The Train To Crazy

Water water everywhere

Wow, the rain has been insane! Thankfully we have a roof over our heads and dry beds! While the water stopped falling from the clouds my daughter dumped a cup of water into my computer. So I'm computerless! Hopefully I'll be back before too long. Thursday's Make it Wear it post most likely will not be happening since I can't insert HTML code via email from my phone. I hope you're all having fun creating for Easter!

I've been busy making dresses for my girls the past few days. I just need to buy zippers and I'll be done! I hope to be able to show pictures next week! Stay tuned!

Make it, Wear it!

There were more fun items last week at Make it Wear it. Did you check them out?

I know there are a million t-shirt refashions out there but what I love about this one is that it is different. It doesn't involved ruffled jersey and the texture is great. As usual, I am Momma doesn't disappoint. 

And I have to mention The Mother Huddle's cute little birdie jacket.

 And finally, do you have a boring pair of flats in your closet? My Backyard Eden shows you how to ruffle them up. Ruffles are popular now aren't they!

 
 So what did you make this week? Here's the rules! 

1. Click on "add your link" below. Enter your item information. You can even add a picture now!

2. Pretty please link back here IN your blog post. You can grab the button if you want.

<a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab308/thetraintocrazy/makeitwearitbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="make it wear it" /></a>

3. Go check out the others who are linking! Have fun and get inspired! Leave comments because everyone loves comments!

UPDATED: I am noticing that are a lot of entries that can't be worn! Hmmm... Please only link up to items you've made that you can wear. Next week I'll start erasing links. For this week, enjoy.

A different kind of normal

You know when you go through weeks and feel like you haven't accomplished much? Well, I've been through a couple months like that. My goals had to be pared down. My ideas of what needed to get done daily had to be slashed. We went back to the basic needs. Everyone fed, everyone dressed, teeth brushed, and everyone bathed occasionally. And occasionally is being used loosely. 

Do you ever have times like that? Where something else gets in the way of what you think you should do or what you want to do? I think times like this are good for us, in a way. It is good to learn to relax on our expectations and be content with good enough. 

How has your normal been lately?

What a day

Wow, what a day, right? There are some intense emotions flying around. I thought I'd help you by letting you focus a little of that intensity on something other than yourself and our country's health care bill (not that that is what you are doing, of course).

Unshaken - charity: water's campaign for Haiti from charity: water on Vimeo.

And, because I can't help it, here is something else to get your out of your own situation. Jesus and the Health Care Bill.

5 and sassy

My oldest daughter turned 5 last week. I think it is a requirement of 5 year old girls to have some sort of sassy edge to them. Of course, she isn't always sassy. Like the night a few days before her birthday when she cried because she didn't want to get older. 

But then there are days like this. Days when I'm trying to get a decent picture and this is the best I can get.

Wow. How old is she? 13? 

She is a girly girl. I'm not sure where she got it. I'm pretty sure nobody would ever say I'm a girly girl. Okay, I do wear the occasional pink sweater or shirt, but the point is that she is an individual. This is the birthday shirt she insisted on. The one I had in my shop wasn't "pretty enough" for her tastes. Then there are the matching pink pants with the pink ruffle down the side. I have to say that they were actually painful to make because they are so far from my style. But, she loves them so they are a success. They are definitely girly and pink! 

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& Blue Cricket Designs

Make it, Wear it!

Welcome to the weekly carnival where you get to show off what you've made that you (or someone else) can wear. I've enjoyed this fun place to get new inspiration and support other creative people. Have you enjoyed it? I'm debating whether or not to continue on a weekly basis so let me know!

Did you see these little boys' underwear last week by Nancy's Couture? What little guy wouldn't want those?

And did you know that These Northern Skies made this flower out of a zipper? Who knew a zipper could look like that?

 
So what did you make this week? Here's the rules! 

1. Click on "You are next" below. Enter your project's description in the title field and the URL to the specific blog post in the URL field.

2. Pretty please link back here in your blog post. You can grab the button if you want.

<a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab308/thetraintocrazy/makeitwearitbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="make it wear it" /></a>

3. Go check out the others who are linking! Have fun and get inspired! Leave comments because everyone loves comments!

Walk a mile in their shoes

Sometimes when I read about Burma, I feel like I'm reading about a time long ago. A time when an army burns villages and rapes and destroys everything in it's path. It is hard to understand, while sitting in my cozy dining room, that this continues today. I can't wrap my head around ethnic cleansing. I can't understand the brutality that exists. I can't fathom millions of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs). I can't understand how a prime minister could be elected by 80% of the vote and be under house arrest since winning, 20 years ago. I can't understand how this could go on for years, and decades, while we just watch. 

Chances are, you don't know much about Burma, or Myanmar as the dictatorship calls it. If you have a few minutes this week, I would recommend reading a little about the history of Burma and the relief effort going on there right now. The Global Day of Prayer for Burma was yesterday, you can read about it here.

There is an amazing, truly unbelievable effort going on to aid these IDPs. I wrote about how you can help last year at this time. I highly recommend reading that post. There is a very good family project you can do to directly help the IDPs in Burma. Take a moment and familiarize yourself with Christians Concerned for Burma and the Free Burma Rangers (humanitarian relief teams).

How much did you know about Burma? Would you like to make a care package for the Good Life Clubs in Burma that the Free Burma Rangers bring to the people? Will you pray for the people of Burma and all the refugees in Thailand? 

Make it, Wear it!

Did you check out last week's entries? I absolutely loved Kosmic Chai's earrings. Go ahead, make some for yourself.

Sugar Bee showed us how to make these fluffy girly skirts.

And what perfect timing is this shirt from Perrry Jane Handmade? How cute is that?
Now, what have you made this week? Here are the rules!

1. Click on "You are next" below. Enter your project's description in the title field and the URL to the specific blog post in the URL field.

2. Pretty please link back here in your blog post. You can grab the button if you want.

<a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab308/thetraintocrazy/makeitwearitbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="make it wear it" /></a>

3. Go check out the others who are linking! Have fun and get inspired! Leave comments because everyone loves comments!

The sun is more than just a pretty object in the sky!

It is finally putting off some heat and we are defrosting! I'll be outside this week. Have a wonderful week!

Is it warm where you are? How are you enjoying your weather?

Make it, Wear it!

Are you ready to show off what you've made this week? If you missed some of last week's links there were some more great ones.

I am Momma Hear Me Roar made this super cute embellished shirt. 

At Second Street used this $1 adult shirt to make a cute little girl's dress and shows us how.

Crafty Schemes makes this scrap fabric bracelet using those rubber bracelets you probably have sitting around the house.  

Now, what have you made this week? Here are the rules!

1. Click on "You are next" below. Enter your project's description in the title field and the URL to the specific blog post in the URL field.

2. Pretty please link back here in your blog post. You can grab the button if you want.

<a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab308/thetraintocrazy/makeitwearitbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="make it wear it" /></a>

3. Go check out the others who are linking! Have fun and get inspired! Leave comments because everyone loves comments!

 

Reworking the reader. Again.

I mentioned a while back, somewhere, that I had reorganized my google reader and weeded out the blogs I don't read, or don't need to read. Well, the time has come to do it again. Don't worry, yours is still there. I cut some that I didn't think I'd cut though. Like Soule Mama. It doesn't really add anything to my life and we aren't friends so she's gone. I won't tell you who else I cut. But there were a lot of popular ones that I no longer feel connected with.

And while I think everyone should narrow down their reader, here are a few you should add if you don't have them already.

Be "The Hands and Feet" is amazing. I know many of you read Katie Davis' blog but Renee lives in Uganda as well and works reviving children suffering from severe malnutrition. Hours away from death she takes them into her home, feeds them every 15 minutes/24 hours a day if necessary and also teaches their parents about nutrition so that they can go back to their parents and thrive. Now THAT is something I can get behind! 

And are you reading Donald Miller's blog? While not every post is for you (unless you are a writer), he does have some EXCELLENT content. Really. Like his new project to change the world. I mean, THAT is something I can get behind! Of course, I still laugh thinking about his celebrity Amazon wish list.

And, while I'm on the subject of Donald Miller. I have a confession to make. I never finished Blue Like Jazz . I started off loving it, and then lost it. Literally. I had to pay $15 to the public library system, which I wasn't too happy about. I should have bought it off Amazon in the first place and saved myself a few bucks.

Of course you might already be reading this, but We Are That Family has been doing an excellent series on marriage (literally opening up their wounded souls to the world) and today she is heading to Kenya with Compassion International so I am looking forward to some gut wrenching, thought provoking posts coming soon.

And, because you can't read only thought provoking material, you must read Mama Sass because she's hilarious. And, I shouldn't say she isn't thought provoking because she IS! They'll just be thoughts of your crazy teen years and the awful jeans you wore or she'll make you think of all the stupid things you hate about facebook. You'll laugh anyway.

So there you have it! How do you decide which blogs to read?

Why blogging doesn't suck

Since I had my fit last week about why blogging sucks I thought I'd go ahead and say why it doesn't suck. So here goes.

1. It is fun. It is. 
2. You meet lots of people you would never have met otherwise. That's true too. People become your friends just starting out from reading blogs and emailing. 
3. You can say whatever you want, which isn't always fun, but you can do it.
4. You can constantly change the layout and the banner and the buttons and the links and it provides hours of entertainment =) Or is that just me?
5. You can actually make money. I've heard that's true at least. While I don't make zero money, it isn't anything to write home about. I think I'd have to put in a lot more time to make that a reality and I'm just not willing to make that kind of sacrifice. 
6. You learn so much "stuff" you wouldn't otherwise know just by reading and writing. Well, mostly from reading. It is hard to learn a whole lot of new stuff from yourself. Though, I suppose it is possible.

I know there must be more. Why do you like blogging?