Recent sewing exploits

As previously noted, one of my new missions as a proper married lady is to learn how to sew. This is a bit of a start and go project. Most of the "going" is when I browse the fabric store and get fantastic ideas. Most of the "stopping" is when I can't figure out why the bobbin is making a strange noise, why the fabric is getting crinkled in the machine, and why the result looks more like a hairball than a sock.

Here are some of my first projects:

The cute and flirty dress. Still in need of some adjustments, but the first thing I've sewn and worn in public!


Booties that I made for a baby shower. This was so much cheaper and more fun than picking something off the registry!






And just finished tonight: a professional skirt just in the nick of time (and the nick of colors) for valentines day!

Which is more complicated?

I don't know which is more difficult to understand..... My husband or my sewing machine.

God to the rescue!

In a feeble attempt to keep the few and faithful readers abreast on our employment exploits, I shall now divulge God's latest and greatest evidence in our lives.

My last day as a long-term 4th grade sub was to be this most recent Friday. Without any other plans, I was going to become a simple day-by-day sub, where the pay was moderate and the job frequency unpredictable.

Half an hour before the end of that fateful Friday, the principal of the school called me out and asked if I might want to take over another long term sub position for a Kindergarten assistant. The pay was nearly half what I was making, so it wasn't an easy choice. Jon and I had to weigh job consistency over increased daily pay, but in the end, GOD struck again providing for us.

Jon is also working as a day-by-day sub, and we continue to pray for consistency there as well. We're not sure how God will carry us through, but he will, as long as we are faithful.

Please keep us in your prayers though. As the summer comes, Jon and I both face unemployment. I'm getting peeks at job openings in the fall, but that's not till August. Jon, graduating in May, has gotten a couple leads at churches, but again, nothing we are certain of yet.

As of now our summer could be spent in Disney World, my parents house, right here, or half-way across the world. We remember faithfully that God's direction is a lamp, not a searchlight, and we are learning to trust on him before all else. That is the ultimate goal, no?

Exploits of a married lady.

It's most regrettable that I haven't found time, or really made time, to update this blog. For me (I'm not sure about Jon) writing has always been therapeutic, something I needed to do to work out my problems, gain perspective, and calm myself. Since I've been married I've retired my personal journaling (eight notebooks over 7 years), but for my sanity, and often the sanity of this marriage, I'm pledging to articulate my (and hopefully our) thoughts here.

Tonight is a rare night when I am in the house alone. Faced with an empty schedule an a drive to do more with my life, I've taken this opportunity to pursue one of my many new hobbies, sewing. Currently, I'm sitting in a black skirt with pink and red pinstripes that I have sew myself. The waist band is a mess, I haven't done the hem yet, and there were more than a few hitches when sewing it, BUT I've sewn it! It looks relatively decent and is wearable.

SUCCESS!

This is one of a couple of hobbies I've picked up that make me feel more "wifey." Although it may be old fashioned, as a married woman of a year, I feel there are some things I need to do, both for myself and the marriage. Sewing my own clothes fulfills my need for a hobby, my crafty cravings, and my womanly urges to always have new clothes.

Couponing has been another such thing. After attending a workshop on how to do super-couponing, an watching my sister-in-law who rocks at it, Jon and I are giving it a shot. Generally I gather/work out all the deals, and since he retrieves them with his free time. We're not great at this yet, but we do generally save 60% off of the bill, getting things that are brand name, tasty, and not possibly expired (I love you Grocery Safari...but sometimes I question your expiration dates).

Sadly laundry has not been laid on my heart as a wifely task to improve on. May God change my heart in that regard....or give us enough income to pay for a maid.

I do have short bursts of cleaning obsession fits, and I'm entering one now. Best to put it to good use and clean up the sewing explosion that's taken over two rooms in the house (oh, but how nice ot have more than two rooms in our house!!!).

Different people

This blog was originally started to help keep our friends and family updated on how Jon and I were learning to live, love, and grow together. I know we've gotten away from that in recent posts, so I hope this blog re-establishes our original goal.

I don't know that growing is ever easy. If you consider the growing your body does, it is often painful. Teething is excruciating, puberty is a mess of discomfort, growth spurts bring unpleasant stretch marks. I have to believe that emotional growth is the same way. As Jon and I grow together as God intended us to be "one," we hit challenging, and sometimes painful obstacles.

Most recently, we've struggled with a startling simple concept. Though we have some remarkable similarities, we get along very well, and we have so much common ground, we are still different people. There are some ways in which we are not now (and may never be) alike.

For instance: Jon will eat nearly anything labeled as "food" that is put in front of him. I'm different. I only have about four vegetables I'll eat, and I'm generally skeptical of new foods.
Or: When Jon's stressed he likes to unwind with some video games, or chill in front of a good movie. I like to release all my energy by getting out and having some fun.
Or: Jon is very open minded at trying new things. He may not like it, but he's willing to give it a shot (in most cases, dancing excluded), even if it makes him uncomfortable. I am shy in new situations, particularly with new people.

Is it ok to be different? Is either person's approach better than the other? Well, we're each going to think our own idea is better, so we better get out the fencing swords now to decide a winner. (just kidding...we do NOT endorse sword play as an effect counseling technique).

Instead what I think we're coming to realize is to be aware of each other's differences. Try not to put each other in istuations that cause discomfort. Be understanding to the other persons restrictions. At the same time we can try to introduce new activities that introduce the other person into something that is uncomfortable just to see if they like it.

Jon could suggest new veggies or new recipies to try, just to see if I like more foods than I think I like (he'll never win the battle of peas though, I strictly refuse).
Or we can manage stress together. Maybe I'll sit and play video games with him for an hour, before we go out bowling.
Or we can try new things in small doses, so that Jon can enjoy his social situations, but I can have time to get used to the new people. Maybe we could go take swing lessons with some of his friends and hit the best of both worlds.

Whether you're just dating, or married for 50 years like Nikki's Gparents, I think husband and wife will always be "one flesh" but still different people. That's ok. Just respect your differences, and be willing to get out of your comfort zone.

Grandma has cancer

My grandma Shirley is my mom's mom. A couple years ago she moved in with them. I get to see her about once a month now, more so than I have ever seen a grandparent. A few months ago my grandma was having trouble using the bathroom. Surgery was able to alleviate the problem, but the scans showed "something." It took months of spaced out doctors appointments to finally draw the conclusion we all had feared.

Her cancer was aggressive, but treatable with a primitive form of Chemo. She was weak already, but after the first round I'd never seen her so lifeless. I kept remembering how when I was twelve we climbed halfway up Grandfather Mountain together. Now she takes a break from walking outside to her bed.

On Thursday I heard she decided to stop the chemo treatments. To be honest, I never thought she would start them. I think she'll be much less miserable without them. But it's hard to hear that I may not be able to give her a Christmas present. I pray she'll get to see her great grandchild, born sometime in November (by way of my sister, not me!)

She'll be the first person close to me that I'll have lost, and that's hard. But I can't help but think of all the good things God is doing with this. She'll be so much happier in heaven. She won't be brought down by the troubles of our time. For the first time since childhood, all her children will be around her this weekend. Some will speak to eachother for the first time in years.

Grandma, I love you. I want to cherish ever memory we've had together, and strive for every single one we can make. I pray your suffering is light, and your heavenly reward is great.

Jobs and Families and Classes! Oh My!

There is probably a bunch I could/should be a very huge blog post, but I promise, I will try to keep it short! Bullet points are probably the best way to do that......

• My Job.... Praise the Lord and hallelujah, I was blessed with a decent paying job at a small school that I've worked for in the past. Though I'm the lead teacher int he 2 year old class, and children these young aren't my forte, I'm so glad that God has provided for our needs. I'm having a tough time in the classroom, and I worry how this will affect my resume, but I'm going to work my hardest anyway.
  
• Jon's Classes....Classes for Jon have started up. This fall he's taking Greek 2 and Hebrew 3 (not easy to take at the same time). He'll also be wrapping up a Hebrews-Revalation class that he began online over the summer.
• Families.... My family has just been hit hard as Grandma's been diagnosed with cancer. She's been living with my parents for the last couple years, so she is surrounded by love ones. The cancer is not supposed to be very aggressive, but it's affected her energy in very noticable ways. Her first Chemo is this Wednesday and I know the whole family is taking it hard. We'd appreciate prayer.
  
• Our new place.....We love our new house! Having so much space feels luxurious! Sure we can't wash our hands without getting scalded, I bang my knee on the tub every time, and I still haven't figured out where the big family of cockroaches lives....but we really do feel like grown ups with real lives.
  
• Jon is still searching for a second part time job to help the bills out a bit. If you hear about anything, let us know.
  
• We have several friends who desperately need jobs. It's easy for me to understand their frustration and hurt in the job market, as I was there only three weeks ago. What is so infuriating is that these friends have bachelors and masters degrees, they are hard workers, and they're willing to do almost anything that pays the minimum. We can't understand why it's so difficult to get a job, much less an interview, much less a rejection letter! Pray for others in these situations.
  

That's all that I will include tonight. Soon we'll get back to posting about the in's and out's of married life, but we wanted to make sure everyone knew what was going on.

With Love!
Jon and Telly (not to be confused with Jelly)