The Handmade Dress

 I always get so happy for any bloom, I obsessively check them. I can be found outdoors in the mornings of early spring talking to any plant about to bloom, but a bloom indoors?! It's so rare and beautiful that it just gets me so excited! When the weather turns cold I can normally depend on an orchid or peace lily bloom, sometimes a begonia, and I have forced bulbs in water around January and February when I'm just itching to see life, but dear friends.... it's my snake plant this time! In all the years I've had snake plants I've never had one bloom! And I've tried! I always give them the entire summer vacation in the greenhouse and never had a bloom. This year when I brought all the plants inside I spotted this little shoot and I squealed! Then I showed the babies (my four youngest are ages 7-10 now but they will always be "the babies") and they squealed!  I thought I would show you guys too! Enjoy my almost bloom in a cozy corner of my kitchen where ...

 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...

Some of the big kids and I started keeping an art Journal this year. It's a fun and creative outlet, it allows for bonding time when we sit to draw together and talk about life. Sometimes things get complicated, the conversation takes an unexpected turn, feelings start getting involved, and I find myself saying something like this while holding a confused child ...."It's simple my angel...love is what makes us a family." then I realize that this will be something that they will need to hear often, another hole in this broken road called foster care that needs mending. I left the tree how it was, just a sketchy messy thing that will stay in the background, the words became my focus, love is what makes us a family. Love is all that matters.     Posted with Blogsy

  In the course of our morning routine which normally includes changing diapers, feeding the masses, getting the littles settled in the nursery, and the bigs started on school, we were blessed with a few variations. Don't be fooled by that statement, most mornings we are blessed with plenty of variations, however this morning told the tale of our patched together family perfectly. All three of the babies woke up with dirty diapers that also messed up their pajamas. I just add that to the growing pile of poop laundry in the laundry room. After that I had conversation with my almost 4 year old about which kids came out of my belly and which ones didn't, and can they all STILL be her brothers and sisters please because she really loves them all. "Yes love, they will always be your brothers and sisters even until you are as old as mama!" Finally everyone was settled but then a big kid came downstairs to say that there was a fight going down in the schoolroom. While gettin...

My kids have been waiting for two weeks for their belongings to be shipped from their last foster home. They came with clothes and school supplies, that's all. Today was the day! A huge Fed Ex truck pulled up and a big, tough looking guy came to the door "ma'am I need you to sign, I've got five big boxes for you." As I signed his tablet I yelled "Guys y'all come help! The boxes are here!" Nine kids (some being carried) came swarming out of the house and met him at the door of the truck as he walked back. I could see the look in his eye, I was bracing for a few possible questions (questions NEVER offend me by the way, but I do send up a petition for God to give me gentle answers so that we can be a witness) he looked back and forth at them all confused...about that time he handed out the first box and the kids enthusiastically passed it to the porch assembly line style. He seemed surprised and gave me a confused/questioning glance. I answered his loo...

After a 17 month long paper trail Lyric's brothers are finally with us as foster children!!!! We picked them up from the airport on Wednesday and we are so happy to have them here! They are AMAZING kids! Please pray for us through this transition. xoxo, Sam   Posted with Blogsy

Trying to focus on this today!!! I pray this encourages other mamas in the trenches of motherhood as it did me. xo, Sam Posted with Blogsy

I think everyone that knows me would agree that I'm a really good mom. I am. I'm not being cocky or self absorbed, but that's what I was born to do and I have worked very hard everyday for almost 13 years to be good at my job as mama. Now let me tell you a story, about Mother's Day when my third child was about 18 months old. The week before I had been bragging about how I could "NEVER!" leave one of my precious children in a hot car!!! What kind of mother would do that?! I mean what could be more important?! Some selfish idiot obviously. I mean I was an expert mom at this point ya know, THREE whole kids, a natural birthing, breastfeeding pro, my dear children had never been "harmed" by a SINGLE vaccination, I was a natural/attached parenting guru before it was even cool! I knew it ALL! Co-sleeping, extended breast feeding, growing our own food, we built our own home, had acres and acres of land, planned to homeschool, and after all I was 25 for he...

I captured her beauty and bravery...she captured my heart.....     My heart has been called to start a new little ministry to help cancer patients feel beautiful. My plan was carried out for the very first time this week and it filled my heart to the brim!! The idea is to let them put on their favorite outfit, help them with their make-up, give them a henna crown, and then do a photoshoot! I was so nervous for my first experience. I prayed, had friends praying, and felt all inadequate, I mean what if I say the wrong thing? What if it bothers them? What if I mess up? What if they hate it? When I saw my new friend Margaret for the first time, all of those fears melted away. And God linked our hearts immediately, and the woman I came to minister to, ministered to me. Isn't that the way He works? Her bravery, faith, and inner beauty were astounding! The next day she got the news she has been waiting on...."remission" from breast cancer! I've already got a few more friend...

(Taken by the lovely Melissa Lyon West ) While I was away with baby Lottie on my trip a couple of weeks ago (4 nights!) Ben and the kids sent me this video! Bwahahahaha! Enjoy!! xo, Sam PS. I can't upload the video to the blog because it was made with a video ap, but you can See the video HERE!     Posted with Blogsy