A Baby Shower: Niece Number Three

Oh hey! Remember me? I am the girl who started the blog and then never blogs... makes sense. right? It has been a LONG while since I have blogged.  To be honest, it has been the last thing on my list and the first thing on my mind.  I have wanted to sit down and blog, but have been so busy with school, work, and life.  I am so grateful for all of the opportunities God has given me, but it is nice to sit down and do some writing for pleasure!

Last weekend I had the honor of hosting my sister-in-laws baby shower! I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to be an aunt for the third time to three beautiful girls! I adore my nieces and treasure every moment I get to spend with them.  I love being their Auntie Mac and can't wait to create more memories.  I don't have children of my own, but if the love I have for my nieces is any indication of how I will love my own children some day, then my heart just might explode! 

Megan is the wife of my husband's brother Jeremy, and the mama to be.  I am so grateful for Megan and the joy she brings to the family.  I have never thrown a shower of any sort before, and I am thankful Megan let me use her as my guinea pig.  Megan and I have similar styles.  We both like vintage and rustic things so ideas for this shower began to flow.  Without further ado--here are some photos from the shower! **Disclaimer--there are a bagillion photos. <--there are so many I had to make up my own number. 

 Megan and I

Me, my beautiful sis-in-laws, my mother-in-law, and the first of my adorable nieces--Josie (seriously how cute is she?!)

Megan-- Your baby girl is so lucky to have you as a mom.  You have the kindest heart and the most giving spirit. You will make the best mom and I am so excited for the moments you are going to spend with your little one and the memories you will make. I am proud to call you my sister! Love you Megs! Thanks for allowing me to host your shower!

A Memory & A Tattoo

It's in a fairly discrete place, and you may not know I even have it until I begin talking with my hands like I so often do.  But when someone does notice it, I usually get the question, "what does your tattoo mean?"  Because the question comes up so suddenly and in situations where I can never explain it the way I would like, those who ask only get a glimpse of the story behind it.  They probably only care to here the short version, quite honestly.  And I'm more of a listener, so I would rather hear the story about theirs anyways.  

But since this is a space where I can share my thoughts without boring people... because you can come and go as you please or not come at all, I will share the depths of the meaning behind my tattoo.

It begins with a woman... a beautiful woman inside and out.  

Jean Louise Langdon is her name and this is her.

She is my grandmother, and I am her only granddaughter.  I have always felt a sense of pride, importance, and specialness by being her "only."  She and I shared mutual love of many things.  As I look back and reminisce I continually find ways in which we are so much alike.  Whenever I would visit her on Plum Street in Plymouth, IN at the white house with the cutest little front porch I knew a fun day was in store.  Most of the time monotony is so in-exhilarating, yet there can be something so comforting about it.  I knew every time I walked into her house there would be a hug and a kiss at the door, a plate of cheddar cheese accompanied by canister of crackers, and a coke served in tall plastic cup waiting for me. It never got old.  We would sit and watch old Audrey Hepburn movies.  She would let me flip through her old photo books and she would share stories from the past.  I loved doing those things with her and spending those precious moments together.  

Eventually those visits had to come to an end.  Visiting still happened, but things were different.  Memory is a crazy thing.  I think it's something we take for granted until one day you look in the beautiful face of a kind woman, and what was once a beaming glow looking back, is now like looking at a stone figure. The physical person is still there, but the inner being and everything that makes them the person they are is unrecognizable....it was gone.

The first time reality actually sank in, and I understood there was no going back to the way things were before, memories flooded my mind.  I thought about all of the times we had spent together, all of the things we had done, all of ways she made every holiday and birthday so special... they were all gone for her.... and they weren't coming back.  I felt a sense of guilt because I could remember and she couldn't.  There were arbitrary moments when I could see the old her, but they left as quickly as they came...  It was only a few years after her mind left that her body followed its lead.  She went to be with the Lord peacefully in February of 2012. Her favorite song "In the Garden" was playing.  She was finally released from the prison that is Alzheimer's and is free to spend eternity with Jesus. 

Not long after she passed, the idea came to me to frame a card she had sent my mom for Mother's Day years ago and give it to my mom for the upcoming Mother's Day as a way to remember my Grandma.  You see, my Grandma gave cards for everything.  There was nothing better than receiving a card from her in the mail.  She had the most beautiful handwriting and every card was signed the same way, "Love, Grandma."  I have never been one to want a tattoo. I never had a problem with them, but they just weren't for me.  After seeing that Mother's Day card and going back in time thinking about all of the cards she sent me, the idea of a tattoo suddenly seemed right.  Having the word "love" tattooed in her handwriting seemed like the perfect way to symbolize who she was and what she meant to me.  Her memory is forever tattooed on my heart and the word "love" tattooed on my wrist represents that in a physical way.  

I chose to add the bird for a few reasons.  The first reason is because she always loved birds, especially cardinals.  The second reason is to represent freedom.  She is now free from the chains of Alzheimer's. And she is free to live in eternity with the Lord.  Not only does this tattoo remind me of my grandma, but it also reminds me to hold on to the memories I have .  When I see it I am reminded that it is not the things of this world that make life worth while, but the relationships we have with people... the nostalgic moments we create... those are things that this life is about. 

Valentine's Shirt: DIY

So I like to be crafty every now and then and what better time to be crafty than Valentine's Day! I'm actually not a huge fan of the "holiday" but since I work in a school and the kids pass out Valentine's and have a party I might as well join the fun!


With that being said, I see all of these cute valentines shirts to wear that shops sell specifically for Valentines Day, which would mean spending a stupid amount of money to wear the thing once.  Sorry, but I would rather save that cash for something I will wear more than once.... or Starbucks. Like I said before, I like to do crafts and create my own things so here is a tutorial to make this Valentine's Day shirt! I hope you enjoy!

 Without further ado... Let's begin

Here are the materials you will need

1. Pink iron-on art sheet (hobby lobby)

2. Quick Fuse fabric sheets (hobby lobby)

3. A shirt (preferably a cotton blend)

4. Fabric scissors

5. Not shown here is a computer and ink-jet printer

Next you are going to print the lettering you want onto one of iron-on Quick Fuse sheets

*Note: It is important that you print the lettering on the FABRIC SIDE so do a test print on a regular piece of paper first... just in case you don't know how your paper feeds through the printer. I just took a pen and marked on side of the paper to see which side it would be printed on

I found my font on dafont. This website allows you to install fonts into microsoft word.  The one I used is called coffee house

The arrow I used came from google images

Then, cut your letters out.

The next thing you will need is your Iron-On Art.

For this step you will either trace or free-hand the heart on the paper side of the sheet

FYI: I was not impressed with this product.  I would suggest using something else.  Maybe even printing the heart onto the Quick Fuse sheet

Cut out your heart (some of this is self explanatory, but I'm a visual person so there ya go)

Now you are going to lay out your lettering, heart, and arrow on your shirt

I laid mine about an 1 1/2" down from the neck line.  It will need to be different if you have a higher neck line on your shirt 

Finally, you will iron those bad boys on. 

The setting on your iron should be a dry setting rather than steam.

You're SUPPOSED to be able to peel the white paper off of the heart, however I had to scrape it off.

Maybe you will have better luck. 

Have fun and get crafty!

Balance

When it comes to balance I am most definitely not talking about physical balance. Good Lord if you ever saw me try to balance you would understand why. 

I am talking about balance in terms of balancing aspects of life.  Do you ever feel like there isn't enough time to balance it all? Right now I feel like I am in a constant battle with trying to balance my relationship with God, my marriage, work, and school.  And that doesn't even include the in between things like healthy eating, exercising, sleeping, umm bathing.... yeah you get the point. I honestly feel like my life is a whirlwind. 

This morning I woke up early to work on a homework assignment for school. FYI I am going back to school to get my teaching license in a transition to teaching program.  SO I woke up early to get a lesson plan assignment done and I was having a hard time coming up with ideas... so much so that I was ignoring my husband, and contemplating not going to church. It was consuming my brain and I was having a minor panic attack. I just need to keep a paper bag on hand for these moments. Luckily, my husband convinced me to go to church. I am so glad he did. 

Seriously, God shows up when you need him the most. As I was sitting in church listening to the message, the pastor reminded us that we need to live dead to the things of this world and begin living alive to God. WOW, wasn't that a much needed slap in the face. I was reminded of the proverbial balancing act I am trying perform ON MY OWN, and began to relax. I don't have to do all of these things on my own.  The one thing I need to focus on is living alive to God and the rest will follow. Does this mean it won't be hard work? Absolutely not.  It means that as long as I keep my focus on God, I will be that much stronger in every other aspect of life.  Does it mean I won't fail from time to time? Absolutely not. But when failure occurs God will be there to keep me on his path. 

As long as I continue to seek the Lord and ask him for his guidance and grace he will show up in my marriage, in my work, and in my school. Balancing happens naturally when I lift my eyes up to the Lord. 

25 Things

25 was a particularly hard birthday for me.  I know, I know... that sounds silly ridiculous.  I was completely comfortable staying 24... forever.  But reality kicks in sooner or later and before you know it you are 25 and the day you turn that less-than-exciting number you find 2 grey hairs. 2 PEOPLE! My husband thought I was crazy and always says, "I can't even remember 25." He is 8 years older than me and well into his 30's. Speaking of my husband.... That's him! His name is Zach and lucky for me I love the name Zach. He jokes that he is like the 5th Zach that I've dated. It's not true... he is only the 2nd. Over exaggerator, that one.

So back to the real reason I am writing this post, instead of dreading the day I turned 25 back in August and all of the days in my 25th year. I decided to make the effort to find the good in it and discover myself.  SO here is my list of 25 things I have discovered about myself, learned, and grown to love so far in my 25th year.

1. Relying on the Lord means being patient and letting Him lead

2. It is ok to eat that piece of chocolate and not feel guilty

3. Serving others when it's not convenient is rewarding

4. Remembering the things someone shares with me and using that

information to bless them in some way

5. My name is Mac, and I have an addiction to coffee and my teeth hate me for it

6. Meeting new people and making new friends is only as awkward as you make it

(I have been known to be slightly awkward, but I am embracing it)

7. My dream home is to live in a cabin in the mountains

8. I have discovered that teaching is my passion

9. I don't feel pressure to live up to a certain set of standards

10. Grey hairs, smey hairs.  Thats just another chance to chat with my stylist Kaytie

11. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and I am working on relaxing a bit

12. I do my best singing thinking when I am in the shower or going for a run

13. I have to say a prayer at night before I go to sleep or I have severe anxiety 

14. Friendships and relationships may not last forever, but there is 

forever a connection to that person

15. I miss performing in the theater

don't worry I was a beer girl in The Producers, which brings me to my next point

16. I love craft beer. Give me all the craft beer

17. I am not ready to be a mom yet and thats ok

18. I have a heart for kids and helping them succeed

19. I am a good listener.  I do well with people who have a lot to say

20. I am beginning to recognize when God shows himself to me

21. I could live in target. I mean they literally have everything you need... 

except a shower.... who knows, they probably have that too

22. I love to be creative and NEED that outlet

23. I am just now starting to figure out what I want in life, and that's ok

24. Drinking a glass of wine while cooking is the most 

relaxing activity (red wine of course)

25. I really suck at answering phone calls and texts, but I am working on it 

There you have it, 25 things!

Generations

Recently I stopped by my Grandpa's house to drop off a thank you note I had written to thank him for the Christmas gift he gave me. Normally I would just drop the note off in his mailbox, since he lives 2 minutes away.  But this time I decided to stop in and give it to him personally.  What I thought would be a short conversation and a hug goodbye turned into two hours of conversation about some of my family history... I am so thankful I decided to walk through his door. 

My Grandpa and I at a Tiger's game

My Grandpa Glen is my only living grandparent. He calls me "kenzer puncheon." The day I stopped at his house is a day I will always hold close to my heart. It was nice to sit by his side and hear him recall so many memories from so long ago. He has an impeccable ability to remember things.

He talked a lot about family and how this person is related to that person and talked about them all by name. And I am talking second and third cousins. He cares A LOT about his family. 

He was the youngest of three with his two sisters proceeding him in age by many years. I learned that when he was born one of his sisters wouldn't even look at him for the 1st two weeks because she was embarrassed her mom had a child so late in life. There was a period of time when he was very young that he was not able to see his mom because she had TB and was in isolation. His dad would take him to see her so he could wave to her through a window. My Grandpa told me that he wishes he was half the dad his dad was. When he made that comment I tried not to cry because he is one of the most amazing men I have ever met. 

My Grandpa has always been a tough guy, a hard worker.  He grew up on a farm and then bought that farm from his dad.  Nearly his whole life he worked seven days a week farming dairy cows.  He is known in our community for his superior work with dairy cows and even judged them at fairs in the US and internationally. After he stopped farming he missed caring for animals so much that he bought two Belgian horses to fill the void. Just before Christmas he had to sell his horses because they were just to much for him to take care of.  I know he was heartbroken to let them go. 

One of his horses a few years back

As time has passed I have begun to a softer side to this man who has always had such a tough exterior.  He loves when the family gathers and he loves when family visits to chat. There is a room at his house that displays all of his trophies he has won for his dairy cows as well as pictures. When I was at his house after our long and beautiful conversation, I went into that room (which I hadn't done in a long time) and displayed throughout was every photograph and collage I had ever taken and given to him. I love my Grandpa and I hope that we can have more days like this one soon. Our lives are woven not only by blood but by moments like this one... Moments that are cherished and are what this life is about. 

My grandpa and brother leaving the Tiger's Stadium

New

I am completely new to this whole blogging thing. Ok, not new new, but new in the sense that I have never really found my voice when it comes to blogging until now... I think.  I have always wanted to create a space on this here world wide web, and have tried in the past, but never really felt like it was my own and genuine to who I am. I almost felt like it was forced in a sense.  I want this to be a space where I can enjoy writing and enjoy expressing myself and my thoughts.

I have been reading blogs for the past 3 or 4 years now and have gained a lot of inspiration through them.  The first blog I ever read was The Daybook.  Sydney has such a gift for writing.  I love her style and the ways she shares her life experiences.  Another blog I love and check daily is Living in Yellow.  Erin is HILARIOUS.  Her blog never ceases to bring laughter to my soul.  And literally every new idea she has is money. She isn't afraid to take chances and get after things.  She also isn't afraid to be herself, which I love. And the blog I most recently follow is Talk Pray Shop.  This blog is written by a new, real life friend I have made.  Amanda is the genius behind this blog.  I am utterly impressed with her writing skills.  She writes from a place way down deep and luckily she shares it with the rest of us.  She loves the Lord and even though she is two years younger than me, I feel like I have so much to learn from her.

So why did I title my blog in some weird form of Spanglish you may ask?  Well jokes on you because it's actually "Italianglish."  I decided to title my blog "La Vita Woven" or if you prefer all English, "Life Woven" for a few reasons.  I studied one year of Italian in college and really loved the language. It is beautiful. Italy is one place I have always wanted to travel and hopefully someday I will make it there.  And I like Italian food.  I may not be Italian by blood, but I am at heart. These are the reasons I chose "life" to be expressed in Italian.  I chose the word "woven" because by definition, means formed by interlacing.  I firmly believe that each of our lives is interlaced into one another's someway, somehow... possibly even with someone as far away as Italy.  The only thing that separates us is the opportunities we have or don't have, and the chances we do or don't take to get to know one another. As I have gotten older, I have grown to love listening to other people's stories and I always end up finding that our stories weave together in some form or another, even if it is just the simple fact that we are human and God created each of us with a purpose.

I want this to be a space where I can share my experiences of my life being woven with other lives. I want it to be a space where I can be myself and have some fun.