First Impression

I got a wax seal! I love it. It is so old fashioned and lovely. The art of letter writing has really been lost in our culture. Texting, emailing, the telephone, and the internet has all but squashed the heart felt letter. We want things, and we want them NOW. Everything is fast, we hardly ever relax and stop to think. Some people even resort to yoga, of all things, to relax and "empty" themselves. Well, I plan to improve my writing skills and write more frequently. To make it more fun, I got a seal with my first initial on it. Here is a tutorial on how to use a wax seal with wax that has a wick.

For beginners, you'll need to trace around your seal, but after a while you will be able to wing it.

Moisten your seal. You can use water, oil, or a pigment stamp that you would use for rubber stamps to make a 2 tone impression.

Light the wick.

Hold wax at 45 degree angle and drip on the circle.

Don't drip till you fill the circle...

this is too much. :)

Press your seal into the wax and hold for 1-3 seconds, then lift straight up. If when you lift up, it doesn't want to come up, leave it down till the wax hardens completely then pull up. You probably did not get all of the crevices when you moistened it.

Voila! You have made your first impression.

Impulse Hair Cut

On Monday we went to the EAA Air Venture Air Show in Oshkosh. It was pretty fun but we got rained out. (post coming soon...) That night we stayed at a friends house and had a blast. Well, the next morning Kara and I were just talking with the Moms and my grandma, and the subject changed to hair. I mentioned how I was planning to donate some time, and Kara's mom said that Kara really should get hers cut as well, because it will grow

back healthier and stuff like that. Kara wasn't so sure. So my dear mother, bei

ng who she is says "How about you both go and get it done now? Go rustle up one of the boys to drive you to town." So an hour later we're in the shop, getting our hair cut. I had enough to donate 10 inches, and still have it about 2 1/2 inches below my shoulders, and Kara took probably 6 inches off. Enjoy the pictures! I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and Kara (against her better judgment :-P) loves it to pieces.

Before...

After

The hair that got shipped off...

How I wear my hair now.

Doesn't she look so much older?

Currently Reading...

The Holy Bible

Lady In Waiting

So Much More

A dress for a friend

While I was at my friend's house we did some sewing, and this is the final product, enjoy!

I only did a 1/4 of it this time. She learns so fast, didn't she do great?

Feelin' Feminine Challenge Days 7

Sorry for the belated post!

Day 7

Saturday

Clothes: White hooded top layered with a dark green tee shirt, Denim skirt.

Hair: A flipped pony-tail, though I'm sure that there is a sophisticated name for it out there somewhere.

Skirts Galore

Elizabeth recently commented on one of my posts asking where I get my skirts...so that is the inspiration for this post. Notice however, that I'm not going to post pictures of all my skirts, as that would make for a very long post. While preparing I found out that, um, hehe,(this is actually embarrassing for me, I can't believe the amount of clothes I have!) I have enough skirts to wear a different one everyday...for a month! yikes. Ok, lets get a move on.

Retail

There are many places you can get decent skirts. One of those is retail, however, if you're looking for long skirts, you may be hard pressed. In my side bar there is a list of places that sell nice skirts, have a look!

Hand-me-downs

Actually, some of my favorite skirts are hand-me-downs. Some people don't like wearing clothes that others have worn, but it doesn't bother me.

Thrift Stores

I know what you're thinking. Great! That doesn't

help me a bit! I feel the same way! Most of the time I complement one of my friends on an out fit they name one of the local thrift shops in our area. But really, we do have some nice shops here. It is so much fun going shopping with friends if you do it this way because you know you're not getting ripped off. You're saving lots of money, and usually getting better quality.

The Fabric Store

That's right! make your own! It is so fun. (in my opinion) You can make them what ever style, whatever color, what ever length you want. Not only can you make skirts, but dresses too.

If you have any suggestions for my list on the side bar, please tell me.

Feelin' Feminine Challenge Days 4-6

Day 4

Wednesday

Clothes: Same skirt as Tuesday, and a coral short-sleeved shirt

Hair: Rose Bun.

Day 5

Thursday

Clothes: Green butterfly skirt I made, white tank, and a red wrap around top.

Hair: It takes all day to dry, so I just shove it up into a clip for the day.

Yes, the top is to big. :)

Day 6

Friday

Clothes: Beige skirt, 3/4 sleeve white top, and denim jacket

Hair:High half bun, with the rest down

Rebecca, Moi, and Ella

We were taking pictures for NICYO (Northern Illinois Christian Youth Orchestra) yesterday, so I thought I'd just use one of those.

Guess Who!`

This is me, around 2 years of age.  What am I doing?  Sewing. :) Ok, pretending to sew.

Tomatoes

Gardens can be wonderful things...

Feelin' Feminine Challenge Days 1-3

Ok, I don't know if I'm doing this at the right time...but Zoe is doing it, so I am too.

More about the Feelin' Feminine Challenge Here.

Day 1

Sunday

Clothes: I wore my yellow regency gown

Hair: I made a very small on each side, coming back into a regular bun.

(I love my Octopus clips!)

Day 2

Monday

Clothes: A forest green polo shirt, and a knee length skirt with like 16 gores,

then for the second half of the day I wore a peach skirt I made that I'm not sure I like yet...

Hair: Ponytail

Day 3

Tuesday

Clothes: Empire waist brown/yellow shirt, and one of my favorite denim skirts.

Hair: Braid

So, perhaps I shouldn't take my pictures at 11:40...

Hey! We watched The Return of the King!

Cherry Cream Scones

I know they're called Cherry Cream Scones, but when I make them I use cranberries, or like this morning, dried blueberries. They turned out great, and I am very satisfied with this recipe from Taste of Home. Also, if you don't like almond extract, don't put it in, because you can REALLY taste it. I've reduced this from the original recipe by a teaspoon, but it still really makes a difference. Enjoy!

Cherry Cream Scones

Ingredients

1 Dozen

• 3/4 cups dried fruit

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 Tablespoons sugar

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 1/2 cup cold butter

• 1 egg, separated

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 3/4 cup half-and-half cream

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

1. Set aside dried fruit.

2. In large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar. With pastry blender cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, sour cream, half-and-half, and extract.

4. Add to flour mixture, and stir until soft dough forms.

5. On a floured surface, knead in fruit.

6. Divide dough in half and shape into balls. Roll each ball into a 6 inch circle, and cut into 6 wedges. Place lightly on a greased cookie sheet

7. Beat the egg white until foamy; brush tops of scones and sprinkle with sugar.

8. Bake at 400° for 20-24 minutes. Serve warm