Words

"If you can't say somethin' nice don't say nothin' at all!" says Thumper in the movie, Bambi. What a great message for kids! But wait... hmm... it's a great message for adults too.

The lyrics from a song by Hawk Nelson called, "Words" expertly points out what words do: 
They've made me feel like a prisoner

They've made me feel set free
They've made me feel like a criminal
Made me feel like a king

They've lifted my heart
To places I'd never been
And they've dragged me down
Back to where I began

Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart or
Put it out

Let my words be life

Let my words be truth

I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You.

Words have likely brought us where we are today. I remember overhearing my grandmother say to my dad, "When Gail sets her mind on something she really can do it! Where there's a will there's a way!" And that sums up the course of my life - I've always been determined to get places and if I didn't know how- I learned. Those words and the encouragement behind them were wind beneath my wings. After I had my first baby I said to my mom, "I love him so much!" and she replied, "That's how I always felt about you!" Wow. How could I ever go wrong in life with such love and confidence in my choices?

So, what are YOU saying to your kids? Are they words of discouragement, anger, disappointment, or fear and anxiety? I hope you are speaking words that build them up. Fill them with truth - that they are loved, wanted, gifted, and fun to be with!

And now ... a fashion for you:

This is a summer shift made from colorful fabric from Sew Over It. I used a downloadable pattern from the shop, which is in London. 

Downloadable patterns are nice in that you can quickly get a pattern without waiting for a paper pattern to be mailed to you. The hard part is that they are printed from your printer onto 8 x 11 sheets of paper that you have to tape together carefully and then cut out the pieces. 

I wanted to compare Lisa Comfort's shift dress pattern (Sew Over It) with a similar shift pattern from New Look that I bought at Joann Fabrics. You can read my complete review here. The short of it is that  I made a couple of mistakes due to my unclear understanding of Lisa's directions. New Look was pretty easy to follow and took me under 4 hours to complete, but Sew Over It took a little longer, however it was very fun and versatile. The next one I make will be a wiz since I'll know what I'm doing!

Blessings!