One More Goal

I do have one more teeny, tiny goal I really want to get off the ground this year. I (with guest appearances from my mom) will be opening a small shop in the huge world of online sales. We deeply desire to continue with our Conspiracy Plan . The sales from my humble shop will go towards our efforts on that front. The picture below is part of my paper layout for a banner that will be in the shop on January 14th.



I will be giving you glimpses of what is to come. There will be aprons and art smocks of course but also a few new things. I am very excited about these banners. They have been floating around in my head for years. I am enjoying bringing them to life.

Sneak Peek

**lil' bibs**




**lil' totes**

WIP

One of the nice advantages of being THE Boy is you get your own room!

The First Quilt

Saying that H4 is not a morning person is a major understatement. She comes by it honestly,though. Neither her dad or I wake up quickly. Every morning she lugs out her twin size,duvet covered, down comforter and crawls up on the couch.The problem with the routine was that the comforter got dragged across my floors. We sweep them but there is a reason when asked ,"What color tiles are you looking for, ma'am?" I replied quickly'"Dirt"! All this dragging about was causing the comforter to be washed more frequently than I would have liked. I thought to myself, what she really needed was a lap quilt. My next thought was . . ."I bet I could make one."



After having done some of the smaller projects from Denyse Schmidt's book I decided to tackle a quilt.I picked "Flock of Triangles" for my first project. I was drawn to this particular one because of the use of orange fabric in the photo. (No, not because I read all the directions from begining to end and thought I had the skills to make the quilt!!)I wanted the quilt to speak a little of who, at this moment, H4 is. My dear friend friend summed up H4 once perfectly,"She is a party waiting to happen!". H4 is that and more. She may be slow to wake up but once she gets going-WATCH OUT! My little imp does everything with gusto and often sweeps this mama up in her pint sized whirlwinds.




After having made the quilt, I wish I had started with squares! This was one hard quilt. No matter how I cut or sewed, I could not get points on my triangles. There are a few that managed to emerge but trust me, they were an accident. It was not because of any skill I posses in this area. I loved the process of selecting colors, love the bumpy texture it came out with and LOVE the smile on H4's face when she tells folks about the quilt I made for her. I am just so not lovin' those triangles.




N3 sat down with me the other day to discuss the colors for her quilt.

HER "Mom, I would like light blues and purples. OK?"

ME "Sure sweetie. You can pick any color you want but mama is cutting the fabric into squares.OK?"

Green with Envy

Everyone is busy noting the signs of fall and assessing their fall wardrobes. We on the other hand are still wearing shorts and running the air. I do not believe Florida has fall. We have summer, a milder summer-season-thing and then BAM-it is winter. I long to wear tights, corduroy and hand knit sweaters. Sigh . . .in the midst of finishing up the odd projects from my table I needed some more thread. While at the store I discovered these beautiful bamboo knitting needles. I felt silly even looking at them. The last thing I needed was a new project/skill to learn AND it is not like I have a running list of all these warm-woollies the family needs. I could not resist though. They were smooth and there was all this yummy yarn to go with them.I selected some cotton yarn, thinking of a pattern I had seen in the amazing book Kids Knitting. The directions are clear and the drawings are perfect. If you want to learn to knit, check out this book! I think the wash mitts would make great puppets,too.






I warn you though that knitting is addictive. I am constantly holding up one finger and asking,"One more row,OK?". It is super portable and so far (the wash mitt not being too terribly difficult of a pattern) putting down mid project has been fairly easy. Now that I have finished up all my "15 minute" projects,(and picked up something new) I am going to focus all my attention on a bigger project that has been waiting in the wings.

15 Minutes

Yep, that is all it took to remove the basting and add some top stitching to this outfit. It has sat on the sewing table for weeks! Oh, bother:)This outfit was commissioned by P3. I made one exactly like it for a pal of hers. They love to match and call each other before evening programs on Sundays to compare notes. Anyone recognize the top? I need to find a wholesale supplier for elastic! I lengthened the top a bit as both girls have long torsos. I used Simplicity 4206. I love these sweet and simple patterns.

Frightening

This weekend I organized ALL my works in progress. I have been feeling a bit scattered brain whenever I find my way to the back porch. Instead of bustin' out with the craftin' I end up staring off into space, picking up things and setting them back down.I went through the fabric stash,too. Now my mind is swimming with ideas. This week I am going to tie up the loose ends(most of them probably taking 15 minutes) of my current projects. Some of the projects I will simply be abandoning. They aren't working for me. Then others,I am surprised at how pleased I am with them. Distance/time does make the heart grow fonder! I would strongly encourage anyone new to sewing to wait on the destruction of an item you personally find less than stellar. If you give it a couple days or even a week, you may change your mind about demolition.



OK so this picture is in no way related to anything. Aren't they the cutest???

::Friends in the making!

A Smoother Ride

Today started with lots of coffee and time spent zoning out here in front of the computer. I moved very slowly today. I spent a large chunk of time in the Word and we all spent time outside,enjoying the cool weather. I kept thinking all day,how I am growing up,too. I am still learning my own boundaries. I have been a mama for 12 years and married the same number. I find myself at times wriggling around in this mama skin, not sure it quite fits me. I am constantly resizing it, lopping off expectations that weigh me down,adding bits & bobs,until it fits just right. Some days I am more confident with the shears than others. Thanks for your encouraging words!


::Why won't she ever just smile???

I have to be very careful to not compare and to let go! Arghhh, how tightly I clutch to things that do not matter. Five seconds on the other side of eternity, my pile of laundry will not matter! But the here and now can be so pressing. It is the cry of my heart to live an intentional life, mindful of people and not THINGS! An eternal perspective is needed in this mama job. But so hard to balance with all the daily, very real things I "need" to do.


::Mushroom castle


::Face creation


::What a Sweetie



::Hey, how bad a day could it be??? She has clothes on!!!!


::WIP

I am off to watch a super junky movie and do some stitchin'. It is just what the doctor ordered to this healing day.

August Highlights

August was a crazy, busy month for us. I have been away from this little spot due to a combination of a router-computer-thingie problem and and all the stuff we packed into this past month! Life is slowly tilting rightwards to (our version) normal. I wanted to take some time this week to let ya' in on some of the doings around here. The lack of computer time shot my productivity through the roof. I finished several WIP.

The Boy is not much of a model, so this was the best(only)shot I got of him in his new pants.


I made him another pair in tan and a coordinating set of shorts.


I am always suggesting he try a print or at least another color. But no!!! The Boy's wardrobe consists of dark colors and lots of pants/shorts with elastic waists. It is nice to have one child keep things simple. I have some girls that are very picky about style and colors and one who is insanely concerned about comfort! So really, I am not complaining about The Boy. There is one color he has taken a particular liking to lately . . .



He's moving up. In the end though, his favorite color will be black again:)

I Am Not Alone Part 2

This summer God has impressed on me how I am not alone. I have feared being "alone" for as long as I can remember. Some would say I am an extremely extroverted person. I think I am fueled by my desire to belong. This desire led to some pretty unhealthy relationships. (think boys . . .too many boys) As a young mother and then a young bride,(yes, in that order. Not a recommended strategy)I felt very alone. In the beginning, I was sure God had simply abandoned me. I quickly realized He wanted me all to Himself for awhile.



Then I began to pray for a friend. I desperately needed someone authentic. God slowly brought the most amazing women into my life. There was not just one authentic friend but several! This past summer as I have begun to disciple and befriend some younger girls, the Lord has brought home just how sweet the friendships I have are.



I know many ladies struggle with not having that authentic friend. My suggestion to you would be to pray and step out on a limb and be real yourself. On so many levels we cover ourselves up and think everyone else is doing a better job at (insert something you are insecure about here) than you. Oh my!!! What a lie. A really big lie. A really, really ginormous lie! A lot of these thoughts were prompted by a late night conversation with one of the authentic friends in my life. She had been thinking on all this after having heard ,speaker and author Todd Wilson, at a home school conference.She passed on to me a gem of a book. Go now and run out (well, run to the computer) and buy this book!!!! Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe. Even if you are not a homeschooling mom, or not a mom but a women who breathes air on this earth . . . buy it!!!! His gems apply to us all.



Oh, all the pictures? My piles of WIP. I know I am not alone in these!

WIP

I have three things cooking in the pot right now.(and no,one of them is not a baby!) I have set some pretty high goals for myself this week and I am jazzed to see if I can do it. Check back later to see what I am able to pull off.