Two years ago I had serious cardiac surgery and just didn’t feel like sewing for the holidays.  The kids understood, because they are great kids! But we all missed the tradition. So this year I’m back in sewing form.

If you have never sewed before but want to learn, try finding an adult education class in your community. I will also be doing a vlog in the future as I start sewing. The other thing you can do is get a pattern that is marked “easy to sew”. I love those patterns. They are not too fussy, usually have just a few pieces, and generally have very clear instructions.

This is a wonderful time of year to by patterns. Hancock Fabrics is having a HUGE sale on patterns. I bought McCall’s patterns last week for 99 cents each.  These usually cost $12 to $17, so that is an incredible savings. Hancock will have their Simplicity patterns on sale later this week. This is a great time to stock up!!

I have 6 granddaughters ranging in age from 2 months to 5 years. So the easiest way for me to sew the gowns for the older girls is to find one pattern that I love and then buy 3 different patterns. This allows me to have a pattern for each size. When I cut out a pattern in a size 2 for instance, I mark the front of that pattern with the size. And I keep my patterns from year to year. This year I bought 3 more of the same pattern now that I know that the girls and I love it, so I am set until the oldest one reaches size 10!

My favorite McCall’s pattern for girls is M4646.  I made 3 gowns last year and they were really easy and fit well. The girls were so pretty all twirling their new Christmas jammers.

We are fortunate enough to have 2 great discount fabric stores in Springfield. One keeps a great supply of Christmas flannels on hand year around. This allows me to buy a bit of fabric at a time. We also have Hancock Fabrics and Joann’s Fabrics in town.  Sewing isn’t necessarily less expensive than buying jammies from a discount store, but it is more fun and the kids LOVE them.

I keep a card in my purse with the amount of fabric I need for everyone so if I am out and see a great deal I am ready. Or if I have an extra buck I can grab a couple of yards of flannel. While I buy my fabric year round, I will sew all the girls’ gowns in a couple of days. My husband calls it”Nana’s sweat shop.”  It is so much easier to sew all three at the same time. You only have to learn the pattern once, but get three gowns done. Easy!!

I hope this has inspired you to get your patterns out and plan to sew a memory. It is so much fun and so rewarding. There are no sweeter words than “Thank you Nana.”  Or “Mom, can you make me some new jammies?” You bet I can!

Robin Luce Province, the Workingnana

One of the local citizens of Fair Grove used to live in Florida, and has been through hurricanes. His estimate was that the city was hit by 100 mile per hour winds. This would certainly be consistent with the idea of the duratio, where the upper jet stream winds get pulled down to the lower atmosphere.

The high school was damaged beyond repair, I suspect.  We even lost a section of the brand new bleachers that we had just put in place.  Hilltop Pizza, O’Reilly Auto, and our flea market were badly damaged.  I have included one shot of the Spanish room at Fair Grove High School.

My hat is off to Mr. Link, our Superintendent.  I want to thank him in  a very public forum for the work he did to help keep our kids safe.  I also want to thank the teachers who quickly helped to get the kids out of high school end, and into the Middle School end.  There were some scary moments, but everyone came out alive and safe.  Parents got a message from the text alert system, letting them know the school went into lock down.  Volunteers came in to help make sure all the kids got home safe.  It was true home town spirit.

Slainte,

Ray Province

Ray Province isretired mininster, and  an IT Programmer in the healthcare industry, and the owner of the Celtic Ozarkian, a website that chronicles Life in the Ozarks.  He also owns Celtic Ozark Solutions, a company that specializes in web development, SEO, and social media integration. You can  reach him at <a href=”mailto:contactus@celticozarkian.com”>contactus@celticozarkian.com</a> and @celticozarkian on Twitter.

1.)    If watching all the news about the flu is scaring you, turn it off. It is hard to watch much of the “sky is falling” coverage and not become disproportionably worried. You should be vigilant; you should not become petrified with fear.

2.)    Take care of your self, get enough sleep, and eat right, stay strong. I am adding a cup of decaf green tea to my day. If you are a vitamin kind of person, now is not the time to skip them.

3.)    If you need to sneeze, sneeze into your elbow. If you cover your mouth with your hand and then touch anything, you have spread the germs. By sneezing into your bent arm the germs are harder to spread. DO cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. When you use a tissue, be sure to throw it away immediately, and wash your hands.

4.)    Wash your hands frequently with warm water and soap. Do not use hot water as this will dry out your hands and may cause your skin to crack. Carry an alcohol based hand sanitizer to use when you can’t use soap and water. Hand washing is your first and best line of defense.

5.)    The easiest way for the flu to spread is for you to touch an infected surface and then touch your face. Keep your hands away from your face as much as possible and use your hand sanitizer before you scratch your nose or touch your face. Be careful with the hand sanitizer around your eyes, the alcohol is very irritating.

6.)    Clean your phone and cell phone frequently to keep the germs away from your face, especially if you share a phone with others.

7.)    If you are like me and have a new grandchild coming, make a hand sanitizer or two part of your “welcome home” baby gift. Keep it by the baby and become a real “momma bear” about folks washing their hands before touching the baby. Use the hand sanitizer when you are holding the baby and need a quick clean-up.

8.)    Babies and little guys are more susceptible for a variety of reasons. If you have a baby, do not take them to crowded areas (stores, church, shows) until this swine flu settles down and we know where it is going. Do not let anyone who has not washed their hands touch your baby’s hands. Baby’s put their hands to their face and in their mouths frequently. And don’t let folks kiss your baby’s face. Instead, have them kiss the back of their head if they must give them a little smooch.

9.)    If you have toddlers, be sure to clean their toys frequently. You know those things are in their mouth frequently.

10.)                        Laugh frequently. I am a big believer in laughter is the best medicine. These are stressful times. Make special opportunities to laugh. Rent a dollar comedy from Redbox, read a funny book, play fun games with the kids. I watched a Frazier re-run today, that show always made me laugh.

11.)                        Take time to do the things that restore your “soul” For me it is talking to God, just a short thank you prayer when I see something beautiful or touching, is very comforting and soul restoring. Do what works for you; it is part of keeping yourself healthy!

I hope these tips help. Take care, now go have a good rest of the day!

Nana