Kids Clothes Week::day 2 & 3

Well I did it! I finished a shirt! It's pretty cute I must say and its for a pretty cute person.




This is the Blossom Blouse from the Sew Liberated book. (See the side bar for the book info) It was super fun to sew. Since the seam allowances were all 1/2 inch, it was easy to finish it with french seams. All but one of the armholes though... I was rushing to finish at the end of the first day and I was too scared to stop and think about how to do this. It's actually very easy! I'm thinking that I'm going to have to wash this shirt a lot and I didn't want the seams to fray. She is a pretty messy girl!

All in all I think this is a good pattern. It is definitely on the short side and if I make it again I will extend the length. Maybe I'll even make it into a dress. That would be cute.

I finished this on Tuesday afternoon. No sewing for me on Wednesday. I've fallen ill and we had a memorial service to attend. I'm hoping to get some time in tonight. I've started to feel much better. Next up is a pair of PJ's for my 7 1/2 year old. Butterick 4913

Check out the flickr group for this weeks challenge. Such cute stuff there! Some of these women can really pump out a large quantity of great stuff. I'll be lucky if I get half of my next project done by the end of the week.

Kids clothes week::day 1

So it's kids sewing week and I have accepted the challenge to sew at least one hour each day.  I wasn't sure at first if I was going to be able to do it but with my husband out tonight I have taken the plunge!  I actually spent some of the afternoon "nap" time today working on my first project.  The Blossom Blouse from Sew Liberated.  Sorry there are no pictures today but I was able to finish up to putting on one sleeve.  I will for sure have something to show you tomorrow.  It is so dark and damp here... not enough light!

Wish me luck!

30 days of beauty::day four

I've got a long way to go and have been storing up some beauty to share.  Maybe I'll just get back to it.

30 days of beauty::day three

(Books being read in my house... now that is a mess I don't mind.)

Easter Reading

Easter always sneaks up on me.  While I am so excited that the snow has melted and we can venture outside without our gear, I just can't get my mind around the fact that Easter is right around the corner.  This year I am trying not to be so last minute as I have been in the past few years.

One thing we do get to do every year is read a few of our favorite Easter books.  While some of them are about the real meaning of Jesus death and resurrection, there are some other beautifully written books out there that really capture my heart.

We were at the book store today and I had to get my hands on my very own copy of this:



There are a few rare gems out there that are so well written that no matter how many times I read it, it almost makes me cry.  Books like Charlotte's Web, The Animal Hedge, and The Paper Princess.

In this story there is a bunny and she has hopes to be one of the five Easter bunnies that deliver the eggs each year.  No one thinks that she can do it and "The little girl Cottontail grew up to be a young lady Cottontail.  And by and by she had a husband, and then one day, much to her surprise, there were twenty-one Cottontail babies to take care of."  Hee hee, isn't that so cute!

Well this mama bunny really shows them that she is wise, kind, and swift, but also the bravest of all bunnies!  I'm so happy this book has become a tradition in our family to read every year.

30 days of beauty::day two

This beautiful face.  It both fills me with joy and with sadness. 

The little ones bring so much joy.  The cute voices and the things they say.  The little bodies - hands, toes, eyes... 

Sadness because they are growing so fast.  Soon the little voices will be older and their bodies will be bigger.  They become less mine and more their own.  It feels like from the moment they are born I am giving them away.

The key for me is to savor each day.  Kiss those cheeks often and thank my God that He chose to bless me with such wonferful gifts.

30 days of beauty: day one

In the likeness of soulemama and bluebirdbaby and these wonderful ladies, I'm going to get things going with a little bit of ordinary beauty. I've been feeling like I'm over-run lately and I hardly have time to breathe. I'm feeling that there is too much to do and I'm not spending any "real" time with my children. It feels like it is all slipping by and there is too much laundry and dishes and vacuuming and too many "no"s coming from my mouth when I talk to the children.

I'm hoping that if I just stop and look at these pictures that I will see that not all is lost. Not all my time is sucked up in the lost abyss of endless chores. There is beauty and the every day is FULL of it! It really is. This is what God has called me to do and there is always beauty in His will.

(this is our living room after David installed the new floor. the chair is David's from when he was a child.)