Wedding Dress Storage

We have been in a mad dash to the listing line...think finish line that ends with a sign in the yard! That is a long story for another day. In the process we have been cleaning out every surface and space we own. Eleven years is a long time to go through settled items.

In our cleaning we came across my mom's wedding dress.  I love my mom's dress (I wish she wasn't so small or I would be wearing it when I get married). Apparently so did a few of our unwanted and unwelcomed house guests. I wanted to make an effort to get it stored correctly and safely.

So, I did! 

After a thorough washing and cleaning we hung it up to dry out completely before storing.

I searched and searched for a flat, hinge closed, boy that was not clear. Not an option. I had to go with a clear option and then used a blanket to keep it dark inside.

My supplies:
Box that closes completely, no gaps or wiggle room.
Space saver bag (size large).
dark (thick) blanket

I measured the bag to the box in the store (I was one of those people) but wanted to show you what I was looking for. I knew the bag would shrink when I sucked the air out but I didn't want it hanging out with lots of extra bag outside of the box.

I folded the dress into thirds and then fourths length wise to fit in the box.
I put the folded dress in the bag in the box, then closed and sucked the air out. This way I was sure to get the right fit.

The closure folded over nicely. Then I layered the blanket in there to completely enclose the dress.

And viola! No sun, dust, rodents, or nada touching this thing!
Better yet, it cost a grand total of $12!

Happy Tuesday!
Linking up with Time Warp Wife for Titus 2sDay 

Bless the Lord Oh my Soul!

He is risen! 
He is risen indeed! 

It is a Good Friday

John 19:16-30

A medical doctor once gave a detailed description of what happens when someone is crucified:
"The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders again the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. The cross is then lifted into place.
"The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed. The victim is now crucified. As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain--the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid the stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet.
"As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream. Spasmodically he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.
"Hours of this...pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.
It is now almost over--the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level--the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues--the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. He can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues...finally he can allow his body to die."
The Bible records this process of death by crucifixion in just a few simple words. How often we take for granted the pain and suffering Jesus endured when He died on the cross for you and me. Let us remember this Easter the sacrifice He made. - source

We read this as a family the other day and I just couldn't get it out of my mind. I played those words over and over again in my head like a tape player. Different interests bring about different responses. I tend to be more interested in the science of things and not the art of it. Pictures of twisted thorns artistically hung on a rusty nail really speaks to some people. I am not one of those people. When I listened as my mom read this I could barely put two words together. To the artistic people that nail and thorn picture screams the pain their sin caused. To me, it was this article. The medical side of it alone is astonishing. My sin caused that. My Savior willingly took that.

Glory to the One, God's murdered Son. -John Mark McMillan

Getting Ready for Gethsemene

Matthew 26:36-46

I can't imagine the picture.
Sweat and blood mingled on the brow of a physically ill man.
The agony of what was on the cusp of His timeline writhed inside him.

Most of time we see God's supremacy touch humanity in the form of a baby. Today I saw it in the prayers of a man in a garden. His requests for His Father to take the cup were asked with a burning desire to relieve Himself of the immense weight He carried.

The Matthew Henry Commentary brought up a good point about that cup. He wasn't asked to give up an ocean or even a stream. It was a cup, one He would soon see the bottom of. ~source

Happy Birthday Pudge!

It's this guy's first birthday, and I cannot believe it!
Aunt Hottie loves you Pudge! Happy Birthday! I hope you have a really good first birthday day! Love you!

50 reasons my mom is the coolest

I am sorry for the long lost blog writer! These weeks have been crammed lately. So much. So much. But later...

Today I am celebrating a very special birthday. Let's get started!

#1 - she leads by example.
#2 - she is interested in each of us.
#3 - she loves my dad.
#4 - she is creative.
#5 - she knows how to have fun.
#6 - she knows how to be serious when needed.
#7 - she holds me when I cry.
#8 - she celebrates when I'm happy.
#9 - she isn't a terrible person to hear come out of my mouth.
#10 - she gives fantastic advice.

#11 - she prefers to give than to be given to.
#12 - she has a HUGE heart for others.
#13 - she makes some awesome food.
#14 - she shows constant growth spiritually.
#15 - she isn't too far out of touch with everything going on.
#16 - she enjoys some good music.
#17 - she loves order.
#18 - she loves to celebrate others.
#19 - she loves to go on dates with my dad.
#20 - she isn't totally anti-spontaneity.

#21 - she is hands-on and interactive in our lives.
#22 - she loves the craziness the 12 loud people in her family create.
#23 - she enjoys a good project.
#24 - she doesn't take part in bashing people.
#25 - she has spent hours pouring into our education.
#26 - she likes to make memories.
#27 - she enjoys the little things.
#28 - she likes to have fun.
#29 - she likes to help us learn.

#31 - she is supportive of my dad.
#32 - she has awesome stories to tell.
#33 - she enjoys our friends.
#34 - she likes having all her family around.
#35 - she supports and encourages our interests.
#36 - she doesn't miss an opportunity to prepare us for our futures.
#37 - she prays with us.
#38 - she works to maintain an eternal focus.
#39 - she works hard.

#40 - she is submissive.
#41 - she reads God's Word every morning with us before we begin the day.
#42 - she likes a good adventure...that is planned. =)
#43 - she is there when I need her.
#44 - she is my friend.
#45 - she is a good friend to others.
#46 - she has inside jokes with people.
#47 - she is sincerely interested in people and their lives.
#48 - she shares her car with me.
#49 - she encourages JOY in our lives, Jesus first, Others second, and You last.
#50 - she is my mom!

Happy Birthday to my mom! I am thankful for you individually for the 50 reasons above and just simply because you are you! I love to learn from you and be with you! I pray your day is blessed and filled with joy. I hope you feel special today on your special day!

I love you!

Linking up with Still Being Molly for Funday Monday

Goals Go!: April

To be honest this is one of those things that grates on my type A personality so bad! The past two months have been packed! Packed with everything but me getting my goals accomplished. I need to make a category in my goals titled "stretching" so that I can learn to take all the goals I make up and let them go.

I decided that instead of trying to catch up this month that I am just going to recalibrate. Like a GPS that has to re-decide what to do when you don't make that turn. "Recalculating...again." But that's ok...right? When the last few weeks have been consumed with cars breaking, half-a-month trips to Atlanta, too many snow days, mounting bills, and sick little boys it is, of course, ok!

This is going to be a recap of about where I am and where I hope to be in a month. Here is a look at the last month if you are interested.

365 thanks: I have gotten behind on this...really behind. I don't remember the last time that I took a picture of something I was thankful for. I think I am going to change this a bit. I don't think I need to be less thankful...just thankful in a different way. I am going to change the project to once a week. I will try to snap a picture of something I am thankful, but only once a week. By the end of the month I should have a slide show with a grand total of four item and not thirty. That means at the end of the year it will be 52 and not 365. Again, that. is. ok.
Goal for this month - Make sure I have the first 14 for the first 14 weeks of 2014 written up, pictures taken, and flipagram made. 

Memorization: I didn't finish the verses I chose for February. Just being honest. That means I didn't choose one for March. I am taking April to master the two I have chosen.
Goal for this month - Master Psalm 139 and John 1:1-16. 

Birthday cards: I got behind on March. I am still sending them anyway! Hoping to get most of April's made and addressed tonight to be ready to sent.
Goals for this month - make and address all of April and March by this first week of April. Send by April 7th. By the last few weeks of this month I want to work on May's and have pictures taken so that I can post about it! 

Sister dates: Because my car broke down I have failed and failed miserably. I missed January altogether, February was supposed to be Bean for her birthday and March was Madalee. April is back to both of them. This is going to be reconfigured. Bean will get her birthday date and we will start over with both of them this month.
Goals for this month - take Bean on her birthday sister date and recalculate. 

Grandparents: Every other week my family and my uncles spend the Sunday night at my grandma's house. This past week I visited with my other grandparents. Working on it. Not great but working on it.
Goals for this month - contact my grandparents not through my parents. 

Pen pal: I am a despicable human being.
Goals this month - write back and send NO later than April 7th.

 

Lesson plans: We have been on a class break lately because I have been gone so much. I plan to take a look this week and really lesson plan. For homeschool I feel like I'm on track.
Goals for this month - figure out how I want to go about the next term and how to execute it. I also need to write up everything for next year and decide what to do for a junior! 

Buisness notebook: Having to do some MAJOR reconfiguring. Including a new budget to meet my current needs. Taking a look this week to see if I can get back on top.
Goals for this month - reconfigure the budget to live like no other this year (reference Dave Ramsey). Also need to add sections for classes (next year/semester), and a small side business I am hoping to start up.

Calendar: Still working like a charm. Need to work harder on accomplishing my lists I set per week but keeping a good count of when I am paid and needed dates.
Goals this month - Keep it up! Set realistic weekly goals of small things to get done, and get them done! 

Foods: My stomach hates me. Going to start a project blog to see if I can nail something down and hopefully find someone, anyone that may deal with the same things! Coming soon!
Goals this month - make the blog functional and begin keeping a detailed track of symptoms and trigger foods.

Clothing: Nope. Actually, that is a lie. I did a MASSIVE clothing overhaul this month. I emptied both seasons, all drawers and the closet, tried EVERYTHING on and got rid of/plan to sell what I don't want, couldn't wear, etc! It was fantastic...and humbling.
Goals this month - Take at least 10 outfit pictures. That means getting dressed 10 times this month in something other than my "go to" items! 

Hair: Nope again. Growing my bangs out...going to pull them out before this is said and done.
Goals this month - to participate in Taming Rapunzel's Feminine Monday link up with hairstyles on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th.

I feel better getting this all down and out of my head. Hopefully my month of calibration will do me good! Looking forward to getting back on track. Desiring to make plans and keep them but not be overwhelmed by them to the point of obsession!

Happy Tuesday and April Fool's Day!