the project that killed my sewing machine...but was totally worth it

Once upon a time, in a corner of The Green Forest, there lived a certain wood-nymph.

She was generally a happy sort of creature,

though she was rather lonely. You see, there weren't very many of the faerie folk in that part of the Forest, and the little dryad didn't have any friends.

But one day, a pixie spied her from behind a tree, and wanted to get acquainted.

The wood nymph was shy at first, not being used to strangers.

But she politely agreed to shake hands, and they went walking down the lane.

Feeling rather dancey, they twirled their way through the woods.

Then they played hide and seek...

picked wild flowers...

and had a tea party.

They decided to be friends.

The end.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=302934.0

Agent 1

i was reading some of my old facebook notes the other day, and found this "script" that Bailey wrote as a sequel to Agent 1, the first Compound Productions movie she starred in. she wrote this when she was 9. it made me chuckle, so i thought i'd share it with the world once more.

"In the flames at the begining it will say: (you thought she was dead) but she wasn't.
Bailey - There it is
boss - Now remember focus on trying to find what there hideing
Bailey - (got it) over and out
Jesse will be playing the piano with a jiant smile then Bailey will kill him (almost) then very desperitly he will say into the walkie talkie bring in the clones then he will die
Then Bailey will become surounded with clones and start killing them all sorts of ways. Only then the last one will tie her up only he will forget to tie a note so when he walks away I will ecape. Then I will hide under the computer desk and Ruths brother Jonathan will walk by only I will shoot him and then Ruth will come crying on him saying the person who did this will regrate what theve done. And then she will run away crying only I will captur her and tie her up and let her sufactate because the rope will be around her neck and then I will find the stolen mony and laugh and then the screen will go black."

needless to say, Jesse and Jonathan did not produce her film. but they did come up with this.

yeah, she likes to think she's hard core.

Am I Ready?

"God called to him...And he said, 'Here I am.'" Exodus 3:4

"When God speaks, many of us are like people in a fog, and we give no answer. Moses' reply to God revealed that he knew where he was and that he was ready. Readiness means having a right relationship to God and having the knowledge of where we are. We are so busy telling Go where we would like to go. Yet the man or woman who is ready for God and His work is the one who receives the prize when the summons comes. We wait with the idea that some great opportunity or something sensational will be coming our way, and when it does come we are quick to cry out, 'Here I am.' Whenever we sense that Jesus Christ is rising up to take authority over some great task, we are there, but we are not ready for some obscure duty.

Readiness for God means that we are prepared to do the smallest thing or the largest thing - it makes no difference. It means we have no choice in what we want to do, but that whatever God's plans may be, we are there and ready. Whenever any duty presents itself, we hear God's voice as our Lord heard His Father's voice, and we are ready for it with the total readiness of our love for Him." From My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

my most recent sewing spurt

I'm trying to motivate myself to be creative and get some sewing done on my days off this week, so I thought I'd post my most recent projects, from a few weeks ago. These are Simplicity 3745 and 3867. I really like the fabric on the first one, but the second is more comfortable.

If anyone wants to see more pictures of them, they're also posted on craftster. Just search for "rufous03" under member search.

the best of both worlds?

Well, I had an unexpected experience last night. My 11-yr old niece is in town visiting her dad for the weekend. I really wanted to see her, but had to work all weekend, so I didn't think I'd get to. But then they sent me home at 3 instead of 7 yesterday, so I had the afternoon free. After work I went for a run, then texted my brother to see if I could come by his house and say hi, so I'd at least get to see Bailey for a little while before she went back to Houston. He texted back, "You wanna take her to see Hannah Montana at the movies? I don't want to do it."

Two hours later I was sitting in a movie theater surrounded by giddy little girls, kindly mothers, and 2 or 3 fathers, whom I pitied but greatly admired. I knew nothing about Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, except that she's a very sparkly, lip-glossed singer of cute hip-hop songs that pre-teen girls seem to adore. Needless to say, I had very low expectations of this movie. But hey, I got to spend 2 hrs with my niece, so it was worth it. Actually, it wasn't nearly as painful an experience as I expected. I was impressed that the movie stuck to the G rating and had some decent "family is important" values thrown in there.

I was a little confused about the ending. See, the tagline of the movie is "She has the best of both worlds...now, she has to choose just one." The whole plot was about this girl choosing whether to be a world-famous singer, or a small-town girl with a loving family and normal relationships. At the end, she decides to return to her roots and just be a Tennessee girl. It's a very feel-good moment, and everybody's happy when Miley realizes that home and family are more important than the glamour of L.A. But THEN, her adoring fans beg her to change her mind, put her blond wig back on, and go on being their hip-hop superstar idol. And she DOES! So the moral of the story is...you really can have the best of both worlds...and you don't have to pick just one? Huh? *sigh* Oh well.

I'm a good auntie, I am.

Watching My Heart

"Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons." Deuteronomy 4:9

"Watch over your heart with all diligence,

For from it flow the springs of life." Proverbs 4:23

Something God has been teaching me lately is the importance of watching over my heart, paying attention to my thoughts, desires, and affections. I think that is something that is so often overlooked, considered unimportant or hopeless. Practically from infancy, the world tells us to "follow your heart." In movies, if a character "falls in love," he has no choice but to act on his feelings, unless he wants to spend the rest of his life in misery and regret. When a person faces a difficult decision, someone usually asks him, "what does your heart tell you?" The world doesn't realize that the human heart is corrupt and full of sin - it will only lead us to death unless we allow it to be led by God's truth. I should not follow my heart until it is in line with God's heart. He can give me His thoughts, desires, and affections, but only if I first lead my heart towards Him.

"We may be inclined to believe that our feelings are caused by life's circumstances or by our body chemistry. Undoubtedly, these things do affect us. However, such factors are not the source of sinful feelings. As we encounter life, our emotions are primarily determined by what is in our hearts. Sinful feelings reveal a sinful heart.....Self-control is what we need to guard our hearts against sin. And a well-kept heart will beget joyful feelings - the kind of feelings that God intends for us to have." ~Carolyn Mahaney, Feminine Appeal

is there a term for "fear of malls"?

I think this phobia I have of malls is only getting worse, the older I get.  With the weather warming up, I recently realized that I need a new swimsuit.  I saw some online that I kind of liked, but wanted to try them on before ordering any.  So, after going on a beautiful 4-mile walk around Town Lake and then reading a book at Mozart's (a coffee shop by the lake), I bravely ventured to Barton Creek Mall, determined to get in and out before the afternoon crowds.  

I found the swimsuit and tried it on pretty quickly.  It didn't fit, so it's a good thing I hadn't ordered one.  Then, since the mall really wasn't crowded at all, I thought I'd look for a pair of sandals while I was there.  I eventually found a directory and figured out that one of the many shoe stores to choose from wasn't far away.  I just had to find a way to get downstairs, and find "N1," in the orange section.  Or maybe it was "G3," in the green section.  By the time I found the stairs I'd forgotten what section the shoe store was in, and decided that if I wandered around for a little while I'd be sure to find it, since it would take me just as long to find another directory.  Mistake.  I think I went in the exact opposite direction of where I wanted to go.  

By this time I was getting what I call "The Mall Headache."  This particular ailment is brought on by bright lights, loud music, and ten million different colognes, not to mention the stress of dodging the kiosk vendors.  These people are Vultures of American Consumerism, on a mission to convince you that you can't live without the newest grapefruit-scented lotion, electronic gadget, or robotic toy.  Thankfully, I have mastered the art of avoiding eye contact, and successfully passed by unscathed.  However, I was completely fed up with the whole mall atmosphere, and frustrated at being lost, so when I finally did find the shoe store, I was in no mood to try anything on.  I convinced myself that I didn't need any sandals, that the $2.50 Old Navy flip-flops I recently got would do just fine for now.  And it's only the beginning of April, there's plenty of time to get a new swimsuit.  

Within 20 or 30 minutes of going into the mall, I made my escape and found my car.  I drove home, reflecting on how pathetic I really am, and decided that the next time I need to go to the mall, I'd better bring someone along for moral support.