As ye sew, so shall ye rip

  Sewing was never something I was taught. It was something I had seen my mother do, something many women in my church growing up had done, but never something I was really interested in. Until about three years ago.

  I was in need of some skirts and I didn't have the money to buy them. My sister-in-law said she knew a lady who could turn old jeans into jean skirts. "How hard could that be?" was my thought. So a few youtube tutorials, my mother's old sewing machine, and a couple of pairs Goodwill jeans later I was making skirts for myself. From there, I moved on to taking in some clothes that were too big, and I was pretty proud of myself considering no had ever really taught me.

  That was all about three years ago. Since then, my mother-in-law gave me my own sewing machine for Christmas last year and I have done a few simple projects. A couple of skirts from Pinterest tutorials, and some hemming, but nothing too major. Then came the big idea!

  I have these two over sized chairs in my living room. Isn't that fabric absolutely lovely???

Ya, not really. Well, buying new chairs is financially out of the question, being that we're taking this survey trip and having a baby and all. However, a lady in our church has some experience re-upholstering furniture, and she agreed to help me with these two chairs. How great is that? All I have to pay for is new fabric; and by new fabric I mean, we're using creme colored painters tarps. It looks better than it sounds, you'll just have to trust me.

  She did warn me that it would be time consuming; and it definitely has been! I thought the worst part would be taking the old fabric off; and by the way, it's certainly not the fun part. Sadly, that's not the worst part. The worst part is when you have to sew the new fabric pieces together to be put on the chair. Again, my thoughts were "How hard could it be?".

  Turns out, it's a lot harder than it sounds. The sewing skills that I thought I had back then are really not all that phenomenal, I'm finding out. Piping - well, my advice is, don't use it unless you absolutely have to because I did a lot of ripping out what I had sewn during the piping phase. Cushion covers - never seem to fit the cushion right no matter how many times you have redone them. Pleating - I lucked out and happened to get it right the first try. Thank goodness!!!

  So what is the fun part, you may ask. Well, I'm guessing it's putting the chair back together, or just enjoying the finished product, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I guess I'll have to let you know if and when I can actually make this cushion cover fit the cushion. Till then, I have some more ripping to do.


 

Life as a missionary wife

     Well, the title is somewhat untrue...for now... I will be a missionary wife; and in three weeks that journey will begin. So I thought that I am close enough to this status that I could go ahead and use the title accurately.

     As I said, in three weeks our life as missionaries will begin as we head off for our three week long survey trip to Brazil. How exciting you say... Well, yes, it is very exciting...as well as nerve-racking. My reason for writing this is because I have only recently realized how soon this is all actually happening!

 

    The realization hit me only a few days ago and I was left feeling very unprepared. As I am currently sixteen weeks pregnant, I suddenly started worrying about what clothes I am going to need in the next six weeks and the variety of sizes that I will need as my body grows, and whatever else a pregnant woman needs in a foreign country. Also, three weeks off of work can be a little taxing on the bank account...especially around Christmas time. Not to mention, my husband is in desperate need of new clothes before the trip ( I just don't think the two pairs of pants he alternates will do for three weeks). And then of course there's the whole we get back and it's time for Christmas thing... and I have to buy presents and plan a trip to Michigan to visit my family oh...ya..and make it to a wedding in Alabama two days after Christmas. So needless to say, my next two months will be very hectic... and there is that feeling of total unpreparedness again.
 On top of all that, my dad is coming in to town in two weeks to go hunting with my husband. They bond on all that outdoorsy man stuff. Which is great! I love that they get along so well. It's the threat...I mean possibility..that they will be hunting the morning we are supposed to leave for Brazil that worries me.
 

    My hope for that hunting trip is that my mother will be able to come as well. No, you are never too old to need your mom. In all my feelings of unpreparedness, I feel that my mom coming for the week before and helping me pack (since she's been through this before, including being pregnant at the time) will greatly help me feel more prepared for this little journey of ours.
 

    However, at the end of the day, yes I feel totally unprepared, but I know this is what God has called our little family to. So, I keep telling myself this is just the beginning and it's really not more than I can handle. Did I mention the fact that my mother refers to my father as Indiana Jones, and she often tells me that I married a man exactly like my father?? Ya, so if watching my father is any indication of my future.... this is DEFINITELY just the beginning.