La Da Dee, La Da Dah

Cause she's homeless.

Sorta.

We have been trying to close on the sale of our house for the past two months, and thanks to Stank Bank of America, it looks like we'll be delayed even more.  Our buyers have been diligently trying to stay in touch with their lender to assure we were good to go for closing tomorrow, and once again, the day before closing they decide to communicate that the underwriter still needs more information.

I am so frustrated I don't even feel like sewing.

You know that's bad.

Even worse is that we've found a house we absolutely love but can't really commit to a contract since our closing is so uncertain, and I'm scared that someone else is going to snatch it out from under us while we're in limbo.

*sob*

My dh keeps telling me to think about the Serenity prayer, but I'm just not feeling it right now.  I know it's out of my hands... I've put it in the Lords' hands... but I am a gal trying to plan out the next twenty years of her life (and how to decorate for Christmas)!!  I'm a gal who is so certain about this house she's ready to order her return address stamp!

I'm praying it all works out and we can close on our old house and get a contract for the one we want our girls to grow up in.  Until then...

Of Wine and Women

I was so blessed this weekend to spend Sunday with some wonderful gals.  One of my high school friends won a wine-tasting session at an auction and invited me and six others to join her, and it was such a good time.

We first met up for a fantastic lunch at the Gristmill, where we enjoyed sitting outside in the first taste of fall weather we've had this year.   We shared monstrous onion rings as we made cracks about the name of a particular dessert that will remain our secret, but happens to rhyme with Mudge High.  *heehee*

 

(That's me in the middle, looking quite squinty-eyed!)

Then it was wine-time and we headed to Dry Comal Creek Winery.  We giggled our way through nine different wines as we swirled our glasses to capture "the full aroma of the bouquet", which wasn't always a pleasant aroma.  Being the normal chicks we are and not being wine connosieurs, it was fun to taste the wine and not take it so seriously.  And seriously, some of the wine just wasn't very good *cough* Mongrel Bastardo *cough*.  I believe Tammy said it best:  Toilet water.  Pure toilet water!

Thankfully, they provided us some stronger flavors to help wash it down.

(A little cheese and sausage with your wine perhaps?)

The best part of today was simply this:

spending some quality time with a sisterhood; some old friends, some new friends, but all wonderful women.  One of the things I love about girlfriends is that, no matter how much time has passed, a conversation can pick up like no time has passed at all.  And one of the things I love about my girlfriends is that they know who I truly am... and love me anyway.

One of the things we talked about between sips is how sometimes the people you think are your friends are the first ones to do or say something to break your spirit.  That's something I just don't understand about the female gender - why is it that women are like this in relationships (cause trust me, men don't do the two-faced thing)?  What good does it do you to break someone's heart and stomp on their feelings?  Aren't we all in this together, and isn't it our duty to each other, as sisters, to support, and love, and lift up each other?  I know I feel this way - and I know that a person who knows what being a friend is would feel this way too.

For that special newfound friend, I give you one of my favorite quotes ever:

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” ~ Dr. Seuss

Made to Match

I whipped up one of Lil Blue Boo's twirl skirts this weekend for Lil Sis from some leftover jersey knit... when it didn't ellicit the usualy happy response, I made one for her doll to wear as well!  Boy, did that change everything.  Before I knew it, they were matching... and I could see an American Girl doll obsession entering into my life in the near future.

She's still wearing that happy smile... love it!  The skirts are so quick and easy, I might be making some more matching ensembles soon.  My doll shirt definitely needs work though - it was a quick little hand-drawn pattern that needs some tweaking.  Anyone know of a good tutorial for this?

I'm actually at home today with my youngest, whose daily tummy ache turned out to be the real deal this morning.  I was almost at work when I got a call that she had showered the classroom with her breakfast.  Poor baby.  She's been fine since, fingers crossed.  Seeing as I really didn't feel well myself this morning, it's not half bad that circumstances made me stay home today.  I've been fighting off this viral respiratory crud all weekend - my voice is nearly gone... and Lil Sis thinks that's kinda funny. 

Update on School Days Jacket:  I've cut out all of the pieces for the outer jacket.  All that's left is cutting out the liner pieces and getting to work on the sewing... whee!

It's School Days Sewalong Time!

I've been looking for a sewalong for the Oliver & S school days jacket - and I found one!  Jemelia from JemJam will be hosting a sewalong beginning soon, and I can't wait!

I've already got my fabric in  - purple microfleece and a fabulous little owl print for the liner.  I'm hoping the fleece works okay, seeing as the pattern calls for using wool.  I just couldn't do wool - both for my fear of cleaning it after my three year old gets ahold of it and because, hey, I live in Texas.  Wool isn't cool, literally.

I'll start cutting out my pattern pieces tonight, and I might even begin cutting out the fabric pieces if I get a chance.  I know the sewalong hasn't started yet, but with the pace of my crafting lately, I can use the biggest head start I can get.

Plus, this weekend is the county fair - so we'll be spending some time there taking in the rides, the animals, the petting zoo, and I'm certain lots of carney treats.  (Funnel cake anyone?)

Have a great Friday!

A Sign of the Times

My kindergartener came home the other day and told me about what she learned at school that day...

Lockdown.

I listened in amazement and fear and she described to me what she and the rest of her school are supposed to do in case "a bad man comes into our school who wants to hurt us."  She told me she's learned that they have to hide in a certain place and stay very quiet so "he can't find us" and then have to stay there until the policemen say they can come out.

Wow.

Makes me want to homeschool her just thinking about it.

Makes me want to cry just thinking about the possibility. 

And the sad thing is, something like that is probably more likely to happen at a school than any of the natural disasters I remember doing drills for at her age.

Fire, Tornadoes, Bomb Threat... and let's just add in Lockdown.

Wow.

Purse Week?!

I.  Am.  So.  There.

Right after I finish a twirly skirt, a School Days jacket, some pettiskirts maybe, and, oh yeah, a scarf.

Christy from A Lemon Squeezy Home is hosting a fabulous purse contest over at her blog.  Check out the impressive list of judges and prizes - and then decide to join in the fun!

Hobos for All!

It's been a cloudy, drizzly, dreary day here in Texas... not the best situation when I need great natural light for some project pics.

*sigh*

Here's what I could get of the girl's hobo sacks:



For Lil Sis, a pale pink corduroy bag, complete with purple satin lining and ruffle.

For Big Sis, more corduroy, but in zebra print.  So fitting for my little rock star.

As you can tell, the sacks are already being well-loved, and have become the new home for all of their little treasures.

Mission accomplished, I guess.

Busy...

It has been busy around here lately, albeit not very productive on the sewing side of it.  Between school, church, dance, gymnastics, and spontaneous trips to the zoo, I'm pooped!

I did finish the girls' hobo sacks - and although they were intended to hold their dance and gymnastics paraphernalia, they seemed to have turned into their own bottomless pits!  (Hmmm... don't know where they learned that from!  Each bag holds an assortment of different things that are uniquely individual to my girls... also uniquely individual!  I'll be doing a photo shoot this weekend to show you the bags and they treasures they hold in store.

Also up this weekend - my seester is coming into town so we can do a little shopping - I need clothes terribly!  No worries though - I do plan on having a productive crafting weekend as well.  There's a scarf that needs work now that I've got another needle, some fabric waiting to be turned into skirts for the two chicks, and there are still those pettiskirts that I abandoned a while back. 

Oh - and I got in my Oliver & S pattern for the duffle jacket - whee!

It should be fun - happy Friday!

Etsy Eye Candy 9.13.10

The impending sense of fall is making me ready for all things warm and cozy and organic.  It's also making me ready for lots of browns, deep reds, and oranges.  Yum.  Enjoy this Etsy collection!

This gorgeous wristlet is from EightSeasons.  I love the mix of camel and red, and the little leather blooms?  Perfect.  Makes me want one yesterday.

I can imagine prepping for a yummy pumpkin spice cake with these handmade bowls.  They're so delish I just may eat them.  These are from LynnCardwellPottery.

I couldn't have a fall collection without a cozy scarf.  This is just... yumminess that I want to wrap around my neck even now when temps are still in the 90s!  This is from allmadewithlove.

And what else to complete the ensemble than a cute beanie from NuxieMade?  Gotta grow my hair longer...

All photos courtesy of Etsy sellers.

Candy Corn Hobo Sack!!

Do you find yourself being inspired by what other craftbloggers are doing?  I do, and sometimes it puts a kink in my project plans once I get yet another idea in my head! 

So Friday, I initially intended to just hop on over to Dana's for her Hobo Sack Tutorial so I could make the girls their own special little bags for ballet and gymnastics.  Somehow, along the way, I got distracted by everyone's fabulous fall ideas.  Even though it's still blazing hot here in Texas and technically summer hasn't ended, I've got fall fever.  Football games on Friday nights and all weekend long, the smell of cinnamon pumpkin everything, school buses everywhere... it's fall to me!

So into my head popped the idea for using Hobo sacks for Halloween trick-or-treating, and what better inspiration than candy corn?!

I pieced the different colors as Dana did with her Citrus Sack, cutting the yellow at 5 inches, the orange at 4 inches, and the white at 3 inches.

I was actually about to grab a, well, corny candy corn print to use as the liner when I saw this black gingham on a nearby rack.  Thank goodness.  I think it makes the bag...

The strap is some black jersey knit from my stash, cut freehand and then stretched so it would roll on itself.  Knit jersey is magical like that.

Lil Sis has already claimed this as her own, but seeing as I have two little chickies and one must have what the other does, I have another idea for a sack for Big Sis for Halloween. 

See how this crazy cycle happens?

Oh, and never fear.  I didn't forget my original intention for the Hobo sacks.  One particular ballerina would be quite happy to know her special request pink and purple sack is completed.

She won't find out though until a certain gymnast's sack is finished, or else all hell will break loose between the sisters.

 We can't have that now, can we?

Now, just one more piece of candy corn...

9.11

I woke up this morning like every other Saturday, not realizing what day it was... until I saw a flag flying half-mast. 

And I remembered.

I remembered back to that day - I was off work that day, my hubby (then my boyfriend) was upstairs, still asleep.  I had just taken a seat on the couch with a cup of coffee and turned on the news.

And I saw the horror that was 9-11.

The first tower was already aflame, smoke billowing through the air.  And at that moment, before my eyes as well as millions of others... I saw the other plane fly into the second tower. 

And I knew this was no horrible accident, but rather a horrible attack.

I remember it like it was yesterday, running upstairs to tell my dh that we were under attack, that someone's flown planes into the World Trade Center.  I remember watching, helpless, thousands of miles away as the towers fell and reports of other hi-jacked planes were coming in. 

I remember wanting to do something and feeling like I could do nothing as I watched the aftermath over the next few weeks.  People dead and missing... husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, children, siblings.  Survivors left behind were holding on to the thinnest thread of hope that somehow, their loved one would be found.

And we watched as that thread of hope disappeared as the smoke cleared.

Watching all of the recaps today brings back the horror and disbelief and sorrow.

And I wonder... are other people remembering?  Really remembering?  Not just looking at a half-mast flag and thinking, oh yeah it's 9-11, but reliving that day as the day that changed the America we know?

We live in a generation where patriotism is a word most people can't spell, much less define.  When veterans march in parades carrying the nation's flag, people can't be bothered to get off their cell phones or stop texting long enough to stand and honor our country and the men who protect it... or to honor all of the people lost on 9-11. 

For our generation, this is our war.

These are our people.

This is our country.

I know, for me, remembering is a good reminder of both how lucky and how vulnerable we are.  Remembering is a way to honor the many heroes who perished that day.  Remembering... is how we keep this day from becoming just another day in a history book.

Remembering... is American.

Wish I Was Crafting...

Instead, I'm trying to keep up with being a working mom of two gorgeous little chickies who keep me on my toes between school and drop-offs and lunch-packing and gymnastics and dance class.  I miss crafting.  I miss creating.  I still have so many ideas that I want to bring to reality!!

This weekend... I'm having date night. 

With Pearl.

And probably this little lady too...

photo courtesy of Bakerella

It's going to be a good weekend.  I can already tell!

Rekindling an Old Flame

I was packing up for our Labor Day weekend trip to the lake, when I got the urge to take something crafty with me just in case of downtime. (This is a rare occasion, but it has been known to happen.)  Thinking my in-laws might find me a little crazy if I brought along Pearl...I opted to return to an old love - knitting. 

I grabbed some yarn that was intended, I'm sure, to be a fabulous little sweater at some point in time... and decided it'd be just as fabulous as a scrumptious, squishy scarf.  I found a pattern from knitty that I'd adored before: the Lace Ribbon scarf, picked up some needles, and threw it all in a little bag, just in case.

Lucky me, I did manage a little downtime to get to work on the scarf this weekend while enjoying the sunshine and the cooler temperatures.  Minus a couple of dropped yarn-overs, it all came back rather quickly and naturally, like I hadn't abandoned my knitting addiction to become a sewing addict.  Of course, I'm a little rusty, so I can't knit yet as speedily as I once did, but I'm having fun.  One of the things I'd always loved about knitting is that it's portable.  Just slip your project in a bag and it goes where you go... in the car, to the lake, or just to the couch while dh is watching Project Runway the History Channel with you.

Not too shabby, considering I haven't really done much knitting in quite a while.  I was even going to start working on the scarf a little more while the girls rested this afternoon... until I discovered this.

Doh.

At least I saved the yarn over, right?!

Now, off to find some super glue and deal with one particular Big Sis who thinks I don't know she's been out of bed instead of resting...

Anyone Up for a School Days Jacket Sewalong?

Ever since Chris posted about Mini Boden and started making her own little Boden knockoffs... I've been obsessing over the School Days Jacket from oliver & s. 

photo courtesy of oliver & s

Is that not the cutest thing ever?  I would love making these for the girls for this fall/winter.  Anyone care to join me??