A Cherished Gift

My Mother passed away when I was a child long before she got to meet any of her grandchildren. I think about her often and wonder how life would be if she were still here, or what she might think about her daughter getting ready to have her 4th child.... but also know how much missing her has shaped me, grown me and taught me how short this life really is.

Daniel and I agreed that if we were ever blessed with a little girl (which we honestly didn't think would happen) we would give her the middle name Susan after my Mother. When I found out a couple months ago that my Mother's wedding gown was still around, I was thrilled and knew it needed a purpose other than sitting in a box and set out to make Evelyn a little something with some pieces.  

This is Evelyn's dedication gown. The dress and bonnet itself is a gift to Evelyn from my Step Mother and my Dad. And I chose to embellish it with lace trim from my Mom's gown. A perfect blend of both old and new, and a cherished gift because of each of the hands that took part in it-- the dress my Mother wore 35+ years ago, that was kept by my Granny for so many years, the hands of my Dad and Step Mother for gifting us with something new specifically for this precious little girl on the way. And my own hands that sewed it all together. It isn't perfect sewing. And after being stored for so many years, while the lace brightened a lot, it isn't perfectly white as it once was.... BUT, it's the perfect gift for Evelyn. And I foresee that it will be a cherished gift for many years to come.

With lots of lace and embellishments left in the wedding gown, I'm still brainstorming other ways to use it to make keepsakes for my sister and I and even a little something for my teenage niece.... but for now, I'm just completely smitten with this dress that is so small, and yet so big too!

Train Table Makeover

Well, I have no idea why it took us 3 boys to get there, but it seems we have one "choo choo" obsessed little man on our hands these days.  I have no doubt there will be a Thomas birthday party post coming in the next couple months!  When a used train table popped up on one of the local buy/sell/trade pages on Facebook recently at a decent price, we decided that we would hop on it knowing that it would make all of Joel's dreams come true.  (And of course the big boys would be thrilled too.... they just aren't quite obsessive as the little guy currently is.)

The table came to us in used condition and was priced as such, so naturally I wanted to give it a little facelift before we brought it into our living room.  Here's what it looked like before--

More off white than white, and several scuffs along the tops and the sides, but nothing that a little paint couldn't correct.  I had the man of the house sand it all down for me so that I could get to work.  We already had some no VOC white paint that we have used on some previous projects so we stuck with keeping the table itself white.  Then after he sanded down the table top, I used some acrylic paint from Hobby Lobby to paint a more traditional train table "scene" on top.

Once the scene was set, I passed the baton to the man for the poly coat.  The only downside to pregnancy is feeling a little helpless in situations such as these when I'm not "allowed" to complete the project that I want to do.  I have this little bit of impatience about me and I like for things to be checked off of my list.  Surely I'm not alone?  .... Once the poly had a couple days to set and dry in this NC humidity, we brought the table in for the big reveal.  The big kids knew that we had the table, knew what it was and knew that we had painted it.  HOWEVER, Joel was clueless as to what this large piece of furniture hanging in our garage was, AND the big boys had no idea that I snagged some really awesome train tracks, trains and accessories at a great price from a friend to complete the package.  Here's a peek of it all moved in--

Look, no large scuffs all over the sides anymore!  And of course a drawer full of trains because the trains overfloweth. 

And the reveal to the kiddos will put a smile on your face today-- 

.... That sweet tiny voice saying "choo choo" and taking it all in.  That's what we hear most of the day whether it's begging for Thomas to be played on the TV, telling us to "rea" one of his Thomas books to him, or it's just lining up cars, boxes or buckets to make them a choo choo.  I think I have a feeling of how the boys will spend their day today and it's been fun watching them liven up and imagine together around the table this morning.