Quick wallet for L

It was my oldest's birthday on Sunday... Six years old!  We have decided to start giving her a little allowance and I thought a cute new wallet to keep it in was in order. I found a cute free pattern here at Modest Maven, and it is a pretty quick sew if you need a simple wallet!

 I added a little bow!  The outside is corduroy; and as I look at it I'm second guessing that white zebra... my white stuff never stays white...

 It closes with a simple little snap (though trying to get done I put it in wrong and had to cut it off and re-do... sigh.

I did change it up a little on the inside cause I wanted her to have a place for her change, and, really, the only card she might carry is her library card, so she didn't need two rows! 

super simple, and I think she will be excited!  We'll see how fast her little allowance blows out of there...

Book reviews: The Passionate Mom, The Quilted Heart series, and Bathsheba Bathed in Grace

The Passionate Mom: Dare to Parent in Today's World by Susan Merrill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Passionate Mom is a great book that challenges you to be passionate about your kids. The author studied the story of Nehemiah and relates that to a mother's work of raising her children. I enjoyed the details of the story of Nehemiah, and really appreciated the stories from the author's life as well. It makes the book even more readable and enjoyable and brings the ideas alive. I loved that the book was not just ideas, but also included practical application ideas.  When she discusses the importance of Prayer, she shares the 4 step pattern (I learned it as ACTS in high school) that Nehemiah follows (Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication). She discusses the story of Nehemiah, makes parallels to a mom's mission, gives concrete steps and suggestions and then makes it even more understandable with examples from her own family.  I recommend this book to christian moms who are passionate and intentional about raising their children and/or have a desire to become even more so!

I recieved a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. 


View all my reviews

Dandelions on the Wind by Mona Hodgson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very quick read for me.  It was fairly simple and there was no huge drama, it was just a sweet simple love story. I enjoyed it as a nice quick getaway read.  Maren comes to Denmark planning to marry a man who is quick to run off when he realizes her sight is failing. She has settled in with Mrs. Brantenberg and her granddaughter, helping to raise the young granddaughter and do the farmwork.  A man shows up on the farm and turns out to be Gabi's father, and Mrs. Brantenberg's son-in-law, who left them in grief for the war when his wife dies in childbirth.  The story has a bit of romance, and grace and redemption. If you are looking for a book to keep you on the edge of your seat, this is not it.  But if you enjoy clean, sweet and simple romance to get away from the stress of life, then I recommend this book to you. This is the first book in a series, however, this book can be read as a stand-alone novel.  

I recieved this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.  

View all my reviews

Bending Toward the Sun by Mona Hodgson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was another short and sweet novella in The Quilted Heart series by Mona Hodgson.  Similar to my review of the first in the series, this is a simple love story telling the story of Emilie, the shopkeeper's daughter, and Quaid, the son of Irish "teamsters".  Emilie finds that her father, who she always thought to be accepting of all people, is less than thrilled to see his daughter showing interest in Quaid (and vice versa!).  He asks Quaid not to "encourage her" and the story follows their response as a couple to this.  Similar to the first, it is a simple story, without edge of your seat action, but an excellent, quick, uplifting read.  I recommend it to those who enjoy a nice, clean romance.  As with the first novel, I felt it could stand alone as it's own story. It follows characters introduced in the first book, but one does not have to read the first book to enjoy the second.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher for review.  

View all my reviews

Ripples Along the Shore by Mona Hodgson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book was the one I thought looked the most interesting of the series, but disappointed me most at the end. The story was similar to the others, simple and sweet. This one did not have much romance in it though, but focused on the female character, Caroline, and also shared more of Anna's story as well. There was some romantic interest but it did not lead anywhere in this story; instead it focused on Caroline's feelings of being unwanted in her living situation (as well as not wanting to be immersed in the negativity there) and her dilemma as a single widow as to her plans for the future.  She decides to leave on the wagon train with other families looking for new opportunities, but is denied by the leader. While the other two books in the series offered complete stories for their characters, this one really felt like a "throwaway" book.  It felt like the author was just enticing you into the story to get you to buy the next series. It did not feel complete at all, and was really disappointing. I'm not a fan of the whole "novella" phenomenon. To me, its a money making ploy selling chapters of a book. It seems that the author is continuing with these characters, however, looking at the description of the first novel, it does not even continue with Caroline's unfinished story, but tells Anna's, which was a side story in the first book.  This makes this novella even more of a throwaway for me; what is the point of starting a story that she doesn't plan to finish... WHile i was interested in the story, i'm not really interested in reading more "novellas" so i'm not so sure that I will be reading this next series, which is disappointing as I did enjoy the first two novellas, and the beginning of Caroline's story.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. 


View all my reviews

Bathsheba Bathed in Grace: How 8 Scandalous Women Changed the World by Carol Cook

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Bathsheba Bathed in Grace is a fictionalized account of 8 women in the Bible.  I was excited to read this but ended up a bit disappointed.  Granted, the author tells each story in one chapter so there isn't a lot of room to expand the stories, and I actually appreciated that she didn't go out of the way to invent details and what "might" have happened. However, I did feel that the stories were rather superficial and basic.  For example, in the first story of Bathsheba, I thought the author's covering o f the murder of her husband Uriah was very lacking.  She really didn't seem distraught at all, even though she was so in love with him at the beginning of the story.  She very quickly was grateful to David for taking her and her unborn son to the palace rather than leaving them to fend for themselves, instead of being angry that he'd killed her husband.  Perhaps she didn't know this, but still her grief for Uriah was very superficial.  I did learn more about the women and what their perspectives might have been.  She does give the reader new insight into some of the lesser known women like Tamar and their stories. Tamar was probably my favorite and I learned the most from that story.  I would read more from this author though I do hope her writing deepens a bit. 

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

View all my reviews

Book Reviews: Simply Delicious Amish Cooking

Simply Delicious Amish Cooking: Recipes and Stories from the Amish of Sarasota, Florida by Sherry Gore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This looks like an excellent cookbook!  i can't wait to try homemade root beer!! I have wanted to make it ever since reading an Amish fiction novel where the family made and sold it, so that one popped out right away! I have read lots of complaints from reviewers about using items like jello, pudding, and canned fruit, etc, and also about recipes not being healthy. In my experience, (I live in an Amish area and am Mennonite), typical Amish and Mennonite cooking is not meant to be healthy!  Most conservative amish and Mennonite are working so hard physically every day, there isn't much need for dieting.  And I'm not surprised either at the use of canned fruits (my guess is that some would use their home canned items anyway) and mixes.  The recipes look delicious and I recognize many of them as being common in our area also. My mom makes Poor Man's Steak, and we love hamloaf (though I've never attempted to make it from scratch... I'm tempted though, it looks so simple!).  The breads look amazing; amish bread is famous around here and I'd love to be able to make my own! And Country Caramel French Toast... that one will be on the list too! And for a super traditional dessert (around here in central PA anyway), try the whoopie pies!  Delicious... There is an excellent range of items; delicious looking desserts, breads, breakfast items, main dishes, salads, cookies... and a yummy looking seafood section that looks to be the most unique thing about the Pinecroft Amish!  Alligator Stew may be difficult to make if you aren't seaside, but there are a lot of other options, like Grilled Lime Fish Fillets, and Peppered Lime batter for fish.  I'm not a seafood eater, but I may have to try those! The stories peppered throughout the book are like snippets of Amish life, stories about family life- they may not be super exciting, but its a neat peek into Amish living- it feels like you are reading bits out of the Budget!

If you are looking for a healthy, simple living cookbook, then this is probably not the one for you.  If you want good, simple, authentic Amish food, then try it! Tons of great recipes and a peek at Amish life.  I'd recommend it!

Note:  In looking at the pictures, it seems that that Pinecroft Amish are more like conservative Mennonites in our area (central PA), though I believe there are more liberal Amish in the Lancaster area as well.  Either way, the food is very similar to Amish and Mennonite food here as well.

I recieved a copy of this book for my honest review from the publisher.


View all my reviews

Anywhere Dress Pattern Review

I am doing my own little Kids Clothing Week this week, since I wasn't prepared for the "real" one. (We'll just pretend I am prepared this week and not just spending my hour taping patterns and cutting fabric...).  The first thing I finished up was an 
Anywhere Dress from Go To Patterns (affiliate links). 

This dress is simple and the PDF pattern makes it even easier to sew up!  There are just a few pieces to cut out; adding in the facings make it seem like more but they really save you so much time later since you don't have to do any binding at the neck! 

You can see the neckline on this picture. The facing is the inside piece that helps finish off the neckline.

Another great thing about the pattern (and most patterns from Go To Patterns) is that it includes sizes for 12 months to 12 years!! That is an amazing range you DO NOT get with traditional paper patterns.  Plus they are so simple to sew from, and include tons of detailed instructions and photos.  Plus the designers are usually available to answer questions!

My only complaint of the entire pattern is that the front and back dress pieces  use the same letters as marks for connecting the PDF pattern pieces (if you've never used a pdf pattern, most have little matching marks that show you which pieces to tape together and line them up correctly). And this is pretty much a moot point, since they are mirror images of each other so it's pretty obvious which goes where.  

It is a little large, but that is not a fault of the pattern.  I made her a size 6 because I don't want her to grow out of it this summer!  Still wearable now, but should last for quite a while! I did cut the hemline to the next size to make it a bit longer. I'm not positive I would do that again though- it feels a bit long and I'm not sure if it is because of the next size up sizing or if its just cut too long.  I thought the pictures of the models looked a smidge short for our tastes though... 

While I usually try to be cheap thrifty and use larger size clothes for fabric, I bought this at Joann's because I loved it! It's not as unique though...I actually showed a picture of this exact dress to L though, to show her what it would look like with her sleeve choice!

Pictures are not great, regrettably.... snapped quickly before school this morning (thus little bro in his PJ's...yep, we'll just pretend he doesn't also end up wearing those most of the day...)!

Anyway, this was a great pattern and I'll definitely be using it more!  I can see it coming in super handy to make tee-shirts with as well! This would be an amazing beginning project for using knits.  They are not as scary as they seem and make such amazing comfy clothes!

Next up: the Hangout Hoodie from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop! (affiliate links)


I recieved a copy of this pattern for free in exchange for my honest review.

Book reviews: So Shines the Night & Intentional Parenting

So Shines the Night by Tracy Higley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is historical fiction set in Biblical times, though the main characters are completely fictional.  I appreciate that the author lets us experience what things may have been like in these times without taking so many liberties with a well known person from the Bible. It definitely gave me a new appreciation for what early Christians dealt with!  The author shows the Ephesians devotion to their gods and the culture of the times as people are dabbling in sorcery and animal sacrifices.  One of the Christian characters who was not able to have a baby is thrilled when she takes in a child that the parents have left to die at the river due to a physical deformity. It gives the reader a view of the risks new believers took in following Christ in those times.  The story follows Daria, a widow, as she struggles to make her way with no one to help her as her father and husband have both died.  She meets Lucas who offers her a position teaching him Persian if she goes with him to Ephesus.  Lucas himself is struggling with his desire for vengeance for his wife's death and getting close to some dangerous people in the process.  Both characters meet Paul, the great evangelist from the Bible, and we also meet other famous characters such as Timothy and Priscilla and Aquilla.  The story was interesting and was full of romance and mystery with a great twist at the end.  This was an excellent read and I would recommend it.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.


View all my reviews

Intentional Parenting: Autopilot Is for Planes by Sissy Goff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book. It was a great reminder that you can just float through your children's lives and parenting experience or you can be intentional and be a parent with a purpose. The authors gave lots of examples from their lives and counseling practice to go along with the book's themes. While the book encorages you to be intentional about your impact on your kids lives it also gives pages of parenting and discipline tips. They are not in depth, just a paragraph or so for each tip, but I prefer it his way as it is a great way to remind yourself. The authors reference other books that they have written and after reading this one, I would love to read others! I would recommend this book for any parent. For new parents its a great way to dip your toes into the themes before moving on to more in depth readng. Afor experienced parents, an excellent reminder to make sure you are on the path you want to be.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. 

View all my reviews

Pajama Eaters!

Instead of an Easter basket, I decided to make L a Pajama Eater!  

I bought the pattern by Sew Fearless which means that I can make them to sell.  Which I plan to do!

My daughter has the habit of stepping past (or on top of) all the jammies on her floor she has only worn for one night to get new ones!  So, Theoretically, this will help with that problem as she was told she can only have out what the PJ Eater can fit!  

See the zipper? I am pretty sure she stuffed about three pairs in there this time, but hopefully we can whittle it down to one at a time!  These little guys are so cute sitting around too! 

This little guy snuck into her room when she was sleeping and sat down to wait... I'm kind of surprised those Peeps made it through the night....

I had to make a few adjustments; since I don't keep felt around (and of course a certain store was out of white!), I made the teeth like I did on E's dinosaur jacket....oh wait. It looks like I never blogged that.... Anyhoo.... like the teeth on this jacket tutorial.  Much more time consuming that felt, so I'll be getting some of that... otherwise I followed that pattern. Great pattern if you want to try a few!  The pattern included the rights to sell them, so I will be sewing up a few in the near future!  Drop me a line if you want first dibs!

Matchy Matchy Easter....

I finally got the kids dressed cute for Easter this year... No group picture unfortunately. The only one I got was less than satisfactory since the baby didn't understand why he couldn't have breakfast (wanted him to not be bored during breakfast at church!).  

Anyway, I sewed L a little dress, and the boys little matching bowties. I basically followed this tutorial but made double bows, and used elastic to hold them on. 

They looked so adorable... Maybe they should wear bowties and button downs every sunday...

L's Dress was sort of based off this dress by Simple Simon & Co; I used the flutter sleeve tutorial on this page, though I think they missed a seam allowance in the directions, so it was a little shorter than I wanted... I am very happy with the dress though.  I traced a tee shirt to make the bodice and then just added a full skirt.  I lined both top and bottom, since the fabric is a little light. 

The flutter sleeves were flipped over for all the pictures... oops!

She was happy with it, and they all looked great!