Seams of Life

Simple Abundance

 

I just had to share this book I picked up at the thrift store yesterday Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathbach. Its a collection of essays, one for everyday of the year, that remind one how to celebrate and enjoy the simplicities of life. I started to read it from the beginning, however when I flip through it, every title captures my attention and I end up reading it. Just look...

 

The Habit of Being and Celebrating the Common Days, bestill my heart! The essays cover so many topics that are important to me like homemaking, gardening, and even thrifting. All are geared toward finding the pleasure in these simple things.

 

 

These days I'm trying my best to enjoy the things I have and not always want for more and I'm also trying to impart that lesson to my children. I'm so happy to have found this book at this juncture in my life.

We are about to depart for a weekend of fun at my family's favorite amusement park, Lake Winnie. I plan to enjoy and live in each moment and try to do the same for the rest of the summer and you can bet this book will be close by just in case I need reminding. Have a great weekend!

peasant dress

 

I made this sweet peasant dress from this tutorial today. When I first read the tutorial it seemed a bit daunting but the dress actually came together much easier than I expected. I've been wanting to make a peasant blouse forever and found the tutorial after doing a Google search.

 

The fit still needs a little tweaking. For some reason the top just doesn't hang right and I suspect it maybe the cut of the sleeves throwing the whole thing off.

 

It still came out sweet though and the whole project only took two hours tops. I plan to make more using lightweight flannel so the girls can wear them as night gowns

During our "photo shoot" Carlee discovered that these flowers smell minty. Even more sweetness to end my day.

help in the kitchen

The veggies keep pouring in from the garden. The only problem is that they trickle in (not actually pour) a basket full at a time. This means that chopping, freezing, and pickling has become a daily thing. I'm not complaining, but I'm not always able to fit a veggie time into our daily routine. Lucky for me I have a little help dealing with this welcome problem...

 

He can't peel a tomato, but he can chop a mean pepper. Yes, my son likes to help in the kitchen and I'm very happy to let him. As far as my first time canning/pickling, its going well.

 

This is what I've done so far: 2 jars of pickled banana peppers and 1 jar of pickled jalopenos.

pocket skirts

 

Or skirts with pockets. I finally cut into my Eric Morris fat quarters bought way back when. I don't buy designer fabric very often and when I do I hold onto to it waiting for that special project to come along.

After holding onto these pretty prints for so long, I finally decided that I had to see them walking around, fullfilling their purpose. So I cut them into pockets and sewed them on skirts for my little girls.

 

Now I get to see these prints in action, holding tiny fists and fists full of blackberries.

 

thrift store Thursday

 

My home is slowly starting to fill with wonderful vintage goodies that I love. Above is today's thrift store score, a pyrex dish that matches a bowl I already have, two lovely embroidered pillowcases, and four skeins of 100% virgin wool yarn.