Giving Thanks

I just wanted to pop in this morning and wish all my dear friends and readers a very Happy Thanksgiving! May each of you have a very blessed day, full of joy and blessings!

We actually will not be leaving for anything until this evening. Dinner will be at Dan's grandfather's home and I haven't been asked to bring anything...so it will be rather laid back today. I still may do a practice run of the item I plan on making for gifts this year(a yummy treat!), but otherwise I will just enjoy the day:-)

I have so much to be thankful for. I wanted to list just a few of them...

*I have an awesome Savior that died for me and by grace am I saved!

*I am married to a most wonderful man:-)

*I have three lovely children, all very special.

*I have been blessed with another sweet darling on the way!

*I have a roof over my head.

*I have food on the table.

And although there may be times I complain or my contentment lacks...I am still so much richer than I could ever imagine!

Have a wonderful day today and remember to give thanks to our Lord!

Blessings,
Sommer

The Pitter Pat of Little Feet

Light and faint, I feel you...just a glimmer of the little life within. I've waited for weeks to feel the little pit pat of tiny feet and hands with in. Now, glorious and glowing I feel you! Precious life within, blessed movement, gracious God...thank you Lord for the little blessing growing with in me.

Busy Week, Quiet Thursday

Some weeks are just busy. This has been one of them...at least in the beginning. Monday, I needed to run to Costco. It is always a bit hectic there, but my sweet hubby kept the kids with him and I was able to just run there and get what I needed and then head home. Unfortunately by the end of that day I had a whopper of a headache!

Tuesday we had a field trip planned, so the books were shelved and we hopped in the car. We headed to a local pizza shop called Pizza My Heart(the girls and Liam are gleefully modeling their t-shirts). We were with a few other homeschool moms and kids for a lovely tour of the shop. They were able to see the freezer(and go in..brrrr), watch a pizza get thrown(Fiona had the benefit of wearing one as a hat..no pic though:-( ), and then they got to make their own pizzas. What fun! This was definitely one of the most hands-on trips we've been on.

After that we headed to Safeway for a few items we can't get at Costco and then picked Dad up from work.

Wednesday was another busy day. We had a time at the park scheduled to celebrate a friend's birthday, but I had a headache and really wasn't looking forward to that:-( It went well enough and then off to Beverly's for some Christmas and sewing needs, then Trader Joe's for the last few things I can't get else where!

But today...I am home! Both because I planned it this way(I really need the break) and my husband's schedule was so crammed today. With one car, I sometimes am forced to stay at home and I am so happy for that! When you have just one car, it is so much easier to plan around that and I love having no choice but to say no to things sometimes:-)

To keep the day productive and enjoyable we have done a few things. We had our first full day of school this week and I got some laundry washed that was greatly needed. I continued to declutter my kitchen table which seems to get the worst the quickest! I also did dishes. But the thing I enjoyed the most was watching Brenna complete a pillow she made:-)




She started this pretty, pink pillow a couple of months ago and has been waiting for me to pick up some stuffing to fill it(yesterdays trip to Beverly's). She picked out the fabric herself and just stitched it up using straight stitches all the way around until about 3 inches from the final corner. We turned it right side out and she stuffed away, then closed the opening with simple little whip stitching. She is still learning so her stitches are sometimes uneven, but I am thrilled with her progress and her desire to learn! Now she plans on making her little Liam one for Christmas:-)

Tonight, I will throw together some dresses for the girls(hopefully) and iron the fabric that is newly washed for the stockings. Maybe I'll even be able to cut some of them out. Hopefully my headache will stay at bay, but I've been suffering from them a bit lately.

Well, now I'm off to make some Chocolate Chip Cookies and enjoy the rest of my quiet Thursday!

Blessings,
Sommer

Funny...why didn't I think of this!?

I came across the most ingenious tutorial ever! Okay, at least for a mom with an infant boy who was warned about needing to "be prepared" when changing said boy, for an unpleasant shower! You've just got to check this out if you have a little boy baby, are expecting one or just want an amused chuckle.

Now why didn't I think of this? As amusing as it is, it is a splendid idea(come on mom's of boys, you know it is)...and I think I just might make some if I have another little boy baby:-)

Blessings,
Sommer

Continuing a Tradition

When Dan and I began having children, I asked my Mom for some stockings she had made to use for our family. She was no longer using them and I liked the idea of keeping them in our family. They were lovely, crocheted ones that my Mom had made when I was in later elementary school or middle school. There are only 4 of them...and that was fine until I got pregnant with our 3rd child, Liam.

My plan was to knit or crochet one for him that would match sufficiently. His first Christmas I didn't worry about it and we just bought a small, simple one. This year though, I want him to have his own. First problem, I don't crochet...I've tried, but just haven't gotten good enough. Second, I couldn't find any good knit patterns that would match well enough to the ones my Mom made, and I am not a good enough knitter to adjust a pattern to work like she did(she took a pattern for crocheted slipper socks and just adjusted it). So, I started feeling frustrated! And then I remembered!!! When I was a very little girl(see above pic..I had just turned 4yrs old there), my Mom had made some other matching stockings for our family. You can see them behind me in the pic hanging on the wall.

Sewing I can do(even if still rather a novice)! So I asked my Mom what she did and she gave me the info as she remembered it and told me she'd just made her own pattern. I decided that this I could do and would do.

A couple of weeks ago I took the kids to Joann's while they were having a Midnight Madness sale and the holiday fabrics were 50% off! I told the girls to pick the fabric they would like for their individual stocking and then Liam picked his(sort of ;-). I picked mine and Dan's. You can see our selections below:




The red fabric will be used for the toes and heels on each stocking to bring them all together(much like my Mom did on hers..again see pic far above). For the girl stockings we will trim the top with lace and the men-folk's will be trimmed with one or two rows of red ric rac.

I made up my pattern today and I think it will do nicely. I look forward to beginning this new tradition for our little family(that continues to grow;-) I decided to wait to make the new wee one's stocking until after he/she is born! The girls thought this was a fine idea!

When I have completed the stockings, I will take pics and share them with you all. Hopefully this will happen soon...as I like to hang the stockings up early as decorations.

What family heirlooms or traditions have you tried to carry on with your family? Feel free to share!

Blessings,
Sommer

A Boy and His Dog

My sweet boy:-) Isn't he a doll? I must admit that this is a totally random post, about the cuteness of little boys and their dogs. Okay, Liam doesn't have a real live dog...but every boy should, isn't that what they say?

Liam has come up with the next best thing! A cute little wooden pull-dog. He was given this when just a baby(and way too little for it) and only just found the pleasures of having his dog follow him about. Today I caught him on camera giving his dog a walk...such a good boy!

I hope some day we can give our children the blessing of a pup, but for now, we will make do with imaginary and wood pull dogs. Really, I do think it is true that every boy should have his pup.

Blessings,
Sommer

Colonial Dress in Miniture

After a few weeks I am finally sharing the little doll dress I made for Miss Brenna's American Girl doll, Elizabeth. Brenna turned 6 on the 19th of October and she really wanted a new dress for her doll. Originally I was going to purchase one, but in the end I couldn't afford it. Fortunately, earlier in the year I'd purchased some fabric and trim to make a dress for the doll out of a pattern my MIL had bought for me. So out came the fabric and the sewing machine.

Seriously, it would have been a really simple thing to do if my machine didn't decide to act up and cause a headache...but, alas, my sewing machine did give me trouble and a simple project became slightly frustrating. But, after fixing the feed dogs and making my thread work for me...I completed most of the dress in time for Brenna's birthday:-) All I left unfinished was the hem and the closure in back.

I would have finished the back, but I didn't have the velcro and for some reason the closure did not meet all the way when the dress was on the doll:-/ So, yesterday I added some fabric for what I think you'd call a placket and tonight I will sew the velcro on. As for the hem, I opted to add lace(like what is on the neck and ruffles) and really like the way it turned out(sorry no pic with that right now). In the original pattern, lace was not added to the sleeve ruffles, but I liked the way it looked and it made hemming them much simpler:-)



The picture above shows the dress almost complete, minus the hem being done. I really was pleased with how this dress turned out. The only thing I'd do different would be to make sure I have matching thread(so as to hide my sometimes crooked seams ;-p) and give myself more time.



Above is the pattern I used(sorry, it is a touch blurry). It has fairly clear instructions and was pretty easy to put together. I will gladly use this again when making dresses for Christmas! I would give more info but my MIL gave it to me and I am not quite sure where she found it.

Now that this dress is done, I am looking forward to doing more sewing for Christmas and getting ready for the wee bairn that is coming in the Spring:-)

Blessings,
Sommer

My Daybook

Peggy, over at The Simple Woman's Daybook is sharing her Daybook and has invited folks to join in. Won’t you join us? Just pop on over to Peggy’s blog for the details!

For Today November 10th

Outside my window...the sun is shining and there is a crispness in the air.

I am thinking...that simply removing a little clutter from a corner can really refresh one’s spirit.

I am thankful for...a husband that loves me, children that hug me and a baby growing that I do not know yet.

From the learning rooms…we will be reading about the Pilgrims, learning about Seals and Sea Cows and enjoying numbers.

From the kitchen...leftovers and simple stuff. The cookie jar needs refilling too!

I am wearing...fleecy pink pj’s and a sweater…not sure what will be on for the day yet.

I am creating...well, needing to complete the back closure and hem of a doll dress, t-shirt dresses for the girls and little cord pants for Liam(boy is he getting tall!).

I am going...grocery shopping this afternoon.

I am reading...The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

I am hoping...to feel the little baby soon. Maybe already have, just not sure.

I am hearing...the loud but happy voice of Liam insisting I read a book.

Around the house...I need to de-clutter a little more off of my table and organize my sewing area. I have Christmas sewing to do soon and I want everything to be easily accessible.

One of my favorite things...is the sweet kiss of a little boy that loves his mama :-)

A few plans for the rest of the week…Laundry, continued decluttering, craft plans, grocery shopping and a library run.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing…I'm afraid I don't have one today, blogger is

being weird!

Things of Note

I've made a few updates to the sidebar of my blog and thought I'd just let you all know:-)

First of all, I wanted to let you all know that Mrs. Chancey over at Sense and Sensibility has transferred several of her patterns over to e-patterns. So now you have the option to purchase the pattern and download it immediately(as well as order paper patterns)! This is just wonderful, as you can inexpensively replace patterns you may have lost and also have them in an easy, access format! All the Regency Patterns have been transferred to this and she will(as time permits) transfer all her others. I hope you will take the time to stop by and see for yourself Mrs. Chancey's selection of lovely patterns and enjoy the ease of downloading them:-) I am also pleased to be an Affiliate as I just LOVE her patterns! Please take a peek at my sidebar and visit the site:-)

Secondly, I have changed the poem in my Poetry Corner. I do hope you will enjoy it and let me know what you think. Let me know too, if this is something you enjoy on my blog. I try to update with a new poem every couple of months or so, but would like to do it monthly if time permits and if my lovely readers would enjoy it. This particular poem is by William Cullen Bryant and it is a lovely poem about mothers. I hope you enjoy.

This coming week I hope to share with you a doll dress I made for my Brenna's 6th birthday, as well as some simple Thanksgiving decorations I've made in the house. I also will share plans with you for Christmas and perhaps you all will be willing to share some of your ideas and plans for the coming holidays:-)

May you all have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow!

Blessings,
Sommer