Sermon and My Own Blouse Design, At Last!

Pastor John Hagee started a new sermon series this morning on depression.  Seems the whole world is depressed these days, and we sure know why, don't we?  The only hope we have for tomorrow is God.  Hagee was going to tell us EIGHT things that cause depression, but I only heard SEVEN.  I'll have to listen to the 2nd sermon to see if he listed #8.

A LOT of people in the Bible were depressed: 

Solomon was so depressed, he wrote Ecclesiastes.  I have often asked God how a man that had so much wisdom could screw up so badly at the end of his life.  When did wisdom leave him?  I think it was women!

Job cursed the day he was born.

Moses came down from the mountain after being in the presence of God, and he became very depressed to the point he smashed the 10 commandments.  The people he had left at the foot of the mountain were worshipping a golden calf and having sex orgies. 

King David was depressed over decisions he had made that backfired.  I'm sure killing the husband of his mistress was one.

Abraham Lincoln suffered depression.  (Hagee says the movie is good and recommends we see it.)

Winston Churchhill said, "Depression follows me like a black fog."

Here's some reasons people get depressed:

1.  Extreme disappointment.
2.  Lack of self-esteem.
3.  Unfair comparisons.
4.  Unrealistic goals.
5.  Biological imbalance.
6.  Post-partum depression.
7.  Hyper mental activity.
8.  ???  He never said.

Some tips for overcoming depression according to Hagee:

Forget those things which are behind.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Phillipians 4:8

Hagee said God's word is a penicillin shot for depression. 

The joy of the Lord is your strength.  Spend time with Christians.  If you hang around depressed, unhappy people, you will become like them. 

And a very good one:  Do something nice for one person every day.  I love this one, and I love to do it. 

Change "I can't" to "I won't" when it comes to all the reasons you have to stay in the funk you are in.  Instead of "I can't" quit smoking -- "I won't" quit smoking.  And put that with a million other things.  I hear it all the time.  Jerry's brother has gone from 4 to 5 packs of cigarettes a day to 2 to 3  , and he actually thinks that is an amazing accomplishment.  If you WANT to quit, you WILL!  Jerry and I both did, so I'm talking from experience on this one.  I never smoked much, and it was for a very short time, but Jerry smoked from 15 years of age to 30 something.  It was very hard for him.

After church, I came upstairs to finish my newest creation.  I wasn't thrilled with my last blouse which was made from the pretty fabric Phylly gave me.  It was okay, but it looks like all my other blouses.  Yesterday, I decided to get REAL BRAVE and change my plain SFD blouse pattern into an original JOYFUL DESIGN.  I've always been afraid to do that, mostly because I didn't really understand how to, but I don't think a person could take any more classes than I have had to date and not, at least, TRY!

This fabric is from the cotton Christmas prints at Hobby Lobby, although I chose it because it is black and white and not really very Christmassy.  I guess it is pointsettias.  Whatever it is, I really like it.

This is not a pattern from an envelope.  It is my SFD blouse REDRAWN with some style lines.  First thing I did was add pleats to the front of  the blouse.  This took several hours because I am a perfectionist, and I wanted to be sure I didn't screw it up.  It looks like an accordion because I had to fold all the pleats to cut the neckline.

Here is what I did to the FRONT of my SFD blueprint.  I did NOT put the waist dart in the blouse.

 Here is what I did to the back of my SFD blueprint.  I did NOT put this waist dart in the blouse either.

And here is my darling blouse, that I really love.  Hopefully, you can see the detail in the pictures I took.  The pleat in the back is ADORABLE, plus it gives me some wiggle room.

Here is the front with TEN pleats and a boatneck.  I think I look best in a boatneck, but I hate that I have to glue my bra straps to my shoulder bones!

And a side view so you can see the pleats a little more.  Fun, fun, fun!  My sleeve has an elbow dart and a notch in the part I have folded up.  This is my favorite length of a sleeve.

It is already 5:30 PM and time to go do something with the hamburger I thawed out.  Spaghetti sounds good.  It has suddenly gotten cold outside.  I'm glad.  It doesn't feel like Christmas when it is 70 degrees outside day after day after day. 

Hugs, Joy