You know you need to clean your sewing area when it takes you 10 minutes to find your pincushion and rulers.
Yikes! (click the picture to see a bigger/scarier version)
It embarrasses me to show this but hey, it's my real life. I get so caught up in sewing, sewing, sewing that I don't take the time to tidy up. Plus, I just have SO. MANY. projects going right now I'm about to explode! It's not that I don't finish what I start, it's just that things come up (like custom orders & gifts) that are time sensitive and I have to drop what I'm working on to do those.
My goal for August is to really focus on finishing all the projects I have going right now and do some tidying up!
Let's face it. Choosing the decor for a baby or toddler's room is really all about indulging my own style in a place where I wouldn't otherwise be able to show it.
We're about to move Jack into a big boy bed (he'll be 3 in September!) so I want to totally transform his room. Now that I have my ideas I can't wait to get started! The hardest part will be deciding on the paint color. Since we're on a shoestring budget I'm going to try to only spend money on paint and maybe a shelf or bookcase. I'd like to make a twin-sized quilt for the bed and I'm pretty sure between myself and my mom I'll have all the fabrics I want.
Well, the bags are almost all unpacked, the laundry is almost all done and the house is almost back to normal. That's good enough for me. :)
I've been at the cutting mat non-stop since I've been back.
I fell in love with the Metro Link Quilt (by Michelle from i like orange, too!) the minute I first saw it and decided to start it. This quilt has tiny pieces, which is good for scrap busting!
Next, an impulse project. I'm a little late but I really wanted to join in the Warm Cool Quilt Along. Who knows what I was thinking...it's not like I needed a new project or anything!
Finally, I just got a custom quilt order that is due by early August so I need to really get cracking! I decided to go with an aqua/orange/brown color palate.
And for a last-minute baby shower present I made these two little onsies using this rocket template. The guitar I traced off a picture I found on the web. I love what a personal and easy gift these make!
We're back!!! How can I even begin to sum up what an amazing trip we had to Zambia, Africa? Absolutely impossible! but I will do my best to give you the highlights.
I've mentioned it before but my husband and I went with an organization called Family Legacy and participated as camp councilors for 12 orphaned/vulnerable kids for 1 week at their CampLIFE program. I had an awesome group of girls between the ages of 10 and 15 years old and throughout the week we really got attached to each other. Most of their stories are so sad. Most live with a grandma or aunt, which at first glance doesn't sound so bad but in their culture everyone is in survival mode and they don't have those close family bonds that we do. They are often treated as an unwanted burden. With the unemployment rate near 80% in Zambia, it's hard for these kind of families to afford to send their kids to school. Four out of my 12 girls are not currently in school. One of those girls has never, ever been to school and she is 15 years old! It is absolutely heartbreaking. These kids desperately need hope! A big reason we go is to share with them the Gospel and the true hope that Jesus offers. However it is also an opportunity for us to find sponsors for each of them because that is what will help them get a good education. That's what I love about Family Legacy, they really want to help these kids to help themselves when they grow up by focusing on education.
These are my group of girls that I had the whole week:
Two of them said they were 9 and 10 years old but I think they were more like 7 and 9.
One day we spent out in the communities (the compounds) where our group of kids were from sharing the Gospel and serving others by cleaning their houses.
We did laundry at one house.
Here is one of the schools that Family Legacy operates. It is lightyears better than the community or government schools (you can see more here). That's hubby ready to learn his lessons. :)
This is a super cool little 2 minute video that shows the importance of education in Africa. It was actually a commercial (not associated with Family Legacy) that was made to be aired during the world cup last year.
This is one of the most awesome mission trips I have ever been on. We actually forged personal relationships with these kids and it was amazing getting to know their stories. I believe God put us on this earth to help each other whether they live across the street or across the world. If a difference was made in only one of my kids life on this trip then that is awesome. It starts with one kid at a time.
Zambia was an absolutely beautiful country and the people were even more so. I would love to go back and do it again next summer.
Thanks for reading and thank you to those who supported me to go in the first place!
