Sew Good Goods

Combine a traditional skill, socializing, and compassionate giving and you get Sew Good Goods.

Sew Good Goods is a Twin Cities based non-profit organization that provides materials and instructions to any individual or group who wishes to sew bibs, receiving blankets, or pillowcases. These are then collected and distributed to those in need, both locally and abroad.

Whether you are a novice or expert sewer or somewhere in between, you can participate in creating beautiful items for children around the world to enjoy. We take for granted the mile high shelves and dozens of aisles of baby items of every shape and size begging to be purchased at Babies R Us. We register at multiple locations for the perfect matching baby items to complete our nurseries. We pack our bags in advance for the hospital stay with a cute take-the-baby-home outfit, nuks, blankets, burp cloths, etc. We buy, accumulate, donate, pass on, replace, cherish, and store bins and more bins of items to clothe and comfort our little ones.

In some places, mothers don't bring even a blanket to wrap up their newborn - apparently it is considered bad luck to come prepared in that way.

Sew Good Goods provides the opportunity for young and old to sew and donate items to those in need.

All you do is ask for a "kit". You can request to sew bibs, blankets, or pillowcases. Each kit comes with easy to follow instructions, material (some pre-cut), and thread. You provide the time, a sewing machine, and skill.

This is a great activity for one to just have on hand and do in those spare moments, or it can be a fun group activity for a birthday party or service project. There is no requirement for how it comes together - you can decide the timing and who helps get it done.

I have made pillowcases and blankets so far and each of my kids has helped in some fashion. Even a little help with ironing counts!

Sew Good Goods has also hosted mitten/scarf making events and a children's birthday party at which the guests made one pillowcase to donate and one to keep.

Follow them on facebook and check our their website for more information!

Giving through sewing is a wonderful experience!

SPRINGing Into Action

That's one small step for kid.

One giant leap for kid-kind.

Today was the day. Our official start to spring is here.

For some it is March 20.

For others, the first sign of a robin.

For some die hard, desperate and delusional  fans, it is the Twins Home Opener.

For us, it is the set up of the trampoline.

And this year, little hands made light work.

Let the good times roll.

April Snow Day

Look what Ol' Man Winter brought us over night!

Could barely open the back door this morning.

I have my shoveling work cut out for me. But today I have an extra helper - school called off again.

Gorgeous morning!

Vacation: His Version

This blog entry was meant to be posted weeks ago - just behind my Florida getaway post.

Life happened in between. Some serious back issues, to be exact.

It hasn't been the same since this trip.

I rarely "put my foot down" in our marriage. But this once I think I have a point.

If you camp next Winter, please bring a dog to drag that massive sled with all your gear. Or hire a sherpa. If it works in the Himalayas, it will work in the Boundary Waters. I am sure you can find some hungry college kid who doesn't mind sleeping in 0 degree weather, waking to dog slobber on the face and unidentified debris in his drinking water. If he doesn't jump at the chance, sell him on the scenery, the company and the sauna waiting for him on the last night.

Trying to wrap my mind around how one wraps his mouth around this. Looks delicious!

Enriching Dinner Conversation

Here is the second part of the sharing I gave at a recent retreat for women in the People of Praise.

Secondly (and on a somewhat lighter note), I'd like to share one way we have enriched our family dinners together.

One of the points of attraction for me to this life is that I have brothers and sisters in Christ all over the country with whom I can share a Lord's day with, or pray for from a distance, or celebrate a wedding with and it seems completely natural and normal to do so. I have been fortunate to visit branches and form friendships over the years.

One desire I have as a mom is to help my daughters see more of the richness of our life and the breadth of the body. So, if they choose to live this particular life as adults, they'll at least have some more knowledge of it beyond what they see at our area and overall gatherings and what they experience in youth group and at Servant Camp.

Along with that, Ben and I have been thinking about what it takes to have good conversation together. We make it a priority to eat together every night. Yes, we are entering that phase of life where extra-curricular activities compete with dinner time, but we limit those extra activities so we can spend quality time together around our table most nights of the week.

Typical conversation tends to fall back on reports from the day. These conversations are sometimes lively and fruitful. One cool thing about these last two years is that all our girls are studying the same period in their history class. It has been a gift to hear them respond to each other and recognize what the others are talking about. But, these conversations can also be stale and sometimes we just need to break up the routine.

So, to create another starting point for conversation I talked with Ben about us reading aloud some of the articles from Vine and Branches while we ate. Vine and Branches is a People of Praise magazine published a few times each year and distributed to all members of the community.

I have taken it for granted that leaving the magazine out in plain sight will be picked up and read by all of us. It just doesn't happen. Occasionally we also receive an email with a special news item or announcement from the central office….but these aren't visible to our kids. There are many amazing stories our girls just aren't aware of that are happening all over in POP.

So on a weekly basis, I bring an issue to the table and read an article as we eat. The storytelling and pictures bring a vividness to the lives of others and a familiarity with all the people and works of all the branches. It awakens the imagination of our girls – Look what God is up to across the country!

What we appreciate about V&B is the articles are short and easy to read aloud, they are well written, there are pictures, they are Christ-centered, and they cover a variety of topics (art, music, evangelism, technology, summer camps, caring for the sick and elderly, etc.)

Even the tributes to people who have died is inspiring and gives us something to talk more about.

We've enjoyed learning about:

• “writing” icons from Kati Ritchie. In fact, we are making a trip to Colorado this summer and I hope we can see some of her work up close at a church in Denver.

• Kay Keller her life-long ordeal with cerebral palsy; amazingly, she lived to be 72 because brothers and sisters in the Appleton branch loved her and cared for her. Kay was even blessed to have teenage girls from the Appleton branch worked with her in her home. What a witness to us!

One evening I brought my Samsung tablet to the table to read the email news item of Peter Smith's appointment as auxiliary bishop to Portland. My daughter remarked, “He's from Africa? He doesn't look African.” This led to a discussion about South Africa.

The stories from V&B have brought a new spark and life to our quality family time together. They inspire storytelling, like me sharing memories of Kati living with me when I was growing up. They have opened our eyes to some of the real issues in our neighborhoods and the world and how members of the POP are responding and laying down their lives. There is both an enjoyment in reading V&B and a seriousness that we can't ignore. Our girls are poised to know and see one way how God is moving in the world.

We don't intend to keep this effort just related to community topics, but it has been a good place to start. I can see this spilling over into world events as someone may bring an article or story from another source to the table. For now, this is what works. It's not too structured or with too lofty expectations. Like our family prayer, it's us. The motivation comes from recognizing what is important to us and what is a good way to live it out in our home.

In these areas of family life we've just decided to dive in and our home life is the better for it.

To read a recent issue, of Vine and Branches, click on a cover image below.