Poppies Dress

I recently made this linen dress for Hallie. I just love linen. Unfortunately, Hallie doesn’t know that linen is ultra stylish and modern and promptly replied that she hated this gray dress. (“It’s not gray, it’s oatmeal!”) If Hallie’s clothes don’t resemble a drag queen these days, she thinks they are dull and boring and will NOT wear them. She simply won’t. She’ll cry and scream and foam at the mouth. So I told her I’d add the pink sash/bow and that seemed to ease her a bit. Why do I bother? Why don’t I just dress them in sweatshop-made crapola  with nasty sparkly  glittery adornments  with horrid sayings like “Princess” or “Bratz” or heaven knows what else.  I like sweet and simple designs for my girls in natural fibers. Unfortunately, they often like tacky crap.  What’s a sewing mama to do? 
P.S. She hates the Mary Janes I bought from Lands End too. I force her to wear them anyway. I’m tired.
Pattern: Simplicity 4927 with lots of modifications—bound neckline, invisible zipper closure, embroidered poppies, waist sash, etc.

Bernina DesignerPlus version 6

I bought the most amazing software to digitize embroidery designs. It was a crazy amount of money that almost required the payment of my firstborn, thank goodness for my sewing business funds.
My motivation to digitize has been the utter lack of modern designs out there for purchase. I have searched high and low all over the internet only to find silly tea cups with smiley faces and butterflies that require 28 thread color changes. As a former valley girl from the 1980s I would say, “Gag me with a wooden spoon.” Definitely the embroidery companies are not catering to the 30-something crowd.
So now I can digitize my own modern minimalist designs. Here’s what I’ve created so far. I’m just lovin it all! Pretty soon I’ll sell my own modern designs to counteract all the old lady garbage out there.

My Main Squeeze

On 9-9-9 (eerie….) Paul turned 38. We celebrated with enchiladas and a lemon bundt cake—all birthday worthy food. Paul is just so talented I continue to be amazed at his prowess. Here are just a few facts about Paul: He can juggle….he loves rocky road ice cream (for which I can hardly respect him)….he speaks Dutch…he twirls his pen when he’s concentrating as good as any drill team member twirls a baton…he likes Latin girls, hence his wife…he can do any math problem in his head, hence his profession….he once broke the legs off of a piano…he loves to stay in his jammies longer than I think necessary…he plays the piano, much worse than myself…he gives great foot rubs.  Happy Birthday to such a baby face.

Give Away: Happy Etsy Anniversary to Me!

NOW CLOSED: CONGRATS TO COMMENT #23, 'SMALL GRAPES'.
I bought a new couch cover last week at Ikea. My old one was dark brown and I did like it but there was something defective in the dyes that caused it to bleach out to an orange-like color. Thankfully, Ikea gave me all my dinero back so I bought 2 white covers instead. (That way one can be washed while the other is on.) I’ve always loved white covers and I know they’re a pain to keep clean, hence the two covers. So I quickly made some new pillows to spice it up. I love it!
So……In honor of my 2 year anniversary selling pillows on etsy, I am giving away one 18” pillow cover. Your choice of any of the five pictured here on my couch. Just leave a comment here telling me one thing you like about my shop (stroke my ego) or one thing you wish I would do differently—or both! I’ll pick one lucky commenter using random.org on August 24th (Monday). I’ll notify the winner then and she/he can choose which of these funky designs she’d like. Make sure there is a way for me to contact you—either through your own blog/profile or by leaving your email. Good luck!

The Toothless Wonder

Here’s to Ilene’s 1 year anniversary with still no front teeth.  What a cutey.

Safety First

Because a 5-year old child needs a life jacket in 10 inches of water. She insists.

 

Discussing the Universe Over Hot Dogs and Zucchini

Paul has been winning me over to the wisdom of Calvin and Hobbes as he nightly (no joke) reads from his gigantic collector's edition before turning out the lights. Tonight's dinner conversation is one of those nights I wish I had taken the wisdom of Calvin's dad to heart tonight. (Trust me, I usually do give some pithy answer that leads the kids astray.)

Alas, Paul and I were trying to be good parents and once again we're not sure if we're doing more damage than good. You be the judge:

Ilene: If you’re born from your mom, and she likes a drink, is it possible you are going to like it too?
Paul: Ilene, anything is possible.
Cynthia: Usually kids like the stuff they grow up eating. My mom, whom I was born from, grew up eating salt on watermelon so she likes it. I didn’t ever grow up eating that so I don’t like it.
Ilene: (the consummate lover of salt) I think I might like to try that—salt on watermelon. Just to see if I like it.
Cynthia: You don’t need to try it. Watermelon is delicious and tasty without salt. Why make it less healthy by putting salt on it?
Ilene: Just to see if it is good!
Nathan: Do we always have to eat healthy stuff (as he scarfs his second hot dog.)
Cynthia: Well then Ilene, why don’t I go get you a dirt clod out in the yard and see if you like that too.
Nathan: What if I don’t want to try it?
Ilene: What is a dirt clod?
Paul: A clump of dirt.
Ilene: What do you call a ball of dirt?
Paul: A ball of dirt and a clod of dirt are the same thing.
Cynthia: (trying to stear the conversations back to the nature vs. nurture topic and away from dirt clods) Ilene, you are growing up eating zucchini so that’s why you like it. You like it because it’s familiar.
Ilene: I really don’t like zucchini that much.
Cynthia: Since when? You guys always eat all your zucchini without complaining.
Ilene: Well, I don’t like grilled zucchini that much. (We are eating steamed zucchini.)

(1 minute pause in conversation)
Ilene: Do people in China like zucchini? I doubt it because it’d be nearly impossible to eat it with chopsticks. It’s just too big.
Nathan: They don’t eat with chopsticks in China, that’s India!
Cynthia: That’s not true, Nathan. (We just had a conversation about this last week.)
Nathan: Oh yea, they eat with their hands in India. (The kids think it would be fun to go to India because they won’t have to use their forks and spoons at meal times. Good grief.)

Curiosity Killed the Cat

Nobody ever tells you when you become a parent to be prepared for the most obscure questions ever posed to (wo)man. Truly, they border on the bizarre. Here is a sampling of questions Paul and I have been asked lately by our 3 somewhat intelligent children.

Who invented clothes? Do you know much about Shitzu dogs? What about Labradors? If there were no nerves in my hand would it hurt when I stabbed it? Why are the grill marks on my chicken black? Why aren’t they purple? Do you think there is a way to jump out of a window and not get hurt? Are nuts good for you? Are nuts covered in chocolate good for you? Do those actors in the movie (The Fugitive) get paid extra because they have to get beat up? If I ride my bike without the cap on the tire, will bugs get into the tires? Do you know anyone with really bucked teeth? Well, if you don't know anyone with bucked teeth, do you know anyone with teeth so big they couldn't fit in their mouth?

Sometimes I just have to wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes. How do they come up with this stuff?

Drum Roll Please….

After many months of planning with an architect, hiring the best landscapers ever, and doing some of the work on our own, our back yard is finished! A  retaining wall was built to raise the level of our yard (we had a 3 foot drop!), countless truckloads of topsoil brought in, a fire pit area was added, new sod, 14 more trees, 13 cubic yards of bark, a new irrigation system, and oh yea, our new fence. I couldn't be happier. Someday when we save more pennies we'll finish it off with a nice matching patio (with stairs leading down to the fire pit area) and shrubs to fill in the beds. I love it, I love it.


 

The Costco Meal

To complete this 15-minute Costco meal you will need:

1 red mini van to drive to Costcoland (or other vehicle of your choice). Once you are safely past the Costco Membership Guards, grab a shopping cart and quickly purchase:

Fresh Sockeye Salmon (wild please, try to avoid the not-so-yummy farm-raised stuff if at all possible, ) 1 package of Genoa Salami, 1 container of mini fresh mozzarella balls, 1 container of Spring Mix lettuce, 1 package of tomatoes, 1 gigantic sized bag of croutons. Try to avoid the new selection of Shade t-shirts on your way to register. It is ok however to sample the fizzy lemonade. Oh, and pat yourself on the back for buying fresh cherries and blueberries and avoiding the Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches. They’d melt anyway on your way home.

Once home, unload your spoils. Fifteen minutes before you want to eat, pan fry your salmon (which you’ve cut into 4” strips) for 3-4 minutes per side. During those free minutes, assemble the salad which should take all of 5 minutes. Yes, I realize salami in your salad means you’ll be serving fish and pork on the same plate, get over it.

Serve your meal with lemon wedges or the addictive dill sour cream sauce(leftover from last week when you made the exact same meal), and of course a leftover carb. In this case, I had leftover basmati rice mixed with saag aloo from Bombay House. Everybody loves salmon in my house so this meal is a real winner. *pats self on back*

Don’t forget to have the kids load the dishwasher while you wash the one dirty pan. Then quickly retreat to the couch and watch lots of Tv for the evening. Bliss.

Raspberry Yummies

4 cases of raspberries + 2 little helpers = lots of raspberry jam to fill my freezer for one more year.

Summer Skirts

I was inspired by my friend and fellow etsy seller Candy to make my daughters a couple of adorable Easter skirts a few months back. And since I just can’t seem to be bothered with patterns these days I figured these were a good project that would actually get done. Well, I’ve since made 7 more and with the addition of my new ruffler foot (which I swear looks like something invented during the industrial revolution) I can make these in about 45 minutes now. I will never ever gather anything with two rows of basting stitches again. (Or with the zig-zag over the dental floss trick.) Never because I’d rather have a root canal.
Here’s my formula to make these skirts without a pattern. As if you even need the formula.
Three layered skirt: Measure your daughter’s waist and multiply by 2.  My girls have the same waist of 21”. So I cut a strip of fabric 42”. (If you are brave enough to make a skirt without a pattern I assume you can figure out how long to make each layer.) For the middle layer multiply the width of the first layer (42”) by 1.5”. So that’s how wide the second layer is cut, 63”. For the third layer multiply 63”x1.5. You get the picture. (For the skirt on the bottom left I used my pinking blade so I could leave the raw edges showing. Loved it!)
 
  For the two layer skirt I think it turns out better to double the width of the first layer for the one ruffle. So again, for a 21” waist cut your first layer 42” wide and the second layer 82” wide.  I’m thinking I need to make myself one out of an irish handkerchief-weight linen or gauze-y cotton.  Hallie would rather wear a skirt anyday so I think I’ll make her a couple more. Nothing is better than summer. Nothing.

The Dallas Burger

To fuel my obsession with all things cooking, I decided to subscribe to the new food network magazine. I bought the premier issue last fall, loved it, so signed on for 3 yrs. Only $30 bucks for the three years, not bad I say. Don’t I just look obsessed (or posessed?) reading the magazine? Why subscribe to a magazine when I can get the recipes for free at foodtv.com? Well, I love to pack around my magazines/cookbooks when grocery shopping. So when the June/July issue arrived with a giganto burger on the front cover I quickly turned to the burger article and saw this recipe for the Dallas Burger. Yea, a burger smothered in cole slaw and BBQ sauce! I’ve made it twice and will so make it again. The kids even love it. Miracle. I did use ground turkey both times though….and good old Bull’s Eye BBQ sauce because I was fresh out of ancho chile powder. Next time I’ll make it just like Bobby says. I’m sure I’ll love it even more made with yummy fatty beef. And from now on I’ll be adding grated onion to my coleslaw. Magic! So fire up your grill and give it a go. Can’t wait to try the rest of the burger recipes in the article.

Camp Sew Fun

Banner patterns available at meringuedesigns cheaper than on etsy.

The kids have been out of school just about a week now, but so far so good.  I must admit I was a bit anxious as the school year came to an end. After all, the kids fight like cats and dogs on the weekend so who is to say that the other five days of the week would yield a different result? Most days I believe that my kids would sell each other for a nickel—with or without a coat of many colors. So what’s a mom to do? Structure is the answer my friends.
I decided that every Tuesday this summer would be Camp Sew Fun in our house. So for this week’s projects the kids wanted  to make banners for their rooms. Imagine that, their mom makes and sells banners to everyone else on the planet, and yet my own kids don’t even have one. So I put one of my sewing machines on the lowest possible speed (lest Camp Sew Fun result in a trip to the E.R. for removal of a sewing machine needle) and let the kids sew their own banners. They picked their own fabrics, traced the letters, cut them out, and pieced them together. My oldest son had the hardest time cutting out his letters and my youngest daughter excelled at cutting hers.  Go figure. Now I just need to figure out what we can sew the rest of the summer.
 

I’m Keen on Keane

I reverted back to my teenage years the other night. For an hour and half I went deaf in both ears and screamed lyrics at the top of my lungs while dancing at the Keane concert in Salt Lake City. My sister Patty bought us 3rd row tickets—the poor teenagers had nose-bleed seats—definitely the advantage of being 35 now with more disposable income. Keane has three albums out and I assured Patty she would not be sorry in offering me her extra ticket for I am a true fan. So we whooped and hollered every song till our throats ached. We’ve always had a weakness for British singers/bands. We’re pretty sure the lead singer Tom Chaplin was impressed with our prowess at knowing all the lyrics—as he should be as I seem to forget a lot lately, namely registering my daughter for kindergarten and reminding my son about scouts. But thankfully my brain remembers the important things like the lyrics to Crystal Ball.

Love this video (click here to watch…don’t know why the you tube link is broken.)

Feathering My Nest

I sure miss having the time to sew for myself these days. But I have been dieing to  make myself new pillows for my bedroom. It’s been at least a year (too long in my book) to stare at the same pillows day after day when I make my bed. So I used some canvas prints by Amy Butler’s August Fields collection and a wild and crazy zebra print. Every room needs a touch of black in my opinion. I have found myself dog-earring any of the pages in my Better Homes and Gardens Magazine that had zebra print pillows in the room. Not as a focal point, but just as an accessory—like a good necklace. So here’s to setting aside the 9 orders sitting on my desk in favor of spoiling myself. Me likey.

Proud to Be An American

I’m not going to go on and on in this post about how fabulous our trip to Washington DC was. Because really,who cares. As much as I try to read long blog posts—no matter how interesting—invariably I end up skimming the long paragraphs as I stare at the photos.   Instead I’ll try to concisely articulate my thoughts as I walked around the city

I was proud to be an American as I stared up at this giant statue memorializing this great man who saved the Union.

I was proud to be an American as I read just a few of these names…wondering how their loss affected their families. And grateful that my own Dad came home.

I was proud to be an American as I stood with hundreds of others in the rotunda of the Capital…thinking about the history that is still made in this building. E Pluribus Unum! (Truly my favorite tour.)

I was proud to be an American as I watched these soldiers guard the tomb of one who is unknown. There was also something poignant about walking around a graveyard in the spring and watching the blossoms and flowers come alive again. It reminded me of He who died so these soldiers (and all others)could live again.

I was proud to be an American as I taught my children about the significance of the Supreme Court building.

I was proud to be an American as I contemplated the freedom of expression we all enjoy as I passed this church just across the street from the Supreme Court.

I was proud to be an American as I walked around the now quiet fields of Gettysburg.
 
I was proud to share this all with my family. God Bless America!