I almost bit it.

This was sort of funny. We went to get the mail and the girls got to go down a small hill. There's a lot of ice and just a skiff of snow. Last year we had something like four feet on the ground at this time of year (crazy.) I'm glad there's less snow this year, but still enough to play a little in.

The "New Year's Letter"

We didn't even write or send a christmas letter last year (not because we didn't like you all!) because last year was a really hard year for us and we just didn't feel like re-living it.

But at the beginning of 2009 things started turning around. We finally unloaded the Triplex and all the tenant issues and stress associated with all of that disappeared, and our previously "good marriage" suddenly became easy and great and just amazingly better without that added stress on our lives.

Lily turned 3 January 4th 2009 and has not only grown a lot taller this last year, but has been talking more and more and expressing complicated ideas. She loves princess things and the Nutcracker, reading stories, and especially playing games with Daddy and doing projects (art and scrapbooking) with Mommy. Lily is quite energetic and loves to jump and run and tackle, but wants to wear dresses as much as possible. She loves to play with her "girls" as she calls her friends and is quite close to her cousin Evelyn. She is almost always in a good mood, looking to make the other people around her happy, and taking care of her little sister.




Renna turned one year old March 6, 2009. She is our little drama queen who doesn't want to be comforted when she cries but be understood. Renna is proving to be a bit more of a challenge to discipline. I maintain that they have to eat a bite of something healthy before eating a bite of dessert or chip or something for instance and often our meal times are filled with the sounds of dramatic screams because she can't get what she wants. She is learning however and after she tries to throw herself on the floor or screams like she's being tortured she'll finally take a bite of the thing (THAT SHE LIKES) and then will get the special food that she wants. She will now pick up the food that she's thrown on the floor in anger, sometimes even without me reminding her to. As difficult as she is one minute though, she will completely surprise me the next minute with her sweet little kisses, smiles, and cuddles.

Lynne' has been beautifying our home, as always, making fabulous homemade meals and bread each week, running around the house with the girls, and enjoying the time hanging out with her mom and grandma. This year seems to have been a time of renewal and direction. After three months of intense writing she's come back to the idea of writing books for children and working to get them published. With several works of art sold, illustrating those books in a unique way is really important to her as well. She continues to scrapbook, knit, spin, play the piano and harp, and read, but her favorite thing to do is play with the girls and talk to Youssef.







Youssef has spent most of this year as a small town reporter learning to be content and yet not be stagnant. In the last year he's worked on learning a computer language so that he can complete the games that he's designed. He's done market research and is working towards completing his ideas so that he can bring in an extra income with it all. The main thing that keeps him from working on his own projects is how often he helps Lynne' around the house and takes care of the girls when he's home. Soon, Lynne' will have to tell him to stop being so helpful and go do his own thing! He would like to get a masters in English, but as with everything else it seems, the cost factors in the most to how possible this plan is.

We've had a wonderful year as a couple, always learning to communicate better and love the other more through our mistakes and arguments. As a family we are still learning how to do things together and make time for one another. Our recently established activity is to read outloud to the girls each night (books without pictures) while rubbing them with lotion. Lily loves this time of day and insists on not only "more story" but rubbing lotion on us as well! They are both our greatest joys in our life, and no matter what we have gone through in these last 5 1/2 years of marriage we always come back to the same simple conclusion - "I'm always glad that I married you."


*Youssef, Lynne', LilyAnne, and Renna Sleiman December 2009*

The ski trip on my brother's 30 birthday! (Forgot to post these pictures before...)

Daniel is demonstrating his awesome ability to pose in a skiing position. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HIM! :]
Oh, wait... Daniel you are going the wrong direction! (Just kidding.) ;]
Natalie- far left (my sister in law of course) Daniel (big bro) and Zack (Natalie's big bro)
The view, through the snow covered trees.
Off of my ski's to show the depth of the snow on the mountain (we were on 49) and there's not a whole lot up there yet.. but it was enough...


When we got as far up the mountain as we wanted to go Daniel pulled out his cook stove and made some cocoa for us! Fabulous.Another artistic shot by mwa. The cocoa had an interesting piney flavor as Daniel stirred it with a stick that had much red sap... none of us died or got close to ill though, so it was all good.
Me being artistic again... if I lightened this maybe it would make a nice poster...
Natalie was unzipping the *cough* vents *cough* on Daniel's coat because he was too hot. ;]

All of us together! Zack, Daniel, Natalie, and me (Lynne') it felt like old times (except that all of us were more out of shape!) Seriously though, I couldn't stop smiling the whole time. I'd been wanting to ski for SO long and have always been pregnant or otherwise unable to go when there was snow. WHOOP! I want to go again. Oh, there WILL be a free day on 49 on January 9 and 10 if anyone wants to go and spend absolutely nothing... maybe I could even talk Youssef into going then? (He's not so keen on winter sports.. the twerp.) ;]

The long awaited nutcracker performance.

Partly, this was long awaited because Lily knew she was getting a princess dress and partly because she LOVES the nutcracker.. of any kind or version of said show or performance.
This morning we let her open her dress which was on this dress form that my littlest is hugging (made out of duct tape.. totally awesome idea.) Then I let her open her nutcracker, she oohed and awwed at all the right moments as she unwrapped it.
Her dress was beyond puffy as you can kind of see in the above picture. I felt like a maid of honor as I helped her use the bathroom because I had to hold the gigantic poof of the dress up for her. Incidentally, her dress started out as a walmart $12 cookie cutter dress and I add the layers of pink organza with sparkles, tucked it here and there and added a pink ruffle and bow and altered the side of the original dress because it was too big and VOILA! The most princess of princess dresses. Every little girl that saw her walk by turned green with envy... such will be the life of my daughters since they have a seamstress for a mother. ;]
Out in the lobby there was a row of large nutcrackers and Lily was checking them out. (The show was the best that I'd seen by-the-way!)
Our little princess with her absurdly handsome daddy. ;]

This would be the last picture that I took when I was just told not to take any more pictures... I was being evil. Of course, they SAID no flash photography with the dancers and I didn't take pictures when the dancers were on stage! Lily always does this goofy smile when she sees a camera... it seems rare that I can capture her "real" smile. "Think of something funny." "Tickle tickle?" hmm... you get the idea.

Reflections of Christmas...

All today I was practicing the songs for the candle-light service on Sunday, figuring out cords, typing words, and looking up verses for the program. (A program is a pretty unusual thing for our open-meeting small church) And I got to thinking about how often I'm busy this time of year. How I don't stop and just think about why I'm getting everything ready to celebrate. This is a little long, but I hope you all will read the following thoughts and verses and reflect as well.

--In my heart I often visit the place of Jesus’ birth, with the cattle lowing, and the star shining down. In the midst of the whispering of angels, my thoughts gather round. My longings are at home here, and at rest; and my faith finds its treasure in this, a Christmas night blest. I could never forget the vision: the dark stable, filled with creation and Creator; this place is a foretaste of joy complete. I come here daily to roam, leaving behind the world’s mocking scorn and seeking for ways to sing and speak your glorious praise. How the memories linger of this ancient manger--a crib of wood and hay. The miracle within and beyond all this is God appearing here in a stable small and rude. He came, but was despised on this poor earth-- Him the eternal, honored Word. Yet I know I can offer Him a dwelling place forever, here in my heart.
Please come, sweet Jesus. Come to this heart that is your home. I know it’s no strange place I offer you; it is a place built and bought by you. Here, you can come back into your creation, and I will wrap you in my heart and soul. If I could, I would place palm branches all around your feet. For you, Lord, I will live, and for you I will die. I have found complete joy, as in my heart, Lord, you are born anew!--


Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
A prophecy fulfilled in Matthew 1: 18-23 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin will be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”


Micah 5:2-5 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
A prophecy fulfilled in Luke 2:4 -7 “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”


Psalm 72: 10-11 “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all the kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.” Fulfilled in Matthew 2: 1-3 & 2: 7-11 “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ ….. Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said. ‘Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.’ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Gen 3: 14a & 15 “So the Lord said to the serpent: ….. ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
Fulfilled in 1 John 3:8-9 “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God appeared, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God……

1 John 3: 16-23 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide with him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”

John 1: 1- 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not the Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Christmas music is unavoidable...

Hey, I found this blog draft and thought I'd post it... it's after Christmas now, but the song could be a Christmas song OR a folk song. You get a gold star if you know both titles.

Organizing and decorating...

As soon as we got home from Thanksgiving with my grandma we set to work on decorating (the house was a total mess at the time, but it always is when boxes and things are being moved everywhere.) This is our little village. "Lily's flower shop" and a Newspaper building that I'm going to put the "Newport Miner" sign on it for where Youssef works.

The next picture is of the shelves that I put up in our bathroom... this is probably interesting to only me because it has been annoying me for a long time that all the stuff was on the floor and the door couldn't open all the way. It looks so tidy now and easy to clean. Things that make my life easier are always good.

Next is Lily's little area with her Tinkerbell house that I built last Christmas for her (it's mostly survived) the wall where my picture hangs is also where we can project netflix movies.

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care" in hopes that a fire or smoke damage wouldn't happen right there... My desk is still really messy. I spent a good three months just doing a writing project. As in... I did nothing else that I didn't HAVE to do. Cooking food and basic clean up happened, but REAL cleaning, organizing, prolonged times of playing and reading to my kids, and any other project were totally out. It felt good to finish the fanfic story - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5378333/1/ in case anyone is interested (and you don't have to have read the original books to like or understand it.)
This area around the fireplace is sort of a project storage area and sometimes I work there too.
Speaking of projects this is the beginnings of my latest art endeavor I was inspired to make it as I was working on the fanfic and then didn't finish it because I have a hard time doing more than one project at a time. It was extremely difficult to cut out the shapes and keep everything connected so that I can layer the strips of paper on it. As you see it in the picture the image is backwards because I have to work from the back to layer the paper... that's why the moon is backward and my initials are backward too. The sun beams and warm colors from it are going to mingle with her hair so they look sort of blended... Hopefully I'll be able to sell it. Haven't had too much trouble selling my art as long as someone sees it in person. ;] This is the first realistic people image that I've done. Quite difficult... especially the hair. I had to draw it all out first before cutting the poster board. Normally I just freehand the cutting, but couldn't with this because the hair and their faces were so complicated. I had to figure out where I needed to keep each element connected and what would go under what when I layer the paper. I'm going to call it "Opposites"
I don't have a before and after picture of my craft/scrapbooking/art/school room, but you can just imagine it if you take out the shelves and add a pile of stuff on the table that buried the image from anything worth looking at. I painted the shelves on the far left side and moved my cd player there so that I could listen to it when working (I love to listen to books on tape especially!) I ran a speaker into the bathroom too (the door on the left) so that I could listen to something other than the water when I do dishes in the only sink.
And this next picture was taken from about where my desk is (the farthest room away through the kitchen is the scrapbook room that you just saw.
Then from the other angle taken from where my piano is and the village. Youssef must have seen something shocking on facebook. It's a lot more open now that we got rid of the other couch that we didn't use.
Now for the tree! I've been told to put up this picture for a while now, but couldn't find our camera under all the junk I was organizing and throwing out. Now all I have left to organize is my computer desk and the fridge and pantry. So.. the tree. We went to a friends 40 acres and walked around for about an hour looking for the "perfect" tree. Youssef was beginning to wonder what in the world I was waiting for, "There are trees all around us. What's wrong with that one?" "Everything!" I was looking for one with strong branches an even shape, full but not TOO full, and most of all NARROW. All the "wild" trees are so ridiculously wide and this one was perfect. Actually, (trade secret) this is two trees that I wired together. They both fit the criteria except that they had a few bare sections were it wasn't as full. Take two and put them together and they fill in the empty parts of the other (so many metaphors for a marriage right there...) The star is really heavy and I wired it to the ceiling. Part of christmas for me as always been the ingenuity of creating something lovely from something that is less than perfect. hanging the ornaments just so so that the branches hang right (because they bend down) This is the first year that we actually HAVE a real star for the top. Every other year I always had to be creative with that as well.. from an ornament transformed to a tree topper to a dollar store star. This star has 50 lights and I feel like I've been waiting for the five past christmases of being married for this star... and the lights too! Normally I have to scrimp with lights and keep adjusting them so that they'll reach to the top of the tree. I put on three strands of 100 bulb red lights and one strand of 100 clear lights. This is a good trick.. instead of buying one big strand for 15 bucks or whatever and then some go out or they don't last long... get in on a sale that is like a buck for 100 strand lights and buy four or five boxes of the colors you want. If a strand conks out it's not quite as big of a deal. ;] I did splirge and buy bubble lights this year though... I've always wanted them.. it's sort of a childhood dream thing. ;]
Decorating for Christmas has gone much better this year... we've had a much better year than the last so it makes sense. A end of the year/christmas letter will even be written this year! It feels so nice to have a put together house... I need to figure out how to do little bits at a time WHILE I'm doing projects, but I get a little wrapped up. *sheepish*
Oh, and Renna's "kissy face" - She loves to give me kisses and this is how she wakes me up in the morning - with little baby kisses and giggles, so cute. ;]

Like mother like daughter

Youssef bought be flowers for doing the checkbook and paying bills. (He also made dinner!!!) And I (amazingly) got it all to balance (I THINK!) Well, after dinner I went to arrange the flowers and Lily wanted to do her own.

I was always into flowers and wanted to be a "florist when I grew up" it's fun to see her enjoy them too. :) (We apparently have similar messy hair and sleepy expressions as well.) ;)

The latest scrapbook page (comic book style) - the pictures were from just over a year ago.

(In case you can't read the talk bubbles)

- Issue #34 "I scream you scream we all scream for ice-cream!"

"You want an ice cream bar, Renna?"

:Uncle Daniel speaks of things that I have not yet discovered...

:WOW! This is the most amazing, incredible thing that I have experienced thus far...

:Oh yeah! More more more more... Yummy!

:Wait... where did it go?

:It's gone?

:No! Nooooo!!!

:Hahahah AhaHahahaha!

:Hee hee Heeheee

:WaaaaHHH! Give it back!

:It was YOU! You ate my ice cream! I knew it, you dairy villain.

- Next issue: "Trapped behind the Hershey-bars"

Tutorial

This shirt used to be light green and I bleached it to have a basic undershirt type layering thing going on. Anyway, to add more interest I wanted to put the elastic like I explained before and thought I'd just take some pictures to make a little tutorial just for fun.

I cut the elastic about 4 inches long (this can very on each person and top, but make it about as long as the distance between the point of the V and almost to the bottom of your bra.) Pin the top of the elastic at the point of the V on the WRONG side of the shirt.
Stretch out the elastic straight down and pin it. Depending on how much you stretch it you will have more or less gathers.. it all depends on what you are going for and you can carefully cut the threads and try again with less or more gathers if you decide you wanted it slightly different after trying it the first time (I actually did this twice while I was making this "tutorial") A good seam ripper is the most important tool for any seamstress, and the people who are good at sewing are really only those people who are willing to rip out and do it again. Only after years and years of practice can things be sewn with less ripping out.. and it still happens. Anyway, it's normal so feel free to change stuff and try again!
When you go to sew it, make sure your bobbin thread and top thread match your shirt (the bobbin thread will be what shows on the outside... I neglected to change the bobbin thread and had to take out some blue and change it to the same color as the top thread... lame.) Stretch out the elastic while you sew a straight stitch. You'll have to pull with one hand behind the needle and foot and pull the elastic with the other hand. I use my left hand in the front and my right hand in the back, but I've been known to switch hands so just go with which ever one feels the most comfortable and you have the most control over the fabric. Always do some back stitches at the beginning before pulling the elastic and do some back stitches at the end as well.
Cut the threads, turn it right side out, and viola! A shapely waist slimming style.

I'm going to do this to a turquoise one that I have too.. and maybe add beads to that one as well.. we'll see. :)

Why do these look so much worse in a picture?

This tank had some holes in the front and I artistically added some fabric to cover them and then added even more fabric to make it look better. I just used a ziggzag stitch and top-stitched it all on with this varrigated green thread that I had.. just gives me an undershirt for some layers and things. I did another tank similar to this, but it was black and had navy blue fabric added to it. It's weird, but whatever...

This rose top is super comfortable and I think it looks good enough to wear to a nice thing. I have some dark red fabric that I want to make some pants to go with it as well as possibly something else.. anyway, this was a nightgown at one point. I sort of just pinched it here and there and thought it looked neat and there you go. It looks worse in the picture than I remember it looking in the mirror... oh well...

This brown one was originally a long sleeved high-necked T-shirt. Very boring, and I hate high necked things. The neck and sleeves are just hand-stitched with the different color and the gathered parts are gathered with beading elastic that I threaded through wooden buttons. Totally stole this idea from an expensive shirt that I saw. It's super comfy.

This purple button up is one of several that I just made the sleeves short. Not super impressive, but super easy.

The violet one is another example of a shirt that was Youssefs. This took a bit more work because it wasn't made very well to begin with and I had to fix a few more things than normal (the whole front button section was slanted and so I did some adjusting and it now won't un-button, but I can pull it over my head anyway, so who cares?) Oh, and it has a purple butterfly embroidered on the pocket. The jeans' embroidery came from another pair that I had that I bought this iron on stuff to fix a patch at the knee (with a butterfly) and added the flowers so that the butterfly didn't look like a patch job. Well... those jeans just got too ratty and so I took off all the iron on stuff from those and added it to these jeans that I wear all the time. I guess it looks good.

This plaid job was a shirt of mine that had short sleeves and a collar. I just hate high necked things and thought it would look better with a bit less plaid. The front is just folded down with elastic in it and the straps were the cuff part on the sleeves so I didn't even have to sew them.. just cut them off the sleeves and sew them to the top

This pinky one doesn't look so good on the dress form, but is a good example of the vertical elastic idea.

Anyway, you asked for more pics and there you go. My clothes aren't that impressive even when I fix them up. A before and after type thing might have been more interesting, but over all they look a lot better then they did. :)

re-purposing

I think I've pretty much finished going threw all my old clothes and altering them in some way to make them new. This shirt was one of Youssef's shirts that was a bit small for him and he never wore. Elastic is so fantastic. I just cut the neckline a 1/2 of an inch from where I wanted it to end up, folded it down that much (just once) and top stitched the elastic on it. Just stretch the elastic slightly while sewing a straight line and then go back over it with another line on the other edge of the elastic (I used 1/4 inch stuff) to give it a polished look. If there is too much gather in one or two spots just snip the elasic at that place and it will loosen it up just enough. I did the same thing on the sleeves (make sure you wrap the elasic around your arm first to get the right length as you don't want it to be uncomfortably tight)
The bottem hem is shorter than it was for my husband. Also an easy thing. I turned it under twice and top stiched it twice to match the two lines on the elastic parts. The flowers on the pocket were an easy daisy stich embroidery pattern. You can buy iron on things like that or leave it plain.

Anyway, just thought this might inspire someone to re-purpose what they already have.

A few other ideas for things - If you have a shirt with an emblem (like my husband did with a polo shirt) you can cover the emblem with a stripe or two running vertically or horizonatally (double sided iron on interfacing and top stitching) works great!

If you have a boring V-neck T-shirt you can add some elastic virtically from the point of the V down. The elasic is about 4 inches or so unstreached and again just sew a straight line while you stretch the elasic (you'd be working from the wrong side of the fabric so you can see the elasic well.. meaning that the bobbin thread will be what's visible on the outside of the shirt) This adds a lovely gather at the bust-line and is about the easiest fix that there is! I got this idea from going to a nice clothing store and examining their clothes and realizing that what they were selling for 50 bucks was just essentially a T-shirt with elasic in that one spot.

Anyway, I have more ideas and could take more pictures if anyone is interested. I like to remake my old stuff and make my house beautiful too with hardly any money. It makes me so much more creative than I would be otherwise and it's so much more satisfying that just buying something.

So yes, the shirt pictured above was a thrift store find that my husband thought he'd wear and never did. The 9 yards of elastic that I bought to use on all of my projects was only 97 cents and I used a lot less than 9 yards on this shirt. The embroidery floss was also something that I had and doesn't cost much. It's safe to say that this shirt cost me less than $2, and took maybe 3-4 hours or so to compleate it.

I hope this post inspires someone. :)