Recent Sewing Projects...

Carolynne's birthday dress...

Jumper with attached ruffle


** edited to add**
I was asked if this was a pullover jumper
and what pattern I used.
I used Simplicity's #8340
children's jumper pattern.

I believe it is out-of-print now,
however, any jumper pattern can be used.
This pattern is NOT zipper free,
but I, also, did NOT use a zipper.
I fully lined the bodice (which I usually do)
and sewed the back up the middle
where the zipper was suppose to go.
Therefore, there is a seam in the back
but no zipper. ;o)
And it pulls over the head nicely.



Dress for Mama...

Square neck dress with ribbon waist


"She seeketh wool, and flax,
and worketh willingly with her hands."
~ Proverbs 31:13


"She layeth her hands to the spindle,
and her hands hold the distaff."
~ Proverbs 31:19

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ January 11, 2010

For today... January 11, 2010


Outside my window...
the sun is shining very brightly


I am thinking...
of being Spirit controlled
and redeeming my time


I am thankful for...
the Holy Spirit teaching me,
changing me, strengthening me,
and giving me victories


I am wearing...
burgundy checkered jumper


I am remembering...
that it's okay if I feel invisible sometimes,
that my motherhood and 'wifehood'
is part of my service to God
and that when I feel that no one else sees,
God sees.


I am going...
to press on


I am reading...
through my KJ Bible in a year,
{I fell behind last year so I am doing this in a year and a half}
currently in Esther, Ephesians;
Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (with my eldest);
The Love Dare (and trying to apply it to my marriage and my motherhood)


I am hoping (praying)...
for the Holy Spirit to continue His work
in the hearts of those I love
and to help me to be Spirit controlled;
that He will help me to be an overcomer


On my mind...
The things I need to do today and this week


From the learning rooms...
homeschool is back in session...
In the book of John for Bible;
book of Ruth for history;
studying Ancient Greece;
and various things in other subjects


Noticing that...
God is gracious, longsuffering,
and forgiving


Pondering these words...
" With all lowliness and meekness,
with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
~ Ephesians 4:2-3
Trying to apply this at home



From the kitchen...
sink is shining, counters are sparkling

On the Menu...
M ~ Wet burritos
T ~ Shepherd's Pie
W ~ Wild Rice Soup
Th ~ Chicken and pasta
F ~ Sourdough pizza
S ~ Hamburgers
Sun ~ Stroganoff


Around the house...
the younger ones are taking a break
from our learning lessons
and playing together in the living room,
eldest is having quiet time in her room


I am creating...
nothing at present


I am hearing...
the children playing in the living room;
the heater blowing


One of my favorite things...
the peace that comes when
surrendering to the Lord


A few plans for the rest of the week...
practice diligence in our homeschool;
take eldest to the chiropractor;
clean the church; go to midweek service;
go to Beth's violin lesson;
go to park day (depending on weather)
OR our Keepers of the Faith meeting;



Here is picture thought I am sharing...



"Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation:
and thy right hand hath holden me up,
and thy gentleness hath made me great."
~ Psalm 18:35

A blessed comfort and promise!

Haven at Home Happenings and Lessons Therein

"... For what is your life? It is even a vapour,
that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
~ James 4:14


How quickly time seems to pass in this life.
Here we are at the end of another week
and I sit recalling the events...

After the new year weekend,
my beloved did not have to work Monday
so we enjoyed having him home.
As he went to the commisary with the younger children,
I was able to get some deep cleaning done,
working to dust and scrub corners
and those places that are not easily seen
and do not get cleaned regularly.

As I write, I think about how the Holy Spirit, too,
was doing some dusting and scrubbing in my heart,
those places that are not easily seen and regularly cleaned.
He guided me through a painful growth spurt this week,
as more of the dirt and grime, the sin, in my heart was revealed
by His wiping the dust away so I could see it
and was cleansed by His beautiful forgiveness.
"Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin."
~ Psalm 51:2
I may not look at cleaning our home the same, again.

In addition to the cleaning,
I spent much time organizing my secretary desk and dry sink.
It's amazing how long and tedious organizing can seem
but how much easier it can be to function afterwards ...
after opening that area that needs to be organized,
digging thoroughly through the area so you can
examine, purge, sort, put in order...
I need more order in my life, as well as in my desk
and the Holy Spirit was gently reminding me of that
as I spent hours doing the task.
"Let all things be done decently and in order."
~ 1 Corinthians 14:40


Early Tuesday morning, we had the privilege
of going to Daddy's work to attend his promotion!
This promotion is an answer to prayer
and we are rejoicing in this reward for Daddy's hard work.
Will and I, together, pinned on Daddy's Master Sergeant chevrons.



Thank you, LORD!
"For promotion cometh neither from the east,
nor from the west, nor from the south.
But God is the judge:
he putteth down one, and setteth up another."
~ Psalm 75:6-7


After a quick trip to the commisary,
the rest of the afternoon was spent cozily at home...










Wednesday was spent at home,
aside from our church service in the evening.
And it was a day of spiritual breakdown,

surrender, and revival for me.
A glorious work, answer to prayer,
and victory from the LORD.
I was faced with the realization
of some things about myself
that I would have, in many ways, liked to ignored.
But I am glad that God is Faithful...
Faithful in opening my eyes...
Faithful in teaching me, changing me...
Faithful in forgiving me, loving me.

This day involved many bitter tears,
verbal apologies to my children,
deep conversation with my eldest,
hugs, forgiveness, smiles, joy, peace,
growing in faith, and a fresh start.
"Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me."
~ Psalm 51:10

We enjoyed the afternoon together
and I even enjoyed coloring with the children, as did Ally...


I was reminded how I do like to color. ;o)

That evening, in church, Pastor gave to Ally
a package that he had received
from a missionary family in Greece!
It thrilled my heart to see
this answer to prayer for Ally.
We look forward to watching
their presentation today as a family.
Also, that evening, my beloved shared with me
some of the things that may be happening
with this new promotion.
They will be moving him to another unit (likely local)
and with that unit will likely be
orders for deployment in the fall.
And before that, he will be absent a lot due to training.
With the Holy Spirit's help, I was able to accept it well.
We have been blessed with having Daddy home
for the past two years and we are thankful.
We understand Jehovah is the One in control
and are thankful that He is.


Thursday was spent preparing a package or two to mail,
talking with my mama on the phone,
and, then, errands in the afternoon,
including Beth's violin lesson.
She is learning her first hymn, "Holy! Holy! Holy!".
This is our goal in learning how to play an instrument...
to use it for God's honor and glory.
It has been a blessing to hear her practice this song.

In the afternoon, I worked on a lesson
for our upcoming Keepers of the Faith group.
The lesson was on contentment...
and it is not only for the children, it was for me, as well.
I was reminded of Jesus' perfect example.
How He was God and left Heaven
to be born on Earth.
How so many did not love Him,
mocked Him, were cruel to Him,
He served others day and night,
He got little rest or time to Himself,
He didn't have time for fun, games, or vacations,
He didn't have a lot of clothes, money, or even a home.
His own people rejected Him and He was beaten
and even crucified on the cross, YET, HE was content.
There is no record of Him complaining
that it was too cold or hot, that there was enough to eat,
or that people did not treat Him kindly.
He was/is the Perfect Example!

It was, also, comforting to be reminded
that even Paul had to LEARN contentment.
Godly character habits take time and effort.
It is a choice to be content. And it takes practice.
"... for I have learned,
in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."
~ Philippians 4:11

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."
~ 1 Timothy 6:6


In the evening and late into the night,
I cut out and sewed Carolynne's birthday dress.
Ally sacrificed her sleep (more than willingly)
to keep me company.
We enjoyed our time together.


Friday was spent with friends.
During the day, the mamas worked on
schedules and lesson plans while the children played together.
In the evening, we all enjoyed fellowship,
sourdough pizza, and celebrating Carolynne's birthday!




I give thanks to the LORD for the week He gave
and the lessons therein.


"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits,
even the God of our salvation. Selah."
~ Psalm 68:19

Celebrating our "Baby"...

Yesterday was the last day
for us to receive hugs and sugars
from our 5 year old"baby"...

for today she turns 6 years old...





We rejoice in this bittersweet event
and look forward to a year of
6 year old hugs and sugars!


Happy 6th Birthday, Carolynne!
We love you so much!



"This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it."
~ Psalm 118:24

Simple Woman's Daybook...

For today... January 4, 2010


Outside my window...
the sun is brightly shining
and there's a great chill in the air


I am thinking...
of a few tasks I need to complete today


I am thankful for...
the past year of God's many blessings,
answers to prayer, and spiritual growth


I am wearing...
blue suede jumper
with white t-shirt


I am remembering...
"If we live in the Spirit,
let us also walk in the Spirit"
~ Galatians 5:25
Trying to remember and practice
to walk in the spirit rather than the flesh


I am going...
to stay home to do laundry
and organize some desk drawers


I am reading...
through my KJ Bible in a year,
currently in Nehemiah, Galatians;
Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (with my eldest)


I am hoping (praying)...
for the Holy Spirit to continue His work
in the hearts of those I love
and to help me to be Spirit controlled


On my mind...
Doing the things I ought to do
whether I want to do them or not


From the learning rooms...
on hold while Daddy is home
and Mama works on plans


Noticing that...
God is gracious, longsuffering,
and forgiving


Pondering these words...
" What? know ye not that your body
is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
~ 1 Corinthians 6:19
Amazing and unfathomable concept!



From the kitchen...
clean up is needed from the weekend's cooking

On the Menu...
M ~ Tacos
T ~ Rotini
W ~ Chicken Noodle Soup
Th ~ Philly Cheese Steak
F ~ {Birthday} Sourdough pizza


Around the house...
Daddy is preparing to take
the younger children to the commisary,
eldest is having quiet time in her room


I am creating...
nothing at present


I am hearing...
the children playing in the living room;
the washer in the laundry room


One of my favorite things...
reading God's Word


A few plans for the rest of the week...
give our home a blessing {cleaning};
spend time sewing and making lesson plans;
go to Daddy's promotion (!);
attend our midweek prayer service;
go to Beth's violin lesson;
go to our Keepers of the Faith meeting;
celebrate our "baby's" 6th birthday



Here is picture thought I am sharing...




"Walk in wisdom
toward them that are without,
redeeming the time."
~ Colossians 4:5

A challenge for the upcoming year!

Crayon and Crochet Hook Roll...

Below are some gifts I made recently.
The younger ones have found
their crayon rolls very useful
and our eldest has found her
crochet hook roll to be as well.


For the crayon rolls, I used jean fabric
(for its durability) along with a contrasting one.
I, also, used elastic for ease in keeping it closed...





Using this tutorial


For our eldest, who loves to crochet,
I adjusted the measurements to make a crochet hook roll.






Easy to make and fun for them to use! ;o)


"She ... worketh willingly with her hands."
~ Proverbs 31:13

New Year's Fun!

Last year I participated in Kelli's New Year's Fun

and enjoyed reviewing what I blogged about last year.
I'm not sure if she's hosting it, again, this year
but I wanted to create a post anyway. ;o)


Post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month.
{I've skipped Daybook posts, etc...}
You can also add a favorite picture from each month.


~ January ~

There is such a blessings in each season of life.





~ February ~

Read alouds this week, as we study China.




~ March ~

... a beautiful dusting of snow!




~ April ~

It's been another eventful week of
homeschooling, errand running, homekeeping,
training, learning, living... the blessings of life.





~ May ~

Last week was a busy one in our backyard,
as our Creator provided wonderful opportunities
to marvel, up close, at His creation.





~ June ~

Our weeks have been filled with activities
and they, also, seem to be flying by.




~ July ~

Yesterday, Carolynne blessed me with a wonderful breakfast.





~ August ~

With Vacation Bible School in full swing this week,
things have been keeping busy for us.





~ September ~

On our first day of September,
there is a beautiful overcast sky
with a delicious cool breeze!




~ October ~

Autumn brings a beautiful array of vibrant, warm colors,
cool breezes, sweaters, and crunchy leaves.
It's, also, the season of hot, creamy soups!




~ November ~

Created with scraps from the closet.




~ December ~

Gladly welcoming this last month of the year!

"To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

More New Year's Fun...
2007 New Year's Fun
2008 New Year's Fun