January 12, 2007 8:08 PM
Apron Power! 9 more contest entries 35-43
Praise God for naptime! Once I put an apron on in the kitchen, I usually wear it all day- so this is me "taking a break" with a book and a cup o' chai. I feel so feminine when I wear this one, it is my prettiest (thanks, mom!). Thanks, Barbara!Bonnie in Tucson
Hi Barbara, I am sending my entry for the apron power contest. My two daughters, 4 ½ and 2 ½, are wearing the aprons I made for them after being inspired by your contest. I only recently began wearing aprons myself, and it was not until I saw your blog on aprons that I realized I felt the same way when I wore them—feminine and ready to work! Soon I want to make myself an apron like the ones the girls are wearing (only a different material J ). This is all I have been able to find where we live. The girls love to help me in the kitchen, and are my chief stirrers and putter-inners. (Oh, did I also mention my chief mess-makers? ;-) My oldest, Rebekah, is washing the dishes in this picture. She does a great job, and is helping me more every day. Hannah mostly likes to stir the ingredients and play in the flour. They have watched me in the kitchen from the time they were old enough to sit on the counter. My hope is that one day they will put aprons on their little girls and teach them how to cook. I have a 10-month old son as well, and while he is too young to help, he sure does like to watch everything his mommy and sisters are doing, and he “sings” along with us while we work. We serve in a foreign country, and so I am not close (physically) to good fellowship. I am so thankful to be able to find encouragement and inspiration from your blog as well as others. (As a side-note, you are very close to where I am originally from in Virginia, so when you make comments about where you live, I can usually picture what you are talking about. It’s nice to hear news from home from time to time.) I know I inserted 2 pictures, but I wanted to send one of my son, Isaac. He is appropriately named, because he makes us laugh all the time! Thank you for all the help and encouragement to be the best mommy I can be for God’s glory.Sincerely,
Sarah
Barbara,I love this contest, it is so great to see so many women wearing aprons in their day to day lives. I also rejoice that one of your rules is that it be feminine. I love wearing aprons and was blessed with a box of about twenty or so from a customer of my husband's whose wife had passed away, many of them are fifties style and cover only from the waist down about a foot or so. I love this one that was amongst them at this time because I am pregnant and a little bit clumsy and I need all the coverage I can get, especially with an ever expanding belly. I hope that this contest encourages women to rejoice in there calling, " to love their husbands, to love their children, and to be busy at home." It's amazing that a little thing such as an apron can help us to do those things.
Rebecca Williams
Apron Strings It is by the strings of aprons that my past, present and future combine to make sense. My aprons bring all my parts together.
I remember well both of my Grandmothers wearing aprons. They were a sign post that a warm and delicious family function was about to occur. At the age of 9 I left those women behind, but the visions remained. I grew up in a third world country where I stood painfully out as an American no matter how much my inside was not. I then returned to America at 18, looking every bit the part of an American teenager, but feeling completely foreign. Through it all, the aprons were the same.
I never found one professional niche as an adult, but several. I always needed flux and change.
My gardening apron used to be a pretty mauve shade. Now it is smeared with dirt. It’s all pockets that overflow with tools, twine, gloves and the unmistakable perfume of sweet earth.
The crisp long formal white catering apron is more like a costume than a functioning piece of clothing. It mustn’t show even a single mark of food, neither smudge nor stain. The evidence of the labor is on my home apron. The one always left behind.
It is these home aprons, the pretty ones, the colorful ones that show a true history of life in their fabrics. The special meals tenderly attended to with great detail for those I love. My favorite is one sewn and given by my dear friend Hannah. Simple in design, it pins to my shirt and ties in back. It is like a warm embrace allowing love to pour from my heart into my hands. I always wear it when cooking and serving at funerals- my only gift to comfort the bodies of those whose hearts are grieving.
Even when teaching ballet, my wrap skirt is much like an apron. I am not ready to dance until it is tied around my waist. The graceful georgette reminds me of who I am and what I want to be.
In my mind’s eye I see my ideal apron, which I have yet to own. It will be pink calico with a long full skirt and rows of pin tucks. The shoulder straps will be deeply ruffled. I see it as clearly as the person that I want to be when I wear it: feminine, yes, but much more. More gentle, more loving, more graceful, more sweet, more a reflection of Christ.
The humble piece of cloth that unites my life- my past, my present and my future is not tied with a terse knot, but with a beautiful bow.
Greta
Missoula, Montana
I'm wearing this vintage apron while the family polishes silver for the holidays. I started buying aprons as a young woman, about the same time I began picking up silver for my own "hope chest." Even then, I was dreaming of a happy family, with all the gracious trappings of home. I'm still thrilled to find a grandmother's aprons selling for a quarter. That's okay--one day they'll be MY children's heirlooms!We didn't all grow up with silver spoons, dinner around a table, and two-parent households. That shouldn't stop us from celebrating domestic touches with our own children. Donning a flowery apron makes me feel like I've done this all along.
Meredith
Like Merchant Ships
Here are our useless, but lovely aprons. These two aprons along with a couple of other vintage aprons were in a box of fabric that was donated to our quilter's guild. Pictured is my oldest daughter, Olivia (16), and myself. We will be hosting a book study at our this coming Monday night (Biblical Womanhood in the Home), I think we will wear these to serve our guest in...not much else you can dop in them! :o)Blessings,
· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:-Kathy
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*
The wee chef on the right is wearing a paper apron (and hat) she received as party favors at a recent birthday party. The second wee chef in pink is wearing a smock my mom made for her. I love it because the ties are in the back(she needs my help to take it off) and it covers most of her body. This wee chef enjoys watching Rachel Ray at Grandma's house. She will often bake "fresh French loaves" for me! The next,um not so wee chef, is me. I am sporting my Edwardian apron. Let me count the ways I love thee, 1) I mastered homemade bias tape during this sewing project 2) It covers all of me! Really protecting my clothes 3) I instantly find myself speaking softer once I don it 4) I can wear my pj's under it and still answer the door! Next in the lineup is our faithful floor sweeper. Juliet (the dog) is enduring wearing one of the smocks my mom made. The dog handler and pancake chef wonder, is wearing a gardening apron my mom made me. I think the pancake chef likes to wear it because it is her mom's and I almost cry everytime I see her in it. (She really has grown way too fast!) We really love aprons around here. They are super functional and super-de-dooper FUN!
I collect old and antique aprons. I enjoy wearing them and letting them do the duty they were designed to do. This is a picture of me and my 3 yo son. He calls this his apron. He will rush to grab it when he "helps" in the kitchen or when he eats breakfast on Sunday morning. All the little guys tie the aprons around their neck on Sunday morning after getting dressed for church as a bib. I didn't send the picture of the one with him with it over his head like Susanna Wesley praying. He does that often...so cute.Thanks,
Christi
Here's my apron, handmade to match my kitchen. The neatest part is the woman who made it for me...Shannon from Rocks In My Dryer!~Jules~
Everyday Mommy
Contest closes in three hours!
Posted in Apron Power! | Permalink
Comments
Oooh! Does anyone know where I can get one like Rebecca's (#37)? I love that one!
Posted by: Michelle | January 13, 2007 5:50 PM
Seeing Greta (#38) with the sun in her hair reminds me of my wife on our wedding day. It also reminds me of my wife as she is today. People say she wears the sunshine on her face. That must be true, as we've had many, many sunny days together. Even on the rainy ones.
Posted by: C. T. Ou | January 14, 2007 12:07 AM
