Daisyeyes

I should have a fairly decent check coming from the boutique at the end of July. Nothing major, but in our life $20 is a big deal! Especially if it can be spent on something other than gas or milk.

Anyway, there is a big order to Superbuzzy or maybe even Reprodepot happening sometime soon. I can’t wait. Here are a few of my top picks. (now mind you this is supposed to be for the boutique, but most of what I’m lusting after is for my little chick)

Little Red from Superbuzzy

This is a new Heather Ross (love her!) from Superbuzzy

Mushrooms from reprodepot

Love, love, love these little dress up cats from reprodepot

Pink “choo choos” the most girly choo choo fabric I can find for my little chick from reprodepot

There are a couple others from Superbuzzy that I hopefully will get. One is for my mom’s Christmas gift. I also am planning on changing up the burp cloths I’ve been doing to something a little simpler, so that will involve buying up some super cute Japanese trims. I also am dying to get my hands on some of their awesome patterned bias tape (totally cute!)

I was reading through our AAA magazine and there was this article about the GrandLuxe Rail Journeys and we were talking about how that would be the most awesome 15 or 20 year anniversary trip (yes that is 4-9 years away but we are dreaming here!). So, while my hubbie and son are out at the big downtown fireworks, baby is sleeping and I’m sitting in shock at the computer at the prices! The trips start at about $5K per person and that is for a crazy, crazy small cabin. Now mind you, this includes lodging, gourmet food, tour guides etc. But please! We could probably go to Europe for that much!

But, alas. I’ll still sit here and dream.

This is the tour we would do:

Of course we would stay in the best suite they offer:

Here’s a video of the ride and views we would have.

But look at these pictures. This cracks me up. Not one picture on the website shows a person under like 60 or 70. I suppose it does take a while to amass enough wealth to afford one of these trips! I don’t think we would fit in!

Check this out. A friend forwarded it to me and now I share it with you! Happy 4th of July!

Here are my latest additions to the boutique. I had a request to make two fairy wands from a customer who walked in and went through my “portfolio” that I had left there from the meet and greet and the owners asked if I could make some extra to leave in the shop. Here they are!

I am reading the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord brings books that I’ve wanted to read forever in to my life at the most perfect time. The last two weeks have been some of the hardest emotionally for me. This book is a reminder of the beauty of a woman’s soul. It is a reminder of who we are supposed to be and are in Christ. God cursed Eve with loneliness and heartache and an emptiness that nothing would be able to fill. Why did he do this?

He did it to save her. For as we all know personally, something in Eve’s heart shifted at the Fall. Something sent its roots down deep into her soul - and ours - that mistrust of God’s heart, that resolution to find life on our own terms. So God has to thwart her. In love, He has to block her attempts until, wounded and aching, she turns to him alone for her rescue. Jesus has to thwart us too - thwart our self-redemptive plans, our controlling andour hiding, thwart the ways we are seeking to fill the ache within us. Otherwise, we would never fully turn to Him for our rescue. Oh, we might turn to Him for our “salvation,” for a ticket to heaven when we die..And so you will see the gentle, firm hand of God in a woman’s life hemming her in…Whatever it is we have sought life apart from him, he disrupts our plans, our “way of life” which is not life at all.

Do you see my sunflower? The day I wrote the post about reaching upward, I came home from a terrible meeting to find that all three had fallen over. I thought..what now? But they all held on until that bloom opened up. They perservered through the pain of being bent over and out of proportion and opened up into an amazing bloom. These sunflowers are still teaching me amazing lessons about hanging on, despite being hemmed in by our circumstances and situations. These sunflowers are reminding me that beauty does come even in the midst of pain. These sunflowers are teaching me that even though my burden is great and my heart is sad, He stands at the door waiting for me to invite him in. He knocks through my sorrows and when I open up these broken places He heals and creates true beauty.

I stumbled upon this blog the other day. Can’t exactly remember how and her words were so awesome that I knew I was led there by the Lord.

Here is a snippet of what she wrote today…awesome inspiration!

It is the mom who models and teaches hope, love, acceptance and faith for a future of purpose in God’s hands–but only if the mom has accepted the limitations of her own life as well as the limitations of her children. For me, it has been a slow process, but , like so many others, I see that having children has been the tool God has most used to conform me to His image–and to confront my own sin and selfishness.

Amen sister!

Here is my current dilemma:

Is it more stressful to stay at home with your children, struggling financially and deeply in debt trying desperately to make ends meet OR to be grateful for the 18 months that I’ve been able to be at home with my second child (and first too) but to go back to work full time in order to get out of debt quicker and also be more financially sound?

I know these years with my children so young are fleeting and I won’t get them back. But the stress that we are under financially some days makes me wonder if going back to work full time wouldn’t be the better option for all of us. I have done it before. I went back to a part time position at 7 weeks with my first and then full time with him when he was one. My daughter is now 18 months and this fall will be nearly two. I will have spent more time at home with her than I ever got with my son and she will be entering that age where it is almost good for her (or at least easier to justify) to be socially around other children in a preschool like setting.

I don’t know. But these are my thoughts and the joy of this blog is that I have a place to speak them!

More thoughts on this dilemma:

Hours later after I’ve written this post, I begin to really think about what the Lord has placed on my heart to do; the desire He’s put in my heart. I truly want to sew and create. I truly want to become a more advanced seamstress and pursue this growing passion I have to make handmade things for people. I know this opportunity with the boutique was truly God given. In this town, it is amazing that I was able to get to her first and have my things there. It is already amazing the comments and compliments and requests that I have gotten in only 3 weeks. Nothing overwhelming, but just encouraging. I know I could do this and make it a good very part time business. And I know my husband does not want me back in the classroom again. It is just that lure of money and the lure of having a quick fix for a tough situation that take my eyes of of the path that the Lord has put us on and onto the path that so easily deceives.

We had the awesome pleasure of spending this past weekend with some dear friends that moved to Nashville, TN. Honestly we went to see them, but even more I went because I’ve been dying to get back to the flea market there. My brother and sister-in-law introduced us to the Nashville Flea Market many years ago and we’ve gone back throughout the years. It’s been nearly 5 years since we’ve been and I was so thrilled!

It was definitely a light showing compared to past times I’ve gone. I didn’t manage to dig and find that amazing fabric piece or anything, but I did feel like I walked away with some good deals and some good finds. Here’s a wrap up of what I found.

A baby doll cradle for my baby. I’ve been wanting to find another cradle for her room to keep all her dolls in. This was in great condition and I got it for $12. Pretty good I think. I may paint it at some point, but for now I kind of like it as is.

Some dish towels to embroider. These were probably one of my favorite finds. You will see them again in the months ahead as I start working on Christmas gifts.

And this set of tiny Tasha Tudor books. I have fallen in love with Tasha Tudor. I love her illustrations and just all the books I’ve seen. This is the sweetest set of prayer and blessing books.

I also got a croquet set too, but didn’t really feel it was picture worthy…just a fun summer find!

I had my first custom client from my items at the boutique request a cape. This one ended up being navy blue on the outside and red on the inside with a big “R” for Ryan.


The second was a cape I made for one of our dear friends. He is turning five tomorrow actually and is a crazy Star Wars fan (like son like father!) so his cape was blue on the outside and Star Wars on the inside with a giant “E” for Ezra.

I’m thinking that this is going to be my first “clothes” sewing item that I leave up in the boutique. I have hesitated to put items out there that I have machine sewn (aka clothes) just because I don’t feel like I’m really there as a seamstress (ready to sell clothes I’ve made) so I’m going to start easy with the capes. I want to make a girl one too.

My poor little man is so sad though. He has now watched me make 3 capes and yet still has to be satisfied with running around in those for a few days before we pass them along to our friends. He’s got a cape coming soon I promise!

Ok, so I tried to take a picture of the bread and it looked not so good. I was going to take a picture of the cobbler, but peach cobbler just doesn’t photograph well and as yummy as the chicken was there was no way I was posting a picture of it. So you have to suffice with a picture of Lola. This is probably my most favorite book series that I’ve discovered as a parent (Charlie and Lola). Why Lola? Because she says what my title is. And why the title? Because this was the easiest dinner ever but oh so yummy! It was Easy Peesy Lemon Squeezy!

Rosemary Bread Recipe (taken from someone’s blog…of course I don’t remember who!)

• 1 packet dry yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp)
  
• 2 c. warm water
• 1 T. sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 c. flour
• 1-2 tsp. fresh Rosemary plus more for topping
• Olive Oil, Corn meal, Melted butter and salt

Dissolve yeast in the warm water and sugar. (I like to buy yeast in a large package and then store it in a plastic container and keep in the freezer. It lasts forever. OR if you don’t make bread that often, just buy the yeast packets.) Add flour, salt, and 1-2 tsp Rosemary and stir until blended, do not Knead!! Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until double in size. Simply keep it in the mixer bowl and cover with a moist cloth to raise.

Remove dough. It will be sticky. I like to put shortening or oil on my hands for taking out the dough and shaping it. I think it works better than flour hands. Place it in 2 rounds on a cookie sheet lightly coated in oil and sprinkled with corn meal. OR you can place it on your silicone baking mat with no oil. Cover with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Then let it rise another hour.

Brush each round with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with more Rosemary and salt. Bake @ 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce temp to 375 for 15 minutes more.

Cool slightly, then cut into nice size bits or rip it apart and dip in a bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This bread can’t be beat! It is soooo delicious and a really easy bread recipe. If you’ve never made bread before, Rosemary Bread is a great one to start with.

Slow Cooker Chicken Italiano (again a blog and I don’t know who…)

4 chicken breast halves
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup Italian dressing

Place all ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over a bed or angel hair pasta or however you please!

Easy Fruit Cobbler (this is from Southern Living)

Preheat oven to 375. Place 4 cups of berries, peaches or etc in a lightly greased 8 inch square dish. Sprinkle with 1 T lemon juice if desired. Stir together 1 egg, 1 cup sugar (I did 1/2 cup) and 1 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour) in a medium bowl until resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit. Drizzle 6 T melted butter over topping. Bake 375 for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

DELICIOUS!