muddled crafting

so i've been stuck. i dug through my pile of fiber beauty. i saw many lovely things, but was tapped out on ways to put these pieces together and make something lovely. tapped out i tell you. couldn't put a cohesive whole together and was repeatedly lost and frustrated. you know how much i love community- once again it came to my rescue.

i sat with my dear friend alli last night. we splayed out fabric after fabric and talked construction. she helped me compile and narrow. and we arrived here:



i can't get over these fabrics together. i'm thinking a table runner. Solid grey in the middle and two log cabin squares on each end made out of this pile of gorgeousness. I educated myself on log cabin squares from Patchwork Style which, for all you Greenville-ians, i got from the library. anyway-- so easy and fun.

we also put these together for, perhaps, a similar project:


little by little it's getting done. so thankful for the people around me who truly spur me on to love and good deeds.

i think table runners fit into that category, don't you?

the morning

"No matter what kind of night you're having, morning always wins."

- Barbara Kingsolver- Pigs in Heaven

i read this line last night as i fought sleep. and then i read it again and then again. it followed a chapter about a woman struggling through her middle-of-the-night worries. pacing in her nightgown. everything a bit mysterious and shrouded.

oh the darkness can overwhelm, confuse and discourage. i get myself so turned around. when the light dawns, i'm in a tree upside down.

and of course my little miniature sunshine woke me up in order to appreciate the dawn today. the physical and metaphorical dawn.

the light is here. it never fails. and joy comes along.

'weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.' Psalm 30:5

the morning always wins. always.

a dress

so i know this space has been a little kid-cuteness heavy this week. you're just going to have to bear with me a bit. I found this fabric recently and then saw Amanda was making these for her daughter. too cute. please oh please can i have one? now, i am not good with sewing precision. an apron is as close as i feel comfortable coming to apparel. so my mother came to the rescue. and yesterday... this arrived.







i know you all want one for yourselves-- me too. i'll work on it. so summer-filled and sweet. and her sweet cream-skin looks so lovely against that navy. and the tiny ponytail... i can't take it.



she is just so speedy when let loose outside, and i can get frustrated that there isn't my perfect shot. but it makes the pictures of her just, well, so 'her'.

happy weekend everyone.

morning

started out the day by watering the garden and deck plants. so peaceful to greet the day with water and growing things.



and the little girl just can't resist the spraying water.



oh yeah. she runs right into it and follows me around the deck.





so much fun. such little person delight. a lesson for me in joy.


wish i could have gotten a different backdrop here-- but it's too hilarious not to post.

so-- little joy-blessings on your days, friends.



i'm going to do my best to hold fast to the Truth-- remembering His good grace-filled morning gifts.

quickly cute

this site is filled with too much cuteness. so cute.
had to share.

www.tinysprouts.com

rare evening

there are so many nights that, after i get home from work, go kinda like this: i blink, put two dishes in the dishwasher and, oh, it's 10:30.

well last night was the rarity. we squeezed in a whole bunch of play and love.



checked on the garden with my little gardener. He's decided he wants to 'grow up into' a gardener. does it get better?



we walked around the block together, landed in our own overgrown patch and tossed the ball from end to end.





some nights it can be a challenge for me to switch gears and engage with these little hearts-- getting into the dirt with them, after removing my heels and favorite green beads.



why do i resist so often the gifts of joy God longs to give me if i would just choose to open my eyes and receive? oh the rewards and blessings that wait for me.


although her face doesn't reflect it here, we really did have a joy-filled time. really.

we closed the evening with a bath



and impromptu time with dear friends and neighbors. the kids cuddled in for the night and i sewed and sewed. i hope to put more up soon of stuff i'm working on and may get to a little tutorial one of these days.

melancholy

my heart has been heavied today by realities i don't often see. people can be so cruel to one another. causes tears at my desk and deep longing for my Jesus to come and make all things right. i can't wait.

and He has come to bind up the broken hearted. He gives the gift of light in the darkness, He lifts up- out of the rubble others leave. i'm so thankful to have the Answer to run to after mornings like these.

the clouds feel like a soft blanket today. a calming constant. all of this inner turmoil, the questions, the racing thoughts, can rest a little more easily on a day like today.

blessings on your Monday, friends. i hope you are seeing what you love today and choosing to find Love in what you see.