Exceedingly Abundantly Beyond

Last night I finished the quilt that I've been working on.  It's actually the first quilt that I've ever made.  I've done quite a bit of sewing.  Purses, shirts, curtains, aprons, etc... But quilts have other details that I'd never considered in my "sewing-only" projects. There is a lot of hand detail that is very time consuming!  I've had a lot of inquiries as to how much I charge.  After much consideration, I've come to a decision. The base price for a t-shirt quilt is $15 per shirt/block plus the cost of supplies.  (And, I get to help make the final decision when it comes to the fabrics used, besides the t-shirts.) I had, at first, wanted that to include the cost of supplies.  But, after realizing the time involved in making the quilt, and researching the variation in price of different fabrics and things, I think this is a better way.   So, here is the finished quilt. And here is another shot, close up, of the yarn ties that I did. At the abov...

So, do you wanna know what my biggest source of struggles is during this deployment?  Well, if you read they title, you can probably guess that its the newest addition to our family, Lizzy the dog.  The trouble is not that she is a bad dog, not that she's mean, not even that she's ugly.  She's a boxer.  So on the contrary, she's a very sweet, smart, beautiful dog.  And for the most part, she loves ME.  The problem is that I don't love her back.  I feel almost un-American for saying such a thing.   I am not a dog person.   Really, in all honesty, I'm not a pet person.  I grew up around a farm, where animals belong outside. The thing is, my husband loves her.  And I love my husband.  Sometimes, I think that taking care of his dog is one of the most sacrifical ways I can love him right now.   Here's my dilemma... I don't know what to do with her.   Just when I think she's potty trained, she poops and pees in the house....

It's 10:20 pm on Sunday night.  Today seemed to be a pretty good day, albeit long, with the time change.  Nothing in particular really set me off.  I went to church.  Went to a meeting about Bike Trip.  Went to a retirement party for my brother's father-in-law.  My sister's family came over and we had Avanti's for dinner.  I did my sister's hair. But when everyone started to leave, Aida and I both just went into meltdown mode. Aida cried herself to sleep tonight.  I just cried til everyone else went to sleep. Little things that make me feel like half a person.  And each thing builds on top of the previous thing.  Always being the driver, never the passenger.  Kids that don't listen to mom, and dad's not here to set 'em straight.  Not having someone to go to the grocery store for me, when I forgot to do it earlier in the day.  Kids messing with my sewing notions and leaving them all over the floor.  Being alone at nigh...

I  took my kids bowling last night. I was really feeling Derick's absence.  The kids were glued to the TV. And when they were in between shows, they were arguing and fighting.  We had to get out of the house! So when Aida asked if we could do something fun, I looked up the Christian Center Bowling Alley. Wouldn't ya know, kids are $1.50/game and $1 for shoes. I can swing that. And the bonus... The place was almost empty! No one for my kids to distract and annoy! Here are a few highlights.  Aida posing for the camera. Trying to look good so I can send the pic to daddy! She was the only one truly concerned about the score.  She got a couple of spares and one strike but was still unhappy when Allyn beat her in the end.  Christian checking out the score board. He lost to me by only one point, with a score of 104... With bumpers! Oh, yeah! Watching Allyn run towards the lane and literally fling the ball at the pins! Always turning away with a grin and a high-fiv...

I spilled my water during church today.  Of course, it sinks in and runs down the crack in the back of the seat.  Suddenly, I see my friends leaping up so as to avoid the cold running toward their backsides.  I was so embarassed!  Involuntarily, the the tears started to flow. But, let me back up.  I have a 4 year old son, named Brody.  He is the only one of my children that I would actually label as clingy.  I've never had an issue putting my kids in babysitting for a Bible Study, or taking them to Sunday School.  They don't cry when they spend the night at grandma's house, or even a friend's house, for that matter.  And the first day of school is exciting, not dreadful! That is, until I had Brody... When Brody came along, everything changed.  Including how sympathetic I am to tears at my departure.  Once upon a time, Derick and I would take him to Sunday School together.  We'd open the door, throw him at the teacher and ...