via lena corwin

i love this picture so much. it makes me just want to sew and sew but not alone. with friends! i own lena corwin's book printing by hand  and was thrilled when i came upon her blog, a continued source of inspiration.

today has been slightly productive. i made a trip to library to get some gardening books but came away with a lot more sewing books. i picked up...

Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson...it is full of lovely pictures and beautiful things to make!

Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin...i have looked through this book before and wanted to get to spend a little more time with it.

Eco Craft by Susan Wasinger...always looking for new projects to try out.

The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour...of course i had to get this when i saw it. here's to learning how to run a five acre farm.

also picked up a book called For Your Garden: Walls and Fences. i'm not in need of a wall or fence but the pictures looked so pretty and i thought jeremiah might get some ideas from it as well.

via wildflowers::pretty

this past weekend as i was raking leaves and shoveling them into a wheelbarrow while wearing a dress and tights, i made a decision to challenge myself. i decided to commit to wear only dresses for the rest of the year. no jeans. no shorts. just dresses and skirts. the only time i will allow myself to wear pants is for yoga and pilates and for sleeping. that's it. plan and simple.

i made this decision because i like the way i feel when i wear dress. i feel like a woman. a feminine woman. i feel pretty. and on occasion i feel like anne of green gables (the older version, not the young twelve-year-old version). i dream about living out on some land and tending to the goats and chickens all while wearing beautiful dresses with some lovely boots. i will say this idea was partly inspired by a friend of mine who has made a similar commit (a much more difficult one) for more noble reasons. she has committed to wear only one dress for the entire year in protest of the fashion industry and more. check out her wonderful blog for more details!

so far i have done well. my legs haven't touched a pair jeans since saturday. i am running a little low on the dress/skirt category but am working on replenishing my supply at the local salvation army and value village. i also need to replace the pair of black tights i ripped while raking. 

jeremiah is away in VA until sunday. i miss him terribly. this will be longest we have been apart since the second month of our marriage when he was gone for an entire week (it was bad!). this experience is very good for us. luckily i have a lot to get my mind preoccupied. besides finding new dresses, i have a baby shower to plan, decorate and clean for (it's at my house this coming sunday), a baby to continue waiting on to be born (her due date was monday so it could be any time now!), and plenty of sewing to do! also i have jeremiah's truck which i love. it means whatever i find interesting on the side of the road i can actually pick up. like for instance, i finally picked up a nice pile of wood that has been sitting on the side of the road for over a week now. it will be great for a burn barrel. 

via winterness