A Quilt for a Little Girl I Have Yet to Meet...

Today is a very special day!! One of my closest friends gave birth to a precious little girl!! It is their 4th baby and 3rd daughter. They did not know the sex of the baby throughout the pregnancy, so today was such an exciting day, to finally hear the news! A GIRL!!! Her name is Penelope Ruth-I just love it!! I can hardly wait until I can go meet Penelope!! So after school today and a small nap, I went to work on her quilt. I did not want to make the quilt until I knew if it was a little lady or little man . With no interruptions(great thanks to my lovely children), I was able to finish it by dinner time. Yay!! Here is the quilt for the little one I have yet to meet!

I wanted to make sure to include all of her stats, so I hid them on flowers and corners of the quilt.

The Boy Can Sew!!!

The kiddos have all learned how to use my machines except for Noah. And Noah has been begging for over a year to learn how to use the sewing machines(which means since he was just 3) I was anxious for him to learn, but I have been waiting until I saw a bit of patience emerge in him, not to mention a good sprinkle of caution as well, which does not come to quickly in little boys;). Back in May, on the morning of his 4th birthday, he was laying in bed with Matt and I studying his birthday card. The conversation was about how he was 4 now, he was older and bigger, and he exclaimed with all the excitement he could gather, "I AM BIGGER-I CAN SEW NOW!??" OH Yes, you can imagine how much my heart swelled with pride-how could I not be touched by that. I still giggle when I think back to that. Since I sew for a living, it makes me think that the kids see I love what I do and it is contagious. I never wanted to teach them to sew out of obligation, I wanted them to love doing it.

Well this morning, while Bell was sewing and Noah was intently watching her, I decided to set up my old faithful, simple as pie, machine for Noah to learn on. You can imagine the delight when he realized I was going to teach him! And here's the thing, for a 4 year old boy, he is not looking to make barbie clothes like the girls or a quilt, to him, it is a cool machine, he is mesmerized simply by watching it work! So, letting him sew lines in fabric is all he needs to be completely excited about sewing! Here are some of the pictures...

Keeping those little finger clear of the needle.

.....................................pure joy....................

This one makes me giggle...not even tall enough to reach the peddle...I keep meaning to build a little box for all of the little kiddos for when they sew. Reaching the peddle is always an issue.Bell was working hard at making doll clothes, so Noah is happy to finally join her at the table.

Two Things I Want to Remember...

This is one of those posts that acts as a journal entry for me-something I do not want to forget. A quick reminder of my blessings, but hopefully it will also be a sweet little smile to your day as well. Remember to capture those moments worth savoring. Keep your eyes wide open and your ears in tune and grab onto God's whispers to you even in the midst of ordinary life!!

One of the reasons I love homeschooling!!! All the places we can learn!! Joslyn is studying for a spelling test out under the clothesline, it has the best shade at this time of day. I can do laundry and quiz her on her words-simple joys!!!

So, after I took the photo of Joslyn, I came to drop some pictures off at my computer, and found this next picture. I had been taken by my older daughter Madi while I was running some errands this morning. What a fun surprise to find!! Definitely a keeper!

Simple Joys....

I am definately a small joys or simple pleasures kind of person. I love the little details and finding joy in things that could easily be passed over. I have seen this beginning in my girls especially and it has been pretty fun to watch. For Bell, all it takes is a silly pair of socks and she feels beautiful. It doesn't matter that it is extremely hot out or that they do not match, she exudes joy when she has these on! And that makes me smile and appreciate the little gift's from God, even if it is only a pair of socks with a hole in them!!!

My New Little Everything Pouch

Little joys-these new little pouches are to me. Each new one becomes a new favorite! Awhile back I began making my Happy Saturday Clutches and they remain to be a calming work for me. But I have taken the same design and made it to be a little version. It all began when I was thinking about my younger ones sitting through an award ceremony for my older kids. I needed to come up with something to keep them occupied and content. There is nothing like a new box of crayons, I must admit, even I like to get one every once in awhile! OOOO-those fresh pointy tips and all those pretty colors. I think I like them even more than my kiddos!


I had made all my kids crayon rolls last year, and somehow they have disappeared:)-what a surprise, that never happens! Darn, I guess I will have to make something new to keep those crayons in(hehe) But, as much as those were excellent for my older kids, they were difficult for the wee ones to take out and put back the crayons in the tiny slots. So, I decided to make some of the smaller clutches for crayon packs. I am so in love with them being used for this! My younger girls have been carrying theirs around while they work on school too.



But, I have also made some grown up versions for those bag ladies out there! I maybe overdid myself in cutting out over a hundred to make up-yikes-that may take me awhile-but they are at least designed and ready to sit quietly waiting at my machine. They have been the late night, waiting for hubby to get home from work, soothing rhythm of work, as I get to free motion quilt them. Just like the larger Happy Saturday Clutches, they are perfect for those smaller items you want to keep sacred in your purse. The cell, IPOD, keys, lipstick, or maybe gum. But they are excellent travel companions, one of my lovely customers uses them for their passports. I know I will get use out of many of them this summer while we travel to camp, they will be great for my girls hairbands and such, and one will be in the diaper bag with all the little first aid needs summer seems to bring as well! I could get a little obsessive about these!



They are perfect if you are looking for a use for all the fun scraps you have! The pieces only measure 8x15, so not much is needed! If you are a quilter, here is a great way to use up all the strips left over of batting from making your quilts! I finally put that bundle of batting to use that I just could not bring to throw out, knowing eventually i would do some smaller quilted items! And if you aren't a sewer, but would like some little lovelies, I have listed around 15 so far in the shop. So happy shopping to you!