Little Dresses for Africa

I was so privileged to participate in a program called Little Dresses For Africa. I had not previously heard of this Christian based organization, but I love their idea and vision. Little Dresses is a non-profit organization that provides dresses for little girls in Africa. Many times these girls are taking care of their brothers and sisters because their parents have died of AIDS or some other illness.

I have made a pillowcase dress before for Brenna, but I forgot how long they actually took to make. I went to the party expecting to whip out several of these simple but cute little dresses. I was wrong. I only finished one because I wanted to add little things to it so the girl who receives it might feel special and loved. I must say that I had a lot of fun making this little dress and would like to make more for the organization. Maybe I will organize a little party like this in Karnes City in the future. I loved being able to meet people and spend the afternoon sewing, laughing, and chatting with other ladies. How fun!

This is a picture of our final products. Our hostess send me the picture. I love the way the dresses turned out. So cute.

Bathtub Art and Puppy Luvin'

I was amazed one night last night when I passed the the bathroom door and peeked in to make sure Brenna was doing okay in the bathtub. She loves using the bathtub markers and usually just colors all over. This night was different. This is what I saw.

I thought Nathan had helped her in someway and asked Brenna if Daddy had been in there with her. She turned to me and said, "Look Mommy, there is Daddy, Mommy, and Brenna."She said she did it all by herself and Nathan confirmed her claim. I praised the stew out of her. Maybe some of Dad's artistic ability is finally coming through the genes. I suppose the future will tell.

I love to watch Brenna play with Annie, although many of you know that sometimes that can become too rough. I am not looking forward to paying that vet bill on the credit card. On this day, Brenna was being more gentle. She loves giving Annie hugs and kisses. Annie is so patient and tolerant. She is actually a lot more tolerant than I imagined she would be. I'm not sure if Brenna is telling Annie a secret or if she is just hugging and kissing. Lately she has started to whisper secrets into my ear. Maybe she is taking those to Annie too.


A little later, Brenna had all her stuffed animals on the floor. She was laying in the middle of them and Annie decided that would be great fun for her too. Brenna loved it and blessed me with one of her precious giggles. I love being a mom.

No Title

I can't think of a title to define this last week. We have been crazy here in the big KC. I'll review the highlights. Last Sunday night, Brenna and I went to SA. We both had Dr appointments on Monday, so we spent the night with A and E. It is always fun to be there. Both appointments went well, although there wasn't much new information. I guess some appointments are just like that. On Wednesday, Brenna and I went to a "See you at the Poll" rally. It was a great time of worship, but Brenna was up late that night. She became progressivly more grumpy and tired as the week moved along. She had many late nights and of course she didn't want to nap. What am I going to do with that girl?

Thursday was my work day and the night of the 33 Miles concert. It was a crazy day for many people here. The concert was awesome. I am still thinking through it and Nathan is still recovering from all the moving of equiptment of several different events. The concert was the first of his events. I loved being a part of something God is doing in KC. I am still hearing people say how amazed they were that the band was so good and they came to KC. Thank you 33 miles, John Waller, and Pocket Full of Rocks for taking your time to minister to the people of KC.

Friday was football day. Brenna didn't nap and was up late again. Poor thing was just so tired by Saturday. The whole Jones Family was grumpy by Saturday night. Sadly the Badgers lost the football game, Brenna still had a great time at the game.

Saturday was a marching contest for Nathan. Brenna and I went to a sewing party in SA. Yes, you read correctly. I went to a party where we all brought our sewing machines and sewed. And yes, It was a lot of fun. We were making dresses for little girls in Africa who have lost their parents and are caring for the rest of thier family. I loved being able to make the little dresses as cute as possible and thinking how much the little girls would love them. I met new people and had a great time talking and laughing with my new friends. Brenna had fun playing with her new friends, although she was very tired by the time we left.

So that is it. I have several posts worth of pictures coming this week. I'll end with one picture from last week. Although Brenna isn't naping most days, she does fall asleep sometimes. It is normally pretty funny too because she has books all around her. I was able to capture one of those times before waking her.

What a day, what a day!

Well, it has been quite a day for Brenna and I. It started out looking good and has finally ended well. It was just the middle that was a little turbulent. After breakfast, "school", and Sesame Street, I decided to take Brenna to the park. I asked her if she needed to go potty and she emphatically said "no." Can you guess where this is going? Well, I am trying to teach her to make good decisions about going potty before we leave the house, so I said, "Okay, let's go." Five minutes later, at the park, those famous words came from her precious little mouth, "Momma, I need to go potty." We walked to the park restroom, but it was locked. When I told her we had to go home, she decided she didn't need to go anymore. I said, "Okay, but I don't want you to have an accident." Needless to say, she did and we went home with a few tears. We talked about going potty before we leave the house so that we can stay and have fun. Maybe she will remember that lesson next time. I'm sure we will have the opportunity to see.

Later it was nap time. I got her in bed and gave her a pile of books to read. About an hour later she starts frantically screaming. When I looked on her monitor, I noticed that she had another bloody nose. So I went to take care of that problem and told her to rest a little longer. Five minutes before we needed to leave for the "pepper rally", she fell asleep. Now in two weeks, she has only taken one nap. Why in the world did she decided to fall asleep today? I knew that if we missed the "pepper rally" I would be in big trouble. In fact, I believe she might never nap again in fear of missing some fun activity again. So I awakened a very sleepy Brenna. Poor thing. I asked her if she wanted to keep sleeping or go see the badger. Can you guess her answer?

On the way out she went potty. (Score one for Mom.) I grabbed my purse, a snack for Brenna and Nathan, and my sunglasses, locked the door, and shut it. As my hand pulled the locked door shut, my head screamed, "No, you didn't grab your keys!" So, we ended up walking to the school. Luckily it is less than a mile away. "Come on Brenna, we have to hurry." "Yes, I'll pick you up, but you can walk a little more." "You can make it a little farther." "Okay Baby, I'll carry you." We did make it to the "pepper rally" and as a bonus Brenna got to hug Boomer, the Badger.

After getting Nathan's keys and a ride home, we headed to Walmart. That trip landed a few toys in time out, but we made it home alive. We ate our pizza and are now watching Boz. I'm thinking she will fall asleep soon. I'm also thinking tomorrow will be better. Brenna and I have both missed Nathan this week. In Brenna's words, "Daddy will be home all night long."


(The picture has nothing to do with the post, it was just funny. This one was for Pepere and Oma.)

How a Texas Girl becomes a Bulldog

I think it is official. This Texas born and bred girl has officially moved over to the Georgia bulldog world. I fought the conversion all those years that I lived in Georgia, but now that I have moved back to Texas I'm claiming UGA as my colors. Maybe I just like to go against the flow. There certainly aren't many UGA fans her in South Texas. Although whenever I see a bulldog shirt I have to smile at my comrade. Maybe I just like Red and Black, but if that were the sole reason, I could have been a Raider fan. Maybe I am thinking of all the excitement in Athens today. I did love the game day fun, but that was probably true for most schools. Maybe the conversion happened because I had to dress Brenna in something on Saturdays. I should have know it would happen someday when I became a Jones. I'm just not sure that you can be a part of this family and not root for the Dawgs. I don't really know if there is one single reason, but I know were I stand for now. Go Dawgs!

Friday Night Lights

For those of you who don't know, watching the actual game isn't really why you go to a football game. Well, at least that is true in a three year olds world. I guess I can share her sentiment. I never was that big on the game. I remember going to high school football games and waiting eagerly to watch the halftime show. I also insisted that we sit right in front of the cheerleaders. As I expressed last week, Brenna's favorite part of the game is Boomer (the badger mascot). Just so you know she isn't crazy. We were sitting with another little girl who told me her favorite part of the game was Boomer. Brenna is in good company.

This week, I was sporting my bright orange shirt in team spirit when Brenna told me she needed a "Boomer" shirt too. I told her we would try to get one at the game. Unfortunately when we got there, all the shirts left were way too big. I was able to ease the disappointment with a pom pom. I think it was a better than fair trade. Although she still talked about a badger shirt, she loved waiving her pom pom around. Her eyes were glued to the drill team dancers, twirlers, and the cheerleaders. She was quite cute mimicking their moves. I did sustain a few hits from the streamers, but luckily they didn't leave marks.

I was very smart to buy the pom pom. Brenna has informed me that I need to make her a streamer, flag, baton (used by twirlers), and now a badger shirt. At least I am saved from making a pom pom. I think Brenna is learning to pass out projects from my Mom. That does not bode well for my future.

So the humor of the night happened after the halftime show. The football team ran through their "Badger Den" and were getting set on the sidelines. The refs were in the center of the field. I think they were about to call the players to start the second half when the fans noticed two yellow labs on the 20 yard line. They were very funny running across the field and I pointed them out to Brenna. We were talking about how funny they were because "dogs don't play football" when she turned to me and said, "Those dogs can't play football, Mommy. They don't have a helmet." Straight from the mouth of babes. So for all those football playing dogs out there, be sure to wear your helmet or you can't play. Just so you know, the two dogs were safely escorted off the field, but they weren't happy about it. One of the dogs sat down and wouldn't budge until it was carried off. They may have been the stars of halftime even if they didn't get to play in the second half.

Two Things

Many may have already heard this story, but I needed to tell it here too. Brenna and I went to the first football game last Friday night. It is amazing how much difference a year can make in the behavior of a child. She wasn't really bad last year, but I had to chase her up and down the bleachers all night. It was quite exhausting. At this game, she was really noticing all the things around her. She especially loved the mascot. The statement I heard most was, "Mommy, where is the Badger?" She even got to give the badger a hug and was thrilled. I'm sure we will be giving the badger a hug at each game now.

So here is the funny story for the evening. The announcer was saying something while Brenna was standing on the bleachers to get a better look at the badger. When she heard him talking, she turned to look down at me and said, "Mommy, is that God?" I was trying hard not to laugh at her, but it was so cute and funny. I had to giggle a little. I explained to her that it was just the announcer talking. "Where is he?" I pointed up and told her he was in the house at the top of the stands, but we couldn't really see him right then. I guess my answer was sufficient. She didn't question me anymore.


The other thing I wanted to share today was Brenna's precious face when she saw the surprise I brought home for her this weekend. I have been looking at a towel set at Walmart for a few weeks now. Last week it went on sale and I couldn't resist. It was just too cute and I knew she would love it. Besides, I have never decorated her bathroom for her. I bought everything they had. I'm thankful it was all on sale.






I count the surprise a success.