Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY
May 25, 2011

Outside my window...Cloudy. The birds are singing loud.

I am thinking...about White's Boots.

I am thankful for...my husband. There is nobody I'd rather plow through life with, than him.

From the learning rooms...God's creation has been interesting to all of us lately. Little teeney tiny frogs, weird mushrooms, beetles galore.

From the kitchen...chili for supper.

I am excited about...Going to (hopefully) see Penelope next week. I bet she has already changed so much. :)

I am praying...for mercy.

I am wearing...jammies

I am creating...lots of doll clothes and dolls. I have a big doll clothes upload to make happen in my store tomorrow.

I am going...to church tonight.

I am reading...my bible.

I am hoping...the dryer repair man will come today.

I am hearing...the hum of my fan..

Around the house...it needs picked up and vaccumed.

One of my favorite things...Chubby babies.

A few plans for the rest of the week...pick off the strawberries (tons of them), doll clothes upload, chase my youngins' around and hopefully catch up on laundry if the dryer man comes. Hang out clothes if the weather will let me.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing: Felipe (said Phillip) last fall. Going to help the men cut wood.

On Piercings

My sister had her ears pierced when she was quite young. I would have to ask her to be sure but I think she was 3. That would have been in 1967.

I loved my sisters earrings. She had ruby (I'm sure not real rubies) post earrings that represented her birthstone. I love red as a child even and liked to look at her ears.

When I was three my sister generously offered to pierce my ears for me. "They will be just like mine" she promised. At three I didn't understand buzz words or statements like "Now, you have to promise not to scream no matter what" and "You have to promise you won't tell mom until AFTER I'm done." I gladly promised with all the innocence of a 3 year old being led like a lamb to the slaughter.

My sister grabbed a large needle from my mothers pin cushion and a potato from the bin in the kitchen. She then led me by the hand, up the stairs, into our room where she shut the door. Then she opened the closet door, pulled the light string on and into the closet we went shutting the door behind us.

My sister held the potato behind my ear and with confidence that comes naturally to an 8 year old girl, thrust the needle into my earlobe.

The rest of the story runs according to the obvious. I screamed and shrieked bloody murder while my sister desperately tried to quiet me, with no success. My mother heard my muffled screams from the kitchen and came to see what the problem was. Finding a long needle, a stray, very out of place potato and one child cluching the offended ear and crying, it was easy to surmise what had taken place.

I don't remember what happened after that. But to this day I never, ever, ever promise not to scream no matter what. :)

My sister was a stinker and while she grew out of most of it, she still has a healthy stinker streak in her . We are the best of friends these days. I count myself blessed to have her as my sister. I don't let her attempt to pierce my ears and we get along great.

CHARGE!

Early Memories

As children we watched a lot of TV. Some of our best and worst ideas came from the television. My sister, who is 5 years older than me, always seemed to think of the best plans. Those sort of plans that if anything went askew, she would look innocent and victimized, while my brother and I were obviously the evil villains whose wickedness knew no bounds.

One such plan ran this way.

At some point my sister and brother had watched some TV show where the star of the show and several other helpers had used a pole or beam of some sort to "charge" into battle. My brother was fascinated with the idea of "charging" as a means of attaining domination. My sister on the other hand saw an opportunity and with a steely glint in her green eye, hatched the following plan.

Taking the family broom, she placed herself as leader of the pack, holding on firmly to the end of the broom handle. My brother was placed at the middle of the handle as the brawn behind the brains. I, at the young age of 2.5 held on to the bristles and readied myself to run as fast as I could as my sister and brother prepared to take the enemy. Taking off running through the den, we rounded the corner into the kitchen where my mother was working. My sister and brother, not quite in unison, yelled "CHARGE" and before my startled mother could prepare for the blow or defend herself, we had ramrodded her with the broom stick and knocked her flat on the floor.

I don't remember her reaction. I remember hanging on to the end of the broom and trying to keep up. Years later though when my mother would retell the story, she would always laugh at the sight of me holding on to the bristles of the broom, barely big enough to hang on. She was a good sport. Mother never forgot to mention that my sister denied (and still denies) hatching the plan in the first place.

Family Pictures

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY
May 18, 2011

Outside my window...A little gray but looks as if the sun wants to shine.

I am thinking...a jumble of things, sons and daughters, grand babies, dolls, doll clothes, finishing up school, friends. Lots rolling around in my pea brain.

I am thankful for...the sweet things in life.

From the learning rooms...I don't think school will be finished for my older boys until JUNE!

From the kitchen...Pancakes and ham for dinner tonight.

I am excited about...new friends.

I am praying...secret things.

I am wearing...long sleeved black tee shirt, denim skirt, black socks and sneakers

I am creating...lots of doll clothes and dolls.

I am going...to church tonight.

I am reading...The Mother At Home. It was written in the 1800's and is very convicting about raising children.

I am hoping...to get all the laundry finished today.

I am hearing...the hum of children, bathroom vent and dryer squeaking.

Around the house...Donnie is building me a clothes line. Its looking pretty good.

One of my favorite things...Sweet baby neck sugar.

A few plans for the rest of the week...work, work, work. Dolls to be made and doll clothes, give my bathroom a thorough scrubbing and cleaning, clean up my sewing area and make the boys clean out their closet.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing: Sweet Penelope. About 8 hours old.

Confessions of a Pattern Junkie

I confess that this is one of my favorite patterns ever. I love the blue dress because of the contrasting bias tape on the collar and pocket. But I like the plaid dress because it has sleeves. The skirt is full with a set on waist. This dress also does not have a zipper or buttons in the back for an opening but instead opens at the side and snaps closed. Although I think it would be cute with buttons for closure.



Simplicity 3297. The pattern does acknowledge that the copyright is held by Simplicity but no date is given. The description on the back of the pattern reads:

GIRLS' ONE-PIECE DRESS: A wide square collar is featured on the fitted bodice. Style 1 has short cuffed sleeves. Pockets, trimming with contrasting pointed flaps, are featured on the skirt front. Style 2 is sleeveless. One pocket is omitted and bias binding is used for trimming.

A sweet lady-like dress for a girl to wear. Good for all sorts of occasions.

Penelope Ella Cora

The sweetest little bundle of love arrived yesterday. Miss Penelope is here and oh so soft and sweet. Weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz and 21.5 inches long. Momma and baby are doing great.

My son Kevin and Penelope.

Grandma and Penelope. :)
God is good all the time.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY
May 11, 2011

Outside my window...The clematis are blooming. Beautiful, big purple flowers

I am thinking...about my son and daughter in law. Penelope their first baby and my first grand baby is coming tomorrow.

I am thankful for...Love.

From the learning rooms...I'm wanting to learn how to make good sour dough bread.

From the kitchen...Chili for dinner.

I am excited about...Penelope.

I am praying...secret things.

I am wearing...pink tee shirt and brown skirt and slip on shoes.

I am creating...brides maid dresses....STILL.

I am going...to the post office today.

I am reading...The Mother At Home. It was written in the 1800's and is very convicting about raising children.

I am hoping...that some mail I've been waiting on will come today. Fun things like fabric and yarn. :)

I am hearing...children reading the back of the cereal box.

Around the house...it really needs a good cleaning and decluttering.

One of my favorite things...Stinky, outside boys. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week...going to spend the day and maybe the night at the hospital when Penelope comes, decorate church for graduation, go to my son, Donnie's graduation.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing: Silas sleeping in my chair with Miguel. He is in the habit lately of whenever he gets into bed with Miguel, Miguels clothes come off and then he needs to be dressed again. Its sort of a bed time ritual. Silas undresses Miguel and one of us will dress him again. :)

Meet Wende

I've been working on Wende for 2 weeks. I made her and then she sat in my knitting basket, amidst yarn and needles and several half finished projects, one of which is a rather large shawl that I've been knitting on for a year out of a delicious malabrigo yarn, while I set myself to thinking on what she needed to be a modest, pretty sort of girl. I like to look at my yarns to get an idea for colors. Greens and blues were speaking to me. I took several skeins and some fabrics and laid them around Wende until an idea formed in my head for her clothing. This right here is the reason I can't really put out more than one dolly a week. Too many times I have to let the doll and her clothes simmer in my mind and sometimes that takes days.

I played around last week coming up with my own version of a felt flower clip for another special dolly and the result was that I sat on the couch for an hour cutting out leaves and flowers and made a very many of these sweet, simple clips to grace my doll's hair.
Wende comes from one of my favorite fairytales, Peter Pan. I liked the girl Wendy in the story and her way with Peter....Sewing his shadow back on was quite clever of her. :)
Wende is in the shop.

On being a Mother

Sometimes I look at my life and get a sort of surreal feeling. I'm living a life I never imagined and sometimes it feels a little weird. When I was young I don't recall having thoughts of being a mother. A wife maybe but children somehow didn't enter into my thoughts of a future life. It wasn't that I didn't like them. I did like them. It wasn't that I thought I should adopt, or help control the earths population and I didn't have the mentality of "why would I want to bring another child into this terrible place" going on in my brain either.

So when I was expecting my first child, something over took me. A fear that now there was someone else who would be dependent on me. I would have to be responsible. But I wasn't responsible. When a few years later, I had several babies hanging on my skirt, I became a Christian and my whole life changed. My outlook on my life changed and my world view changed almost overnight.



When I look back on those days, the choices I made, how I lived my life, I readily acknowledge that I am the last person I would have given children too. If I would have looked at me with the eyes of who I am now and all I encompassed back then (and sometimes even now!), I would have "X"ed me off the list as a potential mother. There wouldn't have been much discussion on the subject either.



I hear discussions like this from time to time. "Susie" knows someone who has 4 kids and they are never bathed, she yells at them All. The. Time. She leaves them every time she gets the chance and on and on and on. She doesn't deserve her children.

I've rode this horse before. Unfortunately, horses like this one tend to falter at one point or another and the rider comes tumbling off. The fall made worse because the horse is so high.

All through the bible we see that God uses children. When God is going to get a work done, he brings a baby on the scene. All those hero's of the faith in Hebrews 11 started as babies and became children. If I say (and truly believe) that God gives children, who am I to say he gave them to the wrong people? Who am I to say "So and so doesn't deserve children?"

The thing is, is that more than anything or anyone else, God has used my children in my life to work in me. To conform me to the image of his Son. They've brought me pain and anguish and great joy and blessing. The former motivates me to change and the later cheers me on.



Mercy is a good thing. Unless I live and breathe with someone, I don't know whats going on in their life. I don't know what they are walking through, pain, sorrow, strife, grief, guilt, conviction. I don't know what God is doing in someones life, what he is working on pruning (and pruning hurts!) or grafting in. The point being that I should leaving the judging to God and look for ways to be a help to the lovely and the unlovely. Freely ye have received, freely give. (Matt 10:8b)God extended mercy to me and still extends mercy to me.

My favorite Mothers Day verse is Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.


Happy Mothers Day to all my mother friends.

Dolly Day Friday

Seeing as its Dolly Day Friday and I've not participated in a few weeks, I thought I'd share a special little dolly I've been working on for the last week. She is a 9 inch Waldorf style doll. I've never made a dolly this size before and I found I like this smaller size very much.

Her name is Thumbelina, after my favorite fairytale, and I have created her for my first grand daughter (my first grand baby) who is expected to make her arrival in the next week or two. I am anxiously awaiting her arrival and I can't wait to give the box of hand made goodness I have been working on, to her. I have to knit Thumby (as I've been affectionately calling her) a sweater and maybe some shoes because it is a bit chilly in the mornings....especially when you wake up on a flower that has some dew on it. :)

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY
May 4, 2011

Outside my window...The sun is shining. O Happy Day!

I am thinking...about a special little doll I'm working on today.

I am thankful for...my church family.

From the learning rooms...School is winding down.

From the kitchen...Not sure what to make for dinner tonight.

I am excited about...that my oldest daughter is in our area and visiting.

I am praying...about life in general.

I am wearing...white long sleeved tee shirt, jammie pants. Still need to get dressed for the day.

I am creating...a fairytale doll . Fairytale to be announced.

I am going...try to come up with wool felt flowers today for my little fairytale doll.

I am reading...my bible. I've not had time for much extra reading the last week.

I am hoping...that some mail I've been waiting on will come today. Fun things like fabric and yarn. :)

I am hearing...Birds chirping and singing outside. One is drowning all the other out but it sounds cheerful.

Around the house...the last load of laundry is fixing to go in the washer. Then I'm finished....until tomorrow.

One of my favorite things...Staying up late and talking to my teens. I never, ever thought I would enjoy them so much.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Jonah's birthday on Saturday. Several things to sew.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing

Livie Knits

Livia has gotten interested in knitting again. Only she doesn't want to knit an easy dish cloth or a scarf. So I set her down with a few written instructions from my own doll sweater/cardigan/dress/vest pattern and off she went. Shes learned how to purl, increasing (kfb) and is now knitting the skirt part of her doll dress in the round. When it comes to the arms I will show her how to use double pointed needles. She picked a good time because now I actually know more about knitting and can show her a few things.



Last year I bought a skein of "nekkid" yarn and Livia and I had our first adventure in dying yarn with Kool Aid. It came out nicely in shades of pink, yellow and aqua. Its been fun to watch her. I've held her back some. I schedule a half hour into the school part of our day for her to work on her knitting. I want her to learn to pace herself (something I lack) and I want her to take her time and make her work look nice. I also don't want her to burn out. She is already picking yarn from my stash to make a matching sweater. Actually we traded. She had a green wool yarn left from a birthday gift last year and I had a pink. :)

More pictures of her doll dress to come later. :)

Confessions of a Pattern Junkie

I confess that sometimes I am pulled in my the colors on the pattern envelope. Like on this pattern. I love the blue dress and the red smocking together and the little red shoes set the whole outfit off. I love little girls that are dressed like little girls. (I love the ones that aren't too but you know what I mean :) ) I like to see a distinction between genders even when children are very young.

This pattern is neat because there are several useful instructions included in the "Simplicity Primer" as the instruction sheet is neatly titled.
Simplicity 3833 and no copyright date that I can find. My envelope is not in the best of shape though.
In this pattern instructions are given for button holes (the hand made variety), tailors tacks and how to straighten uneven fabric. The instruction sheet says "Simplicity Primer, Guide for cutting and sewing....detailed dress making." I like that.