The girls and I had an adventure a few weeks ago and went to Legoland to check out the unveiling of the Death Star in their Star Wars Miniland. It was a busy week, so I didn’t decide until last minute to go, so I made it a surprise for the girls. They had no clue where we were trekking off to! It was such a lovely day too! There was pretty much no one at the amusement park, we didn’t have to wait in any lines, and it was great to just be out of the house. Our days are full of to-do lists and making sure all their lessons get done, that it was nice to just chill out and have fun.
Up to this point, the girls were only fans of Clone Wars the cartoon, but have never watched Star Wars. Ben and I have tried to coax them to watching it with us, but they said it looks scary, so they always said no. Well, after this little visit, it excited them about Star Wars, and they told us they were ready to finally watch the movies. We started with Episode I last weekend, and finished up Episode II: Attack of the Clones this past weekend. They are so anxious about how it all plays out because they are so baffled at how Anikin becomes Darth Vader. We tell them “Just wait, you’ll see.” The movie also brings about good conversations about what can happen when you just follow your own desires, without disregard to others; it really can lead down a dark path in real life too.
The girls had so much fun at the event. They were excited to make their own starships and see R2-D2 roaming around. Brave was the only one Brave enough to go up to him. Of course, they got a little nervous when Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers came out, but they forgot about them once the Death Star was unveiled. It is an impressive work of Lego art. It spans 8 ft. wide, 13 ft. hight and weighs more than 1900 pounds! We also learned that there are Master Builders that have the job of putting these Lego works of art together. It sounded like a fun job to all of us!
I have a feeling you will start seeing more Star Wars inspired projects in this space. Glow is already requesting to be Yoda for Halloween. She is always giggling anytime we watch his scenes in the movie. It’s so freakin’ cute! Are you or your kids Star Wars geeks? I have fond memories of watching it with my parents when I was little, so it’s special to be able to do that now with my own girls.
Easy Pozole. I used the recipe in Gwyneth Paltrow’s book (I shared about it here) and it is really delicious. Best of all, it’s so simple to make (and healthy!). It had been over a year since I made it last, but it was just as yummy as I remembered it. I made two batches, one for the spice lovers in the family (Ben, Brave, and me), and another much more milder batch too for the rest of them.
Woot woot! It’s my 100th official week of meal planning. When I look back in my archives, I made so many different dishes. I started this not really into cooking, not knowing much, and now I love it! Putting it out here has been great for accountability and challenging myself. I started back in March 2012 (see the first post here) and it has helped us be more intentional with our family dinners. I love serving my family in this way, but I do appreciate a break from time to time too. If you feel like cooking or meal planning is daunting, I’m living proof that it can be done. I’m not a natural chef, but I definitely think I have gotten much better with time and practice.
Thankful that our garden is blooming and growing! We ordered more custom corten steel beds and can’t wait to get that in. We have lots more garden plans going on this spring and summer.
As someone who loves to make things (and share these things publicly here), this article “Work with Your Hands, Not with Your Worship” was really good in getting me to examine my heart and think through why I do what I do. I definitely do find that I idolize things I shouldn’t, and I need to constantly fight to anchor my worship and happiness in God alone, not in anything I create, be it a craft project, my book, or even in my family.
This is another great article in learning how to be okay with not having the answers, not knowing why (or when), but just trusting God.
I read The Nightingale and loved it. We went to the library, and I’m totally a pick-a-book-out-by-it’s-cover person, and it worked out nicely in this case. Suspicion is next on my reading for fun list.
I thought it was interesting what Russell Brand had to say about pornography (see here). It’s something that isn’t really talked about in marriages, or among people, but it’s something that is everywhere, especially in our digital age, and can be so detrimental to our hearts and minds. It can really hurt relationships too. Ben and I were thankful to be part of a church where that issue was addressed among men and women. Men were reaching out to other men confessing their struggles and asking for help (and even women too!), and husbands and wives were talking about it in their own marriages and how to protect it from that. We were far from perfect, but it was a community of grace and not performance. It was a place where we could be the messy, but help each other confess that and love God more deeply. I know it’s something we also have to prepare our kids for, and we’ve already started some dialogue with our girls about it. My friend, Frances, wrote about what they do to protect their home and children from pornography (read here, she links to many good articles in her post), and we do much of the same things in our home and have similar conversations with our girls. Anyway, sorry this was probably an awkward thing to share here, but it’s something we likely will all have to deal with in some form. It’s not something my parents really had to worry about as I grew up since the internet didn’t exist, and it was unlikely I would run into it. It’s a different time now, so it’s something we want to make sure we are prepared for. I’ve always loved this space for being able to share the pretty, crafty, and even messy things like this.
Back to lighter subjects, I’ve been craving onions rings and want to try and make this.
I wish this dress was smaller because it seems like it would be perfect for summer.
Okay, that’s all for now. I guess that’s what happens when I don’t do a “Huzzah” for awhile, I come back with a really loaded one. We are finally on spring break! I have some outings planned, and I plan to have at least one day when we all do nothing except read books and watch movies in bed.
Head over to The Honest Home and I get all chit chatty about blogging, my book, and even my girls. Tammy was such a gracious host and made me feel so comfortable. Doing things like these are always so nerve wracking, but I’m always up for the challenge. I’m so grateful for all the different opportunities that have come through the years, and I so appreciate all of you who continue to spend time checking in here. I love being able to share projects, stories, and even my struggles with all of you. So if you care to listen, you can get the podcast here.
I’m so excited that it’s spring break is finally upon us! Happy Friday! *doing happy dance*
There are crumbs on my floor. Almost always. We do try to sweep up under the breakfast table daily (it’s on their chore chart), but it doesn’t always happen. If I cropped out the floor, you wouldn’t see the crumbs. The verse Proverbs 31:30 comes to mind, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Which led me to think of it like this, “Instagram is deceptive, and blogs are fleeting…” I enjoy capturing and sharing a pretty picture, but don’t forget there’s always real life behind the lens, lots of things you don’t see.
For me, behind my lens this week has been a lot of crazy. There’s not a particular project or anything going on, but I think it’s a combination of me PMS-ing and Ben working three late nights in a row (kudos to you who have to do some sort of single parenting gig). Basically, I’m the crazy one. I feel like the Israelites in the book of Judges, continually messing up, asking forgiveness, things are going well, and then bam, I’m deep into loving myself a whole lot (which isn’t a good thing). Lots of sinning on my part, and having to ask the girls and God for forgiveness. Thankfully, no f-bombs have been dropped (at least not that I remember) when recounting my day back to Ben, but I sure was barking out orders like a military sergeant to the girls all day long. Then, when I’m thinking clearly, I’m like, “Ruby! Come on, a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Duh! You know that!” Oh, it’s such a vicious cycle within my heart. I’m totally not a Christian because I’m naturally good, I’m a Christian because I just plain suck and I know I need Jesus. I’m so thankful that it’s about grace, and not what I’ve done because if that were the case, like I said here, I’d totally be doomed.
There was a sweet moment that came from this #momlife I’m living. It was after dinner Tuesday night, the girls were still working on math, and I was just exhausted. I was sitting on the sofa, singing along with some worship music, and the girls came down to ask me a math question. I said, “Come on, let’s sing together.” This doesn’t happen often (more like never), but there we were, my girls and I were singing to Jesus together. I had my eyes closed, but I could hear Brave clearly (she sings loud like me), and it was just such a special moment. I need to make sure moments like that happen more often, so I guess if it takes us having to go through chaotic days to get there, so be it. I will gladly take the chaos and the sweet, it’s only by God’s grace and for his glory.
Here’s another recent handmade dress. I pinned this dress, and well, why buy when you can sew?! That’s totally my motto. Initially, I put bust darts, but didn’t like how they looked, so I took them out. It’s a simple style and if I weren’t wearing a necklace, I probably would look like I came from the hospital. HA! Maybe I still do. We rented Mockingjay Part 1 this particular day, and noticed Katniss is wearing a similar style, but in white, when she was released from the medical center. I told Ben, “Look, my dress!” Hospital chic maybe?! Whatever, I still like it.
I have horrible vision and wear contacts all the time. I have a pair of prescription glasses I bought a year ago, and while I love the frame, it hurts my ears after an hour or so, so I rarely wear them (I didn’t discover this until after way past the return/exchange period). Thus, when Firmoo asked if I wanted to try out a pair, I said why not. I thought it would be great to find something that didn’t hurt. I chose these, and when my glasses came in, Brave was so excited because they matched her glasses (they’re non-prescription, but she wears them because Peter Parker, Spider-Man, wears some). I’m happy to report my Firmoo glasses are fine and I have no issues. They make a great pair of prescription glasses and their prices are quite reasonable. The only thing I don’t like is the little lens cloth that comes with it doesn’t wipe the lenses very well, but that’s a minor thing.
what i’m wearing: dress, made by me. shoes, piperlime (had a 40% coupon code and a gift card… boom!). necklace, thrifted. glasses, c/o firmoo.
I have a large growing pile of fabric scraps. I refuse to throw them away because I am sure they can be used for something. I have been seeing different types of interesting necklaces made of buttons, beads, and fabric. Then, I figured why not make one out of my scraps...
I think it made my white shirt a little less boring. This was so quick and easy to make.
How to make a recycled scraps necklace (which is very similar to the straps on my braided tablecloth bag):
1. Take your scrap fabric, I cut a .5''-1'' snip and tear the rest of the fabric down for a nice frayed edge. Used 3 different fabrics for each strand.
2. Take 3 of the torn pieces and tie the ends together with a rubber band.
3. Braid the 3 pieces together and tie ends together with rubber band when done.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 for more strands. Remember you can make the strands any length you want, if run out of fabric, just weave more into the braid.
5. Once all the strands you want are braided, gather one end of each strand together and straight stitch together with sewing machine. Repeat for the other ends of the strands. Snip off any excess.
6. Gather ends of the necklace and sew together (snip excess) or a ribbon can be sewn at the ends to be able to tie the necklace closed, but I just sewed both ends together.
7. Voila! A nice way to make use of all your lovely scraps.
Sorry if the directions get you a little lost, but it really is easy. I promise. Maybe I should put some in the shop. Please share any other good ideas you may have of things that can be made with scraps. I would love to hear (read) them!
The girls and I had an adventure a few weeks ago and went to Legoland to check out the unveiling of the Death Star in their Star Wars Miniland. It was a busy week, so I didn’t decide until last minute to go, so I made it a surprise for the girls. They had no clue where we were trekking off to! It was such a lovely day too! There was pretty much no one at the amusement park, we didn’t have to wait in any lines, and it was great to just be out of the house. Our days are full of to-do lists and making sure all their lessons get done, that it was nice to just chill out and have fun.
