Small sewing update, and some overall catching up!

Last night we took full advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and went to a restaurant that had an (OMG!) outside eating area, and today we went for a big bike ride.

There's something to be said for fresh air because I'm so beat right now I feel like I just spent the whole day at the beach with my kids.

Does anyone know what I mean?

So anyway I did get around to cutting out my dress lining this evening (how did I ever manage to sew without a cat lying all over my fabric!!!!) and got it sewn together. Since it's cut on the bias I have it hanging on Sally Stitch so it can 'grow'.

Here is the front. No big deal.

But check out the back. What is that? you might wonder. It looks weird, and gives the impression of a colonial apron.

Actually, it's my dress lining with a cotton sateen insert in the back (and yes, I cut it on the bias!!).

I had to do this because I am a perspire-er (I know that's not a word and I would say sweater but that sounds like an item of clothing).

I sweat very easily.

I don't like it but I can't help it.

I despise panty hose (and won't need them with this dress anyway) and I've never worn Spanx (didn't I mention sweat?), so if I have to sit my bare skin on something, it's going to be cotton and NOT polyester!!

That's the wonderful thing about making your own clothes, and no one will ever know that cotton panel is there!

Now on to some catching up.

I feel like a heel because Gwen, over at All My Seams , nominated me for the Sunshine Award awhile back and I'm only just now acknowledging it. I was certainly surprised and I thought it was very nice of her to include me.

I should pass the award on to twelve other bloggers, however, I've found that a lot of the blogs I frequent, don't like receiving them.

So I think what I'd like to do is this; Once a month I'm going to pay tribute to a blog. It may be one that everyone has read or it may be a new one that I've stumbled upon.

So stay tuned!

And then Cyndi, at BlueBirdSwing, had a fantastic give-away for a bunch of purse patterns on her blog, and I was going to pass this info to anyone who might be interested but I didn't!!! The deadline was over right around the time I got home from Florida and it just didn't happen! But if you like purses you should take a look at her site, and I think she mentioned having another give-away at the end of this month (don't hold me to this now!!!).

Tomorrow we head back to my little swamp town to spend Easter Sunday with my parents, their obnoxious doberman Kissy Pooh, and two of my kids (Vet Tech Girl has to work). We'll also celebrate my son's birthday as twenty-seven years ago he was born on April Fool's Day which was also Good Friday, and the fact that he took forever to arrive, had to be coaxed out with 'high' forceps during which the obstetrician braced himself by placing one foot on my bed and leaning back to pull this stubborn baby out, was not a joke!

Hmmm, why do I think I'll have something to post about tomorrow night???

I survived my 50th but revenge will be sweet!

This is what was waiting for me at my mother's house when I arrived for my birthday.

My favorite chocolate roll cake with a cream filled center, and she only had a day's notice to make it.

I'm just thankful she didn't make me her infamous coffin shaped cake.

My wonderful sister (insert sarcasm here) always leaves my birthday present at my mother's house at Christmas time so when my birthday rolls around I can open it in front of my mom and dad. This is because she lives far away and can't be here with us.

Anyway, I opened my card and was immediately assaulted with the phrase HAPPY 60TH. I felt my face go hot (and believe me, at my age I don't need any help with that) and then I opened it. She had written, "You don't look a day older."

"What a bitch!" I yelled, and even my dad who's hard of hearing heard me.

I showed it to him and after studying it he innocently asked, "Do you think she just picked up the wrong card?" She always was his favorite!

"She most certainly did not!!!" I was furious and Dad laughed.

Grrrrr! If she didn't live half way across the state...

But that's ok, she's five years older than me and oh my, will I ever make her pay!!!


When I walked into my parents' house this little (really hugely overweight) lady greeted me. My parents are dog sitting for neighbors who are vacationing in Florida. They got her from a shelter and you couldn't ask for a sweeter or more polite dog. I never lacked for doggie kisses while I was there and was pretty soggy by the time I left.
But that's ok!


Kissie Pooh, the cowardly doberman is actually friends with her neighbor but since Kissy Pooh doesn't like me (I call myself the wicked step sister), she didn't hang around. She went into the living room and sulked.
That was ok with me too.






Then I went to visit Baby Girl.


Here she is with her roommate's Burmese Mountain Dog puppy.

Ella is very sweet but has gas issues.

Ella is the dog.



















And Evvy is still Evil.


Here she is chewing snow.









Evvy thinks she's a dog, and Ellie loves Evvy so the two of them wrestle all day long.

Ella, however, has wearied of getting her face smacked with sharp kitty claws and has come up with a new defense.

Here it is.

This morning Hans couldn't wait to show me what was awaiting us on the kitchen floor. "Look at that!" he pointed with a flourish.

It was my birthday cake! My chocolate roll cake! My most favorite cake in the world! And apparently Chlorox's too! I should have known better because the last time I brought one home I found the plastic wrap pulled back ever so slightly and the creamy center gone!

I mistakenly blamed Hans and I guess he remembers.

So now in addition to my sister, I have a cat to get even with.

That ought to keep me busy.

Updates: Sewing, and Life

I did cut out two purses today.

One of them will be out of these. These being two place mats and you wouldn't believe the finagling I had to go through to get all my pieces to fit! Wow.









The other purse will be from these tea towels.

Luckily there was more fabric to work with and I didn't have to turn myself inside out with this one.

Baby Girl has a turquoise and brown dress and I'm hoping she'll like one of these.

But I'm not counting on it.




So tomorrow I head back to my little swamp town because:

#1 I have some business back there that needs to be tended to.

#2 Baby Girl wants me to take her to lunch.

#3 I'm going to my parents' house to celebrate my birthday. My 50th birthday.

I could probably fill a thousand pages about why this birthday is bothering me. But I'm not going to.

Like Hans said, "The alternative could be a hell of a lot worse."

And he's right!

A happy birthday headache

Tomorrow I head back to my old swamp town to celebrate my mother's 74th birthday.

I'm hoping this goes better than some of my past visits and that I arrive back at the apartment without a pounding headache.

I'm to pick up Baby Girl (plus a couple of pizzas) and take her with me.

Vet Tech Girl can't go because she has 'company'. I'm not asking any questions.



Buying gifts for my mother can be tough but I'll tell you this; I will not buy her any more tops! This fall I found a pretty shirt with a floral print on sale, and when I tried to give it to her she practically threw it back at me. "I hate flowered shirts." she stated. "But it's so pretty," I pleaded, "and it has a scooped neck (she can't tolerate a high neckline) and three quarter length sleeves." "I hate three quarter length sleeves!" she sneered.

"And that hideous stained gray t-shirt you're wearing is the height of fashion?" I wanted to ask, but didn't!

Anyway, today, I had a new (much needed) shower curtain, bath mat, toilet lid cover etc...for her bathroom in my arms when I realized that I would probably get the same reaction that my sister did the time she bought Mom a new silverware tray for her kitchen.

Total indignation.

So I put it all back and ended with some new bath towels (who doesn't mind getting those), and then I made her a couple of pot holders, and a little pouch for her new digital camera.

That's it.

So tomorrow while Hans is at a friend's house playing poker, I'll be at my mother's, trying to keep the conversation away from Jesse Ventura's latest conspiracy theories, wishing I could have a drink, and feeling guilty about everything I've done since I was a toddler.



But have no fear! If any of my kids ever offer me a floral print shirt with three quarter length sleeves, I'll act like it's the greatest gift I've ever received.

After all I know who's going to be picking out my nursing home!

Today is my son's 26th birthday, and that's no joke!

Leave it to me to have a baby on April Fools' Day! Of course my mother's constant warnings to not have the baby that day (her own parent's disastrous marriage began on April Fools' Day) may have something to do with it.

I hate being told what to do!

This was my first baby and I have to admit that the Lamaze Classes really did come in handy. It was a pretty typical labor other than the fact that all 8 pounds and 4 ounces of this kid got stuck like a cork and I pushed for the last 4 hours for nothing! Later, one of the nurses was kind enough to inform me that she'd never seen a doctor, while using forceps, actually brace a foot on the birthing bed to pull a reluctant baby out of a mother. Thanks to anesthetic, I was numb from the chest down, although the doughnut that came home with me was my best friend for about two weeks!

To this day I still laugh because that kid was a week late and even after 14 hours of labor he was in no hurry to be born. Growing up he was always the last one out the door and when he played hockey in high school, the staff at the rink would just yell into the locker room, "Hey First Born, remember to turn the lights out behind you!" This was while I sat steaming in the car because I knew once again he'd be the last one out.

And he always was.

Today he has a job that requires a ton of flying but I think he's learned that while Mom may wait for him, the plane won't!

Here he is when he was around 16 showing us how the Amazing Flash Cat turned into The Amazing Stretch Cat.

Flash Cat is no longer with us (and we still miss him), he died at Thanksgiving a few years ago and that is a post that needs to be written.

We will celebrate First Born's birthday at Easter as we always do since that seems to be the best time to try to get everyone together.

And in addition to being born on April Fools' Day it also happened to be on Good Friday that year!

And I guess it really was!

Where the hell is my crystal ball?

Where did the week go!?

I did get to the Big City on Thursday for Hans' birthday. We had a bottle of wine, and steaks off the grill (nothing like making the birthday boy cook his own dinner!). Of course we had a nice time but it also means that I had to get up at 5:30 AM in order to be at my desk by 8. But the same holds for Hans when he's at my house.

So Friday evening, I'd been up since 5:30 and was hoping for an easy night at the inn but we got our asses kicked. Not that we don't like to be busy but there were only 4 of us on the floor and I watched in horror as groups of 6 and 8 and then couples were being seated everywhere and of course none of them had made reservations! And all of them rolled in at the same time as a reservation for 40 and another for 13.

We also do not have sections and the owner seats people willy nilly all over the place and then none of us know who's been taken and who hasn't! At the height of all the insanity, I might have tables clear across the room, a couple of tables in the middle and then someone asks can I please pick up those people at yet the opposite end.

Does it make sense? No! Will it ever change? No!

The group of 40 were dressed in period attire from I'd say the mid 1800's. And while they were lovely, it required a lot of contortions on our part to not step on their voluminous skirts! They were also very disappointed to find that there was no piano player as they had been told that one would be called in.

Apparently they had planned on dancing during dinner!

How anyone thought that would have been possible is beyond me!! I could barely walk through the tables, and they expected to dance around them?

So I was in the middle of taking orders from my share of the group of 40 (and watching the dam break at the door as all the walk-ins flooded the room), and since the inn allows separate checks on huge functions (grrrr!), I was trying to figure out who was on who's check when one lady asked, "Who's taking care of Claire?"

Like I know who Clair is!!!

"I'm sorry?" I very politely said, "But who is Claire?"

"Hmmmmf." Huffed the lady. "Our medium!" she said in a 'boy are you stupid tone'. (Dear God, why tonight?).

Claire the Medium! Claire the Clairvoyant!

I kid you not.

Well since I don't have ESP, I made her point Claire out to me, and rearranged my paperwork to include the seer's tab with hers.

When they were done eating and looking to me for their checks (which have to be figured out one at a time, with tax, and gratuity added on, and we all fight over the one adding machine that we have!) Claire the Clairvoyant asked, "May I please have my check?"

She was totally surprised when I told her that the next table over had already taken care of it.

Aha!

So Clair is Clairvoyant, huh?

I think not!