It's Good To Be Her

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Happy Birthday Sarah Anne!

Halloween 2008 was the scariest Halloween ever.

But all that scary memory fades and what is left is just knowing His grace and seeing it come alive anew in this little girl every morning. Happy, happy birthday sweet Sarah Annie! You still have us all wrapped around your little fingers.

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{I'll be back with needle & thREAD late this afternoon}

For Sarah Annie, On Her Fourth Birthday

You are from a pink and purple bedroom with bluebell photos on the wall,

from a tiny but still too big pumpkin hat on the day you were born,

from handmade dresses and sentimental sweaters, patchwork Toms and special Hannas.

You are from a red brick house that smells like blessed candles, from icons on the walls, and the many voices of big brothers and sisters echoing off hardwood floors.

You are from the tulips and the stinky pear tree in the spring, from pansies and mums in the fall-- the front porch welcoming committees that smile at you as you come and go.

You are from American Girl dolls and shelves crammed with picture books

from Foss & MacDonald, Grzymala & DeMell

from athletes and dancers and thoughtful writers

from passionate politicos, media pioneers, and quiet crafters.

You are from soccering on weekends, dancing all day every day

from writing it all down and taking lots of pictures.

You are from handmade rosaries, the Angelus at noon, and a tiny medal around your neck

from Chick-Fil-A and sushi and eggs-and-toast-and-toast-to-dip-in (but not all at the same time)

from three grandpas in the Navy and road trips to Charlottesville and Ponte Vedra.

You are from Disney World with the best brothers and sisters, who made it all magic just for you; from Bluebell Week every year in dear, familiar woods

from a Daddy who lights up at the mere whisper of your name, scoops you up into giant hugs, and snuggles you through the night.

You are from a mama who has held every moment captive, cupped your sweet face in her hands a dozen times a day, and thanked God again and again for the gift of you.

You are from a family that reminds you daily that you are a miracle and we are so grateful for the grace and joy you bring to our lives.

You are the littlest of the girlies, still a wee bit fragile, ever darling, always loved beyond measure.

 

"I am from" poem templates here. 

needle & thREAD (and Giveaway Winner)

It all began with this skirt. Karoline loves this skirt. It's a Hanna Andersson, circa 2002. Mary Beth wore it for years (the beauty of a tiered denim skirt with elastic waist), then Katie wore it. Now, it's Karoline's. 

But Sarah wanted it. She really, really wanted it. She said she liked long skirts. She pulled it on. It fell to the floor around her ankles. I tried to explain that the skirt was really old and there was no way to get one in her size. Then, I remembered that Mike had put this shirt in the giveaway pile.

Please excuse the poor picture. It was a denim shirt given to Mike by a cable network back in his freelance days. Since he no longer works for that network, he really can't wear a shirt with its logo. The shirt was still in great shape, but the logo earned it giveaway status.

I knew I had several spools of jumbo ric-rac stashed in the sewing room.

I told Sarah I had an idea. She was kind of horrified to see me take scissors to Daddy's shirt.

But a few hours later, she had this new skirt to wear. I tried to pesuade her to wear a different shirt, but she has a signature style and this is it.

And it passed the twirl test!

Two twirling girls in ric-rac skirts! I so love ric-rac. And denim. And happy girlies. (Don't look too closely; there are still some basting threads in Sarah's skirt. She was rather eager to wear it.)

No picture of my book this week. I'm reading a PDF advance copy of Vinny Flynn's new book. It's a good read; I'm sure I'll share it with you more completely later.

The winner of Joanna Figueroa's With Fabric and Thread is Leah, who said:

I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Prayers for a speedy recovery. Definitely a good idea to wait until you're feeling better to continue your project. I've messed up many projects in the past not heeding that advice. The buttons are so cheery; I'm sure the the girls will love them, and they complement the sundresses beautifully!

I've been following Needle & ThREAD since its beginning and have finally decided to join in. I'm not tech savvy, and I'm new to Flicker, so I hope I did everything right. Here's a link to my current project:http://www.flickr.com/photos/leahsblessings/7559471330/in/pool-1961221@N22

Leah, please email me your mailing address and I'll send it out to you lickety split.

Do be sure to pop over and check out her beautiful quilt topper. And remember, you don't have to blog to join us. Just upload your pictures to Flickr.

What about you? Sewing? Reading? A little of both? What's on your summer reading list? Do you have a summer sewing list?  Or are you embroidering? Pulling a needle with thread through lovely fabric to make life more beautiful somehow? Would you share with us just a single photo (or more) and a brief description of what you're up to? Will you tell us about what you're reading, also? Would you talk sewing and books with us? I'd love that so much.

Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your blog post or your specific Flickr photo and not your main blog URL or Flickr Photostream. Please be sure and link to your current needle and thREAD post below in the comments, and not a needle and thREAD post from a previous week. If you don't have a blog, please post a photo to the needle & thREAD group at Flickr. 

       Include a link back to this post in your blog post or on your flickr photo page so that others who may want to join the needle and thREAD fun can find us! Feel free to grab a button here (in one of several colors) so that you can use the button to link:-).

Best Birthday EVER!

Sarah Annie had an amazing day. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here, from Mary Beth's computer and camera, are our memories.

We spent the afternoon at Cox Farm, a very nearby autumn amusement. We ventured there last week when Linda begged me to meet them there. It's ridiculously expensive and, of late, very crowded with school groups. Back in the day, when our small town was a country town, we had a tradition of spending Patrick's birthday there. Slides and hayrides and country fun--we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Over the years, it's grown to a ginormous autumn destination and very much lost the local feel. Even the Obama daughters came out this way in October. So, I was reluctant. I'm not big on crowds.

Linda was persuasive, even when I warned her that it looked like rain. Didn't look like rain at her house, so she overruled me. It started raining as I pulled into the parking lot. We stuck it out about an hour and then a very kind farmer-type handed me a free bag of Kettle Corn and suggested I take a raincheck. Then we left town. That left one day to redeem our raincheck: Halloween.

We moved Bible Study from the afternoon to the morning and cleared the afternoon for Cox Farms, Take 2.

It was pretty crowded when we got there at 1:00, but cleared out nicely by 2:00 and we had a beautiful afternoon.

We returned home, full of fresh air and sunshine, and made Sarah's requested birthday dinner: Pizza Rolls. Recipe tutorial forthcoming, I promise.

After dinner, it was costume time. Stephen decided he was too big to Trick-or-Treat. Nicky was a bit adrift at this news. He threw together a boxer costume at the last minute.

The Colonial Doll, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Birthday Princess were decidedly not the last minute types. They've had their costumes all laid out, right down to the hair ribbons, since last Wednesday.

And then, we returned home for birthday cupcakes, candles and wishes.

Somehow I'm sure they'll come true.