Signs of Spring

I took advantage of the worst weather day this week to plant a tiny garden--at least I know that weather can only get better!

I decided to use the opportunity to take a few pictures. :)

Grandpa Jones always said you could plant peas, spinach, and lettuce on St. Patrick's Day, so I was a little bit late. :) Better late than never!

Notice my Ladybug knee pads. I certainly needed them because it was wet!

Looking forward to more spring days!

-EJ

Wedding Rehearsal

Here are the wedding rehearsal pictures.
What fun it was to be in a wedding rehearsal...instead of just running it!
Notice all the beautiful "bouquets"--I think it was the most I had ever seen at a rehearsal. :)Sandy had the job of going down the aisle first! Of course, she did marvelously.Me, Turkish scarf and all!Becca, the pro. She was the only bridesmaid at the rehearsal who had been one before!
Matthew was quite the junior groomsman!

The Sisson and Lainio Grandparents A knowing look. Were they worried about being in step? Doubt it.
Such a radiant bride-to-be. Speaking from experience, Heather did an amazing job!


What would a wedding be without the rehearsal? (Probably not a disaster, but you never know!)

-EJ

Sewing

Gretchen and Kyle's wedding was beautiful, but it was a lot of work...not only for the couple and their family, but also for the attendants. Elli and I had to work so hard to complete our bridesmaid dresses on time.

Here is some of what went on to prepare for the special day.

Gretchen came down in January to help me design and sew my dress. Here we are diligently cutting it out (while Elli sewed on her mock-up version).

Of course, much consultation went into the creation of such a work of art.

In these two pictures, we were trying to decide whether to put the shiny fabric on the top or on the bottom of the dress. It is only pinned together!

Sadly, Gretchen had to leave before my dress was quite sewn together, and I did not have the courage to work on it without either her or Elli! Therefore, the dress waited until a week or so before the wedding, when Elli was available to help me make the important decisions.

Here we are, after our house became sewing central. We had sewing machines, fabric, pins, needles and burgundy thread in every room of our downstairs. The tiny pieces of thread got everywhere (much to Mom's distress).

Even Tim put in his two cents worth.

Once most of my dress was done, I had to figure out what to do with the sleeves. That decision took the better part of a week. Here are a few of the attempts--one on each sleeve.

Here we are with our partially completed dresses. Still plenty of work...but no pictures until completion. That took a five-hour car ride and a day