The Pains of Growing Up

I do not remember having growing pains as a kid, but fortunately Matt does, otherwise I would have really been scared when my little ones began waking up late at night with painful cries which were difficult to soothe! Coleman had them, but I really remember when Joslyn began to get up with them, she could barely walk because her legs hurt so badly. I still have the vision of her limping down the hall towards me, and me almost ready to snatch her up, throw her in the car and head off to the hospital.

I have learned from years now of sweet little ones waking up at night with these monster pains and discussing it with our pediatrician, that you basically have to just get through it as best you can. Many times, by the time any tylanol or IB profen would kick in, the pain would have subsided. I have spent many nights sitting on the couch or in bed just rubbing the kids legs to help soothe the ache at least a little. Just letting them cry is OK, it is how they get through it. Sometimes I would walk with them up and down the hallway. Talking just seems to aggravate the situation too, so I have resorted to humming. But a couple years ago, I tried warm rags, and they seemed to help ease the discomfort a little quicker, understandably so. But! Then everything was wet and uncomfortable so I began making rice packs to throw in the microwave. They are now the first thing that Bell asks for, being the current one in our kiddos that is facing the big bad monster of growing pains.

They are pretty simple to make. Sew up a square or rectangle like a pillowcase, fill it with rice and sew up the end. I double line mine for comfort. You can stick them in the freezer or the microwave. I usually only heat Bell's up for 30 seconds and that seems to do the trick.

Here is Bell tonight finally falling back to sleep after her growing pains reared their head. Poor thing!

What To Do With Vintage Bed Linens-#5

How many of us have old throw pillows stashed away in some closet or attic collecting dust!? I know I still have a bunch sitting under my basement stairs with every intention of giving them a face lift. My couch in our living room needed some help. My husband and I did not purchase any new furniture until our 9 year anniversary, with the exception of two cribs:). Wow! as exciting as that was, it was incredibly difficult! How was I going to pick a piece of furniture to last through all the style changes I would go through and have it last for possibly 20 years! Well, there was one big factor that narrowed it down to be quite an easy decision-KIDS. If I was actually going to allow my kiddos to sit on it(which is actually what a couch is for!) than it had to be able to absorb the abuse. We went with a very oversized, cozy comfy, brown patterned couch. I still love it to this day-which says a lot for how quickly I change my mind when it comes to decorating! But, it is a bit dark amongst a currently shabby chic living room. So...yep...bed linens! I have begun to make quilted slip covers for all my throw pillows. They add color, comfort , and hey! They can go in the wash 3 maybe 4 times a week(HAHA). Another fun tool that I have acquired this past year for my dream machine is a free motion quilting foot-HEAVEN! I am still a bit mad at myself for all the years I went quilting without it! All the backaches, painful hands, and stiff necks-all gone! Now I can design my own patterns, wander around on the quilts as though I am a child making her next scribbled masterpiece, and have my quilts turn out more like an heirloom than ever before! All because of a little foot that goes on my machine-who knew! Maybe if I would actually get my tail into a quilting class, I would know these things sooner! So, putting these quilted pillows together has been a lot of fun and there are endless possibilities! Perfect way to quilt with quick results!

Just take a bit of time to gather up some fun vintage prints(or current) that would compliment your decor. A pillow can actually change the look of a room surprisingly enough. Have fun playing with different patterns and designs or try one of each!

The Legacy In A Name-My Joslyn Dana

Matt and I spent our first 5 years in the ministry at a wonderful little church in Wadena MN. We began serving there just two weeks after our first child, Cole, was born. Among the amazing blessing the Lord gave to us during that time, there was one very special woman that will forever be a part of our lives. Dana Jacobson was the wife of our visitation Pastor there. They were a retired couple still faithfully serving the Lord and sharing His Love. Dana was a quiet, gentle, and strong woman of faith. She was one of those women who completely radiated Jesus. I would not even begin to be able to share to lessons I had learned from her. The importance of prayer, the importance of hope, and the strength in a quiet and gentle spirit. During my pregnancy with our 3rd, Dana was battling cancer again. Matt and I were also going through the heartache of knowing it was time to move on from our ministry in Wadena. The Lord seemed to just whisper Dana's name upon our lips for our newest little one yet to arrive. When we looked up the meaning of Dana, it was of no surprise that it meant "bringer of peace". How beautifully it captured Dana's spirit and we would soon find out that it would also very much represent our own Joslyn Dana during such a time of difficult change in our life. I believe that one of the Lord's greatest gifts to Matt and I , and most precious pictures to us, is that of Dana holding our Joslyn Dana, at less than one week old, and just a little less than two months from Jesus taking Dana home to be with Him.

Today, a dear friend from Wadena, emailed me a letter written by Dana's daughter. This letter comes today on the 7th anniversary of Dana's meeting Jesus face to face. This letter is a beautiful description of how Dana lived her life. I was blessed this morning to be able to read this to Joslyn Dana and share with her the great legacy that her name holds. Of course Joslyn watched my face in bewilderment as my tears streaked my face and my words were hard to speak. But I told her that it is a reminder of how much my heart yearns for her to understand and have the love of Jesus that Dana had for Him.

Thank you more than words could offer to Sylvia for sending me this precious letter and Diane, for sharing more of your Mom even after she has gone, with those who had the privelage of knowing her! You have blessed so many!

Below is the story that Diane has shared of her mom, Dana Jacobson.

Dana’s Story

In the fall of 1993 while living in Loveland, OH, my mother was given the news during a check-up that she had cancer. It was devastating to her but being a woman with a deep faith in the Lord, she knew she could get through it and that He would walk with her no matter what lay ahead.. She had developed a very close walk with her Savior through the years.
The Sunday right after her visit with the Dr., the pastor of her church ended his message with an invitation to anyone who needed a healing touch to come forward and let the Elder’s pray and anoint them. My mother immediately left her seat and made her way to the front of the church with the others. She calmly stood as her pastor and Elder’s anointed her and prayed for the Lord to touch her body. She took a seat near the front row and sat down. As soon as she was seated, she felt a gentle breeze on her face and shoulders. She looked around to see if there was an open window or if a ceiling fan was on, there wasn’t. It was then that she noticed there was a distinct scent that the breeze had brought a musty, spicy yet sweet aroma that filled the air around her. She looked around but there was no one sitting near her. She knew it was a scent she had smelled before, it was an aroma familiar to her but she could not remember from where. She continued to feel the gentle breeze and smell the sweet aroma for a few minutes and then as strangely as it had come, it left her. Immediately she felt as if a burden had been lifted from her.
On the ride home, she remembered where she had smelled the aroma that had surrounded her at the church. She went to her cedar chest in the spare bedroom and began to look for the little box that held the gift. She found it near the bottom and as she took off the cover, she began to weep. She removed the tissue paper and held the sachet to her face, the tears streaming down her cheeks. It was a gift given to her by a missionary lady from Israel; the sachet held a mixture of the spices said to have been wrapped with Jesus body at his burial. It was the very same aroma that had surrounded her that morning. She knew without a doubt that Jesus had visited her that morning, wrapped His loving arms around her and given her His peace, the peace that only He can give. She had smelled her Savior.
When He came and took her home on the morning of April 2, 2002 at around 9:00, I know that as He pulled her into His loving arms, she knew Him not only by the nail prints in his hands and feet or by the look of love on His face but she knew the aroma of her Lord, He had been with her before.



Our Joslyn Dana Now

Bring Home Thread Not Bread!!!!!

Last year developed a new tradition in my husband and I's routine. He would call on his way home from work and ask "is there anything I need to pick up on my way home?" and more times than not I would need more thread, never seeming to have enough on hand. But one time when he got home, he had bought bread, but I hadn't needed more bread. It didn't take long for us to realize he thought bread when I said thread, cellphones are still not all that- I say! Well, how am I supposed to sew with bread!? So when he asks now, "what do you need on my way home?" I say THREAD-NOT BREAD! But he of course will continue to tease me and say-Bread?

When the new year rolled in and I quickly finished my first few spools of thread, we thought it would be amusing to see how many spools I went through in a year! So I began collecting them in a box to see. So far, as of the end of March, I have now officially finished 37 spools! Just a fun little curiousity to entertain this year. I will try and post at the end of each month the new numbers.


Ok, so I have to add a little bit of a disclaimer here! After reading this with my husband and being completely made fun of(ok, I even made fun of myself). I do have to say, yes, I am a qeek! It does seem to sound a bit like an old couple sitting on the couch saying "thread, not bread!" What did you say!? EH? Anyways-hey, it does say something about my materials cost! Do you know that comes out to over $100.00! OK, so I am not really redeeming myself here! I better quit now!

For Mom and Dad

The shepherd knows what pastures are best for His sheep, and they must not question nor doubt, but trustingly follow Him. Perhaps He sees that the best pastures for some of us are to be found in the midst of opposition and trials. If He leads you there, you may be sure they are green for you, and you will grow and be made strong by feeding there. Perhaps He sees that the best waters for you to walk beside will be raging waves of trouble and sorrow. If this should be the case, He will make them still waters for you, and you must go and lie down beside them, and let them have all their blessed influences upon you. -H.W.Smith



I have been praying for you today, Mom and Dad! I love you! Manda

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be AFRAID.

21 Rules of This House

Discipline is a never ending challenge, isn't it? And on top of that, each child is so different than the next! What works for one, may not work for the next. But discipline is actually not what I wanted to share about today, although it is certainly linked to the subject at hand! I have only been a mama for 11 years, so I still have so much to learn, and so many trials yet to face! But in those 11 years I have managed to make some big mistakes, hurt my children, and even be lazy in the role God has given to me. My peace comes in knowing that the children belong to Him and He is working out His purpose in them. I am so thankful for His grace and forgiveness! I am also amazed at the treasure He has entrusted me with!

Years ago, when I began schooling at home, a friend gave me a few wonderful books that she has used in their home. Amongst them was one called "The 21 Rules of This House" By the Harris Family. It is a very simple book containing 21 rules in coloring book style along with the rules individually written out in poster form. I used them the first year with our oldest, the next year with our second oldest, we repeated them the third year, and so on and so on. That has become one of the first books that I pull out each new year and the kids have actually started requesting that we do it. Four out of our five kids have all participated in this activity. This past year, I finally decided to print each of the rules out in poster form and placed them in our stairway to be a reminder. I found this to be useful when correcting, being a tangible way to show the kids where they were wrong. Many times I have the kids actually pick out which of the rules apply to the "crime". Usually by the end of them reading them, they are no longer stiff and angry from their pride, but begin showing a very sheepish soft smile of repentance, sometimes even letting out a giggle. The "Meet Me in the Stairway" has turned out to be a time of growth and amusingly enough , a bit fun.

What I have come to firmly believe when it comes to the area of correction and discipline is that the first step in this is making sure the kids know what is expected of them! Having vague expectations will only backfire and confuse them. I have found it to be a blessing for them to have a standard to meet, it means that I believe in them and what they are capable of. My husband and I have found, being in Youth Ministry, that this is an area of weakness in the message being sent to the youth culture today. No one has any expectations of the kids today, as a matter of fact, they are generally negative, which actually is like a slap in the face to them, saying you are worthless and unable to do anything. Or they have expectations and rules but show no love to the kids. They kids are in such desperate need of knowing the potential God has in store for them, the deep worth He has placed on their lives.

I cannot tell you how many times each day I sit down and say "This is what I expect". And please understand, this is done in love, not in some crazed drill sergeant way that has absolutely no trace of a relationship involved. Modeling after the Lord is the best way! He gave us rules, commandments, and an expectation of how we should live, and then He backed it up with an amazing show of His love and personal interest in each of our lives! Those rules are for protection, for joy, for peace, and for an intimate relationship with Him! Does not the rules in your home do the same? Do you not protect your children with rules and show your love by teaching them right?

Well, if you are wondering what rules we have in our home, here they are....

1We obey our Lord Jesus Christ.
2We love, honor and pray for one another.
3We tell the truth.
4We consider one another's interests ahead of our own.
5We speak quietly and respectfully with one another.
6We do not hurt one another with unkind words or deeds.
7When someone needs correction we correct him in love.
8When someone is sorry, we forgive him.
9When someone is sad, we comfort him.
10When someone is happy, we rejoice with him.
11When we have something nice to share, we share it.
12When we have work to do, we do it without complaining.
13We take good care of everything God has given us.
14We do not create unecessary work for others.
15When we open something, we close it.
16When we turn something on, we turn it off.
17When we take something out, we put it away.
18When we make a mess, we clean it up.
19When we do not know what to do, we ask.
20When we go out, we act just as if we were in this house.
21When we disobey or forget any of the 21 rules of this house, we accept discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Now, do we have it down in the Drietz' household? ABSOLUTELY NOT! We are a work in progress with the Lord's help. But I do believe we experience a lot more joy and depth in our friendships with each other than if we did not try to hold to these rules.

What To Do With Vintage Bed Linens-#4

Spring is coming! I think!? We have had quite the tease here in the Midwest-do I wear shorts or my winter coat today!? None the less, I feel the fever coming on for sunshine, gardening, and days in the pool! So, feeling so inspired, I thought it would be nice to sew up a few reminders of the springtime blooms we are awaiting. If you have paid any attention the the bed linens of the 60's and 70's, they all tend to scream flower power!! Pretty fun if you some color in you day. And, they are not to difficult to coordinate! So many of them seem like they were meant for one another!

So, in preparation for ball games, days at the beach, summer camp, garage sales, and parades, simple totes make a perfect project for vintage bed linens. They make wonderful book bags, just throw in your favorite book, journal, pen, and of course you camera and have it ready for the unexpected moments of inspiration. Or, bring it to the hospital full of goodies for a friend who needs some cheer.
















Happy sewing from one bag lady to the next!!