story of a lonely goodwill skirt

my mom and her sister definitely know their way around a sewing machine. my mom used to teach sewing classes, and i can remember sitting next to her in the basement, watching her thread her needle and guide the fabric through the machine. my aunt sewed baby blankets for me, my brother, and my sister—and i slept with mine longer than i'd like to admit. she also made easter dresses for me and kristen. they were pretty much the same dress, but mine was purple and kristen's was pink. i'm no sewing expert, but my mom is, so that's a start. :)

i mentioned that i received a sewing machine from my parents for Christmas, and i've been having so much fun with it! the internet is such an inspiring place...google "sewing tutorial" and a million things come up. it has been a long time since i've made anything wearable (like, since seventh grade home economics), but i thought sewing a skirt would be pretty simple. so i needed some fabric.

i found this skirt at goodwill for $2.50. it grabbed my attention because the fabric was so bright and bold! i didn't even check the size. i was going to cut it to pieces and rework it anyway, so the bigger the better—more fabric!

here are a few shots of what it was like when i bought it. i should have taken a shot of me wearing it. it was huge. like i could stack both fists between my waist and the waistband. it looked like one of those crazy weight loss "look at me in my former pants" pictures. before i told him about the vision, i put it on over my clothes and showed ben. he was very confused.

it was really long, and it buttoned up the side, too:

 but check out that label: diane von furstenberg! no way!

i cut off the button-up side seams and the strange pleated waistband. there were two tiny holes near the hem, so i cut that off, too. i basically ended up with two rectangles of fabric. i mashed up no less than three skirt tutorials i saw online and improvised a waistband (i just sewed a little "pocket" and threaded 1 1/2" elastic through, then sewed it shut). oh yeah, and the fabric was totally see-through so i added a lining. here's how it came out (don't laugh at my poses! i felt awkward...)

i wore it yesterday for easter, but i cheated and wore it to work earlier in the week, too. :) it was fun to wear something handmade, something that had been old and strange and is now fun and pretty!

easter food

we spent easter at the home of my parents-in-law, and it was a lovely day. i made sure to bring my camera for more experimentation, and mary was kind enough to let me snap a few shots of her yummy food. i got some good shots of the kids, too, so i'll post those later in the week after i fiddle around with some editing in iphoto.

i hope your easter was beautiful!

the Lord is risen!

the Lord is risen indeed! happy easter!

this verse stuck out to me this morning from the high priestly prayer:

"Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world." {John 17: 24}

press on, for Christ has died for us. He prayed for us—someday we'll see face to face!

interesting reading

today i stumbled upon this article: Christian faith; calvinism is back. it's a long read, partially about mark dever's church in dc, but also a general discussion of calvinism today. i thought it was well written.

just in case you don't have time to read it all, here are a few paragraphs—they are without their proper context, but food for thought. perhaps it will whet your appetite to read the entire article. :)

Calvin's influence on America's founding is unmistakable. The nation's patriotism, work ethic, sense of equality, public morality, and even elements of democracy all sprang in part from the Calvinist taproot of Puritan New England. When Calvinist preacher Jonathan Edwards told worshipers in 1741 that they were loathsome spiders held over the pit of hell by the gracious hand of an offended God, he wasn't speaking a heretical creed but the basic vocabulary of American faith. It wasn't until the 19th century that Calvinist doctrines waned.

In a separate report, Barna found that more than 6 in 10 born-again Christians say they are customizing their faith, not following any one church's theology. "Americans are increasingly comfortable picking and choosing what they deem to be helpful and accurate theological views and have become comfortable discarding the rest of the teachings in the Bible," the report notes.

"A lot of people think religion is something you piece together [from] ideas you think are sweet and that you personally find beneficial," says Mr. Dever. "No. It's like a doctor's report.... It's an objective reality. It's just what is."

More broadly, the Calvinist revival reflects an effort to recast the foundation of faith itself. From conservative evangelical churches to liberal new-age groups, the message of much modern teaching is man's need for betterment. Not New Calvinism; its star is God's need for glory. And the gravity of His will is great: It can be denied, but not defied.

Christopher Brown, a lawyer, concurs. "I came for the theology but stayed for the community," he says. "As Americans, we're so individualistic. But the New Testament rebukes this 'rugged individualism.' We're not saved to be lone rangers."

"Calvinism is 'big picture' Christianity," says Allen Guelzo, the author of "Edwards on the Will: A Century of American Theological Debate." "It is less interested in asking why God lets bad things happen to good people, and asks instead whether there have ever been any genuinely 'good' people."

New Calvinists talk about their sin a lot. Despite that – or rather because of it – they exude not guilt but great joy. Their explanation: If we play down our sinfulness, we'll play down our gratitude for the magnitude of God's love and forgiveness.

ork neighborhood posters

{image from ork posters}

remember when i posted about the fun city posters? of course, there isn't a minneapolis print. i understand, but we're getting warmer. {as seen at apartment 412.}