Girls Reversible Pinafore Dress

I've seen this dress here and there and have been dying to try sewing it for ages. It turned out adorable (as you can see). The dress is reversible with a fine blue and white pinstripe on the inside. I added top-stitching to save time on a few steps and to give a finished look. I used a Butterick pattern (3846) to help get me started.

home

this quiet, sleeping house
a silence that reminds me
of all that i am grateful for

Found: Crazy Grief, Wild Joy

She nailed it. She does nearly every time. This feeling that I have been carrying around with me ever since Elliot was born.

"There are days, I hardly dare whisper, when this mothering almost feels like a death watch; watching the slow death of now and you here. New-You continually rebirths and I laugh, marvel, awe... and finger the beauty of all these husks left behind.

Is mothering this endless coupling of crazy grief, wild joy?

Mourning the child who is no more and never again will be and embracing this new and wondrous child just now becoming."

Ann of Holy Experience, how do you know me so well?

Found

I can't get this out of my mind (thankfully).

And I have no words to describe the feelings I had when I read these beautiful words. When I read this, I felt like I had stumbled upon something I wasn't meant to see and yet I am so grateful that I did...

Dear Tonia of Study in Brown, thank you.

Found: Time for Dinner

This is what happens when I'm not paying attention. Kaia strips down, finds the cat's food dish and water bowl, locates my toothbrush, and then proceeds to "make dinner". My toothbrush becomes a spoon and the cat's water bowl becomes the soup that needs stirring. Pretty darn cute but pretty darn gross too.

Found: Wrinkles and Broken Places

But we all have our wrinkles. We speak to one another from broken places. I sometimes forget that and begin to feel that I can’t share wisdom or beauty when I know my life is wrinkled. Still, if I waited for the day of perfection to share, I’d never write another word, speak on another platform.

Please visit Holy Experience to read the entire story by guest writer L.L. Barkat. I am grateful for the reminder that even in our brokenness, we have purpose.

Hopefully Wednesday: Purpose

Hopefully I am spending my time well...

I recently spoke with a friend who had a life changing experience. Because of this, she now thoroughly considers her everyday activities and commitments, making sure that what she is doing is not a waste of time. Making sure that she has purpose. Because for her, time is limited.

But really, all of us have a limited time. It's just that she has been given advance warning.

Since our conversation, I can't help but examine every aspect of my life, wondering if what I am doing is what I really want to be doing.

Yesterday morning, I was sitting at the window while Kaia slept in my bed (she's been sneaking into bed with me - what a treat!). I watched the ocean. I watched the birds. I watched people exercising. And I wanted to pick up my book and read. But I wondered if reading was how I truly wanted to spend my time.

By the time Kaia had woken, I was a bit stressed out and upset. How was I supposed to know what was a waste of time? Was I squandering most of my life away on books and sewing and picking up the house?

But a small, quiet thought followed me all day long. I enjoy reading. It pleases me to sew things for people. A clean home creates a peaceful environment for my family.

True, there are some things that are a waste of time. America's Next Top Model (don't laugh). Surfing the internet when my girls are awake and wanting to play. Insisting on having my way or always being right in conversations with my husband. Not speaking up when the truth is begging to be told.

I am grateful for the conversation with my friend. I want to consider my actions in such a way that I can be confident in how I spend my time - who knows how long or short it will be. I want to enjoy life. I want to be a source of encouragement to others. I want to honor the desires that have been given to me by pursuing things that interest me. I want to live purposefully.

So, hopefully I can.

Hopefully I cherish my limited time. Hopefully the activities I choose will become a beautiful melody in the life I want to live. Hopefully I clean out the moments that do nothing but waste. Hopefully I recognize the value in reading a story, attaching a button and scrubbing the kitchen floor.

Hopefully.