Pajamas, Prayer, and Bad Christmas Photos

Yes, I know it is the ninth of January

and I am just now posting photos of Christmas morning.

But I have been trying,

in my VERY LIMITED UNDERSTANDING,

to make something of these blurry photos.

You see, 

I DID make the girls matching Christmas jammies.

And Ahnalin received

the Disney Animators Mulan Doll

from her Daddy and me.

And she received her Molly doll

from her Nana and Papa.

And I made matching jammies for Molly too.

And India received a biography about her 

favorite boss.

And Don received a t-shirt with his namesake

on it!

And me.........

Yeah, my Hot Rockin' Hubby 

bought me an iPad2!

I still need to learn so much about 

how to use my drafting programs on it.

It feels super decadent to me,

but it is my computer.

I have been using Don's old 

MacBook and he needs it back!

So, I need to figure it out.

I am VERY open to any and all

tips and thoughts from 

anyone!

After we opened our gifts

and had some breakfast,

we headed to church for the Christmas service.

It was a beautiful service,

worshiping the newborn King Jesus

with our new church family. 

Because Don is the music minister,

he made the decision to 

have India join us in singing the

Christmas carols.

So, I got to sing with my India

and my HRH together.

What a gift!

After church,

the girls put their Christmas jammies

back on because they were so cozy.

And yes, the oven DID catch on fire

while I was making the Spanikopita.

I had planned on taking lovely photos

and posting the recipe. 

Really. 

But I couldn't find Ahnalin's camera

and my phone was taking these blurry shots

and I used too much butter

for the first time in 23 years of making this

and THE OVEN CAUGHT ON FIRE!!!!!!!

So we ran next door

and the neighbors had a fire extinguisher

and brought it over to put out the flames.

And God protected us so much,
because the fire was contained
to just the inside of the oven.

Thankfully,

the rest of Christmas dinner was food

I could make on top of the stove. 

So crazy!!!

Don wanted to clean the oven

but I said it could wait until

after Christmas dinner!!!!!!

He did it anyway. 

It is very clean now. 

Thank you Don!

After dinner,

we went to see 

The Muppets for the 2nd time.

This time, we all sang along.

You see, it was at the bargain theater

and everyone else was in a Christmas mood, so 

EVERYONE WAS SINGING ALONG!

It was a lovely Christmas day!

And yes, I am going to buy a new

fire extinguisher.

A few days later,

Ahnalin and I drove India to the 

airport so she could fly out to visit

her Chicago buddies!

She had a wonderful time,

but is SO READY to finally

have her surgery.

So, this morning

we are heading to the hospital for her

pre-op with the anesthesiologist.

Her surgery is set for 12:50 tomorrow,

but we are praying that the hospital will

move up her surgery slot so she can 

go in earlier.

With her Type 1 diabetes,

fasting for surgery is difficult.

Please, please pray for my girl.

Please.

Please pray that the surgeon will

be able to repair the tendons in her

right foot. 

Please pray that he can figure out 

what the strange lump is on

her ankle, and correct or 

remove it.

Please pray for India as she recovers,

that her blood sugars would remain stable

and that her immune system

will behave, for once,

so she can heal.

We really covet any prayers sent our way.

Thank you so much. 

I will update soon.

Sivje

What Ahnalin Made Us For Christmas

This year for Christmas,

Ahnalin made all her gifts!

I am so proud of my girl!

She came up with the ideas all on her own

and then planned out how she

would design and sew them.

Our family is CRAZY for 

The Muppets!

In fact, we saw the movie

for the second time 

on Christmas Day!

(This was after the oven caught fire,

because I learned that you CAN use too 

much butter in Spanikopita!)

So when Ahnalin saw this Kermit

fleece at Joanns,

she HAD to have some to make

a scarf for Daddy!

She wanted to embroider his

name on it,

so she set up the font

and hooped

the fabric too.

Then she sat and kept an eagle

eye on it while the machine was

embroidering.

Afterward, she cut strips on

each end of the scarf and tied knots.

The handsome wool cap

was India's gift to Daddy.

I think he looks very handsome in his new

scarf and cap from his girls.

Don't you agree?

She made this beautiful

red ruffled breakfast pillow 

for her big sister.

I am over-the-moon

in love with it!

I couldn't get it to 

photograph very well,

so yes, it is 

outside in a tree 

in this picture.

Again,

she drew out what she wanted

to make and then 

figured out how to make her 

design a reality. 

 

She wanted the ruffles on the top

of the pillow, 

not in the edge seams.

And she wanted India's name

embroidered too.

She tried to do it by hand

but got too frustrated 

and decided to use 

the alphabet stitch 

on my machine.

It is very well loved already

because India took it with her

on her trip to Chicago.

And for me..........

She made me a fabric envelope.

She wanted me to help her 

with the buttonhole.

 

So I had to do it with a blindfold

over my eyes.

I didn't actually see this finished

until Christmas Day.

She made the rest,

all of it.

And the best part............

what was in the envelope.

Oh my. 

Yep, I cried.

I am not sure how I feel 

about her 

thanking me for adopting her.

I mean, 

I am so blessed and grateful.

But wow. 

I have so many feelings 

about this one........

But I LOVE LOVE LOVE my present.

 

It was made with love by my sweet

precious baby girl.

And when we go through

days where her RAD pops up

with a vengeance,

I can think about my letter

and know she loves me. 

I love her heart.

I love her so very much.

Thank you Ahnalin for 

our beautiful,

"Made-with-love" 

gifts.

You are one of my very favorite gifts.

All Four Of Us In A Single Shot!

It doesn't happen often.

I mean, we very rarely are in the 

same place at the same time,

when we are dressed in decent clothing,

makeup on and hair brushed,

and,

at least appear,

in our right minds.

But yesterday at our new church,

Sebastopol Christian Church,

I grabbed a new friend

and handed her my phone.

I threatened my family 

with mayhem if they made 

anything less than the most

charming and lovely 

smiles.

And there you have it!

Look closely at the hand on India's leg.

It's mine but it looks like it is hers,

only the fingers are opposite of what they should be.

It makes me laugh!

And I am pretty sure that 

India was saying 

"TAKE THE PICTURE ALREADY!"

Ahnalin refused to sit up straight 

and actually smile.

But hey!

There we all are now. 

Whew!

Now.....back to my sewing.
Unless I finish India's Christmas dress,
she will likely be dress-less on Christmas day!

Happy Sewing!

Dresses for Cherish and an Angel

This little dress is for my precious, 

adorable, 

and in-every-way-wonderful niece Cherish.

I want to see her in it so much!

You see, it is red and white

and reminded me of 

Olivia the Pig, 

 so of course, I had to add 

some Black Rick Rack.

And,

well, 

I loved it so much,

that I had to make one for a little

girl whose tag we picked off 

the Angel Tree at First Pres. Church. 

So this one is for a precious little girl

who I will probably never meet.

And Ahnalin found this "Sonya Lee" Little Peoples set

that we had gotten for her when she was little.

But she only ever played with her wood blocks

or her babies, 

so it was still in the box.

She decided to give it to the 

little Angel Tree girl. 

I am proud of my sweetie for thinking

of this little one.

Well, and then Ahnalin

decided that she wanted a dress

JUST LIKE the dress for her
Christmas dress!!!

But, I had to shake things up a bit....

So this is just a teaser of Ahnalin's dress.......

When I fell in love with this fabric

a few years ago,

I bought the rest of the bolt!

It has been in my stash

just waiting for me to decide to cut into it.

It's Michael Miller Iron Work

and I even have enough left over 

for another dress or two!

I need to take photos of Ahnalin

in her dress before

she gets "Christmas" all over it.......

And yes, 

I did. 

I made ANOTHER Rapunzel costume!

You see, 

next summer we plan to 

visit Cherish

and her Mommy and Daddy

and Ahnalin is dying to play dress-up 

with Cherish. 

I decided to simplify Cherish's Rapunzel 

dress and chose not to use grommets for

lacing the bodice. 

The ribbon is actually sewn in place

for the sake of comfort and simplicity.

The lace overskirt used every last inch

of the purple embroidered lace.

(well, I do have a skinny bit left for a doll dress...)

I machine sewed the hem so that it would 

be sturdy for 3 year old dress-up action.

The lace is vintage hem tape

that had a price tag of 65 cents on the wrapper. 

I love using my stash goodies!

So, one of the red dresses and the little Rapunzel

dress are on their way to my precious niece 

for her birthday and Christmas.

And the other red dress and the Little People

are on their way to another little angel.

And one more red dress

will be posted in a day or so

on my wild Ahnalin.......

Next project........

I get to start on India's 

Christmas dress,

which will be made from a gorgeous

length of vintage Pendleton wool

given to me by my Hot Rockin' Hubby's 

Aunt Dona Vee. 

After that.....Christmas Jammies

and then some mittens, hats

and slippers from felted cashmere sweaters.

And......Ahnalin wanted some new
doll clothes for Christmas!
Yep, I think that Santa can fulfill
that request....

Oh fun!! 

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

Candles, Cocoa And Change

Tonight we lit the Shepherd's Candle of Joy.

We love Advent Sundays in our family.

They are my favorite tradition of the 

Christmas season!

We usually use a brass Advent wreath or 

a red cutout metal Swedish Advent wreath.

But this year, we are using the wood and greenery

wreath that Ahnalin and I made at the Advent Festival

at our old church. 

( More about this below.)

In this picture, we were singing

"The First Noel".

I can't tell you how much I love this picture.

I love love love love it!

Every Sunday night of Advent, 

we read the Bible verses,

sing the songs,

pray the prayers,

and light the candles.

Then we enjoy dessert and 

salted maple hot chocolate.

Last week, we had chocolate cake

and the same salted maple hot cocoa.

Do you see my darling Christmas Goose china?

I love it!

And the first Sunday of Advent,

we had dark chocolate brownies

and salted maple hot cocoa.

And yes, I have lots of different Christmas china.

All of my dishes for the rest of the 

year are super practical,

but I love my wonderful Christmas dishes!

And in case you were wondering,

the "Salted Maple Hot Cocoa"

is my own concoction.

You see, I had been very, very committed

to the Anti-Inflammatory diet, 

and had avoided all sugar, wheat, corn and potatos

for months.

But pure maple syrup is allowed occasionally. 

And I loved the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

at Starbucks, so I wanted something similar for me!

So, here it is!

Salted Maple Hot Cocoa

Serves 4

4 cups milk

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt

3/8 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup boiling water

whipped cream 

(yeah it has a bit of sugar. I don't care!)

cocoa powder to sprinkle on top

In a medium sauce pan, heat the milk on low heat.

(Be careful not to scald or burn the milk or you get a yucky

brown film on it.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder,

salt, maple syrup, vanilla, and boiling water until foamy.

Carefully blend the cocoa mixture into the hot milk.

Pour into 4 mugs and top with whipped cream.

Sprinkle a bit of cocoa powder on the top of the 

whipped cream. 

YUMMY!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

And the change I was referring to.........

Well, we have loved our time at Santa Rosa

First Presbyterian Church,

but we are so excited for our next adventure!

Last Sunday was our final Sunday at First Pres,

and this morning was our first Sunday at 

Sebastopol Christian Church!

Don is the new 

Director of Music and Worship

at SCC! 

We had such a fun time 

in worship with our new fellow

singers and musicians. 

We can't wait to get to know new friends

and serve in new ministries.

God is so good!

And the best part is that 

we will still be able to see

our friends from First Pres because we 

are staying in Santa Rosa!
YAY!!

I am so grateful to God 

for the gift of His Son

and the gift of worship.

Happy Advent!

Madison's Birthday Dress

Once again it is birthday time for

one of my favorite little fashionistas!

For the last 4 years,

a darling little girl named Madison

has requested a very special dress for her birthday.

Last year, when she was 6, Madison

requested an "Olivia" themed dress.

More pictures of this dress are HERE.

And when she was 5, 

Madison requested a Tinkerbell themed dress.

More photos of this dress are HERE.

And this was the very first dress I smocked

and constructed for Madison, 

when she was 4.

Each year, Madison chooses her theme,

color, and other details and then I get to create

a dream dress for her.

Madison's mommy sent me a picture of the

design that our little designer had chosen.

Because there are no smock plates 

(smocking stitch pattern)

for this kitty, 

I had to figure out a way to 

smock this design. 

Just like last year, 

I ended up smocking free hand.

Madison requested Hot Pink 

as the color of her dress but left 

the rest of the design up to me.

I loved the contrast of the black 

outline in the design,

so I chose to use black for her name

and for the rick rack as well.

And like last year, 

I sewed a row of tulle to

the attached petticoat

to add a little bit of fluff to the skirt!

And I found the most fabulous

hot pink sparkly buttons to match the fabric

just perfectly!

And of course,

because we all know of my passion for rick rack,

I had to add some to the skirt......

 And the sleeve cuffs.

And, 

of course,

because the attached petticoat

is sewn to the lining of the bodice,

there are no scratchy seams visible.

(The color is wonky in this photo!)

And it had to have a

Sivjegoose label too!

While the measurements

are customized to Madison's actual more petite size,

I chose to put a size 7 tag

inside because this is for Madison's 7th birthday!

I can't wait to see pictures of the birthday

girl in her dress!!

Her mama told me that Madison is considering

being a dress designer when she grows up.

I think she will do a marvelous job!

Happy Birthday darling girl!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100

Make a JOYFUL noise unto the LORD

All ye lands.

Serve the Lord with GLADNESS.

Come before His presence with SINGING.

Know that the LORD, He is GOD.

It is He that has made us and not we ourselves.

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with THANKSGIVING

and into His courts with PRAISE.

Be THANKFUL unto Him 

and BLESS His name.

For the LORD is GOOD.

His MERCY is EVERLASTING

and His TRUTH endures

for ALL generations!

This was one of the first chapters of scripture

that I memorized as a child.

I think of these verses often

and they remind me that even in 

difficult times,

I have SO MUCH! 

So being thankful is so much 

easier when I remember this.

 

I love to sing my Thanksgiving to the Lord

and this is a favorite hymn of mine.

I am so very thankful for my beautiful family.

I am thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in this country.

I am thankful for a variety of healthy, delicious food.

I am thankful for the gift of creativity.

I am thankful for loving and fun friendships.

I am thankful for the gift of music.

I am thankful for the beautiful rainbow of color,

evident both in people and in nature.

And most of all,

I am thankful that God loves me

so very much.

I pray that this Thanksgiving,

you enjoy love and bounty and blessing.

I pray that you bless others.

And I pray that you rejoice in 

the creativity that allows

us to share in the joy of our Creator.

Happy Thanksgiving!