Wishful hoarding

The J-Boy-- so silly!

Parade in Washington state

Big deal!

Masha helping Uncle M. lick the bowl clean of freshly whipped cream-- I don't think she actually ate any, but she didn't seem to know

                                 
 Thank you all so much for your prayers and your comments in my previous post!  I was very touched to hear from you, and by your prayers, I know that God has granted me strength in a time when I have felt otherwise very drained.

Two Fridays ago I had my last appointment, and my platelets were up.  Just a little (43,000-- still not great, and still considered "severe", but up 5,000 from the previous week).  But I'll take it!  I'm down to 40 mgs of prednisone.  I go in for another appointment this Friday, so we'll see how that goes!  Glory to God, all things considered, I'm feeling better and more like "myself" to some degree.  Slowly recuperating.... such a process...

The "Paleo" diet is going fairly well.  Although there are some days where I wake up and feel like crying big fat crocodile tears over my breakfast skillet of meat and veggies... sometimes a big bowl of cereal-- even just a bowl of the blandest, hippiest granola-- sound soooo appealing.     

Anyhoo!  The girls have swimming lessons this week.  Vasi will be attending a day camp next week too, so we've been keeping busy!  It's been so nice to have everyone home, although it gets hectic (and MESSY!) here quite fast. 

I just finished a custom-made bridesmaid dress for a friend this past weekend.  I made Simplicity 2582 (dress F), and it was a fairly straightforward pattern that yielded a very lovely dress!  We used a shiny, platinum lace over a silky/ shiny silver underlining and some added yellow details (wedding colors were grey and yellow).  Amidst all of that, I was able to crank out 6 pairs of simple shorts for V. and S. (3 pairs each), and I'm so pleased to see how quickly they've made it into their everyday wear rotation.  Truly, sometimes the simplest items are the best loved, especially when done in cheerful, happy prints. 

This week I'll be sewing items to sell as a vendor at our Glendi Greek Festival later this month.  I'm excited to share a booth with a friend, who will be selling gorgeous handmade earrings and girls' skirts.  I'll be selling tiered girl's dresses and little "church bags".  If I have time, I'd like to also sell some table runners, greeting cards and potholders.   Truly, I've got my work cut out for me since I still have a lot to do in the next two weeks.  But it's my hope-- Lord willing-- that I can use my sewing abilities and exuberant stash to help raise money for our Church's new building fund... even in a very small way.

 I'm very, very eager to sewing something (ANYTHING!) for myself, but it looks like I'll just  have to acquire/hoarde fabric until then (is there such a thing as "wishful hoarding?"  The deception that, "If I buy it, I'll have time...").  If only I could buy time instead of fabric...  I look into my closet and see a sea of dark colors-- grey, navy blue, earth tones... which, I suppose, are "my" colors.  But I've been craving a bit of variety in my wardrobe this summer.  I need some BRIGHTNESS.  Yellows, reds, fuschias-- skirts, shirts, dresses!  Much more summery and uplifiting.  Alas, it will have to wait.


Well, that's the news for now here in XK land!  I've got a little lady here who is in serious need of a haircut!  Let's just say that swimming lessons + poor (non-existent?) hair-grooming habits + super-easy-to-tangle hair makes for an unfortunate combination.  V. has amassed a frightful head of dreadlocks that seem to have a mind of their own, and they need to come off.  Did I mention she hates having her hair combed?  She has the most sensitive scalp of any child I've ever met.  I'm thankful that Susy has completely different hair... but still, I can't help but wonder why the good Lord blessed me (of all people) with 3 daughters.  Baby Masha, I can tell already, has Vasi's easy-to-tangle hair, and already has had a couple of matted baby dreadlocks in the back of her head.  Ay yay yay!  Lord have mercy.  Yes... where was I?  Haircut time!

See you later!  I hope you're having a great summer.

P.S.  Our computer is acting weird.  I haven't been able to properly upload real photos, but I do have some finished sewing projects that I'd like to share, once Job and I have that figured out.  For now, you can enjoy some cruddy little camera phone pics ;)