More Summer Happenings

These past few weeks have been fairly laid back...but I believe that won't last for long! Soon I will be going away to be a counselor for a week at Camp Rainbow, my first time going away without my sweet husband since we got married :( . And then my sister Hannah, brother-in-law Enoch, and nephew Isaiah will be vising from North Carolina where we will be able to celebrate by having a shower for her little girl due in October. My niece Gianna is turning 1. My sweet little sister is leaving for her sophomore year of college to Hungary where she will be studying for the fall. Lew and I are going to venture down to NC for almost a week at the end of August to visit my sisters family some more....and then, you gussed it, my last semester of Nursing School begins the day after we get back from NC! So, the rest of this summer is going to begin to fly by for us!

But here are a few things we've been able to enjoy over the last week or so (while the pace is still slow):

Last week my parents went to the beach so Lew and I stayed at their home (the home I was raised in) and watched their 2 dogs Tiny & Webster. We actually enjoyed it very much. The dogs were very well behaved, contrary to popular belief! It was fun to have dogs for the week ;)

Tiny is the tan on top of the chair, she likes to look out the window. Webster aka "Webby" is the one lying in the chair. He is so sweet, I actually got him when he was a puppy...so I tend to favor him a little ;)

This is Webby giving me "hugs"... so sweet!


Then last Friday was Lew's summer flex day (every other week he only works a half day on Friday). This has been such a blessing for the summer and Lew has been trying to find creative ways for us to use that time. So last Friday we went to the Spy museum in DC. It was very interesting!

Us outside of the Museum.

After that we went to G Street Fabrics in Rockville to find some sewing stuff. Lew is such a patient man ;) He stuck by my side as I took my time picking out fabric, thread, and buttons... I love you sweet pea!!

Lew capturing me "hard at work" once again.

The finished product:

This bag

I used a pattern as a guide but altered it a little. I would say my biggest problem is I want to finish a project in one sitting.....well I would say this was not a "one sitting project"! I was up until 1am trying to finish it while me sweet husband sat by my side reading and keeping me company. By the time I got to the base I was so tired that we'll just say my sewing by hand was....a little sloppy! So I will probably re-do the base when I get a chance. But all in all it was a fun project and I think I will try to make another bag soon!

More Summer pictures soon....

"She makes bed coverings for herself..."

As I spent some more time sewing this past week I was thinking about the Proverbs 31 woman. I was thinking of all of the different things she does, here are just a few:

• She seeks wool and flax,and works with willing hands.
• She is like the ships of the merchant;she brings her food from afar
• She considers a field and buys it;with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard
• She makes bed coverings for herself;her clothing is fine linen and purple

These are just a few things that she is gifted in. Lets just say I don't do most of these things! But I have been encouraged that by God's grace I can become more like the Proverbs 31 woman. So I started with the last bullet point. Making bed coverings for myself....is a pillow considered a bed covering? Maybe not, but I did make a pillow case. :-) Again, I have to keep reminding myself you have to start somewhere.
So here are a few of my feeble attempts at this:

My 2 finished products.

The larger pillow was my second attempt. It was a lot trickier! The beige colored fabric was linen and a little too thin, but I doubled it up on the flap which helps. I used that color fabric for the flap and the back, and then used the chocolate brown only on the front. I like it, but don't love it. I would probably do a better job measuring and cutting the fabric next time. I got a little sloppy and it made a big difference in the end result. But overall for attempt number 2 it wasn't too bad.

Lew captured my work as I went.
Having some problems with the needle getting jammed in the thick fabric..grrr. I almost lost my patience at this point...but I persevered!
This is the one I made first. It was also a lot easier because it was less fabric to work with. I used Corduroy which I like the look, but because it's so thick it's a little tricky to work with. The flap was pretty easy to do, I just made it the same width as the back and cut it in half, then did an overcasting stitch on the end to make it look smooth. Don't mind the wrinkly fabric. I should have probably ironed it before I took the picture :-)

I learned a lot this go around. And my next attempt...call me crazy, I am going to try to make a skirt. But this time I am going to use a pattern. I'll let you know how that goes!

My first creation

My goal this summer is to pick up some new hobbies, specifically things related to being a homemaker. So, my first attempt: Sewing. My Mom says I probably have sewing in my blood because my Grandmother and Aunt on my Dads side are seamstresses and we also had a lot of tailors on my Mom's side. My Mom also used to make her own clothes, so she will be a good teacher! We shall see ;) And my first creation:

Yes it's a pillow....simple, I know, but I must start somewhere right?!


The pillows bring out these subtle blue stripes in our bedding (can you see them?)...really brightens it up!



My next attempt...I hope to make one of these:
A little ambitious? Maybe, but I think I can understand how it works by looking at it... it's worth a try. I'll let ya know how that goes.

Thanks Mama for letting me use your sewing machine and for being a patient teacher!

Another Hobby for the summer: photography. I have always been interested but never pursued it. So all you pros out there any tips on a good starter camera?