windows, and sheetrock, and floorboards oh my

Here are the latest pictures of the attic conversion, Monday will start week number 6. This week he is going to be taping and "mudding" the sheet rock, spraying the ceiling with something that makes the ceiling textured, and laying the base boards...woo hoo!!!



going upstairs





sewing room

 

sitting room



don't look directly at the light....can you tell I NEED the sunlight...this is the playroom



sitting room from another angle...

with her profits she plants a vineyard...

So, I am not exactly growing a vineyard, but this year we are starting our garden from seed indoors. I grew up in a garden...literally...my parents were back to nature, and my mother is more knowledgeable of growing and gardens than anyone I know. I remember, as a little girl, running through rows of tomato fields in my mothers garden (and finding baby bunnies in them too)...I say all of this because gardening is in my blood, and I love it.

As far as the title above...The proverbs 31 women plants a vineyard from her earnings. She is my role model. I don't aspire to be her, but I aspire to be a godly woman, and as God moves in my life, I see my life lining up more and more with hers. Her story encourages me in my own.

I took some pictures of the process, so that you can see how it easy it is, and grow some for yourself too...

this is a little pic to show you what you have to look forward too
(well,  hello there sunshine)

 So, this is what you need to start an a garden from seed......



dirt
( for gardens)




supplies, garden trays, seeds, a pencil, I plastic wrap, and a label maker (optional). You will also need a spray bottle



put the dirt in the cells

print out some sticky plant labels (this is optional, but helps to keep things organized)

label the cell



poke little holes using a pencil



take out your little seeds (these are teeny tiny poppy seeds)

put teeny tiny seeds in the holes

gently cover them up with dirt





water the delicate seeds with a spray bottle until they sprout

after you have all of that done, you either cover it with plastic wrap, or some cell containers come with a plastic cover like the one shown above

 

My children also made gardens. We took a container, lined it with plastic, and did all of the steps above and covered it with plastic.

Make sure to keep your soil moist, and when they sprout, take off the plastic, and place near the sun (a window etc.)
When the plants are mature, you can move them outside (still handle with TLC), and when your garden is prepared transplant.

Have fun and good luck!



I also listed this sweet wrap skirt today in Sweet Home Boutique...

Happy Saturday!

moving right along....

I wanted to share some pictures of the progress of our attic conversion

future childrens playroom with big windows

future sewing room, the window is going to be taken out and a larger put in

future sitting room with big picture window

another view of the sitting room, taken from my sewing room

another playroom shot

and a new little dress I listed using Patty Youngs, mod kid pattern. It has a hood, and I can't wait to list more of these

Have a great day, and happy Friday!

tagging, sticking and stitching

I have been super busy this week with orders. I love, love, love my customers, and I hope they can feel that in the products that I provide for them...I have made and shipped orders out this week to Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and more. I have also made my first sale to New Zealand. I always get super excited for international orders. It is my goal to sell to both Ireland and Israel...I have always wanted to go to Ireland and run through the hills, and Israel, well it's Israel.

I am expecting several bolts of Fabric from designers like Amy Butler, Anthology, and Free Spirit. Unfortunately my first couple of bolts went on a vacation in Hawaii first, as I did not realize until after they shipped that my eBay address had not been updated to SC....ooops....I hope they have a nice trip and come home soon.

I am also wanting to try out several new things in my shop. By far my empire waist tunics are my most popular and main seller, but I am also wanting to add women pea coats for spring, and a simple wrap skirt with contrasting belt. I have a great pattern by mod kid for a little girls dress with a pointy hoodie, and I can't wait to make several more of those when the bolts start coming in. I have been so busy with custom orders, that I will not get a chance for more designs until I complete all of my customers orders.

I have also started tagging all of my clothing. These tags are a bit tiny, but after I use these 160, I will make sure to buy larger next time

This is my new machine, it is a lot more basic than my viking, but I am only doing basic sewing, and I LOVE the auto tension!

 
I also got Sweet Home Boutique Stickers!! I know they are not needed, but I think they add a nice touch to my packages. It makes my brand more visible!

                                                   Have a wonderful week Everyone :-))))))

Not by power, nor by might

I have experienced some of this with my workload, caring for 4 small children, moving 6000 miles away, getting settled, starting and building a business, oh, and homeschooling. Some would consider that quite the heavy load, and it is. The thing is that I have been prepared for all of this my whole life....

As a child I was always full of energy, bouncing talking, and basically annoying people around me with my constant zest. There were times when I would be down on myself for being so energetic, but now I know why the Lord has made me this way....to accomplish everything listed above. Now that I have  four children and still have a lot of energy people want some for themselves. It is funny how the things we get picked on for when we are little are, as an adult, one of our greatest assets.

When I was in college I was a mass communication student, and even though I was not yet a christian, I felt the pull of the Lord to go into education. After about 2 years of resisting, I finally switched. Since graduation I have not worked in my field (I had my first daughter right after I finished). I was curious why the Lord would lead me to teach when I was going to be a stay at home mom...indefinitely...I can see it now unfolding as I educate my own children...I feel that I have been thoroughly prepared to do so, and I now consider all of my training...priceless....

Okay, to be frank...When I met my then future husband we were chatting, and he told me that he wanted to make things as easy as possible for his wife .I could not help but thinking that this would be a pretty sweet deal.  Less than a year later we were married, and he did  lavish me with constant TLC, but then....the Navy stepped in...and the pretty sweet deal turned into me being alone a lot of our marriage raising four children

So, the moral of the story is...this grace that have been given to me to accomplish this mission and destiny He has for me is only found in the Lord. How many times do we stand in front of a big boulder, push our sleeves up and say, "Ive got this" only to carry it, fall down, and be completely burned out by carrying all the weight alone.  Some days I feel so overwhelmed with my work ahead of me, but there are a couple of things I have been shown through fasting and prayer...

ALWAYS, always, always start the day with a devotion or bible reading...I am reading a daily devotion for homeschooling moms, and it so encourages me...Find one that applies to your life right now...That way, you start the day out with the right frame of mind, and whatever storm comes your way, you have the spiritual perspective to look at it clearly.

Another is prayer, and a lot of it! Nap time for the children is usually when I make a cup of coffee and eat a little snack, trying with all of my might to keep on working...The thing that I have learned is that I don't need the coffee to keep me going...it is artificial stamina....The best thing I can do is lay face down in my bed, and pray...Meditate on the Lord, and remember again that I am doing all of this not by my power nor by my might...but by the spirit of God that is living and breathing inside of me...



Happy Tuesday!

                                                          

Three dangs, and a catalogue...

so mama is cookin this up in the crock pot for dinner, the sad part is that I forgot to turn it on, so it sat like this for 2 hours, cold, alone, scared....so dinner time was pushed back
DANG #1


We were going to make sourdough bread to go with, but in his enthusiasm, my two year old son got the box, ran around the house, and placed it in some "secret hiding spot"
DANG #2

We then resorted to our stash of local foods, for the compliment, I bought the biscuit mix, but I forgot to buy the buttermilk (you know, butter milk biscuits)
Dang #3

so, lucky for the children, they got to try out instant butter grits for dinner

On the bright side, I made one of these...

A Etsy  Sweet Home Boutique Catalogue, it was super easy, quick, and free, we like free...
I think I am going to put it in a three ring binder with those page protector things...you know, in case I ever need a catalogue for something....

On that note...
Happy Sunday!!

It's a swamp thing...

pic courtesy of http://movie-shop.us/movie.php?id=254256

No, not that one, more like the low country swamp thing...
We live in the lowland and it is low here, and swampy, complete with Alligators...I rather like the swamp. I think it may have been because as a little girl my mother was always talking about a wonderful trip she took to Okefenokee swamp in Florida. It always seemed like such an amazing adventure. (thought I think really as a little girl I was more intrigued by the name...Okefenokee.it has a nice ring to it) So, when we had the chance to move here to South Carolina, I was thrilled at the prospect of going to the swamp..

That is where I found this diamond

Cypress Gardens--It is here by our home, and movies like The Notebook, The Patriot, and yes, that's right Swamp Thing were all filmed...

yep, that's a slimy alligator butt

don't worry, not one was harmed during this visit (pic taken in 2007, during our first stay in SC)


SO, the moral of all of this rambling is that I love the swamp, and I have seen it reflected in my clothing styles as of late

Can you see it, the swamp influence...
I find all of Gods creation and geographic locations beautiful and try to find the beauty of it all....
I am sure I will back to brighter colors, and cheerful prints again when the sun comes out and the flowers bloom.
I love having the seasons here...
You have to have to have the winter to appreciate the breath of spring

Happy Saturday