My Wish For Her

Recently I attended a baby shower for my sister in law. She is pregnant with her first child. She is excited and anxious - everything a mother to be should be.

Watching her open gifts took me back to the days when I was pregnant with my first, Ellie. I remember listening carefully to all the practical advice - which brands of diapers were more absorbent and which diaper rash cream worked better. I was confident in Bob's ability to operate the car seat and the baby swing. I understood on an intellectual level that my life was going to change.

You can't prepare for how much your heart will change. The same heart you thought had experienced emotions before will grow 3 sizes bigger when that baby is placed in your arms. Having a child means you experience everything acutely . . . including worry and fear.

My wish for her is to know contentment. To not miss a single moment of joy with her baby because of worry. To live in the present and not wish time away. To know she will have days where she feels like a total failure, but failure is not a word her little one will be familiar with. To feel confident in her ability to care for and nurture the little life who's contentment is found in his mother's arms.

Philippians 4: 11-13

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Have A Little Heart

I was inspired by this heart mobile at Pottery Barn Kids. I picked up Moda's Candy Kisses Charm Pack by Sandy Gervais for $6.00

Cut out heart shapes and sewed them together - wrong sides facing. My little helper, Meg, stuffed them for me.

I'm going to hang them from the light above the breakfast table, but I'm going to at least wait until February.

Lesson learned: don't use the pinking shears to make the initial cuts. Wait until the heart is sewn together and trim edges with pinking shears.

Hooked on Sandi Henderson Patterns

These clothes from Sandi Henderson are about the cutest things I've ever seen. Hopefully, with a few more sewing classes, I'll have the skills to add these to Meg's wardrobe.

She also has a great website with helpful tutorials and tons of inspiration.

I think one of the coolest things about Sandi is she allows people to make and sell things based on her patterns. So when I get the courage to open up my Etsy shop, I'll be able to make and list some of her beautiful pieces.

Head over to Hooked on Houses to see what others are hooked on this week!

Reversible Apron: Take One

The little apron dress wasn't going to work for Davis. I found this tutorial and decided to tweak it a little.

I couldn't choose which fabric I liked best, so I decided to make it reversible. I put a little pocket on one side and a crayon pouch on the other side.

Yes, those are our dining room walls sans wallpaper. Yeah!

Apparently I should have consulted my client first. After trying it on, he immediately ran to get his construction hat and all the tools he owns. He said, "I want to be just like the character in Katy No Pocket". OK then.

I guess I'll be sewing another with lots of pockets for him and all his tools!

A Little Apron Dress

I started this little apron dress at my sewing class last week and was able to finish it up over the weekend. I found the pattern from a great little Etsy shop, Leila and Ben. Meg loves it, and I was finally able to pry it off of her at bedtime.

Her big brother is patiently waiting for me to make him one - not this girly, of course.

Hooked on Fabric

I had a great time at my first sewing class today. It's pretty cool to be able to create something from nothing. The list of things I'd like to make is long, and of course all of those things are going to need fabulous fabric.

I'm having the most fun looking at all the wonderful fabric out there. I found a great Etsy seller, FabricWorm. She has an incredible selection of fabric and is great to work with. Below are just a few of the great things she has in her shop.

Heather Bailey Fabric, Pop Garden

Jessica Jones Home Decorator fabric, from Michael Miller

David Walker for Free Spirit, Robots

Alexander Henry Tillbrook and Joel Dewberry, Aviary

Alexander Henry Granville, Turquoise

Amy Butler Fabric, Daisy Chain

Head over to Hooked On Houses to see what other people are hooked on today.

What's In Your Apothecary Jars?

I need a little inspiration!

2008 Before & After Recap

As I looked through last year's posts, I realized I've become a little crafty. Of course, with so much inspiration from fellow blogger's, it's not hard to see why I caught the crafting bug. Southern Hospitality is hosting a little before & after blog party, and I wanted to share the few things that transformed around here.

A dust ruffle fit for a ballerina.



A Girly Bulletin Board




Decoupaged Monogram Frame




A family heirloom rehab



A Bookshelf Update


An updated picture frame

Sewing Project #1: Crayon Roll

I finished my first project on my new sewing machine. Let me tell you, my sewing machine rocks! I found a great blog, Skip To My Lou, and among the wonderfully creative resources was this tutorial.

I had a few questions (who knew rick rack comes in so many sizes?). I emailed Cindy and she promptly answered my questions and gave me the encouragement I needed.


My rick rack is a little "wonky" in some places, Also, if you look closely you'll see I only have 15 crayon pockets instead of the 16 I'm suppose to have.

But for the first go round (ok second, but the first one shouldn't count because I stuck myself pinning several times and got a little frustrated) I'm very pleased with the end result. It really was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to doing more.


If you're looking for great ideas for just about any occasion, head on over to Skip To My Lou and be inspired.

I Still Love My Bama Football!

My father-in-law, affectionately known as "Grandsir", had these sweatshirts made for the kids for Christmas. During the Fall they know Saturday is football day. They find it quite entertaining to watch me watch Alabama play football.


It was probably a good thing the kids were in bed and not watching football with mommy tonight. There was a little cursing and some yelling. I was given a "warning" by my husband to take it easy before I woke everyone up.

Tonight was a tough loss. I really wanted to see the senior class go out with a win. I'm proud of the Crimson Tide and the season they had - five consecutive weeks at #1 is difficult to pull off these days.

I've been a fan through the good years and ALL the bad ones as of late. I personally feel I've worked very hard for this winning season.

It's good to be back. Roll Tide Roll!