Celebrating 10 Years of India's Diagnosis

Happy Anniversary India.

I am so proud of you my darling.

Ten years ago, 

you

 received a life changing diagnosis. 

You were told that from that moment on,

that you, 

who was afraid of blood,

would have to prick yourself to bleed.

You,

who hated math,

would have to learn the carbohydrate count

of every item you put in your mouth.

You,

who was terrified of needles

 would have to give yourself shots 

many times a day. 

You 

would have to say "no" to things that 

most people take for granted.

You 

would have to learn to read all the subtle,

and not so subtle, 

cues your body would give you.

You

would have to learn to stand up

for your health needs,

even when people called you

"Faker" 

and 

"Drama Queen".

You 

would learn to depend on God

for your every breath. 

You

would grow

and change

and mature

yet still

be the best "you"!

The "you"

that God created you to be.

Never forget the verse that you claimed

as yours when you were a tiny girl.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,"

declares the Lord,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future."

You fought the battle.

You struggled. 

You decided to win!
 

I love you my girl. 

Hey there Stranger!

Yes, it has been a long long time since I have checked in.

I know it has been a long time,

because I have been getting some very sweet

emails from concerned bloggy friends,

as well as some phone calls 

and even packages of coffee coming to my door.

So......what I have I been up to?

Well, quite a bit actually.

I will be putting up some posts 

with some of my creations from the

last several months very soon.

But first some newsy stuff.......

The top photo was taken 

by my Hot Rockin' Hubby at Disneyland

last month. 

Yes, we moved India back to the Disney College Program

and managed to get a few days in the parks.

Ahnalin was really sleepy in that picture,

but it was one of the few that shows me.

 

It was FREEZING in Anaheim when we were there!

 I mean, actually in the 30s! 

We were not prepared for cold weather to be sure.

We got to ride "Radiator Springs Racers" in Cars Land

and it is awesome!

We moved India in to her apartment with

her new Disney College Program roommates.

And we are so happy for them all.

They are a great group of girls!

Here is a rather charming bit of irony......

India's boyfriend Nate, 

who played "Gaston" in Santa Rosa's production

of "Beauty And The Beast"

is now in Florida at the Disney College Program

in Disney World. 

They met while being in the show together.

India played a "Silly Girl" 

And they both applied to the DCP before

they started dating. 

And even though thousands

and thousands of students applied for the program,

they were both chosen..........

to OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE COUNTRY!

Oh don't be silly!

Everyone was very sad the day we loaded the van....

AND I DO MEAN LOADED(!!)

to drive India to Anaheim. 

But we did move her in and 

she is now working at Disneyland again,

taking her college classes

both through her college and 

also the Disney classes. 

We miss her. 

But life is changing for us too.

Don has accepted a job to a new company

in the San Francisco Bay Area,

and we will be moving next month!

And I have been sewing and writing

and drafting patterns, 

as well as looking for places to move

and schools for Ahnalin

 and starting to pack, 

and lots of other things.

But I promise I am back to blogging.

Thank you for all the kind emails

and messages and prayers. 

I appreciated them all!

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

 

India is Twenty-Wonderful!

Do you have any idea how much I love this girl?

India is the only treasure that I carried under

my heart for 9 months.

And she has been my joy for every day of her

21 years.

I am so grateful that she is mine.

She loves a good adventure!

She is goofy and knows a good cuppa' when she sees one!

She knows how to wield a fry pan when necessary!

And she is completely wonderful in every way.

Today,
as my darling girl is still battling
a nasty cold,
and awaiting news of her (hopefully!!!)
impending acceptance for another
term in the Disney College Program,
I pray peace and health for her.

I pray joy and love.

I pray tenacity and strength.

I pray trust and courage.

I am so grateful that
21 years ago,
God gave me the desire of my heart,
and gave me this jewel.

Happy Birthday Princess India.

I pray all your dreams come true.

Love,
Mommy



(Photo credits go to her darling friends Sigrid Forsythe
and Jayne McKenna)

Birthday Prayer Pillow

Ahnalin was invited to a little girl friend's birthday party.

She is always very proud to 

give her friends gifts

that have been "made by Mama".

While I often give aprons and skirts,

another of my favorite gifts to make is 

 Prayer Pillows.

I made a Prayer Pillow

for her teacher at the end of the school year.

I call them prayer pillows

because the whole time I sew these little bundles of fluff,

I pray for the recipient.

I pray blessing, peace, joy,

health, comfort, mercy,

any specific need they may have,

and of course love.

My mom used to make them for people 

when I was little.

And I always remember people feeling 

so loved and blessed when they received them.

Today,

the birthday girl was Brynn,

lover of the color blue.

I pray the Lord blesses her with a joyous year.

Happy Sewing!

India's Surgery Update

Thank you For your prayers. India is home and finally doing better.
Her surgeon was able to repair her tendon and remove a lot of scar tissue from the damaged area. India's Type 1 Diabetes wrecked havoc with her before and after the surgery, but after several different types of pain meds, anti-nausea meds, and antibiotics, she is feeling better. Several frantic phone calls to the nurse and surgeon finally netted the right combination. The pain was so intense that it caused her adrenaline to spike her blood sugar, which caused hours of vomiting. This meant she was unable to eat anything. But finally, at about 9:00 PM she was able to eat and the pain meds stayed down. So, even though she can still feel the pain, she is loopy enough not to care.
Please continue to pray for my sweetie. I am sure this kind of surgery is painful by itself. But the addition of Type 1 Diabetes is not an easy one.

I am so grateful for praying friends. Your prayers and encouragement mean the world to us.
Thank you.


Note: this is my first time posting on my iPad and auto correct is driving me nuts!! I am hoping I caught all the weird word substitutions. If there is a wrong word or something funky, please forgive me. I am still learning this new thing.
Sivje

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

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!

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!

Alterations, Aprons And A Really Old U.F.O!

Thank you, 

so much (!!!)

for your prayers and encouragement!

My hand is MUCH better and I have been 

able to do some sewing!

I am thrilled with the progress

my hand has made since I have been following

the Anti-inflammatory diet!

So, thankfully, I have been able to do

some work!

That has meant A LOT of alterations for 

various clients in town.

And, as usual, that means replacing

a lot of zippers, 

adjusting hems,

and letting out seams.

But I finally remembered to share a tip

that has saved me a lot of frustration.

I have been replacing a lot of invisible zippers lately.

And I truly HATE the little plastic feet by Coats,

that are sold next to the zippers.

Now I know that you can buy a special foot 

for installing an invisible zipper,

but I didn't want to buy one more thing!

So I tried all of my different machine feet 

and found out that my Piping foot worked perfectly!

I was thrilled and feeling rather thrifty as well!

Do you have any idea what this is?

It is the inside of a gorgeous bridal gown

that I am rebuilding for a client.

While I always welcome alterations business,

I LOVE altering bridal gowns!

I have been taking my machine over to 

the bride's home to work on her dress,

because my eager girls would have 

a hard time not sneaking a try-on!

Did I mention that I adore bridal gowns? 

And I have made a few aprons lately too!

I had an old friend order an apron

for her preschool daughter.

She picked these two fabrics

so I made the apron up 

with the same fabrics but

in reverse.

She picked this one!

And this is the other version.

I love them both!

This is a size small (2-4) 

and I will be listing it in my Etsy soon.

And that U.F.O.?

(UnFinished Object)

Well.............

I bought this fabric in 1999

and cut out a dress for India.......

who was in second grade at the time!

A month into the school year,

we moved from Lake Bluff, Illinois,

to New Hope, Pennsylvania.

So I must have packed up this 

partially sewn dress that I had

been making for India,

to encourage her to learn to tell time. 

Guess who found it while

"shopping in the garage"?

Ahnalin!! 

This is just crazy,

because we have moved 

2 more times since then!!

So, now Ahnalin is in second grade

and learning to tell time.

And I am finishing this dress for her!

However, I don't like

that I had made it with facings,

instead of lining the bodice.

So, I have taken off the facings

and am lining the bodice so 

I can attach it to the skirt.

The dress also only has seam

allowance for a zipper,

instead of buttons, 

but I am just keeping that the same.

So, hopefully tomorrow I will have photos of 

Ahnalin in her finished dress!

It feels so good to be able to sew again!

I need to get back to work now.

Happy Sewing!

Summer Day Trips and Bloomer Skirts

Summer is finally here!

And Ahnalin has been keeping me

so busy that I have not had time 

to post!

As a treat, Don bought us season passes
this year, to Discover Kingdom in Vallejo.
It used to be called "Marine World, Africa USA"
and we went there on our honeymoon 23 years ago.


Ahnalin is not super keen on all the rides,
but she is CRAZY about all the animals!
She got to pet an elephant there!

They have an indoor butterfly habitat that
is just amazing!

I love the killer whale show.

Her favorite show there is the dolphin show.


In fact, she managed to find some fabric
in my stash with dolphins, killer whales,
and fish printed on it.
Of course, she insisted that she NEEDED
a bloomer skirt out of this fabric!

So, of course I sewed one right up. 
She still LOVES her bloomer skirts!

Bloomer Skirts are great for twirling!

Running through splash zones...

And of course, for hanging upside down,
which is what Monkey Girl does best!
I sewed this up using my pattern,

(which you can purchase, by clicking on the link)

but instead of adding the band at the bottom,

I trimmed the hem with ribbon and rick rack.

 I didn't have much of the fabric, so 

I did this treatment so she could 

have as much length as possible. 

She prefers her skirts at the knee or longer.

She loves this little spot.

This window overlooks the giant walrus tank

and he often swims up to her.

I don't think we made it on to one ride this trip!

I wonder if we will go on any rides

or if we will just hang out with the animals all Summer.

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

Thank you all for your prayers for Don!

He is FINALLY well.

When he started to get his strength back,
I begged suggested that we drive

back to Bodega Bay for some fresh ocean air,

and seafood.

So on Saturday, we did!

We ate crab cakes and chowder

at Spud Point Crab Company

and then parked at Doran Beach

for a frolic on the beach.

Do you see the clear ball in this picture?

This is a jellyfish egg!

There were THOUSANDS of them all 

over the beach! 

The kept getting stuck in my toes 

as I walked barefoot on the sand.

When we looked at them closely, 

we could see the tiny baby jellyfish inside!

While Don rested, breathing in that

healing ocean air,

Ahnalin and I walked up and down the beach,

talking about miracles and God's creation.

We looked for shells and sand dollars.

And somehow, we found two!

It was a wonderful gift of a day.

Summer continues to be busy,

with a fabulous week of 

Vacation Bible School.

(photo by Tina Kammerer-Wells)

Yes, these two are both the same age!

(photo by Tina Kammerer-Wells)

Yes, this is me, leading music for the preschool 

aged children at VBS.

What a bizarre look on my face!

But VBS was great!

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

So, I am FINALLY getting 

caught up on sewing and blogging.

Yes, I am making more 

Monkey Girl Bloomer Skirts

because they are so fun and practical

and Ahnalin loves them.

You can purchase the pattern

at my Etsy store

or You Can Make This.com

or at Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops.

I am also working on some new patterns!

Hopefully between trips to 

the library, beach, Discovery Kingdom

and all the Ahnalin's sewing, 

I will have some time to finish!

Happy Summer and
Happy Sewing!