News!

I had several blogs running through my head today. But none of them are getting written today. There is too much to do. However, I uploaded some adorable pictures from this past month and wanted to share them. 

 

Grandma has spent several days with us. It is such a blessing to have someone to hold him while I get stuff done, and Grandma has quite the knack for keeping him happy. Of course, she doesn't remember who he is or that she has held him for hours by the time she leaves, but we still have a pleasant time.

It has been getting colder, so we sometimes put him in his little elf outfit/snow suit before we take him outside.

 

He is getting better at holding up his head and rolling over. He doesn't like being on his belly for very long, but every now and again, when I lay him down to "exercise" he just puts his head down and whimpers like he is too tired to do anything. He makes the most pitiful sad faces, but I don't have any pictures of them.

He is usually a happy little boy. This picture was taken just a few minutes before he filled his diaper to overflowing. I think he was planning on how he could get a bath...

I know it is blurry, but I wanted to share a picture of his smile. I had to hurry to make sure I got one.

He currently is weighing in at 7lbs, 12 oz. I think he is coming down with a cold because he has some serious post-nasal drip and yesterday had a low fever.

For several nights he has been sleeping until 4 am. The blessing is more hours of uninterrupted sleep; the problem is that my day starts at 4, and I don't always get to nap. I know that this sleep schedule probably won't last, so I will try to focus on the blessing side of it.

In other news, the first ESL course came to a conclusion. I played my flute for the first time since last spring when I realized I couldn't get enough breath in. I have finished my Christmas shopping. And we are planning an adventure starting tomorrow.

Christmas is Coming

Christmas is coming;
The goose is getting fat.
Please to put a penny in the old man's hat.
If you haven't got a penny,
Then a ha'penny will do;
If you haven't got a ha'penny,
Then God bless you.

This will be Eamon's first Christmas, but I don't think he will really be able to take much in. So I am kind of using this year to think about traditions I want to have when he can notice such things (starting next year).

We decided that one tradition we don't care about is visiting Santa. We are not anti-Santa, but we were not impressed with the idea of visiting him in the mall. By the way, I want my children to know the historical Santa as well as be able to find humor in the make-believe Santa.

1. Advent Calendar: We always had advent calendars starting on the first day of December. That was also the day Mommy hung a wreath on the front door. Although we didn't do one thing every day of December, we always had a little door to open on the calendar. We would each take turns opening a door until we had enough calendars for each of us to get our own. One year we made our own calendar - of a castle (that was one of the years we also made a gingerbread castle, I think). We kids colored the outside, but Daddy drew pictures behind the doors, so we didn't know what would be coming. It was pretty fun.

2. Advent Wreath: Our church didn't celebrate the weeks of Advent. I didn't understand the Advent Wreath or the weeks of Advent. But I want my children to grow up knowing about it.

3. Three holidays: St. Nicholas Day is December 5. On that day, I would like to give gifts of necessity to my children. This would be the day socks, chap-stick, and T-shirts would be given. Then on that day, we could help with a gift for someone else, like cookies for our neighbors, groceries for a food kitchen, or gifts for prisoners. Christmas Day could then be a day for family and celebrating Jesus' birth. Gifts would be the homemade kind - something right from the heart. And food items to celebrate then next 12 days, things like oranges and special sweetened cereal.* Then on the 12th day of Christmas, Epiphany, the feast of the Three Kings, would be the other gifts, the things that they have asked for or other special things.
*Christmas was the only time of year that we got sweetened cereal. We also always got pop-tarts, an orange, and walnuts in our stocking. Those were special Christmas treats. I still can't eat a pop-tart without thinking about Christmas.

4. Christmas Tree: Although we might not always be able to go get a real tree for Christmas, I would like my children to be able to help decorate a tree or the house for Christmas. My family had the manger scene that we could help set up and a winter scene with carvings from Grandma that we always got to arrange. And each of us had our own box of ornaments that we could put on the tree. Then on Christmas Eve, Daddy would tinsel the tree, so when we woke up on Christmas morning, the tree sparkled in the candlelight. I don't think I want to deal with tinsel, but it was a nice memory.

5. Stockings: My family usually hung one of our own socks for our stocking. But this year, we got store bought stockings for the three of us. I am going to embroider our names on them and as we have more children (if we have more children), we will get more. And maybe like Thomas' family we will leave a dime in the toe from year to year.

Those are the traditions I have thought of so far. By writing them down, I won't forget next year. And we will see how many of them we keep. What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

Connections about Love

Thomas and I are reading through Let's Start with Jesus. (I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to think about how much God loves us.) This quote stuck in my mind and has begun to form connections with other things in life. Speaking of Eve's temptation:

"Suddenly Eve began to question the goodness of God, whether he was withholding something good from them. For the first time she considered the possibility that something could be good in itself apart from God. As a result her question became a doubt. The doubt became distrust. Distrust quickly became distance and manifested itself in mechanisms for self-protection..."

Then I read a friend's blog about playing the game Good Christian/Bad Christian. In conclusion she says, "The only real alternative to my game is that I began to believe that God loves me. For reals.  Loves me with depth; steadily, patiently, fiercely, unfailingly."

Things can't be good in themselves. People can't be good by themselves. They need... we need some serious love that breaks through the self-protection we put up.

Dostoevsky weighed into the conversation. I can't quote the entire three chapters, but elder's wisdom in the chapters "The Old Buffoon," "The Women of Faith," and "The Woman of Little Faith" is amazing. He says lying works against love (just like the serpent in the garden):

"Above all, do not lie do not lie to yourself. A man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where he does not discern any truth either in himself or anywhere around him, and thus falls into disrespect toward himself and others. Not respecting anyone, he ceases to love, and having no love, he gives himself up to passions and course pleasures in order to occupy and amuse himself, and in his vices reaches complete bestiality, and it all comes from lying continually to others and to himself. A man who lies to himself is often the first take offense..."

He answers the woman who questions the existence of God and the immortality of the soul (love conquers doubt):

 "By the experience of active love. Try to love your neighbor actively and tirelessly. The more you succeed in loving, the more you'll be convinced of the existence of God and the immortality of your soul. And if you reach complete selflessness in the love of your neighbor, then undoubtedly you will believe, adn no doubt will even be able to enter your soul..."

He also tells a story about a doctor who said that the more he loved mankind the less he could stand individuals, and says this happens because often the loving is not selfless loving, but self serving love, and therefore not love at all.

But all this is nothing new. John 1:1-5:

 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

And verse 14:

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

And John 3:16-21

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God."

And this is what we celebrate during this season. God, in love, sent Jesus into the world so that Jesus, in love, could show us what love looked like. Love is what connects everything and in my world of splintering emotions, needs, frustrations, and doubts, Love is what will bring salvation.

"and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21
"But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons." Galatians 4:4-5

Two-Month Pictures

It is kind of crazy to see my tiny little baby filling out his newborn clothes. The outfit we brought him home in now fits like it is supposed to. And the preemie clothes we have are just too small. In fact, now I look at them and wonder, "Was he really that tiny?"

This will be series of pictures through his first year. It is difficult to see that much of a size and development change. But it is easy to tell that he was grumpy on both occasions.

Two Months

We celebrated Eamon's two month birthday by taking him to the doctor where he got his first round of shots. It was a traumatic experience so I don't have any two month pictures yet. He slept most of the first day, but was generally fussy and cuddly. Yesterday was the same. Last night he kept me awake with his grunting and groaning so we came down stairs and cuddled on the couch for the night. I guess we slept ok, because I am not absolutely exhausted today, but I hope he feels better soon. He still prefers being held to laying in his bed or in his seat thing or swing, but I think I will be able to use the Moby today. Yesterday, it seemed to hurt his little legs and he screamed in pain when I tried to put him in it. He is sleeping again now, so I don't have the courage to try him out in it yet. That means we are sitting very still and doing computer stuff, usually one handed.

Picture updates later if I can.

Thanksgiving: Updated with Pictures

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. We got together with all the families and I liked the food. Cranberry salad and turkey and green bean casserole! This year we had slightly different celebrations, but it was still a lovely time.

Thanksgiving Day, we went to my parents for lunch, but not a traditional thanksgiving dinner. Instead we had Stromboli. Of course, we had to have some turkey, so Daddy made one for us. Since it was Mom and Dad's anniversary, they left and all us kids made dinner for ourselves. It was good times.



Friday, we had our usually Thanksgiving dinner with my mother's side of the family. It was so good to see everyone who came  and we missed everyone who couldn't. In the afternoon we went on a walk. It was the first time since I had Eamon that we went for a long walk. It was tiring! but felt really good too. I carried him in my moby and even took a few pictures before I handed my camera off to Kate. She got a bunch of great pictures, some of people, some nice artistic shots. I will put them on Facebook.


In past years we travel up to a second or third cousins house for a sing-a-long with my Dad's side of the family. However, this year it was cancelled, so Dad's father, brother and sister and their families came down to our house. We didn't make it out in time for the sing-a-long but we did come for dinner. We met a new cousin and Grandpa got to meet Eamon. I don't get to see this side of the family as much, so it was really good to catch-up a little bit. We did get to sing a little after most everyone had left, but Eamon was not a happy little boy for some of that time.


Then on Sunday, Keith and Katlyn had us over for leftover Thanksgiving dinner. She made a delicious soup and sweet potatoes with lots of molasses. Since they were busy with other family gatherings it was nice to spend some time just with them.

It was a tiring holiday, but a pleasant one also. I learned about how Eamon deals with messed up schedules and lots of people. He was such a good little boy for so much of the time. It let us enjoy the company and let them enjoy him.

6 Years

Six years ago from Saturday, Thomas and I got married. And the past six years have been the best of my life. And this year our small family shared the celebration together.

Family Photo by Amanda Bennett

We couldn't do anything too much because Eamon still needs to eat every three hours. However we still had a lovely day. Thomas surprised me by taking me out to breakfast. Then we went grocery shopping (just like the old days walking round Food Lion). At 4, we watched a soccer game, and at half-time began making dinner while watching. Thomas made his amazing hamburgers and I made apple pastries, although I didn't get to finish them until later, because Eamon woke up early and wanted to eat immediately. And in the evening we finished watching The New World.

It was a good day. 

Thanks, Thomas. I love you.

The Blind Side

I did not want to see The Blind Side when I first heard about it. It went against my snobbish tendencies. However, after my sister said she thought I would like it, if I could get past my snobbery (she said it nicer than that). So I added it to my night-watch list.

And I did like it. In fact, I watched again the night after (partly because Eamon was fussy, so I missed bits; partly because I liked it). It was a "feel good, do good" movie, but that isn't always a bad thing. It is nice, on occasion, to watch people do good things simply because they know it is the right thing to do. The story-telling was straight forward and the artistry pretty average, but they didn't take away from the story at all. I don't know that they added anything though.

The movie revolves around the character of Mrs. Tuohy. She runs the movie, just like she runs everyone's life in the movie. But she is a kind dictator and draws the audience in just as she drew Michael out. However, because of her role, and her character, I found her slightly annoying. Maybe because I saw my control-freak nature in her, maybe because she was compassionate and loving one minute, but tough and in-control the next. While that may be true of how people work, without a center - a reason "why" in her life - she seemed like two characters that didn't quite mesh. To me, that diminished the truth in the role.

Having said that, I again reiterate. I liked the movie, and I even liked her by the end. I liked the way she wasn't afraid of saying what she thought and of the judgements of other people. And I liked the way that she used the tough exterior to cover a soft heart. She didn't like others to see her cry, so she put on a business like attitude when things touched her heart. (I don't know anyone like that now, do you...) But most of all, I like the way she did what was right, she loved the unloved, and she reached out in a small way to help solve the problems she saw in her world. That is ennobling, even if she couldn't explain why she did it.

Jane Eyre Review

When I get up in the night to feed Eamon, it is very hard to stay awake, so I have been watching various things - movies, soccer games, youtube video - to help me keep from falling asleep. It is a convenient time to watch things that Thomas doesn't really want to watch but I am interested in.

Jane Eyre (2011) starring Mia Wasikowska was one of these late night movies watched in 30-40 minute increments. Although it was a very beautiful movie, and somethings were exactly the way I imagined them, I liked the book better. My biggest complaint is that Mia Wasikowska showed hardly any emotion. It is true that Jane was a very reserved person, but she had depths of emotion hidden under layers that life had cause her to develop. In this movie, I found it difficult to see the hidden emotions or the layers.

Because of that, I never knew why she was attracted to Mr. Rochester. I never saw her struggle between her desires for him and her desire to do what was right. She seemed so passive that I wondered where the feisty little girl from the flashbacks went. Perhaps it was that her eyes told me nothing, so even when she smiled, I wondered what she was thinking. That is fine for everyone in the movie, but as an audience, I want to see what is really going on inside her.

However, there were things I did like very much. Dame Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax was lovely. I loved the subtleties of her reactions and her delivery was amazing. St.John Rivers was exactly as I imagined him. But I wished the audience could have gotten to know the sisters better. The girl who played Young Jane was very good and I loved her interaction with Helen. The scenes of the two of them were probably some of my favorites. I also liked the cinematography and lighting. They captured things the way I had imagined them when I read the book.

Overall, it probably won't go on any top 10 lists, but was glad I watched it.

A Father's Love

When I married Thomas, I learned so much more about what God's love meant as it was lived out in Thomas's love for me. Now I am learning more about God's love as it is lived out in Thomas and I and our love for our son.

We read the story of Abraham and Isaac in church yesterday.

It is a hard story to read and imagine, but it took on even more meaning now that I have a baby. God had promised Abraham descendents through the boy on the altar. God now told him to kill that boy. Abraham trusted that God knew what he was doing and that he would keep his promises. It seems that he figured that God would raise his son from the dead, but there was always the chance that he might not. But he also says that God would provide a son.

I wondered if Abraham really knew what God would do, or if he simply trusted that it would work out all right in the end. I wondered what he was thinking or if he was trying to turn his brain off so he wouldn't think, but just do it.

I then wondered about after the story. What happened when they saw the ram and sacrificed him? What was Isaac thinking? Did he understand what had happened? Did Abraham explain why he had to put him on the altar? And did they ever tell Sarah what took place on that mountain?

It is impossible for me to hear this story without John 3:16 coming to mind. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son..." God loved Jesus and Jesus knew and understood that love. That is clear from the Gospels. But God loved us so much that he was willing to give up his son; and Jesus loved us so much he willing gave himself up.

What wondrous love is this. We think about Jesus' anguish as he hung on the cross. But think about the anguish of the Father as he let him hang there. It is no wonder the earth shook and the sky went dark. The creation could not stand the pain of the Godhead.

And I wonder about after this story too. Christ resurrection - the victory over death and the atonement of our sins - is so amazingly joyful. "He is not here; He is risen." What a privilege to be that angel announcing the best news in the world - the joy of the Father. And think about how amazingly joyful Christ's future glorification will be. Then we, those he loves, will be united with himself. And we will be part of that joy and glory.

NEWS!

Today was my due date.

We are glad Eamon did not come this weekend, partly because we are so happy to have him, and partly because there was a big snow storm on Friday night and Saturday.

Tomorrow starts NaNoWriMo. I am not writing this year, but Thomas is. I decided that I have enough projects to work on without starting another. It will be an exciting month.

We have been staying up too late. Silly baby... and silly us for getting distracted with various projects.

I have been reading Han Solo novels during nursings. They are really dumb. I have decided to start either Brothers Karamazov or Les Miserables (again) when I finish. My brain needs something a little less predictable. :-)

My current favorite CD's are Matt and Shannon Heaton's Lovers Well and Leahy by Leahy (eight siblings who play all sorts of instruments).

I started working on "thank you" notes and ordered birth announcements.

Typing with one hand is rather difficult.

Another Eamon Post

If Eamon had come on his due date, he still wouldn't have been born yet. But this week he will be a month old. It is odd to think of the time when we were still waiting for him and didn't know him because now I can't imagine life without him.

When he was born, he was 5 lb 3 oz. At his first appointment (day 5), he was 4 lb 9 oz. By the time he left the hospital (day 6), he was 4 lb 12 oz. When the visiting nurse came (day8), he was 4lb 14 oz. At the next appointment (day 13), he was 5 lb 2 oz. And according to my old-fashioned scales on day 22, he is was about 5 lb 12 oz.

He doesn't fit into his first preemie outfit anymore and his preemie onesies are beginning to get too small too. He still swims in some of the newborn outfits, but some of them fit quite nicely. I still don't know what to do with his clothes though; they seem too small to fold. We don't have his room set up yet, so we have been using a changing mat on the floor for diaper changes, a rolling storage shelf for his dresser, and basket bassinet for his bed. But he is big enough to get a bath in his baby bathtub. I love giving him baths; he gets so relaxed in the water and his little naked self is so adorable.

Sleeping and eating is going a little better too. At least, there are more nights that he sleeps better than nights (and days) that are miserable. I am still not doing anything much besides focusing on feeding, sleeping, and making sure we have food for supper, but I am beginning to get in some laundry and the dishes. Other projects are beginning to pile up too, like ESL childcare and the ICS website. So slowly we are moving on to a new normal type of life.

I love being a mommy!

Questions

I am realizing that my view of God is too small and too cliche. I can talk about God's love and grace and about His glory and supremacy. But very often it is just talk.

I started realizing this by finding fault with other people, but have come to see that the faults I see in others are more obvious in myself. I see my fellow Christians being judgmental or unloving, and get frustrated with the way they are hurting others, but only sometimes see my own judgmentalism. I could list other examples, but the examples aren't the point.

The examples only made me wonder what life would be like if I took what I believed about God and really lived it. I believe that God is "rich in mercy, abundant in grace." What would it look like if I lived like that?

How would it change the way I respond to my feelings of inadequacy? or the mistakes of people around me? How would it effect the areas of service I am involved in? How would it change my participation on my church and community? Am I willing to honestly look at the changes that I would need to make, and ask God for the help to make them?

We have a food pantry in our church. The members of our church are asked to help restock it every now and again. So we donate canned soup, peanut butter, boxed mac-n-cheese, and the like. By doing this, are we really acting out of our beliefs? Yes, we are providing for those less fortunate then ourselves, but are we giving as God has given to us? He lavished his love on us; he provides all we need; what would that look like in a food pantry at a church? Or would it mean having a group of people who would be willing to make a home-cooked meal for those in need? or would it mean taking people into our homes and letting them mess-up our lives?

What is God really calling us to when he says, "Be holy, even as I am holy"? Am I willing to question my lifestyle and make changes if necessary in light of such a statement? My view of God is too small and too cliche, but do I really want it to be any different? Or do I like my little comfortable life too much to seriously ask questions?

Birthday Stories

Today is my birthday. Every year as I was growing up, at my bedtime on my birthday, Mommy would come up and tell me my birth story. She would tell me how she went into labor, but the doctor had to do a cesarean because my older brother was cesarean. She would tell me how she wanted to be awake for my birth, but the spinal tap didn't kick in fast enough, so one doctor wanted to put her to sleep, but the other doctor gave it just a bit more time. She would tell me how that doctor broke hospital protocol and let Daddy carry me to the nursery. And she would tell me about how much curly black hair I had.

I loved hearing my story every year. It was my story. It told me how I was special and how much I was loved right from the beginning. And how I have never been good at "following the rules."

This year, I heard my story early. Mommy told me my story as I was in labor with my baby. She told me my story, and bits of each of my siblings stories. Each of them were different, each one was special. Eamon now has begun a story of his own - different from every other birth story that ever happened. It is amazing to think that each child who was ever born has their own unique story, just as each of them is creating their unique own story.

It was a good day. Birthday's aren't the "best day ever" like they used to be, but today was a day where I was reminded that I am loved by so many people, that I am special, and that I have a story of my own. And it reminded me that my story isn't done yet. Each day, I get to work on my story. It may be a little daunting because I don't know all the twists and turns this story may take. But I know that God is working in my life and making it something beautiful. And I know that someday the ending will read, "And they lived happily forever after."

So now the great debate is, should I do NaNoWriMo and begin to write Eamon's story as it happens? Or should I just keep a few short notes in a journal for later? I have only a few weeks to decide. :-)

Eamon's Adventures

 Today, Eamon Phillip Wiley is 2 weeks old. And what an adventurous 2 weeks they have been.

I wasn't expecting to have a baby at 35 weeks. He wasn't supposed to come until after his shower on October 8th, and I was hoping he would wait until my birthday at least. But he decided my sister's birthday was a better day to be born on (and Scott and Mr. Berner would agree :-)) and arrived as a late birthday present for Thomas. We are so happy to have him now though. I can't imagine waiting another 5 weeks to meet him.

So our first adventure was his being early. I have often thought that some people view giving birth as an initiation into womanhood or something. Once you have a baby, there is always something to talk about. You somehow now understand other mothers better and they understand you. Unfortunately, it sometimes gets conveyed that women without babies don't really understand life. Well, now that I have been initiated, I can understand that perspective. Giving birth is a life changing event. The moment I reached down and felt his head, seeing him across the room as they cleared his lungs, hearing his cry, and finally getting to hold him have completely changed my perspectives on life. It was as if I had been waiting all my life for this, but never knew that is what I was waiting for.

Besides him being early, everything seemed to go according to plan. We got to go home and were a happy little family until his first appointment when he got a blood test. He looked yellow, and his bilirubin levels were too high, but even the doctor didn't expect them to be as high as they were. She called and told us to take him to the NICU as soon as possible. Between road construction, a crying baby, and a crying me, it was a very stressful ride to the hospital.

He got put under the lights and we were able to stay in the Ronald MacDonald House just across the parking lot. His problem was high bilirubin levels and dehydration which cause excessive weight loss. So they hooked him up to an IV and I wasn't allowed to feed him for a while. (Although later that night, the nurse let me bottle feed him and change his diaper before we left for the evening.) We had to go home and get some things, which meant leaving the hospital without him. That experience was also life changing. I will never be able to explain, but any mother will know, how hard it was to walk out of the NICU and leave him behind. Then being able to come back the next morning and be told that I could breastfeed him, and we would be able to take him home that day, was such a surprise that my poor exhausted brain could hardly handle it. I was so happy, I was stressing about everything.

The doctor told us that he was a textbook case for jaundice, so he was very educational for the doctors and nurses in training. We had to keep him on a light blanket, but after two days, he had another blood test and his bilirubin levels were right where they were supposed to be. He was also gaining weight, so all was good.

On this past Tuesday, at his check-up, he was one ounce under his birth weight. We scheduled a 6-week appointment (rather than an every other day appointment) and we are now getting to work on being awake during the day and asleep during the night.

So our current adventure is sleeping for 2-4 hours at night and being awake with him 3-5 hours. Little goose is awake and alert and looking around during those hours... so adorable! and now he is fast asleep - and waking him for his feeding was miserable. Poor baby... poor mommy and daddy too!

But we love him and think we will keep him.

Pirate Party

When we first started the Pirate Parties, there were only 7 of us. Each year we have added one family, although not everyone was always able to come back. We first got the idea because of "International Talk Like a Pirate Day" on September 19. That is the week before Thomas's birthday, so it was a good way to have a party without having a birthday party.

This year was the fourth or fifth party, and with the addition of families and the addition of children things have changed a bit. From playing "grown-up" games, the focus is now on keeping kids occupied. So I planned several "Family Games" - games that kids could play with their parents, but would be hopefully enjoyable for the grown-ups without kids. I also planned food that would be enjoyable for the kids as well as parents. However, things didn't go as planned. (But that was ok).

Although it was supposed to start between 3 and 3:30, we didn't get to my parents until 3:15, and we were still the first ones there. And it was chilly, so we had to set up to eat in the house rather than set up picnic tables outside. Because we started in the house, it was very difficult to get everyone back outside to play games. Eventually, a scavenger hunt was started, and later Thomas took most everyone down to the creek, so I could set up for dinner. The rest of the time was eating. We had planned a bonfire, but got started too late, and I was too tired to push for it. So we cleaned up with the help of some of the guests and came home. Thanks to Matt for his help setting up and cleaning, and Chad and Amanda for their help cleaning up. And thanks to everyone who came, and we missed those who couldn't.

We always had in our mind that this would probably be the last pirate party of this kind. Our families have changed too much and we are no longer the only ones our age to hang out with. And it is difficult to plan a large party and be a hostess while being 8 months pregnant. But now that I am rested and can look back and evaluate the party, I can hardly wait to make changes and try again. Seriously, "Talk Like a Pirate Day" is too much fun, and people dressed up like pirates is too out of the ordinary. And we like that.

6 Weeks and Counting

If faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see, then pregnancy is an amazing lesson in faith...

I have approximately 6 weeks until I meet my baby.

I don't know what I think about that. Part of me is so excited to meet him, to hold him, to play with his little toes and fingers. His baby clothes are right by the washing machine, so every time I do laundry I wonder what it will be like to dress him and change his diaper. I have dressed baby before, and changed a few diapers in my time, but this will be my baby, my son. Will it be completely different, or will the routine make it less precious as time goes on? I want to cherish each moment that I have with him and never get frustrated with him.

That is where another part of me kicks in, because part of me is also scared to meet him. What if I am a terrible mommy? What if I can't feed him? or he gets sick? or something goes wrong? I have another little life to worry about here, and so many things could be problems. What will I do then? And I am a wife too. What about Thomas? What if I can't take care of him too? How will he cope with the change? What will this new addition do to our marriage?

Then I begin to think of all the things I have to do before he comes. The nursery needs to be set up, and Thomas's office moved, which means I need to finish cleaning the attic. The house needs a through scrub down; my clothes need to be put in boxes or bins so they are not laying all over the bedroom. I need to iron, freeze meals, find a childcare overseer for the ESL class and maybe an interim director.

And then I feel helpless and tired and stressed and emotional (how I love those hormones going crazy), the love of God comes and covers a multitude of woes. He says that he has given me everything I need for life and godliness. He says that he will give me the grace I need to face any situation. He says that he will never leave me, never forsake me, but always love me and give me the strength I need. He asks me to trust his timing, to rest in his love, and to lean on his strength.

He reminds me that, by myself, I can't deal with it all, but I will never be by myself. He reminds me that my baby is his child too, and he loves him, even more than I do. He reminds me that he has given me the perfect match - the perfect complement to my needs - in Thomas. And he is working in him too, but that is his story, and I don't need to worry about it.

And he takes this poor divided individual and makes me whole again, ready to live one day at a time, ready to love each person he brings my way, ready for my baby to come whenever he does.

Rain

It's raining. It has been raining for the past four days, at least. And it will probably keep raining until Sunday. Although the only problems we have had is that our kitchen ceiling is again leaking, there is major flooding in our area. Some have been evacuated, some are bailing water, and some just have water running through their basements. It is one of the worst floods we have faced in a long time.

School was cancelled today. So we cancelled our ESL classes. My doctor's appointment has been cancelled for tomorrow, and the Saturday birthing class might be cancelled too. It is a little scary to see all the destruction that this water is causing. And I hope Thomas can get home safely tonight. He has a creek to cross that hopefully hasn't been flooded.

But in the middle of all this seriousness, my brain began to imagine the Facebook posts at the time of the Noah flood. I am picturing this guy with his laptop typing, "Sitting on my roof, checking my facebook... anyone out there?" Kind of funny in a terribly morbid way, especially if Noah commented back. What would he have said?

365 Project

I started a new project, and I am really excited about it. It doesn't take a lot of time, energy, or space. It is something I already do, but now I am just committing to do it more often.

And it is not the dishes - which do take a lot of time, energy, and space.
It is not sewing, though I have several projects started that need to be finished for my sister's birthday. Yay!
It is not origami cards, which I find very relaxing to make, but they do take up a lot time and space.
And although the ESL classes are new, and I am excited about them, and they do start September 6th, I am not referring to them.

No, my new project is the 365 Project - taking one picture a day for an entire year.

I might be crazy for trying to start now, but I figure if I get into the habit of taking a picture a day before the baby comes, then I might be more likely to do it after I am so busy. And, I will have a perfect subject to take lots of pictures of every day. I did think of starting on the baby's birthday and taking a picture of him everyday for a year, and I may do that yet, but I want to look for pictures other places also.

So you can follow my daily pictures at http://365project.org/amorcarminis/365.

My Nephew

Edmund turned one last Wednesday! And he has entered the list as third favorite person to photograph. Thomas is the first, Kate is the second, and Edmund is the third, though I expect this order will get slightly altered when "Jim Jimmy Jim Jim Jim" arrives.

I love how many different facial expressions he has, and how he communicates so much, even though he can't say many words.

I also love the way you can see both his Daddy's facial expressions, as well as his Mommy's.

He is beginning to realize that other people are looking at him. Sometimes that means looking very worried when he has grabbed someones legs besides his Daddy's. Sometimes it means giving a cheesy grin.

When I got out my camera on Saturday for his party, before I even took a picture, he blinked his eyes like he was getting ready for the flash. I think I am getting a reputation or something.

Not only is he lots of fun to take pictures of, I really enjoyed making him a little pirate costume. It is a little big, but I wanted to make sure he could wear it for a while. The pants still ended up being longer than I meant them to be, but for not having a pattern or measurements to go by, I think I did OK.

Moment

The phone hasn't rung in 15 minutes, so I am going to try to write. "Why write," you may ask. "when you have so much to do? You have laundry to wash, sheets to change phone calls to make, dishes to wash, a picnic to organize, and birthday presents to sew. Is now really a good time?"

But I am writing to capture this moment of serenity in the frantic-ness of life. Of course I have things to do. I always will. I could list more things from my to do list, but it wouldn't matter. At this moment, there is quietness, calmness, peace.

The windows are open. For the first time in a long time, I am actually a little chilly. It is a nice feeling. My neighbor's wind chimes remind me of the ones on my grandma's porch that grandpa made for her. He always said that we all got our musical talent from him because he gave all his away. He may not have been a musician, but he made beautifully resonant wind chimes. My favorites were the long, low, bell-like chimes. A breeze is blowing through the house, clearing out the stale, humid air of the summer. And I am sitting at a newly cleaned up desk. Things are in files, projects that need to be completed by the end of the week are in a stack right by my computer. One longer term project is on the other side. There are a few things scattered on the floor that don't fit into any files, but I have had the nerve to throw them away yet. But I know if they lay on the floor long enough, I will get so annoyed that any emotional or practical connection to them will decrease and by Saturday I will be able to throw it all out.

I have lots to do, but I am not overwhelmed by it all. The funny thing is that I often think that if I stress enough, I will get lots done, but I bet I will be more productive as I take this moment of serenity into my tasks. When will I ever learn that sometimes stopping for a moment is the best way to move forward?

Gabriel's - Restaurant Review

Thomas and I met another couple for a late supper on Tuesday night. At their suggestion, we chose Gabriel's Lorenzo Room, an Italian restaurant just a block and a half away from our house. From the outside, it was nothing much to look at. It is just small half a double. There are three lights above the sign, and a neon light for some beer in the tiny front window. The first room has a bar running the full length of the room and had a few small tables for two, and a TV up in the corner. It was clean and neat and mostly empty. All the wood accents were a dark wood, and the lighting was dim, but not unpleasantly so.

The man and the bar told us to go back to the next room, and when we looked confused he pointed to the door and told us to follow the guy who had just come through. The next two rooms had several larger tables with table-clothes and napkins all set up attractively. The waiter was wearing jeans and a nice button-up shirt and was friendly and polite. As my friend pointed out, it was nice not to be called, "Hon" or "Sweety" by the waiter. (This is not uncommon in restaurants around town.) He was the only waiter there, but he was efficient and only made a small mistake in our order.

Since we had to wait a little for our friends, we ordered an appetizer of mozzarella sticks, which were served with cocktail sauce instead of marinara sauce. As we waited, we looked around. There were three large woodcarvings on the walls. One of them was a conquistador, and I don't remember the other two. The conquistador was impressive though. It was a relief carving, but it stuck out from its base by at least six inches. The details were beautiful.

When our friends arrived we ordered our food. All the food was made by the grandma upstairs. I had ravioli and meatballs; Thomas ordered fish parmigiana; and the other couple ordered rigatoni and meatballs and chicken parmigiana. All the meals came with a salad and bread. The salad was normal iceburg lettuce salad with tomatoes and dressing, but the bread was so good! It was crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Everyone enjoyed their meal, and the serving sizes were just perfect. I especially liked the tomato sauce, so much that I broke all kinds of etiquette rules and scooped it all up with the delicious bread, to the amusement of the waiter. We didn't have room for dessert, which was waffles and ice-cream, but I'm sure it would have been delicious too.

It was closing as we left, so we were the last ones there. But even when we arrived, there were only two other groups. It made me sad to think about how many people are missing out on such wonderful food, in such a comfortable setting. I hope to go back again sometime soon, and maybe take some other friends who will share the news of good food to more people.

Pennsylvania Family

In Pennsylvania I have a great family too.

It was getting dark the night I took this picture, so I couldn't get pictures of the fun times that followed - frisbee as the sunset, sitting on the grass with Grandma, watching Edmund fall over because our grassy lawn is both sloped and very rough. I did get some fun pictures of my "little" brother, but I put them up over on facebook. My photoshop brain was not working very well today.

In about 11 weeks a new member will be added to both families! With every kick and somersault that I feel in my belly, I am getting more excited and more nervous. I know that there is nothing we can do to be completely ready, but the list of things that need to happen before baby arrives keeps getting longer, and I keep getting more and more tired! Daily naps are haven't been so important since I was teaching Kindergarten.

But the excitement of meeting this little personality inside me is growing. I wonder about him a lot. Will he look like his daddy? Will he have hair? Will he be a good sleeper? Will he be as ornery as he sometimes seems right now? Not that any of those things matter. Already I love him lots and can't wait to give him hugs and kisses.

Notes

Notes

~ Even though I didn't feel like I needed a nap yesterday, I am sure feeling it today. I am sore and tired, but in a good way.
~ My mom is a great person. She helped me organize some papers in my attic. And we had fun talking and being together the last few days. When I grow up, I want to be a mom like her.
~ I am very good at procrastinating. That is why I needed help organizing papers in my attic. And why I haven't done the dishes yet, or made some phone calls, or...
~ I found a bunch of things from college today, including the original catalog I was given, and class notes. I didn't go through them; I just put them in a bag next to the box with my other college things. I have yet to find my Euclidean geometry notes though. That entire semester seems to be missing.
~ There are too many options for baby car seats. I have been researching them the past few nights and am no closer in knowing which one would be best for us.
~ I often wish that everything in my house had a specific place that it always migrated back to if it wasn't being used. Then I wouldn't have to figure out what to do with it. It would just know.
~ I need to weed my garden/plant boxes today or tomorrow. I am really good at growing weeds and herbs. My mint, chives, basil, and dill are the best looking of all the plants besides weeds. I had a marigold come up, and several morning glories that are doing well. And of course the irises, seedum, and lilac are doing just fine.
~ I realized yesterday. I like woods better than fields, even though I like sunshine a lot.
~ I was reading Galatians again this morning and was encouraged by thinking about the progression from striving to fulfill the Law to finding freedom in Christ to being filled with service for others. It was good to be reminded that life is not only about what we do, but why we do it. And sowing unto the Spirit will reap a blessing from the Spirit.
~ My time is up. I need to go do some work around the house now.

Georgia Family

 In Georgia, I have a great family.

Wileys as dinosaurs, the entire family, then their "band picture," or something like that.

These two sisters arrived to the "photo-shoot" before the others.

I love my sisters-in-law. They are such fun to take pictures of too!

(You can click on any of the pictures and make it bigger. The facial expressions are amazing!)

(My camera takes such large photos, they take too long to upload by themselves, so I have been downsizing and "collaging" them in Photoshop which is tons of fun even if it takes forever and slows down my computer. I have more pictures of birds and gardens, but haven't finished them yet.)

Girls Club Pictures

This one was hard to make. There were so many great pictures to choose from, but here are the ones I chose to capture the fun of the evening. Believe it or not, we talked about what made good outfits - things like it matching and fitting and not being to crazy. You can tell they understood the lesson, can't you?

Smoky Chipotle Mac-n-Chedddar

This recipe is from Rachel Ray's cookbook 365: No Repeats. I hope I am not infringing on any copyright issues by sharing it here. It is actually a fourth alteration of a recipe, and I am not quoting the cookbook exactly, but more writing what I did using her recipe. She said it makes 4 servings, but we had three times the amount that we eat in one meal.

1 pound elbow macaroni noodles
3/4 to 1 pound chorizo
1 15-ounce can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp butter (I skipped the olive oil and used 2.5 Tbsp butter)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (I didn't chop mine)
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used 1/2 tsp chili pepper and sprinkled in some crushed red pepper)
1 tsp paprika
3 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock or broth (I used bullion)
3 cups grated smoked cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I completely forgot about this and didn't add it at all)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside until the end.
2. While the pasta is cooking, cut the casing off the chorizo and dice it. Then let it brown (or cook, because it doesn't really turn that brown) in a medium sized frying pan.
3. While the chorizo is browning, melt in a medium saucepan the butter (and olive oil). Add the onion and chipotle peppers and cook for 3-5 minutes.
3. Raise the heat and whisk in the flour, cayenne (or its substitutes) and paprika. When it bubbles, cook for 1 more minute.
4. Then add the milk and chicken broth and turn up the heat a little more. Bring it to a quick boil, but once it boils reduce the heat and let it simmer until the sauce thickens. (She said 3-5 minutes, it took my sauce 5-10 minutes before it thickened.)
5. Add cheese to the thickened sauce and stir until cheese is melted. (This is when you add the Dijon and salt and pepper to taste, which I forgot to do. I don't think we really missed any of them.)
6. Once the chorizo is browned, drain the fire-roasted tomatoes and add them to the chorizo pan.
7. When the cheese is melted and the chorizo and tomatoes are warmed, pour it all over the noodles and stir

It is a little spicy, but it fills you up, unlike box mac-n-cheese, so it is fine as a main dish. Rachel Ray did mention that if you couldn't find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 1 Tbsp ground chipotle powder would work well. However, the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce were much easier for me to find.
I served it with beets, my family's traditional macaroni and cheese vegetable, but corn, or a salad, or green beans could have been equally yummy (or more yummy, if you don't like beets).

Chicken Scampi

I made this a few weeks ago, and Thomas said it was one I should blog about. In my church wedding shower invitations, all the ladies were given a recipe card and asked to share a recipe with me. While I was teaching and in survival mode, I didn't try many new recipes, but now I am trying to have one new recipe a week. So finally I am making some of those amazing recipes our church ladies have shared with me.

This chicken scampi is from Eileen Zarowsky.  The lemon and garlic combination was really what made this recipe so special.

Cut boneless filet of chicken in strips.
In a frying pan, melt a small amount of butter  and add salt and pepper to taste
Brown chicken in the butter, then remove the chicken and set aside
Add 1/2 stick butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, juice from 1 lemon, paprika to taste, 1/2 tsp oregano to the chicken juices in the frying pan.
Simmer for 5-10 minutes
Add chicken, cover with lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

In typical fashion, I did not follow the recipe exactly. For one, I didn't have a boneless filet of chicken, so I used crockpot chicken that had been frozen. That meant I skipped the first three steps and started with the 1/2 stick butter, etc and added the thawed chicken in the last step.

I served it over linguini noodles with a salad on the side.

Catch-up UPDATED

This is about three weeks over due, and there will be more coming, but here you go, girls!
I hope you like it. Coming soon: Dress-up Clothes.

UPDATE:

Homeward bound

"Parting is such sweet sorrow."
    There is nothing sweet about saying goodbye. It is all sad and bummy.

"Home is where the heart is."
    What if the heart is torn between many places? Where is home then?

Georgia was lovely, and I will post pictures from our time there. And even though I am looking forward to my own house and bed, seeing my family, being in my schedule, and such things, I miss those I have left behind.

Rest

    Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness:
Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
    May toss him to my breast.
~ The Pulley by George Herbert

The last few days have been very busy and I have felt like I have only been at home to sleep. I know that isn't quite accurate, but after being "forced to chill" today with a friend, then coming home and having a pile of things to do and phone calls to make, I realized what I wanted most was "just a rest."

That made me think of one of my favorite poems - the last stanza is quoted above. I love it for the way it feels in my mouth (see last post) but also because so often I don't seek God until I am weary and it reminds me that weariness is like the kite-string that connects the kite to the kite-flyer. It may feel burdensome and bothersome, but it is what keeps them connected, and ends up being what makes the kite able to fly.

... His strength made perfect in my weakness...

Words

On the way home from prayer meeting, I recited poetry aloud in the car.
I recently finished a song in French, a song in Italian, and now I am working on one in German.
I realized that I love the feel of beautiful words in my mouth.

Some words are better to read in your head. They make sense and are functional - they communicate what they need to. But sometimes words want to be spoken, to take life and fly, to have vocal inflection and expression. Those are the words that taste good. They leave a satisfying feeling in your mouth and in your ear.

I think I will be reading more poetry... out loud. Any suggestions for yummy words?

Thunder Cake - Funny Cake

For the fourth of July I made a cake for a celebration at my parents; and I chose a chocolate cake for Thomas. I often think of chocolate cake a more of winter dessert, but this recipe has a fruity flavor because of a secret ingredient.

I found the recipe in the back of a children's book Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco when I was teaching Kindergarten. The story is about a little girl who is afraid of thunderstorms, so her grandmother teaches her to make this cake and while getting the ingredient to do all sorts of things she is scared of. While the cake is baking her grandmother points out that the little girl did all sorts of brave things, even though she was nervous, so she didn't need to let the thunder, which is just noise, scare her into being unable to do anything. Patricia Polacco tells the story better, and illustrates it too, so I would recommend reading it.

However, I will write share the recipe.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together:
 2 1/2 cups cake flour (though I use all-purpose flour and it works fine)
1/2 cup dry cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, cream together:
1 cup shortning
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, separated (blend the yolks in; beat the whites until stiff and then fold them in.

Then mix in:
1 cup cold water
1/3 cup pureed tomatoes (secret ingredient - it adds moisture and the fruity flavor)

Mix the dry mixture into the creamy mixture.
Bake in two greased and floured 8 1/2 inch round pans at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Let cool, then frost with chocolate butter frosting and top with strawberries.

I followed the recipe until the last line. I did not frost it with chocolate butter frosting. I had a grand plan of covering it with whipped cream and decorating it with strawberries and blackberries (that were really dark blue) to make it look somewhat patriotic. And for a yummy twist, I thought I would put strawberries between the layers. Well... let just say I didn't take any pictures for a reason. It didn't quite turn out that way.

First, I iced the top of the bottom layer, added the sliced strawberries, then added the top layer. Unfortunately, the trip out to my parents was rather warm and the icing melted and the top layer slid off and all the strawberries slid out. Second, I wanted the whipped cream to be fresh, so I was going to add it right before I served it. But I forgot to get the whipped cream out of the freezer. So Mom said to microwave it for a few seconds. The little information screen doesn't work on her microwave, and I was doing a bunch of other things and the whipped cream ended up melted into... what I thought looked like baby spit-up. I took the juice part and used it as a glaze, then decorated it with strawberries and blackberries and everyone, who didn't know what it was supposed to look like, said it was very nice. And everyone, even those who did know what it was supposed to look like, said it tasted yummy.

I had some. It was good. But I laughed all while eating it.

Moral of the story: When making a cake, always follow all the directions!

Books

This morning I was reading the World articles on books. I realized that this year I haven't read many books, but those I did changed the way I thought about things. Usually fiction books shape the way I think more than non-fiction books. I think it is because I can experience a story.

The new fiction book of the year was Jane Eyre. I had never read it, but after my mom and dad read it as a family and loved it, and my sister really disliked it, I wanted to see what I thought. I agreed with my mom and dad. I related to Jane, not in her experiences, but in the way she grew and looked at the world. I understood her desire and struggle to do what was right, only to find that sometimes the right thing is confusing and complicated. Like her, I have felt cut off from the people I am closest to and unable to talk about the things that I really cared about. I have been disappointed by God, only to find that He was making me into a better person, more able to experience the blessings I desired before. And Jane lived happily ever after, in an imperfect, unreliable world. It gave me hope to keep living through difficult situations.

The new non-fiction book of the year was Loving the Church. Although the writing style was occasionally awkward and the little "stories" at the beginning of each chapter often annoyed me, I learned so much from that little book. I made myself read only a chapter at a time so that I could think about it and process and mentally respond to the points made in each chapter. That made me slow down my reading and actually benefit from the book. It talked about things that my church does well, and pointed out things that we really struggle with. But most importantly of all, it made me realize that the church is my responsibility. I cannot sit back and critique the church, I need to be involved and getting messy with the church. It challenged my pride that knew exactly what a church should look like and got frustrated with the elders for not doing it right, and in its place grew a humility that accepted I am the problem with the church. I was not doing anything to benefit anybody. So are there still problems in my church? Of course. Does that give me an excuse to not be a part of things? Not really. This little book challenged me to think, "Ask not what your church can do for you, but what you can do for your church."

The other book worthy of mention, I haven't finished reading yet. Directing Actors is an amazing book, both in practical advice as well as in perspectives. I am working slowly through it, but it is definitely one I will re-read regularly.

This is how I spent my evening

Far too much time went into getting these 33 seconds to look decent. I have a longer version and a "memories" version, but they don't have as high quality photos. They don't have sound because I care about copyright laws and haven't done all the research on them yet. Maybe this will someday show up on the ICS website... once I figure out how to do it.

Projects: UPDATED!

1. Girls' Club

 

2. Strawberries: Today, Mom and I went strawberry picking. There were a lot of rotten ones since it is one of the last days of the season for this year. But I picked almost 6 quarts and Mom picked a little more in about an hour. (She went last week and got 18 quarts in an hour.) When we got back to her house, I stemmed the ones I picked and bagged them to be frozen. She also gave me a quart of hers to eat fresh. Strawberry shortcake coming right up!

3. Skirts: Some sisters in our church asked me to sew "Andrews Sisters' skirts" for them. They are planning on performing "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" at a WWII reenactment this weekend, and wanted matching skirts. They bought the material, thread, zippers, and such; and I reworked a pattern and sewed the skirts.

My pattern

Original Pattern

  Their were several problems with the original pattern. The biggest problem was that it was too small for any of the girls I was sewing for. The second problem was the front seam. And the third was a hidden zipper on the front seam. But we all like the simple A-line look. So from this pattern, I developed a new one, using the side lines, but placing the front on a fold, moving the zipper to the back of the skirt, and adding a button on the waistband.




I didn't want to use up the beautiful fabric that they bought before I was sure my pattern would fit, so I quickly sewed up a "mock-skirt" or rough draft for one of the girls to try on. This allowed me not only to work out the kinks of the pattern, but also the assembly. I might alter it so it will fit me when normal clothes fit again. Aren't the colors great!

Front of rough draft

Back of rough draft

Because each girl is differently shaped, I then altered my pattern for each skirt. They went together rather quickly. We had a fitting so I could measure the hem, and last night I hemmed them did the waistband buttons and button-holes. Just a quick not on button holes: I used to dread them. Using my "new" machine, I have to zig-zag down one side, then long across the bottom, then up the other side, then long across the top. It is so hard to get decent looking button holes. But on the machine from my grandmother, made in the 50's, came with a nifty button holing device. You hook it all up and line up the material then press the pedal and voila! a beautiful button hole. No stress, worry, or hassle. I love it!

So here are the finished skirts. I was in a hurry this morning, so I didn't get really good pictures. But I hope to update this post with pictures of them in action! Check back after the weekend.





UPDATE!

The girls looked wonderful, and although I haven't heard reports yet, I am sure they sounded lovely too. Next project for them: matching hats, and maybe ties, although I really liked the black ones.