Making Pretty Things!

I must preface this post with the disclaimer: I started writing this more than a year-and-a-half ago, so the things in it are true, however outdated the timing might be!

One of the things I love most in life is creating pretty things. I love painting, writing poetry and music, designing and sewing something, building things, and on-and-on! Making things and refurbishing and beautifying old things can make a person's surroundings brighter and happier.

The power of Creation is one of the most amazing and useful gifts we have been given in this life.

As a mother, sharing in the Power of Creation with our Father in Heaven has blessed my life in so many ways that I could never enumerate them all. If you are a mother, then you already know. If not, there is no way anyone can make you truly understand.

The Power of Creation does not just reside in the ability to have children, however, and there are many ways to discover and share this with those around you.

In the past little while, I have been working on my daughter, Amanda's, wedding dress. It has been a challenge, but a very happy one. She was supposed to be able to come to Arizona so I could measure and fit her for the dress, but, this turned out to be impossible. This left me with the task of not only designing the dress, but creating the pattern and cutting and sewing it, without the benefit of her current measurements. Luckily, I seem to have a tape measure in my head, enabling me to literally calculate EXACTLY from my remembrance of her figure, just the right size/length for everything.

I prayed for guidance, then drew out the pattern on paper, and cut the fabric. As I sewed it together, I know my mind and hands were guided by inspiration. I will admit that I am a pretty great seamstress - having designed or sewn pretty much anything that can be made with a sewing machine, in my lifetime. However, this particular project was something that could not fail - it had to be right, and PERFECT!

As I put together the different sections of the dress - the sleeves, bodice, and skirt, I was so pleased with how they were coming together. I sent pictures to Amanda, and she LOVED them! This was the most important part - that the recipient, my beautiful daughter - would be able to wear this and it would be THE DRESS that she had always envisioned herself wearing for her wedding. But, the acid test still awaited. It had to fit!

Marily and Mark were so kind as to buy me a one-way plane ticket, so I could leave for the wedding a few days early to finish the dress in El Paso. I took the dress there in two pieces - top and bottom - so I could alter or adjust as needed, before sewing them together and putting in the zipper. I was so grateful, when she tried it on, that it FIT - EXACTLY!!!! All I needed to do was to finish putting it together. This was a good thing, since I ended up needing the time it would have taken to make alterations to also make a slip to go under it, and oh - no biggie - do the flowers for the wedding! Well, it's a good thing I've had a lot of practice at those things, but I'm also very thankful for the talents I was given, that I am able to do these things, and that I can share them in this way with my family, and my daughter's new family, in such a meaningful way.

Creating new and beautiful new things - or taking old things and re-making them to be beautiful and useful again - these are gifts that God has given to all. They may be expressed in many different ways, for different people, but all of us have the ability to see and create new things in this world.

If you have not written, painted, drawn, built, or designed anything recently - give it a try. There is a divine sense of joy and personal fulfillment that comes with making or fixing something and sharing it with the world around you that helps us to understand a little more about God, and how He feels joy from the creation of this world, and especially the creation of US, His Earthly Masterpieces.

So, go sew something, write something, draw something, or just buy a kit and put it together! See how fun it is to add a new and beautiful thing to your world!

Go forth, and create!

16th Day of Thanks: I'm Thankful for Talents!

Today, I am grateful for the talents I have been given. I was blessed with many talents. I'm not even sure that I know yet, what they all are, but I'm getting there.

One of the joys of my life is learning. As I've grown up, progressed, and learned about myself, I have to say that my love of "doing" is one of my favorite things about myself.

As it just so happens, I've been working on Amanda's wedding dress. From the original concept to the current incarnation, the design has been discussed, re-discussed, envisioned from pictures, sketches, and a dress off the internet. All-in-all, it has been a process that has led us (Amanda and me) to designing what I believe we both feel will be the "Perfect Dress" for Amanda. It's nearly finished, and she will be coming here from El Paso, soon, so we can fit it and finish it.

I'm so grateful for the ability and love for sewing that I have, that I have been able to do these kinds of things for my children. Here are a couple of pictures, modeled by my roommate, Alma.

Thanks Day 8: I Think Weekends Are Great!!!

Yay, today is Saturday! I'm so glad to have a day off from school, and the normal things of the week. That doesn't mean I don't have any homework. That doesn't go away on the weekend, but I at least have some flexible time that I can schedule in things like cleaning, sorting through boxes, and working on Amanda's Dress. Only 5 weeks left until the wedding. Hard to believe.

When I was a kid, my mom tried to teach us that Saturday was for cleaning, and Sunday was for church. I totally subscribe to the church part, but I'm still not too thrilled about the idea of spending all day Saturday cleaning. I try to do the cleaning throughout the week, as I go, so there isn't much of it left to do on the weekend.

I believe weekends are for recharging your physical and emotional batteries; and working on things that make you happy, so the hard work stuff you have to do during the rest of the week is easier to feel good about. Weekends are for tackling projects, and getting together with friends and family.

Weekends are for going to church on Sunday and recharging yourself spiritually, to be able to be in the big, bad world, without being damaged by it. Weekends are for taking a nap, and visiting on the phone to catch up with loved ones.

The weekdays would be a lot more difficult to get through without the weekends to make it worth it.

YAY for Weekends.