Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I Made Maddie a Dress.

I made this dress for Maddie.  I LOVE the fabric.  I first used this fabric in the apron I made my mom for Christmas and just loved it so much that I decided it would be perfect for this little girl dress.  It's pretty with roses but 100% cotton so it will be cool for summer and washable.  I went back to the store to buy it and it was in the clearance pile so I bought a couple yards of it. What should I do with the rest make myself a shirt or a crochet hook case?  I can't decide.



Any way back to the dress.  It was super fun sewing for a little girl and it went pretty well.  I ran into one snag it was too tight in the bodice so either the pattern is off or she grew after I measured her.  I cut into the seam and added a little piece of fabric on both sides that I cut "on the bias" to give it a little stretch and give.  Hopefully it will fit her for a little while.  When she tried it on so I could hem it she, of course wanted to see.  So I lifted her down from the chair and she danced to the mirror where Hunter saw her and said with awe, "Maddie you look very pretty, like a princess." I wanted to laugh, cry, and clap all at once, Honestly could they be any cuter?  I think it's the kind of dress she can just wear and play in but she could also wear it out and maybe even to church.  I love how cool and breezy it looks.  I want one to wear when it gets super hot.



And the best part is... I made a matching dress for her Bitty Baby!!  I mean what little girl wouldn't want to match her doll?  I don't have a picture of her doll in the dress because it was a birthday present for her but I was pretty happy with that too seeing as how I had to make it with out a pattern.  If we're keeping track sewing for a little girl is super super fun way more fun then sewing for a chubby me!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

I Made a Dress.

I made this dress.  I had a vision in my head.  I picked out the fabric.  I cut out the pattern.  I painstakingly transfered all markings from the pattern onto the fabric and cut out the pieces.  I worked on this dress for a long time.

    
It is cherries and pink checks.  It is a homage to summer time as a little girl.  It even matches this necklace I made out of vintage buttons, this dress was sewn very well and looks so good on the dress form.


This dress looks terrible on me.  I am not being picky or sensitive, it really truly, looks horrific on me!
Maybe Megan can do something to help it.  Maybe it will look good on my pregnant sister (since that is what it does make one look pregnant), maybe it was a bad idea and I should stop wasting time sewing dresses for myself.  Maybe I need to put away the sewing machine and do some actual laundry, and cooking and cleaning.  Maybe... On the other hand I do have a great idea for a little dress for Maddie...

Saturday, April 17, 2010

The Ice Cream Man.

It's been so amazingly warm here!  I wonder if the neighbor knows how much I love his trees.

I don't remember ever going to get ice cream from the ice cream man as a kid and as an adult it seems silly to me, you could buy an entire box of frozen treats for the cost of one off the truck.  Maybe if you could get soft serve off of one, like on TV but in real life it is super hard ice cream on a stick.  But it's been so nice here and Hunter has had the experience at Carla's so he gets very excited and Brian is from Toledo so he has a long term relationship with the ice cream man and well I broke down and let them get some and let me just say I have never seen Hunter so excited in all my days I will have reign myself in or he'll be getting ice cream three times a day!!



When Hunter hears the ice cream truck coming down the road he gets more excited then any thing.  He thinks that the ice cream man decides where to stop so it's always a gamble will he stop to give us ice cream or won't he, the hope and expectation is palpable.  So if he drives by our house he says "oh they didn't stop" a little disappointed but a good sport.  But if we take him to the ice cream man and he stops, OH HAPPY DAY!!!  He literally skips and hops all the way squealing with delight.  If he hears him coming down the road he will run to the window jumping with glee.  And since we've gone to the ice cream man he now plays "ice cream truck" with all of his trucks and his bike bringing me dirty sand box toys to lick.



Conner also loves ice cream, and as you can see it's serious business.


That first bite is the best.



Conner loves ice cream more then muffins and that's a lot.



Isn't summer weather the best?



Long days, cool evenings, ice cream with the three best boys in the entire world; this is the life!



Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Weekend Away

Ahhh shopping is there any thing more fun?


Megan and Sarah and our urban chick food.  Aren't they beauties?  

My fancy food. What is that green stuff on the side any way?

I spent the weekend in Grand Rapids with two amazing women!!  My friends Megan, and Sarah are wonderful they know me so well and I them that we can be ourselves and silly and serious.  We've all been friends since sixth grade (Megan and Sarah even longer) we grew up with in a bike ride from each other and spent all of our time at each others homes.  Even after I moved we stayed friends and though we lost touch for a time God saw it fit to bring us back into each others lives.  They road tripped it to my wedding and Megan and I rode tripped it up to Sarah's.  The three of us get together at least twice a year and this time it was kid free (thanks to my amazing husband).

We shopped most of the day in this really cute part of Grand Rapids that has all these little down town shops and we stumbled upon, in my opinion, a really nice antiques shop where I bought a pari of embroidered pillow cases, two hankies, and a cookbook from the fifties "How to Cook with Children".  It was perfect as I love linens and old cook books because the illustrations are so fun.  We also spent some time in the mall where I had the best bra fitting of my life.  Just FYI it was Macey's and they were soooo helpful (not in that annoying way but a good way) way better then any help I've received at Victoria's Secret (what about her is actually a secret any way?).  They really were knowledgeable about sizes and the fit.  I am embarrassed to say that I am a size I didn't know existed, one that requires specialty not-on-sale bras (but she still found me a lacy one and some matching undies) good news is if I'm ever in a plane crash I can just whip off my bra and use it as a parachute!

I tried a martini for the first time and sushi.  We were at this upscale bar/restaurant the type of place Brian and I would be too nervous to go but Megan had been there before so she took the lead and it was really fun.  Why am I such a wimp any way?  I hate being some where and not knowing what's expected even a restaurant but you can really miss out on stuff with this attitude which is why I am glad that I have friends who are brave.  Any way I had veggie sushi and it was good I did try the girls which had raw fish and it was ok but the texture was too much for me.  The martini was excellent I've always shied away from them because they seem like they would be dry but I had a pomegranate blueberry one and it was a perfect balance of sweet and warm.

We stayed up late laughing, talking about kids, pets, loneliness... everything that friends should be able to talk about with out the worry of hurt feelings or being told on.  I know that every woman has many sides and roles to her but, for me, to have friends who don't know you as: mom, wife, or pastors wife is really good for the soul, to be able to just be.  Thank you Megan and Sarah for not only a good time but a healing one as well.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

So I got my hair done today and I don't think I like it.  You should know that whenever I get my hair or make up done I don't think I like it.  I have this problem where I don't like the way I look but I don't like it when I look different; in fact it really stresses me out makes me wonder "is this me?" "am I posing?" and when the hair dresser asks me if I like it all happy and expectant I can NEVER tell the truth I always smile an squeak "Oh it looks great I'm really happy."

The real problem is that I'm not very stylish.  I don't know why because I love fashion, I love to look at patterns pick out material and sew, I think my house is decorated very nicely but when it comes to me it all just falls flat.  I own very little make up and don't wear it when I'm at home at all (I don't even own an eye liner pencil although I have considered getting one) my hair blah, my body blah (this is my own fault and I am working on it) my own clothes worn out and blah blah blah.  I just can't seem to get it together weird thing is I don't remember having this problem in high school and even college it's like I had kids and bam worn out frumpy mom syndrome hit me hard.  Maybe it's partly because during those times my mom was by my side helping me to shop and choose and I was constantly surrounded by girlfriends.  Also I'm older not as in shape and don't have the time or spending money like I used to but still seems like I could do something more.  My wonderful husband thinks I'm cute and doesn't mind but I do-- I mind.

So what do I do?  I'm working on sewing a new dress although today instead of sewing I made cookies, and dinner rolls and folded clothes (I find sewing for myself to be way less fun then for kids and little girls and am very good at procrastinating) this weekend I'm hoping to pick up a few new things like bras, shoes and maybe shirts but I'm not sure it's really going to make a difference especially with this weird new do I'm sporting.

I'll tell you one thing for sure, when I get that big publishing deal and have to have jacket cover photos taken and go on that book tour I am going to have to have a stylist; someone that doesn't dress me like them or the hippest thing but dresses me like the best version of myself.

Monday, April 5, 2010


So easter has come and gone and I thought I'd share some pictures from the season.  One funny story though; we had our neighbors over for Easter lunch and it was so laid back and nice.  I set my papa's table with my old flowery table clothes and it was very nice but I decided that I wanted to make rolls from scratch.  Now, how I do this at christmas time with my sticky buns is to do everything the night before including the rising time and bake them in the morning so that is what I decided to do for  these rolls... only it didn't work when I took them out of the fridge the next day they had completely deflated!  They were very small and very dense, oh well now I know dinner rolls must be baked the same day which is probably why they are made for dinner that is the only meal in which they can be ready in time.  Hope you had a blessed Easter!