Maybe I should re-title these posts "Summer Bucket List"!  I am having so much fun with my kids and my own summer projects.  Here is a project I have been waiting to do since I was given this chair back in 2008 when my grandfather passed away.  It was my great grandmothers' passed down to my grandmother and then to my own mother.  She used it as a vanity chair.  The yellow and green fabric was the one my mother chose for her room back in the early 70's.  Underneath you will see the original fabric which was a shade of blue, then underneath that I found the original batting.  It was made of pure cotton and very small cedar chips.  After doing some research I found out the chair's real age of over 100 years old!  After a very thorough cleaning, I knew that I wanted to restore it to its original color but change the fabric to a more modern, yet age appropriate fabric.

I did give my facebook fans their chance to vote on the fabric and the winner was the one you will see below.

I had so much fun restoring this beautiful piece to her original state.  It was actually easy, but slightly time consuming.  I am so happy how she turned out and I am now looking forward to how she will look in my new house once its built!

Do you have any items on your summer bucket list?

Some people think all I do is talk about health and wellness...well, sometimes I do, but part of being well is also filling your time up with things you love.  There is a lot I love about summer, the pool, spending time with the kids, family vacations...list continues.  BUT...what I really enjoy is my summer projects.  I lay out these projects each summer for a chance for me to GROW personally.  This summer I have several things on that list but one of them was making summer dresses for my daughter.

Both of my grandmother's sewed.  One sewed in a factory for a living.  And, I was SO blessed that both taught me how to sew!  I pulled out my sewing machine, dusted it off, went shopping for fabric and created a few fun dresses for my daughter to play in.

Here are some pictures.  I added adjustable straps at the top for her comfort.

I had a blast!!  And...completed a summer project!  Do you have summer projects?  If so, what are your they?

Our little life got flipped upside down about a month and a half ago.  It hasn't really been too comfortable with our house being on the market for so long.  We were the family who couldn't have too many family pictures up for fear of looking to "personal" in our home.  But, at the point you put your house on the market, it really isn't your home any more.  You have to disconnect emotionally from it.  I did that about 2 1/2 years ago so when moving time came, it was actually pretty easy to give the keys over.  The house had tons of great memories, ones that I have shared in more ways than one.

But...now we have closed on our house and are living with family and friends while we build a house!  Yes, I said build.  After tons and tons of searching, we finally landed on a property that we felt peace about.  It resides in a quaint section of Fort Mill, SC right next to the strawberry fields.  For those that know me, know I am a city girl through and through.  I would live in the high rise if we didn't have kids!  This however is a great compromise as it backs right up to the city!

This is also one of the reasons I haven't written in SO long.  Our family is in a a serious transition state.  The one where sometimes time can't seem to go fast enough so that it can be over.  However, God is really doing a good work in me during this time.  Here are some things I am learning:

1.  Pray a lot!  And...I don't mean just a lot, I mean a LOT!  For everything!
2.  Be patient!  With the people you are around, your husband, your kids.
3.  Learn to live with just the basics!  Most of our "stuff" is in storage, and guess what??  Our kids are still happy!!
4.  Spend quality time with one another.
5.  Go on vacation.
6.  Rely on your friends!!
7.  Weed out bad friends who don't understand your particular situation.
8.  LOVE on each other!
9.  Serve others!
10.  Find some time somewhere where you can have some alone time.

For me, these 10 things are getting me through this 8-9mos. moving journey!  I will do my best to do a better job at posting pictures of the progress on our house.

Our property

Friends...I'm choosing this topic because as I wrote last week, we lost a great friend in Amy last week to cancer.  After processing, and attending her funeral, I can't help but write about friendships.  It hit me harder than I thought.  Mostly because I miss the friendships I once had in my teenage years, and although I knew I was blessed back then with great friends, you don't realize how great they are until you don't see them as often.

Growing up in the 90's was a fun and unique period.  Let's see, grunge, alternative, computers, Pearl Jam, techno, got any more??  I had a wonderful experience (not perfect) but I grew up with a group of friends who stood by each other.  We all went to different schools, we often times didn't talk every day, but we connected on Wednesdays and Sundays at Forest Hill Church, here in Charlotte, NC.  It was awesome.  We gathered, socialized, did probably pretty stupid things sometimes.  We sang, learned about Christ, and followed our youth leaders around like we were disciples or maybe more like ducks following their Mamas.  I have so many fond memories.

But, what I want to say is there were several points that stuck with me at the funeral Wednesday.  The first is my desire to be a GREAT friend to people not just a Good friend.  One of the girls was by my friend's side the ENTIRE time she battled cancer.  She served Amy so well! Unconditionally!  The second was a trait Amy had with her friends and that was to be constant and consistent.  The final and last quality or who I want to strive to become is a person who trusts God unconditionally.  It was described at the funeral regarding Amy, that she had NO CHOICE but to trust God with her daughter and her husband.  She had to let go and just completely leave it up to God...her situation was completely out of her control, and she LIVED like she trusted God.  I must admit that I like to hold things close.  Do you?

I wanted to say to these friendships, I was so blessed to have in the 90's,  you all are the foundation of my walk with Christ.  It started with you!  Your friendships were the first that I was able to process my walk with God with.  I feel so blessed seeing a number of you at her funeral.  I often take the friendships in my life for granted.  And, many of them I pass by.  They take work, and require being selfless which can be hard.  I desire those kind of relationships, I think it is what God wants us to experience in real community.

Lord, help me be a  good friend to the friends that I have around, may I be consistent and constant, may I learn to trust You in all areas of my life by letting go to things (people), I hold close.  May You have all the glory for who You have molded me to be, but make no mistake friends, God used each one of you to help me with my journey!

Us Now.

This was Amy when we were in highschool.

A friend of mine passed away this past weekend of breast cancer.  She fought the greatest battle I have ever seen when it comes to cancer.  3 years was her battle, I'm sure others have been longer.  She has a tremendous story.  One which she shared so openly on her blog Marginalia and her Caring Bridge Site.  I am still processing, and feel unqualified, small, and a bit misplaced when I write about her.  How did I know her?  Well, I was 13 and attended youth group for the first time at Forest Hill Church. My parents wanted to find a church I connected with and it was my first Sunday.  Which happened to be picture Sunday.  So I was forced into a youth group picture with a bunch of folks I didn't know. Amy happened to be in these pictures.  I remember her laugh.  It was loud.  I remember her smile because she did it all the time.  After my parents decided to attend there regularly I saw her regularly.  We did go to different schools.  But, every Sunday and Wednesday evenings we were present in the same room, singing youth group songs, laughing and learning about Jesus together.  It was great.