Here's what's up

* I have been without a sewing machine for the last two+ years. I have wanted to buy a new one but everytime the funds are there they end up having to go to something that falls in the "need" category instead. The machine is nothing fancy, in fact it is several years old and probably a model meant for beginners...but a sewing machine it is nonetheless.
 I finally tracked down a number to call for replacement parts, ordered my pedal and manual and was planning on waiting patiently till the end of April for them to arrive as the pedal was back ordered. However, there were packages waiting on my doorstep on Tuesday that hailed their early delivery! I cannot wait to dig in to my stack of fabric and whip up something exciting!

* My latest obsession, in place of sewing, is crocheting. ILOVETHIS! Stephanie showed me some basics back in January and since then I have become truly obsessed. It is all I want to do! I am constantly looking through patterns, checking out new yarns, reading about recycling old fabrics to make my own rug yarn! Sewing gives me the same feeling of excitement in regards to creativity, but crocheting is different in that you are actually making the fabric of your project. So neat! Here are a couple of my most recent projects:

Elliot has decided he loves my yarn. Observe:

*After having a very late Bible study on Monday, Josh decided to call in "sick" from work the next day. It was so fun getting to sleep in and have coffee together that morning! Around lunch time we got ready and met with Rob for a reunion Taco Bell hang out. Then we headed downtown to shop the antique stores. It was a day of many steals. I found a really cool gecko decoration for my dad to hang on the fence for only $3, a pretty blouse for me (navy blue with tiny white bows printed all over) for only $10 and a really cool tin for Elliot's nursery for $2! I didn't get pictures of the other two but here is the tin:

I think it goes well with his forest animal theme.

*During our Monday night Bible study prayer card time, I was really encouraged and excited about some of the plans I have for our church's nursery ministry. All of the girls chimed in with thoughts, ideas and plans of action! I can't wait to see it all come together and truly hope it helps awaken a desire for younger generations in our congregation's hearts.

*Tomorrow Josh will be helping at his mother's school, Sundale, for the third year for an event called Weird Life. I believe it has a connection with Young Life, but is for elementary school age. He leads worship before the speaker. This year they are having a bonfire, which could potentially be a lot of fun! I've been helping Josh prepare his list of songs to sing and in this process he believes he has discovered that I can sing. Ha! He is now calling it "my secret." It has been the running joke of this week and has caused endless fits of laughter from me. Apparently I haven't let the world know I have a mediocre voice. I'll get right on that! 

*And at the last minute I am adding that I am fairly certain I will get to see a good friend of mine this weekend. Something to look forward to!

Applesauce

1. Wash, quarter and core apples.

2. Fill saucepan 1in with water, place apples in steam basket and boil water. Cover and steam for 10 min and apples are very tender. Remove from basket and cool completely.

3. Remove skins from cooled apples and puree, adding enough of reserved water from boiling, to desired consistency.

4. Enjoy!

Because poignancy should be noted

Has anyone else been entranced by the show Everwood? It aired a number of years ago but was one of my favorites. I never agreed with all of the shows "opinions," but I always loved that they showed more than one side of an argument. They created a story about real people in a real town...with real life problems. Many shows claim to do this. Most of them don't. Some of what happens in Everwood is extreme or unlikely. A lot of it, like the quote taken from the following episode, are things that are rarely handled with such grace and surprising eloquence.
Andy Brown is the character at the heart of the series, a renowned surgeon who's wife was tragically killed in a car accident, after which he moves his family to a tiny mountain town in Colorado called Everwood. In the episode I'm referring to, a young girl becomes pregnant and is being pushed into having an abortion by her religious family. Andy, having hailed from New York and being the go-to (and only) liberal in the community, is sought out by the girl's father to handle the issue. Surprisingly, Andy can't go through with the procedure. When asked by his friend why, he gives this beautiful reply:

"I've always believed that women should have a right to choose...Julia and I sat on the board together in New York. She thought it was the most important thing a woman owned, and I agreed with her.


Then, about 8 years ago, I did a surgery in utero. It was a spina bifida baby. I was trying to prevent paralysis; it was a best case scenario. The mother wanted to carry it to term. It was a success...and then it was a she. A patient...with a file, a history and a name: Emily. Do you know that you can take a picture of a fetus that's 54 days old? All the organs are visible. Not a  person, not able to live outside of the womb, but a perfect possibility of a person. 


Kate Morris has been pregnant for 62 days.
I don't know when life begins. I don't even know if, for a scientist, that question is answerable. 
But I do know when it ends. And after this year, after losing Julia, I just don't think I can be the one to end it."

It's still a safe answer, not wanting to qualify "when life begins," but to know when it ends? An ending requires a beginning.

The other doctor who actually performs the abortion is a very conservative gentleman, and though he goes through with the procedure he does not agree with it. The show ends with him in confession. I really appreciated for once seeing a show that can present two sides of an argument and come up with the same answer.
For me, abortion has a simple response: It's wrong. I don't agree with it. It makes me sick to my stomach hearing the statistics increase every year. I've heard every possible side of this issue and I'm not looking for a debate. I just watched that particular episode again (I'm going through the 3 of Everwood's 4 seasons) and it always leaves me with the same feeling. And that is all I wanted to say.