2800 Miles and a Cupcake Dress

Ben - Washington
Ben arrived in Washington last night. He left WV at 9 am on Friday and traveled 2800 miles in 3 days. To say he was excited seems a bit of an understatement. He is settling into his small garage apartment today and reports to work on Thursday. A friend recently told me how proud he was of me for making this cross-country move an adventure and not a burden. I have thought about that alot this week whenever I am especially stressed out and when the panic starts in my throat. Even on days when I learn that there was a "small" grease fire in our kitchen the previous night. Matt, a friend from church, is Zoe-sitting while the kids and I are in SC and apparently some fried shrimp got out of hand last night. The good news is that no one was injured, the bad news is that there was some damage to the kitchen. I was initially dragging my feet about having an open house this Sunday, so I am off the hook until the kitchen cabinets can be repaired and the stove fixed. I told the kids that we would stay an extra day in SC and got no complaints.

The Machine and Unattended Pants

Last year my mom purchased an embroidery sewing machine. At first, I was skeptical about the practicality of being able to put letters on clothing. The first time I saw my daughter parade by in a shirt that said "Maddie" in pink letters, I was a changed woman. This has been especially nice for my son, Steitler, and for my nieces and nephews who have unique names, since they will never find their name on a keychain or on a small, plastic license plate for a bike. Steitler decided his basketball number would be 10 and had Nana embroider it on the sleeve of his church league T-shirt. Maddie looks in stores now for clothes that would be cute with her name across the front. This sewing sensation has created a new house rule. Never, ever, leave your pants unattended or you will find your initials on the back pocket. 90% of my mother's pants are initialed on the back pocket and yours will be too, if she has the chance.
The machine has brought us together, given us something to do on Sunday afternoons for hours and kept us freshly creative. The phone calls just to say "I saw the cutest thing...I think we could do it this way." The excitement over a completed project that is beyond fabulous. The nervousness to try a new stitch or a new texture.
The Cupcake Dress came from a request to make Maddie something special to wear on her 5th birthday. Mom and I talked it out and picked fabric. Em came the next day and we perfected the technique and the sketch and the colors. Out of this creative brainstorming came a birthday dress that will forever be the way I picture my daughter at 5. Spinning around, bobbed hair and bare feet dancing in her Cupcake Dress.
I will post pictures when I return home.