An Artsy Moment For Nana

My mom is best known for her bears but she has temporarily taken a break from her precious creations to try her hand at quilting. Every Monday she has been visiting my Great Aunt Sue (whom I am named after) and has been taking lessons. Aunt Sue is known for her beautiful quilts. They are truly coveted and I was so blessed to receive one of them as a gift for my wedding. I cherish it and think of her every time I warm up with it.



Now Sullivan will be able to experience the same thing with this beautiful gift Nana brought with her on her recent trip for him as his gift for his 1st birthday. ( which is approaching sooo quickly) This is the product of my mother's first attempt at quilting. Amazing really. The colors are beautiful and the Winnie the Pooh fabric matches his nursery perfectly. The blocks are matched up perfectly and you would never guess it was a first. She even signed her work with a sweet note to Sullivan on a patch on the back.

Sullivan will have this forever and will surely think of his Nana every time he curls up in it. It is a bit big for his crib but will be perfect when he is ready for his big boy bed. (also approaching too quickly)

Love you mom. Thank you so much for the most memorable 1st birthday gift. We both cherish it.

~T

Ta Daa!

Here it is! The finished product. What do you think? Is my model the cutest or what?!?

Early Morning Moments

I am soooo not a morning person but it seems that my most precious moments with my son happen before the rest of the world is awake so I think my outlook is changing.
I received my wake up call at 5:38 this morning. After sleepily trudging up the stairs and swinging open the door to the nursery, I found my precious baby boy sitting up, whining, with his pacifier half way hanging out, holding tight to his lovey who we call "Doggie."
I reached out for him, he fell into my hands and I almost missed the blessing of his familiarity with this routine, my arms and the comfort they bring him.
I settled into my rocker and as I nursed him I dozed in and out a bit. (He does not usually wake me this early, I am pretty sure he is cutting tooth #2) When I was sure he was finished I picked him up and put him against my shoulder to rock him a bit more. I love to listen to the sound of his breathing, steady and peaceful. All of the sudden he pushed off of my shoulder, looked me in the face and with his tiny little hands did the sign for "more" and "milk." I almost fell out of my rocker!
I have been doing signs with Sullivan since he was 3 months old. I started right after his first surgery. I was devastated that he could be in so much pain and I didn't know. I wanted him to be able to communicate with me as soon as possible so that I would be able to save him from that if it ever happened again.
"More" and "Milk" were the first signs I chose to teach as they were the most useful. He has been doing "more" for about a week now but from him it looks a lot like he is clapping so it is hard to tell the difference. Pair it with "milk" though, and it is undeniable!
My baby spoke to me this morning! He said, "More milk Mama!" and I obliged!

Almost here!

So sorry for the long break folks. Vacation just plain wears me out! I know, I know...Waaa Waaa right?
Well, my favorite holliday is quickly approaching and I have decided to dust off my rarely worn "Artsy Fartsy" hat. (I know she will take offense to this comment so my early apologies go out to the Queen of Artsy Fartsy herself, my mom. Hey, does that make her Queen Art Fart? He He Love you Mom!) I have decided to make Sullivan's first Halloween costume. After many hours of examining fabric and patterns at 3 different stores, I have gathered all of the necesary notions and am ready to start. Oh you read it right folks, I am going to sew. A clown costume to be exact and you just wait. He is going to be the cutest clown you ever did see!

My mom made my Halloween costumes when I was a wee one and now I am hoping to follow in her footsteps. I was a clown for a couple of years, Mickey Mouse, a black widow, a witch, a black cat and many more. It was such a fun holiday. Mom had so much fun dressing us up and letting us become a different character for a day. Fantasy. I loved it too. This is what I hope to pass on to my kids. A love for fantasy, an active imagination and of course the lasting need for minor dental procedures. 8 )

I will be sure to post pictures.

Dusty Hats & Pink Lipstick

Why do I need 2 blogs you ask? Well, I like pink, that is part of it. Our family blog is just that, family. It is where I wear my mommy hat and swing all day with the monkeys. Which I love, don't get me wrong. But, sometimes I long for a spot to sit and think or play dress up with the other hats in my collection that I haven't been able to wear in a while. Which brings me back to pink.

I have a friend (who at some point will read this and know exactly who she is) who loves pink almost just as much as I do. We agree that it makes us feel pretty and that you should almost always have a bit of it on somewhere. Even if it isn't visible to everyone else, it makes us feel pretty. It does something to my brain I think and it alters my reality. Quite honestly, I prefer this altered reality.

Every important day that I can remember, I have worn something pink. On my wedding day I wore the warmest, most pretty shade of pink lipstick I had ever seen. I was so worried about feeling pretty on that day that I had two sessions with a professional makeup artist to teach me to apply my makeup. She also custom made colors and we made that pink lipstick especially for me. I felt so pretty that day.

I am going to be honest and tell you that it has been a long time since I have felt pretty. I would love to say that it is just because I am a new mom and that I need to lose some baby weight but it has been longer than that. Do I think it is because I have forgotten to wear my pink? No, trust me I have tried. It is deeper than that.

At some point in my life and I am not sure where or when I began to associate pink with my beauty. If I went back to my strongest pink memory it would be my senior ball. It was the first time my Dad took me shopping and he took me to the nicest dress shop in our mall. The Jessica McClintock store, I will never forget. I found the most beautiful dress. It was pink satin with silver sequins on the top. It fit perfectly. I put it on and instantly I knew this was the one. I turned in front of the mirror and adored it and the reflection staring back at me. Then I saw the price tag. $130. I knew my dad wasn't going to go for it but I had to try.

I came out of the dressing room and turned around for Dad just as I had done in the mirror. I could tell he thought it was beautiful too. My Dad bought me that beautiful dress. On the day of the ball I had my hair done and slipped into my shoes that were dyed to match and my Dad told me I was beautiful.

I am realizing as I journal this right now that this moment was written into my heart for a purpose. I am desperate to hear my Daddy, The Daddy, tell me I am beautiful. A different kind of beauty, lasting beauty.

I think that I have missed the point here for way too long. All this time I have sought the beauty that reflects from a mirror and the emotion that "Pink" gives my heart. Right now it is gone and I can't summon it. I feel empty and let down. I am still in my maternity clothes, I don't get a shower every day and I can't stand to look at the pictures we snap that include me. I have worn my favorite pink socks with a hole in the toe and my favorite pink polka dot T-Shirt.

Empty.

On the day we were conceived, God did more than number the hairs on our heads. He created an intricate, living, breathing masterpiece. He is an amazing artist and inside each of us he stitched beauty. And the thread he used was desire. Deep in our being we all crave for our beauty to be seen and to feel desired. Even though it is stitched deep within us God has the same desire. A desire for our beauty to be seen and for it to bring Him glory. As an artist, he wants people to admire his work. To recognize it for the masterpiece He created it to be.

We each have gifts and talents that He has blessed us with. If you asked me what I thought mine were I would probably say singing, acting, writing, encouragement and friendship. As I look back these gifts have at different times in my life given me great fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment. The lasting, most valuable moments, have come when I was using these gifts to glorify my God. This brings me back to my neglected hats.
Today, I can say that the only gift I am actively using is my Mother's Instincts. All the rest are laying dormant and to be honest I am not even sure if I am putting Him first there. I want to be beautiful! I want this masterpiece to sing of it's Creator's glory.

So, I guess this is why I need the second blog. Any form of communication has always been therapeutic for me. (Spend 30 seconds in an elevator with me and you would know that!) But writing has often helped me connect a little deeper with myself and with God. Today, in front of of whoever decides to read this far, I commit to picking this hat back up and using it for the glory of my loving Savior.

Will I stop wearing pink? Heck NO! I will probably wear it more often and each time I do I will remember that God's desire for me to sing of His glory is what really makes me beautiful. Anyone else out there in blog land with me? If so, pick up your dusty hat and let's play dress up!