First Texas Christmas

Christmas was abnormally warm with wind gusts from the South that put out our electricity for some of the night. John graciously accepted his very practical gifts. We're swamped with chocolate and leftover ham(both of which are totally fine). In two weeks we attended three family Christmases, of course Church on Christmas day, and one evening service with carols. New Year's and our Anniversary we have all to ourselves!

A Chair-arm pocket bag

I checked one sewing item off my list this week, a pocket-bag for our gifted glider rocker. I made a pocket for a water bottle, my phone, and a pocket that can hold at least four bars of chocolate(No, I don't plan to lose baby weight!). The purpose being, there's not much room for an end table and I thought it would be handy to have some of those things close during the first months with the baby. It turned out well! It's just a flap of fabric that folds over the chair arm and ties underneath.

Next up, Baptismal gown.

Holidays!

A Family/Church Baby Shower

We had a very nice Thanksgiving back with my side, the last time we'll all be together until the babies come. Lots of games and food, way too much sugar, sleeping babies and more food. We drove back late Sunday to arrive at the absolutely exhausting hour of 2am. Oh well! It was worth it.

Birthday flowers and a Christmas craft

I miss all the Christmas decorations that a family of nine collects over the space of thirty years. I miss all the nativities we set up, and I want to get a collection of our own over the years: several child-friendly sets and several beautiful sets. But we're working on it, and a recent cold snap makes it feel more like home. Now's John's off school, too, and we are so enjoying more free time and social time.

Stockings and chocolate oranges.

Next up: Getting ready for the baby!

Baby Things

One or two Mondays a month I go spend the morning with a group of retired ladies tying blankets together for charity. They're Lutherans, which is a nice break from Baptists, and while they do mostly talk about their health issues they can be an interesting group. Most of the ladies are widowed, all are retired, and all of them are well above sixty-five. Mildred is the eighty-something powerhouse ringleader.

First baby gifts!

I stayed away the whole three months of morning sickness(because I was sick), and when I went back Mildred decided they needed to give me a shower. That was Monday, and Mildred was so excited she said it was like Christmas. It was very sweet of the ladies and exciting to be given baby things. Apparently Mildred has everyone convinced that our baby will be a girl. And I now have plenty of onesies, if nothing else.

Quilt top

I've put together a quilt top for a baby blanket but I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish it before the due date. Ir's made entirely from scraps from my stash, so very practical. I'm under no delusions that this will probably be the only baby blanket I will ever make, so if I have more than one child, they'll just have to share!

Being a Good Friend

 I read this article recently and I could really relate to what it said. It hasn't quite been a year since I moved away from my life-long home. It's great to be married, and I do have a home with my husband; but I'm still lonely for women friends and the place where I had lived my life. Granted, three months out of the past year I was sick on the couch, and that sure decreases homesickness, loneliness, and in fact, all cognitive thought. But I've still had plenty of time to be lonely. It's made me think more than ever before on what makes a good friend, and I've boiled it down to these three points. Of course people have different ways to express caring; but for the most part I think these three go across the board as life habits that make for good friends.

• Spending Time with People as a Relational Priority

Part one to this point is that meeting people is hard, and requires a lot of time. You must go through the work of introductions and learning basic get-to-know you stuff, and remember it. Then after hours of basic talking and many encounters can you move on to more substantial conversations. Meeting one person at a time while still having other friends isn't so hard- but having no friends and having to set up get-to-know-you foundations with all people you meet is draining. When I get down about being lonely it seems even harder- who has time for me? Who's available? How can I even find such a person? It takes conscious, prolonged effort to meet people, and it's a great ministry to make that effort towards new people.

Part two of this is that people today are too busy! There's someone I would like to have over for tea- but when she mentions she doesn't even have time to cook herself dinner at night, it makes me wonder if it's unkind asking for her time. I've been glad to meet a few of the other student wives here- but when they're working full time and the only free time they have is the weekend, neither of us want to give up the only time we really have with our husbands. Busyness of people's lives cut down on relationships. But what is more important? I'm not busy now; this past year has been the least busy for me since high school. But I still need the reminder that people are more important than a clean house or rest. I'm looking for friends who are willing to spend time with me.

• Being a Listener and Conversationalist

In short, there are way to many talkative people in the world. Gift of gab? I don't think so. Being talkative is not a gift- it's a sign of selfishness. Being a good conversationalist is a gift. Everyone wants to be heard, but listening is something most people have to learn to do. Listening to someone is a true sign of caring. This is something we want to teach our children- having true friends involves having conversations; conversations involve both people taking turns talking and listening.

I want to be a good conversationalist- I need to get much better at asking questions. Unfortunately I've been blessed with a rather quiet voice, so listening isn't usually my problem; quite often people just don't hear what I'm saying so all I can do is listen!

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."  -Phil 2:3

• Being Friends with People of Different Ages

This was a pet peeve before I ever moved- public school has trained generations of women to only be friends with their age group. This pattern cripples Christian women who read the exhortation of Titus 2 and really desire to be that woman, but have a lifetime of friendships only with peers. I've had the opposite- in my adult life, getting married later and having a small church peer group, my close friends have been either those ten years younger, or those women ten years older who could look past the age difference. And I am so thankful for those few older women! I hope I turn out like them.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." -Ps. 27:17

Maternity Clothes

Figuring out some form of maternity clothes to cover the growing, kicking baby, and still keep my standards of modesty. I hesitate to buy too much labeled as maternity because of the price, and without seeing it in person; so far I've purchased one Pink Blush maxi dress off Zulily and a skirt and dress off Motherhood Closet. I have a few more options I'm considering on Amazon(high neck tunic? Loose knit pants?), but we'll wait and see on those. I also haunt Pinterest, which has become something of a demise since I got morning sickness, for maternity sewing ideas.

T-shirt Maxi Dresses

So far the most I've done in sewing for myself is refashion $2 tees from the thrift store+ $3 maxi dresses, also thrift store =very comfortable T-shirt dress that fits the current me, is cheap and easy to make. I prefer to wear a blouse, sweater, or bolero over top as well, just because otherwise it really does look like you're wearing one big t-shirt. I haven't found any good local place to shop for ready-made maternity clothes, but it's on the to-do list.

T-shirt dress with blouse

Peaks and Valleys

I've just been chilling with my mango, which is turning me into a pear. My morning sickness seems to be fading. I'm very grateful to be feeling much less nauseous; but still tired!

Breeches front.

I've had six orders of trousers and breeches in the past two months. Definitely my best-sellers, but I do get tired of those leg plackets especially. Getting paid is nice though!

Breeches back.

I also have a pile of projects that haven't been touched those months of being sick: a baby quilt; maternity clothes; curtains for a friend; slip covers for a new gifted rocking chair. A baptismal gown! I'm slowly trying to get those done.

We went to the nearby town of Granbury over fall break and had a wonderful time. It's a wild west sort of town, with a man-made lake surrounded by new resort-style hotels. We stayed on the square and confined our outings to that older part of town. We had good food, saw the local Presbyterian church(they still use the bell!), visited the library book store, and stayed in a historic hotel. Very relaxing and much needed!

On the Upswing

While I've spent most of my summer lying on the couch feeling sick, I'm hopeful that I am slowly becoming more able to get back to work. I'm just back from a wonderful visit to family and am working to recover and jump back into the fray! The fall season is peak for sewing costumes, and I'm hoping to make a few more sales and get some customer base back after taking off during the wedding and move.

Family Putt-putt!

First priority, two pairs of black linen trousers. This is a cool order- black linen is just dramatic, and these are for someone who does fencing for events.

Finished last month, two fine white linen cravats. A basic necessity for every gentleman.

Also finished, a Fall tablecloth for my table. Very brilliantly fall-ish. We actually had a cool spell here- in Texas, in August, and that helped get me in the mood for the season. Plus, I'm oh so thankful for the cooler weather. Now it's back up to 90, but just so long as it stays below 100, I will strive to be grateful.