~ June Celebrations ~

June was jam-packed, as usual...

From the time of my MIL's birthday on the 2nd until my birthday 3 weeks later, we kept busy crafting & baking & celebrating. (3 birthdays, 2 anniversaries & Father's Day...)

(from a shirt for my mom's 58th anniversary)

(lil' somethin' for my man to carry around -- I ordered it here)

(we might or might not've eaten our way across town during our anniversary weekend...)

(a raggy banner I made for the headboard)

(fudgy cookies for my chocolate-addicted f.i.l's b-day... ☺)

(don't mind these -- they were just gf tart cherry bittersweet chocolate chip...)

My sis made a big party @ her house to celebrated Father's Day + my birthday.

The very best part of my birthday was having all my fellas together at the same table!

Whither thou goest…

This week my love & I celebrated 21 wonderful years of marriage. I asked him if he had a do-over, would he do it again? This is what I found on facebook:I would follow my husband to the ends of the world & live in a shack, if I had to. By God’s grace, we’ve had a comfortable life, complete with three marvelous young men. I decided to commemorate how “far” we’d come.This is where we had our first date.Here is where we married.This was the location of our first home.As you can see by the coordinates, I haven’t had to follow him very far… God is so good!

They Did (for 50 Golden Years)

April 14, 1962 is a date very important to me & my family. It's significance for my birth family has to do with my mom being 7 or so months pregnant with me. The day played a vital role in my current family -- for it is the day my wonderful in-laws were wed. Without that day there'd be no Keith & Melody; there'd be no Zachary, Alexander or Harrison.

April 14, 2012 was a day I should've had this project finished, but that's not how I roll...

I kept adding time-consuming crafty components.

(...like a fake certificate & love note for the pocket...)

This is way better than scrap-booking, IMHO!

(took me a l-o-o-o-o-ng time to bend those letters with my needle-nose pliers...)

I started by printing the photo on fabric.

I then completed my embroidery elements. Their names adorned a length of flat lace. April 14 was put on a white satin pseudo ring pillow. The year I stitched on a piece I fashioned into a bow made from fabric left from my wedding gown.

Layer after layer was stitched together. Old jewelry findings, vintage lace, ratty silk flowers way past their prime all found their way onto my canvas. My hands got really tired of all the hand stitching!

I hand-stamped a little brass medallion to hang from the bow.

Each of the flowers were disassembled from their plastic components & stitched together. Some I beaded with pearls.

Happy 50th Anniversary, Mom & Dad! We love you.

forever changed

I will never forget that phone call from my husband as I was readying my sons for breakfast. 

He told me to watch the news. I turned the TV on, as so many did, just as the second plane was hitting. 

I watched and moaned in horror as debris and bodies flew out the other side of that building... as smoke started filling the sky I rocked and groaned "Dear Jesus, dear Jesus, dear Jesus..." At the age of seven, my oldest could barely grasp the significance of the tragedy; and of course, my three- and one-year-old were upset only because of my wailing.

"What's wrong, Mom? What's wrong?"

All I could think of were those thousands of souls perishing without a Savior.

Things I'm loving...

I'm loving that 19 years ago, this wonderful man made me his wife.

(It was quite an occasion -- the children's choir I'd accompanied for 4 years sang "The Lord's Prayer" & my favorite male soprano from that choir sang "O Perfect Love". Then my daddy prayed the sweetest blessing over us... I could go on and on about the best day of my life... You should've been there!)

I'm loving the month of June for weddings!  A year ago we were blessed to bear witness for this beautiful couple tying their knot on our anniversary.

I'm loving that the afternoon before our anniversary this year, these sweet kids will be saying "I do!" We were quite honored to receive an invitation to this event.

I'm loving that IncrediHubs is taking me away to the ocean for a few days...

Linking up to Paisley Jade & her weekly gathering of gratefulness...