One of the things that is fast becoming a favorite of mine is sewing for my girls. 

I like being able to create exactly what I want for them, as opposed to scouring the stores and settling on something that's okay, but not what I'd hoped for.

I love giving them something that is uniquely theirs, that can hopefully be theirs to treasure in years to come.

And I think that the creativity and focus of purpose that sewing allows is a bit therapeutic for me.

So today, I'm sharing with you three of my favorite things when it comes to sewing. The ones that are fast becoming my standby/go-to projects.

The first is this felt crown tutorial.

I made my first "birthday crown" in September 2009, and it has become a much anticipated part of our birthday mornings around here.

The thing I love about this tutorial is the simplicity of it. After making several I've gotten to the point wear I can do the actual sewing of the crown (minus the decorative embelishments) in about 15 minutes.

I also love the room for creativity in making these. Here are a couple I've made.

This one was for my niece's first birthday "poodle" party.

This is Miss E's for her "Fancy" party last year.

I go back to this basic pattern every time and am always so happy with the results!

Okay, second is a newer discovery, but I already know I'm in love.

I've been following the blog of The Handmade Dress for a couple of years now, but have only recently jumped into trying out her patterns.

My first experience was the Miss Mary pattern, for my Miss A's 9th birthday.

I need to take a full length shot of this one, but as you can see it's a beautiful yet simple "big girl" dress. 

The website says the patterns will take you about two hours from start to finish. This one took me four hours, but now that I know what I'm doing, I'm sure I could do it in two next time.

The patterns are easy to follow and require very basic sewing knowledge. It was exactly what I had hoped for when I ordered it.

And favorite sewing resource number three….

Well, you remember these girls.

I know I told you before how much I loved this pattern from Wee Wonderfuls. 

Well, the love has continued as I've been able to pull out the pattern again to clothe our little "girls" in dresses to match their owners.

My girls have long been fascinated with the American girls and how you can dress them just like you. So we've found our own version of that and they couldn't be more thrilled. I've found that they are not concerned at all if the actual pattern of the dress is identical, as long as the fabric is the same.

There you have my three favorite things when it comes to sewing lately. 

I pulled out all three last weekend and in a single day whipped up Miss I's entire birthday loot.

The prized birthday crown (made extra fast and simple this time by the use of printed felt), a little dress for Josie and a matchy Miss Madeline for the birthday girl.

The Miss Madeline pattern actually did only take me two hours, start to finish on my very first try, so I will definitely be going back to this one.

I hope you're inspired to try all these things out. You won't be disappointed!

**disclosure: these endorsements are my own, not solicited or compensated in any way.

I am not much of a decorator. I can be a bit of a minimalist. So at Christmas the house feels especially decked out to me, even though compared to most it's probably not much.

I'm always a little sad how few people get to see, between constant running around and sickness. It just never seems like December ends up being a time when it's easy to have people over.

So I'm going to share with you here, so I feel like somebody's seen it!

Are you ready for a load of pictures???

First is my Martha Stewart jingle bell wreath.

This hangs on my front door the first half of the month, and is then replaced by a fresh, homemade evergreen wreath that my mother-in-law is kind enough to help me create every year.  I forgot to take a picture of the fresh wreath, so maybe you'll have to see that tomorrow.

This is our sweet little Jesse Tree, decorated with Miss A's hand-drawn ornaments (inspired by the ones you'll find here). This is our first year doing this, and it has been so great!  A wonderful way to refresh our focus every day.

This is my little nativity that Hombre bought me for our first Christmas because I just thought it was the cutest thing ever. I love it!

A little touch of color on my kitchen counter. Gingerbread house courtesy of my girls of course.

I have several fun pieces of decor that came from my crafty mother-in-law over the last several years. I love how they all kind of blend together and feel like a set.  This is the pinecone candleholder.

A festive snowflake.

The star. (Miss A's favorite)

And our Advent calendar. All the girls really enjoy this. Miss A keeps careful track of whose turn it is to flip the piece each day.

We collect new ornaments every year, and have so many great ones.

This is the nativity set my mom made for us when Miss A was a baby. The girls love setting it up every year.

I love to decorate with pictures.  These are my favorites from when Hombre and I were kids.

This is my Christmas album.  I add a few new pictures each year, so we can grab it anytime and look over all of our Christmases as a family.

We've built quite a collection of Christmas books. I like to set them all out where we can see them.  I love having extra splashes of color here and there.

The girls are given free reign to decorate the bedroom door and the fridge.

And I like to brighten the inside of the front door with all of the Christmas cards.

I forgot to take a picture of the stockings, but you can see those here. They are one of my absolute favorite pieces of decor.

The other is these…

I made handprints of each of my girls on their first Christmas. They think it's really fun to see how tiny their little hands were. And in my sappy pathetic-ness, it's a way of holding onto my babies. Miss E is always concerned that her's is so much smaller, and every time we have to explain that's because she was born closer to Christmas.

Last, of course…who doesn't love the glow of the Christmas tree?

Glad you could visit our home!

If you'd like to share some pictures of your Christmas, feel free to leave a link in the comments. I'd love to see.

I've been meaning to share forever about this one. I don't know why it's taken me so long to get around to it.

A few months ago I purchased a couple of different cd's for my girls from Seeds Family Worship.  I was really drawn to the idea of my kids memorizing verses without the obvious "work" of memorization. I thought it would be some nice music for them.  (we needed something new, because as much as I love it,  I'd heard Jesus You're My Superhero one too many times! )

So we bought Seeds of Praise and Seeds of Courage. And the girls loved them!

The part I didn't expect was that I love them too. I mean really love them.

What do I love? 

• I love that the music totally appeals to my kids.
• I love that other than a couple of songs, the music also totally appeals to me AND my husband…you know, the musician who never likes anything!
• I love that my kids are learning all of these verses.  One thing I am living proof of is the songs you love as a child will stay with you for the rest of your life. There hasn't been a day since age seven that I couldn't tell you every single lyric to "Livin' on a Prayer" or "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".  So I love that it's the Word of God that is being so fixed in their little minds.
• I love that when I go to bed at night and can't get the "kids" music out of my head, it is God's Word that is going through my mind over and over. 

Seriously, I can't tell you how much we've enjoyed these cd's.  We will definitely be adding to our collection in the future. 

You can go here and listen. Our absolute favorite is "Better than Life" off the Seeds of Praise album. 

What's your favorite worship music for the whole family? 

Well, I know I'm a little late getting around to it, but I'm finally ready to talk about school!

This of course would be the first day picture. Everyone was fresh and bright and ready for action.

Trust me, the enthusiasm took a dive quickly.

This is the first year in our homeschooling experience that we have had a rough transition phase from summer to school time.  The first couple of weeks I honestly didn't think any of us were going to survive.  But it's getting better now.  We're figuring out a good routine and getting used to having actual structure in our day again, and it's a good thing.

So, in our house this year we have a 3rd grader, a 1st grader, and a 3 year old teacher's helper.

My utmost goal for school this year was to combine as many subjects as I reasonably could for both girls; basically to avoid teaching two completely separate lesson plans every day.  That about killed me last year.

Of course some subjects have to be grade specific, but there are many that can be shared. For this year everyone is working together for history, science, art, music, and all read-aloud books are chosen with everyone in mind.  So far it's been really great.  They help each other remember what they're learning, and I don't have the constant struggle of finding extra hours in the day to teach everything twice, not to mention trying to prevent countless interruptions from the ones who were not being taught.

For our curriculum  we have always mainly used My Father's World, which we do enjoy.  I decided for our shared subjects to try some different things out this year though, and so far we are really excited about all of them.

First our music text for the year.  We are all loving this book.  I am enjoying learning the hymns with the girls, and I think it's such a wonderful thing for them to have in their little memories.  Our My Father's World lesson plans for this year include an introduction to classical music & orchestra instruments, so I figure between the two we are getting very well rounded music lessons.

This is our main read-aloud book that I am SO excited about. It's a great collection of classic literature, poetry and contemporary kids lit all grouped by "character" categories.  We are all enjoying it.

One big switch we made this year was science.  We've always studied science in a unit study kind of method.  A couple weeks on planets, a couple weeks on oceans…this and that all year long with lots of random experiments thrown in.  The kids always enjoyed it, and I know they learned things, but it always felt a little too hodge-podgey  for my OCD personality.

This year we are trying out one of the Apologia Science texts.  They take the approach of focusing on ONE topic for the entire year.  The thing that really drew me to this is Miss A has developed a serious obsession with birds, and the first of their three year zoology series is all about birds.  So it was just perfect.  I already feel like we've learned so much, and the biggest shock of all… I am actually enjoying science time.  This a new and very pleasant development in my life.  Only took twenty-nine years to find out I could enjoy it!

So, these are all of the new things we're testing out this year.  So far all of them are feeling like a good fit.

A couple of other things we really love…

I bought this Mighty Mind set for Miss A when she was about three, and it has been a great thing.  All the girls enjoy it.

And the other favorite…

This GeoSafari belonged to my sisters and I when we were being homeschooled.  Still works great and they think it's kind of like a video game so it's a great learning tool.

I love all of the fun things I get to explore and learn along with my girls as I teach them.  I know homeschooling doesn't appeal to everyone, but for me it really is probably one of my most favorite things. I love it. I love getting to spend this time with them and watch them learn and share their excitement when we finally figure something out.  I'm so thankful I get to do this.  So thankful.

So, do you like Taco Bell.

I do.  

But the problem is Taco Bell doesn't like me.  I don't have to wonder if what I'm eating there is bad for me.  I know it is, because it becomes obviously evident every time I give in to temptation.

Which is why I never go there.

But this week, I had a glorious discovery….

I can make soft tacos just like Taco Bell, only they are SO MUCH better.

 AND, they don't make me sick.  Big plus there.

I made my own taco seasoning from this recipe, and  dumped it on a pound of browned ground turkey. Add some cheese, lettuce and a warm tortilla, and you have the best soft taco ever.

Seriously, it's true.  Even my husband says so.  And he is not easy to please when it comes to fast food imitation.  

So this is our new favorite food right now.  Really good, super quick and easy, and very filling.

Do you have any new recipes you're in love with?

Okay here we go.  

Are you ready to know my secret????

Promise you won't stop being my friend?  

This is my confession…

about a month ago, I quit washing my hair.

Are you shocked? Don't be shocked.  It's not as bad as it sounds.

I still wash my hair, just not in the traditional sense.

Inspired by this post and others like it, I couldn't resist giving it a try. 

And of course I had to drag my girls along for the ride.  (Hombre kindly but firmly refused to be part of our experiment)

My expectation was that we would try it, our hair would be gross, we'd give it up. The end.

Only that wasn't how it worked.  

Our hair wasn't gross. Our hair felt totally clean.  And smelled totally clean.  And was really soft. 

And now these are my new favorite things:

Reasons I'm in love with this new hair care plan:

For my girls :

• prior to this my eight year old was developing a dandruff problem.  Since we've been doing this that has pretty much disappeared.
• We have eliminated the need for tangle spray, which was an absolute necessity before.  
• this is cheaper than the dye & perfume free shampoo and conditioner I was buying before.

For myself:

• It's great for curly hair.  I just comb it in the shower before rinsing the vinegar and my hair is done.
• It's made my extremely dry hair feel less like straw and more like hair.
• Biggest reason: I'm in love with the simplicity.  I have gone from needing dandruff shampoo + regular shampoo + high dollar conditioner + hair gel and/or frizz cream + hairspray, TO baking soda + apple cider vinegar + water.  So much simpler. And cheaper too!

I can't say if it would work for everyone.  I'm sure it's greatly affected by your hair type.  Maybe it won't work forever for me.  But for now I love it.

Don't think I'm crazy.

I promise I'm not a dirty hippy.

All of my life I've had one thing that I can't get enough of….

books.

I love books.  Not all books.  I'm pretty picky.  But the ones that I like, I absolutely adore.

So when I tell you that recently I read the best book I've ever read in my entire life, you have to understand that is really saying something.

First of all, my disclaimer **I know that books mean different things to people depending on the season of life they are in, so if you disagree with my opinion, you can just assume you are not in a place at this time where you can really enjoy the book.

Stepping Heavenward  by Elizabeth Prentiss has been sitting on my bedroom bookshelf for at least five years.  During that time I know I've attempted to read it at least twice.

I just couldn't get into it.  It seemed slow and kind of boring, and I never made it past the first chapter or two before I moved on to something different.

I've gone through several months recently where reading just did not hold the appeal for me that it once did.  I love reading with my girls, but reading personally for myself in my free time has fallen low on the list of priorities for me.  And if I do have time to read, I tend to stick with non-fiction…it just holds my attention better for some reason.

Anyway, this is where I was at when I picked up Stepping Heavenward a few weeks ago.  On the cover is a quote from Joni Eareckson Tada:  "A guide for those who desire to leave the dull, dry indifference of spiritual mediocrity to discover the rich, deep joy of knowing Jesus more fully."

I decided to give it one more try.

And for some reason, this time it grabbed me.  I couldn't put it down.  And I couldn't stop thinking about it.  

I'm a lover of good old-fashioned novels.  Pride & Prejudice has a prominent spot on my bookshelf, next to The Age of Innocence and Little Women.

Well, Stepping Heavenward can fit right in with all of those when it comes to good writing about another era.  But it was also so much more than that.

I don't really want to tell you much about the story, because mostly I just want you to go read it for yourself.  I just want to share that I really loved it, and as hesitant as I am to give this sort of praise to a work of fiction, I have to say this book was so impacting to me spiritually.  Every page and every piece of the story just turned my eyes straight to Jesus again and again.  And it all comes through the story of a young woman, who I think we can all probably relate to.  There's always so much peace in finding out we are not "the only ones" facing and feeling certain things. Right?

So here's a favorite passage from my reading of the book…I hope you'll go and check it out for yourself.  I have no doubt you will be blessed!

I suppose to those who look on from the outside, we must appear like a most unhappy family, since we hardly get free from one trouble before another steps in.  But I see more and more that happiness is not dependent on health or any other outside prosperity.  We are at peace with each other and at peace with God; His dealings with us do not perplex or puzzle us, though we do not pretend to understand them…

Do you remember those commercials?  The ones that made cotton sound like some romantic experience…

Anyway, I was just thinking about that because I wanted to share with you another one of my favorite cloth items.

I told you before about my love for handkerchiefs.

My other (and actually first) love is cloth napkins.

Cloth napkins were the first big change I made in our home when I became interested in eliminating spending on disposable items.

I’ll admit, it took a little while to get used to.  At first it felt really strange to get these pretty little pieces of fabric all dirty.

But I decided if we were going to do it I had to get over that.  And I have.  Now I have no trouble grabbing one to wipe smears of spaghetti sauce off of little girl faces.

And amazingly they really aren’t even that stained.  I’ve found one way to keep them looking nice is to stick with patterned fabrics.  Save the fancy whites for company.

If you start looking at the store, you might be intimidated by the cost of cloth napkins.  I certainly was. 

Until I found some one day at the thrift store.  I think I paid two dollars for six of them (as opposed to two dollars a piece at Wal-mart).  That started my collection, and I’ve picked up a few more sets here and there.  Then my mom was nice enough to finish the edges of some fabric scraps on her serger to make little mini-napkins for the girls. 

I’ve noticed sometimes when we have company that they are a little hesitant to really use the napkins… I try to encourage them that it’s OK.

And in answer to the most commonly asked question, no I do not feel that it adds to my laundry in any significant way.  I wash them with my kitchen towels in warm water with some vinegar thrown in to keep them fresh.

I love them.  In some silly way, it makes our meals feel a little bit fancy.

I’ve shared before about how much I love books.

Well, what I really  love are fun books that reinforce the things we are learning in school.

Now that Miss E has started kindergarten, we are having lots of fun with alphabet books.  We own a couple of really fabulous ones.

We recieved The Hidden Alphabet from Great Grandma a couple of years ago. 

Normally I am not a huge fan of lift-the-flap books (only because they are so easily damaged), but this one is so great.

It’s full of such fun artwork.

Our other favorite right now is a hand-me-down from Grammy… A is for Annabelle.

It’s all about “grandmother’s doll Annabelle”, and all of her wonderful accessories.  Very sweet.

What are your favorite books about the alphabet?  Give me some new ideas!

I’ve been meaning to share for awhile about one of my favorite household helpers:

I love vinegar.

I was a little hesitant to try it out in the beginning, but after using it for awhile I have to admit it’s become a little bit of an obsession.

You can read all about the disinfecting powers of vinegar here.

You can also check out 1001 tips for using vinegar.  This is where I got a lot of my uses for it when I was starting out.

So what do I use vinegar for? 

1. Laundry.  It disinfects, works as a fabric softener (I no longer use traditional fabric softener), and is a great odor remover when added into a warm water wash cycle.  It works great for smelly dishrags, towels, stinky socks, and of course the ultimate dilema in our house, smelly little girl panties.  I have found nothing other than bleach that so effectively eliminates the smell of urine.  Hope that’s not too much info for you…just trying to be helpful.

2. Cleaning Bathrooms.  In light of the above info, I also use vinegar to clean my bathrooms.  I’ll bring out the bleach when we’ve had an illness in the house, but for everyday normal cleaning I just use a squirt bottle of half vinegar, half water.  It works great.  I’m thrilled to be able to eliminate all of the chemical residue that used to be in our bathrooms, where little girls like to touch everthing and then put their hands in their mouths.  One bit of disclosure though…cleaning the toilets with vinegar will take a little more “work” than the good old Clorox gel.  Just so you know.

3. Unclogging Drains.  I learned this trick from my friend’s grandma… when the drain in the kitchen sink is going a little slow, I will pour some baking soda in it, then add vinegar.  This keeps the sink draining smoothly all the time.

Those are the main, daily things I use vinegar for.  Sometimes I’ll find other random uses though.

So, onto the question I know everyone will ask…doesn’t it smell bad? 

In my experience the smell of vinegar only lingers for about a half an hour, at most.  And once it’s gone things just smell clean.  It seems to neutralize odors in such a way that there just isn’t a smell at all.  So instead of a clean smell as in a Pine-sol smell or a Bleach smell, it’s just a clean fresh smell. 

And the best thing…you can buy it in giant bottles at Costco for practically nothing.  So in addition to cleaning effectively, and minimizing chemical exposure in the house, I’m also saving money.  Pretty great, huh?

So tell me, what are you thoughts on vinegar?

*image courtesy of google.