Grama Charlotte made a skirt with matching vest for each grand-daughter. They chose their fabric, and Grama Charlotte got busy! Imagine the excitement when the UPS man showed up with THAT box!
Not that she NEEDS them (she can't even sit up yet), but they are just so much fun that we can't help ourselves.
Using Michele's soft-shoe tutorial, we made these two while my sister was here a couple weeks ago:
Then Auntie Senta made these once she got back home and sent them last week:
Can you just IMAGINE the shouts of glee and wonder when THAT package was opened and its contents revealed?
So cute!!! I have a denim pair and a cute little lavender paisley pair all cut out and ready to sew up.
Let's see....one more picture of them all together? Well....OK, you talked me into it.
To my dad and brothers: Don't worry......there are no pictures with me in Angelina Jolie-style-maternity-clothing. Or any pics resembling Demi Moore! No need to "close your eyes."
4 months, 5 months, and the current 6-month-picture from last weekend (red):
We're doing a lot of GROWING over here on this side of the country. I wish my daughters OUT OF THE WOMB would get the growing bug. Did you know that our 23-month-old BARELY tips the scale at 22 lbs? The 1-year-old neighbor boy weighs 5 lbs. more than her! And, Erika is five-and-a-half-years-old and is only 37 lbs. She's not even out of a 5-point-harness yet.
Speaking of car seats, Pete and I are quite proud of ourselves. We have figured out (theoretically anyway) how to get 5 car seats in our '99 Caravan. We spent about 3 hours on this little exercise in logic and precise measuring over Christmas Vacation. My brain ached. But, I think we got it. I'm ordering a few things this week and then we'll see how the best laid car seat plans of the Gallus Family pan out in real life instead of just on paper. You should SEE that piece of paper, by the way. It looks like a Russian spy code or something. I almost took a picture of it to post, but decided that was a bit ridiculous. I made a copy, though, and put it in our family binder. The title is: Proposed Car Seat Configuration 2008-2010. Go ahead.....laugh! I did.
Is there a Patron Saint of Car Seats? I think not. Perhaps I should just stick with the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes.
"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Mat 18:3
Yes. This is true in so many ways. This is one of the bible verses that enters so often into my mind when pride, anger, lack of faith, etc. rear their ugly heads.
The other day, however, it entered into my mind for a different reason, and it made me laugh hysterically.
Be Ye Like Little Children. I wish I could become like a child, and it didn't bother me to have my tights falling down. Look at her. She's absolutely oblivious.
No, no, no!
Move over Donnatella Versace, my girls are going to give you a run for your money!
And, quite practical too!
As usual the clothing/modesty threads at the 4real board get to multiple pages, as it is just such a great topic. Here are a few recent threads from this past season:
When I first started wearing dresses and skirts, it helped to see others working in theirs. So, grab some iced tea, or lemonade perhaps, and take a look at what everyone is wearing this summer season!
Here is a photo album of a few mommies sporting their summer dresses and skirts. Skirts and dresses don't have to be only for Mass, weddings or special outings.
Jennifer shows us how she rides her bike in her lovely skirt! Seeing these pictures makes me want to sell our mini-van and bring my bike down from the rafters. Don't miss this thread from last summer about riding skirts while bicycling. And in Amsterdam women wear dresses and skirts all the time riding their bikes. HT: Colleen Hammond.
Bridget writes about "Skirting the Issue" and how wearing dresses and skirts has been a blessing in her life.
Lisa at Joyful Chaos has some wonderful belly photos which show her everyday maternity dresses and skirts, as she is joyfully pregnant with her ninth baby, Mark Benedict. Here is Lisa at 6 weeks, 9 weeks, 12 weeks, 14 weeks, 17 weeks, 18 weeks, 19 weeks, 24 weeks, and 26 weeks (today!) We can't wait to see more upcoming photos, Lisa!
Cheryl shows us some great working photos and gives us a glimpse into her successful shopping sprees and her past year in skirts.
Ruth shows us her skirts from the thrift store and some of her new maternity skirts and dress. She looks so beautiful!
Of course, it wouldn't be a Modesty/Clothing type of Carnival if I didn't refer you to Helen's collection of wonderful posts about "Dressing With Our Lady."
And, lastly, here is my week in my summer skirts and dresses.
If anyone has any other interesting links or posts about Summer Skirts and Dresses, please link below to share:
Following the Week in Winter Skirts, here is my Week in Summer Dresses and Skirts.
Getting ready to go to the beach for the morning. This is a sleeveless dress that, believe me, is NOT flattering up on top, so I wear a matching short-sleeve, button-down shirt with it and just leave it open. It's a lightweight fabric, perfect for warm weather.
This is a knit, cotton, full A-line dress. It's one of my workhorse dresses, as it hides stains. I do dirty, outside jobs in this dress.
Doing a little outside reading and eating on my favorite chair for sitting on the ground. Another lightweight cotton/rayon A-line dress.
Here is a skirt that I like a lot. It looks straight, but it's not. There is lots of room for all those jumping jacks and cartwheels that I do. LOL! This is me cleaning up after Caroline's "cooking session" where she spreads all of the cookie sheets and trays all over the place:
Sweeping and talking to Pete on the phone about our favorite subject of all time, home improvement:
Giving Caroline a bird's eye view for a change:
In all these pictures I'm wearing my black sandals, but I have others. Tan, red and cream. They are all pretty flat and very comfy. I also wear my Tevas for wet, dirty, outdoor work.
And, of course, one of the best parts of summer is painting my toenails (when I'm not pregnant, at least.) Even though I SHOULD be wearing my orthotics at all times, I just can't resist painted toenails and nice sandals.
Another week in skirts and dresses. This time with sandals instead of boots and mary-janes.
It's a wrap!
I've been experimenting with lace and making a couple new veils for the girls and myself, similar to the one Michele made for her girls. Here is another that she made for herself.
I'm experiementing with different shapes. Half-circle, triangle, and circle (not pictured).
This is so easy, it's not even funny.
The half-circle is about 15" x 26".
The triangle is 11" x 25".
The circle is 17" diameter.
We can all wear this size triangle. This size half-circle and circle are only for me. If I made them for the girls, they'd be smaller.
Cut and finish the raw edges by sewing a zigzag stitch around the raw edges. Pull while stitching to make it scallop a bit. I cut the half-circle so that the scalloped selvages are on the front of the veil, so no need to stitch those.
Sew a clip into the girls' veils. A comb into mine.
Here is the half-circle in a light green lace. I have my hair up in a clip, and the comb just sits right above it. This picture shows it a bit more forward than I usually wear it. If I wore my hair down, I would probably make it longer, like Michele's, but I don't, so this looks better for some reason.
There is a limited selection of lace in mainstream fabric stores, but I'm happy with this kind. Plus, there are many colors of this (Joann's). I also have light plum (lavender) and a cornflower blue. Of course, the girls want pink. I'll probably do some darker colors for Fall/Winter.
Oh EZ Roll Bags, Oh EZ Roll Bags, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
It's probably not quite right to have such a love affair with a Bag Compression Storage System. But, when space is at a premium, what's there NOT to like? I only store things in them that I won't need very often like special blankets, winter sweaters, snow clothes, and baby clothing, because they are more difficult to access. Oh wait.....around here, I HAVE needed the newborn clothing quite often. (Ah-hem.....can you say 17 months and 15 months apart?) As soon as I put them in THESE BAGS..........you know what THAT means! No, I'm not pregnant. But, I'm sure I WILL be. Because I just COMPRESSED the newborn clothes.
These are Madeleine and Erika's swimsuits received last Spring. I've had a few conversations about modest swimsuits lately, so thought I would post this. This picture is almost a year old. The suits were a bit big on them last year, but will fit wonderfully for this year. They are from Swim Modest.
I am actually not concerned about little girls running around in regular/mainstream/whatever-is-the-style Swimwear; after all, they don't really have anything to show or cover. I AM concerned about them getting USED TO wearing skimpy clothing (ie: immodest swimsuits) at a young age. I always ask myself if I would want my daughters to wear "that" when they are 13. If the answer is NO, then I don't want them to wear it when they are 6 either. I want them to feel comfortable in modest clothing and uncomfortable in clothing that COULD become immodest later. Do I want them wearing a bikini when they are 13? No. So, I don't want them getting used to wearing one when they are 6.
Isn't this a bit drastic? Perhaps. But, drastic times require drastic measures.
Quote from Pope Pius XII: O Christian mothers, if you knew what a future of anxieties and perils, of ill-guarded shame you prepare for your sons and daughters, imprudently getting them accustomed to live scantily dressed and making them lose the sense of modesty, you would be ashamed of yourselves and you would dread the harm you are making of yourselves, the harm which you are causing these children, whom Heaven has entrusted to you to be brought up as Christians." ~~~to Catholic Young Women's Groups of Italy. Taken from Catholic Modesty , a most wonderful website.
Here are some other good places for modest swimwear:
Anyone have any others to add?
I think I've been making too many trips to the fabric store lately.
Here is the fabric selection:
Seamstress Erika has made her selections carefully (all while holding her baby):
She brings her fabric to the cutting counter:
Where the "cutting lady" will lay the fabric out:
Note the measuring tape attached to the table. Also of note: The cutting lady's questions such as, "What are you going to make with this one?"
Seamstress: "Oh, a summer dress for my daughter and maybe a shirt for my cousin." (which is especially funny because my daughters don't have any cousins. Yes, I know, this is PRETEND! But it's still funny.) "I was going to make underwear, but I couldn't find the size."
Cutting Lady: "Oh, that will be beautiful. I really like how this fabric has pink and then little green dots and it goes like 'this' (hands waving in the air). I think I'll make a tablecloth from that tomorrow." (Great....matching dresses, shirts and tablecloths. Why didn't I think of that?)
Seamstress: "Yes, I'm leaving for to see my mother in a few days and I could use a tablecloth too" (what?????%$#%)
On with the task at hand.
Measure and cut. Seamstress Erika wanted "187-and-a-half-quarter-yards of this one please" :
There is a "baby cutter" too, who just stands around grabbing at everything.
Seamstress Erika then "leaves" the cutting counter. The cutting counter is then miraculously transformed into the cashier counter. Here is the cashier (the cutting lady's twin) waiting for a customer:
Adding it up:
Various discussions take place about important things like the weather outside, scissors and babies. Then the question: "Are they all your yours?"
Answer: "Oh yes, and I have 13 more at home. They are the ones who are getting the new hats from the fabric." (Hmmmm...I don't remember talk about HATS, only shirts, dresses, underwear and tablecloths. This is one busy-mama!)
Money transfers hands:
Bag it up:
"Thanks for coming in. Have a nice day. Good-bye!"
"Good-bye."
This was my project this weekend. I've always wanted a white winter skirt. Not very practical, I'll admit, but when I saw this cream colored corduroy for $2.50 / yard, I just had to try this. I have made my girls skirts like this for the past 2 years, but just hadn't made one for myself yet.
A very simple project that yields high satisfaction. My kind of project.
2 1/4 yards of fabric. This is a cream corduroy. I made my own pattern, cut out of butcher paper according to my measurements. 60" around the bottom hem. I think the next one will be a bit wider at the bottom...maybe 65 inches. I need just a bit more room at the bottom. 3/4" elastic on the waist. 37" long.
The pattern took 30 minutes (including clearing off my kitchen table).
The actual skirt took 1 hour from start to finish. I sewed. Pete watched football. Very romantic.
I wore it to church this morning and kept it on all day. It now has several stains on it. Oh well, I admitted it wasn't practical, right? So, now I have a great work skirt.
E-Bay sellers (any random person) go to clothing manufacturers (Lands End, Eddie Bauer, Norton McNaughton, etc.) and buy their overstocks, display clothes, slightly imperfect, etc. They load their car/truck up and say “I’ll give you $500 for all these clothes” (or whatever….I’m just pulling any $$ amount). Then they come home and list them all. They are usually very willing to take precise measurements, unlike a catalogue store, which is why this works.
You can actually get good fitting clothes if you have the right measurements. I will use skirts here because that’s what we’ve been discussing and for simplicity.
Most sellers will list the standard measurements: waist, hip, overall length. The following measurements are also helpful:
Hope this helps as just another avenue for finding decent clothing at reasonable prices.
This is baby Caroline's baptism in May. A nursing dress found on ebay.
And, this was my favorite nursing dress this summer. I wore it several times a week (or as much as I could get it washed). Purchased on e-bay for...so cheap, I'm embarassed to say!
Remember how I said that we don't get snow here? So choosing footwear for a snowy climate to go with skirts is not one of my dilemas? Y'all must just think I'm crazy, because there seems to be lots of snow in ALL THESE PICTURES! This is extremely unusual for us here in the Northwest. I've lived here for 10 years and have never seen snow stay this long. I grew up in Minnesota, so it's far from foreign to me and a welcome change.
This is a Liz Claiborne, pumpkin-colored, cotton-twill, full skirt from a thrift store. It is 35" long and 84" around the bottom hem. Liz Claiborne has durable, soft fabrics and usually modest, practical clothes. Sometimes I type in "Liz Claiborne" on e-bay and do a little perusing. A black sweater turtleneck is on top, with yet another vest (faux-sherling, gift from my dad YEARS ago). Black paddock-riding boots. And, that's my dh's Carhartt jacket I'm wearing; it was just the first thing I grabbed from the very large pile of outerwear snarling at me from the floor. (I don't have a system for snow-clothes because..... remember? We don't get snow!)
Here are some random daily activities.....conversing with Dorothy Jo (age 3) about why we don't lick our snot, working in the kitchen, changing the suet in the bird feeder, dumping garbage and hauling buckets, looking through boxes for something (that I never found) in the gararge and analyzing animal tracks in the snow. Oh yes, the picture with the blue bin at the top....Bridget's post about her compost pile reminded me of my poor, little, freezing worms in my worm bin. It normally doesn't get this cold, this soon, here. So "move worm bin into basement" is not on my to-do list until December. Poor little worms.
I think that's it for my "Winter Skirts." I'm sure you have all had quite enough. Plus, my photographers are starting to lose interest, and it's time to get ready for Advent!
Day 3. This is a black, corduroy, wrap skirt. For those of you who live in warmer climates go here, for the same skirt, lighter fabric. Lest you starting thinking of the typical wrap skirt that FLIES open with a slight wind or a tiny lift of the leg, revealing the color of your underwear, let me reassure you, THIS SKIRT is NOTHING of the sort. 
On me, the fabric is overlapped about 20" at the waist. This design is brilliant, and I don't know why there aren't more skirts made like this.
This skirt fits women sizes 4-16. I wore this when I was 3 weeks post partum, and I am wearing it today, 35 pounds lighter. Which is one reason why it's so wonderful, perfect for the ever-changing waist and hips of a child-bearing woman. 
I sound like a commercial. It's probably not for everyone....may be a bit too much fabric, too wide at the bottom, too "prairie-looking" for some to wear for everyday to fit in. But, if you are at all attracted to this skirt or wondering about it, I highly recommend trying it. If it's not the right style for everyday /at home, then you have an absolutely gorgeous skirt for special occasions, church, parties, etc. Women who play in orchestras buy these in VELVET and black corduroy to wear during performances; they are very elegant if dressed up. 
They are long (38"). I have a couple shorter friends who have them and they hemmed them up a couple of inches. Jewish women who follow the "tznius" (modest) guidelines must have skirts this long.
I am wearing black, microfiber tights. On top is a gray/lavender fleece top with a black short-sleeve cotton shirt underneath. I took a gray vest on and off today. I also buy these headbands from tznius.com. I wear either black boots or black Mary Janes with this skirt.
Shaking the rug, painting time, working in the kitchen (complete with a mean-guy-egg-shell-act), carrying in a case of our favorite holiday microbrew (Jubelale), hauling a baby and a dollhouse around the house, nursing, and sitting at a child-size table. All in a skirt.
Here we are, Day 2. I hope Pete never reads this; he'll think I've lost my mind!
This is a dark brown cotton/polyester-blend, 6-gored skirt. It's very long (40") and 63" around the bottom hem. With 60" at the bottom, I can sit Indian-style with all my skirts. 
I usually stay away from brown, only because I only have black shoes, but for $3 at a thrift store, why not? I have an old pair of exercise, black, cotton/lycra leggings underneath with brown knee-high socks. 
On top is a white (well, sort of), ribbed, turtleneck sweater with another vest.
So, I can sit on the floor, put a child between my legs for morning-hair-combing, fish for polly-pockets under the bed and stand on a chair in the kitchen to look for my favorite Christmas mug. There was about 5" of snow today, and I was outside with Caroline in the sling, pulling Dorothy Jo on the sled.
Of course the pictures don't show it, but I took inventory at about 3 pm today and I had flour, chalk and lotion on the front of my skirt, oatmeal on the front of my sweater, and spit-up or snot (I'm not sure which one) on my vest. There were also several evergreen needles stuck to my socks and hair. THIS is why women used to wear aprons. Which I do in the kitchen.....but that helps only PART of the time.
There is a great thread on the 4real forum right now about wearing skirts/dresses in the winter. Bridget is doing this, and I thought I would copy her....take pictures throughout the week in different skirts/dresses doing regular working and mothering activities. I also found it VERY helpful to SEE other moms working in their skirts and dresses, when I was considering switching from pants to mainly skirts/dresses a couple of years ago. And, my eldest daughter is oh-so-happy to be given free reign of the camera for a few days!
My winter clothes are definetely less feminine - heavier fabrics, darker colors, no floral, less dresses, etc. For obvious weather-reasons.
Here is one of my favorite skirts. I only like denim if it's a "soft denim," which this skirt is because it has TENCEL in it (whoever invented Tencel should be KISSED a million times!) I like my skirts longer....they have to be AT LEAST 37" long for me (I'm 5'4"). And, the measurement around the bottom hem of the skirt must be AT LEAST 60" (this one is right at 60") in order to have a full range of movement. I mention this only because I have bought skirts off e-bay and I ask for these measurements to make sure it's the right skirt (along with waist and hip measurement, of course). Buying from ebay is actually easier than from a catalogue because ebay sellers will take precise measurements for you. With catalogues, it's just a guessing game. I have never had an ebay purchase be too big or too small, but I have had catalogue purchases returned MANY TIMES. I also bring my tape measure into thrift stores and don't even try on skirts that don't meet this criteria; it saves lots of time. I also like my skirts a bit big (probably to a fault)....it just makes me feel like I can do ANYTHING in them if they aren't at all tight (just a personal preference, I have never liked tight clothing...I would NOT be a very good teenager these days!!)
This is considered a gored, A-line skirt. I LOVE gored skirts; they are attractive and slimming. This one was on clearance at Macy's for $20. On top is a navy blue waffle shirt with a fleece, red vest. We keep our heat pretty low in the winter, so it's all about "layering" here. I wear lots of vests in the winter. I also do not like to wear bulky sweaters when I'm nursing. I am wearing gray footless tights (microfiber) with navy knee-high socks over them with black, ankle, Paddock-Riding-Boots. When we go outside in the winter I wear legwarmers from mid-calf on up (you can't see them). I wea
r ankle boots or Mary-Janes in the winter time. We don't get snow, so I don't have that dilema. But, because of the rain I do need ankle boots or thick bottom shoes. 
Hopefully, tomorrow will be another outfit, another post!
It’s time for the dreaded, bi-annual, clothing switch-a-roo. Put away all the summer clothing, bring out the winter clothes. I know that it’s time to do this because I can no longer fully OPEN the door to the guest room in the basement, which is the “temporary holding cell” where I place all the too-small, too-big, torn, out-of-season, maternity, nursing and inappropriate clothes...to get ready for the actual switch-a-roo! 
For 80% of the year this guest bedroom (the only truly decorated room in the house) functions as the “clothing dump.” For 10% of the year it functions as the “staging area” for birthdays, holidays, seasons, parties, and projects. And the last 10% of the time it actually houses GUESTS! Imagine that.
I love this room. Not only is it pretty and quiet, but my house would be a complete disaster if it weren’t for this room.
The smart people who finished this room (the owners before us), actually put in sound-proof insulation or something of that sort...because you can't hear ANY of the NONSENSE that goes on up above!
Sometimes, when I just can’t take it anymore, I hide down here. There is just something about “escaping” to never-never-land where “they” can’t find you.
Celebrate the Feasts of the Old Testament in Your Own Home or Church
The Big Book of Catholic Customs and Traditions for Children's Faith Formation
