I'm Moving - HappyYoungWife.blogspot.com

It's official! I have a new blog address!

When I first started a blog, I was thinking mainly to use it to promote sales and new products at Fashionably Modest Patterns. I soon discovered though, how much I loved blogging and my blog quickly turned into something totally different than I had expected. I love posting pictures. I love posting updates on our life. And I love posting about what God is teaching me as I journey through this thing called life.

After much prayer and advice from my wonderful husband, I have decided to move my blog to HappyYoungWife.blogspot.com. This new "home" will give me the freedom to post all about my life and things I am learning on the journey.**

I will still be doing the weekly Page from My Journal series every week. I also will be starting the weekly polls back up (yay!), although I'm considering changing them to "bi-monthly" polls instead of weekly polls. And I have a whole lot more planned as time goes on as well.

I love my faithful readers - those of you that have been reading here from the beginning (almost a year) and those of you who are brand new followers - and so I'm hoping this transition won't throw you off. :)

I'm having a celebration giveaway all this week over on my new blog, HappyYoungWife.blogspot.com, so come on over and enter for a chance to win a $35 gift certificate!

Click here to hop on over to my new blog, HappyYoungWife.blogspot.com.

**My old blog will still be up and running with a post every great once in a while to inform you about sales or events at Fashionably Modest Patterns.

Winner of Our Sale Giveaway

I'm sorry I'm just now getting the winner of our Sale Giveaway posted. We had my two nieces staying with us this weekend which kept me quite busy. :)

The random winner (picked using random.org) is:

Patchwork Jen

Congratulations, Jen! You should have received an email from me with further information.

Thanks to all who entered and helped pass the word along about our sale. Stay tuned for some exciting news (and another giveaway) that should be coming today or tomorrow!

He Cares for Me

Earlier this week I was struggling. Struggling with fear. Fear about the future.

I’m not going to lie. Sometimes I find it difficult to be content with my circumstances…

I grew up never having to think twice about whether or not I’d have food for dinner. Now I pinch pennies and live on a $25-a-week grocery budget.

I grew up in a huge house, on over 50 acres of land, out in the beautiful country. Now I live in a tiny apartment, where we have difficulty finding a parking spot, and I hear sirens, cars and people all day long.

I grew up never worrying about having access to a car. Now I’ve had to learn how to get by with one car for the two of us. (Except for the weeks my Dad graciously allows me to “borrow” a car…)

I grew up being able to go shopping wherever I wanted and buy whatever clothes I needed. Now I have slowly learned that new clothes aren’t a necessity; hand-me-downs from my sisters can be beautiful; and shopping the clearance racks at the end of summer can lend a whole new wardrobe for only a few dollars.

I grew up never thinking about how much gasoline my car used when I drove over 30 minutes to go somewhere. Now I try and stretch a gallon of gasoline in our car as far as it will go.

Don’t get me wrong. I love being married. I love my life. I love seeing how far we can stretch a dollar.

But sometimes I struggle with great fear about the future. Will I live like this for the rest of my life? Am I always going to have to pinch pennies and live on a very tight budget?

It’s so easy for me to look around at so many other people I know and wish I could be in their shoes. But you know what, when I really think about it, I realize that I don’t want that.

Because I’ve never known and experienced God like I have in the year I’ve been married. Knowing that ultimately it is only by God’s care and love that we live from month to month gives me a reason to pray like I’ve never prayed before. It seems that every time I begin to doubt and fear, God gives me an overwhelming sense of His love and care for us and I am ashamed that I ever doubted Him.

That happened again this week. Some unexpected expenses had come up, my husband’s car quit working, and I was feeling so claustrophobic in our tiny one-bedroom home. I began to worry again. From past experiences, I’ve learned that the best thing is just to take it to the Lord. So that’s what I did.

A simple prayer of asking God to provide for our needs. To watch over us and care for us.

God never lets me down. He always surrounds me with peace and comfort and reminds me of all the times He’s provided in unexpected ways. That alone is enough.

But this week, it seemed that God poured buckets and buckets of love upon me. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on his children.” (Ps. 103:13) Again and again, I felt His whisper in my ear, “This is for you, My child. I love you. I will never leave you. I’ll always take care of you.”

We sold Joe’s car that the car shop said was hopeless (for $50 more than the amount for which I was specifically praying).

God provided 9 lbs of frozen chicken breasts for a little over $15 (and it was the brand I like to buy).

I happened to stop in at Target today and saw that a skirt I had been eyeing for weeks was amazingly on clearance plus I had a coupon (who ever heard of coupons for skirts – well, God gave me one!).

God unexpectedly provided a way to earn extra income this week.

The weather turned beautiful this week…in fact, it was my favorite type of weather: 70’s, sunny, and slightly breezy.

God used several people to be a huge encouragement to me this week.

And the list goes on and on…really, it does!

I am so thankful to be God’s child. My Father owns the entire world and everything in it, so why should I ever doubt that He can and will take care of me?

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills
The wealth in every mine,
He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills,
The sun and stars that shine,
Wonderful riches more than tongue can tell
He is my Father so they’re mine as well.
He owns the cattle on a thousand hills
I know that He will care for me.

How Great Is Our God!

"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in." (Isaiah 40:22)

Fashionably Modest Patterns - HUGE End of Summer Sale & Giveaway!

I know I haven't posted much about Fashionably Modest Patterns as this blog has turned more into a personal blog than a business blog. But, I did want to let you know that we are having a HUGE End of Summer Sale this week over at Fashionably Modest Patterns! You won't want to miss out on these great prices on ALL our patterns and books...

Our Modest Swimwear patterns are on sale at the lowest price you will ever see them! Prices start at only $6.97. This is a great time to buy a pattern as most fabric stores are having great sales on their swimwear fabric as well. Then spend some time this winter sewing up a couple of new swimsuits so you'll be ready to hit the water next summer!
All of our skirt patterns are also on sale. Our Simple Skirt pattern (which includes directions for three different options of skirts) is only $6.97! This happens a favorite among our customers as it is a super easy design and can quickly be made in just an afternoon
.On top of those great deals, our Classy Flared Pullover Blouse pattern is also priced at only $6.97! And be sure to check out the great prices on all our apron patterns, dress patterns and our other skirt patterns.

Our "I Can Sew" series e-books and booklets are a part of the sale as well. We have lowered the price on our e-book package to only $4.47 (normally priced at $10.97)! This is a HUGE savings and it includes all three levels of the "I Can Sew" e-books. And if you homeschool, this might just be the perfect thing for your daughter this school year for a home economics course.

The End of Summer Sale starts today and will end this Friday evening, August 27, 2010.

Of course, I saved the best news for last! Post about this sale on your blog, facebook, or twitter anytime before this Friday, and you'll be entered to win a pattern of your choice from our store. Yes, that's right, one free pattern sent straight to your home! If you post about the sale, be sure and leave me a comment on this post and include your email address and link to your post (if you can). Please note: This contest/giveaway will end Thursday evening at 11:59PM CST and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

Hi there, Internet! It's me, Sarah-Anne, but some people call me SA, and since you readers are my friends too, you can call me either one. I'm a 15 year old Christian home-schooled sophomore, living in a small town where borrowing a cup of sugar is no small feat; you have to walk across a field or two to get to the neighbor's house! My family is made up of two loving, and hilarious parents, Mama and Dad, along with a equally hilarious little brother, Clark (11). Not a day goes by that we don't tell each other what so-and-so said, then laugh so hard we cry, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

8:20am: After dozing for twenty minutes, I roll over, grab my Bible out of the my nightstand drawer and start digging into the Word. I love to have my quiet time with God early in the morning because I feel that it shows I put Him first in my life. I'm reading Acts & Psalms in preparation for my Bible studies I'm going to this fall.

8:50am: With a refreshing time in the Word finished, it's off to shower and get ready for the day. Showering in the morning gives me a chance to get up and going without having to talk to anybody. As you can tell, I'm not a morning person but more of a night owl.

9:15am: Out of the shower. Since I'm dressed and my makeup is on, I'm off to greet my family and find some food to stop the rumbles in my stomach.

9:45am: A breakfast of cereal and a quick check of my school email, along with my Gmail one, have improved my outlook on the day, so I decide to start school, which is no small task. I have 8 subjects this year, so I can't afford to fall behind, thus the fact I'm doing school before Sept.

12:45pm: Three subjects (Bible, Geometry & Latin) are under my belt, so I'm off to hang out with my cousin, Sam, who has stopped by to visit for awhile before heading back to her house. She and I both go to the same college, although she's a full time student while I'm just a high-schooler taking free, online classes and earning credit hours.

1:15pm: Sam runs me into our little town to pick up lunch for me and Mama from Subway. We come home to find the house all locked up and no house key to get in! Insert crazy laughter on my part while trying to climb in the garage window and get a ladder for whatever reason. Sam's the cool one, calling Mama to tell her we're locked out. She suggests we try a credit card to pick the lock and it (thankfully!) works, but not before the flies attack my sandwich. As soon as we get in the house, though, some people who are buying our old piano knock on the door. Busy, busy day for me.

2:50pm: Since the buyers of the piano and Sam have left, it's back to school for me. Thankfully, I save the reading for last, so I don't feel pressured to hurry through anything.

4:30pm: I'm finally done with school for the day! It's time to do some chores, like putting on a load or two of laundry. We're also working in the yard this afternoon, prepping for the company we have coming tomorrow afternoon, so I put on my yard work clothes in preparation for taking my turn on the riding mower. I also get on the computer for a quick check of my blog/blogging friends before I start my work.

4:50pm: It's still not quite time for my shift, so I start one of the many loads of laundry and help with the supper prep for Mama.

5:25pm: With the supper preparation done, a load of laundry switched out and sheets hung up on the clothesline outside, it's finally my turn on the mower.


6:20pm: Ahhh, air conditioning never felt so good. Long grass + a strong breeze = one very dirty girl, so I hop into the shower for the second time of the day. Such is the life of a country girl! :)

6:50pm: I feel so much more refreshed after a nice, cool shower, so I take the opportunity to write in my journal(s) while the house is quiet. I recently started to write in a journal, and keep up with them/write in them everyday, and I often wonder why I didn't make an effort to work on writing and sticking with it.

7:00pm: Dinner's ready, so I put away the journal's and head downstairs to grab some chow and eat with the family!

7:30pm: Dinner is over and since everyone helped clean up the kitchen instead of just me and Clark, the kitchen's already clean also. On it's on to my favorite time of the day: Blogging! I seriously love to spend my evening writing emails, chatting with my friends on GChat, working on Scrapblog, and writing out blog posts for the week.

8:15pm: A quick break from my precious blogging time to work on a assignment for my college classes with Mama...

9:45pm: Wow, that took longer than anyone expected, but I'm glad to have it out of the way and not have to worry about it over the weekend. Although it look longer than I wanted the assignment to, I still am able to upload pictures and publish a post for the day.

10:15pm: After a quick few minutes playing around and working on my blog button, it's time for my bedtime routine. Brushing my teeth, grabbing a book to read and saying goodnight to the guys is all in the cards, and I kiss Mama goodnight, heading off to read for awhile.

11:00pm: It's lights out for me! I usually don't go to bed this late, but since it's the weekend, it's justifiable, right? :) I fall asleep thinking about sleeping in and the fun plans I have for the weekend.

Is this something you would like to be a part of? I'd love to hear from you. We are in need of people who are willing to chronicle a day in their life to post on this blog. If you are interested, please email me: modestpatterns @ sbcglobal.net (remove spaces)

Today...

I have a lot to do. Yesterday was my birthday, so I took a break from everything and spent an entire day doing fun things. Girly things. Aside from one 5-minute time to look up directions to a hair salon, I didn't get on my computer once. Nor did I do any cleaning or picking up of my house.

So today, I have a lot to do. And I don't know about you, but days like this are the kind of days I seem to get nothing done. You see, I have little "problem". And it goes like this: I start one project (like cleaning the bathroom), and before I finish it, I get thinking about how the trashes need to be emptied. Before I know it, I'm in the process of emptying the trashes. While emptying the trashes, I remember that I have to water my plants outside before it gets too hot. So I leave the trash where I am, grab a water pitcher and head outside. While I'm out watering the plants, I see the porch hasn't been swept in a while and begin working on that... And on and on the day goes.

At the end of the day, I seem to have accomplished nothing because, while I was working the entire day, not many jobs actually got completed.

But there's a solution to my problem. And on busy days like today, when it seems there are an endless amount of jobs needing to be taken care of, I resort to my list.

My trusty To Do List. Because if I can actually see in writing what needs to be done, and know that when the job is completed I can cross it off my list, then I'm much more motivated to stick with one job until it's finished.

So today, I'm sticking to my To Do List.

What about you? Do you make a list? What is on your to-do list this week?