Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

Let me share with you some pillow talk I had with my husband at 2:00am this morning.

Michael: Grind. Grind. Grind. (The teeth grinding is not the same decibel level of Maria Sharapova, but it's close.)

Me: (Awakened by teeth grinding.) Michael, can you please put your mouth guard in?
Michael: Um-hm. (Doesn't move.)
Me: (Shakes him a little.) Michael, can you please put your mouth guard in?
Michael: (Rolls over about to get up and then just flops onto stomach.)
Me: (Louder voice.) Michael?
Michael: (With an attitude.) Wh-at?
Me: Can you PLEASE put your mouth guard in?
Michael: (Very poignantly.) No. Because then I'll wake up.

He was apparently asleep through this whole conversation (He didn't recollect any of this in the morning.), but I was definitely wide awake by this point.

At our wedding rehearsal dinner, my mother-in-law asked our guests what they wish someone had told them before they got married. Our pastor said, "How difficult it is to sleep with someone." I don't see what difference this information makes, but sleeping next to Michael is more difficult than I ever imagined it would be.  I love it, but some nights not as much as others.

A friend of mine,  at the beginning of her marriage, used to wake up to her husband slapping her in the face with his arm in the middle of the night.  She finally slapped him back one night, and that was the end of that.

Michael and I also went through this violent stage at the beginning of our marriage. There were some nights where I thought he was reaching over to hug me, but he instead hit me in the stomach and rolled back over. It didn't really hurt and it wasn't on purpose, but it's hard to get a good nights sleep when that is joined by stealing all the covers, snoring and teeth grinding.

He eventually learned the parameters in which he needed to keep his hands, feet and elbows. We got him a night guard to fix the teeth grinding problem. We now have separate covers. The snoring still happens, but if I fall asleep before him, I can usually tune it out. 

I used to think of myself as a heavy sleeper before I got married.  Maybe God is just working to prepare me for kids.

Do you have any funny sleeping/not sleeping marriage stories? Do share.

Sunday Video: Jesus Wants the Rose

Matt Chandler on God's grace...

Miss Scruffy is All Dolled Up

Miss Scruffy got a present from her aunt.

My sister got her a dress from pcdogclothes.com. This site makes me way too giddy--it scares my husband.

She went for a walk in it today. Miss Scruffy eats to live and lives to walk.

Should I feel slightly embarrassed when I take her out for a walk in this dress?  Because, I do.  It draws a lot of attention. But she is just so CUTE in it!

Summer Solstice and a Broom

Did you have a fun summer solstice?

I did.

It was also Leslie's wedding this past weekend.  I will post photos as soon as I get them.  It was sooo beautiful! I just loved getting to be a part of her day.

Bridal Shower Tea Party: Decoupage Letter

With the leftover material from the napkins my mom and I made for the shower, I made this...

Leslie is marrying a nice Christian man with a "D" last name.  So I decided to decoupage a "D" form for the shower to add a personal touch to the food table and to tie in the napkins.

 I cut the fabric into random shapes as I went and glued each piece down with Mod Podge.

I then painted on 10 layers of the Mod Podge, letting it dry fully between each layer.

Here's how the food table turned out:

Bridal Shower Tea Party: Cloth Napkins

If you are a regular reader, you know that I threw a bridal shower tea party for a good friend of mine. I wanted the tea party to be very elegant with a vintage feel, so the tables had to have floral cloth napkins. My mom liked the idea too and helped me go to work sewing them up. They were not hard to make; we just had a lot of them to make--about 20. Thanks again, Mom!

First, we cut out 18" squares.

Then we sewed two opposite edges of the napkin at a time.

For the seams, we folded over the fabric a 1/4" on one edge and ironed it down.

Then we folded the same edge over a 1/2" and ironed it down. We did this to two opposite edges of each napkin, and then sewed down the folded seam of each side. 

Next, we did the same thing to the other two opposite edges of the napkin, first ironing down the seams and then sewing down the seams.

The finished product was a 16 1/2" square napkin, which turned out to be a good size.

After the shower, the napkins became a gift for the bride.

After making these napkins, I found this great tip at Marthastewart.com for quickly ironing even hems.  Martha is ingenious, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't have to mess with an iron that shuts itself off every 5 minutes either.

Bridal Shower Tea Party: Invitaions

Here are the invitations I made for Leslie's bridal shower tea party:

With each invitation, I inserted a recipe card and note asking each guest to please write down their favorite recipe for Leslie in order to help her out in her new role as wifey.

I found this giant carton of note cards at Target. Score!

I wanted a Victorian feel (since these are invites for a tea party) and I wanted to bring in purple (Leslie's wedding color). I found scrapbook paper at Hobby Lobby with a motif of purple pressed flowers and cursive lettering. Victorians loved pressed flower and cursive. Score!

I used the scrapbook paper to create a border at the top of the invitations, and I created the lacy trim with a fun hole punch. (Victorians also liked lace.)

After I hole punched the lacy trim into my border, I was left with skinny pieces of paper with scalloped edges.  I used these left over pieces to decorate the recipe cards so that they would match the invitations and remind Leslie of her shower each time she cooked something from one of the cards.

I used a paper cutter to create border pieces that would neatly fit at the top of each note card, and I glued them on with Elmer's because that's all I had.

Then I punched two holes in the center of the border to tie ribbon through. I created the bow by first threading the ribbon through the front of the card. Then I criss crossed both ends of the ribbon at the back of the card and threaded the ends back through to the front.

  

I received help with the wording from Unique Bridal Shower Ideas.  

  

I love how the recipe request cards turned out.  I found the Victorian border at Free Vintage Clip Art and I found the cute poem at Unique Bridal Shower Ideas.

Crochet Mishap Turned Pot Holder

I just crocheted four motifs for a purse before I realized I was doing it wrong.

But then I realized I could sew them together to make a pot holder.

Phew.  I feel better.