FOUND!!! Theodora

I'm making a bulletin board for the Kinderworship Room for Rwanda, and I wanted to use my African doll. So, I got out the tub with my international dolls in it. As I'm digging, I unearth a box -- what is this? Oooo, I think I know! It's Theodora, whom I have been looking for since we moved from Olathe!

I've loved the story of Theodora ever since I took Eastern Orthodoxy with Dr. Bassett as seminary. A dancer and actress turned empress, Theodora was a controversial and influential figure in Christian history. She was a monophysite, but was married to Justinian, who was Orthodox. So, I'm ok with it. He built the first Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, now Istanbul.
I had this Barbie-saint phase for awhile, which I think I'm over (except for Ursula . . . I still want to do something with her), but I started Theodora based on the mosaic in Ravenna, Italy (image on right). The drawing on the left is one I did to develop what decorations and materials I should use. I didn't complete her before we moved to the parsonage next to St. Paul's. That was something like 2002! Well, here she is . . . . Beautiful!

Kinder-worship Room Painting

Havana Quilt

I wanted to share some pictures of the completed memory quilt my mom and I made for the Havana church. She did quite a bit of embroidery around the church and the crosses that really set it off and tied it together. I think it looks great in the foyer.


I suggested that since many of the pictures do not have captions, it would be helpful to have a scrapbook with more information on the pictures on the quilt and other pictures. They could add stories and other documents that would go along with the picture as well. She’s started working on that, but it requires more work than the time we had before the 85th anniversary. Many of the pictures were printed directly onto the fabric with an inkjet printer. I ironed on freezer paper as stabilizer, cut it to 8 ½ x 11 size and ran it through the printer.
We also used iron on material for other pictures. I painted the large church and the denominational seal. Mom and I worked together on the stained glass window, which is the design in the church previous to the current building. I don’t know how familiar most of the people are with those windows, so it was nice to reclaim that. It is primarily applicait (sp?), with some paint and thread attached. Mom, of course, did a lot of the embroidery, but we both worked on different embellishments for the pictures and design.

Girly Girl Baby Banner

I put this banner together as a gift for a baby shower we had at church.  I used the colors and elephant from the nursery bedding the parents were using.  I thought it turned out pretty well.

I got to use my Cricut on this and was pretty happy with how it turned out.  I glittered the outline after cutting it out. 


I also used some new embellishments that I hadn't used before - flower brads and jewels.  They'll be showing themselves in some other things soon.

Post Number II - April's Shower

I will try to get more photos of the event up soon. Some technical difficulties right now. 

We celebrated the anticipated arrival of Anna Pauketat a couple weeks ago with her mother, April, and brother, Jayman at the church.  Amy and I were the decor committee and we used April's french toile nursery theme.  Amy had put together a beautiful 12x12 scrapbook using papers April had picked out.  We took those papers and went crazy.  

Tag Book:  I don't have pics of this yet, but we made about 50 tags that were placed around the tables for guests to write little notes to April or Anna giving advise and wishing them well.  

Centerpieces: I made photocopies of some ad babies from the turn-of-the-century ephemera I have, enlarged them and used them as the basis for the centerpieces at the tables.  I also collected some shabby chic metal candleholders and vases.  I spray painted them and added tea-stained roses to the mix.  We just added more candlelight with votives from the church.

Cupcake picks:  Melissa made red velvet cupcakes that were absolutely delicious.  Because I had so many extra do0-dads left over from the tags, I made little collages and glued them to sandwich picks and we stuck them in the cupcakes.  I'm probably going to reuse these and make more to sell.

Banner: About 30 minutes before the shower Amy and I were inspired to throw together a "Baby" banner.  Amy just printed out the letters and we added some of our papers and froufrous and viola! a banner.  It was may inspiration for the pennant banner I made the following week. See future post.

Diaper Cake: The piece-de-resistance (spelling is French . . . )  that I made from 70 diapers, a bottle of lotion a small bottle and cranberry toile fabric I found at Walmart for $2 a yard.  I used more baby pictures and tea stained roses.  We set it with the scrapbook on the gift table. It was a great focal point. 

I also did the games and I think everyone had a really enjoyable time.  The food was great. The conversation was interesting. 

Now, we're just really looking forward to meeting Anna. 

Holly Daze

Thanksgiving is over and I made my first run at Christmas decorating tonight.

We also got a hide-a-bed couch from Ralph tonight. This is the second time I've gotten a couch from someone I work with. A new collection! Anyway, that brings our sleeping arrangements up to 8! No excuse not to come. . .

Muy Bien! Great Value!

Evan and I went home to Decatur over the holiday, and my Mom and Dad met us there. We had a good time and I got my Christmas present early -- a Cricut. That was a surprise, but we got it for $120 - which was cheaper than even the pricetag. I also got quite a few things at Big Lots and Hobby Lobby, so I'm hoping to get some of my pending projects finished so that I can start on new ones.

I've been working on a Christmas paper bag album this week, but I think I also have a few orders from home since I took my autumn pb home with me. I'll post it's outcome soon.

I'm also getting ready for the Christmas musicals this coming weekend -- we had our final Pre-school rehearsal Sunday night, with parents helping make their costumes and crowns. We had a good turn out and I think it's going to be really cute. More pics on that too.

I'll be starting my Advent meditations on the parkviewnaz.org site next week. Michaels has a nice size wreath suitable for an advent wreath for $1.50. Hobby Lobby has advent candle packages or you can make your own with votives.

Baked Potato with Sour Cream

A couple boardmeetings ago there was a hot potato being tossed around the room.
That potato was Sunday Nights.
Apparently, any other activity besides sitting in a pew, singing old gospel tunes and listening to sermon seconds does not qualify as an appropriate reverence to God. Some were trying to lead to the deeper issues at work. Although I was not there, reportedly, the discussion degenerated into mocking and harumphing.
To me, this might as well be the color of carpet.
I'm so sick of this bickering and petty talk. I am very sure that our local church is not alone in side-of-the-mouth whispering and self-righteous back-biting, but it does seem to be particularly good at it.
As Christians we're often accused of being the source of war and division in the world. Unfortunately, that is true. Wars, death and destruction have certainly been waged in the name of Jesus Christ. And are these things really worth fighting for? Maybe they are . . . the personhood of God, the existence of God, the uniqueness of God . . . these things may just be worth fighting for. And while the violence speaks to our poor twisted machinations in a sinful world.
. . . But are the pieties of Sunday night really worth adding to an athiest's unbelief?
Our criteria, in Wesleyan circles, is not what do I know, but what must I do to be saved? This is important because it colors our answer to the next question, am I willing to die for this?

11-13-07

Yesterday was 50% off at Valley. Amy and I went last night. She got a bunch of baskets that she's going to use for gifts. I got 3 skirts and some other stuff. I'll add pix this afternoon.

We're getting ready for a craft show on Saturday. Otherwise, I'll start posting some of these little albums I've done on ebay. I'll post those too. I just have covers left to finish on the autumn bag book. I need to make some more Christmas explosion albums this week.

Tonight I'm painting Evan's ship so that it wil be ready for Wednesday night. Board meeting is tonight as well.

Thursday we have Dinner & Prayer at our house. I'm making Apple-glazed Chicken. I'll let you know how it goes.