Sewing 101

Tiek and I have both started to take an interest in the “craft” and sewing world lately. So we decided to get together on Friday and see what we could make! Our goal was to work on a few shirts and anything else we could come up with…

Tiek working her magic on her sewing machine and making a pretty fancy shirt. While she was doing that, I started making these flowers below.

We worked on a similar shirt for both of us, and I think they both turned out really well! They both have the same basic ruffle at the top, but just sewn on a little differently.

We had a really great time! Tiek is so fun, and it’s awesome to have women in your life that you can do ridiculous things with (sewing shirts on a Friday night seemed a little ridiculous to Joe), and just talk about life.

A quote

"Jesus never says to the poor, 'Come find the church'... but he says to those of us in the church, 'Go into the world and find the poor, hungry, homeless, and imprisoned,' Jesus in his disguises."
-Tony Campolo


Hm, this really hit me hard the other night. I don't know about you, but that does not reflect my life right now. Maybe I desire to serve the poor most of the time, but I'm not doing much about it. But if we know what is right and don't do it, that's sin right? (James 4:17)

Just food for thought :)

Running with a Purpose

This weekend, I was able to do something a little special. Lindsey invited all the girls to come home and run in the American Heart Assoc. race in honor of her dad who passed away several years ago. We all ran (or some walked) the 5k on a nice chilly and wet morning, but it was great to get to see everyone!

We were able to spend some time the evening before sitting on the infamous Pam Brose couch and catching up. All of us live in different cities now, so I really appreciate the times we are together!

getting ready to start...

check out these beautiful ladies!

classic pic with jenny at the fountain

coming back into downtown!

Roller Derby!

The event finally arrived! This past Saturday, we went to see the Naptown Roller Girls play at the state fair grounds. I have been looking forward to this for a long time, and these ladies didn't disappoint. We had a blast. I don't know if you know much about roller derby, but the girls are intense. The teams skate around a track trying to earn points for passing people. They frequently knock each other over and end up in the penalty box. Very entertaining to say the least! There is actually a ton of strategy and I never got bored. I would try and explain the "game", but you should really just check it out for yourself!

A few practice laps, getting warmed up.

Some physical contact...

Ryan and Steve trying out to be Refs...

"And we have a leaaaaaaaaaaad jammmmmmmmmer!"

And the whole group!

http://naptownrollergirls.com/

some spring cupcakes

Regular cupcakes? No way! I had to try making some multi-colored beauties to celebrate spring! Although rumor is we're expecting snow here in the Indianapolis area on Sunday? boo...

St Patricks Day

So, Scotty's Brewhouse was offering $100 gift cards to anyone that would jump in the canal on St. Patrick's Day. And, I should point out that Indianapolis dyes the canal green every year in celebration of St Patricks Day! Ryan decided to take the challenge and here are some pictures:

Not cold at all right?

And! Because Ryan was the first to jump in, he won $250! He will never have to pay to eat at Scotty's again... :)

It was so much fun, the Ladds decided to jump in after bible study...

You can kind of see the green here...

freezing!

Ha, so how did you celebrate? :)

Kisses from Katie

I was introduced to this blog by a co-worker a few weeks ago, and I've been hooked ever since. Obviously I don't know Katie, but what I've learned from practically reading her entire blog is pretty incredible. Enough so that I wanted to share her blog with all of you. Basically she is a 21 year old girl from the US that has moved to Uganda, given up everything, and is raising 14 girls as their mother. Her maturity challenges me, and her heart is beautiful.


http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/


Enjoy!

A Spring Challenge

In an attempt to 1) save some money this year on a spring wardrobe and 2) force myself to learn more about sewing...I am challenging myself to re-do 7 pieces of clothing for spring. They have to be things I already own and must require sewing! I have some ideas, and here is what I am starting with:

Spring?

I was so encouraged this weekend by these little guys popping up in the yard! I don't know if I've ever been so excited for spring as I have been this year.




And Ryan brought home these beautiful flowers Saturday!


Yay Spring!

A Nod to Haiti

Goodness this week has been busy! I haven't even had a chance to tell you guys about what Ryan and I did last Friday night! Our church meets in the Anthenaeum downtown, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, but also within the "A" is the Anthenaeum Artspace. Our church has helped to bring a few shows into the artspace that would help benefit a cause, or show typical First Friday art viewers something a little bit deeper than the norm.

This past Friday, Amy King, a local photographer, shared her pictures of trips to Haiti both before and after the quake. The pictures were beautiful and very moving. The poverty and devastation from the earthquake are unbelievable, and I found myself just staring at pictures for several minutes not being able to really comprehend the suffering.

The "A" decorated for the event.

All of the pictures were for sale, and the money raised went to benefit a medical missions team that focuses on trips to Haiti.

All pictures are from Cherri Herron and Amy King.

Good golly miss Molly

My sister Molly came to visit us Tuesday night! We love her, and I'm so glad we got to hang out. Hope you enjoy the rest of your spring break Mol!

The Slagors

This past weekend we had the pleasure of hosting the Slagors in Indianapolis for Saturday evening! We went to dinner at one of our favorites, Scotty's, and grabbed drinks at Olive's (to try and find any NFL coaches that might be in town...). We love them both a lot, and it was so good to catch up on life, work, friends, and LOST.

Jenny and Mike!

martinis at Olive's

and of course, the Sawries.

Craftiness

I would love to learn how to sew and re-do furniture, so here are a few things I have been working on...


I painted this nice dresser so we could have a little more storage in the family room. I bought it off craigslist and painted it black.

A ruffle pillow using this tutorial:

Rosette Pillow

A tree pillow using this idea:

Tree Pillow