The Handmade Dress

 Good morning friends, how are you all? I'm up before the kids, as usual, waiting on my running buddy to arrive, laying out plans for a smooth homeschool day, thinking about dinner prep as we have some family stopping by this evening.....and my mind keeps drifting to how beautiful our Thanksgiving break was. Molly came home to spend the night with us and she and I stayed up late watching movies. It was so good for my soul! We got to talk about all of our favorite books and friends (characters from our favorite books) and live in our own secret world again for a day. I also had Marcus home with us for the break. I guess you wouldn't know him here, but he is one of my sweet boys, I'll introduce him one day. We had a bonfire with everyone and we sang and played around a fire like old times....it was just that soul warming kind of good. The kind of calm that can only be appreciated fully after a few hard years. Anyhow, I'm grateful, and I just wanted to say that.  xo, Sam

I’m 42 now, and I have 7 of my 9 kids left at home, ages 7 to 18. Life has changed a lot in the last several years but more recently it looks a lot like it did when I left this place. My days are full, I homeschool, cook, sew and knit when I can, garden, and I still try to live as slowly as possible. I’ve given this, writing a blog again, a lot of thought over the last month and it feels overwhelming to do a big catch up post….so I’m planning a slow and steady reintroduction where I share moments from our days.  Today is Penny Pie’s 9th birthday! Can you believe that? She’s sitting next to me working on her schoolwork singing “He Know’s My Name!” With a few adult children grown and flown I can promise you that I’m cherishing every single minute.  Sam

 I'm feeling the pull to write again, so tonight I busted into this old account to see if I could still get in. I almost can't believe it worked! I have a lot to say but it's late and I have kids needing to be homeschooled tomorrow. If anyone is still here, hello old friend. <3 Sam

Two things, my Etsy shop is now open for the summer with lots of bohemian goodness, and that gorgeous girl pictured above is my little Molly. The little girl who was FIVE years old when I started this blog. Sigh... In the shop I have henna kits, Bohemian Gypsy Bags, essential oil perfume, patterns, and leather feathers! Scoot on over and check it out! And look for more updates soon!! xo, Sam       Posted with Blogsy

Y'all, I love the look of converse, but rarely put them on my little ones because of the laces, and them coming untied, or getting knotted, or mercy, even getting pulled out and then lost! With 4 children 4 and under and 5 older ones to get out the door we always reach for the slip ons. This morning I had a pair with no laces and was temped to just sew them to the middle flap to make them slip ons because the kids were headed camping with my mom and they needed shoes on that I could wash. That is when the heavens opened and it dawned on me that if we had elastic shoe laces that we wouldn't have to tie them. Ahhhhhh! After quick dig through my elastic bin I found this 1/2" green elastic (it's not FOE just normal elastic), I laced them, tried them on, tightened them up, tied the ends in knots and done! Slip on shoes!!! How did I not think of this before?! I went ahead and did two more pair. I love me a good mom hack! xo, Sam   Posted with Blogsy

Do y'all remember this?! Ha! I was pregnant with Penny! Well that purse has been my favorite purse of all time, but sadly after 5 years of faithful service it was falling apart! For months I have looked for a replacement but NOTHING has panned out and the ones that I did actually like were hundreds of dollars. I have 9 hungry kids, I can't drop hundreds on a purse. The other night I was sitting there dreaming of a colorful bohemian/gypsy purse that would work for a hippie mama like me when I spotted a rug in my living room! Woot! Woot! That's it! So before my dentist appointment the next day I bribed my children (with homemade cake) to let me sew while they watched the babies. I added a favorite scarf gifted from my sweet friend Heidi, and done!! So fast and after months of waiting! I read a blog post not long ago that said "the bigger the bag, the smaller the waist", hahaha! Well I took it to heart! I need all the help I can get! The moral of the story is thi