The Bug

I've almost got the sewing bug again. I say "almost" because, in order to follow through, I have to organize a sewing space out of this:

and THAT will take considerable work. -Work I've been putting off for 6 months!
I've been wanting to make potholders for my kitchen, and then Sarah at The Small Object
posted about a dress she'd made from a book called Homspun.
This is a book that I'm not likely to ever own, since it's written in Japanese, however I'm tempted to either try my hand at a DIY pattern or look for a similar pattern for this dress.
I've been thinking about how convenient pull-over dresses are for summer, especially with my casual lifestyle. Light cotton or linen would be really cool and comfortable too. This dress looks like the perfect summer dress. It even has pockets. If anyone knows of a pattern, please let me know.

On another, completely separate note, I just had to post this shot of our girl's first attempt at peeling a Clementine without help. She was pleased as punch and so was I.
My, they grow up fast!

Priorities

We've wanted to schedule another trip this year to visit our good friends up north, but really, really, need to buy a set of wheels for me, so that has kind-of set our priorities. They have baited us, though, with plans to take a two-couple bike trip while we are there and a photo of the motorcycle they have waiting for us to use. If that's not a devious strategic move, I don't know what is. I've been talking to the Mister about how nice it'd be for us to have one of our own to take weekend trips on, since the beginning of this year and now our friends taunt us with THIS sweet thing!
It's just not fair, I tell ya, just not fair.
We may have to, once again, consider rearranging our priorities. Hmph!

Roses, Roses, Roses

I read Val's latest post today, and saw her pics of flowers from her yard, which made me remember that I have a photo of the recent roses the Mister brought to me to post. They were so beautiful, and it's always such an unexpected (frequent) delight when he brings them home for me. How blessed can a girl be?
My favorites are the ones that scent up a room. One gardening thing I look forward to someday is having old roses again, that bloom and smell so divine throughout most of the year. I don't see that happening here, but someday before I'm too old to enjoy them, please. Roses, and magnolias, fresh from the bush, vine, or tree are my favorite southern flowers.
As long as I live where I do, I doubt that I could grow a magnolia tree, but I have done roses so I know, at least, that that is possible.
Perhaps this weekend we will plant a few flowering bedding plants in our front yard. Wish me luck on that one! Ha!

Our Babies

My daughter told me, today, that she'd heard that I'd posted a picture of the most recent little addition to her family. Surprised me because I'd hadn't told anyone who would normally read my posts that I'd blogged and didn't figure that anyone would be looking for a post from me but, alas, I suppose it just goes to prove how wrong I can be! I realized that the picture I'd posted of little Atticus wasn't really the best I'd had, so I'm going to show him off again here, in his daddy's arms. I got to drive Soph to dance class last week, and got a shot of her at the end of class, I thought I'd share that one. ..And another of her in her Easter dress, though she'd been sick and the weather wasn't ideal, so she only got to wear it at home. Isn't she pretty?
Our Easter festivities were different than those we'd planned, due to the colds going around but we still had a delightful dinner at the children's and got to pock colored eggs which has been a tradition in my family since I was growing up in Louisiana. Soph came out the Easter pocking champion this year and was delighted that she had the hardest pockers!

On a sad note, we lost our old friend, Sam, on Saturday. He took his last breath with me sitting next to him in the early morning hours. He was rather lost since Ro had gone and had been in failing health since. I can only hope he's found her again and that they are both happily grunting and rolling in a soft grassy meadow together somewhere. I'm just glad I got to be their "people" for the time that I did. Yooti-Hooti, guys! I'll miss you both.

Absence

I know...it's been ages since I've posted. Life seems to have swallowed me up since last October. There was Samhain, then the move into our new digs, then the Holidays. We had a visit from our youngest daughter, which was a delight, although I was bedridden with a virus the whole time. Then
January came and we lost our best furry-friend, Rowan, to some type of pneumonia which was resistant to antibiotic treatment. That loss is still haunting us both. Old (literally...he's around 16 years old) Sam is still kicking, but I don't think we'll get another dog. Just nothing would replace the hole that losing Ro has left.
The Mister has been undergoing major dental work since November, and which will continue for the next 4+ months.
And, finally, our grandson was born on the 9th of March. Atticus David, a strapping big boy at 9 pounds, 3 ounces.
All in all, I'm glad to be only minutes away from my grandchildren, although my ride quit again a couple of months ago. Talk about bad Car-ma! That would be me. Still, I get to participate in their lives way more than I did before our move, so that's definitely a plus.
I'll try to get better about posting, however I've been without a camera, which makes it kind-of un-fun. Still, I'll do my best to be more attentive to my blog.
Happy Easter, everyone!

Autumn in the North

I need to share these photos with you. These are of scenery from the trip we took to Ohio in October, 2006. Oh to be there again in Autumn. Gawd, I miss the north. But in defense, it IS windy and beautifully Fall-like here today. Is there a land where it is Autumn all year? I'd love that. The Mister tells me that it's California, where I will never live. Too bad, too.

Well, progress on the house. The backyard fence will be constructed next week. yay! We've begun moving, little by little, and should be in the new place in about two weeks. Then hubby has a business trip (conveniently) that he has to make for a few days, to leave me to unpack boxes.
I can't wait to cook my first meal there. I'm hoping that my sister will grace us with her presence for Thanksgiving and I'll get to do the meal in my new kitchen.
I am beginning to get sentimental about the place that we will be leaving behind, though. All this space, and the "devils" that we know! The routine I've created here will be missed, certainly. The bigger bathroom(s), the privacy/isolation here, the porch, all missable. Our new place will be much more compact and in a "neighborhood". A friend told me it's high time I learn to live with humans! Ha! He's right.
Happy October, everyone!

AWARE

This is such a cool video. I am definitely not into "God music", however, my niece sent this to me because my nephew (her brother) is in this music video, at around the 21, 30, and 54 second marks. He's the cutie with the spikey hair and glasses. By sending this to me she made me realize that there is some pretty cool "god music" out there, so I promptly Googled Salvador and checked out the other cuts on this CD. Cool tunes, man. Check it out here.

Lips and Memorable Faces

We had another birthday celebration recently. Boy, time sure does fly, doesn't it? Is it just me or would we all like to go back to the days (when we were much tinier and..) when time seemed to crawl? Our little family was in full-zany mode, as you can see here. Our children made an evening of it for us and I believe the birthday-man appreciated it and enjoyed it thoroughly.
And here's a shot of the little princess when we had lunch together last month. If any of my family is reading this, let me know if you think that this is not, unmistakably, one of "ours"
.

Life in the Fast Lane!

Sorry I've been away for awhile. Life just seems to be over-the-top at times. This has been very absorbing for me. Everyone, I know, has difficulty juggling a "full plate" but as I grow older I seem less able to handle multiple things as well as I remember (perhaps it's the declining estrogen? or is it just that I've always been this way and don't recall?)
Daughter spent several day in the hospital, is in the start of her 2nd trimester, and is now on bed-rest because of complications until she gets better. Her friends have lovingly made a schedule and have taken some of the care and feeding of her family in hand. I've only been able to help out a little, and feel awful that I haven't been there more. My only means of transportation is being confiscated and replaced with a new truck for hubby's work, so I will be driving a borrowed vehicle from son-in-law, so that I can get back & forth to their house.
We've been in the throes of home-loan-hell for the past several weeks and finally closed on our house, so now the physical work begins. Between the calls and schedules, and trying to get everything hooked up and squeeze in time to pack up and move, I wish I could wake-up and have it all finished. We still have 3 months left in our current lease, so we can take our time in regard to that but the sooner we are in the new home, the sooner we can get on with life. My sister's house (in Lake Charles, LA) was inundated with water from the high tide during Ike and, though I haven't talked with her, I know she's got a butt-load of work to get the clean-up and repair done and here I am complaining about what I have to do.
I told the Mister that we should keep a journal of all our house/moving expenses and, just today, asked if I could put Rum on it. :) I think that qualifies as a housing/moving expense, don't you?
I've got utilities to arrange and trips back and forth to our "new" home-town to get things done and the Mister keeps adding to my list so that I just want to scream "enough" and stick my head under a pillow somewhere.
It may be awhile before I get to post again. Besides, I rarely find myself with camera in hand lately and I don't like posts without images.
So, here it is. The front of our "new" little home:

Mad TV Bob Newhart Skit - Mo Collins - Stop it

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Dream a little...

We're in love!
I know it's a tad bit early to be furnishing my living room, but I have my eye on this set and can get it at a bargain. Yes, it's leather (a requirement, it seems, for the mister's happiness, though somewhat offensive to me) and yes, it's "terracotta" (looks more like "cayenne" to me) but sometimes, you have to make concessions for a bargain. It does sit (and lie...I tried the napping position on it) very comfortably and would probably hold up to years of hard use, and it has nice lines.
Ok, I'm just dreamin' here mostly, but c'mon, isn't that the point?

Killer!

Here, uh..let's call her "Killer", about two years ago, when she was slender, and Killer today. Her Daddy overfeeds her and she's become a lap dog.
Well, okay, I don't really know anyone personally with a lap this big, but if she could be a lap dog, she would be. Killer is what we like to call a "full-figured gal". She's a Black Mouth Cur and here is an example of what she should look like. The description says "Primarily BMCs are herding dogs able to hunt big or small game, and still be loving, gentle family dogs willing to protect the home." If you've never seen a BMC snarl, you wouldn't believe that this dog could scare the bejeezus out of you, but she can, and still, she's never bitten anyone and, with people she knows, is as gentle as a lamb. The Mister was just offered a 8 month old Border Collie, which is a breed he's always wanted, and declined because he doesn't want this Baby to feel shortchanged by attention to another animal. They're bonded, ya see, and she's a Goddess in her own right.
You go, Killer, you big ole heartbreaker, you!

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Thanks to TS Fay, we are getting some badly needed rain and guess what?!!! My lawn is finally green again. Yay!
I've been busy catching up on my blog reading and just discovered (duh!) that Martha Stewart has a blog! Big surprise, I know, but hey, I only discovered it today and only cuz I'd come home from the grocery with the August issue of Living. I'm so behind the times. Do current events just get farther ahead of us as we age? I'm hanging on, really I am.
I finally cooked the last of my beans tonight from Purcell Mountain Farms that I bought back in June (here). Adzuki beans, with ham(for the Mister), fresh garden peppers and tomatoes (thanks to Dave), and brown rice. Yum. Sorry, no pics today (dull, I know.) The Adzukis required no pre-soaking. They are petite, kinda sweet, and delicious flavored with a little allspice and clove.

Jiggety Jigg!

Here's a picture of the latest development in the search for an affordable house. This one is smaller than the last one we looked at, but would put us a mere 10 minutes from where we need to be. Though I've always wanted to live in an old home, one built in the a mere 20 years ago is probably a better investment under the current economic status. The kitchen is a wee bit larger than our current one, but the living room measures the same as our current bedroom and I'll have to cut waaayyyyy back on my stuff. This will be a real chore since I hate to throw anything away and I am probably the most disorganized person that you know of. No, really.

As they say in blogland, "click on a picture to embiggen (I like that (?)word) it."
Whew! The pressure!

Sew, Sew, Sew...

Did I tell you that the Mister bought me a new sewing machine? I do so love my relics but he got tired of me trying to get them to do things I was unsuccessful with, so told me to go out and get me a new machine and gave me a $500!!!! limit. (actually I had a choice 'tween a new sewing machine or computer and I couldn't decide to spend that much moola on any one thing.) I tried the local sewing center's Brother Runway Line and opted for the WalMart Brother Runway Line for more almost $200 less. For a mere $130 I got way more than I've had with my relics and I've been sewing ever since.
Here was a really cute 50s-looking Ralph Lauren cotton summer frock from the local thrift store. Hubby said it made me look "balloonish" (in the hips, of course), so I re-contrived it into this cute little dress for Soph. Hope she likes it.

TaDa!

Voila! Bloomers that I blogged about making here to go with Schnickelfritz's nightgown and bed-jacket that I made her. Mama says that they fit (the gown & jacket, that is), so, though I haven't seen them on her yet, I'll ask for a modeling when I bring the bloomers over.

This morning Mama doesn't feel so good, so we figure (Mama and Mamere) that this one must be a boy! Ha! Wouldn't that just make Daddy Bacon all happy? Though their Schnickel is so sweet, I'm sure he wouldn't object to another Sugar and Spice. (as part of my Witless Protection Program, the view has been altered to protect the subject's identity! Ha!)

Pure Cotton, Anyone?

I just read a BBC Thread- Fashion Without Victim article about cotton processing which clued me in to several things I had not thought of before. I always think of cotton being one of the safest, cleanest fabrics to wear. Well, read Cottoning On.
If you, like me, think of cotton as pure, be prepared to be educated. Though more pricey, organic cotton has it's advantages, as, I guess, does knowing what the fabric source is and how it's processed. Wow, consumerism has become a full-time occupation if we're to do it right, hasn't it?

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

Today is our wedding anniversary. I am so glad to have found someone I can see living out the rest of my life with. We have sort-of settled in with one another. He thinks he'll keep me! :> I'm happy.

I had lunch with my daughter and the wee-one today in town and delivered to them the gown I'd just made on my new sewing machine. I added a little bed-jacket to give her sleeves as, in a couple of months, she may need them and am working on bloomers to go beneath the gown (a photo of that will come later). The whole thing was contrived out of a beautiful cotton and lace robe I'd acquired two years ago and never wore. Hopefully, she will get more use from this than I did from the original garment. ...And here (drumroll, please) is the gown and jacket I passed on to the Wee-one today. Can't wait to see it on sometime.

One Red Robin's Meme -Passed On

A meme from One Red Robin (love your blog, Jhoanna )- one word answers to 35 Questions. I stretched the boundaries (don't need no stinkin' boundaries, Man!) by creating a few custom words, like Blondish and Homeownership, etc. Mea Culpa.

Here’s mine:

1. Where is your cell phone? Here
2. Your significant other? Honey
3. Your hair? Blondish
4. Your daughter? Roo
5. Your son? D.
6. Your favorite thing? 70º
7. Your dream last night? Busy
8. Your favorite drink? Sangria
9. Your goal? Homeownership!
10. The room you’re in? Office
11. Your church? Life
12. Your fear? Loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Retired
14. Where were you last night? Sewing
15. What you’re not? Old!
16. Muffins? Carrot
17. One of your wish list items? NewMacIntosh
18. Where you grew up? USA
19. The last thing you did? Brunch
20. What are you wearing? Skirt
21. Your TV? Old
22. Your pets? Eleven
23. Your computer? Mac
24. Your life? Good
25. Your mood? Happy
26. Missing someone? Sisters
27. Your car? Parked
28. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
29. Favorite store? Thrift
30. Your summer? Hot
31. Like(love) someone? Hubby
32. Your favorite color? Greens
33. Last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? Monday
35. Who will repost this? You!

Kinda tough to give only one-word answers. #29 was especially difficult, as there are many online stores that I drool over. Check out the prints (I like the Owl) in One Red Robin's Etsy shop.
Reprodepot is another store I love to browse, though I haven't actually purchased anything there yet. There they have some really cute Halloween fabrics. I'd like to get this one to make a Trick-r-Treat bag for Soph this year. Her Mama's making her a Princess Dress, which is exactly what Schnickelfritz wants to be (right now, anyway.)
Local Fabric, Craft and Thrift stores are my favorites, though for one-word, I answered 29 with just Thrift.
How about SewZanne's Fabrics? I've been picking out fabrics (very affordable) that I want, but haven't ordered yet. Her FOE (fold-over elastic) comes highly recommended by Amy at Angry Chicken and there are multiple items there that I'm drooling over.
I'm doing a little sewing on a new Brother Sewing Machine that the Mister let me buy and will blog about that soon. For now, it's raining here, yay!, and cooling off a wee bit. Have I mentioned that I'm ready for Autumn?