The Kitties Are Born!

I may have lured you here with false advertising. There are no squirmy newborns here, nuzzling a mama cat :) But there are a couple of these:

These kitties are inspired by some I saw at a friend's house, but hers were made of plain muslin. Let me tell you how I made them. I started by tracing a cat figure on some paper, and then cutting it out with a seam allowance around the edge.

Then I found some fabric. This is odd stuff - I got it for 50¢ at a resale store. It's a piece of fabric with all the pieces to make a vest, plus the instructions, already printed on the fabric. Perhaps you've seen something like it. Anyway, I had no desire for a pink vest with hearts all over it, but I did think the fabric itself was cute, so ...

I cut my kitties out of it, noting what I was placing on the kitty's front. I cut out a front and back, and put right sides together, of course.

Then I hand stitched around the edge, leaving the bottom edge open.

And then I turned it, using a needle to help me get the corners of the ears and tail all the way reversed. I pushed sheet batting up into the kitty, using an old ice pick to help get it into all the nooks and crannies. Then I stitched closed the bottom, and squashed the batting around a little to even it out. A Sharpie fine-line pen was perfect for drawing on her little face. The ribbon? It was lying around, and looked cute around her neck. I'm making a few kitties for a college girl who is away from us (sniff!), and for a younger sister who's eying them wistfully :)

We went to a birthday party for a little girl yesterday, so I decided to paint a new "Little Pom" for her, and put her in a homemade frame:

The cardboard is part of a Frosted Flakes box, so its backside was rather ugly. I covered it up with a layer of batting, and then some of the kitty fabric, and stapled it along the edge. Not very fancy, but sometimes a homemade present is fun to receive.

At the Football Game

Friday night was the first home game at the high school. Peter led the band in for the pre-game show. As I said before, their theme is "Pirates of the Caribbean," so that's why they're dressed the way they are:

It's not a huge band, but they have lots of fun. Pretty decent percussion section, I must say.

They had nice formations, and at the half-time show, they were really good at moving around. I honestly don't know how those kids play and march around at angles, at the same time.

Their drum major wears a full-length dress to play one of the roles needed.

Jack Sparrow (who also plays a great drum solo) and someone wearing a white wig. I should be more familiar with the Pirates plot line.

The nice thing about having a kid who plays tuba is that you can always find him in the stands.

Half-time show:

Meeting Enemies

I've mentioned enemies before, and I hope none of you think I have a paranoia complex. When I say "enemies," I simply mean anyone who has knowingly done you harm, especially someone who's not a stranger, and should have your welfare in mind. Perhaps "enemy" seems too harsh a term, but I like calling a spade a spade.

I'm reading along in I Samuel these days. David had some enemies. And although I hate constantly to read my own troubles into the Scriptures, sometimes one can hardly help seeing similarities, however small. David had plenty of pagan enemies, people who were set against God's people. Goliath was the biggest of the Philistines.

And against an enemy like that, David was aggressive, very aggressive. I chose this picture, instead of the one where David holds Goliath's severed head! David fought the Philistines for years, and God's spirit was with him, giving him victory.

But David had a worse, more insidious enemy. Saul was his own king, an Israelite, one of God's people, a man chosen and anointed by God. God had put him in leadership, upon the people's demand for a king. God's spirit had occasionally fallen on Saul in mighty ways, and he had even prophesied. Originally, he was a humble man, not seeking advancement for himself. (I Sam. 10: 6-11, 21-22, 11:6) But Saul also disobeyed God, ignored His commandments, and eventually became proud, self-serving and violent. When David, a godly, humble man, comes within Saul's sphere, he becomes David's enemy.

The interesting thing to notice is this: how does David handle this life-threatening enemy, within God's people? A man in authority over him? A man originally anointed by God, but from whom God's favor has left? A man who is repeatedly filled with "an evil spirit from God"? (18:10, 19:9) If Saul is such an enemy, a man rejected by God, why not storm in on him as David did Goliath, and kill him immediately? God gives David opportunity to do this, but David will not harm Saul. Samuel has already anointed David secretly as the next king, yet even that great prophet will not act to remove Saul from power, nor to advance David. Both the godly men "lay low," and wait for God to act, and allow the violent man to proceed. Why?

The psalm of David that accompanies these chapters is Psalm 11. (Adam put together a chronological reading of the Bible for our church, and I love having psalms knitted in with the history they were meant to describe.) Examining Psalm 11 gives insight into David's thinking, during these dark days with Saul as his enemy:

1. He trusts God to protect him. He's not afraid of this enemy among God's people.
2. He calls Saul wicked. He's not afraid to call wickedness what it is, even among God's people, even among those over him.
3. He worries for God's people, when their leadership is so corrupt. This is a valid concern, and shows David's love for God's people.
4. However, he reminds himself Who is in charge -- God rules, and He sees it all.
5. David realizes he's being tested by God, when God allows leaders in the church (well, Israel) to oppress him. He's being tested to determine how he will respond.
6. Who will vindicate David? God will. He will punish the wicked, trap them in snares, give them pain and trouble. That's not David's job.

So David does not act against Saul. And you -- you pastor, or church member -- when someone in the church tries to harm you, and you agonize that such wickedness could exist within her four walls, remember, this is not Goliath. Tread gently in God's church. You are being tested. Leave it to God. His vindication is best. Meanwhile, examine yourself; David certainly did. Be sure of your own righteousness in the situation; David even says to God, "Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me." (Ps. 7:8) That's a man who has dug out his own soul, and is certain of his rightness in all matters in which he is accused.

If you haven't yet faced an enemy within the church, you're blessed. Most people who've done "church work," have. David gives us such guidance in how to meet these enemies in a godly way. It's not easy! But it does develop character that's pleasing to God

Painting Tasha Tudor

Yay! We painted again today! Friends, this is my 7th year homeschooling, and at last, I'm going to relax, just a bit. I've always been the over-disciplined, stick-to-the-schedule, only-do-art-if-we've-finished-math, kind of mom/teacher. But now, with only one very bright 12 year old to teach, I've decided to GIVE IT A BREAK. We will paint, and crochet, and do the fun things I've never allowed myself (or my kids) to do much, while homeschooling.

So, yes, we painted again today. I nabbed two of my mom's Tasha Tudor books, and tried a little more "light imitation." Here's Tudor's lady bunny, from Tasha Tudor's Heirloom Crafts.

Here's my attempt. The goal is not exact replication, but just inspiration and guidance. My white (for the plaid) didn't work well at all, and her ears are too small. And of course, mine lacks the complexity of color that she achieves. Still, she's a cute bunny.

And this rooster pic is from The Art of Tasha Tudor. Isn't he handsome?

I think I got this one a bit closer, although again, my coloring is too simple. But it's wonderful to have someone who knows exactly what a rooster looks like, assist me!  Merci, Madame Tudor.

My goal is to paint with Julia once or twice a week, for school. If she loves it (which it seems she does) perhaps she'll paint on her own. We keep the painting stuff on the porch in a cooler, so it doesn't get mussed up. The porch is cool in the mornings, but I think come February, we'll need to find a different spot :)

A Funny Car Post

Adam posted an hysterical blog post today about Philip's misadventure while taking Fiona (the car below) to college. Here's a link, just in case you need a good laugh.

We weren't exactly planning for Philip to take Fiona to college. We were going to sell her, and we probably will still need to. But we don't need to yet. And we don't need her right now, since neither of us drives to work. And Philip does need her, since he has an internship to drive to. So, it seemed to make sense, at least for this semester. After today's fiasco, I'm wondering whether Philip still likes the car :) He may decide she's more trouble than she's worth, especially when he's paying for all the oil, gas, repairs, and new plugs, himself! Hopefully, this will be a funny family story in a few years.

All in a Day's Fun

Here's a hodge-podge of photos that show a little of our day. Sandy, in her "relaxation mode" --

Philip went off to college this morning. Sniff!! Julia will miss him. (So will I!) She told my mom that she wished she could "stow-away" and go with him.

When Julia and I went to our "knitting group" we saw these terrific puzzles at our friend's home! They belonged to her mom, so they are rather old. Look at those shapes -- astounding. I've never seen them before.

And hidden in there, are other shapes. Do you see the elephant? There were also a butterfly and a guitar, and others.

For lunch, the church ladies had a get-together at a local restaurant. It was lovely, calm, delicious. We had 25 there. My mother is chatting away. Julia came too.

I think she enjoyed herself.

Mother and daughter:

Our waitress also sang for us, in a beautiful, lyrical operatic voice. It was a springtime song in French.

Julia wanted desert, and my mother and I obliged in assisting her with this slab of chocolate. Oh my, was it scrumptious!

We arrived back home well-fed and weary. I made beef stew for supper. (Here's the recipe.) Poor Adam had a long day of driving and car repair, I'm sorry to say. Anyway, my mom had mentioned that, in her compost pile, she had two large butternut squash growing. I went out to see them, and pick them. Don't they look fine!

We gave one to our neighbor, who likes butternut also, and I'll make one for supper. Julia loves my recipe.

Saying Goodby to a House

I think I'll put my Little Pom girl here again, just because she makes me happy to see her. It must be time to paint again.

Yesterday, Adam and I drove back to Statesville for a few hours to clean some more stuff out of the house. It was a discouraging day for me. An empty house is a sad thing when you've left it; it's a fun thing when you're moving in. Philip was there for two weeks alone, with no furniture but an air mattress, a microwave, a lawn chair and a fan. There were dirty dishes, crumbs, trash, tall weeds and encroaching ivy, lots of junk that we couldn't take away. Adam and I crammed as much as we could in the back of the van, and drove back. It was hard to say goodbye.

We have such good memories from that house, in spite of the difficult five years in Statesville. As I swept the floor, I could almost hear the singing, the dogs barking, the conversations while cooking, the fun movies in the living room, jokes at the dining room table, the crackling of the fires in winter, the quiet breathing at night. I hate saying goodbye to a place that has held all those precious moments in our family's life.

It's hard to lose a house; we've never done that before. Hard not to be able to pay the mortgage, not to be able to mow the grass and keep it pretty, or to sell it to a new, excited owner. I feel we are deserting her, disappointing her. (If you love houses too, maybe you understand.) It feels like failure, all of it feels like failure. I don't mean to whine, but I want to say things that some people are afraid to say these days, but which are happening to many, many people. One consequence of this horrible economy will be empty homes with no one to live in them, and more tragically, families with no homes to live in. Estimates are uncertain, but some say that we've added as many as one million homeless people to our population during this recession. How thankful I am that we have family who will take us in! And more than that, loving family with plenty of room and gracious hearts. Not everyone is so blessed.