A new frock. :)

 The first thing I sewed up in my improved sewing loft was this little pink and white striped frock. I thought of doing it in white but then this pink just looked so spring-like that I chose it.

The wide lace across the front just makes it! I'm thinking of making Easter sewing easy on myself this year....

For this dress I used the Miss Violet bodice, lengthened about 1 1/2", I gathered the bodice up a bit, and added a skirt 1 1/2 times the width of the bodice. Those three tiny changes made a whole lot of difference! If I make Molly one I will use the Miss Lily pattern and omit the bubble. There won't be the neck ruffle, but I think she will like it better plain anyhow. Easy Easter....that just sounds lovely. :) xo, Sam

Sewing Loft Reorganized

Two weeks ago, this place really had me down. Blah. It was so messy, and unorganized, and uninspiring, and in need of a major overhaul. You see for a very long time this was The Handmade Dress office and sewing loft. Then Ben built his office and moved all of the office stuff (printers, paper folder, desks) out and into it's own place. That left me with a lot of holes that just slowly filled with a mish mash of junk that didn't really have a permanent home. UGH. It was so overwhelming after market that I just felt like burning it all! Well, maybe it wasn't that serious, but it felt that serious for a while. :) That's when I made a call to my best girl, Kim. She is the organizing and party planning genius of our group of friends. She rescued me!! She came and got me straight! Ahhhhhh.....so much better. We worked for EIGHT hours in this room. We went through EVERY button jar, project bag, fabric bin, ribbon basket, sketched paper pile.... It was a long day. Now, I am once again in love with this space. And Kim, you rock my face off! I owe you big time! So let me show you friends around... Above you can see the cutting station, craft station, and drafting table.

My drafting table. Yesterday I did a lot of painting. I painted the corner shelf and added it to the drafting area, I think that's going to help to keep my drafting table from being so cluttered.

This area used to house our printer (ha! That was before we had such a beast of a printer like we do now) now it's perfect for holding all of those crafty bits of things that needed a home. I hung a coat hook in the back to hang gift bags. I love sewing on and decorating gift bags to give with handmade goodies! 

 Here is my desk and cutting station. The filing cabinets used to hold patterns, but now, it's full of yarn! Organized by weight in those clear zip up bags that come with comforters and sheet sets. I love being able to find my yarn all in one place!!!

 I painted that picture frame white yesterday too, I love this embroidered piece! It makes me happy and I can pin pattern pieces to it to keep them out of my way. The white frame just made it fit in this space so much better.

 With all of these improvements it was time for more pattern weights. Over time my old ribbon wrapped bolts have been lost and taken off by kids, so I made more. This time I used strips of fabric to wrap them.

Now I'm all stocked up! I don't know what they are more useful for, keeping kids occupied building and stacking them or holding pattern pieces down.....

Now  for my favorite improvement of all! I painted this old tea hutch to hold all of the jars of buttons, crochet hooks, clothes pins, and bits that we found! Pink and white with wooden buttons for drawer pulls! I love it!

All of those baskets are full of laces, ribbons, trims, and elastics. Sooooo much better! Mary helped us that day too, and she organized and refolded all of my fabric by color.

Now I am so excited about Easter sewing!!! And pattern making, and crafting, and eek! Just sitting here and soaking it all in! YAY! xo, Sam

Our Adoption Profiile

This is what it says about us:

Samantha loves children and is a stay at home mom who homeschools and runs a small homebased business. Samantha teaches the boy's Sunday school class at church. Samantha was a pediatric nurse at Children's Hospital before her first child was born and she decided to stay at home. Samantha enjoys sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, crafting, and teaching children.Ben is the oldest of twelve children, he is a wonderful father and husband that enjoys spending time with his family. He is a firefighter that also works in the music ministry at church. Ben enjoys farming/gardening, fixing computers, and doing outdoor activities with his family.


Ben and Samantha have been married for 11 years, and they have four birth children; Molly (10), Timothy (almost 8), Madeline (6), and Claire (almost 1 year). As a family they enjoy camping, bike riding, climbing, hiking, traveling, watching movies, learning new things, and spending time together. They love going on family adventures! They live on ten acres of land in a house that they built themselves! Their property has swimming holes, big gardens, places to camp, and lots of nature trails.


They are very excited about adding to their family through adoption and they can't wait for their first big family adventure with their WHOLE family!

What it doesn't say -and what I have been thinking, and finally decided to write down, because I want my child or children to one day read it and know how we missed them and wanted them before they were here:

We love you. We pray for you every single day. We pray that you are happy, healthy, and with foster parents who love you very much and take good care of you while you wait. We talk about you all the time. At home we call you "little broders" or "baby broders" (when we started the adoption Tim couldn't say brother, he said "broders" and it stuck). We know you aren't a baby but the "big broders" and "baby broders" stuck too, that's what we call Tim... I know that you may be involved in sports or other activities before you come home, and it may look like we aren't into that kind of thing, but we can learn! I played softball as a kid. I think I can remember how it all works! I know it may be hard to get to know all of us when you first come home, we understand. If you want to be hugged we can do that, but if you need your space we can do that too (even though it may be hard, we really like to hug). :) Waiting is hard! We have been trying to find you for so long, it has been almost three years since we started looking! I know we are right here at the end (any day now they will call us and tell us who you are) but it still seems like it's taking forever. Hey, don't be freaked out by the homeschool thing, we aren't super-nerds or anything....just creative. We like to learn about what we are the most interested in while we are interested in it (and in our PJ's whenever possible). We also like to play and go on trips whenever we want, which is pretty awesome! And don't worry, we have lots and lots of friends and we are with them several times a week. That profile sounds so proper and stuffy, we really aren't like that at all. We laugh a whole lot! We are silly and we are always playing jokes on one another. We love to have fun! We know that you may actually be two different people, a brother and a sister or a brother and a brother....we are excited about that too! If that's the case this is written to you both! We love you sweetheart, and we can't wait for you to finally be home!

The Shawlette

It's done and has been taken. It was supposed to be for me, but my little Madeline started saying as I knit the last few rows...."Mama, I really like that." and "Mama, will you make me one just like that?" and "Mama, I know what would look cute with that thang." She did know what would look cute with it of course. Cause Maddie always knows what looks cute. :)

I have no idea how a six year old, who is tiny for her age (still in 4/5 sized clothes), can look so grown up and stylish....but she pulls it off....somehow. Isn't it funny how these little ones just develop these amazing personalities with no help from us?

I used a free pattern to make this shawlette, you can see all of my Ravelry notes HERE. It was fast, fun, mindless knit, knit, knitting! xo, Sam

Claire's big day!

Yesterday was a big day for Claire Louise (or Claire-bell, that's her nick name)! First I caught her in a chatty mood before church, where she was willing to talk on video! You know how babies are, as soon as you start the video they usually hush and just want to get at your camera, well yesterday I finally got footage of some of her cute words! I do hate my voice in there, ughhh, why must we sound so weird on video?

Then just before bed last night she decided to walk! Aunt Mary had some fruit chews leading her along, it was too adorable. I can't believe my babe is walking. I've known it was coming for a month or more because she has been walking the 1 to 3 steps between the coffee table and the couch, but now it's the real deal. I can't believe my baby will be ONE in 8 days.....sigh. Where did it go? I hope you enjoy our little home movies. Watching I just can't help but remember "That's a little walking miracle baby!" xo, Sam
PS. Her new nickname is walkie-talkie! :)

Lets cook cabbage!

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes! My sweet friend Cami taught me to make it. Cami is from Romania and she says that it is a very common dish there. It's has a very savory flavor and is  great alone or as a side dish. Let's get started!

You will need a head of cabbage, an onion, 4-5 slices of turkey bacon (or sausage, or whatever you like), salt, olive oil, dill, and sour cream (optional).

Have your helper peel your onion, and then you dice it up and saute it in a little olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of water.

While the onions are getting started cut up the turkey bacon into small pieces.

Now throw those in.

Now chop the cabbage up into 1-2" pieces.

Throw it all in.

I add in a teaspoon of salt (I really like salt) maybe you should start with half that and then see what you think. Then I sprinkle the top with the dill seasoning. My friend Cami also adds a seasoning called summer savory. I haven't been able to find this in America. Her mom brings it to her from back home. If you can get your hands on some, add that too! It's awesome!

Stir all of that in and wait...

...or knit, whatever.... I usually cook it until the white pieces of cabbage look kind of clear and the green pieces are bright green.

Taste it. I like mine lightly cooked, Cami usually cooks hers down more to where it has a caramel brown tint to it. It's really good either way.

Then put it on a plate and add a dab of sour cream. (Doesn't sour cream sound weird? I remember thinking that too! But try it! It's amazing!)  Now eat and knit. :)

Payin' For My Raisin'

Last evening after dinner, everyone was done with their jobs around the house except for Molly. Molly was still washing dishes (this child is as slow as Christmas people). We were all waiting on her to start a documentary and we couldn't wait! So I call "Molly! Just leave the rest I'll get them in a little bit!" She calls back desprately "Mama please can I just finish?! I've been telling myself a story and it's just getting interesting!" The first thought that flashed through my mind was "Oh Lord, this is what I get for raising these kids listening to Lucy Maud Montgomery stories since before they could walk." But I think some would say "You're payin' for your raising." I probably am, I remember doing almost the exact same thing as a young girl. I also remember the time I burst out laughing at the dinner table and my dad asked "What's so funny?" I answered "I just told myself a joke!" He of course thought that was funnier than my joke, and I just couldn't understand why. I get it now. :) I let her finish the dishes. xo, Sam

I Heart Weekends





As it turns out..

 

 ...the hardest thing I've had to do all day is think about which button is the perfect button for this project....

...I also did a little dreaming about the dress or dresses that I want to make to go under this cardigan. I'm thinking one floral and one soft white eyelet....hmm...maybe she needs three? Maybe one should be a skirt with leggings. I do so love those chubby legs in leggings. Or maybe a short dress with leggings...

 It's Saturday, daddy is at the helm, and mama is knitting, planning, dreaming...Happy Saturday friends! xo, Sam

The kind of day I'm having

 Knitting, coffee, Dove chocolate (thank you hunny)...

 ...a nice view, a warm fire, a pudgy baby playing music with kindling....

 ...a big girl curled up under a quilt reading "Life in Ancient Mesopotamia" (they are loving the Tapestry of Grace)...

...and the playful noises filtering in from the porch.

Now I could change my perspective and tell you that at this very moment that lovely wood bowl full of fossils and pine cones is all over the floor, that I bumped my coffee just after I took that picture and all three of those pretty doilies are now soaking in the sink, that by the time I got back to the coffee it was only luke warm but I drank it anyway, that I still haven't got a chance to eat that chocolate, that the playful noises quickly turned to screaming because Maddie busted her lip, that not one row has been knit or purled on that cardigan today, that my ears are aching again (I guess the antibiotic shot just didn't get all of the infection), that I'm worn out because I haven't slept in over a week because my sweet babe is teething, that my middle two children seem to be at war this week......Yes, I could sit and think on allllll that, but how would I feel if I focused on that? Frustrated? Angry? Done? Defeated? Yep. So on days (and weeks) like this, I make it a point to CHOOSE the kind of day I'm having. Today I choose to focus on a few moments when everything was going great, on the fact that Molly is cooking lunch so that I don't have to, on the breakthrough that happened this morning when Tim got up and did his school start to finish without even being told, on how much better today is for Claire (yay! We finally have a tooth!), on the upcoming date night with Ben (I love having things to look forward to), on Maddie loving to french braid my hair and me LOVING to have my hair played with, on how much the kids are getting out of the new homeschool curriculum (Tapestry of Grace) and how they are soaking it up like little sponges, on the fact that I just found out that my sis is having a BOY so I have a new nephew to knit for! You see? It's all in the way I CHOOSE to look at it. I've said over and over, that this mothering gig is tough stuff sometimes, but just like Molly said this morning as we cleaned up after breakfast "Babies are a lot of work, but they are worth it ain't they mama?" Yes love. It's a lot of work, but it's the most worthwhile thing I will do in my lifetime. I really hope that you have a great day today too! xo, Sam