6 Reasons to Learn to Sew

1. You can create beautiful, unique clothing tailored especially for you, exactly how you want them.

2. You can "modestify" clothing you buy, or alter something from the store and make it work for you.

3. It can be a money saver. (Especially if you can do all of your own mending and not have to send your clothing out. It amazes me how many women can't sew a button on and have to send things to the dry cleaners to be mended.)

4. It can be a money maker and a good industry from your home.

5. It is a way to express yourself and personality everywhere--your clothing, your home, etc.

6. It's FUN!

Help! I’m out of fabric softener!

That is never a pleasant realization, especially on laundry day. It’s even worse if laundry day falls before grocery day. I don’t especially like having to drop everything that I’m doing and make a run to the store.
My mom has used plain white vinegar before for fabric softener. In fact, that is what she uses for fabric softener on cloth diapers. So that will work in a pinch, though the only drawback is that your laundry doesn’t smell as sweet and there is a slight fragrance of vinegar left on the wash.
I wanted to share what one of my friends shared with me. She has begun mixing up her own fabric softener and loves it and has started using it all the time instead of buying fabric softener. She said that the conditioner hides any traces of vinegar scent.
Here’s the recipe:

Homemade Fabric Softener

6 cups hot water

2cups hair conditioner (any kind)

  3 cups white vinegar

Mix well.  Makes a little over 1/2gallon. Use approx. 2T per wash.

Food, Beauty and Control

This is a great past program from one of my favorite radio programs, Revive Our Hearts. You can read the transcript of the show, or listen to it. Below is an excerpt.

But I’ll tell you what, in this culture, beauty has become an idol. The cultural view related to beauty is that it’s a huge issue. I was traveling a few weeks ago, and on the airplane, in one of the seatback pockets, I pulled out a copy of People magazine. Now, I don’t normally pick up People magazine, but this particular issue was the issue that had the best and the worst dressed lists.
The thing was, here are these glamorous, good-looking people who spend thousands of dollars to try to look really good because they think that looking really good defines them, gives them worth, makes them valuable. I mean, it gets their picture in People magazine. Many of these people have tragic, sad lives, relationships that don’t last, anger issues, drug dependencies, but boy, they look good!
You see the value system in the culture? And here is a magazine that says these are people. What’s that say about you if you’re not as gussied up as they are? What are you? See, that’s the issue.
Eve was focused on the temporal, not the eternal. Her focus was moved from what God has said is important and good to what she wanted, and that’s when it became problematic.

• The issue is how much focus or importance do you place on physical appearance?
• How much are you seeking the approval of others, of men?
• Is your thinking about your outward appearance shaped more by the culture or by the Bible?
• What’s in your heart when you focus on your appearance? Is it value connected to your appearance?

God doesn’t look at you and say you’re valuable if you’re pretty. God looks at the inside, the heart.

Click here to read more:
Food, Beauty and Control--Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Mellowing out….(rambles alert!)

It’s funny how much people can change over just a few years. Periodically I go through old things I’ve written and it always is amusing to see how my opinions on certain things change. Most of the time it’s things that I’ve never done or experienced, but I have an idea set in my mind just how it should happen and how I’ll react and handle it when it does come. I’m learning more everyday just how idealistic and at times, silly I was when I was younger. You never know how you will handle something until it happens. You may have ideas about it, but you can’t know until that moment.
I think that my 16 year old self would be very surprised and maybe even shocked at me today. I am much more laid back about some things than I ever thought possible for me. I’m afraid I was almost an extremist (!) on some issues in my younger days. Now I can see that some of that narrow-mindedness was just from lack of experience. Maybe as I have grown older I’ve seen that some things aren’t as black and white as I thought. The further I go, the more I’m learning that you can’t stick to a set of rules and a formula and expect everything to come out how you want it. Life is not like a cake mix. Every person/family is different and how the Lord works in their lives differs and the convictions and lifestyles He calls them to differ.
On the other hand however, as I have grown and matured, my convictions and views on some areas have only grown stronger and more deep. My views on marriage and the relationship between a husband and wife have only strengthened. My opinions on children and how I would like them to be trained and educated (I don’t have any yet so I can’t know for sure ;) ) haven’t waivered but have only grown in strength.
Yes, I want to impact the world for Christ and take dominion, but right now my focus is just my little world—how can I make our home a peaceful, restful sanctuary, and how can I be a blessing to our church and family? I don’t really have much of a vision past that right now. My hands are pretty full with just that.
At the same time, while I have let some things go and held on to others, I don’t judge or look down on people who might be considered ‘in bondage’ to things I don’t feel are completely necessary. One thing I’m learning is that we don’t know all of the details or every side of the story. We may not understand why people would consider some things necessary, but we don’t know every side to the story.
I’m going to bring this rather rambling post to a close and go check on my cinnamon swirl bread. (I’ll share the recipe soon!)

Off to the Symphony!

Last Saturday Jacob took me to a symphony concert. It was wonderful!!!! It had been years since I’d been to one. Afterward we went to Spaghetti Warehouse—yum! I realize it’s probably because we are still such “new” newlyweds, but everything still feels like one big date for us.
Jacob had never been to a symphony concert as he really isn’t into classical music, but he enjoyed it and mentioned wanting to go to some of the concerts next year.
This Friday will be the 6 months mark for us. I can’t believe it has flown by so fast.
Recipes and vintage-themed posts are in the works, so come back soon!

Pot Plants--aka "Victims"

Sunflowers in my cousin's yard

This morning I woke up in the mood to work in my flowerbeds....but wait, I don't have any flower beds here. Sometimes I wake and forget momentarily that I'm in an apartment in a large city.
 Still I've been suffering from the desire to get my hands in some good dirt and plant things. The smell of the fresh turned dirt, the warmth of the sun, and the aroma of herbs--I can almost taste it! This was only aggravated and made worse by my spending five days at my parent's home for July 4th. This little country mouse was in her element....
I'm not much of a gardener, I'll admit.  I do best with plants that thrive on neglect and are not in pots. My herbs that I grew at my parents house are still there and thriving. However, if you give me a pot plant, you've pretty much signed its death warrant.
However, since it looks like we will be here for a little while, I must simply get over my pot plant inabilities and do better. Apartment porches look lonely and uninviting if there are no plants on them. I want our little home to be as cozy and inviting as possible, so conquer pot plants I must.
 Any and all suggestions/comments/advice are welcome :)

What I'm thankful for today...

"Can we ride him pwease, Jacob?" Jacob and little sisters 2 and 3 the last time we worked cows. They love Jacob's horse, Jesse.

My husband's relationship with my family--especially with my siblings. He loves all of them, and they adore him. :) He even won over my brothers, who agreed the other day that if all their sisters married guys like Jacob, they'd be doing good.