I recently completed another sewing project. My friend Nell is expecting triplets – two girls and a boy! I wanted to make something special for her baby shower. When I saw this “Easiest Onesie Dress Ever!” tutorial on Pinterest, I knew it was the ticket. Since Nell is a proud Auburn alumna, I decided her team colors would be perfect for the skirts. (Bama fans, you have permission to avert your eyes. :))
I completed the onesie dresses in one evening, and enjoyed myself, but learned two important things:
1. Gerber onesies from Target run really small, so get a size up if you want the item to be worn at a specific time/age.
2. To make a onesie dress wearable for longer, you should sew in an elastic waistband. The tutorial did not mention this. I only found a brief suggestion of it in the comments, after my mom informed me that I should have put one in. Apparently a “real” sewist would instinctively know this, but I’m an amateur, and I didn’t want to start over and possibly be unable to do it right a second time. The dresses will still work.
After more Pinterest research, I decided to make a matching tie onesie for the boy. Ironically, this simple applique job was more difficult than making the dresses. I struggled with this necktie tutorial for a while, then tried this one. I just couldn’t get the “knot” onto the collar of the onesie without jamming my sewing machine and creating a huge mess, and the interfacing confused me. In desperation, the night before the baby shower, I cut out a basic bow tie shape and sewed it onto one of my spare onesies. It looked cute, but the edges started fraying almost immediately. I decided the whole gift would have to wait until I could finish it right. So, the next week, I whipped out this basic bow tie in five minutes! Definitely the way to go in the future.
Since I had extra time and fabric, I also made a couple of burp cloths from this tutorial. It was really easy! I’d definitely make these again. I had already bought flannel backing for cloths, so I didn’t use a towel like she did, but that would make it even more convenient.
I think Nell really liked the outfits, and I hope the babies like them too! :) Looking forward to meeting you, A, B, and C!
4 Comments + Posted in: crafts
For the second year in a row, I spent Thanksgiving with my sister’s in-laws in north Alabama! My dad and brother go deer hunting every Thanksgiving, a tradition that led to the total splitting up of our family on the holiday. Rather than go to Miami with my mom for the entire long weekend, I enjoy being with Debra and Lance (and now my niece!), then spending the rest of the weekend at home. Lance’s family is wonderful and very welcoming. I have a great time with them.
I’ve mentioned that my late grandma used to make a signature dessert for us kids, Church Windows. Thanksgiving was always prime Church Window time, so Debra and I made a batch to be enjoyed by all. (After all that experimentation, all we needed was almond bark and fruit-flavored mini-marshmallows.) We went to TWO Thanksgiving dinners and still had some left over.
Niecy will be seven months old next week. She’s sitting up, eating a variety of solid foods, and “talking” up a storm (no real words yet, though). She was her usual sunny self for her first Thanksgiving!
I bond with several of Lance’s relatives over plants and gardening, and his Nanny gave me a bunch of wisteria seed pods. I love wisteria… can anyone tell me what to do with it? :) I know it needs something to climb. I think the seed pods are beautiful in themselves. If I was a woman of the forest, I would string one up as a pendant necklace.
Before heading to our respective homes on Friday, we ladies went to the park. Niecy took her first trip down a slide (in Debra’s lap, of course) and seemed to like it.
Right after getting home from Alabama, I went to Myla’s birthday party (her actual birthday is today!). We ate Korean food and sang karaoke far into the night. It was awesome and I had a BLAST, but couldn’t do much more than shout-sing, due to annoying sinus crud that’s still hanging on. We need to go again sometime when I have a voice. :)
Due to feeling bad, I spent the rest of the weekend at home, only venturing out for church and a Kroger run. I watched most of the Star Wars marathon on Spike and bits and pieces of all the important football games, and cleaned out my DVR. It’s hard for me to take it easy to that degree, but I do feel rested and improved today. I still sound awful, though. Hopefully I’m getting this out of the way now and won’t be sick during December!
Thanksgiving has arrived at a good time for me this year. I really need to focus more on what I have instead of what I don’t have. So here are a few things I’m thankful for.
– My family – my parents, siblings, and little niece, who has already changed our family for the better in so many ways!
– My two cats. They’re great companions and bring me so much joy and comfort.
– My wonderful friends. When I’m in one of my defensive, lone wolf moods, it helps to know that I have true friends in every corner of my life who can be counted on to have my back, walk alongside me, and challenge me if necessary. I am really embarrassingly blessed in this area.
– My beautiful home that’s just the way I like it!
– My church community. It’s not perfect, but it’s what I’ve been looking for all my life.
– My city, with its great food, great basketball, and great soul.
– The ability to financially support myself comfortably.
– My beautiful, reliable car!
– Living in an era of vision correction.
– The fitness room at my office, without which I would struggle to get enough exercise.
– The fact that even though the days are short right now, they WILL get long again.
– The heating pad on my mattress. Greatest invention ever. I would be miserable in the colder months without it.
– My freedom. I don’t have to “submit” my life to anyone but God, or put up with any tomfoolery.
– My availability to spontaneously spend time with friends and help people.
– Libraries.
– Shoes.
– My upcoming staycation on Christmas week. I am looking forward to it as a man in the desert looks forward to an oasis.
And finally, my blog readers! Thank you all for taking the time to read. It means a lot to me to know that someone is out there. I hope you all have wonderful Thanksgivings!
2 Comments + Posted in: celebrate, fall
It seems that this year, Thanksgiving has officially crossed over to a new status as Black Friday Eve. The sheer quantity of commercials, proclaiming Black Friday as “the day we wait for all year!” and ignoring the actual holiday completely, make me feel ill. Especially since Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I haven’t “done” Black Friday in years – I’ve become a huge fan of hitting the online sales in my PJs, finishing my Christmas shopping in an hour without any stress or violence, and then getting back to relaxing and time with loved ones.
I realize how ironic it is to spout off against materialism at the top of a post of pretty fashion links. Anyway, after taking out my winter clothes, I’ve identified some holes in my wardrobe. But while I will be checking for deals on the below items, they aren’t my priority this weekend!
(For unexplained reasons, I can’t resize most of these images. Have I mentioned how annoying the “new Blogger” is?)
I’ve been wearing the same two pairs of $10 Target flats for several years, and while they’re still cute, they’re not supportive at all. My feet can feel every bump in the concrete. I’d like a cushier pair in an animal print.
For at least a year I’ve been considering some gray Chucks, and I think it’s finally time. They’ll go with everything. I’m on a huge gray kick right now.
Speaking of, I saw this pale gray dress at Banana Republic and it was love at first sight. In person it has tiny, subtle silver sparkles, making it perfect for the holidays. Sadly, I can’t justify spending $130 on a dress unless it’s for a REALLY good reason. I was afraid to even try it on, which probably means that when I finally do so months from now, it won’t look good on me and all my longing will be for naught.
I spotted this sequined skirt on Wardrobe Oxygen! Not practical, but very fun.
This cute, versatile dress is down to $17.99 on The Limited’s website! But only in medium. It figures.
I could probably approximate this with a Target sweater and some creativity. Maybe a project for my Christmas break.
I discovered Marianna jewelry in a shop in St. Augustine in October. I love their oceany motifs!
Stella & Dot has a lot of beautiful pieces.
I love the simplicity of this necklace, and want to add a little more yellow gold to my collection (after not wearing it for years). I saw it on Rue La La and didn’t get it, and now it’s not available anymore. Oh well.
I also need cardigans in brown, red, and possibly navy. Why is it so hard to find basic colors these days?
3 Comments + Posted in: fashion
This weekend I saw both Skyfall and Breaking Dawn Part 2! Both movies were awesome in different ways, and I felt compelled to say something about the latter.
I’ll admit that I loved Twilight in the beginning. I’ve read all the books at least twice (and saw the first movie three times on its opening weekend). Then I went through a phase when, for various reasons, I stayed far away from the whole thing. Now I’ve come back around to thoroughly enjoying the franchise for what it is – a totally unrealistic but compelling cheesefest. I was particularly excited about this movie because, while my first reading of Breaking Dawn left me stunned and confused (I felt like I was reading fanfic instead of the real thing), I do love the key elements of Breaking Dawn Part 2. General story spoilers ahead!
I see Bella’s story in Part 2 as a satisfying example of the meek inheriting the earth, an undervalued woman coming into her own. Bella spends three and a half looong books as a helpless pawn, unable to protect herself, let alone her loved ones. Her experiences as the human girlfriend of a perfect immortal go right along with her lifelong feelings of inadequacy and even uselessness. But when she becomes a vampire, she becomes fully herself for the first time. As many of the characters observe, the innate traits that were obstacles to her in her human life are the very things that make her an ideal vampire. As a human, she felt that Edward’s inability to hear her thoughts was more evidence that something was wrong with her; as a vampire, she discovers that this “shielding” ability goes beyond a gift to serve as a powerful weapon, uniquely equipping her for the fight to save her family. Better yet, it’s a weapon the enemy doesn’t expect. So, in addition to irrevocably getting what she always wanted (Edward) and what she didn’t know she wanted (a child), Bella finds her true role and purpose. Helpless no longer, she rises up, kicks ass, and takes names. She learns that everything she needed for the life she was meant for was with her all along. I LOVE THAT.
The movie conveyed all of this pretty well. I had heard that the movie ending would be a little different from the book ending, and let’s just say my mouth was hanging open for a full five minutes. Well played, Bill Condon, well played.
Okay that’s all.
3 Comments + Posted in: empowerment, movies