How to Make an Eco-Chic Shopping Bag

How to Make an Eco-Chic Shopping Bag

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To get started, carefully cut the sleeves and neck off your t-shirt, leaving a tank-top shaped piece. Turn the t-shirt inside out, then sew the bottom hems shut. Use a boxed corner technique to strengthen the stitch. To do this, put your hand on one bottom corner of the bag and pinch the side and bottom seam together, making sure to line your side and bottom seam up to form a triangle shape.

Then, stick a pin about 2-inches in from the corner. Repeat on the opposite corner. Sew a straight line right where you placed the pin, forming a cross with your seams. Repeat on the other side.

Then, carefully cut 1/2-inch slits into the t-shirt at 1-inch intervals in rows, cutting through both sides of the bag. Continue cutting until the majority of the bag is cut with slits. Flip the bag back to the right side, and you’re ready to carry your groceries in style!

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Thought today about before I had Devon. I did not want to have more kids. I had truth, and was happy to have her be my only child. Frank always said he wanted more kids, but I just wanted to spoil Truth and not divide my time. I spent 6 years saying "no", when I people asked "when are you going to have more children".

It was great the way that God turned my heart around. I had a dream one night. I was on a train on a sunny  beautiful day. Someone handed me a baby. I remember feeling teary eyed in the dream, at how beautiful the baby was. I couldn't take my eyes off of the baby, but I did ask "who's baby is this?". I was so joyful when the answer was, "He is your baby.". I woke up right after that, feeling like I had had my baby ripped out of my arms. I just wanted to go back to sleep and hold that baby again.

That was it. I told Frank that day, that I wanted another baby. I wanted a boy. A little over a year later, I was pregnant. Now, I know that everyone has the standard answer when someone asks "Do you want a boy or a girl?", and you're supposed to say "It doesn't matter, I will be happy either way.". I can tell you that if Devon had been a girl, I would not be writting this right now, and would be head over heels for my baby girl. However, I truely wanted to say "A Boy!!! I want a BOY! I want THAT boy!". You know how the rest of the story goes, had a boy, named him devon, and he is even better than the dream.

The awesome part of all of it, is how God just put that in my heart. I was set. I did not want another child, and did not feel like I was missing anything by not having another child. God knew me better than I even know myself. I thought I was full and missing nothing. God showed me the place where Devon was, and then gave him to me.

I have totally ignored God, at times in my life, and as I reflect on having Devon in my life, I am so glad that this was a moment where I listened. When I didn't ignore a longing God placed in my heart. I was terrified about financial stuff, time, my job (just starting radio, and thought I would have to give it up.). Terrified or not, I knew that this was what God had for me. I look back now and think, really? Those were my fears? Our God is so much bigger than that. Our small minds can't wrap around how God does things, so when he puts it in our heart, you just have to say "Let's roll". The blessings far out weigh those petty fears. 

Out of school and I still have homework.

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I struggled today with Devon to get his homework done. Man, I know EVERYONE says their kid is a genius, but I gotta say, he blew my mind with his evasion techniques. :) The first excuse was a cough. He said he was coughing, and that he thought he should watch TV instead of doing his homework. He went on to explain that if he coughed on the paper, then a classmate touched the paper, they might get a cough too. So basically, he couldn't do his homework, because he is such a health conscious and selfless person. Good to know, GREAT try, ... didn't work.

The second attempt came in the form of a headache. He said his head was hurting so bad. When I asked why his head hurt, he said that he thought it was from too much coloring. All of the coloring he had to do on his homework, gave him a headache. This was not effective either.

He almost had me with the final attempt...After sternly telling him "DO NOT come back into this studio, until your homework is finished", he showed up light tapping my window. He came in and said " it's a GOOD thing that I came in here for. I broke my pencil and I don't have another one. So I should probably just watch TV now." Then he smiled that smile that just melts my heart.... not this time though. I was DETERMINED! I would find a pencil and my son would not win this fight.

I have to say that Bart and I scoured that station, and even the storage unit, in an effort to find a pencil. We searched and searched, amid my pleas, "Bart, we HAVE to find a pencil. I can not let him win this." I could not go down with a blow from a 5 year old. He suggested run down to Spaulding's and see if they have a pencil. Bwahahahaha. They had 2 :). I happily skipped back upstairs, and put the pencil down in front of my son. He looked up at me, and with a tone of disbelief that his mother had just trumped him, he said "WHAT?".

We finished the homework. My hair is standing on end, and my stomach hurts from running to the bedroom, to laugh where Devon can't hear me. All worth it though, because we got the homework DONE!!!!!!

Amazing story! This is a good news story.

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Our Crazy Holiday!

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I feel like we need a vacation for our vacation. I really had high hopes for the time off that I would have over the holidays. Not so much! We got out of school on Tuesday, Woo HOO! Wednesday a lady pulled out in front of Frank. We don't have the final word, but we feel certain that the car has been totalled. His head hit the windshield, even with a seat belt and and air bag. He had a pretty good bump on his head. We had him checked out, and spent the rest of the week, keeping a close eye on him and fighting the terrible headache that he kept. Monday, was a great day. It looked like we had come through the worst of it. Tuesday his foot started bothering him. Wednesday it started tingling, then swelling, then hurting. By the time he got off of work and we were headed to the ER,  he had no feeling in it at all, and could not walk. We took him to the ER, they gave him an antibiotic, and sent him home telling us to follow up with a surgeon in the morning. Surgeon saw us at 1:45 that afternoon.

Everything from here on, took place within and 1 1/2 hours. Keep in mind, I am a wreck, because everytime he slightly moves his foot he screams. The surgeon comes into the room, reaches over to feel his calf. When he puts his hand on my husbands leg, he jumped a foot off of the table, screamed, and then just burst into tears. I have NEVER seen my husband in so much pain before. The surgeon says, "I don't know what this is, but I'm admitting you to the hospital, and calling in an orthopedist (shock #1- I thought they were just gonna give us different meds or something.). 5 minutes later we are wheeling Frank through admitting. We had enough time to give our insurance card over and drivers lisc., and sit down. We talk for a few minutes, when a gentleman approaches us and asks if anyone here has seen Dr. Kent today. I point to Frank, and the gentleman starts checking out Frank's leg. He stands up and says "I'm Dr. Deese the orthopedist. I'm going to rush his admission, and we will take him to surgery tonight." (Shock #2 - SURGERY? TONIGHT?) He leaves and when he comes back, he says "change of plans. We're taking him to the OR right now." (Shock #3- this is why I am currently going bald ). An hour later he is in recovery. ALL OF THAT IN AN HOUR AND A HALF. CRAZY!!

Dr. Deese says he had compartment syndrome. They needed to do the surgery quickly, because he felt that the longer they waited, he would have to amputate. AMPUTATE!!!!! Crazy!

So here I sit, soaking it all up. Sitting next to my amazing husband, watching him sleep and rejoice when he wiggles his toes! :)