Social Distancing Diaries: Day 367

Dear Diary

What a contrast to a year ago! Remember the Facebook posts: “The Giant in Middletown has toilet paper!” “The Weis in Mount Joy has hand sanitizer!”

8:15am: I left the house for a quick drop off of artwork and a reading project at the Junior High. Then on to my dentist appointment. When I was 14 my front tooth was knocked out by a softball. The entire tooth was reinserted into the gum and I was told it could last me for 30 years. Apparently the tooth was listening because at the 30 year mark it gave up the ghost. I’ve been taking the leisurely route to getting an implant and I am finally on the home stretch. Two weeks from today I will be finished with the process and I will have a brand new front tooth! COVID Bonus: wearing a mask hides the fact of my missing front tooth! If you ever have to go without a front tooth, be sure to time it during a pandemic.

Sharp Shopper came through for us!

10:30am: Lily is feeling nostalgic for the early days of lockdown (words I never imagined uttering). Today she made herself a whipped coffee. Remember the whipped coffee fad from last spring? It explains why I have a massive jar of decaffeinated instant coffee in my cupboard. I can think of no other reason on earth why I would buy decaffeinated instant coffee, so whip it up, Baby!

What fads did your family fall victim to? Some of you are Tik Tok stars and you know it. We want you to fess up! Some of you are frantically still trying to keep the sourdough alive on your kitchen counter but you just. can’t. eat. any. more. bread. Perhaps you like-minded reformed bakers could form a Post-Sourdough Support Group. Listen to me: It is NOT a pet. You can let it go. It is a living thing but it lacks a nervous system, so it does not feel pain. I just Googled that.

10:30-12: I sewed. This is my happy place and now that my studio has been renovated it’s even better to spend time there. I’m making a patchwork comforter like a Grandma used to make. I’ve never made one before, which sounds a little incredible. I became nostalgic for Grandma’s blankets and decided to try my hand at it. We still have one blanket that Grandma made. Her’s looks way better than mine will!

12:30-1:00: I helped Eden with Biology. This should be enjoyable as I went to college to be a biology teacher. Overall I’m thankful that I have the training so I’m not scared off by cellular respiration or phospholipid bilayers. “Enjoyable” may not be the best description, but I am indeed grateful that I can help. Unlike her Web Development class last spring! There was no way on earth I could help her with that and it was traumatic for both of us!

Beats keep me sane. Sometimes I listen to something. Sometimes they just make the sound level in the house tolerable.

Later this evening the girls and I will be heading to Sharp Shopper, the discount grocery outlet. It’s hilarious how much they like to go to Sharp Shopper with me! After one trip this summer they were amazed that “Mom said ‘Yes’ to everything we asked for!” While that is a bit of an exaggeration, it’s much easier to say “Yes” to the snacks when they cost a fraction of the regular retail price. The tricky thing with Sharp Shopper is that you never know what they’ll have. And if you take a chance with a product you never tried before and you end up loving it, you probably won’t ever find it again. And if you think you’ll love it and buy a case of it, you realize the box it’s in is probably tastier than the product. And if you send your husband to Sharp Shopper he will text, call, or FaceTime you throughout the entire store, comparing quantities and prices of a bazillion different brands of granola bars, asking which ones you want and how many boxes. But alas, it’s so nice of him to go!

Grocery shopping sure has changed! A few weeks in to the pandemic there were new safety measures in place every time I went—plexiglass shields, one way directional signs, being directed to which check-out line is available, etc… It felt stressful just to food shop! I would go at 8am to avoid large crowds and I wouldn’t bring the kids with me to minimize their exposure. Then over the summer those safety measures began to melt away. Now it’s pretty much a free for all. I have no idea if my cart has been sanitized and most of the time the wipes container is empty. I’m so confused if I should load my groceries onto the belt as the person 6 feet in front of me is checking out or if I should wait to be directed to do so like the sign says! Some of the efforts seem really silly, like sanitizing the conveyor belt between customers, as if my box of pasta was infected. Meanwhile the credit card keypad gets touched customer after customer. Oy!

Like I said yesterday, 2020s Mantra: We’re all just doing our best!

Social Distancing Diaries: Day 366

Dear Diary

Hello Darkness my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again.

This Afternoon is brought to you by…coffee!

7:15am: I awoke and dragged my lazy bones out of bed. Let’s pause here to acknowledge this Major Perk of online school—sleeping in! Also no need to get dressed right away. Lily often does her hair during class.

7:30am: Began my run

7:37am: Returned from my run. I aborted the mission soon after it started because it was so windy. It was a choice between breathing or running and I like to think I chose wisely.

8:30am: Walk with my mom. This is a practice we began a year ago. Prior to the pandemic we would walk together about once a week, as our schedules permitted. After finding ourselves with plenty of time on our hands last March, we began an almost daily walk together. It’s been a fantastic way to start the day! We walk for 2 miles and I love it! Some days I do my run first and then I walk with mom. Some days none of that happens.

Hightailing it AWAY from the cattle truck!

10:00am: After about an hour of Mom Tasks I finally got myself ready and out the door. Let’s pause here to reflect on changing pandemic fashions. Reading my early blogposts reminded me about my “Don’t Care” attitude towards fashion. At some point this year I decided I actually feel better about myself when I take the time to do my hair, wear something more akin to an Outfit, and wear a bit of makeup. I may not be leaving the house but it makes me feel more put together. I also had a rude awakening late last spring when I tried on my summer shorts only to find that they had shrunk in the storage boxes over the winter! The nerve of them! That prompted me to start running again since the daily walk alone wasn’t making the waistbands any larger. Then I discovered that the run AND walk also was not enlarging the waistbands of even my stretchy jeans so now I’ve taken it up a notch and am adjusting my diet accordingly. Finally, the waistbands are getting with the program.

My destination this morning was the high school to pick up the weekly lunches. Daily lunch pick ups last spring were literally the highlight of our day! This year it’s not quite as exciting and the kids can’t go along because they are in classes, but there is still much excitement when the brown paper bags get unpacked. We have quite a system for organizing the fridge and lining up the tiny milk cartons in order of expiration date. Lunch pick up usually coincides with grocery shopping which means that Monday mornings test my Refrigerator Tetris skills to the max!

I called to them. They stopped but pretended they didn’t hear me and took off.

12:30: With lunch over I turn my attention to the piles of laundry waiting to be folded. I lost count of the number of loads we’ve done since returning from the cabin yesterday. Today’s folding was interrupted by the Cattle Saga happening just beyond our back yard. Over the weekend (we missed this thrill!) some cattle escaped their farm which is at least a mile away, as the crow flies. They wandered over here to our neck of the woods, even traipsing through our back yard. Turns out they aren’t particularly cooperative creatures but the wranglers did manage to get them through an open gate and into the fenced area behind our house. That was on Saturday. Today is Monday and the Amish Wranglers are still trying to persuade the ornery fellows (Fellows? I don’t really know.) to approach the eagerly waiting cattle truck. As the remaining 3 bovine wandered in the opposite direction of the truck, they reminded me of a posse of middle school boys. I called to them from my deck. They stopped. Turned. Looked at me. Took off again. I’ve seen this same behavior in middle school boys.

Just a small sampling of my proud work!

I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on Business Business, not Mom Business. Supper was simple because we can’t fit another blessed thing into the Tetris Fridge, so leftovers were on the menu! Lily started spring field hockey tonight. I’m so thankful she’s had field hockey as a physical outlet as well as a social outlet this year. It was touch and go there for a while, like most things this year. We didn’t know if the fall season would happen, but it did. Then we weren’t sure if the indoor clinic would happen, but it did (with a break for a few weeks during the fall surge). It’s been another one of those areas that leads to Decision Fatigue for us parents. It’s that tricky balance between mental health and physical health and it’s exhausting!

Social Distancing Diaries: Day 365

Dear Diary: To commemorate the one year anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic I am reviving the Social Distancing Diaries for one week only! I’m not sure what direction these posts will take, but I’m pretty sure there will be a healthy dose of reflection! And hopefully humor. Eden is my Humor Critic. She lets me know whether or not my entries are funny. If you need to catch up on the beginning of the Social Distancing Diaries, you can start here.

Stretching our legs at the park while visiting the cabin

8:30am: Online worship service. After a year of live-streamed church services it’s become very familiar. That’s not to say we haven’t been back in person at all this year. Our congregation opened up to in-person worship in July and our family went back in September. Then they shut down again in November during the pre-holiday surge in COVID cases, opening again in January. We just went back in person last week but we spent this weekend at the cabin so today we were back online. There are some perks to Living Room Church, as we call it, especially since we worship as a family. It would feel quite different if I was alone. Worship is best experienced in community.

11am-12pm: Lunch rush. Since this was our last day at the cabin we had a smorgasbord of leftovers to finish off for lunch. Then I madly washed up the dishes as Tom packed the car.

12:12-2:15: Ride home. This was our seventh trip to the cabin since July. That is remarkable. This cabin has been in my family since way before I was born and I have never visited as frequently as I have this year! It’s been so nice to have a place to go that is safe and still feels like a vacation. I wrote in another blogpost that we’re not Active Cabin People. We don’t fill our days with hiking, four-wheeling, or tubing down the creek. We sit around the cabin and read books, do puzzles, color or make crafts, and watch movies. It’s the change of pace and change of scenery that we really appreciate. Especially this year!

2:30-Bedtime: Laundry. Did I mention we spent the weekend at the cabin? Sheets and towels…

I’m pleased to report that whatever this “Availability” system is, it didn’t last long! I never did understand it!

4:00-6:00: Zoom Small Group. After taking a break for about a month or so after the pandemic began, our small group Bible study needed to figure out how to continue to meet together and connect. Like the rest of the world, Zoom became ubiquitous to us. Over the summer we met together outside, bumped our meeting time 2 hours earlier in the day, and continued to meet around a campfire through October. Then it was back to Zoom. We look forward to warmer days to meet in person again. And someday <gasp!> we’ll meet in homes again!

6:00-8:00: Supper next door at my parents’ house. Having my parents in our “bubble” has been awesome! During the initial weeks of the pandemic we did take a break from visiting in each others’ homes. I think it was late spring or early summer when we resumed indoor visits. Being able to spend holidays with them was extra special when we observed so many families staying apart this year. Now they are both fully vaccinated and we breathe a sigh of relief! Tom’s parents have been ever so cautious throughout the pandemic and we have not had indoor visits with them for a year. In warmer weather we visited outside a few times. In cooler weather the outdoor visits were brief exchanges of gifts or food with quick face-to-face catch ups. We even surprised them with Christmas caroling in December. Instead of spending our weekly Sunday afternoons in their home we spend an hour long Zoom together each week. Later this week they will both be fully vaccinated too and we’re looking forward to having more contact together.

8:00-8:30: I helped Eden with homework. Wow, has this become a significant part of my life! I could write multiple blogposts about school, so I’ll probably touch on it throughout this week. We elected to keep Eden and Lily home for online school this year. At first we were taking a more cautious approach, not knowing how in-person school would affect infection rates. As time went on it seemed that the school was doing a very good job at preventing spread, but the risk of quarantine is ever present if they get exposed to someone who tests positive. We prefer they don’t have to deal with the back and forth of in-person and online. We always left open the possibility of returning to in-person. But I think both girls have realized that by now (almost 3/4 of the way into the school year) going to in-person would feel like the first day of school and that’s not so appealing.

Before I began writing this post I read over the first week of blogposts from 2020. It’s humorous now to look back and remember the blanket of uncertainty that seemed to settle over our lives so quickly. I remember longing for the privilege of hindsight, which now I have. Some of the emotions we felt in those early days have stayed with us, revisiting us like layers of a cinnamon roll. Just the other day Lily was revisited by the sadness of missing peers and the daily interaction with schoolmates. Tom and I are fatigued by the constant decision making about what activities and interactions to allow and which to say no to. And one year into the pandemic we face another summer having no clue what we’ll be doing. In the spirit of 2020’s Mantra: We’re All Just Doing the Best We Can!

Make Your Bed! Or Not

What Facebook post of yours has garnered the most comments? Birth of a baby? Engagement announcement? Wedding pictures? Asking your friends to comment about their bed-making practices??

I wouldn’t even know how to do this.

Last week I asked my Facebook friends if they make their beds every day. Why or why not? The response was overwhelming. I had no idea that people were so opinionated and passionate about their daily bed-making habits. I won’t go into detail about why I asked the question. It has to do with a book our church will be studying together and of which I will be leading the discussion on the chapter entitled “Making the Bed.” Though some would say, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” that is decidedly not the focus of the book. Rather, it’s about how to relate the ordinary events of our days to practices that can help us to draw closer to God. I can’t give away my thunder because I haven’t taught the lesson yet. And I don’t yet know what I’ll say. The book is The Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Warren and it’s excellent.

Back to the opinionated Bed-Makers and Non Bed-Makers—Most of the Bed-Makers feel more organized and put-together when they make the bed. For some of them, it’s a small housecleaning task that is actually accomplishable. Some use their bed for tasks like folding laundry which is more easily done on a made bed.

Non Bed-Makers only make their beds if company is coming over and might glimpse their unkempt bedding. Or they make their beds after their sheets are freshly laundered. Some refrain from making their beds so as not to disturb their pets that take up residence on the bed after the humans vacate it each morning.

Interestingly, many of the Bed-Makers claim a psychological grounding that results from making the bed. Yet at least one Non Bed-Maker said the same is true for herself; making the bed feels oppressive because it’s a task that would only get repeated over and over. This caused me to reflect on other household chores and what makes bed-making unique. After all, dishes need to be washed every day. Clothes need to be cleaned weekly. Floors need to be vacuumed. Yet all of these items get dirty again, sometimes even immediately. I guess the main difference with a bed is that no one else will see it. In my sample size of one (myself) I’m much less likely to do tasks that are less noticeable. Does this mean if I lived alone I’d be wallowing in filth?? We may never know!

I think an interesting follow-up question to the bed-making is to connect personality types to Bed-Makers and Non Bed-Makers. Is there a correlation? Introvert vs. Extrovert? Myers-Briggs? Enneagram? If you have enough time to make your bed every day maybe you have enough time for a sociological study on the side.

Relatable.

Some respondents were kind(?) enough to share some theories on dust mites and bedding. As the theory goes, dust mites are repelled by light and air and love dark and damp. So making your bed immediately after waking is making those little buggers ever so happy! Like tucking them in Night-Night every morning. I don’t know if it’s true or not but it was enough to wig me out so now Tom and I pull our covers to the end of the bed every morning. Which has had the unexpected result of turning us into daily Bed-Makers because now the bedding is trailing over the foot of the bed!

Whichever camp you align with, embrace it proudly! There is no right or wrong when it comes to bed-making habits. Unless you work in a hotel.

Help a Girl Out!

Stefanie Sweger Photografie

As a small business owner I have been encouraged and blessed by other small business owners, particularly in the handmade industry, who have offered advice and guidance along the way. This post is a small way I can pay it forward!

I stumbled into business unintentionally. I just had fun making things. I quickly realized that if I could sell some of those things then I could have MORE fun making MORE things. That still pretty much sums up my strategy! But it also means that I am sorely lacking in business knowledge. It’s SO helpful when someone who is further along comes alongside you and points you in the right direction. For me, my friend Marci (Circle of Life Photography) was the first person who was genuinely excited about my business potential. Even before I opened an Etsy shop she was advising me that I should do so. Back then she was just starting her photography business and she even did a little bit of product photography for me which made my items look so great! Another friend showed me the ropes of Etsy. Another gave me suggestions for craft shows to sign up for. I limped along for a few years this way. I’d do an event and meet someone which would lead to another opportunity. Then someone would see my work in a shop and that would lead to another opportunity. And so on and so on.

Stefanie Sweger Photografie

Debbie Serdy of “My Aunt Debbie” fame was one of my first Encouragers, and she continues to be so, through at least 3 different retail ventures! Our styles may differ but we share a love of vintage and all things handmade. The best advice that Debbie gave me is this: “You are not your customer.” Learning that was truly a lightbulb moment for me. I’ve repeated it like a mantra over the years to keep me on track.

Stefanie Sweger Photografie

I’ve been in so many different shops over the years, from downtown Lancaster to Ephrata, Lititz, Elizabethtown, Hershey, Carlisle, Harrisburg and more! Businesses have come and gone but I’m still kicking! The first juried show, Forty Elephants: A Vintage and Handmade Market (formerly Lancaster Flea and Craft Market) was a milestone for me as a “Creative.” I was “accepted” among the really great talents in South Central PA! It was scary at first to put in the applications (and pay the higher fees!) but I’m so grateful to the organizers who gave me a chance and boosted my self confidence immensely!

The best business decision I ever made was applying for a mentor through S.C.O.R.E. I was matched up with Cathy and she is just fabulous! We’ve been meeting together for a year and a half now. The first thing that endeared Cathy to me is that she didn’t laugh in my face when I told her my goal for my business. She just got to work, teaching me the steps I need to take to reach that goal. When I start to get distracted from my mission she gently reminds me of my goals and asks whether that particular idea du jour is part of the plan.

For anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of the behind the scenes, I share these tidbits. My website is built with Squarespace. It’s working well for me, though I don’t have anything to compare to. Marci also helped me get started in designing the website. “Drag and Drop” tools are not quite so intuitive as they sound! But after a two hour tutorial I knew enough to begin. I started without an ecommerce feature because I thought I’d direct sales through Etsy. But I soon learned that having my own website is preferable. It was very easy to add that feature without having to change my template. For 10 years I’ve been keeping my accounting on GoDaddy. It started as a free service, but after a year or two it switched to a paid platform. It was so handy I didn’t want to lose it, so I pay for it. I link my Etsy shop, PayPal, and my website transactions to my accounting so they automatically get uploaded. I recently started to use Buffer, a program that schedules my social media posts. I use the free version and it mostly does what I want it to do. I’m trying to learn MailChimp so I can start email marketing, but I need a tutorial to get me going. Yes, I could watch YouTube videos but that’s so boring. YouTube videos have been very valuable in this journey, but nothing replaces the help of a friend!

Occasionally I get asked for advice and I give it gladly! We weren’t meant to find our path alone; I’m happy to share what I know. I’ve reached out to other Creatives over the years. Some of them answer my questions and some ignore me. That’s another reason that S.C.O.R.E. has been so helpful—you can ask questions of other business owners or professionals and everyone is in the same boat. No one is trying to steal any trade secrets. If you are just starting out, I applaud you! Congratulations on taking the first step to pursue your passion! Let me know if I can lend a helping hand!

Studio Renovation

This is NOT the big reveal! I don’t know if there’s a name for this stage of a renovation, but “Big Slog” sounds appropriate about now.

Lily painted this at the initiation of the wall painting. Here you can see “Cookie Crumble” vs. “Paperwhite.”

Earlier this fall, Tom, aka “My Biggest Fan, proposed a facelift of my studio space (which doubles as our basement family room) in order to make the space more visually appealing, as well as useful. Ladies, when your husband suggests to you that you renovate a space, you don’t bat an eye to consider the ramifications. You jump on it! We built our house 15 years ago and besides replacing the flooring upstairs (good bye carpet!) we haven’t done anything major. Truth be told, this isn’t a major renovation. Walls are not being moved, flooring is not changing. But nonetheless it takes a tremendous amount of time. I took advantage of Ellen’s love of painting to get started on the project while she was still home on break. But now I mostly go it alone.

This is the rolling workstation that my dad built out of used cabinets. All cabinets and shelves will now be painted in “Calligraphy.”

I determined that the biggest need of the space was for storage. I had taken over a large IKEA shelf, a filing cabinet, and a bookshelf, but most of my things were stacked in storage bins, albeit as neatly as I could. It was evident that I was encroaching on the walking space. There was a bit of a maze of boxes to navigate as you walked through the room (which Tom needs to do to get to his office…). I definitely was not in contention for any design accolades. We were already utilizing every available wall, so the only way to go was UP! I wanted to maximize the generous ceiling height by using tall shelves. I also wanted to have as little open shelving as possible, to keep the room looking more “Family Room” than “Garage.” And, of course, I didn’t want to break the bank.

I turned to IKEA. I measured every wall and angle. I measured the existing storage I was using, I read reviews, measured again, dreamed about IVAR and other Swedish names I can’t remember. I finally figured out exactly what I wanted on each wall. I made a list. I visited IKEA, over an hour’s drive away. Turns out IKEA was out of stock of much of what I wanted. And they couldn’t tell me when the items would be in stock. I left IKEA dejected, but already scheming Plan B. Plan B started to take shape in the Home Depot which happened to be IKEA’s neighbor. There I found unfinished kitchen cabinets which come in all sorts of size configurations that match up like a jigsaw puzzle. BONUS: There’s nary an Allen wrench in sight, that is, no assembly required. Take THAT, IKEA!

This massive desk served me well for 10 years, but I wanted work space that was more flexible. I’m so thankful to have gifted it to a local business for use in their warehouse. It’s a beast that took 4 of us to move it out of the house and up to the front yard to haul away.

I traded the IKEA website for the Home Depot website. I sketched out what I wanted, consulted with my General Contractor, aka, my dad, and placed my order. The plan was afoot! In the meantime, the girls convinced me to repaint the walls. I dragged my feet because I knew it would add time to the project and I really didn’t mind the existing color. But in the end I decided a fresh coat of paint would be nice and I traded “Cookie Crumble” for “Paperwhite,” an excellent choice since it brightens the room so much. I also chose a very dark blue for the cabinets and shelves, so it’s good to offset that with the white walls.

Sage advice from my grandfather (a carpenter, among other careers) to my dad and finally to me: “It’s a poor carpenter who can’t cover his (or her) mistakes!” Truth be told, the same advice is applicable to sewing!

I’ve divided the project into phases because there’s not space to tear up everything at once. In Phase One I traded my massive-but-served-me-well-for-10-years sewing table for a drop leaf table and a separate rolling workstation that is at counter height. Counter height is essential, even for a shorty like I. My dad built the workstation out of 3 separate cabinets that I found at the Habitat ReStore. I painted them and he assembled them together and added a countertop from IKEA. I did find a few useful things there.

Phase Two jumped across the room to the wall where the T.V. resides. This involved a second trip to IKEA to pick up the parts for a simple but workhorse-of-a-shelf, their iconic IVAR. I have many storage boxes and I need shelving that is wide enough to accommodate them. So far this shelf is open. I’ll either buy the coordinating doors from IKEA, or more likely, make curtains to go on tension rods to hide the boxes.

Phase Three is the one I’m most excited to finish! This is where the Home Depot cabinets come in. I designed lower cabinets, a countertop and upper cabinets. This will be my shipping station and I’ll have all of those supplies in one place, with the counter top to aid in the process. This area would be done by now but Home Depot had to order one last cabinet to finish it off. So right now it looks like it’s missing a tooth as well as its countertop.

Phase Four is my least favorite but probably the most helpful, in conjunction with Phase Three. The existing IVAR shelf I’ve used for years is getting a coat of paint (or 3 coats…). Once I finish that, and paint the wall behind it, I can really start to plan where I will store my supplies. I just won’t know how everything will fit until it’s all there. Which leads me to…

Phase Five! Four more kitchen cabinets will be attached to the wall with some faux legs under them to look like a large piece of furniture. This is where most (fingers crossed) of my fabric will reside.

My aim in this project was to maximize space so that I don’t have boxes stacked around the room and to lend a bit of an aesthetic flair to the room. I hope in the end to accomplish those goals. And I just can’t wait until it’s all finished! All day long I paint and paint and paint. But in the end, it will all be worth it!

How about you? What renovation projects are you most proud of? Do you have any helpful advice when it comes to organizing spaces? Do you have a wishlist of storage options? What’s the space in your home that’s in biggest need of a makeover?

A Day in the Life

It’s true—your brain does continue to grow. New neural pathways can be created. Though in my case I think an old neural pathway gets shut down for every new one created!

Remember how this blog started?! The Social Distancing Diaries?? Remember how I wrote something Every. Day?! Today I was feeling the vibe of the Social Distancing Diaries and thought I’d give you a glimpse at my life.

I awoke this morning a bit surprised that we hadn’t received a 5am 2 Hour Delay call. Apparently the icy conditions hadn’t developed overnight as expected. Nonetheless, there was no run or walk on my agenda today. I was cooking my egg when I heard a thud from another room. Something breakable was dropped and it caused great distress and a bit of tension between family members. Yes, I’m being intentionally vague. My coffee and egg sandwich waited while I cleaned up, consoled, and repaired. Note that this happened before my morning coffee.

I warned the other inhabitants.

I finally ate the breakfast and drank the coffee. While I got dressed I recalled that my dad was having breakfast in town, so I texted him to ask if he could swing by the school and pick up Lily’s “Art Kit” (she has art this quarter and the school provides some supplies for the online learners). He couldn’t, so we arranged that he and I would go back into town together after he came home. This suited me since I didn’t know the road conditions and wasn’t keen on driving myself. As I stepped onto my deck to walk across the back yard to my dad’s waiting car my feet slid out from under me as I somehow made an undoubtedly graceful half-turn to fall flat on my stomach, now facing the door I had just exited. Black ice. No worries, nothing was broken or injured beyond the reach of ibuprofen. I exited through the front door, to the car, making a quick check of the road surface on my way. Thankfully the roads were fine. It was just all the surfaces getting to the road that were icy.

Thanks Mario! You’re a godsend!

Dad drove me around town, taking care of my errands as well as his, and back home again without incident. At home I continued to research a new product that I plan to offer. While it sounds simple enough to offer a new product, there’s actually quite a bit of research that needs to be done to figure out cost to make, retail price, wholesale price, etc. This took me a good part of 2 days. Having figured it out and decided I can do it profitably, I then purchased the supplies I needed. I finished that in time to heat up lunch for Eden since this was a day she eats lunch at 10:45. Making her lunch made me hungry, so I ate lunch at 11:00 (when you give a mouse a cookie…).

By the time Eden and I finished lunch it was time for Lily’s lunch, so I helped her get her lunch ready too. While I ate I placed my order for cabinets that we will be installing in our basement for my studio renovation. This also involved going next door to consult with my dad before finalizing the order.

While I was next door for 10 minutes I received phone calls and texts from 2 children wondering where I was (Note: I did tell one of those 2 children where I was going and why before I left). I also received a text from child #4 who is already back at college telling me that she needs to quarantine for 7 days. Ugh. Upon my return I checked in with them to offer the help that they had requested while I was next door, but the next class had started so my help was not needed at that time. I decided this was a great opportunity to check in with the 3rd child whom I hadn’t seen yet that day. Turns out the reason I hadn’t seen her was that she was feeling a bit down about the prospect of returning to college at the end of this week and hadn’t left her bedroom. The COVID restrictions on campus are pretty severe AND The Boyfriend lives here, not there. Those two things are weighing on her. I spent a few minutes listening and encouraging, all the while hearing another child stomp around the house, aggravated that I had gone missing again.

I’ve done pretty well this year, helping one child with Pre-Algebra and the other child with Algebra and now Geometry. But every once in a while I encounter a math concept that I don’t recall ever learning. Today it was Simplifying Radicals. But “Mario” on YouTube helped me out and after watching his 3 minute video I was an expert simplifier. Shhh, don’t tell, but it was actually kind of fun! While the kids attended their online classes I re-learned Algebra and Geometry. I also make dinner and clean toilets, so yeah, I’m basically a goddess.

Everyone is doing their best this year. Whether you’re working overtime out of the home, filing for unemployment, sending your kids to school and daycare, or homeschooling your kids, nothing is easy. I knew that having the kids home this year would disrupt my routine and I try to remind myself of that during the challenging times. I also remind myself that this isn’t their first choice. As I manage my hissy fits I also help them to manage their hissy fits. Hopefully we’re not all throwing fits at the same time!

Memory Lane

Hall of Dinosaurs. Those small windows along the back are the library.

One of the twins’ favorite places. For a while Hayley aspired to be a paleontologist.

Many years ago, we lived in Pittsburgh, in the Oakland neighborhood, better known for college student housing than families with kids. But somehow we found the cutest little bungalow on one of the last streets that hadn’t yet been gobbled up by slum lords. Before I even saw the inside of the house I wanted it—it had a backyard. A level backyard. This means something in Pittsburgh. So we bought our first house and that is where our family grew. The location was fantastic! A short walk across the Panther Hollow bridge took us into Schenley Park, one of Pittsburgh’s Victorian gems from yesteryear. Continuing our journey through the park took us face to face with Phipp’s Conservatory and its outdoor gardens (no admission required!). And just a stone’s throw beyond Phipp’s (and across a third bridge) was the Carnegie Library/Museum of Natural History/Museum of Art. Despite the frequency of our visits, I don’t think I ever took for granted the privilege it was to be able to walk to these amazing places. The gift of a museum membership for several years meant that we could load up the stroller and take brief visits to the museums. I would ask Hayley and Ellen (preschoolers at the time) what they wanted to see and we’d visit those 2 or 3 parts of the museum that morning.

Since interactive exhibits are closed during the pandemic, there is no corn in here to “grind.” But this was one of Ellen’s favorite activities.

Today I indulged in a little trip down Memory Lane. I drove a friend to her doctor visit in Pittsburgh and while she was occupied, I decided to spend a few hours in the museums that were so familiar to me 20 years ago. (20 years ago?! How is that possible?!) Our last year in Pittsburgh the museum was renovating its capstone Hall of Dinosaurs display and I had not been back to see the final product. That’s where I headed first today. What impressed me the most, besides the giant reptiles, of course, was the wall of windows on one end of the room. These windows belong to the public library that adjoins the museum. How cool to be browsing the stacks and look down upon the late Jurassic era! Another favorite of the twins was the Bone Hunter’s Quarry, where guest would don safety glasses and with brushes and blunt chisels they too could unearth fossils! (Closed now for COVID)

Monet: Water Lilies

In the Native American wing I was reacquainted with familiar displays, the favorites of which were also closed due to COVID. See the photos for more details. I also walked leisurely through the Hall of Gems and Minerals and the Egyptology exhibit. I’m still stunned by the actual mummified remains behind the glass cases.

Van Gogh: Le Moulin de la Galette

Admittedly the Museum of Natural History held preschooler attention spans a bit better than the Museum of Art. But we did visit the art with preschoolers too. We just walked those galleries a little faster… Today I had time to mosey! I took a few pictures of some of my favorites. And I marveled at how close I could get to these priceless works of art—inches from my masked nose. Sidenote: My in-laws recently introduced us to the YouTube phenomenon that is Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration. You’ll either be fascinated or you’ll quickly fall asleep to the soothing rhythms of Mr. Baumgartner’s voice. Having just watched my first fine art restoration video a few days ago, I viewed these museum pieces with a tad more appreciation.

Van Gogh: Wheat Fields after the Rain

I’m grateful for this opportunity today. Not only was it nostalgic for me, but the time to wander a museum alone was a luxury. I love to take my time in museums and read the information cards thoroughly. Today I could spend as much time as I wanted where I wanted. It was refreshing to my soul. If you had 2-3 hours to wander a museum, where would you go?

Georgia O’Keefe: Gate of Adobe Church

25 Years!

This week my husband, Thomas, and I celebrated 25 years of marriage!

In true thrifty fashion, I bought our wedding album at Goodwill. It even had an orange sticker on the front of it.

As I get older I’m amazed at how fast time moves. Not just in regards to years of marriage, but every life event, big or small. I’ve spent quite a bit of time this year at my family’s cabin in the mountains. Many family members came together to build this cabin in 2000. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this building is 20 years old! For goodness sakes, my twins will turn 21 next month!

Those flowers must be really fascinating!

Look at that young, handsome guy! We were 21 years old when we were married, in January of our senior year of college.

Reflecting on my 25 years of marriage it’s easy for me to view it as unremarkable. We just keep living, one day at a time. But when I recall the way too many marriages of friends and family did not reach this milestone I’m reminded that 25 years is not guaranteed; it takes effort. I have to credit my husband with taking most of the initiative in the “effort” area. Over the years he has insisted that we take time away together, even when it’s tricky and inconvenient. He has booked us at marriage conferences to bring our focus back to our commitment. He has tried to make the spiritual health of our marriage and family a priority, even when it sometimes feels awkward and “freakish” when compared to our culture. Even as we took a few days away to mark our anniversary (yet again at the cabin!), he brought along some questions about marriage for us to discuss—kind of taking a pulse of our marriage and the expectations that each of us brought to this covenant. One question that stuck out to me had to do with my expectations of him. Now, I’m not by nature one to make long term plans and even dwell on expectations. So the only thing I could think of was that when we married I knew he loved me and was committed to me. The path our lives would take were less consequential to me than that fact. And he has proven his commitment over and over. As I am someone who really does live in the moment and just keeps taking the next step, I appreciate that he does more of the reflecting and thinking about the big picture.

Why does 21 seem so much younger when you’re a parent??

Lest you think all of our 25 years have been peachy, we have had plenty of difficult days. In my first draft of this blogpost I wrote about those difficult days. But it didn’t feel right to include that here. I’m certainly will to share the events of my life with you, should you ask, and I don’t mind if you do. Not everyone’s journey is the same, but I take very seriously Romans 12:15 that tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. The circumstances of our lives may be different, but we can extend compassion to one another.

So, let this post be about the gift of God that this milestone commemorates! And enjoy a few pictures!

Despite my devious expression, I did not want to smash cake into each other’s faces! Perhaps this was our first disagreement as a married couple, because someone else did intend to smash cake.

Grandma's Doilies

Just a short post today to share our special Christmas stockings with you.

Tom’s stocking

I claim good genes when it comes to my creative talents. I come from a long line of women who not only worked hard with their hands, but they created beautiful as well as useful things for their families. I have one living grandparent, my dad’s mother, and she is 98 years old! Along with grandpa, she worked a farm, raised 5 children, sewed most of their clothing, and grew and preserved most of their food. After they became empty nesters Grandma started her own homemade noodle business and turned to quilting as an expression of her artistry. Every year for Christmas she blessed her extended family members with handmade gifts. Many of those Christmases she gave us crocheted doilies. See where I’m going here??

My stocking in the middle

I amassed a considerable collection of Grandma’s crocheted doilies over the years. They were so special to me but I didn’t have a great way to display them. A few years ago, inspiration struck and I decided to make Christmas stockings for my family, incorporating at least one of Grandma’s crocheted doilies into each stocking. The body of the stocking was made from upcycled linen that I collected over a few years from thrift stores and clothing giveaways. I was always on the lookout for linen garments with interesting trims and embellishments. I was able to highlight these embellishments in the stockings too. I also took into account the personality of the recipient of the stocking in my design. Since Tom is the only male in our family I made his a bit less frilly (more plain). Hayley is famous for her blue eyes so I used the blue embroidered linen in hers. Ellen requested white on white. The other 3 have less of a story to their designs!

Hayley’s stocking

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! This is what I love to do—use something special with sentimental value and give it new life in a creation that is useful and enjoyed! If you have ideas for your special textiles, let’s talk!

Ellen’s stocking—white on white

Eden’s stocking in the middle

Lily’s stocking

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

Just a little blogpost here to share some of my favorite Christmas decorations with you!

Decorating is not my strength. You wouldn’t look at my living room and instantly know my “vibe.” Unless “eclectic” is a vibe? Sometimes I feel a little inadequate when I look at magazine spreads or instagram accounts of rooms that are all pulled together and cohesive. But then I remember that my house is home to 6 people whose most important needs are food and love and not perfectly coordinating throw pillows. If interior design or decorating is your jam, enjoy your gift! I do not fault you for it.

We call this “Dad’s Tree”. It (and the mini glass balls) belonged to Tom’s grandparents. I still keep the balls in their box inside the same bread bag his grandmother used.

All 4 girls were given these cowboy boot ornaments for the year we all traveled to Texas for my brother’s wedding. It was a memorable and wonderful adventure!

I love these dioramas made by Modulation Designs. We often set up at the same crafts shows and a few years ago I finally bought myself one.

This is Ellen’s ornament from the year she played “Maria” in The Sound of Music. Those are pieces of the script inside the ball. I found this on Etsy.

Which brings me to Christmas decor. I’m a firm believer in nostalgia. Scratch that—I’m a supporter of nostalgia, but not married to it! I find joy in pulling the ornaments out of the boxes each year and greeting them as old friends. Every year I give an ornament to each of the girls that represents something significant about the past year. My intention is to give each girl her set of ornaments when someday they leave our home to create their own. Admittedly our tree is quite full of ornaments that technically belong to the girls. And the girls now ask me if they will indeed take their ornaments with them when they move out. They’ve become so much a part of our Christmas nostalgia that it will take some adjustment not to see them on our tree every year. But that provides an opportunity for new traditions. Maybe when I’m a Grandma I’ll give ornaments to the grandchildren and hang them on my tree every year.

Eden spent a meaningful week in Philadelphia on a missions trip. Another Etsy find.

I definitely lean towards the vintage in my Christmas decor preference. I love vintage Christmas balls and last year I bought a box at a craft show I was part of. I also love Christmas trees, particularly bottle brush trees and feather trees (or feather tree look-a-likes).

How about you? What are some of your favorite Christmas decorations or ornaments? Share them in the comments!

This commemorates the year Lily took an interest in photography. I got it at a craft show but I don’t remember the name of the shop.

We gave this to Hayley the year she was on the World Race Gap Year. She spent that Christmas in Nepal!

Dressember

Celebrating Dressember in style!

Lily: World Changer

If you’re fortunate to be a parent, then I’m sure one day you will have the privilege of admiring the unique person your child has become. Sometimes this catches me off-guard, like when I was waiting in the hallway outside my daughter’s 5th grade classroom for my parent-teacher conference and I busied myself reading the students’ work hanging on the hallway walls. When I found the paper my daughter, Lily, had written, I literally had to choke back tears. She was just 10 years old and I felt that my work as a parent was done. (see photo)

I love when my daughters inspire me to be a better person—to live more thoughtfully, more generously, more Christ-like. They all have done so.

Last year my daughter, Ellen, joined the Dressember challenge—to wear a dress each day in December and to raise money towards fighting against human trafficking. She was part of a Dressember team at Gordon College and personally raised $700. This year she is enthusiastically taking up the challenge again. And since she’s home from school for the month of December, we are all privy to her enthusiasm!

Visit Dressember to learn all the details and history of this movement. The abridged version is: Wear a dress (or tie) every day in December as a “flag” or symbol for the “inherent dignity of all people.” And raise money that will be used to equip “a community of advocates to fight for the dignity of all people, leading to the protection and freedom of millions.”

Ellen put her own fascinating twist on her Dressember campaign this year. Her assignment in her Eschatology class was to choose an issue of interest (human trafficking in the garment industry), examine it through the lens of a discipline other than theology, and then relate that to an eschatological symbol (Kingdom of God). Finally, she created a project based on this research. She is creating a weekly Advent devotional that connects the research, Advent theme, and eschatology. The final piece of the devotional is a prayer focus for the countries in which her dresses were made. (The devotional is a week behind schedule. Check back after Dec. 6.)

What’s all that mean? It means, check out her blog for a weekly Advent devotional that will not only prepare your heart for Christmas, but will educate yourself about human trafficking in the garment industry. If you’d like to follow her on Instagram, you’ll find her at @tagrosh.

If so led, you can donate to Ellen’s Dressember fundraiser.

Nostalgia

Fruit Turkeys!

I don’t consider myself a terribly nostalgic person. But I live with a few Uber-Nostalgics (I coined that term). So I try to be sensitive.

Fruit Turkeys: The Minimalist Year

Like so many of you we are limiting our in-person interactions this holiday season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy reminiscing about our favorite holiday traditions and maybe we’ll even create new ones! Since having kids I’ve come to realize that it isn’t about the “WOW” factor of the tradition as much as it is about the consistency of the tradition. Think back to what you remember about holidays as a child. What stands out to me from my childhood Christmases are: 1. Gobs of tinsel on our lopsided fresh cut trees and 2. Lifesaver “books” that we kids received each year. Leading up to Christmas Day there were a few gifts under the tree and my siblings and I would gather round, shaking and squeezing to try to guess what was under the paper. But after we went to bed on Christmas Eve our parents would put out ALL the gifts that they had gotten for us. So on Christmas morning it looked (to me) like Santa’s sleigh had exploded in the living room! When we visited my grandparents for Christmas, the first thing my brother would do was to run into their house and look for the little cardboard, light up fireplace that they put out every year. After Grandpa passed away and Grandma moved into the nursing home, she gave that little fireplace to my brother. It’s his cherished decoration now. I mention these because they are only meaningful to me. They don’t have any WOW Factor. But these are the memories that stir nostalgia in my heart. That’s what I try to keep in mind when I celebrate holidays with my own family. It’s not the expense of the decorations, or even that they are worthy of a magazine spread. Instead, it’s pulling the same quirky ornaments out of the boxes year after year. It’s baking the same kinds of cookies and watching the same cheesy Christmas movies.

Fruit Turkey Extraordinaire!

Fruit Turkey Rainbow

Not to neglect Thanksgiving! We have some sweet traditions associated with Thanksgiving. We start by watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. Mid-morning we head to my in-law’s house where we continue to watch the parade. Grandma also provides the necessary fresh fruits for the kids to make fruit turkeys. Sometimes they make one or two big fruit turkeys and sometimes they make individual little turkeys. Grandma always makes her signature family recipe for stuffing which features the secret ingredient of cinnamon! And for the last 5 years or so, she’s made Mac and cheese! She uses Martha Stewart’s recipe and it is SO good! Grandma and Grandpa also bake their turkey in their brick, wood-fired oven <mouth watering>. Most of what is remarkable about Thanksgiving is the unremarkable—spending the day with loved ones, enjoying delicious food, taking a break from our daily work.

Fruit Turkey: The Cooperative Edition

As I write this and reflect on the wonderfully mundane blessings of my life, I catch myself as I recognize the privilege of my mundane life. I’m not wealthy but I want for nothing. I not only have a beautiful, functional, and sound home, but I have loving parents next door and in-laws in the neighboring town. I have a vast support network. As my children enjoy the blessings of traditions I think of the kids who don’t have a home. They don’t have a single ornament to unbox year after year. They don’t get to eat Martha Stewart’s Mac and cheese or cinnamon stuffing. Oh that I would never elevate my traditions over the care and comfort of others; that my eyes would never be blind to the needs around me!

What are your favorite traditions? The quirkier the better!

Family Selfie!

Grandma and Grandpa’s light up fireplace. My brother loved this little decoration and looked forward to it every year!

To Answer Your Question… Part 2!

It was so much fun last week to answer some of the questions I received from you. This week I’ll dive into the “deeper” questions. They are so thoughtful and I appreciate that you asked!

My Inspirations and my Helpers!

Ellen, Hayley, Lily, Eden

1. How does your faith inspire your creative process? Or, how does your creative process inspire your faith?

I started this business by making placemat purses (i.e. purses from placemats!)

Answer: Great questions! For those of you who don’t know me personally, I love Jesus! And I seek to live out the two greatest commandments: 1. Love God and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. I also believe in world views, i.e. each of us brings to life presuppositions about this world, humankind, how we should live, and what happens when we die. Because of these presuppositions (or world views) there is no dichotomy between what we believe and how those beliefs inform our decisions. For example, I am a “sewist” (a relatively new term, presumably more attractive than the double-meaninged “sewer.”) I could certainly be a sewist and have a different world view than the one I hold. But because I approach life with the presuppositions that God created humankind in His image, I view the creative process as joining with God in creation. Creativity is a gift, given to humans, with the expectation that we will then use our creativity to reflect the goodness of God. Now, that’s likely not an obvious message when you look at a wallet that I made. You don’t look at it and say, “Wow, I see the goodness of God in that wallet!” But I do! I look at what I make and I see the reflection of the Master Creator. And I am awed that He would deign to gift me a tiny spark of that creative power. I also look at vintage textiles and hand-pieced quilt squares from 75 years ago and marvel at the creativity of the people who made them. I think about the joy our souls find in color, pattern, texture. I think about how art is used to express emotions that we sometimes can’t find words to speak. How does my creative process inspire my faith? My soul finds solace when I sew. I am at my most content when I am creating. It’s a privilege for me to be able to sew and I feel alive when I do. If I have had a hectic, busy day I long to get into my studio and make something! Oh that we would all find that “thing” that restores our souls! I’m so thankful to God that He has led me to this path. The business side can be a chore—but the creative side is life-giving!

I used to make fancy hairbands and appliquéd onesies. Here’s my niece modeling both!

2. How do my kids fit into my work?

I loved making these singed fabric flower hair clips! They were from fabric samples and the colors were just delectable!

Answer: Funny, but this was asked by one of my kids! Ha! So now I need to try to figure out what she was trying to get at… I’ll start by the most obvious—the name of my business! Naptime Inspirations began when the youngest of my 4 daughters still napped. I used those precious moments to sew and craft. The kids have grown along with my business. When I began, they were 9, 9, 4, and 1. Now they are 20, 20, 15, and 12! When I started, I made a lot of hair clips and embellished headbands. I made little girl purses and the prints I used were much more juvenile. I also used to make little girl skirts and pillowcase dresses. My, how things have evolved! As my girls have aged, I have valued their input into what’s popular. Their biggest contribution now is with web design, social media marketing, and photography. One daughter was instrumental in helping to me to get my website up and running. Another is great at tweaking my web design (how does she know how to do that??). They all navigate Instagram better than I do! And one has a knack for photography and promised me a photo shoot over her semester break. I’m so thankful that all of them, and my husband, are absolutely supportive and encouraging to me in this endeavor. I love them!!

Little Girl Purse—I still have a few of these in stock if you need any! They were fun to pair the fabrics.

I hope you find these glimpses into the mind of Naptime Inspirations to be encouraging. I’d love to know all of my customers just as well, so don’t hesitate to tell me about yourselves!

To answer your question…

Recently I asked you for some blogpost ideas and I’m so grateful that you responded! I’m excited to tackle some of those questions here!

 1. How do you feel when you see a person out and about with one of your creations?

Stefanie Sweger Photografie

Answer: Elated! It mostly happens when I’m with friends, because of course they are such wonderful customers. I’ve even chuckled when I’m with a group of friends and they all start pulling Naptime Inspirations’ products out of their purses. But it makes me feel good to know that I made something that someone else enjoys using. I don’t have too many random sightings, but I do recall one as I was scrolling through pictures of an event that was held in downtown Lancaster and I spotted someone holding my wallet! That was really cool!

 2. How many hours of work go into your items?

Stefanie Sweger Photografie

Answer: This is best answered in multiple parts (in other words, here’s the LONG answer!). When I find a pattern I want to make, I read over it and note what fabric and notions are required. Often I have enough of these things on hand to give it a go. I may not have exactly what the pattern calls for, but I have something close enough to work. It’s much like cooking—who ever follows a recipe exactly??  The first time I make something it can take a while, especially if I make a mistake and have to rip out seams and re-do. If I make it and enjoyed the process and believe it’s a quality and useful product, then it goes into production mode. I don’t keep track of how much time it takes me to choose a pattern, fabric, notions, etc. for something I make for the first time. 

 Just like in cooking, I almost always tweak a pattern to put my spin on it. In production mode I make sure I have several sets of required notions (zippers, buckles, snaps, etc.). I choose several different fabric combinations. I cut them all out at the same time. This is called “batching.” This is often either just as long as the construction stage and sometimes longer. Not only do you have to do the design of putting together fabric combinations, but you need to cut the lining pieces, cut the interfacing pieces, and iron the interfacing on to all of those pieces. Besides choosing the fabric combinations, this is the boring part!  Once all of the pieces are ready to assemble, I begin construction. When I first started my business I didn’t keep track of my time—BIG MISTAKE!! I have since learned the valuable lesson that my TIME is vitally important. It’s a big pain to time myself making a product to get an accurate number, but it’s essential. In fact, on my To-Do list right now is to accurately time myself making one of my products to see if the time estimate I have for that product is right. The reason that is so important is because I might be able to shave a few dollars off the cost of that item! Time is the most expensive component of any item I make. Now that I know this, I cringe as I scroll through Etsy because I know that many of the Makers are not paying themselves much if anything for their time. I set a fair hourly wage for myself and stick to it.

Stefanie Sweger Photografie

 So how many hours does it take to make some of my items? I can tell you because I have that information in a spreadsheet!  Bibs and pillow covers take about 30 minutes to make (start to finish). That assumes that the designs are already made (i.e. I have pattern pieces to trace and cut). Zipper pouches take about 45 minutes. Wallets take about 2 hours. The reason I haven’t offered backpacks for sale yet is because I need to figure out how much time they take to make. In order to do that accurately I need to become more proficient at making them. I do that by making several that often go to my girls, myself, or I give as gifts. If I do end up selling backpacks, their retail price will have to reflect the amount of time it takes to make them. Handmade products are often not for bargain shoppers. But they are definitely one-of-a-kind works of functional art!

 3. What are your favorite stores/sites?

Answer: I assume this is asking about my favorite places to buy supplies. I’ve been buying fabric from Fabricworm.com for many years. They have some of the most unique and adorable prints I’ve seen anywhere. Often I shop their sale section which means when it’s gone it’s gone. I may only have ½ yard of a really cool fabric. I also buy from Fabric.com, Amazon, Hancocks, and JoAnn Fabrics. For notions I’ll often check Amazon. If they don’t have what I need I’ll go to Etsy. The great thing about Etsy is that I can buy the quantities that I want. I don’t need to buy 100 zippers but I can buy 20 zippers. Once in a while, if I can’t find what I need on any of those places, then I go to AliExpress. This is a last resort because things ship from China. They are super cheap but I don’t feel great because I know what that likely means for the people who are doing the labor. Incidentally, even on Etsy I usually check to see where the item is shipping from and I choose American distributers whenever possible. And then there are a few unlikely but oh-so-rewarding places to find supplies. Thrift shops and Lancaster Creative ReUse are a must! Yard sales can be great. The MCC Relief Sale in the spring is a fantastic place to find vintage quilt pieces and textiles. And the Goodwill bins where you rummage through bins and pay for your items by weight. If you’re willing/able to repurpose clothing and curtains, you’re golden!

 The other questions you all gave me I’ll address in another blogpost because they were a bit more personal in nature. I love the questions! Keep them coming!!

Can You Make...?

People ask me all the time, “Theresa, can you make _____ for me?” I thought it would be fun in this blogpost to reflect on some of those requests!

The iconic Tea Wallet

Over the years I have tried to be all things to all customers. It was fun for a while but eventually I decided that it’s not the best use of my time. It often takes me at least 2 tries to get a pattern right and if I only need to produce one item in the end, I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting that one item. On the other hand, some of my best-selling products have come about because someone asked me if I would make something for them.

So. Many. Lip Balm Cozies.

My favorite example is the Lip Balm Cozy. My friend Megan makes fantastic all-natural lip balms. They are SO wonderful! One day she asked me if I would make a cozy to hold a lip balm. Maybe she sent me a picture of what she was thinking of. Maybe I searched Pinterest. When I saw what it was I had 2 thoughts: 1. Is there anything as “First World” as a lip balm cozy??? Who needs this??? and 2. Sure, I can make that. Perhaps to keep me humble, the Mighty Lip Balm Cozy has been one of my best selling products ever. I have had more than one craft show where the lip balm cozy was by far my best seller. It’s also the most inexpensive item I sell, but that doesn’t diminish its might. True confessions: I do not personally use a lip balm cozy. But I do use Megan’s lip balms!

Amy! I have a picture of the original pouches!

Another example of a customer request that became a big seller is the Essential Oils Travel Pouch. A friend asked me if I could make a pouch to carry a few bottles of essential oils. She tested my design. I refined it and since then I have sold quite a few Essential Oils Travel Pouches. I have a repeat customer at one show who comes to see me every year to buy more pouches for her friends and family. I also do not use this product! But then again, I don’t travel with essential oils…

Besides the Lip Balm Cozy I also have a friend to thank for introducing me to zipper pouches. Ironically, this friend is Amy and she’s Megan’s sister! Ha! Amy was getting married a few years ago and wanted to give zipper pouches to her bridesmaids. Her bridesmaid who had offered to make the pouches became overwhelmed with life and asked me if I would make them. They ended up being super cute and it’s still the design I use today (and variations) for all the pouches I make. And how could I forget the Tea Wallet?? This was another request I needed to Google because I had no idea what it was. But it’s been wildly popular over the years, especially at Christmas time. Perhaps one lesson to learned from these request that have turned into favorite products is that people are drawn to items designed to carry specific items. How interesting.

I wonder if I owe commissions to these friends…

Snack Sacks. Aren’t they adorable?!

Other requests have been more limited or even “one-offs”. I have made a number of super hero capes for kids and have one friend who orders one every time they add a new child to their own family as well as for other friends and family. Sometimes the products are too specific in size to warrant making in large quantities. The best example of this is a phone pouch. A crossbody phone pouch is a very handy thing—I used one at my previous job because I didn’t always have pockets to carry around my phone. I also needed to carry keys and a walkie talkie so this pouch served multiple purposes! But since everyone has a different size phone these days I’ve only made these as custom orders where customers provide me with their phone’s measurements.

Travel Document Wallet holds your boarding passes, passport, credit cards, money and coins!

Capes taught me never again to sew with sequins.

I’m more inclined to say “yes” to requests from family. My sister-in-law has requested cloth snack bags for her kids. Picture a paper lunch bag, with the top rolled down, but made out of fabric. She picks out the fun fabrics and after they are made she sends them off to be embroidered with her kids’ names. I’ve even made reusable snack bags, to take the place of a plastic snack bag. I did my research and found some food grade waterproof fabric that I used for the lining fabric. I haven’t used them myself either, but I feel like I should. My sister has given me her fair share of requests over the years. Hers usually involve travel because that’s what she does when not engaged in a worldwide pandemic. My proudest is a travel document wallet which I admit is pretty clever.

Arguably the strangest request I received (and made!) is fleece cage liners for guinea pigs. Did you know that you can line a guinea pig cage with fleece instead of wood shavings? It’s much less messy and you just wash the fleece when it’s soiled. I read up on that too. I don’t have a guinea pig.

Burlap stocking that inspired me to make linen stockings for my family. They are now my favorite Christmas decoration.

Speaking of pets, people can go crazy when it comes to animals. Presumably because 1. I sew and 2. I have chickens I am the recipient of many suggestions of things to make related to chickens. Most often the suggestion is a variation on an apron to use to collect eggs. I’m suspecting that most people have never seen an egg in all it’s “natural” glory when it’s collected on a muddy day. That’s not an item I want to tuck away in the pocket of my pretty apron. It’s something I carry into the house in a bowl and scrub it under water until it’s clean! I believe this was in jest but I’ve even been given the suggestion to make chicken diapers. If I have no need for a lip balm cozy, you’d better believe I have no need for a chicken diaper!

I’ve made many strange and not so strange things over the years. I made burlap Christmas stockings for a family that then inspired me to make linen stockings for my own family. I’ve made aprons, a weighted blanket, a coupon organizer, a pouch to carry a retainer case, a tote bag out of a sweatshirt, and a diaper changing pad/wipes case. As fun as it’s been to accommodate some of these requests, I do need to be selective in the special projects I take on. I appreciate the suggestions, just don’t be offended if I decline your request! How about you—what is that one thing that you’d love to see someone make for you??

Homemade Halloween

The first time I heard statistics on how much consumers spend on Halloween I was floored. A quick search just now tells me that Americans will spend over $8 billion on Halloween in 2020 (and that’s an 8% decrease since 2019). I just assumed that Halloween was largely a DIY event! And that the creativity that went into designing homemade costumes was an integral part of the experience.

I call this one “Defiant Ballerina”. Aunt Amanda made the tulle skirt. Maybe it wasn’t even Halloween, but C’mon. How stinkin’ cute is she??

Growing up, almost all of our Halloween costumes were homemade, i.e. cobbled together from whatever we had on hand. I do recall the occasional character mask and vinyl costume that slipped over your clothes, but that was a rarity. More often than not, the process went like this: 1. Brainstorm what you want to be for Halloween. 2. Figure out how to make the costume. 3. Be prepared to explain to those you meet “what” you are, as it wasn’t alway evident. The ironic part is that we always lived in rural locations, which meant that trick-or-treating was accomplished by piling into the car and driving to houses of friends or relatives where they would ooh and ahh (sometimes with polite but questioning expressions) over our costumes and hand us little bags full of a variety of candy. Remember those little paper Halloween treat bags?? The first time I went trick-or-treating with a friend in a housing development I was flabbergasted at my haul at the end of the night. 1. We walked, not drove! 2. We went to houses of people we didn’t even know! 3. Experienced kids brought pillow cases which, by the end of the night, were filled with candy! I remember coming home and relaying my incredulity to my siblings. I might have even received so much candy that I shared some. That part of the memory is fuzzy.

I made myself a ladybug costume out of felt. I’ve bought many headbands at The Dollar Tree over the years!

The DIY Halloween mentality continued when I had my own kids. Fortunately the twins were content to be princesses for several preschool years and Grandma had made the most beautiful princess dresses for them. As commercial costumes became commonplace (available at Goodwill) we did occasionally indulge. Our library offered a costume exchange, too, where for each costume you donated you could choose one to keep. But there definitely was a limit to how much money I was willing to spend on Halloween costumes. You wear them once, for crying out loud!

I’m really proud of this owl! I started with an XL t-shirt. I cut the “feathers” from fabric samples I got at Lancaster Creative ReUse. I sewed the eyes and beak onto a thrifted knit hat.

In this post I’m sharing some of our homemade Halloween costumes over the years. I have to give the girls credit for most of these. I may be biased, or maybe it’s all the years of convincing the kids that they don’t need the bright-shiny-fuzzy costumes that call to them from Target, but there’s something endearing about making your own Halloween costume. There’s an effort that goes into it that I find admirable. I always ooh and ahh a bit more over the kids in the homemade costumes. There’s a kinship there—I see you kid!

Ok, maybe I’m most proud of this Anna costume! Everything was from Goodwill. It’s a blue skirt, a black cami, and the red cape was made from a button up red skirt. Puffy paint for the win!

In a typical, non-pandemic year, Tom’s parents host a Harvest Party for us. Over the years these have grown in complexity. They have a theme and a scavenger hunt associated with the theme. One year the kids searched for posterboard bones that they then used to assemble a skeleton. One year they did the same with teeth (Grandpa is a retired dentist) and with body organs. Sometimes they search for portions of a poem that they then to to assemble. We’ve done Chaucer and Longfellow. We’ve done maps where the clues were found by using compass coordinates. Last year we had a lesson on how quilt patterns were used to guide escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad. Whatever the theme, there are important elements to the party that can’t be neglected. Besides the scavenger hunt, there’s always a homemade piñata that goes with the theme. There’s always the game where you eat a mini powdered donut off a string hanging from the waistline. And Grandma always makes a cake that the girls can decorate to go with the theme too. And, of course, we all dress up—even Grandma and Grandpa. It’s a special time we share together.

How about you? Are you a DIY Halloween or a Buy-Off-the-Rack Halloween (no shame!). You do you, Boo!

Ellen came up with this Eloise costume on her own. She even found a stuffed turtle to be her “Skipperdee.”

Sometimes our family dresses in theme for our Harvest party. This year I found all appropriate scrubs at Goodwill. A few toy doctor kits we had at home rounded out the props.

Gnomeo and Juliet

Fruit Bowl Family. A few more t-shirts from Goodwill.

Lily wanted to be cactus. I found the sweater at Community Aid. She made the flower blooms.

Not a great picture of the costume but we are an Oreo cookie!

Lily had her heart set on being a fawn (Thanks, Pinterest!). I bought a piece of fuzzy fabric and pinned it to the front of the shirts so that they could be worn again (Lily is wearing dad’s shirt). Eden’s vest was a perfect find at Community Aid. It made for a perfect chipmunk costume! More Dollar Tree headbands!

Audio Round Up

Hello, Friends

It was a grand day in the kingdom when I discovered that I could listen to audiobooks while I was sewing. When Tom was in seminary we created a free student Audible account and that’s how I began. I no longer remember the login for that account so I can’t go back to see what books I listened to way back then. I do recall listening to the abridged version of Ron Chernow’s Hamilton (cut me some slack—that book is long!) and most of Erik Larsen’s books. Devil in the White City still haunts me but his books are SO good! I mostly listen to non-fiction because for me it’s more difficult to audibly attend to fiction. But I did listen to Marilynne Robison’s Lila.

My preferred genre is definitely “History” but in the last few years I’ve branched out into more “Christian Life” kinds of books. I prefer to read (paper copies) of those kinds of books because I don’t retain information very well if I only listen to it. For this reason, sometimes I buy the physical book after listening to the audio book. You can’t take notes on an audio book! If I do steal some moments to read a book during the day or at bedtime, I only last a few minutes before I fall asleep. So it can take me months to finish a book. That’s where audio books have an advantage for me. Summary: I can finish more books but I don’t retain the information very well.

This is affectionately known as “The Peanut Butter and Jelly Book” in our home. It’s so good! I need to read it again. Did you know that making your bed can be a spiritual discipline? Check it out!

Fascinating true story of a white man who lived a double life as a black man. Which also goes to show how utterly ridiculous racial purity laws are.

When my access to free Audible ended I moved to Overdrive, offered through the public library. I found this option to be extremely limited. New and popular books often have a waiting list. And any book can only be checked out for 2 weeks. It can be difficult to finish it within that amount of time. But it’s free! My favorite book by far that I listened to on Overdrive was Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line by Martha Sandweiss. A few years ago I stumbled upon Scribd, another audio book app. After my free trial I learned they offered a lower-tiered paid subscription that, for me, offered almost all the books that I searched for. Sadly, they raised that price about a year later, but it’s still cheaper than Audible. Looking over my downloads, I see that many books that I’ve listened to are missing. So maybe they don’t keep them forever?

Another subscription I pay for is Spotify. I mainly use it to listen to podcasts, though I do occasionally listen to music. I have a few favorites that I rotate through but there’s not one that I’m completely loyal to. I’ve listened to my fair share of business podcasts—tips for marketing, etc., but they can get repetitive after a while. I enjoy How I Built This for the stories of how familiar companies came to be successful. Some days I binge on Throughline for historical background on current events. I had been caught up on The Michelle Obama Podcast, but I’ve fallen behind. This American Life is usually intriguing. I’ve dabbled in Language of God, the Biologos podcast. I intend to listen to CMDA Matters (the podcast of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations) to get a better handle on issues that Christian medical professional are grappling with (disclosure: Tom works for CMDA). Often when friends post a link on Facebook to a podcast they recommend, I often save the post, and eventually I get back to it and listen. I have quite a long “Saved” list on Facebook. I wish more print articles were podcasts! I will even, occasionally, listen to a podcast or video that I know I don’t support, just to try to understand the perspective it’s coming from. But I sweat about what that will do to the algorithm! I listened to a podcast series on the algorithm. It was fascinating! The first podcast I listened to was Serial, Season 1. Oh. My. It was so captivating. That led me to listen to 2 more podcast series and an audio book all on the same topic. BTW, did Adnan ever get freed? Get that man out of jail!

A girl can dream…

Where to even begin with my favorites??

Although it’s not strictly audio, I will also binge on TV shows. I haven’t done this much since March because I don’t like to have the TV on when the kids are home, and hey, at least some kids have been home all. the. time. since. March. My go-to binge is American Experience, but I’ve watched almost all that are available on Netflix and Prime. American Experience is the gold standard for documentaries. It’s just so good. I’ll watch other documentaries but they feel more like 60 minutes or bad reality TV (that’s redundant). Having totally missed Gilmore Girls when it aired on network TV (I had newborn twins!) I binged that beauty a few years ago. And then again a few years after that. I don’t know why, but fall makes my heart turn toward Gilmore Girls. I watched Parenthood the series after I finished Gilmore Girls the first time. A little edgier, but enjoyable. I thought the last episode was really well done! Parks and Rec and Arrested Development round out my comedy genre. I’m currently close to finishing The Office. These were all watched while I was sewing, as if I need to justify my time to the blogosphere. I need to.

Noise canceling Beats. Thank you, Jesus.

This blogpost has left me feeling unexpectedly vulnerable. I guess I was just honest about my preferences and didn’t “curate” my selections. Take that, Blogosphere! What about you? Do you enjoy audio books and podcasts? What are your favorites?

Creativity with Kids

As a parent there are many things for which we feel guilt. You name it and there is an opposite opinion telling you why your choice will harm your child. If we listened to all the voices we would go insane. My approach is to learn the facts from what I consider to be reputable sources, try what I feel comfortable with and what feels right, and see how it turns out! Throw in a lot of second guessing, prayer, and some panic and that’s basically my parenting philosophy.

One of those areas for which we can feel guilty is when we consider how to foster creativity in our kids. In some ways the internet is an endless source of ideas in this department. But if we’re not careful we can also heap on more guilt when we constantly compare ourselves to the ideals we see on Pinterest and Instagram. Having 4 children has made it abundantly clear that all children are individuals. Some children you can leave alone for 3 hours and you’ll be amazed at what their natural proclivity toward creativity produces! Other children will not even stand for being alone for 3 minutes, let alone 3 hours. Most of us fall somewhere in between.

One of the “Sewing Camps” that I held for the twins (plus their friend Maya who LOVED to craft!)

Some people assume that because I have a creative business I must have kids that also enjoy creating and working with their hands. Or they assume that I have taught my kids skills like sewing. Truth is, when it comes to my time and my sewing machine, I’m not good at sharing. I think it’s safe to say that all 4 of my girls know the basics of how to sew a straight stitch on the machine. As I reflect on this blogpost I think maybe Lily, my youngest (so of course her life is the hardest), is right. I did spend more time teaching skills to Hayley and Ellen (my oldest(s), twins). We even had a few afternoon “camps” where they sewed a bag or pillow. Heap on the guilt!

One thing that I am a wee bit proud of is the craft kit that I put together one Christmas for Eden. Eden’s challenge is with fine motor skills which made any kind of crafting very frustrating. So I put together a box of crafts to assemble that worked towards her strengths. She could use a glue stick and washi tape and she could color. I made sure all the paper or felt shapes were pre-cut so that she could use her creativity in assembly without becoming frustrated with preparation. I also wanted most of the crafts to be something that she could give to others. There were bookmarks to decorate, snowflake ornaments to make out of Q-tips, and few little burlap owl ornaments to assemble and share. I included blank cards for her to decorate, a wooden birdhouse, and even a jar to decoupage. She no longer has the craft box, but she has recently taken up “bullet journaling” to express her creativity.

The contents of the Craft Box: Basic crafting supplies and embellishments plus prepared kits and instructions for creating projects.

Cute burlap and felt owl ornament

I worked with preschoolers for a number of years and I recall an experienced preschool teacher tell me that children she encounters now do not enter preschool knowing how to use scissors. When she began teaching 40 years ago, they had many more fine motor skills at a younger age. Not to heap on the guilt (!), but as parents we need to be mindful of the huge contribution find motor skills make to brain development. Let’s encourage our preschoolers to use their hands to experiment and play. “Swiping up” doesn’t count!

Eden working on a craft. Pro-Tip: put washi tape into a dispenser for easy use!

Fostering creativity can be difficult, especially if you’re the type of person who likes things to be done precisely, or “the right way.” When your child brings you wonky pictures and crooked popsicle sticks, hold your tongue! That same wise preschool teacher that I mentioned above told me the story of one of her students proudly showing mom her completed craft, only to have mom “adjust” the parts that “weren’t quite right.” Some of my favorite holiday decorations to display each year are crafts that my girls made in Sunday school or preschool. They chastise me for displaying these gaudy, awkward works of art, but they are so special to me. We have one tiny Christmas tree that every year we decorate with such ornaments. It may not be worthy of a magazine spread, but I’m pretty sure Joanna Gaines would approve, nonetheless!

Ellen was born to craft. Here is a doll-sized hair salon she created in a 3 ring binder. It won 1st prize at the local fair. And then she gifted it to Lily for Christmas later that year.

Boredom is a an excellent facilitator of creativity. Leaving unscheduled, unstructured time in our days is almost anathema to Americans, yet this is the margin we all need to reset our brains and our emotions. As we’re still in the midst of this seemingly eternal pandemic, with winter looming ever closer, I anticipate some times of boredom. Despite the whines, I resolve to embrace the boredom as a gift given to each of us, enabling us to explore those oft neglected parts of our brains. And I resolve to be a better “sharer” of my time and talents!

The result of “Pillow Sewing Camp”.

How It All Began...

I’m currently taking a business class through S.C.O.R.E. It’s called “Simple Steps” and it’s designed for individuals who are just starting their businesses. Although Naptime Inspirations has been “in business” since 2009 (!) in many ways I am just beginning. I thought it would be fun to recount how it all began…

Miriam’s quilt. This side of it was worn badly. The red fabric had held up the best. The back was in pretty good condition.

“1851” and the initial of the maker. It’s amazing that all of that quilting was done by hand!

I’ve always enjoyed making things, “crafting”, if you will. I never thought of myself as particularly artistic. I can’t draw to save my life. But in 2008 I followed a blog of a woman who would post tutorials of easy crafts. I tried my hand at a few of them and really enjoyed them. I enjoyed it so much that I kept making things. And multiples of things. Out of the blue it hit me that I could sign up for a craft show where I could try to sell the multiples of things I made. So I did! No business plan. No considerations of set up costs. No goals. Really no business knowledge at all. I didn’t even consider myself to be a business.

Miriam with me and the girls

As often happens in business, and in life, connections began to happen and I was invited to participate in an event at a local church. All of the “vendors” at this event created things by upcycling. There I met a delightful woman named Miriam who told me about an old quilt that she had and she was looking for someone who could cut it up and make it into items that she could share with family members. Together we brainstormed some of the items she wanted over the course of the next few months. I made a few small pillows and some cell phone pouches. She was thrilled to share them with family members. The girls and I visited Miriam a few times at her retirement community. She bought us ice cream and told us stories of her missionary days. These aren’t things you can write into a business plan!

I made my share of “Pillowcase” dresses. This one was actually made from a vintage feed sack and not a pillow case. It was such a beautiful feed sack!

I wish I had pictures of the things I made out of Miriam’s quilt, but I don’t. Over the years I’ve experimented with upcycling many different things—burlap coffee sacks, chicken feed bags, sweatshirts, crib bumper pads. I even turned 2 satin gowns into superhero capes and various purses for a friend to share with her daughters and relatives. I do love the creativity that goes into upcycling!

That church event also led to a connection to consign with My Aunt Debbie in Lancaster, the first of my retail relationships. My path to business has been convoluted and, at time, aimless. But since last year I have been honing my plan, making tough choices about my direction and learning more about business than I ever knew! I still believe that the best opportunities come in unexpected ways, so I keep looking. And hoping :) I thought it would be fun to include some “classic” Naptime Inspirations items in the pictures here. Enjoy!

These wallets were commissioned from a friend. They are all made from feed sacks that had been in her family. I made these wallets that she then gifted to the ladies in her family.

These wristlets were made using coffee sacks from Honduras!

This one is so special to me because it’s mine! For many years my Grandma crocheted doilies and coasters and gave them to the women in the family for Christmas. I amassed a tidy stack over the years. I collected various linens from clothing give-aways and the 25 cent rack at the thrift store and made 6 stockings, one for each member of my family. Each stocking features at least one of Grandma’s doilies.