Sewing for Spring: Re-purposed Dresses

I'm excited to say that I have really stuck to my goal of sewing 2 items for each kiddo.  I don't have pictures of everything yet, but I managed to snap a couple of iPhone shots of two dresses I have made.  I purchased plain, long sleeve white shirts at Goodwill, then added skirts.

  Gwen's maxi dress was made with this adorable fabric I ordered from fabricworm.com.  The belt was one that was just lying around, but we are going to shop for a belt for her to wear with this dress.  

Once the weather turns warmer, I can remove the sleeves or just shorten them.  I could even remove the skirt entirely and add it to a tank top.  Perhaps sew the long sleeve top onto a more fallish fabric.

Lela's dress I made using an old top I had that no longer fit.  It used to be one of my favorite spring/summer tops - it's a wonderfully light linen fabric.  I cannot wait for it to warm up just a bit so she can wear this!  Again, I can remove the sleeves once we get further into summer.  I left the onesie intact, so the bum is still covered.  

Have you sewn any spring outfits for your little ones or yourself??  You can follow me on instagram here.  Instagram a picture of your creation with the hashtag #sewingforspringbluehouse and I will feature it here on the blog!

A Spring Time Nature Walk, Homeschool Style

We made the decision in December that we would commit to homeschooling our kids at the beginning of the new year.  It has been one of the best decisions we have ever made, and we love it!  The weather here today was in the mid 60s, and feeling so very spring-like, that we decided to go on a nature walk.  Our neighborhood is very close to a green-way.  We gathered up pencils and sketch books, water, and strapped Lela into the Ergo.  I gave the kids free reign when we reached the park - my only request that they keep their eyes open.  Look everywhere.  Find your way through the park by following nature's lead.

 As only children can, they excelled at this.  Blind adventuring.  We found a hollow tree.  Gwen was sure bats were nesting inside.  

There was a creek where Daddy taught them how to skip stones.  

We followed the path further and found a large patch of daffodils.

If there are flowers, the rules dictate you must place any nearby baby in said flowers for a photo-op.  

The treasures we found adventuring.  

Sketching our treasures, and thinking about how being outside in nature makes us feel.  Yes, we're hippies.

A little further on, Taylor found a hidden dry creek bed.  It looked craggy and somewhat dangerous.  I protested, but Taylor insisted we let them go.  Don't be a helicopter, he said. :)  I love that man.  

They climbed and squealed their way through the creek bed, eventually climbing up the other bank to a lovely clearing at the creeks edge.  I thought how wonderful it was that they had found this place.  They might not have, if I had forbidden them.  

In that moment, I heard God's voice very clearly: do not be afraid to go off the path.  That is where the treasures await.  We are facing some big and hard decisions right now.  Nothing traumatic, but certainly life-changing. We have come a long way in the last 2 years - a lot of struggle and suffering has been had in this home.  I felt his presence in that clearing and I was reminded that sometimes we have to allow God to lead us on a blind adventure to get to the treasures that wait for us.  That our struggles bring us closer to virtue.  That off the beaten path and fully in faith is right where He wants us.

Romans 5 ^1-2 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

^3-5 There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!