Bits of My Weekend

After spending about twelve hours at my sewing machine on Friday and forcing my children to lose sleep in order to help me finish my projects (our sweet girls even baked cookies), I dragged everybody out of bed at a dark hour on Saturday morning and headed to the vendor gate for May Fair. I really do have the best children in the whole world. They're such wonderful companions. (My husband is a stellar individual, too -- my favorite person on the planet -- but he wasn't available to help with this event. He's working hard to fund my sewing addiction.)

G & G were my hands and feet most of the day. Gabriela sat at the booth for a little bit while I wandered around. Graham granted my requests and ran messages back and forth to and from his siblings when we had phone issues.

C & M represent my "staff". My motherhood goal has been to groom them to do anything I can do, just in case I'm ever rendered incapable of performing my tasks. By God's grace, I enjoy good health and physical ability, so for now, I just put them to work wherever they're needed. Morgan cut fabric for me, and Caelyn made a swatch book. Beyond that, they filled in gaps where I needed them to do so. I love hearing the words, "E'ma, is there anything else you'd like us to do for you?" I love these people! ("E'ma" is Hebrew for mom.)

Craig Grayson is the "muscles" behind our operation. I call on him to do man stuff. At fourteen, he makes a really good stunt double for his daddy when I can't carry or lift something (although he looks more like me than Craig). After much volunteer help with setting up for the fair, and some time handing out wristbands at the entrance, he was rewarded with a game of dodgeball and whatever junk food he wanted to eat. (To tug at your heart strings a bit, I'll tell you that CG's weekend ended with a pretty scary asthma attack late Sunday night, and he had misplaced his inhaler. I was very alarmed when he woke me, and I'm grateful to the Lord that Graham knew where the inhaler was located. Life is very fragile, and I cherish every moment with these children!)

My beautiful friend, Mindy, arranged for our booths to be next to one another. Her handsome sons came along early with all of us to set up. It'll be so sad when their family moves back to the States next month. We will miss them. (Tyler is the lad who took Caelyn to the prom.)

Austin is a real heart-melter. He is such a gentle giant -- tough, dependable, and oh so sweet. (He was Morgan's prom date.) Baylea, the beautiful sister of these precious boys, is missing from these photos. She arrived later, and I didn't manage to get any photos of her.

After May Fair, we were thoroughly exhausted. We all crashed in our various stations throughout the house. It was time well-spent, though. We had a wonderful time seeing what the other vendors had to share. This was my first time ever participating in a crafts fair, and it was well worth the preparation.

Head on over to Michelle's blog to see how others have spent their weekend.