our covenant day

I can hardly believe that it has already been over four months!
Married life is, well, awesome. And now, I am finally able to share some of the much-anticipated
photos that captured such a special day in our life.

I had a great tutorial for these DIY-ed aisle markers, but it was lost in the blog-tastrophe - oops.

Remember these home-decorated wedding shoes?

Our ridiculously beautiful flowers, done by the very talented Kelley K.

A gorgeous snapshot of my beautiful mom (right) and one of her dearest friends!

Hugely special to me, this is Charlie's pocket-watch and my bouquet with my dad's fire captain's badge --
holding it all day was the closest I could get to having him there with me.

Charlie with his mom - didn't she look lovely? (He isn't bad either!)

For over two years, I wrote letters to Charlie filled with hopes and prayers for our future.
This is the first time he ever read it...my final surprise gift on our wedding day.

Me with my little sis (and stunning maid-of-honor).

Our first look - one of the best decisions of the day. A perfect, quiet moment alone.

Ceremony time! In the spirit of Ruth 1:16b, my new dad (Charlie's dad)
escorted me down the aisle - such a huge blessing to me!

Post "man and wife" silliness in the church garden. Pro tip: act like you aren't actually freezing your tookus off!

Us with the world's most precious flower girl - my niece Reece!

Recognize that homemade guest book? We loved how it turned out once everyone signed it!

Winter Spice Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting....super yum!

1.18.14

Best. Day. Ever.

girl's dress tutorial - aka no clue what I'm doing

In contrast to Tuesday's easy-peasy DIY Boppy Cover tutorial, I now present an infinitely more complicated sewing project with no real instructions because I improvised a lot and have almost no idea how to actually make clothes. 

Apparel sewing is truly an art unto itself. All I can say is that although I am very happy with my final results, I certainly don't envy women throughout history who were Target-deprived.

First, the fabric...so cute and just sitting there all smug, calling out to me at Hancock Fabrics saying, "Wouldn't your niece look adorable in us?" Buy a bit and a pattern so you can pretend you're following the rules. (I should mention that my final product only shares like a 75% resemblance to what the pattern actually calls for)

Open up your pattern, become daunted by what you've decided to do. Spend gobs of time reading tiny instructions and cutting out tissue paper pieces. Accidentally tear some, curse, and watch your ceiling fan turn all your hard work into craft floor fodder. Tissue paper -- who decided that was a reasonable material for patterning?

Next, cut all the pieces out as best you can, pinning everything together so you don't lose bits. Realize you didn't buy liner fabric, go get some, make time to pre-shrink it since it missed out on your earlier mass fabric laundry cycle. Iron everything, cut liner pieces, pin some more. Struggle and doubt your competence for a few hours while constructing the top piece and straps. Make a big mess and spend an hour getting to know your seam ripper...intimately. Finally finish the top and "drop tha mic" because you just can't sew any more till tomorrow.

Get your Rocky face on and re-approach the craft room. Make some bias tape out of the shoulder strap fabric because you're a masochist with mild OCD. Attach the bias tape to the now-assembled skirt and it's liner. Behold the glory of top and bottom pieces both being finished.

Use a basting stitch to gather the skirt folds. Pin everything together like a madwoman and sew it all together. Immediately realize you forgot to remove the basting threads and take a moment of silence to honor them being lost forever, secretly buried in the hem.

Frustrate yourself further by adding a zipper without any kind of zipper attachment for your machine. Use a few hand-stitches to cover up mistakes installing the zipper. 

At this point, you're so freaking pleased with yourself, you add some decorative buttons to the front just to prove that you, and not the dress, are still the one in charge. Put that bad boy on a hanger and then dance around till your husband tells you that he's proud but a little worried about you. 

Final step: Wrap it, gift it, and play it cool while they freak out that "you actually made this!!!" all the while committing to making clothes only in the most dire of future circumstances.

diy boppy pillow cover

Now that the post office has finally finally delivered this gift to my sweet friend, bridesmaid, and new mama Katie, I can share it!

First of all - if you don't know already, a Boppy is a multipurpose u-shaped pillow designed for feeding infants. There's a variety of covers available from the manufacturer in different prints and fabric types, but a homemade one customized to match the nursery colors or in a print the mom likes is a great gift.

Katie is a huge Elvis fan (their dog's name is Presley) so when I saw a bolt of teal Elvis print fabric at Hobby Lobby, I immediately knew I had to come up with something to make for her and new baby Daniel.  

This project really only requires 2 yards of fabric and a zipper. There are lots of homemade patterns online for making Boppy covers, but the one I printed was confusing so I scrapped it and just borrowed an actual Bobby with a store-bought cover from my cousin.

To begin, turn the cover inside out and lay it on top of your two fabric yards - these can be the same or different. I chose to use the cotton print for the top and a simple print flannel for the bottom. Pin the cover to your fabric or trace around it using a washable fabric pencil. Leave around a 1/2" of room for the hem all the way around. Thankfully, given their shape, Boppy's are pretty forgiving so if your hems are a little off, no one will really notice. Cut two "U"s out of your fabric (or one of each if using two different pieces). 

Before sewing, make sure your two pieces of fabric are facing each other with the RIGHT SIDES on the inside. Next, follow the directions on the zipper to install it into the top seam - a longer zipper is nice so it will be easier for mom to take it off and on (I used an 20" I think).

Now, unzip the zipper (so you can turn it inside out once you sew the rest) and sew all the way around the "U" twice to complete the cover and give it a nice, strong hem. The result is one identical floppy Boppy cover!

Lastly, turn your cover right-side out and try it out on the pillow. 
Below is the bottom-side up first with a view of the completed zipper.

And now...right-side up!

Yaayy! Katie loved it and says that Daniel is enjoying it as well. Another project completed!
Next up: another secret gift and some cloth napkins for Strider and I.

completely & entirely

I was poking around online today and came across a question that really struck me:

Have you loved fully today?

I really had to pause to think about it. After all, what is "fully"? Can we approximate it to "a lot"? Not really.

fully – adverb / completely or entirely; to the furthest extent; in every way or detail

Completely. Entirely. In every way and detail.

Are we even capable of that kind of love? Being made in the image of a Creator that truly, fully loves us would make it seem like the answer is yes. But knowing myself, I have doubts.

I am frequently selfish and to be honest, often more judgmental than I'd like to be. So the question becomes, can I fully love someone if there's still focus on me? The answer's seems a bit rhetorical.

So here I sit, looking outside at the beautiful Spring and thinking about my amazing family - my mom and sister, specifically. Am I loving them fully each day? What can I do to set aside frustrations or selfish tendencies? And when I overcome those things, what acts of love can take their place?

Then there's Strider. I know I'm not the first newly-married wife to wonder how she can more fully love her husband, but being intentional about asking the question is a decent start.

      – Can I better trust him to lead our family and to be the "plan-maker"?

      – What are other ways to pray for him and encourage him in His faith?

      – How can I actively set myself aside and choose to serve instead?

Or neighbors. Or co-workers. Or grocery store clerks. Or distant friends who could probably use a phone call or a card, because love in fullness doesn't comprehend "out of sight, out of mind".

Then, one of the hardest of all - yourself. Can you step back and look at your oh-so-imperfect self, and choose to fully love you. In what ways can you cut yourself a little slack and just love being you? Love your life, your body, your joy and talents and all the little things that make you, you. For some people this is easy, but for others maybe not. There's a big difference between being selfish and fully loving yourself for who you are. Unfortunately, like many women, I'm only well-practiced at one - not right one.

So the question I'm asking myself and you today is: Who will you love fully today? How?

pies & paint: the paint

Hold on to your horses, folks: the nightstands are done. That's right - it only took me 4+ months, but as of this morning, they're actually finished!!

Starting line = 2 mismatched antique nightstands and a dream of creating a cute his & hers set for our bedroom

Finish line = refinished, matching and functional bedside guardians! We'll likely be using them forever.

Worth it? Absolutely!

Too tired to share much more so I'm off to eat Sunday lunch with family and bask in the satisfaction of completing a project. Bonus: getting my craft room floor back. 
Happy Sunday!

pies & paint: the pie

Happy Friday everybody! 
It finally feels like Spring is here to stay and although I'll be a crunchy-leaves-jumping, snowflake-eating, cold-weather-lover till I die...I am definitely enjoying being able to open the windows and bask in a nice breeze. 

We had a blast celebrating Easter with family last weekend and for the occasion, I made two pies, one of which I knew I had to share. Frankly, it's not unreasonable to say that I could eat my way out of a swimming pool filled with this pie. And if I didn't make it, I would die blissful. Okay - maybe a little overdramatic, but it was super tasty.

Perfect for Spring, Chocolate Cream Pie

Ingredients:
- a 9" pie crust (either homemade or frozen will do)
- 1 egg white
- 3 egg yolks, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

• Brush pie shell with egg white and bake at 350F until just shy of browned. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the egg yolks and sugar. Mix in the cornstarch, cocoa, and salt. Add milk and cream, stirring gently till mostly combined.
• Pour mixture into a large saucepan. Over medium heat and stirring constantly, bring the mixture to boil (this took me around 20 minutes but is worth doing slowly to avoid scalding the milk).
• Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Cool for 5-10 minutes then pour into pie shell.
• Chill overnight or for several hours. If there is condensation on the surface of the pie after chilling, gently lay a paper towel over it to absorb excess moisture.
• Top with whipped topping (see note). Garnish with shaved chocolate for increased fanciness.

Notes:
- If you have extra filling that will not fit in your pie shell, do yourself a favor and pour it into a small tupperware. Chill and top with extra whipped topping for a treat for later.
- To make homemade whipped topping, stick a medium bowl and your beaters into the freezer for 30 minutes. Combine 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract. Whip on medium until stiff peaks form, around 5-7 minutes. 

schizophrenic maybe

Hello, my name is Sarah, and sometimes I have no clue who I really am.

The "most-days me" loves serving coffee, is sometimes witty and often blunt, can binge-watch fun TV shows for days, loves chocolate more than anyone should, and seems to always have a checklist of to-dos in hand.

But then....

Some days I think maybe the real me is quieter, less sarcastic, a better listener, dreams more often, worries less, detests TV and spends all her time outdoors sketching flowers and thinking deeply. She's always kind and gentle and is never out of place riding a bicycle with a kitten in the basket.

Some days the real me is from another time. Jane Austen and Downton Abby feel like home (the downstairs though, because let's be at least a little realistic). Barring time travel, all I need is a huge antique store and some friends to invite over for tea. Needlework and dances at the town hall are the name of the game.

Some days I see myself working in a garden, listening to folk music, tending chickens and flour-dusted from breadmaking. I spend my days simply, enjoying our little seaside home inside an old lighthouse. It's sort of isolated and quiet but the view and nearby town are lovely. (This is an actual lifelong dream of mine - no mocking)

Some days I live on a horse ranch in Montana, making a living off refinishing furniture and Etsy.

Some days we're in a tiny studio apartment in the heart of a big city, two farmers markets within walking distance. Maybe in Europe.

Some days I picture our home well-kept and always entertaining friends, visions of dining tables with beautiful linens and carefully chosen centerpieces dance in my head.

Some days I long for a drafty old farmhouse with chipped, mismatching china. It's a bit messy but lovely and inviting with a year-round fireside glow.

How do I know which of these people is me? Are they all solid contenders for the future or will I end up as some weird amalgam all crammed into one? Do I just have a seriously overactive imagination? Am I glimpsing myself in parallel universes, the fate of which lies in the minute decisions I make today -- buy a cantaloupe, change your fate, that kind of thing? I doubt it.

Sometimes I feel like I have no clue who I am, but other times I feel like trying to change the little things (like being a little less sarcastic, maybe...just an random example - cough cough) is just as impossible as knowing the future.

I trust that God has an amazing plan for me and for our little family. I'm not worried because I know whatever the outcome, it's going to be great.

Mostly, I wonder, does everyone feel like this sometimes or is it just me?