Finding our Normal

It's been an interesting last week and now, half-way through the next, the time "before" seems at once long ago and yet just yesterday. Crazy how fast things change. But you know what? I like that things can change quickly. I like that people, as a whole, can come together and make these changes to protect our loved ones and ourselves. I like that we can accept the advice of scientists and doctors and the leadership of our governor without too much fuss and complaint. Yes, there are always those who will rebel but, in general, everyone is doing their part. And I find that to be such a beautiful thing, and a hopeful one.

The girls helped me switch out our St. Patricks Day decorations for a little Easter themed mantle decor.
These are mostly from the dollar section at the Dollar Store but it made them happy! I don't decorate for the seasons much but we do like to decorate our mantle. :D

We've been at home for a while now. I have gone out a few times to get some needed supplies or groceries but thankfully the big boys are old enough to watch the little ones at home, so they need not go out and potentially carry something to others, or bring something home. Most places of business have shut down, except the dollar store and gas station. The village public buildings are closed. The police force here has sent out a notice that they will mostly be responding by phone, visiting in-person only for serious crimes. The post office remains open and remains a very busy place. Here in town there is no house delivery so everyone has a PO box. The local pizza place has drastically reduced their hours for carry-out only. Our village cafe is carry out only, but I think everyone is doing an awesome job making sure to place orders for lunches, to make sure our little restaurant stays open!

The kids decorated a large banner to hang on our front porch. 

Our village facebook page is abuzz with conversation and encouragement. Over the weekend one lady had the fun idea of putting out a bear on the front porch. People still talk walks and she thought that having a "bear hunt" for little ones to do during a walk would be a lot of fun! This idea has really taken off and the lastest update on the facebook page says the count of bears around town is well over 100 so far! 

We put this up on the porch along with a big white teddy bear, a monkey, and as of today a snake and frog and turtle. :D

We have settled into a routine of housework and schoolwork and play time. The kids received work packets from school and besides their few pages of work each day, they are also doing the free lessons Scholastic has put out for the different grades. They are practicing math with Kahn academy, watching the Cincinnati zoo livestream in the afternoon, classes from Think Indigenous on Facebook, spelling and reading with Lexiacore5 and journaling and reading with me each day. We have  been having a lot of fun! I almost feel guilty feeling so happy with  my kids home. I am glad we can enjoy this time together. Today, our legislature votes on whether or not school will resume at all before next school year. I feel that even if we do not have school any more this spring we can get along ok here at home, at least for a little while. I am so overwhelmed and amazed at all the resources so many teachers, museums, educational centers and curriculum sites are sharing - the whole world is coming together to help educate our kids and it is something that has moved me to tears. 

I haven't had much time or heart for sewing lately. This week, the latest thing going about in the sewist community is mask-making. This is a difficult subject since unless we use proper materials, homemade masks are at best ineffective and at worse a health hazard. I'm trying to learn more about this issue so that if I can help, I will be able to. Check out the video on the @burnleyandtrowbridge Instagram for a practical look at homemade masks. 

Last week I made more progress on the girls flower girl dresses. I think they are turning out so sweet! 

Today I finally bought (re bought?) the Sense and Sensibility Regency Gown pattern. This was one of my first historical patterns EVER, back in the early 2000's. I made so many cotton calico regency gowns and wore them to death - dare I say, exclusively? - in my teens. My paper pattern disintegrated long ago so I finally bought the e-pattern version and printed it out today. I already have a paper copy of the Girls Regency Dress pattern. 

I haven't made Easter dresses for years. I think since Anne was a baby? While it is hard to sit down and get really into a sewing mood right now, it is comforting and satisfying to plan a project for me and the girls, using materials I've known since I started sewing and patterns I'm so familiar with I could sew them up in my sleep. I got some calico at Wal-Mart and, well, we will rock the throwback c. 2002 cotton calico regency gown look. 😁 The pink is for Rose, the yellow for Anne and the grey for me. They will be nice for Easter and, in theory, can work for any rendezvous type event that isn't  too history-heavy. 

I hope you all are doing ok, wherever you are in the world. While we shelter, may we nurture. While we wait, may we cultivate hope and emerge from this a better person, a gentler person, with a greater love for everyone everywhere in the world. 

Love,

Sarah