Oh, the weather outside is frightful! Well, it is getting there, but the wind and snow are almost unbearable!!! It is so cold. Makes me want to hole up inside and never go out!

Here is what it looks like in Indianapolis -

The wind is extremely strong today. In fact, the snow looks like it is going completely horizontal because of the wind.

I know there will be colder days and more snow than this throughout the rest of winter. However, I do not plan on going out in it!

It looks pretty, the world all in white. As much as I hate being cold, it will be nice to see snow a few times this season. Plus, it will be priceless to watch Brenna play in the snow for the first time in her new snowsuit. Seeing snow through Brenna's eyes, especially since it will be new for her, makes me enjoy the snow a little more.

For those of you who have not had the joy of the first snowfall this year yet, don't worry. It will come. Think of snow through someone else's eyes this time to try to enjoy it more. Also, keep warm while doing it!

I see hot cocoa, coffee, or tea, warm blankets, and fireplaces in my future. :)

Costumes, Clothes, and Sewing

It's been a long time! Finally getting back to myself after being sick for so long.

Probably the only thing I did while I was sick for a week was make a Laura Ingalls Wilder dress for my cousin for Halloween. It turned out better than I was expecting, and it looked so cute on her!

Making this costume and sharing it with you all leads me to my next topic - sewing.

With the weather continually getting colder (albeit beautiful today!), the winter sweaters, wools, pants, and layers come out. For me, with all of the physical changes I've had going on the past year and a half, my clothes are very sparse this winter. Very few items fit anymore! I guess it is a good problem to have :)

While trying to be thrifty, I have been looking at my fabric stash to see what I can make that will be warm and cozy, as well as fashionably acceptable. I have some nice wools that were just sent to me that should make some very nice skirts!

Pioneers probably did something similar, although they more than likely didn't have a "stash" of fabric like mine. Fabric was expensive and carefully planned out for each garment that needed to be made for each family member. Fabric was also reused. For example, your daughter needs a new dress because she has outgrown her old one. So, mother probably used an old skirt of her own to cut out the daughter's new dress, or at least parts of it.

To see an interesting site that is in Indianapolis and that has many costumes, take a look at Conner Prairie's website - http://www.connerprairie.org/

This idea of reusing fabric is one that I particularly like. I have an old full length skirt that I got at Goodwill Outlet awhile back that is considered dated today (but I love the material!), and I am working on remaking it over into something that I can wear today. Perhaps you will see pictures of this redone skirt in a future post.

Happy sewing!

Blustery Days

Today was very cold and windy here in Indianapolis. The leaves were blowing around, making the trees look bare but the ground look full and somewhat colorful. All I wanted to do was curl up in a nice warm sweater and blanket in front of a roaring fire and read a good book, perhaps with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Feeling the way I did today, I can't imagine what pioneers went through with the wind blowing through the cracks of their log homes and the only heat source coming from a fireplace. It sounds fun to us today, but as cold as I have been, I don't think I would like living that way day in and day out. Looking out my front door, I took some pictures of what it looks like on a blustery fall day. Perhaps the pioneers had a view similar to this.

Regardless of how it looks today versus 200 years ago, it is still pretty and still cold! Time to get out the wool yarn to knit some scarves or get out fabric pieces to make a quilt. It's what was done back then and is still enjoyed today.

Off to go through fabric and yarn!