Happy Birthday....

Angie!!!It's hard to believe you're SEVENTEEN!!! Where has the time gone? (I finally got that little sister I had been asking for, and just in time for my birthday!) :) I hope you have a very special day... you are a very special young lady!

We love you!
Love,
Mark and Chari

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Image Courtesy of Mary Engelbreit.

Finished Object Friday

My sister, Angie, is almost never without her camera. (She takes some pretty cool pictures too!) She also carries around some cool sunglasses. :) Unfortunately for them, these two items were wandering around unprotected in her purse... until I came to their aid! :)

I found some cool fabric while shopping earlier this week, and tried my hand at making covers for her sunglasses and her camera.


Ok, so they aren't my best attempt at sewing, but hopefully they will remain functional for a while. :)


As with most of my sewing, I worked it out as I went along. That's not really the recommended method, but I guess it works for me - sometimes better than others. There are still a few things that bug me and the snaps were a great source of frustration, but all in all they are pretty cute. And Angie was pleasantly surprised, which is what is most important! Oh, and the items fit perfectly! (and I was trying to make them roomy, good thing or they wouldn't have fit!) :)

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So what bit of "craftiness" have you been up to recently? ... or even not so recently! :) Share the links below!

To see the other FOF posts click here.

Apron Strings

Ready for something else black, white and red?? Why it's an apron, of course! :) It will soon be mailed off to a friend that got married today. (Congrats to Janae and Cameron!!! Married this afternoon in Indiana.) I finished this up on Thursday and Angie agreed to be my model. :)

I found the fabric when I was looking for material for my curtains.


Of course, it just had to be an apron! :)
To make the apron, I just cut around one of my favorite cherry aprons, made the ties and used bias tape all around it.

We had fun with our photo shoot. Mom even brought out another prop - I'm glad we don't have to use it to do laundry anymore!



A couple more pictures, just for fun!
(Swatting at mosquitoes!)


Isn't she beautiful!!

Recital

Angie's recital was last night. She played a beautiful song from Pride and Prejudice. (To read her take on the event, click here.)

Angie with her flowers...doesn't she look beautiful! :)

New Blog!!! :)

Angie, my sister, started a blog! She has been wanting to do it for a while, and we got it together last night! I think she will really enjoy blogging. I know I have! :)

Also, I thought that some of you might like to check out my latest post over on my other blog: Time to Bloom. It deals with how we react to our thoughts - something each of us can think about. :)

Sweet Sixteen!!!

Happy Birthday, Angie!!!

I can't believe you are sixteen already! I hope you have a wonderful day today! (and party on Friday night!)

Love ya, Sis!!


Here are pictures from last night:

Angie's Sixteenth Birthday

Last day of May!

Wow, I can't believe May is almost over!! This year is just flying by! I am catching up on some of my pictures from the last week. We enjoyed touring some sites around here on Thursday - an old house that has been turned into a museum (I had my bridal portraits taken here, but had never toured it.) and we also toured a Civil War prisoner of war camp site. Thursday was also my mom's birthday so we went out to eat with them and then to my parents for cake and gifts. We had bought Kim Collingsworth's new Sunday Morning Ivories cd at the concert in March. Mom saw it then, but by her birthday she had forgotten all about it! It was such a nice "surprise."

Friday we went to Dallas to visit the Ancient Treasures of the Holy Land Exhibit. We couldn't take pictures in the exhibit, but there was a Bible exhibit outside, and we took a few pictures of it. The Ancient Treasures was really neat, we had headphones to listen to the comments at all the different stops. It was very well done and very Biblical! They talked about how archeology just verifies the facts of the Bible. And they also discussed history related to Israel, but not in Scripture, such as Alexander the Great, the Macabees, and Messada. After that we ate supper at Panera Bread and went shopping at an outlet mall. Quite a busy day!

Saturday we didn't do a whole lot, but we did get some garage sales in and bought flowers for the front yard. Monday we planted flowers and that evening went to a picnic at church.

The pictures are a compilation of the whole weekend and then some. We have been getting a TON of rain! Tuesday evening it poured! I included a little clip showing how fast the water was going in our drainage ditch out front. Also I have been doing some knitting, but most of what I have been doing are gifts (and can't be posted until they are given!). I included a picture of the purse I made for Katrin's first birthday (she is the daughter of my friend and fellow blogger, Jennifer). :)

Memorial Day Weekend

Oh, and one more thing... Angie had her first treatment of Remicade today. Thankfully she isn't allergic to it (they would have known in the first few minutes of infusion). Please help us pray that this works for her!

Recital

No, not mine! Angie's recital was Friday. I tried to put the video in the album, but it is too large... sorry! She did very well. The recital hall is beautiful. It is located at a local college campus. I think she really enjoyed playing there on the nine foot Steinway concert grand! :) The first picture in the album is our "celebration" for finishing history for the year! I was her history teacher this year, and we finished the whole book (unlike most "regular" history classes)! :) She hasn't started treatments yet with Remicade. Hopefully soon, she wants to get off steriods!

Angie's Recital

In other news.... :) I have been busily working on things for children's services at camp. The rest of the crafts came in the mail last week and they needed a little pre-assembly! The kids would have been working hours on all those little pieces! I finished those and have been working on my decorations - which are turning out a little better than expected! I love coloring things with chalks! Now to get the songs and memory verses on posters!! AHHH! - less than two weeks to go!

Our anniversary is Monday - it is hard to believe we have been married two years! I have the best husband in the world!! :) Instead of a big anniversary trip, Mark is taking a few days off, and we will be doing some things close by.


hmmm, I think we've changed a little in two years! :)

Life

Mark found this t-shirt on one of his favorite sites: www.thinkgeek.com. He thought it was appropriate for me! :) I think it is pretty funny myself. How many of you reading this need one? hehehe!












Life just keeps trucking on! Work a little here and there, laundry, dishes, oh, and thanks, Dad, we now have our ice maker hooked up!! Then there is shopping: shoes = fun, groceries - not so much, but it is necessary, right? Then there is reading... I just finished A Young Woman's Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George. Very good and practical!! I love her books, she is a great author for women. For fiction I am reading It Happens Every Spring by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer. It is a fiction book based on Chapman's book The Four Seasons of Marriage.

A quick update on Angie, they have decided to go with the infusion, Remicade. Please pray that it has the effect needed and will help heal her intestines! Her doctor has had good experience with it in the past.

Nessa is still wrapped up, she has about eight more days before she is ready to come out. She is rather boring at the moment! :) Hopefully, I can catch her coming out, but I'm not too optomistic, I think I am working that day! Oh, well.

By the way, thank you for your comments! (especially those praying for Angie) As for everyone else who visits... *ahem* I would love to here from you and know who is stopping by! (hint, hint!) :) Some of you, I know who you are!!! hehehe!

Quick Update

I just wanted to post a quick note on what is going on with Angie. The steroids she was on were causing her muscles to deteriorate and possibly even her bones. You can really tell in her hands - they are very thin especially for a piano player. The good news is that she won't have to have surgery now. There are two options for treatment for her. One is a special all-liquid diet for a month. The other option is infusion of the drug Remicade. The liquid diet would have no side effects, but that would be all she could eat except for some clear liquids (jello, Popsicles, etc) and the doctor said that it tastes nasty. The Remicade could have some side effects and she could possibly have to be on it for the rest of her life. Please pray for Angie and my parents as they seek God's will for the best route for her treatment. Thank you for your prayers and your concern.

Prayer Request

My sister, Angie, was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in June of 2002. She has been off an on steroids ever since, along with a bunch of other prescriptions. Recently, she had a major bout. She is going to have to have some tests done at the Children's Hospital in Dallas tomorrow. (there are no pediatric GI doctors locally, her dr is the head GI there). Please pray that he will be able to find out why she is having such a difficult recurence. Anyone familiar with steroids, knows that extended use isn't good for you. Other options include an all liquid diet or even surgery. Please pray for wisdom for the doctor or healing if that is God's will for her. Being a teenager is hard enough without dealing with a long-term disease - she will be 16 in August. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!















Picture taken 8-06