Well, it is going fine. Let me tell you, it is difficult to continue running your house while adding the unpacking bit to the mix. I am not completely unpacked yet. Oh well. My kids are happy, so I guess I’m getting the important stuff done.

I do not currently have internet access. Terrible, I know. It is especially bad for me since I am connected to all my family and friends almost solely by the internet. I know there are some out there dying for photos of the little cuties. I don’t have them. I planned on having them. But I forgot. I did remember to put shoes on the kids this morning, though. That is a plus, right?

So, we moved into our house with some  much needed help from some of the youth. Their help was very much appreciated along with the help of my in-laws. I still have boxes and boxes stacked at the house, but the important stuff is out and I know where every box is and what it contains, so I’d say I’ve got it under control. Imogene has become rabbit and deer obsessed. We have lots of both at our new house. (For those out of the know, we are renting a small 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house.) Both of the kids stand at the window and stare at the deer and rabbits that come to eat apples off the apple trees. That’s right, we traded plum trees for apple trees. I suppose I should make some apple jelly. My plum jelly has been a big hit. I think I should make some more jelly and see if that was a fluke or if I am indeed, a good jelly maker. What do you call a jelly maker? Jammer? Jelly Chef? Hmmm…

The church here is currently meeting at 10:30 AM in Paulding County (in a home) and at 4:00 PM in Buckhead (in a home). We do need a place to meet in Paulding County, so be in prayer for that. We have already added one new family in Paulding County. We are looking for more. We want to impact lives here. We want to go and make more and better disciples. Pray for us. Pray that we can meet the needs of our community. Pray that we find a suitable (and affordable) meeting place to better meet our community. Our main focus, at this time, is the Paulding County branch of Faith Methodist. We have been having good meetings with the Buckhead group, as well. It has been very busy. My heart is still burdened. There is still one thing that needs to fall in place for us (th church) here. I cannot disclose to you now what that is, but please be in fervent prayer with me on it. I thank you in advance.

All in all, things are going well. I meet discouragements daily, but God is still good. Thank you guys for praying. Hopefully I can update again soon. Hopefully I can open my online store soon.

I guess it is time to let the proverbial cat out of the bag. The Pastor and I are moving back east. We have very much enjoyed our time here at Salem. We knew it wasn’t forever when we came here but we had not anticipated what exactly God would do. Our lovely little family will be moving on August 4th. We are both happy to go and sad to leave. We have developed some great relationships here in Mississippi and are sad to leave the state behind. We love our church here and will miss it. I doubt I will ever taste caramel pie as good as I have had here. We appreciate all the Lord has done for us here and are very thankful for our time and experiences here. I have learned to trust God more fully while living in this state. We must go where we are called. When the pastor told the church we would be leaving, one member asked if this is what God was calling us to do. The Pastor said, “Yes. We believe this to be His will.” The member then said, “Well, then you have to go. You can’t stay here!” That is the kind of faithfulness we have seen in the Lord’s servants here. People who are willing to set aside their own personal wants and feelings and welcome the Will of God no matter what that means.

Imogene did break my heart yesterday. I was packing boxes for the move and she was watching each item I put in the box. She asked me what I was doing. I told her I was packing for us to move. She started crying saying, “no” over and over. She even attempted to unpack the box for me. I sat down with her. I told her we were moving and it would be okay. She cried. She asked about her bed. I told her we would be taking her bed with us. She asked about her books. I told her we would be taking the books, too. She asked about her doll. I told her the doll was moving, too. Then she asked about her friend at church. I had to tell her that her friend from church would be staying here. She cried and cried, saying “My Lily!” over and over. I told her it was okay. I explained that we still had a few weeks and she would be able to tell her Lily good-bye before we moved. I told her she would make new friends. She cried a little more and I rocked her. I never thought a two year old would notice if we moved. I never thought she might miss her friends here. I know she’ll make new friends. She’ll probably forget all about Lily and won’t even remember her in a few years- even if she saw her. But it still broke my heart. I do hope she does well with the move.

So, in two and half weeks, Notes From The Parsonage will no longer be written from this parsonage. We are following God and stepping out on faith. Our hearts are at rest. Please pray for us as we move and dive into the ministry God has called us to. Pray for Salem that they find a new pastor. I know God has already set into motion this new pastor coming to them.

And I do not need help packing. Thank you very much if you thought of offering. I am a little psychotic about packing. I like to personally place each item in the box and label it. It is a task I will not even trust The Pastor to accomplish. I have a very specific system and I cannot unpack properly if I do not pack properly by myself! If you were (or have) offered- I prefer to pack alone. If you want to come on moving day and load or unload a truck- I’m all for that! Just not the box packing thing.

A couple weeks ago, I ordered the book In Stitches by Amy Butler. I love, love, love it! Since we were traveling to Georgia the weekend of Billy’s birthday, I decided it was perfect timing to try out one of the patterns in my new book. So, off to the fabric store I went. I got these great fabrics in Georgia Bulldog colors (Jeremy is a huge fan) and made this apron. I must admit, I was a little jealous. I really wanted to keep it. But I had made it for Billy, so I reluctantly let it go.

I know it is camouflaged in the pretty well, but this apron features a towel hook. (It is like an Eye Spy book trying to find it. I’ll give you a hint. It is in the top left of the photo.) It also has a  nice sized pocket. (I know you can at least see the top of the pocket.) Next time I might try to do the entire pocket and towel loop in the contrast color. Although, I do quite like the camo thing going on with this one.

Then, I quickly whipped up this little gift bag with my fabric scraps from the apron project. It was super easy. It has one longer strap on the back and a shorter loop on the front. So, you pull the long strap through the short loop and your bag is closed! I stuck a little “Happy Birthday!” note in the front pocket before giving it to her.

I read an article yesterday that really got me fired up. I read about the 17 teen girls that are pregnant at one high school. The city and school officials seem to think the girls may have intended to get pregnant. Now who do they blame for this? They blame Hollywood. Officials in the town have said that Hollywood has glamorized teen pregnancy and not represented parenting correctly. They feel Hollywood has not shown these teens what parenting is really like. Last time I checked- Hollywood’s responsibility is to entertain-not teach. My life as a stay-at-home-mom would be less than entertaining. Especially all the diaper changes and baby feedings. The city and school officials go on to say they also blame monetary cut backs at the school that have cut health classes for these teens. What did I learn in health class that I didn’t learn at home? Nothing. They both told me not to drink, smoke, and sleep around. My health class also taught me the proper hygiene my mother had been teaching me since I was a toddler. The city and school officials proceed to blame the local hospital’s inability to give contraceptives without a parent’s consent. Yeah, that is the main problem you’re facing, guys! At least this last one hits on an important factor in all this- the parents. Where were the parent’s of these girls while they were getting pregnant? (One of the baby’s daddy is a local homeless man!) Why is it not the parent’s responsibility to teach their own children the responsibility of parenting and the health risks involved in sleeping around? It is speculated that these girls decided to become pregnant at the same time and raise their children together. Where were their mothers during all this? Let me guess. At work? Too busy with her life? Teens can take care of themselves, you know. Now, I’m not trying to come down hard on working parents- you do what you think is best for your family. But where are our priorities? What is more important to us- the welfare and development of our children or making sure our child has the nicest things? I guess for most it is providing the most stylish maternity wear and newest baby gear. My children are my responsibility. My children are for me to teach. So let’s quit blaming our society and taking a look in our own homes. Let us, as parents, take some responsibility for these children God has given us. I can’t help but think of Uncle Ben’s statement to Peter Parker. “With great power comes great responsibility.” We have the power to raise the entire next generation- yet we are shoving the responsibility onto everyone but ourselves.

The Pastor loves Tiramisu. For our fifth anniversary last Saturday, we all went to eat at an Italian joint and ate some tiramisu for dessert. For Father’s Day, the Pastor requested I make him some of my fabulous Twinkie Tiramisu. Of course, I made it for him. Would you like to know how to make it? It is super easy!

First, you need to know what to buy, right? Get a box of regular Twinkies, a regular sized tub of Cool Whip, a box of instant vanilla pudding mix, and you’ll need a little cocoa for sprinkling on top and about a sup of coffee.

You will have one extra Twinkie for eating when you make this dessert! I call it a treat for the cook! (Even though there is really nothing to cook- this is all assembly.

Arrange 9 Twinkies in a square dish. It is a tight fit, but as you can see, they do fit. Pour the cup of coffee over the Twinkies. Try not to add too much- you really just want it to soak into the Twinkies. If you prefer it to have a stronger taste- you can brew super-strong coffee or use expresso.

In a bowl, mix the instant vanilla pudding according to the directions of the package. Once you have it mixed up (before it sets), add about a third of the Cool Whip to the pudding. Mix it up well. It makes your pudding oh-so-light-and-fluffy!

Pour the pudding mixture over your coffee-soaked Twinkies. (You’ll notice mine in the picture has chocolate chips. That is because I didn’t have regular vanilla pudding on Sunday. I only had vanilla pudding with chocolate chips. It worked. It was actually pretty good.) Try to get it evenly on there.

Now, take the rest of the Cool Whip and spoon it over top of the pudding. Spread it over and make it look nice. Now, sprinkle cocoa on top! (You can use as much or as little as you want. I like mine to have a good  heavy dusting of cocoa.) Put it in the fridge to let the pudding set. (It really only needs about 15 minutes or so to set perfectly.)

Serve and enjoy!

Some of you might remember that I resolved to read more this year. I did not make a new year’s resolution- I simply decided I would read more this year to try to rekindle my love for reading. My love has been soured by several terrible books and I felt like nothing else was worth reading. I have found there are other books out there that I have not read that are worth reading. (And some that aren’t worth my time.) I thought I would update you on my progress.

I have recently read Aranzi Aronzo Cute Dolls (Let’s Make Cute Stuff) by Aranzi Aronzo. I love the two dimensional dolls patterned in the book. I have attempted making the spritekin. It was very easy- I just need to work on my finishing skills. They are also easy to hand sew- no machine really needed. I like that. After cutting out my fabric (jersey knits are recommended for these cute dolls) I can sit and hand sew them while watching What Not To Wear. It makes for a fun little craft. The patterns in the book need to be enlarged on a copier to make them the recommended height. But you can make them smaller and not enlarge the patterns. There are patterns for a white rabbit and a brown bunny, a sprite, a spritekin (smaller sprite), a panda, a bear, monkey and munkey- two versions of a monkey, a fish, a gray cat, a white sheep and a black sheep, a lizard, some penguins, an alien, Mr. Tad and Mr.Pole- a pair of tadpoles, Pinkie- a pink … thing … kind of bearish, catish… just a pink friend, a kidnapper, a liar, and a bad guy. I would love to make each and every doll in this book. As a side note- you can make these plushy creatures with old t-shirts. Recycling and crafting in one!

I recently read The Modern Quilt Workshop by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr. I love it! I want to make every quilt in the book! As a new quilter, I really like the sections on color composition, binding, fabric selection, and putting a quilt together. I also love how the patterns on these quilts go right up to the edge of the quilt. It is beautifully written and makes me want to make quilts for the world! “Each of us can make only so many quilts in a lifetime. So take your time, enjoy every step of the process, and make it your own.”

A week or so ago, my newest book Doodle-Stitching by Aimee Ray came in. I have read it from cover to cover. I love it! I have big plans for my new-found love to hand embroider things! I’m making curtains. The fabric has been purchased. I’ll show them when I am done. I am very excited! This book has patterns for several fun little projects. I’m not sure how many of those I will actually do. My favorite section of the book is the section on how to embroider. It has simple instructions for how to do each stitch. It also helps you with image transferring techniques. I’m excited to “doodle-stitch” my curtains!

I have not only been reading craft books, although I know it appears that I have. I have finally finished reading Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. I have mixed feelings about this book. I did enjoy it. It did stretch me a little spiritually- for that I am grateful. However, I do have a major point of contention with the book. While, for the most part, I would say it is a lovely allegory and has many spiritual lessons to be learned, it did have a blaring fault, in my opinion. It is the story of poor Much-Afraid and her journey to the Kingdom of Love. The part I find fault with is the Shepherd is responsible for everything in the book. He is the one who gives Much-Afraid Sorrow and Suffering. It is His Will that brings her into loss and loneliness. I do not think our Shepherd is responsible for all our sorrow, suffering, loss, and loneliness. Our Shepherd brings us through those things for our better and to His glory- but I do not believe He puts us through those things for His glory as the story suggests. Suffering exists in this world because of sin, not to glorify God. God can be glorified through our struggles, trials, and pains- but He doesn’t deal that out to us. I do not believe God gives someone cancer so they will turn to Him. Through their sickness, they may turn to Him and it will be for His glory- but He did not make them sick. I think this allegory, like most allegories, went a little too far. We can only take an allegory so far. This is the fault I found with this one. Once I just accepted the limitations of the allegory, I was able to get many blessings and gems from this book. It is well worth reading- just don’t take the allegory too far!

I have never made an outfit for Aidan. There just aren’t that many cute things you can make a boy. When I found this particular pattern (Simplicity 3808), I knew it was just the thing for my little prince. I finished it in one day. I did modify the pattern a little. I skipped the embroidery on the pocket because… well, I just didn’t like it. I also finished the bottom seam instead of using snap tape. (Aidan busts out of outfits with snaps in the bottom.) I also reversed my buttons/ button holes. I just liked this way better. I think it turned out cute. If you cannot tell, the material is baby blue with a pale yellow paisley print. This is also my first pocket I’ve ever made! I usually omit the pockets altogether, but I decided to go for it this time. The romper is not perfect, but I am very pleased with the outcome. What do you think?

I promised that I would post how to make my yummy Boston Cream Cupcakes. Well, here I am making good on my promise! Here is what you’ll need:

- one package of butter yellow cake mix

- one regular size package of instant vanilla pudding

- one container of chocolate icing

- cupcake cups (paper or foil- whatever you want)

- zipper top bag

Make cupcakes using the instructions on the box of butter yellow cake mix. Let them cool.

Using a chopstick or skewer, poke a hole in each cupcake. I wiggle my chopstick just a little to make a little room inside my cupcake. Be careful not to poke through your cupcake cup! (I’ve done that before and the filling comes out the bottom!)

Mix your instant vanilla pudding according to the package directions. Pour into a zipper top bag. (I usually do this while my cupcakes are cooling. ) Once your pudding sets (just wait a couple minutes), you can continue. Cut the corner of the zipper top bag. Don’t make your hole too big.

Now fill your cupcakes with pudding! Put the cut corner of your bag into the hole you’ve made in your cupcake and squeeze the bag! Be careful not to over-fill your cupcakes. You’ll notice if you’re putting in too much- your cupcake will start splitting apart.

Now put the chocolate icing on and you’re done! Eat and enjoy! I do not take the time to ice my cupcakes all pretty. I just blob some icing on. I’ve been let down by pretty cupcakes in the past. They look so nice and pretty- you bite into it and find that you were deceived by a pretty exterior. So, I make yummy cupcakes, not pretty ones! You can use any combination of cake mix, pudding, and icing you like. I have made chocolate with vanilla pudding. I’ve made butter yellow with chocolate pudding. You can make whatever your little heart desires!

It doesn’t seem like this was too long ago. It really feels like I just dressed rolled her up like a little burrito and held her for the first time. It seems like last Sunday when I put her in this goofy little outfit to take her to church for the first time. But it has been two years ago. Two years ago today, I became a Mommy. Two years ago today, I met Imogene Ruth for the first time. She’d been rolling around inside me for a while, but made her official debut two years ago, today. Time sure does fly. This morning was much different that May 18, 2006. For one, I didn’t have to wake The Pastor up out of his coma he calls sleeping to drive me to the hospital. I did not get to eat Chick-Fil-A biscuits for breakfast. I did not give birth to a tiny human being before breakfast. Nope. Today, I woke up with Aidan smacking me in the face. (That is how he always wakes me up! Sweet little devil that he is.) I got up to find a two year old with a massive case of bed head running down the hall to say “Hey, MA!” I picked her up and we twirled and danced for a minute. I ate a cupcake for breakfast after giving the beautiful birthday girl her gifts. (She thought they were amazing!) And we all got ready for church. It was a much different way to spend the morning!

I am missing Baby Imogene a little bit. Two year old Imogene has written on herself with a Sharpie, busted her lip, put a big gash in her chin, spilled chalk all over the floor, smeared chocolate all over herself and the table, dumped 77 letter magnets onto the recently picked up carpet, dirtied two outfits, and eating a wad of Kleenex- all since turning two! Baby Imogene was not like this. Baby Imogene was smiley and laid back. She was content to be where you were. She was happy to have just her chubby little fingers and chubby little toes. Two year old Imogene is wild! But two year old Imogene can give kisses and hugs. She can say “Hey, MA!” when she wakes up. She can “help” me get my hair fixed in the morning. She can “help” me make the bed. Two year old Imogene is quite rascally, but she is still smiley and happy. She is still oh-so-lovable!

Happy Birthday, Imogene!

Although The Pastor will not admit it, we are “going green” to a certain extent. He doesn’t want to be seen as some left wing nut. But let’s face it, we are responsible for this earth. God created it and put man in charge of it. So why not care for it to the greatest extent we can? One way to help out is by using reusable shopping bags instead of the plastic ones at the store. Plus, who really wants hundred of plastic grocery bags hanging around waiting to be used somewhere in your house? I know I never use them for anything! In fact, when I use disposable grocery bags, I use paper because I have a great many uses at my house for paper bags. (Wrapping gifts, cooling roasted bell peppers before removing the skins, arts and crafts, giant puppets- you get the picture.) I have found and modified a fantastic reusable grocery bag “pattern.” I got the pattern from Joann’s. You can find some free craft projects on their website. You should check it out. You can modify it to make large or medium sized bags. They are super tough and very cute. Cute enough to use on things other than groceries. These bags are easy to make. If you can sew, you can make these bags! Here is how:

-First, you’ll need to select and prepare your fabric. I suggest using drapery weight or home decor fabrics. Their very thick and sturdy- which is just what you want in a reusable shopping bag, right? You’ll need about 2/3 of a yard for the bag and 1/3 of a yard for the straps. Wash your fabric before using it. Iron your fabic- my least favorite part! Now, for the cutting!!!

-Cut 2 - 16″ by 12.5″ - this will be the front and back of your back. (16″ will be vertical and 12.5″ will be horizontal.

-Cut 1 - 9″ by 43.5″ - this will be the sides and bottom of your bag. This part you can play with. 9″ is a perfect width for a large bag- large enough to hold 2 gallons of milk. If you want it larger- cut the width larger. If you want a smaller bag- cut the width smaller. The two bags in the photo above are two different sizes here. The one on the right is 9″ by 43.5″ and the one on the left is 6″ by 43.5″. This is where you would adjust to make the large or medium bag. The 6″ bag is still a fairly good sized bag and would be more appropriate for canned goods, rice, flour, 2 liters, etc.

-Cut 2- 5″ by 44″- this will be the straps. You can make the straps match or contrast.

- Now, we work on the straps! (And please ignore my old, stained ironing board cover. I have not got around to making a new one!) Fold each strap in half and iron. You want the material right side out (wrong sides together).

-Now you are going to fold the edges of the fabric in towards the center fold and iron. Your strap is now folded one forth its original size.

-Pin a strap onto the front of the bag. The straps should be 3″ from the edges of the bag. Pin to 5″ from the top of the bag- that’s as far up as you will sew initially.

-Topstitch the strap onto the bag, removing your pins as you go. Sew close to the edges of the strap. Topstitch each side of the strap, stopping 5″ from the top.

-Repeat pinning and sewing straps for the back piece.

-Now you should have an identical front & back piece that look like this. You’ll finish your straps later.

-Take the front of your bag (either piece you determine to be the “front”- it doesn’t so much matter which one you choose.) and the side/bottom strip (the 9″ by 43.5″ strip- or 6″ by 43.5″ strip- whatever width you chose to make it) and place together with right sides together - matching the top edges. Now stitch it (leaving 1/4″ seam) down the side of the front, when you get to the bottom, leave your needle down - pick up the foot of the machine and pivot your work so you can sew across the bottom- put the foot back down, turn and line up all your fabric- clip the corners if necessary. Sew across the bottom. Leave the needle down, pivot, and sew back up the other side, clipping the corners if necessary. Now your side/bottom is attached to the front of the bag. Sew the back of the bag to the other side of the side/bottom doing the same thing. I always sew back over the ends of my straps to make sure they are really stuck on there good. I also start on the same side when sewing the front and back onto the bottom, just in case there is a little extra fabric from the side/bottom left over.

-I reinforce the corners of my bags. Just a quick little sew over the corner makes the bag much more durable!

By now you can see that your bag is looking like a bag!

-Now we hem the top! With the bag still inside out, take it to your ironing board. Ahh! More ironing! Make sure your straps are stuffed down inside the bag. Fold the top down, iron. Fold the edges under, iron. (Make sure you are folding it toward the inside of the bag, which is currently the outside. - See photo!) Place your foot right on the bottom edge of the bag and sew the top hem.

-Flip your bag right side out! You are almost done! Now is when you finish your straps. Line up your sewing machine with where you left off topstitching the straps up the front of the bag. Finish the topstiching. Don’t stop at the top, keep sewing up the side of the strap! Repeat for each side of the strap and each side of the bag!

-Once your straps are completely sewn in place, you are done! Sit back and enjoy your bag. Take it to your “inspector” and have him look at your handiwork! (The Pastor is my inspector.)

Now make plenty more so you have enough for your grocery shopping trips!

I thought I might add this little tidbit. I went to the grocery store after posting this and took some of my reusable grocery bags with me. I wasn’t aware of it before, but Kroger, where I shop, gives you $0.03 off your total for every bag you bring in for your groceries! I only had a few things to get, so I only took 3 bags in. I got $0.09 off my total for providing my own bags! Pretty sweet deal!