Our recent trip to the beach offered me more free time than I usually have at home, so I packed my sewing machine. I made Emma this pillowcase romper, with the length shortened from this pattern.
I started making it in the morning, and by the afternoon it was ready for a walk on the beach.
"Her laugh is fresh as foam that springs through tumbling shells and shiny things." -- Dowell O'Reilly
"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few." -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Eager to leave for a week's vacation, the children buckled themselves into our van, ready to go to church before heading to Florida. But as Joe loaded our luggage, he realized that our cats Sonny and Sarah had slipped out of the house at some point during our hectic morning. Although we were pressed to make it to Bible class on time, at their father's prompting, the older three children tumbled back out of the van to locate the cats.
"Sarah," 5-year-old Mary Ashley drawled. "Come here, sweet Sarah." Seven-year-old Christian headed back into the house to check some of the cats' favorite hiding spots, and 10-year-old Carson scanned the front yard for any trace of Sonny. While the rest of the family searched for the cats, 3-year-old Emma sat quietly in her car seat.
Our long-haired cat, Sarah, quickly returned, scampering up the driveway and back into the house. But short-haired Sonny was nowhere to be found. We all went separate directions trying to locate him, but within a few minutes gathered on the driveway, not sure where to look next.
At this point, little Emma had climbed out of the van to announce excitedly, "I saw Sonny! I saw Sonny!" Emma's concept of time is still a bit fuzzy at her age, so I wasn't sure she was a credible witness. But she was so enthusiastic, I thought it was worth a shot to listen to her. "I saw him! He went dat way," she said, pointing toward a neighbor's driveway.
So Carson, Christian and Mary Ashley headed down the street looking for any sign of our missing cat. "I don't see anything!" Carson finally called from the neighbor's driveway, throwing his hands up.
Knowing this delay had made us late for Bible class, we summoned the children back to the van so we could head on to church. As we backed out of the driveway, Joe and I were already making arrangements to get Sonny back into the house before our trip.
From the backseat, the older children questioned Emma about spotting Sonny. In a hushed front-seat exchange, Joe and I speculated whether Emma's account could be trusted. But we all turned our attention to Emma, seated in the middle of the van, when she let us in on the full story.
"I saw Sonny. He was over dere," she began, pointing again toward the neighbor's driveway. Then pointing the opposite direction, she continued, "He was on the stweet, going dat way. ..."
And then, clearly enjoying being in the center of the family spotlight, she let us in on one final detail: "And then he dwove down the stweet on his bicycle ... ."
"Ever drifting, drifting, drifting
On the shifting
Currents of the restless main;
Till in sheltered coves, and reaches
Of sandy beaches,
All have found repose again."
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Seaweed
My grandmother has been making these precious little drawstring purses to match the pillowcase dresses she has been making for the girls this summer.
She says these pouches are a snap to put together. My grandmother suggests making a pattern out of newspaper by folding it in half, then in half again. Then cut an arc in the paper and unfold it to reveal a circle. She likes using an 18-inch circle, but you could adjust this measurement to suit your needs.
The next step is to trace and cut two circles of fabric, keeping in mind that the lining will show at the top of the purse. Using a narrow seam allowance, sew the two circles of fabric with right sides together. Then cut an opening in the center of the lining fabric and turn the fabric right side out through this opening. Place a plastic disc over this opening, and sew a circle of fabric over it.
To make a casing for the cord, sew a circle about 1 1/2 inches down from the edge of the fabric, then again 1/2-inch to 1-inch down from the last circle. Cut a small opening in the lining on each side of the purse, and thread ribbon or cord through each channel with a safety pin. Knot the ends of the cord, and draw up the fabric to reveal a sweet little purse. All that is left now is to let your little girl fill it with childhood treasures!
and the Annie's People series here
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"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart." -- Phyllis Theroux
My grandmother recently surprised the family by returning all the letters we have written to her over the years. I was astonished to learn that for more than 40 years, Grandma saved every piece of personal correspondence in its original stamped envelope!
My mother was the most faithful pen pal, usually writing her at least once a week. Now returned to her, these letters chronicle our family's life from her courtship with my dad, through their early days of marriage, to the years of child raising and beyond. What an unexpected gift it has been to glimpse snapshots of years past through her own handwriting, reliving many long-forgotten events of days gone by through personal observations and newsy tidbits.
Although fewer in number, my own letters take me back to my youth. From my first preschool drawings of rainbows to the notes I penned when the children were babies, I have enjoyed the nostalgic journey rereading this correspondence has brought. Why, even seeing old stationery and address labels opens a floodgate of memories! I remember sitting at the kitchen table as a kindergartner laboriously printing thank you notes on the now-yellowed lined paper with cartoon animals in the corner. I giggle and roll my eyes at my fat, loopy adolescent handwriting -- I's dotted with hearts, of course -- penned on notebook paper folded like origami. Then in my more familiar grown-up handwriting, I reread floral postcards jotted hastily from my college dorm room; embossed ivory monogrammed note cards penned in my apartment as a newlywed; and teacup-themed stationery written in a quiet spot in our house while little ones slept nearby. Bundled together, all these letters tell the story of my journey to womanhood. I'm so grateful that my grandmother felt that was a story worth preserving.
Receiving this treasury of letters has reminded me how precious personal correspondence is. "We lay aside letters never to read them again, and at last we destroy them out of discretion," Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lamented, "and so disappears the most beautiful, the most immediate breath of life, irrecoverable for ourselves and for others." I am now determined to keep my children's letters so that years from now, they can read through their life in letters, knowing that each word, memory and sentiment shared was savored and cherished by a mother who was, in closing, sincerely theirs.
Friends Julie and Rebecca hosted a festive Christmas in July party over the weekend. Guests were invited to bring a favorite holiday appetizer or dessert, and our favorite selections in each category won a prize. I took chocolate-orange fudge and peppermint almond bark. They didn't win a prize, but I will share the recipes anyway!
Julie kept us in the Christmas spirit with holiday games. The party started with a mixer where guests compared notes to fill out categories, such as "I have already completed my Christmas shopping" and "I have seen a real reindeer." Later we guessed the contents of wrapped Christmas presents, and the person with the most correct guesses unwrapped a present of her own.
This fun party capped off a week that for me included painting ornaments for my Nov./Dec. Christian Woman article, which is due this week. So these made great favors for our wonderful hosts!
Chocolate-Orange Fudge
An easy recipe with a hint of citrus.
2 1/2 cups (15 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free Eagle Brand
Zest from one orange
Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, and spray the bottom and sides with Pam. Melt chocolate chips with Eagle Brand in a saucepan, then stir in orange zest and remove from heat. Pour the mixture into the foil-lined pan, and chill for 2 hours or until firm. Pull the foil from the pan and slice the fudge into diamond shapes by cutting straight lines across the block of fudge one way, then cutting diagonal lines across the other way. Garnish with orange zest, if desired. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Peppermint Almond Bark
8 ounces vanilla candy coating
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
6 or 7 peppermints, crushed
Melt candy according to package directions, then stir in extract and crushed peppermints. Spread onto wax paper to cool. Then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
My girls loved helping me put together this fruit pizza recipe this week. This was my favorite dessert to make when Joe and I entertained as newlyweds.
Special Fruit Pizza
If you're looking for a refreshing summertime dessert, this fruit pizza delivers.
18-ounce package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoons water
Fresh fruit
1/4 cup orange marmalade, warmed
Bake cookie on 14-inch pizza pan at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and water and mix until creamy. Spread onto cooled cookie dough. Arrange fruit and brush with marmalade. Chill.
"May I have your attention, please?"
Today I will be in Montgomery for a Castles and Crowns trunk show featuring smocked and appliqued clothing for boys and girls. You can view the fall collection online here. Please join me if you can from 3-6 p.m. in the President's Dining Room on the campus of Faulkner University.
"Mommy calls it a trunk show, but Daddy calls it a play date for mommies."
If you can't make the show but would like to order, leave me a comment below.
"That concludes this important message."
Tomorrow, a summer pizza delivery you're sure to love!
