Oh, those bows!

From the minute Michael and Kristin were engaged, my little girls have been merrily planning for their Flower Girl Day. Oblivious to anything but the happily-ever-after theme of a wedding, they have loved every minute of the last year. 

Very late in our wedding planning, I recognized that I had no plan for their hair. Karoline's hair is very curly. Katie's is heavy and straight. Sarah's is fine and straight . Kristin thought "half up" and curly. We practiced curling the straight hair for a week, trying this method and that until everyone was satisfied. Then it dawned on me that I didn't have bows to go with the dresses.

It was moments before Christmas and the girls suggested I ask "Elle's mom" about her bows. Elle is in Karoline's ballet class. With that, Elle's mom became a part of our handmade wedding. Despite a lack of local ivory ribbon-and-no time to order-and-a classroom full of kindergartners learning a whole bunch of new security things the week before break-and-the fact that she had to get her own family on the road for Christmas in order to get ahead of a blizzard {whew!}, she delivered these beauties to my doorstep, late one night on her way out of town.

Perfect. 

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Thank you for your kind words and prayers yesterday. I think I hit rock-bottom around three yesterday afternoon. I'm pretty sure I sent Ginny a couple of desperate emails. In addition to her warm words, she also helped me find these pictures. Pictures have a way of telling a deeper story, a side story, sometimes sharpening a memory and sometimes offering a unique hope for the future.

And sometimes, the perfect picture, from the perspective of a friend, is just the perfect, perfect laugh. 

(Karoline's bow probably had the most fun;-)

I slept a solid eight hours last night for the first time since Thanksgiving. Hope is definitely on the rise!

All photos are Ginny's.

needle & thREAD

This was supposed to be the St. Lucy's Day edition of needle & thREAD. There were to be three flannel nightgowns here for happy pictures. Alas, I spent the weekend relearning slope-intercept and graphing inequalities. Saturday morning, fabric all smoothed out and newly-traced patterns pinned in place, I recognized that these nightgowns weren't going to happen before exams were taken. They might not even happen before Christmas. When I make them, I'm going to make them extra long. They can wear them in January and February and then again next year. 

I do have some things to show you, though. iPhone pictures are beginning to frustrate me. A camera is moving to the top of my list of things to research. Do you love yours? Tell me why.

The drapes for the main floor of the house are finished. Cari and I worked on the sewing room drapes this week and I finished them yesterday morning, early, early. Mike's been working ridiculously long days, splitting his time between here and Miami, so the rods aren't hung yet, but the drapes are so pretty!

I'm nearly finished with the great pillow expedition in the family room. I love the pop of color on some otherwise rather dull couches. 

One last pillow remains to be covered. I've been doing a little stitching sampler on a scrap of the drapery fabric. It will be the center of a log cabin square. This seemed a grand idea when I first conceived it. In reality, this fabric is so loosely woven that it frays if you look at it the wrong way. It's not fun to make patchwork with it. I'm determined to make just that one pillow, but my grand plans for lots of them were squashed pretty quickly. I do want to do just this one pillow, though. The needlework competes with my knitting time whenever I sit down these days. I want to finish Sarah's sweater by Patrick's graduation party (the day after the wedding). Knit? Stitch? Math? 

I haven't done much reading. Last week, Emily recommended Dirt and the Good Life. I have the book now, but haven't yet begun to read. After the math final...

So what's happening out there in needle and thread world? Are you working on Christmas presents? Racing to the finish with something special? Do tell.  

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needle & thREAD

Big sewing here this week! We put in ten hours today alone. My sweet, wonderful, very smart friend Cari came over to lend her expertise to drapery creation. We've finished sewing the living room, dining room and family room window treatments. Woo-hoo!

Today, we set the sewing maching smack in the middle of the house, pushed furniture out of the way in the family room and took over the floor, and plopped the serger on the dining room table. I buzzed girls back and forth to dance a few times, mediated disputes over The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Games, and supervised pre-school math and college math (both on the same table as the sewing machine). We made a good dinner and took a break to sit at the dining room table (minus the serger). All in all, a very satisfying domestic day. 

In the reading department, I received a lovely new Bible a couple days ago. And it just so happens to look beautiful with the curtains destined for the room where I do the most Bible reading. It's the C. S. Lewis Bible, a full Bible interspersed with C. S. Lewis commentary. I love it!

This was a good homemaking day. Cari did all the engineering and design work; she knows this stuff. With full confidence, I pushed miles and miles of beautiful fabric trhough my pretty terrific sewing machine. I had good reason to use both my walking foot and my quilting table, thereby alleviating all the guilt I had previously felt over not quilting a thing since Sarah's quilt (which was the only thing for which I'd ever used those items). Mostly though, it was so nice to work with my hands and just talk all day with a dear friend, while being totally available to my children. I've known Cari since I was a newlywed. She was there when I was pregnant with my first three babies. She was the neighbor to whom I could run for milk or sugar (back when I consumed both). She was also there for cancer. Many years later, she, too, is a cancer survivor. So we had lots to share and it was so very good to have her here.

I think we managed a full day of schoolwork. Tell me, you who sew and knit and do all things domestic while also educating children at home: How do you do it? What's the rhythm in your home? When do you work on your craft? I'm eager to hear about it all. 

And, of course, if you've been reading and sewing or embroidering this week, please share that too. 

Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your blog post or your specific Flickr photo and not your main blog URL or Flickr Photostream. Please be sure and link to your current needle and thREAD post below in the comments, and not a needle and thREAD post from a previous week. If you don't have a blog, please post a photo to the needle & thREAD group at Flickr. 

       Include a link back to this post in your blog post or on your flickr photo page so that others who may want to join the needle and thREAD fun can find us! Feel free to grab a button here (in one of several colors) so that you can use the button to link:-)

My Domestic Almanac {Sunday evening edition}

I find myself:

::noticing God's glory

I've been spending lots of time soaking up sunshine in my garden these lovely autumn days. The roses are making a glorious comeback. Perhaps to honor St. Therese? Mostly, we've been cleaning up and pulling away. I think, though, that tomorrow is the day for a fresh flat or two of pansies and some new compost and soil. 

::listening to 

Soccer on TV. I was watching football. Mike changed the channel. This is an ongoing thing around here. I gave up. I'll blog. No one will notice.

::clothing myself in 

Pajamas. I tucked myself in very early tonight. It's been a long, physical weekend and these quilts are so welcome!

::thinking and thinking

About how fleeting these days are. This time next year, God willing, all three big boys will be living away from the home I've made. And they will be missed.

::pondering prayerfully

“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”  ~St. Therese of Lisieux

::Carefully Cultivating Rhythm

Stephen has soccer practice until 10:00, three nights a week. He trains about 40 minutes from our house, with  no traffic. We didn't know this--could not imagine such a scenario, really--when we consented to this team. We're in it now. So, I've spent the last couple of weeks looking for silver linings and arranging the rhythm around this incredibly annoying fact of life. I've prayed super hard for grace on this one and I can sort of see the good emerging.

::creating by hand

There must be something about the nip in the air that inspires me to want to create. I've got some beautiful stacks of fabric on the way to be made into <<big breath here>> fairy tale dresses. The difficulty level is  higher than anything I've ever attempted and I'm going to combine two different views, but Leisl Gibson assured me that I can do it. Honestly, if anyone can teach me how to do any of those new skills, it's Leisl. If she says I can, I believe her. Her patterns are so well written, anything is possible.

We've also chosen fabric and stashed for some new quilts. Autumn is like that--just inspiring us to find cuddle spots. Or make them.

And, oh-my-goodness-I'm-so-excited! Ginny has a new sweater pattern, just available. I've watched this beautiful sweater and pattern take shape and I'm so excited for her. It's kind of like when a friend has a new baby--the giddiness is contagious. I'm going to try this one, since I seem to be in a place where I'm tempted to try things that are more than my usual difficulty level. That sweater is so very lovely and the pattern is perfectly written, which makes me certain that a willing advanced beginner can be succesful. Each of my girls wants one. Since I'm knitting super slowly these days, I'm making no promises. Even if you don't knit, go take a look. She's been all domestic about her blog and it looks lovely:-)

::learning lessons in

Patience. I'm trying to slow myself, to believe that I have time to enjoy the process and that, sometimes, it's the process itself that has the real value. I've taken lots of deadlines off my calendar; they were suffocating me. Breathing is good. Very good.

::encouraging learning 

Turtles! I rescued a box turtle from the street the other day. For two full school days, we were all about turtles. Reading, writing, observing, drawing. Poor turtle is so tired of my crew she's burrowed under some brush and called it a season.

::begging prayers

for all the people who have joined our weekend prayer community. I carried your requests with me to Mass and I will keep a candle lit for you throughout the week.

Several of you have asked about Elizabeth DeHority. She's seen both Emily and Sam off to school and settled in with her three younger boys. She's fighting this disease--hard. And the fight is, well, really hard. Your prayers are so much needed and even more appreciated. Cancer is a formidable foe.

::reading

Still reading  The Backyard Homestead. I desperately want to make this happen next spring. I can't have livestock, poultry, grains, or bees, so that "just" leaves the fruit, vegetables, and herbs sections. I can work with "only," right?

::keeping house

We always hear about spring cleaning. I'm feeling a major fall cleaning coming on. It makes sense to me. Just before we start closing ourselves into home for the winter, let's scrub it and dust it and clear out the clutter. I have the urge to make home cozy. First, make it ready and then make it home.

::towards being unplugged

Since Stephen's schedule gives me several hours a week in an internet cafe, I'm trying to limit my computer time to those chunks of time. It means that only these Monday almanacs are written in "real time" and other posts are queued up, a few at a time, over tea between 8:30 and 10:00, but I think that might be better, all the way around. It's still a work in progress, the rhythm of it all. I've also scheduled time for answering comments. Again, it's not always the same day as the comment is written and it's almost never in the moment, but the plan is to spend a chunk of time in the combox three times a week. I'm looking forward to the conversation. The rest of the time? I'm unplugged. 

::crafting in the kitchen 

We went apple picking Friday. Our yield was disappointing and I think we'll have to go again, but we do have about a bushel right now. Here's my challenge: grain-free, dairy-free things to do with apples. We've got applesauce. Now what?

::loving the moments

Mike replaced a toilet this weekend. That toilet hadn't worked properly for years. Literally. I remember hanging on to the phone with one hand, while Rebecca read fix-it-yourself toilet remedies to me on the other end about 5 years ago. It worked, but not great. Now, it's perfect. And you know, sometimes you don't know how much something bugs you until it doesn't bug you anymore. I'm actually loving the moments when the toilet flushes perfectly. Every. single. time.

::giving thanks 

for Facebook friends. I enjoy Facebook. I think I've learned what to post there and what not to post in order to keep things mostly pleasant and cheerful. Just now, Kamille from Redeeming the Table and I connected on Facebook. We're already friends on Twitter and Instagram and at MomHeart. But I'm happy to have found her on Facebook. (She's friend number 2,000 and I told her we really need drums and balloons and party. Or at least flourless cake. She's probably just the person for it.)

::living the liturgy

We're heading into Liturgical Year and Birthday Week Celebration overdrive, my friends. All the details from past years, mostly summed up here...

::planning for the week ahead

Hah! Here we go! Birthday Week begins at the end of this week. This week is about getting ready.

Michael turns 24 on Saturday.

Katie turns 10 on Sunday

Patrick turns 18 on Tuesday

Karoline turns 6 on Thursday

My big challenge: to personally remain free of grains, sugar, and dairy while making sweet celebrations for the birthday bunch.

More almanacs at Suscipio.

needle & thREAD

I'm finding my sewing rhythm again. I've picked out a few hours in the week that I can predictably sit in front of the sewing machine. That's a really good thing:-). This week, I made the Oliver + S Picnic Blouse in a Sandi Henderson floral from my stash. I made the 6 for Karoline. All her other Oliver + S clothes are 5s, but I wanted this one to fit until next summer. The sleeves are more like elbow-length sleeves on her than 3/4 length. Silly me, I should have had her try it on before I hemmed. Other than that, it's just as I'd hoped. It will work as a good layering shirt over a long-sleeved t-shirt or turtleneck when things turn cold. Karoline loves it and Sarah has already requested one. My sewing to-do list has grown quite long all of a sudden. Another needle &thREADer suggested that this pattern could easily be lengthened into a dress. I can see that in my near future.

At the suggestion of a friend to whom I confided my deep and earnest desire to live my life outside and turn my suburban half-acre into a farm, I have begun to read The Backyard Homestead. And the dreaming for spring begins anew:-). This time, those dreams will have concrete plans attached to them.

 

Does autumn call you into your sewing space? Are you thinking flannel pjs or cozy quilts? Or are you embroidering? Pulling a needle with thread through lovely fabric to make life more beautiful somehow? Would you share with us just a single photo (or more) and a brief description of what you're up to? Will you tell us about what you're reading, also? Would you talk sewing and books with us? I'd love that so much.

Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your blog post or your specific Flickr photo and not your main blog URL or Flickr Photostream. Please be sure and link to your current needle and thREAD post below in the comments, and not a needle and thREAD post from a previous week. If you don't have a blog, please post a photo to the needle & thREAD group at Flickr. 

       Include a link back to this post in your blog post or on your flickr photo page so that others who may want to join the needle and thREAD fun can find us! Feel free to grab a button here (in one of several colors) so that you can use the button to link:-)