Shorts


I came to a compromise with eldest daughter concerning her attire. She refuses to wear a dress (I actually managed to get her into a skirt for mass last weekend!) so I made her some "pretty shorts" instead. The pockets were a real selling point, she is such a tomboy! She keeps telling me to give all her dresses away to other girls ( actually she got the idea from me, I was trying to get her to wear one). So now I'm working on youngest daughter, she wears a dress every Sunday with no socks and messy hair (she pulls socks off and hairstyle out). Sigh...

Etsy treasury

I got a nice surprise when I logged on today, my little Milly doll has been featured here .Thanks to oritdotandolls . Very flattering!

Spick n' span day!

Every now and then I feel that I'm going to turn exremely insane if the house doesn't get into order. The proclamation "Its spick n span day!" can be heard (enthusiastically bellowed by yours truly) followed immediately by groans (from children).
The deal is - no schoolwork for the day, but you have to work in return!
The best part is that it is now the afternoon and I have time to blog, read to the children and hopefully sew up that pair of shorts that eldest daughter is desperate for.

Oh, while I'm here I'll mention the Crafty Mamas competition is ending soon, so if you have an entry for the "English Garden" theme, now is the time to get it in!

Au revoir for now....

Books

My mother in law has loaned an excellent book to me, I can hardly put it down. It is about a Christian woman's journey through prison and labour camps under communist rule. I love to read these true stories as it teaches me so much about myself and my own life. It reminds me of how selfish and materialistic I am and that my faith needs to be so much stronger. My life is so easy and I take it for granted. The title of the book is "The Pastor's Wife" by Sabina Wurmbrand.

On the sewing front I made a nappy cover and notebook cover yesterday, both of which turned out nicely. Now I'm waiting on my next Winterwood delivery so I can start on some more dolls and fill up my sad little Etsy shop.

My husband has cruised the garage sales this morning and come home with a bunch of action figures (enter very happy son!) and some excellent big lattice screens for the garden. Our new water tank arrives on Monday, can't wait! Now all we need is some rain to fill it!

I hope you have a wonderful and productive weekend.
God bless.

A busy house is a happy house!

This is Milly, she is 8.5 inches tall and was such a joy to make.



She is going in my Etsy shop.








These are always a favourite with the children.






The garden

Sweetpeas are finishing but still very pretty


Robinia in flower




Roses on the patio







Dolicus (spelling?) in full bloom



It is very dry out there at the moment, but still so much beauty to behold - I just had to share a little of it!














Phew!!

The past week has been a flurry of visitors, appointments and social engagements with a little desperate catch up on housework thrown in (no I haven't caught up yet) so I have nothing new to show and tell. The only time I used my sewing machine was at sewing class, but there are projects on my (long) waiting list. I did work on some doll designs on paper though, so thats something at least.

Something has got me thinking. It seems a group of women cannot get together without discussion turning to husbands. Naturally, there is nothing wrong with that, but I've noticed the talk is never really positive. It bothers me. No, my husband is not perfect, but does that mean I need to advertise his personal flaws to a group of eager women? Wouldn't that be an abuse of trust in our relationship?
If someone needs to have a genuine and quiet talk about their marriage I'm all ears, but I just don't know what to do/say in this group situation. I understand that for many women they are so frustrated with their husbands that it just becomes a habit to speak of them this way, but honestly it only makes me feel sorry for the husband who doesn't know a group of women are belittling him.
How about this....... if you are in the habit of airing your dirty laundry to others, each time you feel a complaint coming on, stop yourself, and instead think of something he does that is great, or something you really love about him, and tell others that instead! Easier said than done? Try it once and see if it helps!

Until next time
God bless you all and thanks for reading!

Jen

I've taken a new direction with my dolls, and here is the result of the first new design. I like a lot of aspects about waldorf dolls, but wanted to make them in my own style. I absoloutely love working with the natural materials and hope to make a lot more. Jen is going into my Etsy shop.





Bye baby bunting.....

I made this little cutie for youngest daughter today to prevent her carrying off (and chewing upon) her sister's new doll. This one should be better for chewing, more sturdy and the hair won't pull out. I was given the lovely velvet fabric by someone who didn't want it anymore. Its wonderfully soft. I couldn't get a good photo, but you get the idea...

Little doll

Just had to post my first project with my new materials, which I loved using! Pure wool is like a dream after using polyfill for so long! I haven't made a doll like this before but I enjoyed it and plan to make more, though I'll probably be tweaking my pattern for a while to get it the way I want it. She's 8 inches tall.


Crafty Mamas Competition

I'm very pleased to be offering the prizes over at Crafty Mamas this month. The theme is "English Garden" and here are 2of the prizes, the other is a chunky beaded necklace. Pop over and take a look!



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