Recycled T-shirts party

This post was 2 months in the making - she has been 11 for a while!

Being a child of the 70's and a sewist (there's a reason we don't call ourselves "sewers"), I have always loved recycling denim.  But these days the hottest recycled clothing trend has got to be recycling and up-cycling T-shirts. 

This year for Earthgirl's 11th birthday party, we jumped into the fun with a T-shirt recycling party.  She grabbed the idea from the September/October 2011 issue of American Girls magazine.  You can find recycled T-shirt ideas from all over the internet.  Take a look here and here,  for example.  I found bunches and bunches of ideas for the future - for example, I'd love to make one (or 15!) of these recycled T necklace/scarves.

Now if one is inviting 14 girls over, and 2 of your projects take a T-shirt apiece, you gotta have lots of Ts!  Our big crafts, requiring a T-shirt apiece per girl, were the fringed scarf and the big T-shirt bag. We invited the girls to bring Ts with them, but knew we wanted to provide plenty.

For several weeks ahead, Earthgirl and I hit a couple of local thrift stores, one which exists to support a local church's international missions; the other to support Hospice.  We like spending our $$ where they do some good works, too!   We snapped up Ts at an average price of about 40 cents.  We looked for colors we liked, designs we thought would look good on a bag, and the right sizes to make bags and scarves (bags can be any size, but a XXL makes a humongous bag, whereas a sturdy size small or child-size makes a nice bag, and our scarves worked best with child-sized, soft, lightweight Ts).

Recycled T-shirt Scarves:
For our scarves, the girls cut off the hem and cut across under the sleeves, leaving a wide tube of fabric.  They fringe-cut both sides, then pulled on the fringes to make them curl up. 

The best-looking scarves had really skinny fringe - but the trick is to cut it skinny enough, but not so skinny that it tears when you stretch it.  This red scarf had the prettiest fringing of all the scarves.

 

The result is a fringy cowl-type scarf.  If you use a T as big or bigger than your own size, the cowl can be doubled.  If you use a little preschooler-size T, you get a once-around-your-neck scarf.

And then, of course, you cannot resist playing with the leftovers.  Lots of braided headbands, bracelets, anklets appeared!

 

The scarves also double as hula skirts.

Recycled T-shirt Bags:
Our big T-bags were made simply - cut out the sleeves and along the neckline, leaving something that looks like a tank top.  Check to see that it fits over your shoulder.  Good.  Now, if you want a plain-bottom bag, turn the T inside out, and sew up the bottom.  The cutest bags were sewn with a curve.  If you want a fringe-bottom bag, cut off the T's hem, and sew up the bottom, leaving a 2-3" seam.  Trim the seam in to a fringe. Pull the fringes to make them curl, and you're done! 

In all the excitement, I did not snap 1 picture of any girl with a bag.  This one is taken weeks later.

 

Are you stalking these children?

I think I will step into controversy:

Twice in one week I had a child (2 different children) inform me that someone was stalking them. 

"Stalking us," that was the exact phrase.

Incident #1
In the first case, at Gymnastics Camp, on that beautiful day when we went outside and spray-tie-dyed T-shirts, a girl, a 9-year-old, I think, sidled up to me and spoke low, out of the corner of her mouth, "There's a stalker over there." 

Me: "What?"
She: "There's a stalker over there.  That lady is stalking us."
Me: "Where?"
She: "Over there, in the window.  That lady is looking at us. She's stalking us."

OK, seriously, who taught this little girl that no adult is allowed to LOOK OUT HIS/HER OWN OFFICE WINDOW at a bunch a rowdy children who have appeared on the lawn unexpectedly without being accused of stalking? 

This is what we were up to - in case the stalker wanted to know

I explained to her that this lady probably was sitting at her own desk in her own office, and heard us having fun, and since this area did not usually have a rowdy bunch of children having fun, she looked out HER OWN WINDOW to see what was going on.  Then she saw us with the T-shirts and spray cans and was curious to see what we were doing.  That's not stalking, looking out your own office window.  I tried to limit the sarcasm in my reply, but probably failed.

Can you imagine if I had stomped up to the window and hollered, "KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR DESK! STOP STALKING THESE YOUNG'UNS!?"

Incident #2
Later that same week, my daughter was hanging out with a couple of friends, and one of the friends reported to me that a lady was "totally stalking us." 

Me: "What? Who was stalking you?"
She: "A lady.  She was stalking us."
Me: "What do you mean, stalking?  What did she do?"
She: "She was looking at us."

That's all.  A trio of giggly girls caught her attention, and she...the nerve of her!...LOOKED at them.  She didn't keep looking.  She didn't follow them.  She just looked at them.


I know it is hard to balance, to teach discernment.  It's easier to teach a child that no one has the right to look at you, everyone is a danger to you.  It's easier to raise children to be fearful, untrusting, always scared, but, hey, at least they are safe. 

Please, while we teach our children to take care, let's also teach them that adults who look at them are almost always NOT the Bogeyman.

a 'way too quick visit at the Peapod

Earthgirl has been friends with Tally and Tissy for about 5 years now.  In fact, they are 2 of her "8 best friends." When they moved so far away from here, we feared that the friendship might fade away.  I remember goodbye tears.  If I dwell on it too long, I'll have some goodbye tears right now.  We are thrilled that the friendship has continued to blossom, even at a great distance.

2006

This year Tally and Tissy gained 2 new brothers.  Now Earthgirl has 2 new friends.  Last week we got to stop in for an afternoon at the Peapod, and got to meet the boys.

We love them, of course.  What blessings!

Tate even played tractors with Mr. Pluto Boy

Did not notice that sippy cup when I took the picture. I was lovin' those smiles.

Notice anything funny in this picture?  Look closely...

Is Ty trying to snitch a cracker?

Fun Saturday

Loading up with my sis-in-law,

Stopping to chat with my (now retired) 3rd grade teacher and (not at all retired) gardener extraordinaire,

Eating a hotdog outside, (and discovering the ladies room in this establishment is decorated in "Elvis"),

Plant sale,

Home decor store, Lowe's, Sear's,

Baskin and Robbins,

Another nursery for blue ajeratum and a hanging basket full of bright pink,

An errand or 2,

Pick up Krispie Kremes to take home, 

A visit with a friend in hospital - and seeing that she is doing much better (PTL!),

Stopping back by to pick up the lantanas left for us by gardener extraordinaire,

Cajun food with family,

Doughnuts for dessert,

Sigh...a really good Saturday.

Pretty good haul.  See the Krispie Kreme bag hanging on the left?

Wait - who's that riding along?

It's Abby.  She is such a good companion.

"Is it time for ice cream now?" 

Silver

1985

1996

1998

2000

 Later in 2000

2004

 

2010
 
 

Here's lookin' at you - right over the reading glasses!

After Christmas

Last night we arrived back from a big road trip.  We had a ball!  We saw friends, family, snow, mountains, ballerinas, football fans...

We got to visit the Peapod for a day or 2.

Then it was off to snowy Indiana to visit family.

There was sledding, ice skating, a snowman, and the Nutcracker.

I'm not sure I'll say, "Whoopee! Let's go!" the next time my SIL says,
"We're going on a snow hike!" Actually, I LOVED it!

And now we are home, and all the Christmas decorations are still up.  They are still up on my blog, too.  Like many others, though, I am full of organizing plans!    I hope a few of them will make it out of my head and into my environment.

The internet overflows with great organizing help.  I could read about organizing all day  (reading and not doing is one of my downfalls).   Debbie, over at Ribbonwood Cottage has gathered several great links for first of the year organizing.  Check it out. I hope to put some of my knowledge into practice...tomorrow.

Christmastime in Florida

Children who have lived their lives in the era of widespread digital cameras have a hard time grasping a time when we bought film and then paid to develop it.  When I was growing up, it was expensive to practice picture-taking. It was not easy to learn from your mistakes, because often weeks or even months went by before you could see your developed pictures.  I love that now we can take dozens of pictures, scroll through them deleting at will, and only develop or leave on computer the pictures that turn out well. And editting!  I edit pretty much every picture - red eye?  Click. - off center? Click. -washed out? Click. 

Earthgirl loves taking pictures.  She grabs the digital camera, takes dozens of pictures of the cats, dolls, stuffed animals, clouds, and I just smile benevolently, knowing we will delete most of them.  Lately, she has taken to photographing blossoms.

Gerbera diasy

Even way up north here in Central Florida, we have plenty of blooming flowers at Christmastime. Since we have usually had a cold snap followed by a warm spell, the azaleas decide spring was here last week and burst into full bloom.Freezing temperatures this week have nipped these buds, but they are now preserved digitally, along with Earthgirl's budding photography skills.

 

fruit in season

A decade ago I was a barren woman -- married a decade and a half, approaching my forties, no medical explanation for our inability to have a child, and each time we began to approach adoption,  we saw God close the door - not slamming it and saying "forever no," but always, "not yet."

But then, nine years ago, God did something marvelous in our life.  He opened my womb to give us my favorite little girl in the whole world.  And now she is nine years old, a blessing every day.

Earthgirl on her ninth birthday, earlier this week

Promise one: you will yield fruit in season. The phrase "in season" is always determined by its context; for example, an orange tree doesn't begin to produce edible fruit for about three to four years. In other words, when the right amount of time has passed to to accomplish the pre-determined purpose then fruitfulness comes. There is a right season for fruitfulness and often we are guilty of accepting the world's timetable instead of waiting on the Lord's "season."

 From Concerning this Salvation, a new blog by my friend, Kat

We are thrilling to this season of fruit. 

FREEDOM!!!!

This weekend we celebrate those who came before us and the great land they have built.

On my side, there were those who fought in the Revolution. On my husband's side, there were those who came later and embraced all that these United States offer. This weekend, we will let freedom ring!

Recipe Box

Somewhere along the way, my Mama picked up a big wood file box that held 4 x 8 cards, and began using it as her recipe box. It was so much more convenient using the bigger cards. When I was still in my 20's, she had the box copied by a woodworker, then she painted it with Pennsylvania Dutch-style decorative painting, and gave it to me. What a treasure!


No, I don't keep the recipe box on the back porch; I just moved where I could take a picture with no flash. Look how much it can hold! Though I love the online recipe sites, there is just something special about recipes in a box.


I have always been partial to pictures of bluebirds, and any other birds that are blue. There is a special name for these stylized birds. Do you know what it is?


Since I am posting about my recipe box, maybe I should post an easy recipe from it. This one may have come originally from a can of Rotel tomatoes.

SANTA FE SALMON or CHICKEN

1 can Rotel tomatoes with chiles, lime & cilantro
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 salmon fillets or chicken breast fillets

Drain tomatoes, mix with mayo. Salmon - Smear mixture on meat side, saute (or I oven bake) until done (just a few minutes) Chicken - Pre-saute fillets, then smear with mixture and complete cooking. Reserve some sauce for topping.

Thanking God for Answering Our Prayers

Late this afternoon (early afternoon in Washington), our nephew, Mark walked out on his own and met up with a searcher. We are thanking God for this Father's Day gift, for keeping Mark safe, for the support of friends and family. Thank you all for your prayers.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help. My help comes from the Lord who made Heaven and Earth. Ps. 121: 1-2

Please pray with us

Update: No news. Cloud cover continues to hamper search efforts. Pray with us that Mark (our nephew) will not lose heart, and that God would blow the clouds away for a while.

Our nephew is missing after a solo camping trip in Washington State. His car has been found, and searchers are hunting for him, but as of right now, cloud cover prevents helicopter use. Though he is missing from our perspective, we know that God knows where he is. Pray with us that God will sustain him, and that he will be found. Pray please for the brave searchers.

Watch me!

A few weeks ago, friends with children were over. In the course of the evening, we saw several little shows. The fashion shows and plays were not bad, really -- mercifully short, mostly parading the results of dress-up, complete with big-girl announcer, "And now presenting...Ballerina Cheerleader!" (These children are delightful children, and this whole post should absolutely NOT be construed as casting any aspersions on them or on Earthgirl.)

The adult conversation turned to an article I read in "Wonder Time" magazine a long while ago that I found helpful. The phrase, "short and well-rehearsed " can be helpful to the harried adult who too often has heard, "Watch me!...no, wait...I did it wrong...no, wait...I'm going to do it good this time...no, wait...I think I need to do it this way...no, wait..." and, worse, the group effort: "Watch us...no, wait, you're doing it wrong...no, YOU are!...no, wait, you're supposed to be the Mommy...no, wait, we can jump higher... no, wait..."

I think the author is right on that our clapping and wildly (gamely?) praising every little effort is not building self-esteem and talent, but doing them a disservice. Maybe we are teaching them that working to perfect a performance is not important, but that any little effort should receive reward. Maybe instead we should instruct them and even help them to plan and practice. Maybe we should speak a little truth in love.

Flower Girl's Wedding Journal

Hair-do by the beautiful and talented Bride herself...

Hanging out with the girls, all sisters and cousins (notice that the Bride is wearing the white cover-up)...


All ready for the ceremony, holding a bridesmaid's bouquet...


After the lovely wedding ceremony...


Dancing with Daddy...


Cake with the cute little ring-bearer, who, by the way, did a great big-boy job...


Posing with Mama and Daddy...


Dancing with cousins...


Crashing in the lobby and missing the final goodbyes...

Congratulations to our sweet niece and (now) nephew! May God bless your marriage.