So Sew Organized

When I decided to publish my goals for the year 2013 , one thing I was looking forward to was the accountability I would receive from my readers! To keep myself on track, and let you know the areas I've been working on, I'm posting an update today from the month of March. I'd love to hear how you are progressing with your goals for 2013, whether you set several or even just one! Spiritual goals : {this is the most important area for me!} Draw closer to and be more like my Saviour . I know this sounds vague and non-specific, but at the end of 2013, I want to be able to say that my relationship with Christ has deepened over the year. If I accomplish nothing else all year but this, 2013 will be worth it!       **Ongoing goal Finish memorizing Philippians. I have the first chapter completely down, and half of the second. I need to be more intentional about plugging away at this!       **I’ve made it all the way through chapter 2! Yipee! Chapters 3 + 4...

Welcome to our third monthly Home Improvement party! I am so excited to see what great improvements you have made to your home this month! Here are the super simple rules to make this a fun party zone... Link up any type of post that has made an improvement to your home this month - a project, organizing effort, cleaning system, new recipe, planning or list making, or even a topical post like couponing or child-rearing. Basically anything goes! Feel free to link up as many posts as you’d like , as long as they are recent {we’ll say anytime in March to be fair} Include a link back here somewhere in your post ~ feel free to use this button if you want! Don’t have a blog? We’d love to have you share the details of your recent home improvement in the comments! Let the party begin! I can't wait to see what improvements you have made. Thanks for participating!

One of the things I love about the internet is the ability to share powerful stories, needs of others, and exciting opportunities at the click of a button. Today, I’d like to share a story that fits all of these categories… and provide YOU with the opportunity to make a difference! There is a 13-year-old lad that lives in our rental house in North Carolina. His name is Isaiah. Several weeks ago, Isaiah was playing innocently with his friends. They were playing hide-and-seek. Isaiah was climbing a tree, and fell out. After several weeks in the hospital, he is soon being released - in a wheelchair. He is permanently crippled from the waist down as a result of this accident. Accident? Or...plan of God? Ever since this event took place, Isaiah has used his circumstances to point others to Christ. Even while he was being taken to the hospital in the ambulance, he pointed and told the paramedics, “I go to church down that road. Do you go to church anywhere?” He has looked for every opportun...

Let’s face it: the bathroom is probably the one place in the entire house that we hate cleaning, but needs it the most. It is not the best job to have to do, but the results - and the peace of mind that it is sparkling clean - are so, so worth it. While I was in college, I worked summers on the housecleaning staff, and daily had to clean multiple public bathrooms. Let me tell you, what is worth than cleaning a bathroom? Cleaning a public one. {she says types as she shudders} Over the years, I’ve developed a pretty good system that allows me to quickly and efficiently clean a bathroom - and I want to make sure yours is clean, too. :) To clean a full bath, you’ll need two rags and a good disinfectant cleaner. We use and love Shaklee’s Basic G , a disinfectant concentrate that is perfect for spaces like this. It is nice to know that you can clean your home without harsh, toxic chemicals...and still come out with a clean space! You can also choose to use a separate toilet bowl cleaner, ...

Happy Monday, friends! Trust you all had a great weekend...here we are at the end of March already! Goodness, this year is already going by so fast. This Sunday is Easter Sunday...and I'm looking forward to it! Here are some of the blessings I added to my 1,000 gifts list this week: 531. Toddlers sleepy face 532. Abundant provision 533. Prayers of my family 534. Letting go of a fear 535. Seeing a friends first bump picture {a miracle from God} What are you thanking the Lord for today?? ****************************************************************************************************** I am thankful for a productive week last week! Here are the goals I set last Monday : Write one letter Continue reading “ The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill ” and “ Grace For the Good Girl ” Begin reading " One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp { recieved this as a gift from a sweet blogging friend this week! I can’t wait to read it! } Memorize Philippians 2:30 and review all of chapters ...

 My grandparents gave me my first sewing machine when I was about 13 years old, with the promise of sewing lessons from my Grammie. I still use that sewing machine almost daily! I am ever-so-grateful to her for those invaluable lessons - I never dreamed that I would be running my very own handmade shop because of it! At my very first sewing lesson, my Grammie gave me a kit she had put together of sewing essentials...things you must have to begin your sewing career! So whether you are making sewing your life’s calling, or just putting together a simple sewing kit that will get your mending done, this list is for you. These are the items you simply can’t live without! ********************************************************************************************************* Scissors >Regular shears - this may be a no brainer, but keep those babies separate and ONLY USE THEM FOR SEWING! Nothing dulls your shears faster than using them on paper, so have a pair that are set apart jus...

Today’s post is just going to be a hodge-podge of random blogging info, because I have some exciting (and not so exciting) things to share about changes that are being made! So, I decided to cram them all into one boring post and call it a day. Ok? Hopefully you can stick with me to the end! Item #1: Home Improvement Party Yup, its that time again.. Time for our monthly Home Improvement Linky party ! I had a blast seeing the super creative ways that you improved your home last month , and I’m excited to see what you have to link up this month! {note: all the participants last month also got a Facebook mention, so maybe that will give you a little motivation to get your party on?} Remember, you can link up ANY type of improvement you’ve made to your physical home, or your way of living over the month of March. Our party is going to be held next Thursday, March 28th and will go live at 8am. EST. So head back over here then to link up your blog posts from the last months, or share in the...

Many of you probably know that I am a contributor over at Imperfect Homemaker , a blog about Christian homemaking, Homeschooling, and natural living. I'm posting over there this week about Easter and how I prepare my heart in the weeks leading up to that day. Here is a sample from my post: March 31 marks a very special day in all of our lives. For some, it is simply a day to usher in spring…with bunnies, lambs, candy and fun games. But for every born again Christian, it is an important celebration of the coming of The Lamb, the Savior of the world. Ever since 2011, I have made it a point to not let that day come and go as just another holiday... Click here to read the rest of my post!

My sweet friend Leah blogs at Embracing Grace . She has, just in the last year, built up a fantastic blog that ministers to a community of women that are seeking to serve the Lord. I just love her blog and the spiritual encouragement she shares! Today she has launched a BIG giveaway, with four different handmade shops participating!! Lets here it for handmade!! Entering is easy, and you'll love seeing the goodies from the shops that are participating. One item you may recognize... Oh yes, she is giving away one of my new tablet sleeves ! I am so excited to share one of these with a lucky reader! Will it be you?? Head on over to her giveaway post to get in on the goodness! And while you are at it, lets give a shout-out to handmade items! Because really, aren't they the best??

There is a sign floating around somewhere on the internet that says, “Life is too short to fold fitted sheets.” It makes me laugh every time I see it, because I don’t mind folding fitted sheets, and neither does it take very much time! Yes, I am that person...the one that folds the contents of her sock drawer. I can’t help myself. :) How would you like to be that person too?? I hope you do, because today I’m going to show you how to conquer the seemingly impossible task! We’re going to take a double sheet from this: To this: We all know what the problem area is with those dreaded fitted sheets...the “round” corners that make it impossible for the sheet to lay flat and folded! Or do they?? Actually, it is possible to get that fitted sheet to lay down nicely, and it is no harder than folding the flat sheet...promise! Just make sure you have a flat surface, like a bed or table, to help you...that is key! Just start by finding the two corners at the top of the sheet (where your head woul...

Happy Monday blogging friends! Hope everyone had a good weekend! I did, going away Friday and Saturday for a little friends hockey tournament. So fun, and we stayed in a hotel Friday night which was also very fun! It has been a while since I had an overnight stay like that...it is always nice to get "away!" The blessings of the Lord have been abundant in my life recently. I am always so awed and thankful that the Lord chooses to bless little 'ol me and bring me even small things that I don't deserve. Here are some things I added to my 1,000 Gifts list this week: 520. Sunlight - longer! 521. First walk in the park this year 522. Listening to “my” waterfall 523. Book from a friend 524. Going away for a night 525. Fun friends 526. A sliver of moon through the clouds 527. A baby’s big smile 528. Sunset over the water 529. Sunshine-y days. { that’s a word...right? } Last week , I was working on these goals: Write 1 email Finish “ The Spiritual Secret of Hudson Taylor ,” ...

You saw my newest shop product a couple of weeks ago... tablet/eReader sleeves for Kindle, iPad mini, and other 7" screens. Did you love them? Yes? Well good news...the same items are now available in larger sizes! These sleeves are exactly the same as the smaller ones, with a layer of quilt batting and a layer of felt to protect your tablet and give some stability to the sleeve. There are two similar sizes in my shop : one that will fit 9.7" iPads , and another that will fit Kindle Fire HD (8.7") or Nook HD+ . If you have a different tablet or eReader and want to check the dimensions, just leave me a comment and I'll be glad to check it for you and let you know! I don't have an iPad {yet!} but if I did, I can totally see myself slipping it into one of these well-padded sleeves and popping that into my handbag {I carry this one all.the.time.} It is great that you can carry everything in one handy bag, but know your electronics are protected against dings or sc...

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with my family. We were talking about Facebook. More specifically, we were talking about what we don’t like about Facebook or the people that are on Facebook. {Don’t give me that innocent face...you don’t like people on Facebook, too. Admit it.} In the course of conversation, I made this comment: “She is the.most.annoying. person to have as a Facebook friend.” I didn’t mean it in a malicious or mean way. I didn’t mean that I thought she was a horrible person and no one should ever be her friend, on Facebook or otherwise. I just meant her posts were not up my alley, and I would have rather not had them cluttering up my newsfeed. That is all. Three days later, I got word that she had passed away. She was not a lady I knew very well. I had not even seen her for nearly 10 years. But I was convicted that the last thing I had said about her had been negative and unnecessary. The Bible has so, so much to say about our words. We know and understand the admonitio...

 Ready to learn something new? Today I’m going to teach you how to make your own potholders! I enjoy sharing sewing tutorials with you all. Sewing is {obviously} something I really enjoy doing, and sharing it is the icing on the cake. I’ve posted a few tutorials in the past, and have had requests for more - mostly from some readers who are not very adept at the sewing machine. So, this is the first of hopefully many tutorials in a series I'm calling "Sewing for Those Who {think they} Can't." Because the reality is...anyone can! Today’s tutorial is a very basic, easy how-to that even a beginner seamstress can succeed at. I’m going to attempt to make things simple and plain, so you’ll be able to understand the steps! And let me say this: I use an older, basic sewing machine {which I know and love the best}. There are a lot of newer, more complicated machines that I really don’t know anything about. Not all sewing machines are created equal. :) So this tutorial is presen...