Hi Ho...Hi Ho...I Sew, I Sew, I Sew

I love to sew.  There is something about fabric and machine that just makes me happy.  This year Sophie decided she wanted to be Snow White (I kind of encouraged it because I thought she would be so beautiful with her black hair) and that meant either purchasing or sewing her costume.  I don't have a lot of extra time for sewing these days since I work now but I really wanted to make the dress.  Sewing costumes is such a great way to learn new techniques because they usually have a lot of detail and if you mess up no one really cares because it's a costume.  With this years costume I learned to do darts in the bodice and put a zipper in.  I also learned how to fix a hem that you really screw up because you did something really dumb that you thought was really smart but wasn't!  Here is the final product and I can't wait to see my little Princess all dressed up in her new dress for Halloween.

Found the perfect shoes at Old Navy

I also learned how to make piping and set in sleeves.

One of the details is a cape.  Sophie was thrilled to have one!

Halloween, here we come!

Fall Festival & Pumpkin Carving

Tonight was the Fall Festival at Sophie's school.  We had so much fun eating Chili, playing games and being with friends.  

 Sophie and her best friend Lydia.

 They were so excited to get their nails done.

 There were lots of fun games to play and Sophie loved getting prizes at each station.

 Got to love a good  "Cake Walk."

 Mammoo and Pappy enjoyed coming and sharing the evening with their sweet girl.

 Sophie and I came home and decided it was time to carve our pumpkins!

 Not a fan of the goopy stuff inside!

 But so worth it when you are finished and can see your pumpkins all lit up and glowing.

 It was a fun night and I'm so glad I got to share it with my sweet girl.

One Of Those Rare Nights

This was one of those rare evenings where we were all together.  Between jobs, school, girlfriends and everything else life throws at us it is rare that the four of us are alone together.  We headed out for some food, fun and family time.

Babies, Babies Everywhere

I was really beginning to wonder if Sophie was going to play babies like other little girls.  She played occassionally but not like some of her friends.  Sophie seemed to be more interested in writing and doing her art work.  In the last few weeks she has really gotten into dolls.  She sets up her little "baby" area by the front window and just plays and plays....burping, feeding, changing and rocking. 

 This is pretty typical.  If Madison is home and not on the phone with Kaitlin, he is near his baby sister.

 As soon as I get home from work I am usually right down there with her....burping, feeding, changing, rocking and loving every minute of it!  It makes my heart happy to hear her talk to her babies and love on them using the same words that I use when I'm loving on her. 

 These sweet little Disney toys were Madison's when he was a baby.  Now they are Sophie's and she uses them with her dolls.  There is a Donald Duck somewhere but she informed me her dolls don't like him so he is never included in playtime.

Frankenstien, Toddlers & Teenagers

Madison had Kaitlin in this weekend for a visit.  The teenagers and toddler sat around dipping apples into yummy caramel while helping Sophie decorate the outside of her pumpkin. 

Sophie was loving all the "teenager attention" until they decided to go out for awhile and left her home.  It broke her heart and the tears were flowing.


Look at that pitiful face.  If big brother had seen it I don't think he would have been able to leave.  He hates it when she cries.

When he got home she ran right up to him,  grabbed a hold of his neck making sure everyone knew that he belongs to her!   Sophie informed me the other day that when she gets big she's going to marry "Baste." (her name for him).  I hope Kaitlin isn't the jealous type.

Getting "Radical" On My Birthday

I had a wonderful birthday today.  Got some nice gifts, thoughtful cards, text messages, phone calls and many well wishes from my Facebook buddies.  I feel very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life and am truly grateful.  As I sat down to write this I was drawn to the usual birthday post; picture of the cake, blowing out candles, opening presents etc....but my heart needed to speak, and it needed to speak of different things.

  One of the reasons I always scrapbooked and now blog is so that I can keep a record of our life.  I am the curator of my families museum if you will?  In the past these memories have pretty much been about the fun events we have shared or trips we have taken but as I am getting older I realize that I also want my children to have some of the "other" stories as well.   I want to go back 20 years from now and be reminded of what was going on in my life at 44 years of age and not just where I went for dinner on my birthday.   I don't want to forget what God was doing in my life at that time.

Last September I picked up our church newspaper.  As I was flipping through the articles one stood out to me.  It was a review of a book entitled  Radical:Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream by David Platt.  I felt a nudging in my Spirit to buy this book.  The message was something God wanted me to hear.  I purchased the book a few days later and began reading it.  It's a small book.  Only 219 pages.  But the message was powerful.  The message was difficult to hear.  The message was impossible for me to ignore.  I started crying about Chapter 2 and finished the book in tears on my knees before God.  When I was finished with the book I had a choice to make, go on with life as usual or change.  I chose change.  Change is never easy.

One of the things the author encouraged was to read through the entire Bible.  I did so this year.

I could never tell all of what the book says but basically what I took from it was this, there are more than 1 billion people in the world who live and die in desperate poverty.  There are more than twenty six thousand children today who will breathe their last breath due to starvation or a preventable disease.  The latest statistics show that there are 147 million orphans in the world at this moment.   If I am a follower of Christ and Christ said "radical" things like, "sell everything you have and give to the poor."  Then I cannot go on with life as usual.  I began praying for God to show me what he wanted from me.  For every person the answer to this question is different.  I have spent the last year, I started on my 43rd birthday, doing what the author calls the "Radical Experiment" trying to figure out what this means for me and my family.  Trying to figure out what God's desire in this area is. 

This message could not have come at a worse time.  It has been a difficult year for our family financially and it is so easy to say we don't have any extra right now, but that isn't true.  We never go to bed hungry, we have iphones with internet and cable TV.  We eat out several times a week.   We are rich compared to most of the rest of the world.   So I guess the change in me since my last birthday and reading this book has been an awareness of what I do with my money and how I view it.  It isn't my money.  It's God's.  I only manage it and I will be held accountable for how I do so.  The change that has been so hard is a mindset change.  In America we think  "more is better."   My new Radical mindset is, "giving more is better."   

I don't know if I should be ashamed to say this or proud to say this but my son has been so far ahead of me in this area.  At the beginning of his Junior year Madison got several kids from school to go in with him to sponsor a child through Compassion International.  They chose a teenage boy the same age as them, 16.   He is from Uganda and his name is Kibwika.   I found out half way through the year that most of the kids never have their sponsorship money and that Madison pays the entire amount each month from his lifeguard check which isn't that much.   This is in addition to the money I see my son tithe each week to church from his paycheck.  Kibwika has a birthday coming up.  Madison has taken up $100 in donations for him.  It's the maximum amount you are allowed to donate through Compassion for a birthday gift.  He was determined Kibwika would get all they were allowed to give for a birthday.  But it isn't just the money that makes me so proud of him.   Madison truly loves this boy he has never met.  He keeps Kibwika's picture next to his bed and prays for him every night.  He writes him letters and is thrilled when he receives one in return.

Kibwika - A Fellow Chirstian Brother Living In Uganda

I began my Radical Experiment on my 43rd birthday.  I finished on my 44th.  This morning I gave myself a gift.  I signed up to sponsor Annie. 

Annie- Her Name Means "Grace or Favour"

 She is a precious little baby girl living in a Special Needs orphanage in China.  Look at those sweet cheeks!!!  I am sponsoring her through An Orphan's Wish.  A wonderful organization that does so much to help children.  I cannot wait to receive updates and pictures on her.  She is less than a year old and her special need at this time is unknown.  

I am not sure where else God will lead me in this area but I do know that he isn't finished.   Even more will be expected and I am okay with that.