Fall Sewing List - Update

Since I'm almost ready to make a sewing list for this spring and summer, I thought I'd give you an update on how I did with my fall list.

~ one dress each for my two youngest daughters - I actually ended up making two dresses for each of them. I made a set that matched and one that didn't.

 

 

~ an "anywhere" chair - a kind of portable high chair - I made two of these actually. One for my baby and one for a friend's. They didn't work as well as I wanted. I've thought of some modifications I just haven't gotten around to making another one yet.

 

The way the baby sits on part and the other part wraps around a chair back is what holds the baby, but you need the right kind of chair.

~ numerous gifts for New Years. Let me explain. We don't celebrate Christmas, but we do exchange gifts at New Years. We try to do homemade as much as possible which means that just helping my children make gifts for each other is thirty-six gifts. I try to keep them simple, but also help them to expand their skills. Even my boys have a very rudimentary knowledge of how to use a sewing machine. We have a lot of fun making these gifts. Sometimes we do some kind of an edible treat. I try to do a mix of skills.

I did a post on how this went. You can read it here.

 

~ felt popsicles - a busy bag idea - didn't get to this partly because it's an activity for learning colours and he knows them already so I didn't feel an urgency to do them.

 

~ a wallet for myself - or this

 

~ a different cover for my Kindle - or this

 

~ pajama pants for my second son - I actually ended up with pajama pants for my two oldest sons - but sorry no pictures ☺

 

~ a top for myself - This was one of the first projects I did.

 

 

~ car seat blanket - not sure why I wanted to do this, but anyway I didn't get to it.

 

~ 2-3 skillet handle pot holder - This I did and did a post showing how to do them.

 

 ~ floor pouf - This worked out well.

 

 ~ bag to carry my mei tai in - I didn't get to this either

 

~ slips for my two youngest daughters - did this

 

~ some bread bags - still on my list

I did do a couple of projects not listed here. Turning a sweater into leg warmers for my baby and sewing a cape that would cover both me and the baby when he is on my back. I don't think I have a picture of this, but we have used it quite successfully. I also took a folding chair that was ripped up and sewed a new back and seat. I also sewed some pouches for some sewing equipment and a cover for a small toy box.

So there were quite a few goals I didn't meet, but there were also a few things not on my list that I sewed. All together I would say it was a good fall/winter of sewing.

Library Time 24

 

This week I took a break from reading real-life, serious books. I read a romance novel. I'm not a huge fan of romance novels. There is a particular genre of romance novels though that I love. It is the kind of romance where due to some overriding circumstance the bride and groom HAVE to marry each other, and they fall in love after being married. I think one reason these appeal to me is because the focus becomes more the character of the bride and groom than their looks. I've read several of these based on different time periods and different locations. I think my favourite has been The Knight and the Dove by Lori Wick. Another favourite by the same author is The Princess. The one I read this week is Rocky Mountain Oasis by Lynette Bonner.

 

We've had another birthday here. Can you tell who? ☺

 

15-year-old daughter - Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

 

13-year-old son - The "L" volume of the World Book Encyclopedia ☺

 

12-year-old son - 101 Things to Do Before You Grow Up

10-year-old daughter - The Case of the Golden Boy by Eric Wilson

 

 

 

8-year-old daughter - The Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat by Laura Lee Hope

 

6-year-old son - The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey. The poky little puppy is busy exploring the world and always too late for supper but not dessert until...

3-year-old son - Curious George and the Firefighters

The Bad and the Good

 

This has been an interesting week to say the least. It started out with all of us slowly one by one succumbing to an achy flu bug complete with sore throats and headaches. I am so finished with this winter, but I have hope that spring is really just around the corner.

 

After suffering with a sore throat for about half a day, I finally got out my essential oil book to see if there was anything I could take. They suggested rubbing two to three drops of lemon oil on the outside of my throat. Since I have lemon oil I decided I had nothing to lose by trying. I kid you not - within one minute of rubbing three drops on my throat the soreness had been reduced by about 90%. Later in the day I read that rubbing a drop of lemon oil on the side of the nose it would take care of a runny nose. Since I'd been blowing my nose every five minutes I decided to try this as well. Again the result was dramatic. I simply did not need to blow my nose anymore. These things have cemented in my mind the effectiveness of essential oils and my need to learn more about how to use them for my family's health. So - some good has come from this sickness we all had.

 

Today I had real hopes of Spring. It was bright, sunny and warm. While the older children rode their bikes and scooter at the front of the house, my three little guys and I enjoyed our backyard. The baby especially enjoyed his first taste of freely running all over the yard, and the toddler enjoyed the swing.

 

always a ball in hand

 

 

Finally, we've increased our family by a count of one. Last year we had to give up our dog. Ever since then our youngest daughter (who was very attached to her) has really missed her. My husband and I talked it over and offered her a hamster. She was delighted. So tonight we took her to the pet store where she picked out her very own pet. She's been named "Chiquita" ("little girl" in Spanish) and has charmed everyone in the family.

 

 

I would like to know if anyone has any uses for essential oil that would be useful for the mother of a large family.

Intentional

 

 

At the beginning of the year I heard a lot of people talking about their "word" for the year. I didn't think too much of it. We had a rough start to our year with a lot of sickness. Then in February one of the bloggers I read offered a book she had written about having a personal retreat - a time to think through one's goals and how they could be accomplished.

 

The first thing she suggested was thinking about a word that could define your life for the next year or so. Almost immediately I thought of the word "intentional". I really feel like for a while I've been drifting and letting life happen rather than making it happen. Yes, my children were all fed, the laundry was being maintained, our house was more or less tidy. But I feel like there is so much more that could be done.

 

Along with the word came a verse. It's funny how the Lord will pop something into your head in a moment of time.

 

I plan on putting this word and verse up together - framed - on my kitchen wall where I can be reminded often of what I would like to see in my life. I didn't think finding my "word" was that important, but I'm so happy I did the exercise. It has given me more direction, and helped me to think about my actions. I don't want to drift through life. I want to accomplish something.

 

I challenge you to find a few quiet moments today and think about a word that you would like to define your life by for the next twelve months.

Whole Wheat Crackers

 

Today I made something that I've been wanting to make for a while. I've made crackers before, but I would really like to get into the habit of doing it regularly. The thing that got me going was my baby. He loves crackers for a snack, but I don't like giving him the saltine crackers everyone normally buys. They're made with white flour which once it enters our body is basically treated like sugar. So I made my first attempt today. It's a bit of work, but the flavour of whole wheat crackers is incredible.

 

Basically, I took my biscuit recipe and left out the baking powder and halved the baking soda. I was happy with the results but feel like I need to do some more tweaking. I'll update you as I go along. In the meantime, if you would like to make your own crackers here is how I did it.

 

When you cut the butter into your flour, salt and baking soda the crumbs should be about the size of small peas.

 

 

After mixing the dough I put it on my counter to knead for a few times to make it smooth.

 

 

I rolled the dough out and then cut it into squarish shapes. These aren't pretty crackers that all line up evenly (unless you're better than I am at rolling a perfectly square shape to cut your crackers from), but the taste is great so looks don't matter. ☺

 

 

To go along with it we had homemade tomato soup for lunch.

 

 

And the baby? He loved them. Now if I can just keep the older children out of them long enough to have a few days supply for the one I made them for.

Whole Wheat Crackers

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk (If you don't have buttermilk mix some yogurt with milk)

Mix the dry ingredients together and cut the butter into them. Add the egg and buttermilk and mix well. Turn out onto a floured board and knead several times. Roll out the dough as thin as you are comfortable with - aim for at least 1/4 inch. Transfer to an ungreased cookies sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Genesis 12:3

Library Time 23

 

Along with struggling to get anything done this week, I also struggled to get any reading done which is highly unusual for me. I did manage one short book on my Kindle. Tales from the Promised Land by John Rose Putnam. There are five short stories from the West and the gold rush.

 

 

15-year-old daughter - Twice Freed by Patricia St. John. Patricia St. John wrote a number of chapter books for children. Two of my childhood favourites were Treasures of the Snow and The Tanglewood's Secret. These books are mostly only available used.

 

 

13-year-old son - Creating 3-D Animation by Peter Lord and Brian Sibley

 

 

11-year-old son - Ripley's Believe It or Not!

 

10-year-old daughter - Winner Bakes All: The Cupcake Club by Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk

 

8-year-old daughter - Kittens in the Kitchen by Ben M. Baglio

 

 

6-year-old son - Hare and Bear Draw an Airplane by Diann Timms. This is a wordless book. Every page shows another step in drawing an airplane. We also have one about drawing a dinosaur.

 

3-year-old son - The Little Farm by Lois Lenski. We love Lois Lenski's books both her picture books and chapter books. She wrote a series for little ones about different occupations...Papa Small, Policeman Small, Farmer Small, Cowboy Small, etc. Sadly unless her books have been reprinted they are difficult and expensive to find. Keep your eyes open for these in thrift stores and yard sales because they are wonderful.

Hard Tack and an Award

This has been a hard week for me in the sense that I feel like I haven't accomplished much. I don't know why, but for some reason I felt like I was fighting every day to accomplish anything outside of school. At least school happened.

 

I did try making some hard tack this week. My husband thought this would be a good thing to have for backpacking with the boys. It seems like it turned out, but I kind of messed it up when I shaped it so it's not pretty. My husband was impressed though, and I'll probably make more. I know how to fix my mistake so I'll take some pictures for you then.

 

I made some rolls for a company meal this week. It was a new recipe that only takes 35 minutes from the first ingredient to being put in the oven. It only takes ten minutes to bake so these are super fast. And let me tell you, they are so delicious. You can find the recipe on my Pinterest board under "Food-Bread" or "Completed Projects". They are actually called "30 Minute Rolls", but they really are 35 minutes.

 

At the beginning of this week we actually had some weather that was nice enough that we went for a walk as a family. It felt so good after the long winter we've had (are still having) to get out as a family and take a walk in the neighbourhood. I love walking. I had the baby on my back in the mai tei carrier, and it felt good to have him cuddled up against my back.

 

I am very pleased that this week saw the launch of a semi-regular post from my youngest sister on the subject of dressing modestly AND fashionably. The two are mutually exclusive. I look forward to more posts from her. If you missed it you can find her first post here.

 

The biggest news this week was my oldest daughter winning the short story writing contest at our library. We went to the awards ceremony tonight. We are so proud of her. In case you didn't read her story check out my post here where I put it at the end of the post. It is such a joy to watch our children growing up and beginning to develop their talents and skills. I know someday my daughter will be a published author - she is that good.

A Modest Fashion Passion

A couple of weeks ago I asked my "baby" sister, Joy, to do some guest posts on how we can be modest and fashionable at the same time. She always looks great. She has a real sense about what looks great. I didn't buy much without her when we were both single and living at home. I still ask her for advice although it's a little harder long distance.
 

One of the most intimidating things in the world is a blank piece of paper.  Well, I guess in this day and age it would have to be a blank computer screen.  When my sister first asked me to write about the subject we’ll be discussing today, I had a million ideas flood my mind at once, but they all seemed to start in the middle, and I couldn’t figure out where I should begin.  I finally realized, why not start with the basics?

 

We all know the reasons why we should dress modestly so I’m not going to go that basic.  But the other day it occurred to me that there may be many women out there, like me, who although we know we should dress modestly aren’t sure how to accomplish that without looking like we just got out of a time machine from the 1800s!  I am truly blessed because in my home I have my own personal fashion consultant/stylist.  Yes, it’s true! Believe it or not, it’s my husband. 

 

Now it may seem strange to you that a man would know so much about women’s fashions so I’ll explain why.  My husband is the youngest of only three boys born and raised in Panama.  His older brothers were already living in their own homes when my husband became a teenager and learned to drive.  He then became his mother’s chauffer whenever she wanted to go out shopping, which she likes to do a lot.  Now Panamanians as a general rule love fashion!  My mother-in-law is very stylish, always appropriately dressed for the occasion and always modest (as is my own mother by the way…so I don’t know what happened to me for a few awkward years!).  In the high schools in Panama they actually teach classes to both boys and girls on how to coordinate outfits and match colors…not a bad idea if you ask me. 

 

Even just going to the mall window shopping in Panama can be an event.  You may only be wearing denim and a t-shirt but it will be clean, ironed, everyone’s hair will be done, make up on (the girls), perfume or cologne applied and accessories will be present and well-coordinated.  We lived there for almost a year several years ago. I must admit that I learned so much during that time, and I loved it! 

 

God has created little girls, who then become grown women, to want to be pretty and feminine. I have learned that it’s possible to be pretty and feminine, modest and “up to date”.  I have found several sites online that give ideas of outfits, colors, accessories, etc. and how to wear them but almost all of these places, of course, use pants, miniskirts, skin tight clothing or low cut tops or dresses.  But one thing I began to notice is that with very little effort, these looks can be transformed into something that honors God’s plan for modesty while still staying fresh and modern looking. 

 

Let me give you an example.  This is an outfit that I created, copied from one of these sites by simply substituting a skirt for the jeans which always accompany casual outfits.  I would use something like this for a date night with my husband.

 

 

This next outfit would work great for a shower, baby or bridal, a trip to the zoo or even a picnic.  Maxi dresses are popular this year but so many times they are designed with spaghetti straps and low cut.  So what is my solution? First I will use a coordinating color, skin tight tank top as the first layer under the dress.  “Skin tight?” you may ask in shock! Yes.  The reason for this is because it won’t bulk up your outfit.  The purpose of the tank top is not to show off your curves, it’s to raise the neckline.  It also has the added benefit of helping to absorb the sweat on a hot day. Then, because it’s still sleeveless, you can add a light, short sleeved sweater on top to create the look of sleeves if you’re uncomfortable with bare arms.  When wearing light fabrics in the summer don’t forget to wear a slip or you’ll be throwing away the whole point of being modest!  The result could look something like this.

 

 

On another occasion we can talk about which colors look best on what skin tones, heels vs. flats, how to know what kind of accessories go with which outfits and more, but for now I just wanted to start with a couple of basic outfits which show how you can take an idea or style that is modern and with just a little bit of tweaking, transform it into something that is modestly stylish. 

 

One of my favorite outfits is something that I copied from one of these style sites.  As you can see by the first picture, the skirt is not something I would be comfortable in being just a little too short.  Honestly, I never would have even contemplated putting these colors together either, but that’s a different subject.  I fell in love with this outfit though and began the hunt for something that could modestly duplicate what I had found…the second picture shows the result.  I decided to go with the neutral bag and shoes because it brings more value to my wardrobe as I can wear them with other outfits instead of just this one.  

 

 

As you can see, fashion is my passion, but being able to accomplish this passion in a way that brings honor to God is even more important to me.  One of my favorite verses was given to me on one occasion by my sister Jen.  “The king’s daughter is all glorious within.  Her clothing is of wrought gold.”  As daughters of the King, we are to be glorious within, (good character), but there is nothing wrong with pretty clothes either.  We can be pretty, modest and fashionable all at the same time.

 

 

 

Joy

 

New Giveaway Winner

I needed to pick a new winner for the giveaway celebrating Healthy Simplicity's first anniversary. And the winner is....

Wanda Bolhous!

Congratulations, Wanda. Would you please send me your address so I can send your bag to you.