Sewing With Trudy

Off Kilter Yet Chic Design

2012-01-06T08:58:00.005-06:00

Need a little spice, feeling a little daring? Tired of plain and boring pieces in your wardrobe? Jazz it up or change it with a quick little adjustment. This asymmetrical design turns an ordinary t-shirt into a fun and interesting piece to wear, from plain to chic, and is the perfect project for the fashion-conscious girl. The idea and execution is from my fashion-forward, style-conscious 11 year old, aspiring fashion designer daughter, Emily. This is a very quick refashion project, five minutes, literally. Below is a self-explanatory and very easy to follow pictorial tutorial.

photos by me

Linking With Sew Country Chick

Celebrating World Hoop Day

2011-12-08T07:00:00.003-06:00

NOTE: Shabby Apple giveaway at Sew Country Chick today.

11 countries. 41 groups. 317 dancers. We came together to perform an international hoop dance on World Hoop Day, 11/11/11; and my children, Emily 11 and Martin 8, were chosen to represent Texas. See if you can spot them 1minute and 43 and 44 seconds into this video.

*Linking with Never Growing Old.

The Long and Short of It.

2011-11-28T08:28:00.001-06:00

I took this skirt I paid 50 cents for at a thrift store and chopped off the bottom tier and transformed it from frumpy to cute and sassy. I like it so much better. I left it unhemmed so that it can fray naturally. I put in a line of stitching 5/8ths of an inch in so it doesn't fray too far. With the material I cut off, I made a skirt for Emily, Age 11. Basically gathered and attached it to elastic and used the existing hem. Then made a couple more to sell at the Christmas market we have at church every year. This was a quick and easy self-gratification project; but it just felt so good to sit in front of that machine again after having the baby and just sew something, anything, and I really needed a new skirt anyway because I'm still not back in my regular clothes. I'm already dreaming of what I can make next. I would like to get back into the habit of doing a little something most every day so I can have regular creativity going on in my life. In time, in time.

Skirt before: (The following three photos were taken by Martin, Age 8)

And after:

(Closeup of hem taken by Emily, Age 11)

Whoa! Look at all of this fabric from the bottom tier! It would be a shame to throw it away. (Photo taken by Martin.)

Three skirts I was able to make from this fabric, one for Emily and two to sell, and a skirt for Emily's sock doll that she has started. (Photos taken by me.)

And now, for the grand finale, the sweet and adorable Emily Callan, modeling her new little skirt. (Photos taken by the one and only Marty Callan, my husband.)

Parting Shots:

Recent photos of our youngest children taken on and around Thanksgiving by my husband, Marty.

Baby Shower for Sweet Samantha

2011-11-21T07:00:00.003-06:00

Sunday before last our church threw us a baby shower for Samantha. It was scheduled before she was born, but she came too early, three and half weeks too early. It was really special having her with us. This was the most touching and meaningful baby shower I have ever attended. We could sense God's presence. There was so much love coming from everyone there. Donna Rodgers of Comin' Home lead a beautiful devotional that she wrote. The ladies laid hands on Samantha and I and prayed over us. It was mainly a diaper shower, but there were some very special gifts that a lot of thought went into them. One that comes to mind was a scripture quilt from the Brenons. Another, which is pictured, was from Donna Rodgers and her daughter Rebecca, who stayed up late the night before making a beautiful flower wall hanging of her own design. Her inspiration came from a dress of the same colors that Samantha wore when Donna was over for a visit. The majority of the photographs were taken by Shannon of Blu Bambu and some were taken by my husband, Marty Callan. Marty took the cake shots and the feet of the ladies praying for Samantha and I. The cake was made by Terri Smith. Don't you just love the smocking on the dress? Thank you so much, Terri, for this special cake. We have had so much support from our church during this time -- meals, visits, letters, emails, phone calls -- and from our family and all of you as well. Thank you all for being there for us. It is nice to know we are not alone in this journey.

The Monday directly after Thanksgiving I have a real live sewing post coming out. I'll see you then. And in the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving week spent with family and/or friends.

A Few Photos Followed by a Video of Our Beautiful Baby Girl at Seven Weeks

2011-11-08T07:00:00.002-06:00

Samantha has been such a blessing. I love holding her. She is so sweet. She smiles often and is very expressive now. God has been so gracious to us. She is perfectly healthy. She is strong, and has so far met the milestones of any typical baby. It is just so amazing the way He has answered our prayers. I am so thankful. Below is a video I shot of her when she was seven weeks' old. She is now 14 weeks old.

Turning Lemons Into Lemonade With a Fresh Start

2011-10-21T13:35:00.000-05:00

Thank you to all who have left comments and sent emails trying to help me figure out what has happened to my blog pictures. We finally have it figured out. Blogspot stores everyone's photos on Picasa. When they made the switch to Google Plus, somehow they lost thousands of pictures in the process. Unfortunately, mine were among the ones lost. I still have those pictures on my home computer so I can replace them as I have the time. I have already replaced some, my header, profile picture and a few from recent posts. It will be too time consuming to replace all; so I will choose my most popular posts and just replace those. Because I am a very busy momma to six children, including a newborn and a very active 3 year old, it will take awhile. I'll just do what I can when I can.

I seriously thought about calling it quits. I have been blogging for 2 1/2 years and all of that time spent loading pictures are just gone. I thought, "I'll just go back to my life and leave blogging behind. Is it that important anyway?" I began to think about what life would be like without blogging. I would no longer have contact with my blogging friends. Would I be okay with that? When I sew something up, who would I share it with? I thought about the sense of community and support I have experienced through blogging and how you all have always been there to encourage me, offer your opinion and advice and pray for me when I need it. Your creative pursuits are an inspiration to me and it challenges me to do more and make time for my craft. And I have made some real friendships. I've even gotten together with a few of you. So even though I was discouraged and tempted to walk away, I couldn't do it. It will be difficult to fix my blog; but I am going to give it a try, bit by bit.

Another thing that has just happened that is even sadder to me is Blogspot has deleted my 11 year old daughter's sewing blog, Emily Callan of Super Stitches, that she has had since she was 8 because they have a new rule that you have to be 13 to have a blog. There was no warning. She had a gorgeous blog that she had worked so hard on. She had 157 followers, and she would hold Sew Mama Sew giveaways. She was very active in the sewing blogging community. She is heartbroken. I had to break the news to her today. It was so hard to see her cry. She could use lots of virtual hugs. I know many of you know her and followed her. I thought she would want to give up and walk away and never blog again, but she wants to start again if possible. Once again I need to ask for your advice. We are exploring her options. Where should she go? I am not very computer literate. I only know Blogspot. Should she go with Typepad, Wordpress or somewhere else? Do they have age limits? Which one is easier to use? Also, do you know where they store their pictures? After having my pictures lost, I am little nervous about all of this blogging wondering if it will happen again. And do you think I should move my blog somewhere else, too, or just stay here on Blogspot? Any advice you have would be much appreciated.

We're Still Here. Hangin' In.

2011-10-20T15:26:00.001-05:00

What's Wrong With My Blog? Pictures Blacked Out With Big Exclamation. Please Help Me Figure This Out

2011-10-17T09:57:00.002-05:00

Scroll down through my blog a bit and you'll see that many of the pictures are gone and replaced with this black background and an exclamation mark. I have noticed the same thing on my art blog but worse. If you know anything about this and can help me get it fixed, please let me know. I am not very good at technical things. If you one of you have this skill, would you please be willing to do some research to find out what's going on. I have seen a little of this on other blogs. I don't know if this is a virus that is spreading throughout Blogspot or not. We need to figure this out quickly because this could probably infect any of the blogs out there. Anyway, please somebody help me or this may be the end of my blogging. Thank you.

And I am so sorry I haven't posted in a while. I just want you to know that all of your comments have meant so much to me. I have printed them so I can read them over and over. You all have helped me to get through this difficult time and to have a positive attitude. I have been very tired with new baby and keeping up with an active 3 year old as well as everything else. I have some sweet pictures I want to share with you soon if we can get this thing figured out and all of my pics don't get blacked out. I've noticed that these blacked out pics have almost completely taken over and ruined by teen daughter's blog.

Also, wanted to let you know that Samantha went to the cardiologist for an EKG and electrocardiogram and her heart is perfect. A big answer to prayer. She has been in perfect health. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for her that she will continue to do well. If you do a little research, you will find that there is a whole list of things that can affect people with Down Syndrome. I am praying for God's protection for my little sweetie.

Update on Baby Samantha

2011-08-23T07:00:00.014-05:00

We are home from the NICU now. Samantha spent eight days in there. What sent her there is she had stopped breathing in my room. We were both resting. She in her crib next to my bed. The lady that does the hearing test came in to test her hearing and found her unresponsive. She was gagging and not breathing. I didn't hear her gagging. She wasn't making a sound. I looked over, and her face was blue. She pushed the emergency button. A nurse came running in and started working on Samantha. She wasn't able to get her breathing so she called in another nurse. There ended up being several nurses in the room with lots of yelling. I sat in the bed with my face buried in my hands thinking I was losing my baby because they couldn't get her to breathe. But thank goodness, they finally did.

They don't know what caused this to happen. It has not happened again. They think it's possible she was choking on phlegm, that babies have a lot of mucous when they are new. Another theory was that there was fluid in her lungs because she was born so quickly that it didn't get all squeezed out. Anyway, they took her to NICU for observation. She was found to have jaundice while there. She missed a feeding and her blood sugar levels dropped. One particular day her breathing was too fast and they were concerned if she ate she would aspirate; so they fed her through IV or a tube. They ran lots of other tests to check for different things, one being an echocardiogram to check the condition of her heart. She was having trouble nursing; so I was nursing and pumping round the clock and spent hours with lactation consultants. All of the hard work paid off for she is now nursing beautifully at home, and all of the pumping kept me from losing my milk supply.

She is currently stable, but she still needs your prayers. She was diagnosed to have down syndrome. I have been grieving something terrible. This was such a shock to our family. I have been a ball of nerves, so anxious, hardly sleeping. I need prayer for peace and that I can meet the needs of my sweet baby as well as all of my other children, including being able to keep up my housekeeping and homeschooling the children. Please also pray that Samantha will not develop any health issues and be in and out of doctor's offices and surgeries, and that God would bless her with a high IQ and a strong body, that she would be able to lead a normal life and develop normally, meeting the milestones at the same rate as other babies and that she would have good speech. I would also ask you to join me in praying for a miracle healing for her, that God would miraculously bring her chromosomes in balance with the proper number and that he would basically take her down syndrome away. I know this is a tall order, but nothing is too hard for God, and he still does miracles; so why not my little one? I need some true prayer warriors that would continually lift Samantha and our family up in prayer. Do you believe that God still performs miracles? Can you stand in the gap for Samantha and believe God for a miracle for her? If you can commit to do this for and with us, maybe even a specific day and time each week or day, please let me know so that I can be encouraged that there are people out there praying.

Asking for your Prayers

2011-08-07T08:15:00.001-05:00

Please pray for my sweet baby. She is in NICU. I am going home at night and going back up to the hospital during the day to be with her and nurse her. I do not have time to get into the details right now as I need to head up there. Please pray for her health and healing. Thank you. I'll update you when I can.

Baby Samantha Has Made Her Entrance into the World

2011-08-03T21:24:00.005-05:00

I barely made it to the hospital. She was born at 6:36 p.m. central time, approximately an hour after I left my home. She was born at 36 1/2 weeks, 7 pounds and 12 ounces and 19 3/4 inches in length.

My Water Has Broken. Heading to the Hospital Now.

2011-08-03T17:16:00.002-05:00

My water has broken. I am heading to the hospital now. We just took this picture five minutes ago. Pray.

Baby Bump Week 29 and Pool Party Pictures

2011-08-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

Here are pictures from our church pool party at the home of one of our members and pictures from Week 29 of my pregnancy back in June. I am currently 36 1/2 weeks along now. Sorry I'm so far behind, I've been so tired and very busy getting everything ready for the baby.

I usually have my babies two to three weeks early; so it could be any time between now and the next two weeks. I'll try to get an updated picture for you soon of how I look now. I'm much bigger than these shots. Hard to believe that could be possible, huh, as if I'm not already big enough? I usually gain between 40 and 45 pounds with each pregnancy and that is with eating a healthy diet which includes fruits, veges and whole grains and no junk like chips, sweets, etc. and exercise. I can't imagine how much I would gain if I didn't exercise and if I had a horrible diet.

I am doing pretty well, moving much more slowly these days. The difficult thing for me has been the heat. It has been been hovering close to 100 degrees F. Coupled with the lack of room for my lungs, it makes it difficult to breathe or get a good night's rest. But medically speaking, everything is fine.

I will get you an update with pictures of the baby as soon as I can after she arrives, even if I have to have my husband or children do the post.

Please forgive me for not visiting and commenting as much on your posts lately. I'm actually still popping in, but I've been so busy with preparations and so tired, I don't always leave a message. Please know that I appreciate every comment you leave and consider you my friends. I think of you often. It may take me a few weeks or so to get back into the swing of things after I have the baby. Those first three months especially are usually a killer for me due to lack of sleep. But I'll bounce back; so don't give up on me. I have so many things I am dreaming of sewing; so I'll need to figure out a good schedule that will work around homeschooling two kids, keeping up with a three year old who is a climber, running an 18 year old to and from her job till she gets her own car, house keeping and a new baby. If you have any tips, please share.

Martin, Age 8

Emily Age 10

Matthew, Age 3

My Collection of Vintage Patterns

2011-07-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

I am thrilled to be participating in the Cherished Collections Summer 2011 Blog Tour hosted by Casey of Elegant Musings. Below is my collection of vintage patterns, approximately 115, in no particular order. Click on the pictures to enlarge them. The majority were purchased from antique and thrift stores anywhere from 25 cents to no more than $4 a pattern, a few were won in a giveaway hosted by Sew Retro from Mom's Patterns, one is from Folkwear, the last four are from Sense & Sensibility Patterns and Liesl's Sound of Music Dancing Dress Pattern was won in a giveaway from Edelweiss Patterns hosted by Sew Retro. And here are links to two of them that I have made up: No. 1, Vintage Vogue 2858, 1944 Design and No. 2, Simplicity 6667, 1974 dress. I have been busy making a baby; so I've had to put my sewing on hold for a little while. My baby is due in approximately four weeks. I look forward to getting back to my normal size and putting more of these patterns to use. At the end of this post, I will show you how I store them. I hope you enjoy my collection. And thanks so much for stopping by.

In order to protect the brittle envelopes of my vintage patterns, I separate them from the pattern pieces and instructions and store them in sleeve protectors in a zipper case three-ring binder by Case It. The pattern pieces and instsructions are stored inside 9X12-inch brown clasp envelopes with the pattern numbers printed on the front. This way I can safely look through my pattern envelopes and dream and plan without harming them.

Baby Bump Week 24 and Mother's Day at the Beach

2011-07-11T07:00:00.004-05:00

We spent Mother's Day at Galveston. I know. That was back in May. But better late than never. So busy getting everything ready for my new little cupcake in between propping my feet up; but I want to keep you updated as much as possible. Approximately five weeks left to go before Baby Samantha makes her entrance into the world. Yippee!

Walking on the beach with my two boys. Martin 8 and Matthew 3.

Emily, Age 10, with her cousin.

Kimberly, a couple of weeks before her 18th birthday with Matthew.

Marty, my photographer husband, with Matthew.

Feeding the seagulls.

My handsome hubby.

My Dialect and Accent Vlog

2011-07-05T07:00:00.009-05:00

I was inspired by Carolyn of Handmade by Carolyn. I have decided to join in and do my own dialect and accent vlog that has been going around . I've thoroughly enjoyed viewing other people's vlogs. I think it makes reading each others' blogs even more interesting having their accent and voice in our mind. Mine is a Texan accent from the city; so it's not extremely strong. My relatives who live in the country in East Texas have a definite Texas accent. Keep watching at the end for the bloopers. It will temporarily say "Failed Video"; but keep watching because half a second later it keeps going. Let me know if you make one so I can come and listen to yours.

The list of words is:
Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theatre, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Spitting Image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pyjamas, Caught, Probably.

And the questions are:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly, carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

Baby Bump Week 21

2011-06-27T07:00:00.014-05:00

Here I am at Week 21 in my pregnancy wearing my dreamy paisley skirt that I made and talked about in this post. Its elastic waistband allows me to get away with wearing it during pregnancy as well. The top is not maternity but is a nice and stretchy knit which really shows off my baby bump. I am actually at Week 31, but am still trying to catch up with posting updates on my progress.

Samantha is very active, and I am enjoying feeling her kicking around each day. I think that's the best part of pregnancy. I am doing well, no complications, just experiencing the normal tiredness of pregnancy and shortness of breath due to the lack of room for my lungs. I am getting around much more slowly these days and having to make more realistic goals of what I can get done each day. Trying to stick with the basics: laundry, meals, clean babies. That's pretty much all I can handle at this time.

Procreation Creation Refashion Project With Tutorial

2011-06-20T07:00:00.006-05:00

I made a fun, cute and flirty maternity skirt that I made from a regular skirt. Now it's your turn. Here's how to turn any skirt into a maternity skirt. First you need a stretchy cami. Cut off the top. Cut off the top of the skirt at a place where it will be able to just go over your hips. Keep it a tad snug. I cut mine off just underneath the zipper; so I needed to gather it to the correct width. To gather, I zigzagged over a piece of floss and pulled the thread. Since my skirt was so wide, I quartered it and gathered the four sections separately. Much easier than going all the way around. Matching raw edges and side seams with right sides together, pin the cami piece you cut to the the skirt. I used lots of pins to keep my gathers in place. Sew with a zigzag stitch, but don't stretch the material as you sew or it may be too loose.

(Quick fix: If your skirt turns out to be too loose and slips down, just sew up the side seams of the band till you have a comfortable fit.) Tip: If the skirt you are using for this project has gathers or pleats, before you cut off the top, straight stitch all the way around just below the cut line so that you maintain those gathers or pleats; otherwise, you'll have to put them back in. This will save you a lot of time and headache.

Variation (Not pictured) If you prefer a more narrow band, you can also fold down the attached piece when wearing or fold down and stitch.

You could probably do this to your skirts even if you aren't pregnant if you want a more comfortable waist band and to allow for fluctuations in weight.

This is a very quick project. I did this to around seven skirts that I picked up at a thrift store. They were having a sale, all you could stuff in a bag for $10. Made my day.

Memorial Day Celebration

2011-06-01T07:00:00.004-05:00

Memorial Day for us is always spent with our church family. We have a blast. There are many activities going on: lots of food, horseshoe competitions, football, frisbee, basketball, ping pong, water fights, hula hooping (of course, right?...if you know me.) I bring the hoops that I make.

We are also mindful and very thankful for the sacrifice that our servicemen and women have made and are making for our country. Thank you also, to all of you military families who are also making a huge sacrifice as well allowing your men and women to serve as you stay behind and support them and hold down the fort. My father served in Vietnam and received a Purple Heart. I also have a grandfather who served. God bless you all.

Here are a few pics. of our day. I hope you had a wonderful day as well.

Credit for the photos goes to my husband, Marty Callan. He takes most of the photos for my blog, the good ones anyway.

Matthew anticipating Samantha's arrival.

Below are two photos of my 10 year old daughter Emily of Super Stitches.

Below is my 8 year old son Martin the 5th.

Another photo of my son.

I thought this was so sweet. A young lady in our church playing the ukulele for the children.

Below is Donna Rodgers of Comin' Home. She has posted a letter written to her by her son who is in Afghanistan where he gives an accounrt of what life is like for he and his fellow soldiers. He describes their living conditions, how much food and water they are given, how often they get a bath, sleeping conditions and many other details. It was an eye opener for me. I will be praying more diligently for them after reading this.

Baby Bump Week 18 and My Birthday

2011-05-17T07:00:00.004-05:00

Here I am at 18 Weeks on my 46th birthday at the end of March. I am currently 25 and half weeks. I am a bit behind on posting because I have been so busy getting ready for baby and I am so tired and out of breath much of the time due to the baby pressing on my lungs but I want you to see the progression of my pregnancy.

For my birthday, we took the kids to the park near the Houston Zoo. I am wearing a top over a dress. I thought it made a totally cute combination.

We walked.

Fed the ducks.

Rode the train.

I am loving this hat. It was one of my birthday gifts. We picked it up on the way to the park. I think a hat and sunscreen are essential for great skin and holding back the hands of time.

And played at the playground.

Then it was back home for sugar free apple pie from Cracker Barrel instead of cake (They make the best pies) and of course ice cream.

Thank goodness I had Matthew's help blowing out all of those candles. I don't think I could have done it without him.

Homemade gifts are the best.

And yippee! Sew Stylish. I love that magazine.

It was quite a day. Thanks for looking.

Song Signing to Jesus Loves Me

2011-05-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

The children in our church are going to be singing and signing to Jesus Loves Me at the end of the month. I am teaching them the sign language. I made this little video with the help of my sweet husband to help them practice at home. The video goes over the first and last verse. I thought you might enjoy watching it as well. If you have any children in your life, you could show it to them so they can learn it, too. I find it easier to learn anything to music and sign language is no different. I have learned several songs with sign language, and it has helped me to communicate with the deaf because I don't forget the signs.

Shocked and Honored

2011-04-28T07:00:00.004-05:00

I was shocked to have been contacted by the editor-in-chief of Vogue Patterns magazine and honored that they liked my sewing machine poem that I wrote awhile back in a previous post. You may come and visit me in their Thread Tales section, Page 96, of the April/May, 2011 issue. I photographed just a snippet of the page for you as a visual, but I actually have the whole page. So the entire poem doesn't show up in this post. In return, they allowed me to choose five patterns. I chose Rebecca Taylor Vogue 1152, Anne Klein Vogue 1223, Vogue Basic Design 8536, Very Easy Vogue 8650 and Very Easy Vogue 8390. I adore the very feminine and flowing dresses and I need some basic, cute tops in my wardrobe that will make nursing a baby easy. Below is a photo of them and also of my family and I on Easter with me wearing my Texas-style Easter bonnet.

I am 22 weeks in the Easter photo. I still have pictures to show you from my 46th birthday that were taken at the end of March at 18 weeks and pictures from 21 weeks. In other future posts, I have a tutorial to share on how to turn a regular skirt into a maternity skirt and of some antique sewing finds that I am excited about.

Baby Ultrasound! Boy or Girl?

2011-04-20T07:00:00.003-05:00

We had the ultrasound Monday. We were supposed to go in on the 25th, but we had to come in a week early because the doctor is going out of the country, to Greece. We brought our children with us. It is our tradition for the whole family to go to the ultrasound that will reveal the baby's gender. I'm so excited to share with you our wonderful news. You'll have to watch the video to find out. It isn't very long. My 17 year old daughter edited it down for us and added a little background music. It is very sweet, especially hearing the chatter of the children and their responses.

Baby Bump Week 16

2011-03-28T07:00:00.031-05:00

These shots are from Week 16. I am actually on Week 18 now. They were taken at a park 30 minutes from our home. We were there for the 18th birthday celebration of our second oldest's daughter's girlfriend. It was a gorgeous day. The kids played on the playground, skateboarded, Matthew, our three year old, rode his scooter and there was ultimate frisbee.

We find out the sex of the baby April 25th. I can hardly wait. I went to the doctor This Friday; and he mentioned doing an ulstrasound, which would reveal the sex of the baby. It was very tempting, but it is our tradition to have my husband and the kids there with me when we find out so I asked if we could do that next visit.

I am feeling a lot of movement, which is always a highlight of my day. When I pick up my little three year old, I quite often get a swift kick, like, "Hey, what's going on? Who's encroaching on my space?"

I've got several things to share with you, which I will do as soon as I can get the time to post them, within the next week or two. I was published in a magazine, my tutorial on turning a regular skirt into a maternity skirt and pictures from my birthday this past Saturday.

Baby Bump Week 14 and My Thoughts on Being Pregnant at 46

2011-03-21T07:00:00.027-05:00

I am now 17 weeks along in my pregnancy. These photos are from my 14th week. I'll probably share some photos with you next Monday of my 16th week. This was such a gorgeous day with the temperatures in the 70s F and a nice little breeze, a perfect day for wearing this flowing dress with my cowgirl boots. We were invited to dine for lunch at the home of a sweet family from our church along with some other families. Afterwards the adults sat around and talked while the children played basketball and other fun things. They have the loveliest front porch which I thought would be perfect for snapping a few quick shots. A big thanks to my always-willing husband for obliging me.

Everything is going well in my pregnancy. I feel great and have plenty of energy. This is an awesome time in my life as a woman. I have the privilege of housing and growing a new life, a life that will not only be born into this world, but an eternal soul that will live forever. I never dreamed or envisioned that I would still be having babies at this age, 46 next Saturday. It wasn't part of my plan, but I am trusting in God's plan. I know that He has special plans for this baby. I am in awe that He wants to use me to be a part of that, that He has chosen to trust me for this special task. I know He will give me the strength and wisdom to raise this baby up for Him and His purposes and that He will guide me, along with my husband, along the way, as well as provide for us financially. The whole thing is such a miracle, a life forming inside of my body. I am amazed by the whole process, the forming of each little part, a soul, little fingers and toes, sweet cheeks and sparkling eyes, chubby little hands that will bring me flowers, precious lips that will form the sweetest of smiles, arms that will wrap around me for hugs and security, the whole helpless form of this baby who will look to me for sustenance, nursing for nourishment. This will be such a sweet, precious time to be treasured in our memories forever. This baby will be such a precious gift to our family.

I feel that motherhood is my highest calling and the highest career in the nation. Carrying and/or caring for a child is one of the greatest joys of womanhood. I gave up a successful career as a court stenographer to be a full-time mom. It is such a privilege and joy, and I take my job very seriously. I embrace the role of motherhood with all my heart. I pour into my children each and every day and love, nurture and guide them with all of the ability that God gives me, looking to Him each day for wisdom.

For those of you who do not know me as well, This will be our sixth blessing. Our oldest will be 23 soon after the baby is born. She will be graduating from college this May. The other children are ages 18 in May, 10, 8 and 3. The three oldest are girls, and the two youngest are boys. We are a homeschooling family. I have been teaching the children from home for 18 years now. Our oldest received a full scholarship to college after being homeschooled all 13 years.

At this point we do not know the sex of the baby. We will most likely find out towards the end of April. I will let you know as soon as I can after I find out. Emily, 10, is hoping for a girl; and Martin, 8, is hoping for a boy. I'm sure you're not surprised.

We have some possible names picked out: Sean if it's a boy and Natalie Marie if it's a girl. Any name suggestions? These aren't totally set in stone yet.

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. I appreciate so much every one of you and the comments you leave. They mean so much to me. I am so thankful for the friends I have made here. Thank you for sharing with me in the excitement of my pregnancy. I will try to update you as much as possible and share pictures of my growing belly. I will also try to get myself in gear and organized to share some sewing with you soon, too. I have taken some skirts I found in a thrift store and turned them into maternity skirts. I plan to share a tutorial on how I did that with you soon. I hope you have a wonderful week.