Coffee Date Dress

yet another dress refashion from the goodwill...
I bought this a while back, loved the color, loved the fabric, and knew I'd find something just right to make with it.



yikes that picture is scary. if you'll notice the bottom...I threw it in the washer and dryer (apparently it was lay flat to dry) and the dress shrunk but the lining didn't. perfect though, cuz now I can just wash it normally :)

I followed this idea, but not the exact pattern. I'm pretty pleased with the results! A perfect summer dress!




a close up of the front.

skirt

a while back I bought this dress at the goodwill. My first refashion of it was quite unsuccessful, as it hung in my closet for about 4 months, not worn once.



then I saw Dana's tutorial for a summer skirt, and thought this would perfect.



I'm super excited about the outcome! It's fun, comfy, and cute! :)

tetris

after chris's t-shirt re-vamp, I started thinking of other ways I could add a little pizzaz to a plain shirt. this was the first idea that came to mind for my brother: tetris. we used to play this game on our individual game boys for hours on end. i wish i had a picture scanned in that my mom has of us huddled under a light while intensely playing this game (guess the screens weren't bright enough?) anyway, much to my pleasure, i found out that my brother still plays this game, nearly every day. *grin*





happy birthday brother. i love you.

Hosea

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I just got done listening to a podcast of a sermon on Hosea from my brother and sister’s church. If you are not familiar with the story of Hosea, please go here, and be prepared, because it is gut-wrenching. For now, I won’t go into depth about the story but to say it is speaking straight to my heart. I think if we’re all honest with ourselves we can find ourselves deep within the life of Gomer. Why she would seek satisfaction and fulfillness outside of her husband is almost silly when you read the story. You read it from the outside and think, ‘Come on, Gomer. Get with the program. You’ve got the best life with your husband, Hosea!’ But when I start to look at my own life and how I so casually let my heart wander to things of this world that will never fill me like my God does, it begins to resonate a little more clearly. Why would I let anything but my Husband (that being God, my friends) fulfill me and satisfy me? He is all I need in this life. He is my home, my stronghold, my everything.

I think of this beautiful image of Hosea buying his wife back: I picture him moving through the crowd, throwing up his auction paddle for the highest price. “She’s mine,” he says. And stepping up to the block, he scoops his wife into his arms and takes her back to where she belongs. She is home. The name Hosea means salvation. Folks, Jesus is our salvation. He begs to lead us off the auction block. My friends, He has bought us for a price, that is His life.

Pardon me if I am somewhat scattered in this. It’s just that today I have felt refreshed in the reality that Jesus gave His life for me. In this sermon, the speaker notes this verse: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Now I have always read this with the emphasis on Christ died for us, which is no doubt, awesome. But today, the word still jumps at me. It’s not just that Christ gave up his life after we came and repented. For it is easy to love when you are loved back. But no. Christ died for us while we were still sinning. What kind of love is that? I can hardly wrap my brain around it. But I believe with my whole heart that that is the love of the God that I serve.

Be blessed, my friends.

thankful

I’ve sort of let myself throw a pity party this last week because of coming back to work from vacation, having so much to do, being tired, blah blah blah…and it’s ridiculous. So what better solution than to make a list of things that make me happy and things I’m thankful for *grin*

The fact that I am healthy enough to accomplish the tasks on my to-do list (trying to be positive, see?!?)

The sun is shining today. After two days of dark skies, it is quite pleasant.

Miss Kensie Reese, Chris and I’s first neice! His sister gave birth to this beautiful babe out in California a few weeks ago.



Green smoothies! More on this to come.

New chapstick. I bought three kinds. Blistex, Burt’s Bees, and my favorite, Yes to Carrots. I think it’s a new line at Target. Crazy, huh?



Kylee has inspired me to eat healthier. I’ve been reading and researching up and down, and I feel quite inspired.

Get to spend time with a cousin tomorrow. I miss her lots.

My sweet little puppy. I taught her ‘lay’ and she caught on really quickly. Next up to teach her not to do every single trick in the book when she sees me with a treat.

Coffee with good friends.

My bff, best hubby ever, C-topher.

my dreadlock journey

that’s right, dreadlocks. and this is the start of my journey. I’m not really sure how long it will be, but for this time of my life, it is right. it is a journey because it is a process. they don’t just happen in the few hours it took to backcomb, or even over a few days. I’m not really sure how long it will take my hair to ‘lock up’, but i’m assuming it will take a good bit of patience. and i could definitely use that, don’t cha think? *grin*




So why did I get dreads?
Easy answer: I like the way they look.
Slightly more complicated, but perhaps more noteworthy answer: I’ve felt a driving force in my life recently to simplify. We as a nation, a people, even right down to me and Chris are so incredibly blessed beyond imagination. And I am so grateful, but I’ve just felt the need to simplify. To get rid of the extra things that could sometimes be called clutter. Quite honestly,this should be a whole nother blog post, which maybe I’ll get around to sometime. But for now, my dreads and why they are simple...Well, the maintenance at the beginning might be a bit more than I’m used to, but this is an in-for-the-long-haul type of deal. Eventually, I’ll be able to get to the point where my hair maintenance is virtually nothing. It will be a glorious day. And it will be simple.

I’ll be keeping track of my journey here, so feel free to check back to see the progress.

If you have any questions at all, please just ask. I’m happy to answer any questions brewing in your mind :) :)