Thanks so much for all your well-wishes and kind comments on my last post! It's been over a week since moving to our new house, and what a week! I came down with a doozy of a cold (the last of our little family to succumb) the day before Moving Day, so unpacking and organizing has definitely been slower than expected. I'm finally on the mend although still coughing and a little congested. Thankfully we've had so much help from family and friends, otherwise I can just imagine how chaotic our lives would be right now! And I'm so thankful for the new house, too.
We won't be getting Internet at our house until October 10, so I'm going to excuse myself from posting until then, as I have plenty to keep me busy in the meantime. Our 5th wedding anniversary is coming up this Friday, so there's that to plan for, plus continuing unpacking, organizing, running a household, and mothering two little ones, not to mention taking care of my 22-week pregnant self! :) Be back soon, friends!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
We're moving!
[From Instagram: our first home improvement project -- putting this beautiful wood door back on its hinges!]
So I previously alluded to our exciting past weekend... exciting because we got possession of our new house!! I haven't written about our living situation over the past year, since I spoke of our plans to move in June 2012. To make a very long and complicated story short, the house that we had originally planned to move to did not work out, which was a real blow. So we've been living with my parents since our move from Indiana, with the exception of two months spent house-sitting for a friend this summer.
My parents are wonderful, godly people and they are blessed to live in a spacious house, so there was plenty of room for all of us and not once did they ever make us feel unwelcome. However, it's still been an extremely difficult trial to not have a home of our own for our little family, and my emotions have run the gamut from anger, depression, helplessness, and impatience. God has been teaching me many things through this time, not the least of which is opening my eyes to my own sin. I realized that so much of my desire to have my own home is based on pride and wanting others to think well of me. But I should not be ashamed of our home (or lack thereof), because this is what my Father in heaven has given to us. I hope that this experience has made me more content and more humble.
Still, I'd be lying if I said I'm not thrilled to be moving to our own home soon! And I am very thankful that God has given us so many good things in this new house. For one thing, there is much more space than I ever thought we would get in a home. Edmund and Lavinia will each have their own bedroom, and the new baby will eventually end up sharing with one of them, depending on if it's a "he" or "she." :) We'll even be able to have a guest bedroom! (I have longed to offer more hospitality to people than just a couch to sleep on, or a blow-up air mattress on the living room floor.) We'll have room for a nice, big dining room table to have lots of company over (we previously made do by adding on to our two-person dining table by bringing out extra card tables). There is nothing wrong with sleeping on a couch or dining on a card table... I do believe hospitality is about the generosity of your heart rather than the grandeur of what you can offer. But I'm still glad to have more space. :) Oh, and did I mention how HUGE the bedroom closets are?
Another blessing to me is that it is an older home, built in 1910, with lots of beautiful Arts and Crafts wood trim and built-in furniture. Most of the woodwork is in its original state and has only been painted in two of the bedrooms, the main floor bathroom, and the kitchen. The house has suffered some odd decorating choices over the years, but I could tell it had "good bones" underneath. We've been scraping off some painted-over wallpaper, re-painting rooms to colors that suit our tastes, and will be removing the vivid shag carpet in the bedrooms (thankfully, there are beautiful hardwood floors underneath!). One thing I really get a lot of pleasure from is taking something old, ugly, and worn-out, and then cleaning, polishing, and freshening until it looks beautiful again. I'm looking forward to slowly getting the house in shape and making a pleasant home for my family.
Can't wait to share some "homemaking" projects and updates with you!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Giveaway winner!
The "Banbury Cross Cardigan" e-pattern giveaway ended last night, so this morning I tallied up your entries and drew a name out of a hat! Congratulations to the winner, Nancy! Nancy, please send me an e-mail at kcimedl (at) hotmail (dot) com so I can send you your pattern. :) As a reminder, the 20% off code "WELCOMEFALL" is good through the end of tomorrow (Wednesday) in my Etsy shop, and Deep Roots at Home's giveaway of two patterns is open through Saturday.
Again, thank you so much, everyone, for all the positive comments and support! I'm really blown away by your enthusiasm. It has been so encouraging!
Again, thank you so much, everyone, for all the positive comments and support! I'm really blown away by your enthusiasm. It has been so encouraging!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Another chance to win at "Deep Roots at Home"
Just wanted to let you know that my lovely friend Jacqueline at Deep Roots at Home is also hosting a giveaway of my new pattern, with two winners. So if you'd like another chance to win your own copy, head on over to her blog and enter the giveaway!
Thanks so much for all the support and wonderful comments; I appreciate your kindness more than I can express! Have a splendid weekend -- we are having a really exciting one, which I will share more about soon! :)
Thanks so much for all the support and wonderful comments; I appreciate your kindness more than I can express! Have a splendid weekend -- we are having a really exciting one, which I will share more about soon! :)
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Introducing the "Banbury Cross Cardigan" e-pattern + giveaway!
Well, it's September now and you may be getting signs of cooler days to come. If you're feeling the lure of more autumnal sewing projects, I'm excited to be offering a PDF e-pattern of my Banbury Cross Cardigan design!
This is a sewing pattern in four sizes (six months, 12 months, two years, and three years) designed to be cut from a recycled adult sweater. Yes, you can sew the sweater fabric just like any other knit! The green cardigan that Edmund is modeling in the photos began its life as an Abercrombie & Fitch 100% shetland wool sweater that I found at the thrift store. It had a few moth holes, but with some strategic cutting I was able to give it a new look! Lavinia's cardigan was a creamy acrylic ladies' sweater with a sewn-in ivory charmeuse collar. You'd never be able to tell, would you? It's really a unisex pattern that can work for both boys and girls. You can play up the "English gent" look by choosing muted colors, leather or horn buttons, and tweedy elbow patches. Or, I think the cardigan would look really feminine and cute sewn up in a brighter color, with coordinating floral cotton elbow patches and quirkily mis-matched buttons! There's lots of room for creativity.
You may remember my first design here, and my redesign the following year. Last year I began working on grading the pattern into different sizes, creating an e-pattern, and writing instructions. The entire process has been the biggest learning challenge for me, and I must thank my husband Douglas for all his help, as this project never would have gotten off the ground if he wasn't around to be my patient instructor! I've worked hard to make sure the pattern is easy to use and well-designed. I think beginner sewists could tackle this, provided you are comfortable sewing knits and buttonholes (although, if the buttonholes are holding you back, you could easily replace them with hand-sewn snaps instead!).
So, without further ado, here is the link to my newly-opened Etsy shop where you may purchase your very own copy! This first opening week, I am offering the pattern at a special introductory price of 20% off. Use the coupon code WELCOMEFALL to receive your discount at checkout, good through Wednesday, September 11.
Also, I would like your help to spread the word about this pattern, so I'm offering a giveaway of a copy of the Banbury Cross Cardigan e-pattern to one reader! :) Just leave a comment below and you'll be automatically entered in the random drawing. For extra entries, you can:
This is a sewing pattern in four sizes (six months, 12 months, two years, and three years) designed to be cut from a recycled adult sweater. Yes, you can sew the sweater fabric just like any other knit! The green cardigan that Edmund is modeling in the photos began its life as an Abercrombie & Fitch 100% shetland wool sweater that I found at the thrift store. It had a few moth holes, but with some strategic cutting I was able to give it a new look! Lavinia's cardigan was a creamy acrylic ladies' sweater with a sewn-in ivory charmeuse collar. You'd never be able to tell, would you? It's really a unisex pattern that can work for both boys and girls. You can play up the "English gent" look by choosing muted colors, leather or horn buttons, and tweedy elbow patches. Or, I think the cardigan would look really feminine and cute sewn up in a brighter color, with coordinating floral cotton elbow patches and quirkily mis-matched buttons! There's lots of room for creativity.
You may remember my first design here, and my redesign the following year. Last year I began working on grading the pattern into different sizes, creating an e-pattern, and writing instructions. The entire process has been the biggest learning challenge for me, and I must thank my husband Douglas for all his help, as this project never would have gotten off the ground if he wasn't around to be my patient instructor! I've worked hard to make sure the pattern is easy to use and well-designed. I think beginner sewists could tackle this, provided you are comfortable sewing knits and buttonholes (although, if the buttonholes are holding you back, you could easily replace them with hand-sewn snaps instead!).
So, without further ado, here is the link to my newly-opened Etsy shop where you may purchase your very own copy! This first opening week, I am offering the pattern at a special introductory price of 20% off. Use the coupon code WELCOMEFALL to receive your discount at checkout, good through Wednesday, September 11.
Also, I would like your help to spread the word about this pattern, so I'm offering a giveaway of a copy of the Banbury Cross Cardigan e-pattern to one reader! :) Just leave a comment below and you'll be automatically entered in the random drawing. For extra entries, you can:
- share a link to this post (http://quietudeblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/introducing-banbury-cross-cardigan-e.html) and/or my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/QuietudeBlog/) on Facebook, Twitter, and/or your blog (extra entry for each of those actions)
- pin any of the images from my Etsy shop to your Pinterest board
- Add QuietudeBlog to your favorite shops on Etsy
- Add the Banbury Cross Cardigan pattern to your favorite items on Etsy
- "like" Quietude on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/quietudeblog)
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I'm a 31-year-old Christian. My hope is to live a quiet life filled with home and hearth, family and friends, loveliness and simplicity. I'm wife to Douglas (married October 2008) and mother to Edmund (born November 2009), Lavinia (born May 2012), and Rosamund (born February 2014).
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