The Handmade Dress

Why We LOVE Homeschooling

2012-02-06T18:54:00.001-06:00

One day, THREE knit shops!

2012-02-04T20:39:00.003-06:00

(Ben brought me the flowers the day he left...*love*)

Today my sis and I hit all of the local knit shops. Every shop within an hour of home, two of them we have never been to before! Our sweet parents, Nanna and Papa, kept the eight monkeys for us. OH MY GOODNESS we had so much fun!

This is what I came home with. First I'll tell you about the Berrocco Comfort DK yarn, oh my goodness this yarn is so soft and perfect for babies, it is self striping in the most adorable colors, AND with the purchase I got the hat pattern for FREE. They had a sample knit up in the shop and it was too cute. A handmade baby gift for $2 or less? Yes please! Then I got this knit magazine because it had loads of beautiful projects in it for a great price. I'm considering getting a subscription to a knit magazine, what's your favorite? I also bought my very first bottle of Eucalan in the lavender scent, I have heard very good things about this wool wash. Lastly, I got these 9" circular needles. Who didn't tell me that they had 9" circulars??? Oh my goodness! These things could change my life! My hope is that they will help me not hate sleeves! And I have really wanted to try sock knitting, but I've been afraid to because I hate sleeves too much, THIS may be the answer! Have any of you ever tried these before?

Today was such a good day. I even got a nap when we got home....so perfect. :) I love my Mama and Daddy, Rae and I really needed today. Our husbands have been in the mountains since Wednesday and they come back home tomorrow. I can't wait! xo, Sam

PS. For those local gals who may want to visit the shops we went to, they were (our favorite) In the Making, and the new to us shops Memory Hagler Knitting and Yarns Downtown.

The Spring Cardi

2012-02-03T10:38:00.000-06:00

I know what you are thinking....How many cardigans does one one year old need? And is that all that crazy lady does is knit? And my answers would be, a girl can never have enough, and maybe...I'll never tell! Ha! No, I needed to jump right into another project while the boys are gone. Ben and a few of his brothers, cousins, and friends have gone to the mountains to "rough it" for a few days, so Rae (my sis) and I are hunkered down with our eight kids "roughin' it" here at my house. Yesterday we sat on the porch, talked, let the kids play, and worked on projects until the skeeters ran us back in the house at dusk. Can you believe we still have skeeters? That's what happens when your winter is mostly just days in the upper 60's and low 70's, lots of bugs. Anyhow, on to the cardigan! I started this little cardigan with some cotton I had here. I decided I wanted a little color so I added these stripes of different stash yarns. I think I like it! You can see my Ravelry notes HERE.

(Ravelry notes for this one HERE)

This is the one I made her this past summer. I wanted her new one to be a little different so I did 1x1 rib instead of garter stitch along the neck and I plan to do the same above the sleeves and along the bottom edge. With this weather it looks like we will get a lot more wear out of this cardigan than the last one! xo, Sam

Done!

2012-02-01T16:31:00.001-06:00

I did it! I finished it and even took pictures -instead of waiting to take "good" pictures when the weather is perfect, and then forgetting to take pictures altogether like I have been doing. I LOVE this cardigan! You know, I think this is the first knitting project that I am completely happy with. I'm usually slightly disappointed by the fit, or the yarn, the drape, or something like that. This time I'm really happy about the whole project.

The yarn is Berrocco Vintage. This line has great colors, a great feel, AND a great price at under $8 a skein! I still have enough left over to make another sweater too. I bought mine at a local shop called In the Making.

You can see my Ravelry notes HERE. The pattern was super easy and a free download. I was a little nervous about the ribbed button band that had to be picked up along the front, but like most things, when I just started it was much easier than I thought it would be. So now I get to start a new project! And shop for a new project! I'm thinking something for spring! I'll let you know what I decide. :) xo, Sam

PS. I wanted it to be noted that I, Samantha Caffee, did finish her daughters first birthday gift 27 days early. I think that's a new world record for me! :)

Claire's Birthday Gift

2012-01-31T11:43:00.001-06:00

(Ravelry notes HERE)

I have Claire's birthday gift almost done! BUT I was losing the motivation to finish because (insert whiny voice) the sleeves are my least favorite parrrrrrt. I really can't wait to see her in this sweater so today I picked out this outfit and hung it all up together. I was hoping that it would give me the motivation I needed to finish these sleeves today. Oh my goodness! She is going to be so cute in this! I'm doing it! Another major motivation is that I'm going to the yarn shop this week and I make myself finish a project before I can get the yarn for the next one.

Can you believe it has been almost a year since my little miracle baby was born? I can't. I just don't see where the time has gone. I do know that I have made the best of it! I'm not going to look back over her first year and wish I had spent more time with her! Nope. I have gobbled it all up, soaked it all in, let all of the other stuff go, and really enjoyed my baby. I don't know if it was my age, fourth baby, or how long we waited and how hard we fought to get her here, but I did enjoy my baby, and I'm really proud of that. We all have really! She has every single one of us wrapped up! Just this morning Molly was saying "Mama, aren't you glad she's ours?" Yes Love, I'm so glad. xo, Sam

Sometimes....

2012-01-25T22:52:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, in order to knit one more row. Babe asleep on the end of my recliner...Perfect. :) xo, Sam

Tornadoes in Alabama

2012-01-23T05:39:00.002-06:00

We are safe. We don't know the damage done yet, but all of our family is safe and has no major damage. My Aunt Wendy said that she knows of people who lost their homes by word of mouth, but that's probably all we will know until daylight. I just wanted to check-in. Praise God he has protected us once again! I will never take that for granted again! The kids and I stayed in the hallway with a mattress underneath and a mattress over our heads! I'm not sure that I have ever talked to so many friends and family members on the phone at 3 AM before. I just got all of the kids back to sleep, poor babies, Maddie was absolutely histerical. It is very REAL to us still. I've had 1 hour of sleep so I'm headed to bed. I'll be praying for those who have lost property, and praying that this didn't take any lives. Blessed. xo, Sam

P.S. Just got the news that someone in our area was killed. Praying...

My two pictures

2012-01-19T20:17:00.002-06:00

Market was this past weekend and this is literally THE ONLY two pictures I took the entire time! Oh well, we had a good time! Claire is wearing the Miss Claire skirt, I just left the edges unfinished and added some gathered netting peeking out between the layers. I plan to get better pictures of it this week (as soon as I find my camera charger).

(waking up from her nap)

Tonight I'm gearing up for the madness that is our Friday routine. It involves taking eight kids to ballroom dancing class, Paw-Paw day, and bike riding. Bring it on. :) xo, Sam

A few things I've started :)

2012-01-18T12:31:00.000-06:00

This is my PILE of works-in-progress right now...I know. Let me explain. I started the little green fairy hat first, but then I decided to change to 16" needles instead of using 2 circulars. I ordered them from THIS nice lady and they are on their way (probably in my box now!). Then I started the brown baby hat so that I could have something going while I wait on those needles.....THEN, I got a chance to visit the yarn shop and I decided that I MUST get started on a new cardigan for Claire so that I can give it to her for her birthday...so there you have it. All of my excuses why I need three projects going all at once. Seems perfectly reasonable to me. :)

Oh, and because I know someone will ask. Yes, that is the Stitch' N "Knit" The Knitter's Handbook in my bag. It was the most helpful book (because of the lack of knitting lingo) I used (and still refer to) as a beginner. Yes, I taped over every single "word" on the covers, and I spent a very long evening covering every "word" inside with a sharpie. Yes, I'm that mom. Moving right along... :)

Just so that I don't seem too bad, I should tell you that I did finish this hat! I wanted Ben to have a new hat to go with his favorite jacket. He likes it because it's not itchy like last years hat. :)

We are at a place in homeschooling, with a new reader and new curriculum, that I need to be available (sitting close by and able to drop what I'm doing) the entire time we do school everyday, so I'm getting a lot more knitting done lately! I also take my knitting with me for our Granny day so I hope to have lots of finished projects coming up soon! xo, Sam

PS. Thank you guys SO MUCH for all of the comments, emails, and information about Granny! I feel like we have a few leads, and that gives me HOPE! You guys are AMAZING and I love you all. xo

My Heart

2012-01-13T09:57:00.002-06:00

My heart has been in knots for the last few weeks. My sweet Granny, my best friend, my biggest fan...is battling a horrible disease called Parkinson's. We have known this for years. In fact, I was the one who noticed the first sign that something was wrong. It was during one of our long lazy days that Granny and I call "porch days". It feels like my heart is being wrung out almost constantly. For the last several weeks she has been struggling...suffering...and I can't stand it. A few months ago she was keeping my kids while I would go to the doctor, or store, or to run errands, now we are going to take care of her for the day. She can't sleep, she is so stiff that she can't turn over or move. She isn't responding well to medicines. She isn't even "old"! She's only 64! She believes that God is going to heal her, when she is up at night, not able to rest, her and my Paw-Paw read the Bible and cry out to God. She is leaning on Him for every step...and so shall I. Sometimes that's a really hard thing to do though, and I admit I'm struggling a little.

So all of that brings me to this...A cry for help. We have searched high and low, emailed, Facebooked, and called, if anyone has any experience with Parkinson's treatment please let us know. She has tried all of the medicines but they just aren't working. She would really like to try some natural/herbal medicines, but we have no idea where to start. The information on Parkinson's is so...well, nonexistant. Her major problems right now aside from the usual unsteady, shaky, Parkinson's symptoms, are weight loss (she is down to 90lbs), trouble getting sleep (a four hour night is a good night), and being stiff. And extra prayers would be greatly appreciated too. I know that God has a bigger plan for my precious Granny!

If you need to get in touch with me you can call me at 205-433-9040, email me at mamacaffee@hotmail.com, or comment here. Thanks friends. xo, Sam

PS. Isn't she beautiful?!

Why Hello!

2012-01-12T17:18:00.000-06:00

Hello friends! 2012 has found us in our favorite place in the world! Outside. :) We have had a load of 60 degree days since Christmas, and with new bikes to play with, we haven't been home much. All of the kids (besides Claire) are now old enough for big bike rides, so we have been on several new adventures.

We have had some major stress going on too, but I'm not quite ready to talk about that. I've been doing some knitting therapy. :)

I really really miss you guys. In (almost) five years I have never been away from my blog for this long. I want you all to know that I really do appreciate each and every one of you. I guess I have realized that more since I've been gone. I'll be back soon, I promise. :) xo, Sam

Our Rescuer

2011-12-21T13:25:00.002-06:00

Today I wanted to share some of my favorite words from our favorite children's Bible "The Jesus Storybook Bible". I think it's just perfect for Christmas!

"No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life! You see, the best thing about this story - is that it's true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this story. And at the center of this story, there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture. And this is no ordinary baby. This is the Child upon whom everything would depend. This is the Child who would one day - but wait. Our story starts where all good stories start. Right at the very beginning...."

"You see no matter what, in spite of everything God would love his children - with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love. And though they would forget him, and run from him, deep in their hearts, God's children would miss him always, and long for him - lost children yearning for their home."

I have a few more gifts to make, but aside from that I'm as ready as I'll ever be for this Christmas. After the news we just received I think this will be one that my family NEVER forgets! I want it to be remembered as loving, thoughtful, fun, relaxed, full of excitement as we wait on our new addition, and FULL OF CHRIST!

Are you ready? I pray that this will be an unforgettable Christmas for you too! xo, Sam

Our Christmas Miracle!!!

2011-12-20T19:28:00.001-06:00

WE WERE APPROVED BY DHR, AND WE ARE NOW WAITING FOR A MATCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After almost three years of wondering if we would ever really make it this far......Praise God it's HERE!!!! We could be weeks away from meeting our new child (or children)!!! Weeks, not YEARS!

Talk about a Christmas miracle! As we celebrate the Greatest Adoption Story ever told this season, my family will also be celebrating this amazing breakthrough in our own adoption story. Friends there have been times over the last three years that I felt like we would never make it here. We had so many dreams shattered along the way that it seemed like an impossible task. BUT HE IS FAITHFUL!!!! There are absolutely NO WORDS to describe the way I feel right now! I've cried, I've laughed, I've called, I've texted, I've jumped, I've danced and I've said how I can't believe it at least two thousand times! We MADE IT!!!!! Very soon I will get to meet the person that has the missing pieces of my heart, I will get to hear their voice, get to know their heart, learn what their favorite meal is, know what makes them feel better when they are sick or hurt, I get to finally be their mama. Timothy will finally know what its like to have a brother!!! We get to be a WHOLE family!!!

Ahhhhhh.....it's nice to be here. Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us friends. I'm honored and blessed beyond measure to have so many sweet friends that care about my family! MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!!!!!!!! xo, Sam

Jesus On Facebook

2011-12-19T09:30:00.002-06:00

They showed this at church last night. It's so cute that I just had to share it with you guys! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Merry Christmas friends! xo, Sam

We are back home.

2011-12-17T14:08:00.001-06:00

We made a little visit to Children's Hospital this week. Very soon after I wrote my last post my babe became very sick. She couldn't hold down anything. After 36 hours of vomiting, and a visit to the doctor, Thursday morning we ended up in Children's. I had a dream the night before that she had a blockage. She hadn't had a dirty diaper since Monday and she only had a low grade (99) temp. It wasn't just a tummy bug. Sure enough the X-ray showed a suspicious bit of intestine that had likely turned inside of itself (like a telescope) creating a blockage. They said that it was probably happening intermittently, which is very common at this age. She was admitted for observation and IV fluids until she could keep herself hydrated and yesterday we brought her home WELL. My goodness how these little ones can scare the life right out of ya! We thank God that he once again protected our little Claire. This condition could have been much worse, some children have to have it corrected surgically. This week we were reminded again of what a HUGE miracle her little life is. I think God has big plans for my little Claire Louise! xo, Sam

PS. Claire stayed on the same floor that I used to work on. Do you know how old I felt when I told the young nurse "Eleven years ago I used to be a nurse on this floor!" She was sweet and said "Eleven years ago? Girl you don't look that old." A decade makes a big difference in the medical world, it was crazy how many changes there were!

Ceramic Painting

2011-12-13T12:17:00.002-06:00

Today I'm playing with ceramic paint for the first time! It's so much fun, but I'm not all that good at it yet. I think the pens would be easier, but I got this kit with my 50% off Michael's coupon so it was much cheaper than buying a bunch of different pens. I got the mugs at the Dollar Tree.

My plan is to practice up and then make myself a whole set using miss matched white pieces from the thrift store. Wouldn't that be delightfully odd? Miss matched dishes all painted with the same theme? I like it! I just need to get better at it. I think my brushes may be too stiff because they are leaving lines in the paint.

By the way, you are welcome to look at the mess in the background. :) Claire put that there for me. My sweet chubby little babe, she loves playing by the tree. I am so grateful for little baby messes around the house again! In the last two months she has gotten so mobile that she has been keeping us in messes to enjoy. :) xo, Sam

We will go west in....

2011-12-09T10:05:00.001-06:00

A vintage Airstream! A 1962, 24', Tradewind to be exact. Woot woot!! Yep, we didn't even own the popup for an entire month before we traded in her in for an older model. I bet you're thinking who trades a perfectly good popup in for a gutted clunker? Well, I guess we do! I know she's a little rough around the edges, but ain't she a bute?

Craigs List, I thank you. We were able to sell the old camper and buy her for the same price. Our plan is to work hard building and fixing all year and have her ready to go by October. Our new family member (or members) should be home by then too!

Once she's done we would like to be able to take 4-5 trips a year, some short and some long. As a family we decided that traveling is what we want to be doing for the next few years, but as this new exciting chapter of our life books begins, another had to end. We can't run a farm and not be here. The big gardens are fine, we probably won't travel in the Summer anyhow, but it wouldn't be fair to leave the animals so much. We feel good about it! Our animals have had a good life here and they will go to a nice loving home to live.

So now we have a lot of work to do! We plan to start in the next few weeks, I'll keep you posted on our progress. If anyone has any cool links to redone airstreams, send them my way! Oh, it's going to be so cute! xo, Sam

Our Gypsy Travels :: The Maiden Voyage :)

2011-12-07T09:15:00.002-06:00

Finally here I am writing about our first trip! I say first because there will be more, oh so many more after this! In fact, when we got home we made some pretty big changes in our lifestyle, and made some big decisions about how "Our Gypsy Travels" will fit into our life from now on (more about that next week).

Our only real plan was to get to the Blue Ridge Parkway and play it by ear from there. We headed out with a popup from Alabama, and before it was over we had been through seven states (and a district Molly says). We went from Alabama to Maryland and had a blast!

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Our travel rules are simple:

-Have fun

-Spend as little money as possible, but see the most we can

- For every busy day we take a day of rest

-If we have seen all we want to see we need to "move on"

-Always leave a place better than you found it

-Try to only eat food that we prepared (that kinda went along with the money thing)

Day 1: Our maiden voyage began on a Thursday morning, the 13th of October. We were all excited and ready for our new adventure! We decided the week before to start at the Blue Ridge Parkway. This weekend was said to be the best as far as fall color goes, "peak color" they said, and it was perfect! Our plan was to make it to the first National Park on the Parkway, Mt. Pisgah, and camp. The last hour of the 10 hour drive was pretty bad. It was raining, cold, dark, and we were completely worn out...we pulled into Mt. Pisgah at 8pm and set up camp in the dark. Ben wrote in our travel journal (he is such a funny sarcastic writer) ""The last hour of our drive was rainy and miserable. We all wanted to die. The drive was so long that Tim asked "When are we gunna land." The best thing about Mt. Pisgah, they have a shower!

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Day 2: Ben wrote "Woke up cold!!! Had eggs and turkey bacon, then straight to town for more blankets and Claire a hot-suit." Ha! Yes, it was cold! We left weather that was still in the 80's, we were in shock. Claire's "hot-suit" was a fleece bear suit. We ate hot wings cooked over the fire and Molly made some of my Granny's famous fried taters. It was a feast! We went to a camp fire talk about bears too that was very interesting, and slightly un-nerving. The girls and I walked to the bath house a little louder after that talk! We waited in line for showers, there is only 1 for girls and 1 for boys, but we are grateful). Good move. :)

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Day 3:We woke up warm!! We went on a guided hike with Ranger Lou. In talking to her we found out that she and her husband have been on the road in their fifth wheel for the last 12 years. We had hobo stew for dinner, so good. That night in the camper we played UNO and the loser had to sing everything they said until bed. Ben lost! Ha! I laughed so hard I cried!

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Day 4: Pancake breakfast and coffee by the camp fire. We already had a fair amount of dirty duds and we wanted to head to Biltmore the next day so we headed to town and found a laundromat. Now that was an adventure! Who knew that a laundromat could be such an interesting place for the kids? We got a few snacks at the Dollar General next door and headed back up the mountain. On the way back to camp we drove to Looking Glass Falls. It was beautiful! We waited for the showers again so that they wouldn't kick us out of Biltmore. :)

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Day 5: Biltmore, the biggest house in America, was AMAZING! We stayed all day! The kids were so excited, we saw it all! When we headed back to camp that night we decided that we had done all we wanted to do in North Carolina. It was time to move on. Within an hour of being back at camp we were packed and back on the road. Shenandoah or bust! Loft Mountain National Park, we heard you have showers, here we come.
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Day 6: Ben wrote "Arrived in Shenandoah at approximately 3AM. Crap-load of deer on the road, really cool. Set up camp in stealth mode with the diesel running for cover. Slept till 10AM. Hung out at camp, cooked spaghetti, gathered firewood on the Appalachian Trail and played some dodge ball. Shenandoah means serious business about bears (all wildlife). Tim and I took a shower tonight. $1 for 5 minutes, genius!" I love that man! Our camp was only about 200 yards from the AT, so cool. we took a lazy day since the day before was so full. This was my favorite campground, each site had it's own private yard. I loved it.
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Day 7: We woke up with rain so the girls and I got us a $2 shower (10 minutes!). We met some biker/gypsy/campers who had rode there from New York! They were raising money for veterans by playing in a bluegrass band. One guy played the washboard for us! Who knew? We headed to town. Our friends from New York moved to Virginia just 6 weeks earlier. They were only about two hours away so we met up with them and let the kids play. It was so much fun hanging out with them! We got back to camp at around 12:30 AM.
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Day 8: Woke up with rain again and more on the way, so we decided to move on! Ben said that he had always wanted to see Washington, DC and it sounded great to us, so 30 minutes later we were on the road to DC. We arrived in Greenbelt National Park at around 3PM. Setting up camp in daylight is awesome! We had a lazy day hanging out at camp. We saw a painted hippie camper on the way in and Ben looked at me and said "By the time we leave you will probably know those people." What?! The kids were missing family back home, but they were still having too much fun to head home. We got in touch with some friends in DC! Yes! They are going to tell us what we needed to see and they wanted us to come for dinner. AWESOME. Oh, and Greenbelt has showers!!
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Day 9: Up and at'em! Our friend Nate got us to the metro under his building, and helped us buy day passes and set us on the right course. We went everywhere, the Air and Space Museum, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial (my favorite), the White House. when it all shut down for the day we went and had a wonderful dinner at Nathan and Amanda's house. After dinner Nathan took Ben and the three older kids back out for a personal night tour. Amanda, Claire and I stayed behind, baked apple pie and talked. The kids loved their tour! They didn't get back until almost midnight! They all said that it was even better at night. I have to admit, the pictures were pretty, but I was happy to be in that nice warm apartment. I gave Claire a real bath in their bath tub! She loved it! We got back to camp around 12:30. Awesome day! We decided to try to get further south so that the drive home didn't take two days, next stop the Great Smoky Mountains.
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Day 10: Ben wrote "Woke up after a long day site seeing. Hung out at camp all day and chilled and ate left overs from Nate and Amanda's. We were all showered, packed up, and ready to head to the smokies and up walks this old hippie man with a guitar . Of course we had to hang out with him a while! We played a few songs and hung out a little while before leaving and driving through the night." And the first thing I thought when I saw his painted hippie camper was "Ben was right! Ha!" We had a blast and then we hit the road.
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Day 11: We arrived in Look Rock at around 5AM and got 3-4 hours of sleep. We had a nice relaxing day at camp and tried to catch a nap. Fail. Ben took the big kids to Look Rock Tower at sunset while Claire and I stayed back at camp and read some Grace Livingston Hill. We were all asleep by 8pm. Nice. :) By this time in the trip Claire had begun crawling like an old pro, and she was learning to pull-up on the side of her play pen. Man, a lot can change in two weeks!
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Day 12: Look Rock doesn't have showers so we broke out the shower tent that we brought along. The whole trip I dreaded using that tent with the 4 gallon water bag and shower head. I thought that I would freeze and hate it. Well, I didn't have an option that day, there were no showers. We used the tent and it was so much better than a public shower! Wayyyy better! We filled it half full with hot water from the fire and the rest with cold and it was a nice relaxing private shower that was clean. Next time, I'll definitely be using the shower tent more than public showers. The kids have never seen Gatlinburg before and they had some money from Nanna to spend, so to Gatlinburg we went! The kids loved it! They spent their money and we ate dinner out for the first time. No Way Jose's in Gatlinburg, you guys rock. We were so full when we left that our clothes were tight!
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Day 13: Our last day in the camper. We were sad to leave, but excited about seeing family. We headed out after eating sausage and rice cooked over the fire. We were home before dinner and when we walked through the door we all said the same thing "Oh my goodness! This house is so big!" Nanna and Papa were there within an hour to see their babies. Maybe coming home isn't so bad. :)
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We learned a lot about us on this first trip. We learned that you don't need a lot of stuff or space to live happily, that we didn't miss having power as much as we thought we would, the shower tent is the way to go, kids adjust amazingly to life outdoors when all of the indoor "stuff" isn't there to distract them, cooking over the fire makes everything taste better, that we should never leave home again without bikes, next year we need at least a month, and that good clean fun can be fairly cheap. Next year, we go west in a ??? :) Be back soon with some exciting news along this thread. xo, Sam

P.S. If you would like to make fun of my Old school music choice, I'm game. :) Die hard Steven Curtis fan!

Her First

2011-12-01T18:08:00.001-06:00

My little Claire was very enthusiastic about helping decorate for her first Christmas. ;)

She was just delighted with the results too!

And we, well we were all delighted that she was delighted!

We were also delighted with the pudgy rolls on her legs, and feet, and back, and well, all over. At nine months old this little lady has us all wrapped around her chubby little pinky finger. Where have the last nine months gone anyhow? I can't tell you, but I can say that they were full of firsts.

xo, Sam

Rice anyone?

2011-11-29T12:46:00.001-06:00

I have been a total blog failure lately. I know! But I plan to turn it all around this week and get back in the habit. It really is a habit ya know. I also know exactly what de-rails me everytime. When I have things to blog about (like our trip) but I don't have time to do it I start feeling guilty for not writing it down. Then I start to avoid whatever it is that is making me feel guilty....then it snowballs into THIS! Today I decided to bite the bullet, blog about SOMETHING, and then when I have time this week I can write about the trip. We have a travel journal and loads of pictures so it won't be hard to remember, it's just going to take a fair amount of time. I really, really, really want these things written down (with pictures) for my kids. So, today lets talk about rice. Nkay?

I have always loved the wild rice that you can get at restaurants. It has so much more flavor than just plain rice. Not too long ago I found that Rice A Roni made a wild rice mix. Perfect! It tasted awesome, but it took two boxes to feed my crew with no left overs. I live off of leftovers, so that wasn't cool with me. It just cost too much. I didn't like the whole "boxed dinner" idea either, that just can't be good for ya. So one day I googled "homemade wild rice" and came across this blog post. YES!

Perfection! I feel like my cooking just went from plain to gourmet! I used her recipe almost exactly (I did reduce the amount of garlic powder and add in some chicken bullion) and it tastes wonderful. I store it in a huge canister and fix as much as I want, and it tastes just as good left over. It takes about an hour to cook (simmer) so I usually make it up in a big batch and use it for a couple of meals during the week. So there, if you are a fan of restaurant wild rice, now you can cook it at home!

I'll be back tomorrow! I'm making it a habit again! xo, Sam

PS. The chicken is pan cooked and seasoned with lemon juice and rosemary. So good!

HUGE SALE!!!!

2011-11-24T12:18:00.000-06:00

Black Friday sale!!!!! From Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday we will have a 40% off sale on everything in the shop!!!! Use the coupon code "blackfriday" from now till Monday night!! www.thehandmadedress.com

I pray you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving friends!!!

My own little crowd

2011-11-21T02:26:00.001-06:00

Last Monday, at the doctors office, I was sitting there thinking....that Ben and I are so blessed. Most people know exactly who they are going to see when they get to Heaven, but not us, we get our own little welcome committee made up of children that we have never met! When we get to Heaven we will have a little crowd waiting for us! In my heart I feel like I will know them as soon as I see them, that their names will come to mind immediately when I see each precious face! Over the years I have learned to "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials" (James 1:2) I know that holding a perfect little MIRACLE named Claire helps, but it feels good to be in this place, finally. It feels good to not be angry. It feels good to know that the family that I have is EXACTLY the family that God meant for me to have....Yes, it hurts too, but mostly I'm thankful....we have so much to be thankful for!

I couldn't let one little soul go without mention, Mama loves you..... xo, Sam

Bad Purl - Help!

2011-11-15T13:29:00.001-06:00

Last night I was preparing to start a new knitting project. I decided to actually find my gauge (which I have never done before, I know, bad girl) because I wanted to use my new worsted yarn instead of a sport weight that the pattern calls for. I started knitting my swatch in stockinette and suddenly my knitting looked textured to me. Hmmm...I looked at my other projects and they looked that way too.

I tried troubleshooting online, but I couldn't find any help. You see how the bottom of my swatch and the gray fabric have a twisted looking stitch? The top part is what I did after I figured it out.

The back of my work had these deep gutters! Ugh! After watching several videos online I realized that I had been purling wrong! I learned to purl from a video when I first started knitting and it was wrong! I had been wrapping my yarn in the wrong direction this whole time! Of course I found that sometimes people knit this way (it's called a crossed stockinette stitch) to add texture to their work but I want to do it right. I got to work purling the right way and all of my problems are fixed, but I'm so fumbly again. :( So now I'm a bit frustrated. Do you have any suggestions for purling continental style? I'm so slow now and that bums me out because I had really found my groove. I am happy that I found the problem before I started this project though!

Help! What is your most efficient way to purl? xo, Sam

Busted!

2011-11-10T10:46:00.000-06:00

She should be doing school. She's in front of her computer like she is doing school, but if you look closely you can see that there is yarn attached to her....she's knitting! I guess it could be worse right? But still. New rule in the School of Caffee Children, no knitting until school is done. :) I've created a monster! xo,Sam

My Cup Runneth Over

2011-11-08T10:57:00.000-06:00

Let me tell you a little story. It's about me, a stay-at-home, work-at-home, homeschooling, adopting, breastfeeding mama, who has been in a miserable funk for the last two weeks, and was blessed with a way out! I feel compelled to tell this story today because I feel like it may help other mamas. I really hope it does. :)

Within a week after we got home from our trip, I started feeling "off". Nothing big, just a little overwhelmed with the cluttered house, the kids being kids, homeshooling, that sort of thing. Immediately I thought "I need to figure this out fast! I don't have time for this!" Ben was working doubles to make up his time off and I thought that may be it. Not having him here always throws me off balance a little. Claire was a little fussy obviously coming down with a cold or something and that meant not so much sleep. Within a few days I started getting snappy with the kids, inwardly I was really struggling with a short fuse. I thought "I can't let this continue! I have got to figure this out! Nothing is wrong with me, life is great, our vacation was more than we ever dreamed it would be, I am surrounded by people who love me....What is this feeling?" So I went to work trying to fix the things that bothered me and I prayed for an answer. I started by adding in a few fun things into my clean, cook, school, drive kids here and there, wash clothes, cook, change diapers, help a friend with a project, cook, bath time, bedtime, try to sleep schedule...

The girls and I each got a temporary colored streak in our hair just for fun...

I spent two days de-cluttering the house and throwing stuff away. I started a new knitting project...

I finished the knitting project....

AND another....

Then I started another one...

I curled my hair and even sent a picture to Ben at work to prove it!

I visited a knit shop that I had just discovered...

I broke a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL that has been in my wallet since before Claire was born!! One day Ben gave it to me and said "Blow it on something that is just for you." For months I have saved it for a rainy day, and I finally spent some of it!

I did all of this, and nothing changed. By now you guys know that I'm not the lay-down-and-die type. I had a problem, I felt depressed and irritated and DONE, I had lost all of the patience that I usually have for my children, but I did not know what else I could do to "cheer" myself up!

Now let me tell you what I learned about love a very long time ago before I was even married. I once heard an illustration that made perfect since to me. Everyone has a love "cup". When you pour love into someone elses life you fill their cup up some, and lose some from your own cup, but that's fine because when someone loves on you, your cup gets filled some more. A good balance helps everyones cup stay full. We all feel loved in different ways, but the best way for me to give and feel loved is quality time with loved ones. Your way may be much different.

Back to my story, I was feeling pretty bad, and guilty, and depressed, when God revealed to me that this is just what had happened to me. I didn't realize it before because I was thrown off by the timing, I mean we just got home from a trip where everyone came home with a full cup! But little by little in that first week of being home I had poured a lot of love into others, and with Ben being away from home, having a sick babe, and my balance being off, I quickly found myself running low. The kids helped some, but as you know the balance with children and parents isn't quite even. None of the things I tried worked because it wasn't what I needed. No amount of crafting, fixing-up, or getting out would do.

God has blessed me with one amazing man! I told Ben what I needed and not only did he take me on a date out to eat and to the book store (my favorite date night) ......but he arranged with Jake (his brother and my sister's husband) for them to keep all of the big kids (that's 6 kids from 2-10 yrs old) so that my sister and I could have a whole night and day together doing whatever we wanted! We took the babies and stayed the night at her house. We ate food that we didn't cook, we watched a movie with no interruptions, we drank coffee, she crocheted and I knit, we talked until 2AM. When we got up the next morning we headed off to the knit shop and played with yarn. We had an amazing day! When we came back to my house, where the husbands and kids were, they were all happy to see us! AND Ben had even done the laundry!!! So today I sit here writing this post with a cup that has been filled to the brim by my loving husband and my precious sister! I feel loved, and that's all I really needed. :) God is so good!

I really felt like I should share this today. If you have been feeling this way, and maybe didn't get why, tell someone. You will probably be surprised at how happy they are to help! Then you will be able to give back when you have what you need. Love to all! xo, Sam

A Late Night "Block" Party

2011-11-03T04:35:00.000-06:00

I have managed to do some knitting with my sick babe asleep in my lap, or playing for short periods of time at my feet. I finished a couple of projects yesterday and late last night I finally blocked some things with homemade lavender water. I wish the picture was scratch and sniff! I also wish that the vest didn't look crooked in this picture. Oh well. Pictures of a beautiful un-sick baby modeling these knits are coming soon

I'm taking my sweet babe to the doctor today, she just isn't back to her happy self since that hateful tummy bug. I pray that she feels better and we get to sleep tonight! xo, Sam

Mama said ther'd be days like this...

2011-11-01T10:57:00.000-06:00

So my plan for today was to go through the thousands of pictures from our trip, upload my favorites, and write about our first few days, but after being up most of the night with Claire and her tummy bug I'm going to simplify things a bit. Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches! Bend but not break! Right? Today I don't have the time or brain cells required to write much, but I really wanted to remember this sweet little moment from our weekend. It will do me good to think on this moment today while I let all of the things on my "to do" list go undone. As I was knitting Saturday the kids came to the door and called "Mom, come outside we have a surprise for you!" When I went to the door I was met with this! They know how I love pretty pine cones and they had collected a whole wagon load of carefully picked pine cones for me! But here comes the best part, the part that every mom loves to hear, one of those moments that you can live off of for weeks, the kind of moment that gets you through days like this one....they said "This is for taking us to the dance and getting us costumes." Oh my...I melt. :)

Right away I stacked those pine cones into pretty wood bowls and put them out! I used every last one of them, and today while I struggle to stay awake (and stay kind- I'm a little grumpy without at least 3 hours) I'm going to enjoy the view from my nest. I love these little munchkins!

I pray the tummy bug doesn't come to your house, and that he leaves mine soon. He has definitely worn out his welcome here! xo, Sam

Hit the ground running!

2011-10-29T16:38:00.000-06:00

That's what it feels like I have done since I got back! Hit the ground running! When we got back in town it was a days work just to unpack and wash up from a two week trip. Then I remembered the kids had a costume ball (their first ball!!) with their ball room dancing Friday night. We hit the thrift stores the very next day, Thursday, looking for something quick and easy! Here we have Taylor Swift, a ninja, and a hippie. :) They had a blast!

By this morning I was needing some down-time, big-time! So we all pitched in, straightened up the house, and I got to knitting. Ahhh...this is just the kind of day I needed.

I can't wait to show you guys the whole trip! I am going to upload a few slide shows to Flickr and tell a few stories next week. We had such a good time that we are already planning next years trip!

I miss you guys! What have y'all been up to the last two weeks? Sewing, knitting, crocheting, crafting? xo, Sam

Now I know why people do this full-time!

2011-10-19T13:28:00.001-06:00

We are having the time of our lives! Right now we are in town (Charlottesville, VA) at a laundromat washing our dirty duds. We started out on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, our first stop to camp was Mount Pisgah National Park. It was a really nice place (with a shower!!) to camp. That is where we discovered how much Claire likes hiking. Who wouldn't like to hike like that?

They also had quite a few beautiful waterfalls. LOVE.

Monday we visited Biltmore. AMAZING! Did you know that kids 9 and under get in free? Yep, all of our kids got in free. Score! We made a day of it and the kids loved it! When we got back to camp Monday night we decided to move on, we packed up camp, like ninjas, and within an hour we were on the road Headed for Shenandoah National Forest. We pulled in sometime between 3 and 4 Tuesday morning.

Our home for the next day or so is Loft Mountain National Park, our camp is just a few yards from the Appalachian Trail! I have to say, the campground here is awesome, each site has it's own little yard. The kids love it. I took a 5 minute shower this morning for $1! Ha! Yep, there are only a couple of pay showers, but I'm grateful for them!

Did I mention the view? God Really out-did himself here...There just aren't any words...

I have NO IDEA where we may go next! And to tell you the truth, I don't even care! We feel like a whole new world has been opened up for us. I love waking up everyday knowing that we will remember that day for the rest of our lives! I hope to check-in again soon, but if I can't, I'll be back in 8 days! xo, Sam

I pimped our pop-up :)

2011-10-12T08:57:00.000-06:00

I decided that if I, the world's biggest home-body, was going to live in a camper (with no electricity) for the next two weeks, that it was going to have to feel a little like home. I needed some color and character before I could call it home for two weeks. I took pictures so that you guys could see the before and afters!

Before:

During:

After:

Ben and I made an awning...

I made new slipcovers for the seats...

....and I made curtains from my stash. I didn't have the time or money to go buy a bunch of fabric for this project, so every thing just got patched together wherever it would fit. I usually love the way these type of projects turn out! It's like a surprise ending! In the end, I did love it! And I totally think I can live here for two weeks...maybe even a month next fall when we head to the Grand Canyon and Yosemite (that's the plan anyway). We have decided that we will be campers from here on out, because there is no other way that financially we could see all of these awesome places. At around $16 a night (for National Parks) and then the gas to get you there, we can't afford NOT to see what America has to offer! Look out world, the Caffee Tribe is coming!

If you have any questions about pimping (redecorating) a pop-up, let me know and I will answer those when I get back. We pull out tomorrow morning. I'm going to do my best to try to post while I'm gone, but if I can't, I'll see you guys when I get back! I'm sure I will at least be able to post on Facebook from my phone. Goodbye friends! xo, Sam

I started a "Day in the Life" post...

2011-10-08T20:53:00.000-06:00

...but I didn't make it past lunch! All is well in the Caffe house once again, thank goodness! Friday was my 32nd birthday and I wanted to document it. We started out pretty early for us, at 8:30, headed to ball room dancing class.

I stopped and got another load of Caffee kids. :)

This month is swing dancing! The kids loved it and Molly and Adam caught on pretty quick!

This is what seems like every homeschooler in Birmingham doing the last "fun" dance before class is over....I sing "The Cha Cha Slide" every Friday for hours after class! After that I fell off the wagon with the picture taking. Bummer, I really wanted to succeed in one of these posts at least once. I'll just give you a run down of the rest of the day though (every Friday is about the same). From dance class we loaded up as fast as we could and headed to eat Pizza with Paw-Paw for Paw-Paw day. The kids and I hung out for a few hours and then we headed to the health food store so that I could spend a little of my birthday money. I got dried lavender and peppermint to make (more) sachets, and some essential oils too. (I have been adding drops to everything from bath water to cotton balls to freshen closets! I love!) We got home just in time to get dressed for Lily and Iris's 4th birthday party. It was adorable. They had a "Tangled" theme and we even got to send off floating lanterns! I think we got home at 11:40 PM, worn out and happy! All-in-all it was a wonderFULL birthday

Today was spent gearing up for our next big adventure! Starting at the end of the week we will be living like gypsies, moving up the East Coast, in a pop-up camper, with no electricity, for two weeks! We plan to camp the Blue Ridge Parkway. If any of you have camping suggestions or favorite stops along the Parkway please share! This will be our first time to see any of it past the Smoky Mountains. We are so pumped! I hope some of you have been there before, we want to know the best campgrounds, and the best knitting and sewing shops too. xo, Sam

Cabin Fever

2011-10-04T10:56:00.002-06:00

Hey friends! I've got a huge case of cabin fever right now! Claire has been sick since Thursday. Friday night she took a major turn for the worst and Saturday morning they had to put her on an antibiotic for a respiratory infection. Sooo stressful and scary! She had to be held almost constantly, even when she took naps. She is feeling better now, thank goodness, and we are a little more rested today. We have been without internet for days (and at times even the phone has been out). My computer is getting enough signal now to get on, but not enough to upload a picture, I hope this will post! On top of it all my husband is pulling double shifts at work to get some extra time for vacation. I may be going crazy people! How weird is it that one or two things can be disrupted in your life (sleep, health, connection to the outside world, your husband's moral support) and it can knock off your equilibrium? It's not like there has been a family tragedy! But that's how it feels when you are living it, doesn't it? I need to remember this feeling when one of the kids (or my friends) are having a breakdown about something simple, it may seem simple to me, but it feels like tragedy to them. Thank you for this lesson Lord! Now can I please have my normal back? Please? :) I miss you guys! xo, Sam

A New Chapter of Our Life Books

2011-09-28T09:15:00.003-06:00

I once read a book where a lady explained to a child that everyone has a "Life Book". She explained that when you have something big and new happen (like get married, move away, have a baby) that you start a new chapter of your Life Book. I love the thought of having a Life Book, I have often thought to myself "How is this going to fit into my life right now? Well, I guess I'll just have to start a new chapter where it does fit."

We started a new chapter of our Life Books a few months back when we had come to a crossroad in our adoption process. Ahead of us was a dead end, that after months we couldn't find any way around, but this other road held promise. I could blame it on people, an agency, or circumstances, but I truly believe that God had us on the path that we needed to travel to get us ready for where we are now. Frustrated, out of money, and with nothing else to do but just quit, Ben and I took a chance and decided to "try out" this DHR adoption class that was about to start. We went....and we both felt an almost instant sense of relief. We felt like we had finally gained some ground and could see an end to this dream. After a few classes we knew we were where God wanted us. At first we were very disappointed because we felt like we had lost children from our Bulgarian adoption (the only thing I have to compare it to is miscarriage). In two years not one piece of paper with our name on it had traveled to Bulgaria, but in our hearts it was so real.

Our new chapter has been a completely new experience for us, it has been (comparatively) fast paced, full of training, excitement and fun! We have learned that a lot of the things that we believed to be true of domestic adoption, were just myths. Probably the most important truth that we learned, was that a domestic adoption can be just as legally sound as a international one.

So where are we now? We are "officially waiting". Ahhh....that feels good to say after so long. Yes, after more than two years, lots of tears, prayer, worry, frustration and paperwork, we are waiting for the day that a social worker calls and says "We think we have a match." and yet another chapter of our Life Books will begin! We are so excited to see what (or who!) God has for us!

Saying that felt awesome. In the coming months we would greatly appreciate your prayers and support as we finish this journey! Thank you friends...xo, Sam

PS. If you are thinking of adopting or are stuck as we were and would like to know the minute details of our process, I would be happy to share them with you. Just give me a call at (205)433-9040.

Creative Play and Inspiration

2011-09-27T13:14:00.001-06:00

Today I was out on the porch enjoying this cool morning and looking at all of the "signs of life" around me, when it occurred to me, that right here in this little scene I can see a creative process at work. That is so fun to me! That natural, organic, inspired, creative process that happens when kids play. Let me show you around... first in the top right hand corner we have a handmade skate board turned scooter...

Last week my kids decided to take apart an old store bought skate board and make a cooler one from some scrap wood. Later they decided that it might make a better scooter than skate board so they added the other board to it. Now they have decided to go another route, I don't have a name for the contraption that they are planning to build next yet- I'll keep ya posted. :)

Next we have the beans that are popping up all over my beloved brick path and flower garden. That started a week or so ago when I sent the kids out (Lily, Iris, and Abe were here too) to play kitchen with dry rice and dry beans. They had a big time and had it all over the place by the time they were done! When it was all said and done I said "Just sweep it into the yard!" not thinking anything about it. I thought the critters would eat it up the first night! Nope, a few days later we started to see tiny sprouts in the garden and around my bricks. Molly said "I just learned about that in school yesterday Mom!" so I said "Well just let it grow then, y'all can study it."

Who knows what this porch will look like next week! Last week it was full of muddy trucks with spatulas duck-taped to the top. They called the first one the "Slingshot 4000" and they had contests seeing who could shoot (catapult) wooden blocks the furthest. How could a mama not be inspired in an environment like this? When allowed to flourish, creativity just runs wild in these little minds! What are your kids up to this week? xo, Sam

In 11 more weeks...

2011-09-22T10:33:00.001-06:00

It felt like I said "In 11 more weeks." for two months, when people would ask "How much longer before y'all get married?" We couldn't wait! Now it has been 11 YEARS! 12 years ago today is when it really began though. That's when he asked my dad if he could date me. Mom and I hid behind the couch on the floor and listened! That night we talked on the phone until we were falling asleep. It was very serious from the beginning. That was the night he told me that he wanted a house full of kids, and he wanted them to be homeschooled. I told him that we could never go to bed angry, and "I have always had a feeling that having kids won't be easy for me". We decided that if that was true we would just adopt. Six weeks later Mom and I hid behind the couch again and stifled giggles as we listened to Ben ask my Dad if he could just have me for always. Dad said that that would be fine, but there was one condition, Ben had to promise to provide enough for me to be a stay-at-home mama. We set the date to be married a year from the day that we started dating, on a Friday night in late September, I went from being my Daddy's to being Ben's.

(married 6 months, I was graduating from nursing school, Molly was on the way but we didn't know it yet)

It feels like a lifetime ago now! Those things that we talked about that first night seemed like such BIG decisions then, and now they just seem like "life", like the most ordinary little details of our everyday. In some ways a lot has changed since then, but our basic foundation was built that night and has never changed. I love that this story is written in my Life Book. There is another very important story coming soon, one that I'm sure will be written in big bold letters in my whole family's Life Book. I can't wait to share that one with you too. xo, Sam

Homeschool Art Lesson :: Henna

2011-09-21T12:12:00.000-06:00

We had a blast with our henna art lesson! The kids loved it! I saved it for the end of the school day that way they would have something to look forward to -a very sneaky way of motivating my children to get their school done in a timely fashion. :) It was so much fun! They weren't very patient with the drying process, so theirs turned out a little lighter than mine.

While it was drying it looked dark like this.

We sort of looked at the suggested designs as we went, but it was way more fun to doodle. I think we may do henna art on T-shirts next using paint or a bleach pen....maybe we need to take a trip to the thrift store for shirts today! I'm always down with any excuse to get to the thrift store! Reason number 4568 that homeschool rocks. What kind of projects are you guys working on? Share a link, or your blog post, we could always use fresh ideas! xo, Sam

Where did the week go?

2011-09-19T23:28:00.001-06:00

Has it really been a week since I've checked in here? Wow! I just pulled our weeks pictures off of my phone, so let me fill you in. My Maddie learned to crochet, and she is now making mile long chains into bracelets, necklaces, headbands, and belts. :)

I cast on this headband that I have been wanting to try for a while. I call it my buttonhole headband. If anyone is interested in the pattern I could jot it down for ya.

We let Claire play in mashed taters for the first time...

She really really liked it!!

We had a lock-in at the church where we got no sleep and had a rockin' shaving cream fight the next morning...

...it got messier and messier as it went on...

...see what I mean. There were no children harmed in the making of this lock-in -Thank God in Heaven! We all survived, but just barely for the adults present.

This is the after-lock-in-crash.....

(No worries, daddy was right there)

..that took down the whole family...

...not one was left standing...

....even daddy, he just happened to wake-up first, that's how it was documented. :)

Tonight I was doing a little practice design for our homeschool henna-art lesson coming up. I bought a kid-safe kit that we will be using this week, I can't wait! I've never done henna before, but I have always wanted to! I'll let you know how it goes. xo, Sam

PS. Claire and I were honored to be on The Old Fashioned Baby Blog, Jeannie let Claire model her beautiful bonnet at market! We love her. :)

Claire Went to Market :)

2011-09-13T23:13:00.001-06:00

She did a lot of socializing cause she had to meet all of my super cool friends! And she worked hard modeling and helping daddy sell patterns. We had several offers for her too (she just does her job so well you know) but we decided that we would keep her. Here she is with my (amazingly artistic) friend Hayley, from The Button Company. I got to hold Hayley's little angel at the last market! I remember smelling his little head and thinking "Is it really possible that I'm going to get to do this again?"

Jeannie, from The Old Fashioned Baby, put her to work in her booth. I LOVE Jeannie! She is such a beautiful person!

She hung out with the awesome Maja of Maja's Heirlooms. Claire liked her, she's a nut!

She hob knobbed with Wendy of Wendy Schoen Designs.

This is Wendy's sweet sister Penny.

She talked fabric and cut-up with Mike at Fabric Finders. This guy is always laughing!

She snuggled with Sally from Farmhouse Fabrics.

She loved our good buddy Trisha, from Patterns by Trisha's Treasures. She is such a sweet friend! And probably the most organised person I know (seriously, it's crazy!)

Claire was such a sweet girl at market! She worked very hard and was the most precious little model! The first day, while we were super busy, my Aunt Wendy came and for a couple of hours to keep her entertained. I thought that working a wholesale market with a six month old was going to be soooo challenging, but God worked it out perfectly! She even started sitting-up (YES! How did that happen?) last week so she was loving playing in the floor on a blanket (in cute mama made outfits of course). To sum it all up, it was the best market yet! I can't wait till January! I hope you enjoyed our little tour. :) xo, Sam

Being Mama

2011-09-10T21:59:00.002-06:00

(I took this picture the other night when I was working hard to get those patterns finished. My two babies had fallen asleep on me and I was working one handed at my desk.)

I heard someone say once, when I was a very new mama, "Do you know what your kids think when they get up in the morning? They think that mama is the one that got up and turned the sunshine on for them." That makes me smile every time I think about it. I have the best job in the world! I get to be mama to these four little souls that God has blessed me with! I'm the one they want when they are tired, hurt, hungry, or sick. They think that I turn the sunshine on for them. This is the most important thing that I will do in my lifetime. Mama is who I was meant to be. I guess I'm just sharing this tonight because lately when I am in public people talk to me like being a mother of four (and adopting) sounds like such a burden. I think that more than anything they say these things out of habit, like it's common belief that children are a burden and if you have more than two the others are seen as accidents. Maybe if enough mamas would talk about how much they enjoy motherhood we could change the common belief...it's just a thought. What if people talked about children like they are blessings whether you have 1 or 14? What if that belief trickled down the generations of our families and children grew up feeling like they were blessings? This has just been a nagging question in my mind lately. Thanks for letting me share friends. :) xo, Sam

~ A Beautiful Day ~

2011-09-08T21:37:00.000-06:00

The last couple of weeks have been so incredibly busy here, getting the new patterns in print and getting all packed up for market. This morning we loaded the trailer for market and the stress just started melting off of me. by mid-afternoon I was sitting quietly at the park, in the most perfect weather imaginable, knitting away as my children played. It was AMAZING. It was one of those days that you wish for when you have had one of those weeks....so perfect. Then tonight I got to spend time laughing until I cried with the amazing women that make up my family. We call ourselves "Myrt's Chicks". Myrtle was my great grandmother, and we are all descendants of that one beautiful, motherly, Godly soul. I feel like I have been recharged. Like no matter what may come my way this next week, I can handle it, all because I had this one beautiful day. Do you ever feel like that? xo, Sam

The Gypsy Skirt Recipe is in the Shop!

2011-09-07T15:21:00.003-06:00

This morning I went wandering around my own neighborhood to find the perfect spot for these pictures, and look what we found! It looks like an old gypsy cabin to me! It really did turn into a great little adventure, we met a new neighbor too. Did you notice my little man in the background? I asked him this morning if he would go with us and be in the picture (I wanted once have all of my kids on one cover) and he said YES! I was so excited because he's usually not fond of picture taking. He is so good to his mama. :)

That was the last piece to the puzzle, all I needed was a cover picture. The pattern (for all ages, baby to mama) is now in the shop. (The PDF version is HERE, and the printed version HERE.)

Claire even got a little gypsy skirt! I made her's a little short so that she can still crawl around in it. Doesn't it look like a little yo-yo on her? Too cute.

Molly wanted a mid-length skirt, and I like the way it turned out too. Very cute with her boots.

My Madeline dressed herself, of course! I love my little gypsy girl.

Now go make your very own family of gypsy skirts and set off on a grand adventure, even if it is just around your own neighborhood! xo, Sam

Hand Embroidered Alphabet...

2011-09-05T11:44:00.000-06:00

This is the last of my offerings to reveal before we head off to market this weekend. I FINALLY finished the "Embroidered Alphabets" pattern that I started last summer (just a few days before morning sickness kicked in- you get the delay..). This is a hand embroidered alphabet designs booklet, including four different sets of designs, using three different types of embroidery. I have always loved embroidery for its quiet, relaxing rhythm. Embroidery is so beautiful, portable, and the perfect way to leave your creative mark on ready-made items or your own sewing creations. Grab a cup of coffee and curl up in your favorite chair and stitch away!

This set is in the Shop in PDF or printed version!

I should have the Gypsy skirt ready for purchase by Friday. Ahhh it feels good to have all of these overdue projects wrapping up! Happy stitching friends! xo, Sam

Gypsy Skirt Sewing Recipe

2011-09-02T18:02:00.000-06:00

Over the years since I have been making my own "Gypsy" or hippie skirts, I have had so many mamas ask for the pattern. The problem was the size of the pattern pieces! Then I got the idea for a "Sewing Recipe". It's the kind of pattern that doesn't come with actual pieces but come with a formula/recipe (illustrations and instructions included) that you could use for any age, baby or mamas. There are no curves to fuss with, just straight lines.

(Tim and I in the fort they built showing off our Temporaries.)

This is the kind of skirt that you can just live in! I've hiked, camped, rode bikes, wiped noses, went to church, and had great adventures in my gypsy skirts. I always like to wear aprons over these skirts when I cook, because they look so cute under them!

Today I made my little Madeline one, but she is away for the night so she couldn't model for me. Maybe tomorrow. The pattern isn't quite finished yet, but it shouldn't be long. So what do you think? Any comments before I finish the pattern up? xo, Sam

Honeycomb Smocking Tutorial

2011-09-01T15:47:00.002-06:00

But first let me announce that the Miss Violet pattern is in the SHOP!!!

(Lily wearing the Miss Violet dress)

(The real life Violet, andClaire, wearing Miss Violet dresses)

For those of you who thought that the honeycomb smocking may be too tricky, let me show you just how easy it really is. Watch this little video, ignore the thick southern accent (I really do hate to hear myself on video), and smock on friends! xo, Sam

Color Play

2011-08-31T15:04:00.000-06:00

As I was making the very last sample of Miss Violet today, and I was so inspired by the way these colors came together with my nail color. It got me thinking that I may need to try bright yellow lazy daisies in between the smocking pleats, or maybe a little seed bead (as suggested by Cindy on the phone the other day). What other tiny embellishments could be added between the pleats? Do you have any ideas you would like to share? xo, Sam

Pondering

2011-08-29T12:07:00.001-06:00

We have been spending the mornings and evenings outside for the last few days because it has been much cooler! A breezy 90 degrees. I know that still sounds hot to most people, but here in the south 90 degrees with a breeze is sweet relief! I am so ready for fall (our fall starts in October or November with high 70's and low 80's). So while I was enjoying my morning on the porch I did some thinking. I've got a little idea brewing...How do you guys feel about "Sewing Recipes"? The kind of patterns that don't come with actual pieces but come with a formula/recipe (illustrations and instructions included) that you could use for any age, baby or mama...let me know what you think. ~xo, Sam

Miss Violet Giveaway!

2011-08-29T12:00:00.000-06:00

From now until Monday morning you can enter here in the comments section to win your very own Miss Violet pattern! Leave a comment telling me what your favorite pattern is, remember to leave me your email address, and on Tuesday I will announce one winner for every twenty comments (that will give everyone better chances!). Best of luck! xo, Sam

Mica and Lahens, YOU WON! I will be contacting you in the next few days! (Hopefully we will have Miss Violet in print by next week!)

Mommy Kisses are Magic

2011-08-26T09:42:00.004-06:00

My tiny love is feeling much better. All it took was mommy kisses and snuggles to get her well again, thank goodness we didn't have to go to the doctor. Tim, by the way, is just mesmerized that mommy kisses really do make a baby well again! When she was only a few days old we asked the kids to only kiss her on the head for the first few weeks because there was a virus going around. When Tim caught me kissing her on those little lips he said "Mom, don't! She might get sick!" I explained to him how important it was that I get all of the germs that she has, so that my body will know what kind of medicine to make and put in her milk. So now when he sees me kiss her mouth he says "You makin' medicine mama?" How cute is that? He thinks I'm magic, and I'm totally fine with that. :) xo, Sam

P.S. First thing in the morning the Miss Violet giveaway will start, I will close comments on Monday morning.

~ Be Kind ~

2011-08-23T12:55:00.000-06:00

A good reminder to be wearing when mama has had less than two hours of sleep, because she was up all night with a feverish, fretting, baby, and the background noise during morning coffee is a fight over who said "jinx" first. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's work, but it's so very important to the little ones watching....be kind, be kind, be kind......

Sleepless in Alabama

2011-08-23T01:08:00.000-06:00

We were sooo very busy through the weekend (Father Daughter Banquet, writing a new pattern, and today a home visit with our social worker) and in the last two nights my babe has not slept well because of her first case of the sniffles. So sad. I'm going to take a day to rest up with my babe and then I'll be back with something good. How about a little giveaway for the new pattern? I thought you may like that! xo, Sam

Our Okra Forest

2011-08-17T10:15:00.002-06:00

It may be time to cut the okra back...What do you think? Hehe.. We need to either cut it back or carry a ladder down there to pick it! I think that Ben's green thumb gets a little greener every year! xo, Sam

Dedication

2011-08-14T20:49:00.135-06:00

Yesterday was Claire's big day! She was dedicated. I made this little dress on Friday afternoon (ahem...one day early!). It is not a traditional dedication dress like I have done for my other girls, I just wasn't in the dedication dress kinda mood. I was more in the mood for frilly little french girl, in a soft white (almost wilted) dress, with a dainty pinafore, running through tall grass. I even broke all of the heirloom rules when it was done. I washed it and put it in the dryer for a few minutes to soften it up more. All heirloomers know that your dress NEVER looks as good after it has been hand washed the first time, but I needed that softness...

And I cheated. I used fabric that was already pintucked, and used a beauty pin for the dress (which I think looks better anyhow)....

...and then I used the already sewn together, already gathered lace (everything below the pintucks), that I cut from an old dress. I think that lace made it kinda special too. Once upon a time it was my baby sis's Easter dress (when she was like 15) and when she grew out of it she gave it to me to use for fabric. I love things like that!

Another thing that is special to me was dressing this sweet babe, in masses of buttery soft, white batiste in the church "nursing room", and thinking......about how when they planned to have a nursing mother's room I thought that it would be a place that I would never be.....and how scared I was the moment I found out she was coming because I was doing okay and I didn't want to be hurt again....and how I felt when the doctor told me we made it to 12 weeks and he thought she would live....and how I fought to keep her safe when labor started months too early...

...and what a sweet relief it was when I held this sweet angel for the first time, a blessing. A blessing from One who knew all along what my path would be, and knew just when I needed a miracle. In our hearts we gave this babe to Him the first moment we knew she was there, but It was so special to publicly give our precious little Claire Louise back to God. Then I thought...He has something big planned for this sweet girl of mine. xo, Sam

The gold cardigan is finished!

2011-08-12T11:26:00.000-06:00

I finally got the yarn that I needed to finish this sweet little cardigan. This was my first big (bigger than a pair of booties) knitting project and I can highly recommend the pattern. I don't remember one time being confused.

And the best part is that IT'S FREE! You can see all of the details HERE. (That Ravelry link is public so anyone can see it.)

This is a really good project for those of you who like to knit things a row or two at a time, because the pattern is so simple. I just worked on it a little every night and it came together so fast.

Today I'm working on Claire's dedication dress....for this Sunday...Why do I do this to myself? Oh well, it will all get done! xo, Sam

it happens

2011-08-10T10:18:00.001-06:00

I was sitting in my nest, in my favorite chair, still in my pj's (yeah, I know, I live in them, but I still call them PJ's), talking to my best friend in the whole world (my baby sis), drinking my morning coffee.......when it happened. I felt something wet on my arm. What?! I called for help! "Molly!" She came in from picking muscadines and just started rolling! It was one of those situations where all you can do is laugh and you don't really know where to start! Well if you know me, you know my kids. They all grab cameras and start taking pictures of me before they rescue me! We had a good laugh! Then Tim brought me a towel to lay her on and while Molly cleaned her up I got cleaned up. Can you believe she got every piece of clothing?! And then she fell fast asleep, obviously feeling very "relieved".

You just never know what you may get coming here do ya? It could be a pretty dress, it could be baby poop. That's how we roll. :) xo, Sam

Lets add lace...

2011-08-09T09:37:00.001-06:00

I did a couple of things different here...First I took the smocking all the way across the front...

....and then I added a dainty cotton lace edging.

Very heirloom, no? Start to finish, even with the extra smocking, it took me just over an hour!

To answer some questions, yes, the diaper cover will be included in the pattern. But it will just be a diaper cover not long bloomers. I drafted these to be all one piece with the fold being in the crotch, SO FAST! This little pattern will be very easy to dress up or down, I'm lovin' it! I better get back to work now, Ben is home today to play with Claire. Any more questions or suggestions? xo, Sam

Miss Violet View A

2011-08-06T14:26:00.003-06:00

View A is a dress/gown that has the feel of a smocked bishop (but in two hours or less!).

The smocking is done using dots, no pleater or fuss. I did this in about 15 minutes.

This was the first Miss Violet. I made it when Claire was just a few weeks old. This one is just simple and sweet with no smocking. When I was looking back through antique baby layettes in some of my old books I noticed a lot of peasant style dresses with ties. I loved the simplicity of the soft batiste fabrics and sweet little gathered gowns.

Ha! I thought she was chubby then!

This will probably be my new go-to baby gift for a while. I am considering taking the sizing up since many of you asked about that. But how old is too old? Maybe it should be just a shirt for older girls? I need to get this nailed down in the next few days so let me know what you think! Thanks friends. :) xo, Sam

Introducing! Miss Violet, View B....

2011-08-05T10:15:00.001-06:00

Yeah, I know I'm supposed to start off with View A, but let's mix it up a bit! I'm so excited about this pattern! This pattern will have no buttonholes, plackets, zippers, or gathering....

It can be made with or without the honeycomb smocking (how to included in the pattern)....

It is designed to be used with thin fabrics like batiste, voile, etc...It can be made to look very heirloom! FAST!

Little girls look adorable in it, and like to wear it. :) So far it is drafted/ graded from newborn to 18 months.

Now I need your help mamas! Speak now or forever hold your peace! Gimmee some feedback.....What do you think? What would you change? What do you want to know? xo, Sam

Man Night

2011-08-04T11:41:00.000-06:00

‎Tuesday and Wednesday were a little busy around here. That night I wrote "10 boys, 48 canned cokes, 5 pizzas, 30 hot dogs, 4 packs of chips ahoy cookies, watchin' Wipe-out....this is good stuff!!!" Tim had a man night with all of his little friends and Claire and I were the only girls allowed.

This was Ben's system for keeping up with who's drink was who's. I thought it was smart, and hilarious!

I also wrote that night "My living room resembles a kicked ant bed, smells like a locker room, and sounds like a boy scout camp-out. These ten boys are rockin' my face off!" Boy did we have fun! Bedtime was at 3 AM and they were all up by 8 AM. Ben took them swimming in the creek, they scooted, skated, and rode things with wheels down "the big hill going to the chicken pen". My little man was so happy to be in "boy world" for a couple of days, but when I asked him "Do you miss your girls?" He said "Yeah, I bet they miss me too since I miss them." *melt* I guess when you are a little boy who has to live in "girl world" a man night is good every now and then, but I was so glad that he missed his girls! An old saying comes to mind "Bloom where you're planted." ....yeah, my sweet little guy is good at that. :) ~xo, Sam

A few moments...

2011-07-30T09:07:00.000-06:00

...smiling eyes....

... pudgy little feet.....

....learning new things...

....a few minutes of quiet...

Happy Saturday Friends!! ~xo, Sam

A Knit Vest~ Cable Practice

2011-07-29T09:14:00.002-06:00

Last night, just as it was time to move to the body of this little vest, I decided to add a cable up the left side. (Sort of like the Milo vest.) I wanted to learn something new (mix it up a little!) and I thought that it just might be adorable! My project details ae HERE.

My first attempt at a cable went pretty well, I was surprised at how easy it was! What did we do before YouTube people? We didn't learn to cable at 2am, when all the kids are in bed, so that your mind can grasp a new concept...Then I went to bed at 2:30 and did nothing but dream about cabling (and nurse a baby) until I got up. Do you ever do that? Work in your sleep after you've learned something new? ~xo, Sam

Complete and total randomness...

2011-07-28T09:04:00.000-06:00

Finally! A random post where I get to say whatever I want whether it ties into the subject of the post or not. I should have one of these once a week!

:: For the longest time I have wondered why I can reply to some of your comments by email and others I can't. Sometimes I will hunt down their email address on their blog or website and reply, but most of the time I can't do that. Then yesterday I commented on my own blog to answer a question (I couldn't reply to this persons comment/email either) and when I got the comment email I realised my account was set up the same way! People can't reply to my comments via email either! There are some sweet folks that have been stopping by connecting with me for so long that I feel like I know them, I like to be able to reply to them directly. So yesterday I set out to figure this out, and I did! It's too easy. If you would like other bloggers to be able to respond to your comments by email this is whatchado: Sign into blogger, go to your "dashboard", click on "Edit Profile", find the section that says "Show my email address" and click the box. Done and done.

:: I have a thing for temporary tattoos. The kids and I bought a set of like 50 pretty henna tattoos the other day at Michaels and they make me happy. Probably happier than they make my kids. Don't judge me. :)

:: I plan to have a new baby pattern out within the next couple of months! YAY! I miss work, but I wouldn't trade my place in life for all of the work time in the world. I love her so....

:: Claire should be the most rotten baby on the planet, but she's not! I have no idea how this is possible. She gets held for most of every day (there are plenty of willing arms), if she so much as looks like she may cry there are at least three people trying to fix whatever it is that could be upsetting her, The kids fuss over who is going to rock her to sleep for naps and bed time....and then when we have a day where we out and about, and she can't be held, and her naps happen in a car seat, and she is the most good natured little angel you have ever seen. I've always said that God gave me all good babies because of the bad pregnancies. I'm not kidding, I thank God everyday that she is such a sweet babe. Just perfect.

:: My kids are LOVING these window crayons right now (we got ours from Michaels). I'm going to let them decorate my livingroom window today. I haven't tried washing it off yet, but they say it's pretty easy, and if it can keep them occupied creatively it's worth the hassle. You know I really don't see myself taking it off anyhow unless they want to draw more. -I'm the mama that still has the "Molly" (written by a two year old Molly) on the wall in the bathroom because it was the first time she wrote her name. Yep, that's me.

:: For almost a year now I've been saying "Molly, I need a pot of coffee." and minutes later I smell coffee brewing....It rocks my face off. I feel like in a way I've arrived, which brings me to my next thought...

:: I'm ten years into this mothering gig and all I know now, that I didn't know in the beginning, is that I don't know a thing. If you would have asked me what I knew 8 years ago I would have filled you with more fluff than you can imagine! Ha! I knew all the rules, and the do's and dont's.....Now, my advice sounds more like "Hunny, if that's what you have to do to get sleep, do it!" or "Just do what feels right to you."

:: I say "Hun" and "Hunny" a lot. Is that a southern thing or do northerners do that too?

:: I cast on this little vest last night!!

It feels good to have that out. Now go change your google account hunny, so that I can talk back at ya! xo,Sam

Mama Style ~ Maddie Style

2011-07-26T16:59:00.002-06:00

The In Threes baby cardi is done! (but not blocked)

You can see all of the details on my Ravelry page HERE. I had a little trouble deciding on buttons for this sweet little cardigan, until I found these in my stash! They are red with wood checks, very interesting. I don't really know where I got them from though I suspect that they were in an old jar of buttons that my great grandmother, "Granny Dear", gave me. They are just perfect! As I was getting ready to take the pictures I mulled over what dress I should use, then I thought "What would Maddie pick?" You see more and more lately this little lady of mine is teaching me about thinking outside the box. So I told Maddie "When mama is done taking these pictures, I want you to have on an outfit that you think will match this cardigan good."

And here it is. I think she may have shown me up a bit! Who would have thought? She has on her pink twirly skirt, a too short red and white dress from Target, a pink ribbon sash she pulled from her hair bow collection, and a pink silk headband. Perfect. This is Maddie style.

She wanted it unbuttoned in the pictures too. There we have it, a new cardigan that can be worn Mama style or Maddie style. I love this kid. xo, Sam

Rockin' a sweet set of pigs. :)

2011-07-23T08:22:00.000-06:00

I just think it's hilarious that my four month old (soon to be five months!) can have tiny little pigtails! Do you know what I've said for the longest time? "When I get to Heaven I'm getting back in the hair line." I find it so funny that when God saw fit to send me my little miracle baby, that it looks like she was sent through the "hair line" twice. :) I love it! Happy Saturday friends! xo, Sam

New stitch markers make me smile. :)

2011-07-22T09:22:00.000-06:00

I have been wanting pretty stitch markers since I started knitting, but it was one of those things that I didn't really "need", so I never bought. I thought a few times that I could make some but I didn't have the stuff on hand so I would still have to buy something. Last night while I was knitting along, thinking about how much I would like to have a pretty little dangle where it was time to change from knit to purl, I got an idea!

I had some earrings in my jewelry box that my sensitive ears wouldn't let me wear! A little twist on the part that goes through your ear with a pair of needle nose pliers, and here they are. Knitting eye candy. Why does it please me so to be knitting along and see a pretty little marker there? It really does make my project more fun.

Have you ever made your own stitch markers? Tell us how you made yours! Or link us up to your blog or flickr and show us! xo, Sam

I have decided...

2011-07-21T10:38:00.001-06:00

...that these colors look good with just about anything (to me) and I am loving the way my new project is coming along (you can see the details here)...

....that the Harmony KnitPick needles are my absolute favorite, as smooth as butter....

....that this little sleeping face is one of the most precious things I have ever seen...

...and that after almost ten years, and three girls, these are still my favorite pajamas. :)

I'm still waiting on my yarn to ge here! But as you can see I have a couple of pretty good distractions. Oh, and the last load of laundry is in the wash now, but you know as well as I do that there will be two more loads waiting after baths tonight. *sigh* xo, Sam

Stuck on the needles. Hmph.

2011-07-19T11:12:00.001-06:00

You see the problem? That yarn laying there should be connected to MORE YARN! Yesterday I went to four million craft stores and couldn't find another skein to save my life. Luckily I found some on the internet, but that means I'll have to wait....

While waiting I have:

:: Crocheted the flower -which may be a little too big and may make it hang funny, so it may come back off.

:: I've been rehearsing buttons -the vintage plastic ones are really speaking to me right now, but what color? Hmmm....

:: Looking for my next project on Crack-verly, I mean Ravelry - this one is making me smile. :)

:: Wondering why I just noticed today that you could friend people on Ravelry?? What?! Will you be my friend so I can see your projects too?

:: And in the words of my favorite cousin, Aimee, "Just tryin' to keep the piles of laundry under the windows so the neighbors don't see." Clean clothes are sooo overated.

More in progress pictures are bound to be coming soon, knitting, not laundry. Definitely not laundry.:) xo, Sam

On the needles...

2011-07-18T14:32:00.002-06:00

To properly try out my new Knit Picks needles I started this little project on Sunday. (It has grown some since then.) It's the Striped Smock Top on Ravelry. (My notes are here.) I love it so far! I think this is a good first-sweater-project because the pattern so far seems very easy to read.

(picture from ravelry)

I'm making it for Claire in a 12 months so that she can wear it this fall. This is perfect for our weather here, she will probably be able to wear this fall through spring. It's going to be so sweet over a little dress! *LOVE* xo, Sam

A Birthday Skirt

2011-07-17T07:45:00.001-06:00

I made this skirt for my little neighbor's birthday this weekend. I love the fabrics together, both are old bed sheets. :) I wanted it to look like a twirly skirt on top of a twirly skirt, and I really like the way it turned out. My girls liked it too so it looks like I will be making more soon, I guess it's a good thing that it sewed up fast!

Do you see that there? Those plants in my flower garden? It's squash! Somehow in all of the planting this Spring these little guys ended up here. When we were weeding it a few weeks back I told the kids to just leave them be. If they want to grow there we will let them. :)

My most favorite part about giving this skirt away was the wrapping! I rolled it up like a bouquet of flowers, stuck the end into an old cardboard tube, and wrapped it with tissue.

The girls had a very interesting *conversation* in the car, on the way over to the party, about who was going to carry it in....Maddie won. What's that? You didn't know that conversations could be won? Haha. Oh yes you did. :) xo, Sam

My "Early Morning Skirt" Tutorial

2011-07-16T05:21:00.000-06:00

I am so excited about these! This A-line skirt (with a yoga style waistband) is made from two thrifted t-shirts. They are fast, easy, cheap, and flattering! It can't get much better than that! This little "recipe" will work for kids too. A few of you asked for a tutorial, and because they are so easy, I decided to whip one up. (By whip one up I mean that I made it up at night, when three of my kids were asleep and the lighting was terrible. Sorry about that.)

To start you need two coordinating old t-shirts (one of mine is a polo style shirt made out of jersey). The shirt that you will be using for the skirt part needs to be a couple of sizes bigger than what you would normally wear in a normal tee (so if a M fits you, you will need at least an XL for this). The shirt that you plan to use for the waistband can be your size or larger.

Measure your waist where you will be wearing the waistband, and then take 3 1/2 inches off of that, now divide that in half (because you need a front and back). From the hem of your waistband-shirt measure up 13" and cut. Now using the measurement you have just figured for your waist, cut two panels that width (you will be cutting the width of the shirt, not the hem, the hem will be used as the finished edge of the yoga band).

Measure from your waist to wherever you want your skirt to hit your leg, this is your length measurement. Using that measurement, measure from the hem of your skirt-shirt up and cut. Now fold the skirt and yoga waist in half long ways and lay together (as shown). Measure over 1" from where the waistband meets the skirt (A) and lay down your ruler (B), taper the ruler out to the end of your skirt (C) to create your A-line and cut.

Sew up the sides of your skirt and waistband with right sides facing.

Fit the skirt wrong side out inside of the waistband wrong side out (as shown).

Pin side seams to side seams, center front to center front, and center back to center back.

Sew or serge the waistband to the skirt stretching the waistband a bit to fit the skirt.

You now have yourself a super cool, quick and easy, summer skirt that you will never want to take off. There is a much better tutorial at Sew-Mama-Sew for a gathered style "Yoga Skirt" that you can make from knit fabric. I prefer the an A-line to a gathered waist because it is more flattering on me, but some of you may like this one better. :) If you have any questions just let me know and I will add the answers back to the post. Happy skirt sewing friends! xo, Sam

Nashville

2011-07-14T13:56:00.003-06:00

Ben surprised me with a one night getaway to Nashville last week! I was so excited, we haven't been off alone in so long. I love me a good fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-trip. We left Tuesday morning and got back last night (Wednesday), but we packed a lot of fun into our two days away! I packed just one small bag for us, to me that makes it more adventurous for some reason...like you may have to make-do or try something new. I also left my big camera at home, so I took pictures using my hipstamatic camera on my phone, I documented the whole trip in pictures....

The morning we left I got up early to pack (packing the day-of makes it more fun too!). While I waited for Ben to get home from the fire station I made this skirt from a thrifted t-shirt -I think I may be addicted to these, but more about that later -and I painted my fingernails with my new green polish.

Our first stop was at Children's Corner, where I got the pretty voile on the left, and got to chat with our sweet market friends Ginger and Lezette. Their shop was so pretty and the staff were so very friendly. (I'll tell you where the other goods came from when we get there.)

Did I mention that we had a stowaway? :) This little one can only be away from mama for about two hours at a time, so she got to come too.

We ate at Darfons in Nashville, where I think I had the best Greek salad that I have ever tasted. It was so good! And the best part? I didn't cook it or clean up after it! I think that can make canned soup taste better!

When we settled in at the hotel I looked through my bag for these. You see, it's tradition. If anyone goes away and they have to stay away from home they get secret notes in their bag. So sweet.

At the restaurant the night before we decided to visit the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home). I went once as a teenager, and loved it, but Ben had never been. It is so interesting and they have done such a good job of preserving it. There was wallpaper on the walls there that had been up for almost 200 years! There were no pictures allowed in his home so I don't have one, but it was beautiful.

This was the inside of Alfred's Cabin, he was an enslaved and later free man who lived at the Hermitage until he died.

This was the original Hermitage, and when they built the mansion they made it over as a "slave dwelling".

The princess taking a nap....

The gardens were beautiful too, probably my favorite part of the tour after seeing the mansion.

We ate a late lunch at Panera and headed for The Quilting Squares shop in Franklin, TN. That's where I got the Knit Picks needle set. I was so impressed with this shop! They are a sewing/quilting shop AND knitting/crochet yarn shop all in one!

From there we were headed to a book shop to get a gift for the kids and we lucked up on this place, Stitcher's Garden. OH MY GOODNESS. I don't think I have ever seen so much fabric under one roof before in my whole life. She had THOUSANDS of bolts of fabric. It was insane! All of the newest fabrics and all of the old hard to find fabrics...that's where I found the three little pigs fabric. My sister and I have been looking for this stuff for five years!

I had such a good time away with my sweet husband and new babe. We have been together almost 11 years and we still have fun like a couple of teenagers, I love it! xo, Sam

PS. Skirt tutorial anyone?

Early Morning Skirts

2011-07-10T04:57:00.002-06:00

I was up at 4:30 this morning, unable to sleep. So now I'm up in my sewing loft, listening to a good book, making yoga skirts from thrifted t-shirts and bed sheets....its so peaceful.

(the peace sign from the shirt doesn't show when the band is folded down)

Now which one should I wear to church? Hmm...

Early Bird

2011-07-09T10:49:00.000-06:00

The mornings around here have been extra special in the last four months. :) This little bundle of happiness may have *something* to do with it. She wakes up so happy every morning, it's my favorite....all warm, and squishy, and smiley, and smelly... I've been singing "Early Bird" to her lately. *Happiness*

We had a sing-along video of Shirley Temple songs that Molly loved when she was little, and this song was on there.

Climbing the beanstalk!

2011-07-07T19:29:00.001-06:00

Molly ran in yesterday crazy excited about this massive zucchini! That thing must have been hiding for weeks now! It looks like she's getting ready to climb the beanstalk and go to "Giantville"....Who knows? Maybe she can grow a massive beanstalk too!

Independence Day

2011-07-04T22:00:00.000-06:00

I will never forget the day that we (my nanny and I) got the pictures in the mail from my Grandfather. He was overseas fighting in the Gulf War. I stayed with my nanny almost every night that year that he was gone. I was 11. I remember thinking that he wouldn't remember me after being gone so long. The pictures were of the "clean up"......the dead bodies from the battles he had fought...It changed my life. I will FOREVER thank God and our troops for our freedom. Thank you.....

He has been so good to me..

2011-07-03T02:48:00.000-06:00

Tonight I was up, not able to sleep, and for some reason I started reading these posts...of all of our lost babies....they were so painful to read... but then I heard my sweet babe breathing in the next room, her breath heavy with sleep, and all I could do was thank my Father...for my little miracle....then I thought of my sweet adopted babies that I have been waiting on...and for the first time in weeks I felt at peace. Peace. He knows. He knows....It will all be fine. One sweet day we will all be together, and I will tell my sweets the story of how God knit our family together...piece by perfect piece....One Sweet Day.....

I need clothing

2011-07-02T13:55:00.000-06:00

Seriously! I know that everyone is SICK of seeing me in my same three outfits that I wear ALL THE TIME, and my "upper half" isn't going back into my pre-nursing tops anytime soon. So I must do something. I'm thinking of making a few things, including this top (which is a free pattern here), but I want to refashion a few things too. I don't have to tell you that I need this to be cheap too... I found this blog very interesting, and this one...and this shop rocks.

So how about you? Do you need some new duds? Or do you have any cool links that I need to see? Maybe we could all work on this together! xo,Sam

Daddy Date Day

2011-06-28T21:24:00.000-06:00

Today it was Maddie's turn to go on a special Date Day with Daddy. She was so excited! For her special day she chose to go to lunch and take Daddy shopping (his favorite:). She got to pick out her own outfit -and I let her wear it no matter how bad I wanted to dress her myself, though when it was all said and done I think she did a pretty good job, it was very "Maddie"...

I curled her hair and put it in "a side bun with a pink headband" just like she (very specifically) asked....

I helped her hunt her purse that she "wears across". I painted her nails and helped her remember to stay still while they dried all the way...

Then she stepped out and let Daddy see her! Daddy went on and on about how beautiful she was and she felt pretty and loved and special, and that kind of thing is important in a family. This little person is so very special to us, she is our resident stylist :), our funny girl, our BIG personality, and our compassionate little Maddie.

And she had a good time on her Daddy Date Day. :) By the way, I think Daddy is pretty special too for seeing the importance of these things. Maybe it has something to do with being the oldest of twelve children? Ya think? xo, Sam

Adoption Update

2011-06-21T13:32:00.001-06:00

Many of you have asked lately where we are in our adoption process. I know I haven't said much about the adoption lately and the reason why is that there really hasn't been anything to tell. It seems like we are at a stand-still with all of this paperwork (specifically the I-800A). We have also had some papers expire while we wait on others...ugh. I try to stay positive about it, but if I'm being honest, it has really been discouraging lately. If you have ever been in this process or know someone who has, you probably know what I'm talking about. I'm really just trying to be patient and not worry about how long it's taking because I know that God has perfect timing. We feel like part of our family is missing and it's frustrating and sad sometimes....I'm sorry, but that's all I have to tell. There just isn't much to say. I'll tell you this though! When we do have some good news I'll be shouting it so loud that you just might hear me if ya step outside! I am so ready for some good news, so keep the prayers coming. I pray that God will give us wisdom and patience as we finish this long process, and most importantly, that He will protect our sweet children while we are waiting. It really means a lot to us that you guys have asked about this and are praying with us, thank you. xo, Sam

Molly made Claire a shirt and some rambling.

2011-06-20T12:43:00.000-06:00

Claire and I slept in this morning so the big kids were up first. When we woke up Molly brought this little shirt in and said "I made Claire something while y'all were sleeping." My sweet girl! She has been telling me lately that she really wants to make Claire something. I asked her for the details about her project and this is what she said: "I used some of my play fabric and some lace that I found. I cut sleeves and a neck hole, sewed it up and sewed on the lace. Sewing the lace on was my favorite part." I am always amazed by what my kids can do when I'm not "helping". I think that we parents may not give these munchkins enough credit. She did a pretty good job for not using a pattern!

I love the age difference between these two. Being nine years older Molly gets to really "mama" Claire, and she LOVES it. She enjoys taking care of her, dressing her, and even changing diapers. I love to see her enjoy her baby sister, and it's so helpful too! I love how Claire fits in so perfectly. God really knows what he's doing doesn't he? (Which reminds me, I will have an adoption update in the next post for those of you who have been asking. :)

This little guy has been a big help too! He is really taking over a lot of the outdoor chores around here. Most days lately he feeds all of the animals (that is a big chore around here), collects the eggs, and brings in things from the garden all on his own. He's loving all of the outdoor work with daddy too.

He wanted me to show you guys his "moon" pepper that he picked this morning from our little garden. I need to take pictures of him in his big garden!

I'll be back with an adoption update. :) xo, Sam

Filet Crochet

2011-06-18T10:42:00.000-06:00

I'm still in decorating mode here, and this morning I remembered a wall hanging that I made a few years back. This was the first filet crochet that I ever made and it has been folded and put away all this time because I wasn't happy with the font or something (I can't even remember now). I think I may use it on a pillow in my bedroom. Finding this got me thinking, I think I want to make another one that says "Caffee" for the living room....

...but in these colors! And I think I want a more folksy font too with folksy flower designs around the edges! I'll just add that to the list of things that I want to do around here. :) Like the couch slipcover that hasn't even been started....

I'm going to blame that on these chubby little legs that have to be squished, and those sweet cheeks that have to be kissed, and that downy hair that has to be sniffed, and......*Love*

Happy Saturday friends! xo, Sam

Read any good books lately?

2011-06-12T18:32:00.001-06:00

I am a member of Audible.com (not quite sure if I would recommend them, I'll get into that later) and I get audio books to listen to while I sew or work on projects. I have a credit that will go bad if I don't use it by tomorrow, but I have NO IDEA what to get! I love reading/ listening to Grace Livingston Hill books, Lucy M. Montgomery, and my favorite book of all time is Silas Marner. Those are all old (free in the public domain) and I'm looking for similar books that are newish. Got any ideas?

My mini review of Audible.com:
~They have good customer service.
~They have very good quality audio books.
~They DO NOT have ratings on their books. This is probably the biggest drawback for me. I got a book once that sounded like a sweet little Grace Livingston Hill or Jane Austen (Christian) love story, and I found out I was wrong....very wrong...in the first 10 minutes. Not cool. That's why I only go off of recommendations now. I wish that I could just shop around by ratings like I do for movies.
~If you don't use your credits in their time frame you lose them. I don't like losing something that I have paid for. That's not cool either.

I plan to start on my slipcover tomorrow when I get home from taking all of the kids to the dentist (fun fun). I hope to have a good book downloaded by the time I start! It will probably take me a few days to get it done, but when I am done I will try to answer a few of the slipcover questions that you guys have been asking. I'll answer them better when the project is fresh on my mind. :) xo, Sam

Experimenting

2011-06-10T21:00:00.000-06:00

I have fabrics draped over everything in the house! I got a couple of drop cloths from Home Depot to make my couch slipcover with (thanks for the ideas!), and the other fabrics are going to cover the pillows. Come on in and take a look around. :)

Sometimes I have to experiment with things around the house before I decide. Do you do that? I'm fearless when it comes to dresses, but my home is so personal that I have to make changes more slowly. I have to love everything in my house, I don't even care if it matches or not (I sorta hate for things to match), I just have to love it or it can't stay. So this is how my house looks right now.... I'm just going to let the fabrics lay there for a few days to see if they want to live here or not, after that if I don't love it, it goes back in the stash for another project.

Here is my bedroom. I know that I want a change in here, but I'm still not sure what I want to add or "edit"....

My favorite things about my room is the little couch at the end of my bed, the french doors, and the bathroom sink. Oh an the cradle that my Paw Paw made me, I especially love that it's in my room right now and not in the attic!

This has been so much fun so far! I'm not looking forward to sewing another slipcover (it's such a big job) but I love playing with the fabrics and colors, and moving fabrics around throughout the day to experiment.

What do you think? If you have any ideas throw'em my way! You guys are always full of good ideas! xo, Sam

Spring Cleaning!!

2011-06-08T21:29:00.003-06:00

I know it has been quiet here on the blog, but it has been busy, busy, busy, here at home! This week I have finally got to all of that spring cleaning that I wanted to do while I was on bedrest. OH MY GOODNESS. It feels soooo good! I washed all of the curtains, bedspreads/quilts, slipcovers, and pillows. We cleaned all of the windows, baseboards, under beds. I cleaned out couch and chair cushions, closets, drawers, cabinets....You get the idea. My goal was for my house to look as clean and fresh as it did when we first moved in (it was brand new!). I was cleaning cracks with a toothbrush people!

Now that it's done I'm wanting to do a few things to spiff up the decorations a bit. I haven't really done much since we first moved in 8 years ago, and I need a change. I know for sure that I want to slipcover my couch. I have two couches in my living room, one I covered a while back, and the one that's left needs to be done now. It is so nasty! I think I want to cover it in a neutral so that if I want a change all I have to do is change the pillows and I can have any look I want quickly. (Here are a couple of examples.)

I'm trying to find some decorator weight fabric in a khaki or light beige color that is cheap (price not quality). I was surprised to find very few solids in decorator weight fabrics when I looked today. Does anyone know if any of the big stores like Hancocks or Joannes will let you use the 40% or 50% off coupon on that much fabric? I'm wanting to spiff up some other rooms too, cheap DIY style, do you have any favorite projects or links? I can't wait to hear from you guys! This is going to be fun! xo, Sam

Little Girl Blue

2011-06-02T12:38:00.000-06:00

I finished Claire's booties and made her a blue dress to go with them! It's just too sweet, and just what I wanted. :) I have had this Aunt Grace fabric in my stash for forever and this was the perfect project for it!

How sweet is that little girl? The dress and booties look so sweet on her! I think that she likes it too.

You may be seeing this dress again soon... ;) xo, Sam

Happy Saturday Friends!

2011-05-28T12:11:00.000-06:00

From our very entertaining drama queen!

I hope your day is full of big smiles too! xo, Sam

The results....

2011-05-27T09:26:00.001-06:00

You know what they say, "try and try again". Well that's just what I did. I made one of each, took notes -I hate when I don't take notes, because then I can NEVER remember what I did and then I have to do the whole process over again, that's why I love Ravelry- and it worked!

The size up fit Claire's pudgy little feet perfectly! Now I think I'll just go ahead and make the other to match and work on that baby gift this evening. The new baby won't be here for another month anyhow, right? My Ravelry notes are HERE (and I made those public, so you don't have to be a member to see them).

Ahh...there is such a sense of satisfaction when you've found a pattern that works for you after the "try and try again" stage. And the best part about this pattern is that I think I could have it memorized pretty quickly. I'm going to get to work on these now and I'll be back to show you a whole pair soon! xo, Sam

Now I'm on the right track!

2011-05-26T18:02:00.000-06:00

THANK YOU! You guys always come to the rescue! I looked at all of the suggestions and read through the patterns a bit and this one made the most sense to me (it has a construction picture:). I changed up the pattern just a smidge, you can see my ravelry notes here, and I LOVE it! I can totally see this being my new go-to pattern. This one turned out perfect for the newborn size because it was a little snug on Claire. Now I can work on my baby gift! And after that's done Claire needs a pair of these, one size up, in this same yellow with a blue dress to go with them.....or maybe a pink dress? Or red! No it has to be blue.....

I'm knitting again and I need some help. :)

2011-05-25T13:01:00.001-06:00

(Picture borrowed from Ravelry)

I need help from my knitting friends. I tried these booties yesterday, for a new baby boy that's coming soon, and they were just way too big for a newborn. Do you guys know of a pattern that is similar to this that works better for newborn feet? I would also like something that is seamed because I'm sooo slow with DPNs or majic loop. Got any ideas? Thanks friends! xo, Sam

A new car seat cover for the babe.

2011-05-23T17:08:00.001-06:00

Since before my little angel was born I knew that if she was a girl I would want a pretty car seat. I really like pretty infant seats because in those first few months they get used so much.... in stores, restaurants, church....One night a couple of weeks ago, after I got home from my job at the church, I started to work on one. I needed some sewing therapy after those long emotional days after the tornadoes. I just used fabrics that I had because there was no time for shopping then. I had this quilted table runner that my mom gave me a couple of years ago, and scraps of my all time favorite line from Moda by Urban Chiks. I bought a pattern for a seat cover, but I was disappointed to find that I would have to cut apart my old cover and use it as a pattern. I really just wanted a pattern so that I wouldn't have to think about it. I definitely didn't want to cut up my old cover because Miss Claire is a spitter and an extra car seat cover is needed from time to time.

I just bit the bullet and started making a pattern for the cover the same way you would a slipcover for a piece of furniture. I used the techniques that I learned in this book from years back. It took a few nights sewing after work to get it finished up but I really love the way it turned out! It was much easier than I expected it to be. I think that the only reason it seemed like such a big job then was because I was so emotionally overwhelmed.

Would you look at those cheeks?! I also made a "pappy" holder (pacifier) to match! Claire rides next to Maddie in the car, so I try to keep a pappy in her seat so that Maddie can help me out while I'm driving and Claire gets fussy. Having a pap that stays on the seat has been great.

I think my little Claire likes her girly seat. :) Have I told you lately what a blessing this sweet angel is? Her little smiles just melt us all! Can you believe that she's already three months old? *sigh* So fast....

I didn't want to close this post out without saying that we are praying for the people in Joplin, MO who have just been through a terrible tornado. We love you and we are praying....xo, Sam

After the Storm

2011-05-17T16:30:00.002-06:00

It feels like it has been years since Easter! So much has happened and we have been so busy, that I feel like I need to get caught up. This week has really been the most "normal" that we have had since the tornadoes came through. This weekend I even did a little sewing -that I will try to show you in the next few days along with Easter dresses!

Today I want to share some of the pictures that we took the day our little angel, Zoe, was born since so many of you have prayed for them and sent gifts. What an emotional day! The day before was so full of fear, worry, and heartache. Daniel, Cristina, little Luke had been through so much and we were just so thankful that they were all okay, that we were all okay. I'm telling you, I've never been so happy for all of us to be together under one roof in my life! You take those things for granted until something like this happens. When I finally laid my head down at 3:00 that next morning to go to sleep, the thought of all of us being there together, safe, was almost more than my fragile emotions could take, and then when we got up the next morning we realised that our sweet Zoe would be joining us by the end of the day....we were just so grateful.

Here they are! Isn't that a sweet family picture? Zoe came into the world safe, loved, and surrounded by close family and friends, it was such a special day.

This is Cristina's father who had just came in from Romania the night before the storm. When it was all over and we were all safe, we had to laugh, poor guy, it's not exactly the "Welcome to America!" that he expected! But Daniel said that he was as calm as anything all through the storm, he even got pictures of the tornado leaving! We now call him "father-outlaw" (instead of father-in-law). :)

And here is our sweet little Trio of girls, Violet, Claire, and Zoe. :) They were all born within four months, don't you know these three are going to be a mess when they get a little bigger!

Here is Zoe with "Gran" (my mother-in-law). Zoe will never want for a playmate in this family! All of her little cousins, aunts and uncles were waiting anxiously to meet her. They get so excited when new babies are born!

This is her Uncle David holding her here. Do you know that this young man took care of me and the kids while I was on bedrest with Maddie? He was such a sweet boy, and now he will be graduating in a few days. Where does the time go? That's Aunt Holly in the black shirt, yeah she's posing. She stops and does that little pose anytime she sees anyone with a camera. The nice young man in the plaid shirt is a close family friend (and honorary Caffee) Michael, we all grew up in the same church.

Here she is with Sid. I don't think I've ever mentioned Sid here on the blog have I? He has been a good friend of ours for as long as I can remember. Another honorary Caffee. :) He married Ben and I and he is a part of everything we do as a family, including family vacation! He was with us the day of the tornado. When the other men left to go get Daniel and Cristina and all of us mamas and kids were crying, just beside ourselves with fear, he was the one we turned to to pray. I don't think I'll ever forget all of us huddled around Sid in the hallway of my mother-in-law's house crying and praying for their safety.

Today I felt like I should introduce you all to the people that you have "adopted"! Thank you so much for all of the prayers and support that you have given them! It has been truly amazing to see how God brings people together in times of need. xo, Sam

Claire says "hey"!!

2011-05-10T10:08:00.000-06:00

Last night I was getting a little video of Claire babbling and I said "Hey" and she answered "Hey". The kids were taking baths when it happened but when I showed them the video they thought that it was the hillarious thing they had ever seen! They want to send it in to Funniest Home Videos. So cute!

It feels good to be posting something happy today! xo, Sam

All these emotions...

2011-05-09T09:56:00.000-06:00

Wow. Today is really the first day since the tornado that I have been home. I've tried to write at night when I got home from the church a few times but I couldn't put any of it into words, I thought it was because I was just so tired emotionally and physically. No, it's just too much. It's heavy. In the past two weeks I've been with hundreds of people who have just lost everything, some have lost family members, I've hugged a mama while she cried about losing all of her kid's pictures, I've loaded supplies into cars with no windows and seats covered in glass, I've hugged and cried with people who have lost loved ones, I've handed formula to a mama who had been out and she cried.....the mamas get me. There are army trucks and National Guard men everywhere, cars on the road that don't even look drivable, it's like a war zone. My heart hurts when I see these areas of mass destruction and the people who have lost so much, then on the other hand my heart swells when I think of our new little Zoe! and all of the people who have come together to help. It felt so good to be a part of the relief effort handing out goods and supplies with other friends from the church and to see our community pull together and get to work! I cried when I read THIS about my new little niece, and when I received over $1000 dollars worth of Walmart gift cards from Terri and Dawn at Fairytale Frocks to give to people in need, or THIS post by my sweet friend Laura, the sewing community pulled together too! There are so many emotions from one extreme to the other that I feel like I'm on the verge of tears all the time...happy and sad. I'm so thankful that God protected my family...it missed mine and my sister's houses by barely a half mile. Daniel, Cristina, Luke and baby Zoe are doing great! We have many friends and family that lost "stuff" but none lost their lives. We are blessed. So very blessed. I'll try to write more soon. ~xo, Sam

More News From Samantha

2011-04-30T15:49:00.003-06:00

Dawn again...

I just got off the phone with Samantha and help has arrived!!! The National Guard, Samaritan's Purse, Convoy of Hope and The Red Cross are all there. Sam sounded so relieved and she was happy to announce that supplies are arriving and donations are starting to come in. As a matter of fact the church has set up a little shop and Sam is the shopkeeper, for the next few weeks or even months she is going to be handing out much needed supplies to anyone who needs them...food, water, clothing, diapers, personal items, etc.etc and she sounded so happy to be able to be helping those in need. She said one lady came in today and asked if they had any feminine products and when Sam handed her a box she burst into tears she was so happy. I can't even imagine ....

For those of you who wanted to know about Sam's house, it's fine. They just have no power right now which is why they are staying with her sister, Rachel. But their house is fine. She said they have a lot of trees down on their land but otherwise they got off pretty easy compared to most.

I will continue to check in as I hear from Samantha to keep you all up to date on what's happening! Thanks to all of you for all your prayers and well wishes. I reminded Sam that she is loved by so many people and we are all praying for them.

News From Samantha

2011-04-29T11:37:00.003-06:00

Photos Sam sent me from her iPhone of Ben in the rubble after the storm

Hi everyone, this is Dawn (from Olabelhe) filling in for Samantha...

Sam managed to get a call through to me this morning which was a miracle in itself, as most of the cell towers are down and most people have no electricity. She wanted me to update all of you on what's happening so she asked me to fill in for her for a while until they get internet back which could be weeks. So as long as she can get through to me, I will be filling in for her to keep you all updated on what's happening. First of all they are all safe and okay. Sam is currently staying with her sister Rachel because Rachel has electricity so they are camping out there until further notice. Yesterday amidst all of the chaos Christina gave birth to a beautiful little girl and they named her Zoe, and mama and baby are doing just fine. Although now they have a new baby and no home to bring her back to, until they are able to find a new place they will be staying with Ben's family. Now for more news about the storm. One of the areas that was hit the hardest was a neighboring town called Pleasant Grove which is where Daniel and Christina lived. That town was hit really hard and so many people lost everything including loved ones. Currently they are setting up shelters and Convoy of Hope arrived this morning to start helping, as of yet there was no sign of any other help from any one else but she hoped that they might possibly see the National Guard or the Red Cross sometime today. She said that right now it's just crazy and they are still looking for people as over 100 are still missing, in fact that's what Ben and some of his brothers were doing today, still looking for people. Sam's Church has been transformed into a shelter and they are starting to feed families and get them the help that they need including shelter. When I asked Sam what we can do to help she said anything and everything would be greatly appreciated!! and she asked that I pass this info along...all donations can be sent to their church treasurer Linda who will see that everything sent will be given to Sam's dad who is their pastor and he will make sure it goes directly to those who need it most. If you would like things to specifically to Daniel, Christina and baby Zoe please label it that way otherwise it will go to another family. Sam highly suggested sending store gift cards to either Walmart or Target because those stores weren't hit and then people can go get what they need and they are very easy to send, but if you would like to send clothes, shoes, personal items, food, blankets, pillows, towels, etc.etc. anything and everything would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Please send donations to:

New Life Fellowship
C/O Linda
3519 Gilbert Drive
Hueytown, Alabama
35023

I will do everything within my power to keep you all updated as long as Sam can get through to me. If you have any other questions that I might be able to help you with you can always email me at Dawn@Olabelhe.com

Please keep Sam, her family, friends and their community in your prayers as they need it now more than ever...

We are safe

2011-04-27T21:45:00.000-06:00

I can't post much from my phone, but we are safe. Ben's brother and his family lost almost everything, including their cars, but they are safe. Praise God! I'm keeping our Facebook updated if you want to check in there. Ben is still out helping and I got a message a couple of hours ago (after hours of worry) that he is fine but he doesn't know when he will be home. Please keep praying that they find more people alive, the death toll is in the 80's right now. xo, Sam

Refugees. It's been a wild week.

2011-04-27T12:28:00.002-06:00

Last week I was sewing to finish Easter dresses or nursing a baby every waking minute! Saturday, Tim cut his arm playing outside and he had to get stitches. Sunday went well, we had a wonderful Easter with family! All I could think about Sunday night was waking up (late) on Monday morning and spending the day holding my baby and NOT sewing. That's NOT how it went. Ben woke me up saying "Get up! We've got to go to the hospital, Tim has cut his foot really bad!" I'm not going to go into detail because it can really make your skin crawl, but he had a pretty bad cut. Poor little guy! He has had a hard week!

This morning we woke up to tornado sirens and nasty weather. We have no power and it looks like it could be a few days before we get it back on. This tree was down in my sister's back yard. We are so blessed that it didn't hit the house!

We found this little guy, alive, under the limbs. He was lucky too!

There is a whole other storm system headed our way and they have predicted that it will be the worst we've had since the 60's. Please pray for us! The tornadoes did so much damage this morning and the next storm is supposed to be much worse and last a few hours.

Ben is at the fire station, so the kids and I are refugees! We are now at my mother in law's house and we plan to stay here at least through the night. We saw several damaged houses on the way here and lots of downed trees. We have also heard from many friends that they are without power and have property damage. The next line of storms are due to hit here in another hour or so and last until 10:00 tonight. I'll check back in when we are back home with power and internet. Stay safe everyone! Love you guys, Sam

Sunday afternoon naps...

2011-04-19T09:25:00.000-06:00

They are the best aren't they? Especially when there are little rolly polly legs next to you, and tiny toes, and weensy lips, all in a little cloud of soft batiste...so perfect...

On My Heart ~ A re-post

2011-04-15T19:46:00.001-06:00

I originally wrote this post on Saturday, November 8, 2008 and I somehow stumbled upon it last night. Oh these words couldn't have come back to me at a better time! With the added resposibilities of having a new baby, and the lack of sleep, I've had to work on this extra hard lately with my older kids. I'm sure most mamas can relate! It's good for me to have a little reminder from time to time....
On my heart....

"Yes, I am in earnest. I want to see little children adorning every home as flowers adorn every meadow and every wayside. I want to see them welcomed to the homes they enter, to see their parents grow less and less selfish and more and more loving because they have come. I want to see God's precious gifts accepted, not frowned upon and refused."

This is just one little paragraph from one of my favorite books "Stepping Heavenward" by Mrs. Elizabeth Prentiss. This one paragraph has had me reflecting for days. Reflecting on my own life as the mother of five "flowers". I am sure, at first glance, that nobody would ever accuse me of not living this way....but when I look into my own heart I am convicted of not opening my heart completely. There are days when I let circumstances control my attitude toward my children. Seeing this, others would probably say "Well everybody has bad days". But is that good enough? Is it good enough to live that way and write the bad days off as just normal? Is normal what we are called to be? I want to be able to believe in these beautiful words when nobody has their shoes on and church starts in 30 minutes, or when I have not had a break in days and I just want to take a bath by myself. I want my children to be able to see a loving attitude when we are in those situations, not just when everything is going my way, because isn't that ugly attitude making them feel "frowned upon and refused"? And if I am not growing "more and more loving" I am probably not growing "less and less selfish"either. I know this will be a life-long project, I will not be able to conquer this next week, but it will be something to strive for and to be aware of on this journey Heavenward.

The book "Stepping Heavenward" is Elizabeth Prentiss' journal that she started when she turned 16 on January 15, 1831. She wrote of her walk with God and and her struggles through to motherhood. It is a beautiful testimony to her life of Godly womanhood. I love this book so much that I have finally purchased it in hard back ~~which leaves me with an extra. I would love to give my extra copy to another woman who could learn from her beautiful walk with God. If you would like it just let me know and I will pass it on.~~

Edited to add: I have been told that that this story isn't true, but loosely based on the author's aunt. Just thought I would let you know too. :) I think I've probably read or listened to this book at least four more times since this post. I've also discovered it free to read HERE online, and free to listen to HERE online.

Around the farm...

2011-04-14T13:55:00.007-06:00

We have made some new discoveries around the farm this week! First we discovered that one of our chickens laid a giant egg. Here it is next to our normal eggs.

As a homeschooling mama I saw this as a good and exciting "science project". We got out the measuring tape and compared the huge egg to our normal ones. Our big egg was about 1" bigger than the others in length and width. Then we researched (AKA googled) what this could mean, and found some pretty amazing things! Who knew that THIS could happen? Wild! THIS was a pretty fun read too if you like that sort of thing.

We couldn't wait to see what was in our egg! And as you can see, it was a nice big double yolker. :)

When all of the research was done Molly cooked it up and they ate it. They said that it tasted extra good. They may be a little prideful when it comes to their chicken's eggs. So cute.

The next discovery was made by Maddie and I on our way up the driveway today. It was a sweet little rabbit! We often see rabbits hopping up our driveway, but this one was teeny! And you know how we are about babies (of any kind) around here. We took a video so that Molly and Tim could see and Maddie gave it the most adorable name ever. :)

What new discoveries have you made this week? xo, Sam

Easter sewing and a new pattern line!

2011-04-11T16:26:00.003-06:00

Today I got to get a couple of hours of Easter sewing done! Molly and Adam (her uncle that's the same age as her) watched Claire while I got Maddie's dress ready for the handwork. I'm doing my crocheted insertion dress again, but this time for three girls! They each have their own color; Molly is blue, Maddie picked purple, and my little Claire will be pink. :) This is the purple in silk thread, but I'm thinking that I may use a cotton thread with a darker purple. This just looks so pale and I want the crochet to stand out more. It almost looks like a grayish white when it's on the dress. Not very Eastery, huh? I'll work on that tonight.I can't wait to see them finished, three little girls dressed in Easter dresses! OH!

This was the first crocheted insertion dress, it was Molly's Easter dress one year. I have had so many questions about this dress over the years so....I have finally decided to make up a pattern for it! This was a pretty hard decision to make, believe it or not, mostly because it's not for beginners. All of my "Miss" patterns are geared towards beginners with no plackets, buttonholes, or zippers. I was afraid that if I got away from that it may cause confusion, so what I have finally decided to do is have another pattern line with more advanced/heirloom patterns. My only problem is I don't know what I will call them! I thought about having the "Miss" patterns and then the "Samantha's Heirloom" patterns. What do you think?

I'm always looking for suggestions from the people who buy my patterns! If you have any please, please, please speak up! I need your help! :) xo, Sam

Edited to add: I'm going to open a new discussion in the forum about this too. Come on over and chat if you would like. :)