot. How perfect that a mom of three SONS would receive such bounty! We have had a lot of laughs with its most awkward shape and at the risk of impropriety, I had to share it. But I pray you find yourself bearing fruit of a most abundant variety from your verdant figurative garden of faith and if you're so inclined, from the literal garden the one you might be growing this season. 

A Surprise in the Bathroom

Since Nathan's appointment to West Point, life has been moving at a very fast pace. Nathan's last dance at his school, Nathan's first prom at a public school, the list of significant beginnings and endings is growing with each passing day. We are preparing for those milestone events which leave this mama near tears almost constantly. Today I cried at least on four different occasions but I'm not going to blog about that (this time).  

We did have a funny moment this afternoon. Mark came home from playing Frisbee golf and he said he had to go potty. He walked into the bathroom and this is what he found...

Talk about AWKWARD! 

Apparently Nathan forgot he had left this crazy thing in the bathroom. A half-torso is not a normal restroom decoration in our house but Nathan was preparing a few pranks for Senior Skip Day and he left it on the toilet! 

Tomorrow our ingenious son plans to place this half-man stuffed with newspapers in one of the boy's stalls. Yes, we are so proud. The gag is that all the guys who use the restroom at school on Monday will think there is a student stuck on the toilet with a REALLY big digestive issue. I'm not sure how it's going to work since the stall will be closed but whatev. At the very least, we know the prank worked at our house, Mark wasn't sure what in the world was going on but we had a few giggles.

All I know is that I'm glad my mom or my 87 year old grandma were not visiting. I wonder what they would have done or thought. 

There are a lot of silly things the seniors have got planned but it was fun to have a little, accidental practical joke played on Mark. We might have to do this on April Fool's Day. Feel free to borrow this very mature idea at your next dinner party or church potluck!