School Days Coat

The recent snowstorm here in Charlotte gives me the perfect opportunity to show you what I spent many a late night in December making:  The Oliver & S Schooldays Coat.

After reading Amy's post on how she sews a coat for her daughters each fall, I decided that a coat would be a better investment of my time instead of making a Christmas dress that might see one or two days' use.

I wanted to do wool, so off to Mary Jo's I went one Saturday to fall in love with this plaid.  PLAID.  It must be matched.  I temporarily lost my mind in choosing this for the most complex sewing project I've ever attempted.  But now that it's done, I love it!  It is fully lined and has a detachable insulated jacket inside for extra warmth.

The goal of keeping this little girl warm made me press on and get it done in good time.

This was my first time working with an Oliver & S pattern and I highly recommend them.  The pieces came together beautifully and the directions were wonderfully specific.

Merry Christmas

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

 He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  

 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

John 1: 1-17

Wonderful Counselor

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
  Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

"Wonderful Counselor.  Notice that these titles are not alien to the subject but are adapted to the case in hand, for the prophet describes what Christ will show himself to be toward believers.  The redemption he has brought surpasses the creation of the world.  It amounts to this:  The grace of God, which will be exhibited in Christ, exceeds all miracles."  -- Calvin

40 Reasons

40.  He likes to dance, especially with me.
39.  He comes off as serious but shocked the youth group on Friday night when he unexpectedly went into a rap solo.
38.  He is tall.
37.  He likes to read and began reading fiction voluntarily only when I started suggesting books.
36.  He is like, wicked smart.
35.  He works really hard.  If he lost his job tomorrow, I'm pretty sure he would go apply at a gas station if he had to.
34.  He is very responsible with money.  I have never worried a single day in our marriage about money.
33.  He takes sin seriously.
32.  He is a minimalist.
31.  His favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla.
30.  He is really funny.
29.  He is not a slob, but he doesn't really care how he looks.
28.  He loves the Gospel.
27.  He likes the same kind of music as me.
26.  He supports my hair-brained dreaming/scheming ideas most of the time.  At those times when he doesn't, it's because I really need to be pulled back to earth.
25.  He painted our entire two-story living room/entryway in one weekend this fall with no scaffolding -- only a BIG ladder -- and refused to stop until it was done.
24.  He drives a car with no air conditioning and doesn't really care that much (see #32).
23.  He can draw really well.  No one knows this about him.
22.  He is a history nerd like I am.
21.  He tells a really good story, using sound effects when necessary.
20.  He makes up nicknames for our kids.
19.  He makes up silly songs all the time.
18.  His priorities are in the right order.
17.  He has a pretty amazing ability to boil everything down and get right to the heart of the matter.
16.  Even though I like to be experimental in the kitchen, he has simple taste and is happy if I make boxed macaroni and cheese.
15.  He can fix almost anything but knows when he should just get a new one.
14.  He leads by serving.
13.  He is not afraid of emotion.
12.  He roots for the Denver Broncos, the Chicago Cubs, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Indiana Hoosiers...in that order.
11.  He does not snore.
10.  He can refrain from running for months and then go out and run six miles like it's nothing.
9.  He is patient with me.
8.  He takes one of our boys out for breakfast every Saturday morning.
7.  He hates to be sung to in restaurants.  I find this fact hilarious.
6.  He does not blame shift.  If it's his fault, he will say so.
5.  He continues to learn every day -- how to work better, how to listen better, how to manage his work team better, how to pray better...
4.  He does a great Frank Sinatra impression.
3.  He does not do inane things to "prove he's a man."
2.  He loves his children and his wife deeply and fervently.
1.  He has a deep desire for the glory of God.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!!  WE LOVE YOU!!

Blessed

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, 

and the breasts at which you nursed!”   

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Luke 11:27-28

 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.  But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”  And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:46-50

The great enquiry of the world in general in all ages of it, is after happiness.  Yet there is scarce anything that the world is more deceived about.  And thus therefore was no inconsiderable part of the the errand of Jesus Christ, the great teacher of mankind, into the world, to instruct men wherein their true happiness consisted.  He began his Sermon on the Mount with telling who were blessed. ...  'Tis more blessed to be spiritually related to Jesus Christ -- to be his disciples, his brethren and the members -- than to stand in the nearest temporal relation, than to be his brother or his mother. ...  'Tis more blessed to have Christ in the heart than in the womb.  'Tis more blessed to have Christ in the arms of faith and love than in the arms or at the breast as the virgin Mary had.

-Jonathan Edwards,

"That Hearing and Keeping the Word of God Renders a Person More Blessed Than Any Other Privilege That Ever God Bestowed on Any of the Children of Men"

found in Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, edited by Nancy Guthrie

Florence!

Here are some pictures from my day in Florence.  It started with a two hour train ride from Milan to Florence, during our group of seven chatted the time away.  It went very quickly!

This is the outdoor market -- it spans the length of about two streets, with several sides streets full as well.  Every stall is overflowing with merchandise:  glassware, leather, ceramics, etc.  The merchants frequently call you over to buy something. 

Here is the Duomo in Florence -- a building I have wanted to see for most of my life.  It is GIGANTIC.  Pictures cannot convey how small you feel when you're near it.  The plaza in front was filled with tourists snapping photos.

Me and Kristin in front of the Duomo

See?  It's big.

This is a scene from the piazza where we ate lunch.

This is Ponte Vecchio -- a street spanning a bridge, largely filled with jewelry stores.

Every time I saw the Medici name, I took a picture.  Thank you Medici family for being faithful art patrons!

This was taken on Ponte Vecchio

Just some random street art

I am going to bore you all with a second post about Florence because we went up into the Duomo and it was a crazy/wonderful time.  Crazy along the lines of "claustrophobic."