It's November 2021 and time for an update - I'm leaving the old intro below. It's all still true with a few alterations. I've now been married to Coty for almost 42 years. I still have six children who have spread out all over the country and beyond, and 7 grandchildren (3 girls and 4 boys), also far-flung.
I retired at the end of May, 2021 from my role as Director of Sewing Programs at Project 658. The refugee sewing collective, Make Welcome, grew into an established sewing training program and small business. I shepherded its growth from 2016 til I retired, and worked with an incredible team of dedicated volunteers and over 50 refugee and immigrant students in a wide range of classes. I continue to teach there once a week, now as a volunteer!
Garment making is my main sewing love. The old "dining room that never was"/homeschool room is now Sew and Row Studio, because it houses my sewing and rowing machines and is, as granddaughter, Clara, painted on a little sign, my Home Sweet Studio. It is one of my happy places. I still make quilts occasionally. Knitting has taken a back seat, but as the weather cools this fall, I'm itching to get my needles back out. I like pattern testing and sewing for family.
I've added Turkey to the list of countries I've visited. I did finish that sprint triathlon in 2015 and I still sit on the porch and listen to cicadas and owls.
If you're new here, welcome. If you remember the old blogging days and have decided to return to something a little slower and more long form without the quick clicks, video reels and scrolling, welcome back. You'll find a mix of sewing, gardening, food, walking and other fitness and outdoor related adventures, thoughts on aging, and maybe a book recommendation here and there.
Thanks for visiting,
beth p. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One Sunday evening, a very long time ago, I sat in a little white New England church and listened to my friends tell stories about how God had led them in life. The evening was called an "Ebenezer Night," referring to 1 Samuel 7:12:
"Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us."I have never forgotten that evening. This space, ebenezer stories, is my storytelling evening in the old white church. In mostly mundane and occasionally momentous ways, God has continued to lead and help. Hitherto ... to this very place and time.
These words guide my writing and speaking:
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Colossians 4:6I hope that you find the words here gracious, seasoned with the salt of Christ.
What else...
I have been married to Coty for 35 years. I am mother to a daughter and five sons. My daughter and three of my sons are married. I am Gramma to one granddaughter and two grandsons. Our youngest went to college in the fall of 2013. I'm still getting used to that empty nest. Some days I love it. Some days, it's way too quiet.
The journey of homeschooling six children spanned 27 years. It was a privilege. I've written a few things about it here.
I love many things: sewing, gardening, quilting, knitting, cooking, reading, cycling, swimming, walking, birds.
In September of 2012, I competed in my first triathlon. Training stretched me far past what I thought I could ever do. You can read all the triathlon posts here. I'm looking forward to my second triathlon in the spring of 2015.
In the summer of 2013, I joined with some very talented, Christ-centered women to start Make Welcome, an art collective for refugee women. I teach sewing skills. You can read more about it here.
I enjoy having a house full of people who feel at home and don't mind emptying the dishwasher. If that full house includes all of my far-flung children and grandchildren ... even better.
I am also very happy sitting alone on my screen porch at night with a candle, listening to the cicadas and the barred owls.
I live in the South. I used to live in New England. Before that, I lived in Africa - three different times and two different countries, Kenya and Cameroon. I've traveled to China, India, and Bolivia in recent years. I'm thankful for those opportunities to travel abroad, but also quite content now to be the home port for family and friends from around the country and the world.
Thanks for reading,
beth p.
2015
