Red Letter Day

Today was NOT a Red Letter Day. We've been trying to sell our house for a year with hopes of moving 90 minutes away. We got an offer about 10 days ago, and accepted it. We then made an offer on a home in the town we want to move to. Yesterday afternoon we found out that our buyers couldn't get financing, and both deals fell apart. 

It's difficult to wait, and even more difficult when you think your wait is nearly over only to have those dreams dashed. We'll continue to trust in the Lord. 

In happier news, I recently finished a quilt for Verne. The pattern is by Camille Roskelley, and it's called Red Letter Day. The fabric requirements were wrong, so if you make it, read through the directions before purchasing your background fabric and do the math yourself. I did let Camille know  about the error, so maybe she has fixed the pattern. Camille's quilt used red for the center block, but I chose gold. Gold stars are a good thing, right?

The finished quilt measures 67.5" x 67.5".  It's the perfect size for snuggling under on the couch. Abigail's wingspan wasn't quite long enough to hold the quilt taut in the photos.

Verne loves it, and that makes me very happy. 

Rosemary Sea Salt Pretzels

I've made these pretzels from  Two Peas & Their Pod several times now, and they are a favorite. Each time I've made them, mine get this beautifully dark color, but are perfectly soft and delicious inside. Perhaps it's because I swap out olive oil for the butter and canola oil the recipe calls for? In any case, they're delicious!

Her First Formal

My "baby" is not so much a baby any longer. She attended her first formal a few weeks ago, and looked beautiful. Her friend Meredith fixed her hair into a style that was becoming to Abigail and accented her dress nicely. 

 Her shoes? Simple, clear jelly flats. They looked like glass slippers!

Which was quite fitting since the formal was held in a real castle. And after all, she is Cinderella!

Peaches

Mac adopted this medium sized mixed-breed doggie from the animal shelter last summer. She was very afraid of men at the start, but bonded to Mac right away. She worries if he leaves the room. When he knew he had to go on a business trip to Florida for a week he asked if we could keep her.

We took her for plenty of walks, gave her loads of hugs and kisses, and told her that Mac would never leave her and that he would be back. I think she started to doubt us after five days of missing him, and needed even more snuggles.

Let's just say their reunion was very happy indeed.

Pysanka

When Elizabeth told me to mark April 11 on my calendar for Pysanka eggs, Abigail and I googled images and began to get excited. When we arrived for the event Abigail dove right in. I was a bit more cautious, asking questions, observing, and sketching on my egg before applying any wax.

Black was the last color I needed to dip in, and because only the stripes on the bees and a tiny little opening on the beehive were to be this color, my eggs was almost entirely covered in wax. I was a nervous wreck that I had just spent three hours creating a mess rather than a masterpiece.

When I started to melt the wax and wipe it off revealing the design underneath, I became very excited. I think Elizabeth and Leigh Ann got a charge out of hearing me squeal with delight.

What a fun project! I could see myself becoming addicted to that tradition.

You can read more about the process here.

Holy Week

We attended the evening service on Maundy Thursday, and participated in the Lord's Supper. As communion was being administered the sun was at the point in the sky when it's absolutely blinding. We closed the service by singing O Sacred Head Now Wounded, and the sun sank below the horizon as we finished the song. The symbolism was not wasted on me, and I left the service in tears.

Good Friday at noon we gathered back at the church for a worshipful time of prayer. My heart was heavy even though I know the outcome. That Christ died for me is an astounding thought. The fact that my sins nailed Him to the cross is almost unbearable.

And then came Sunday. JOY! He is risen!

Mac and Autumn weren't able to join us this year, and that made my mother's heart a bit sad, but we enjoyed a nice brunch and each other's company.

Enough

 So often no matter our talents we're made to feel like we aren't enough. I thought she needed a reminder that who she is matters. There's no measuring stick being held up. She's enough simply because she is.