Sewing 911

That's what I'm calling my mom these days . . .

I got the zipper in Lauren's dress, and I'm satisfied but not happy with it. Luckily, her hair is long enough to cover the top. Now I'm glad we haven't gotten in for a haircut yet! Last night, I was about to cut out Sarah's skirt, when I realized that the plaid would be going in the other direction from Lauren's dress. It's hard to tell, but in Lauren's, the blue and green stripes run vertically, and the gold runs horizontally. If I lay out the fabric for Sarah's according to the directions (and I can't see a way around it), it will be the opposite. I'm probably the only one who would notice, so I should get over it and just get it done.

I still have to go to the post office (today!), make more cookies (I practically burned a batch of tarts last night, grumble), and do some more shopping. Also, the Christmas party at church is back on this week, so I need to make something to take to that (ate the hummus from last week), make some dessert to take to my Dad & Stepmom's for the 24th (Christmas torte and baklava are both totally out of the question this year), and more hummus & a veggie tray for the 25th.

Oh, here's a preview of the dress. The neck facing doesn't lie perfectly flat in this picture, but that will be fixed before she has to wear it anywhere. And yes, those are glittery ruby slippers she's wearing. They each got a pair, though I had to go to two different Target stores to find the right sizes.

Thursday Progress Report

1. Angel costumes are assembled. "Assembled," I have come to realize, is not the same as "done." Though all the pieces are together, and the edges have been serged, I still need to turn up the hems/cuffs/collars, get some silver trim on them, and put a button & loop at the back of the neck. I predict that I will have an industrial sized bottle of fabric glue on Sunday, and not come home between practice/Sunday School/church and the show itself (about a three hour window).


2. This year's Christmas cookies will be: Pecan Tassies, Jam Thumbprints (a new recipe I'm trying for the first time), Chocolate mint-dipped Oreos, Buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate), Gingerbread men, and Sugar cookies (Kids decorated those yesterday at my Dad's house--I have pictures, but can't download them yet.)
   

I bought a couple boxes of butter & cream cheese, and powdered sugar & peanut butter, but I still need pecans and coconut, to say nothing of five pounds of dipping chocolate. I also need a bunch of tins or plates so that I can give them to people.


3. Christmas dresses are not begun. That's high on tonight's adgenda.
   
   
4. I took Lauren back to the ped again--her cough and drippy nose are better but not gone, and I still have to give her medicine at bedtime, on top of her antibiotics. So we got a scrip for a new antibiotic. Hopefully it does the trick.
   

Christmas Shopping

Yes, Christmas shopping, today. Tomorrow is the first time we're going to see my stepsister and stepbrother since well before Christmas (it's my nephew's dedication). I'd been hoping to make Christmas jammies for all their kids. Well, a couple problems with that. One, I never got their measurements. Two, I never got my own kids jammies finished. Even now, they're waiting for me to pull the sewing machine back out. Yeah, gotta get on that.

So today, I'm off to shop. I have no idea what to get for

• a 10½ year old boy
• an almost 8 year old boy
• a 6 year old girl
• a 2½ year old girl
• a 3 year old boy
• a baby boy under a year

Stumped, utterly. Wish me luck.

You want that? Really?

My uncle gave the girls gift certificates to Toys R Us for Christmas, so yesterday, we went to use them. We walked around a while, telling Lauren that she did NOT have enough money to get Dora's Talking Kitchen (thank God!).

First Lauren saw a very large stuffed Nemo, which she carried around for a while until she saw the McDonald's Cash Register. After that, it was all over for her. Since she's gotten it home, it is far and away the thing she has played with the most. She's constantly taking our orders, and never takes off the visor. I'm concerned about future job choices . . .

Sarah walked around even longer. I thought she was going to go for a skateboard--she's asked for one before, and she loved her bike, her scooter, her (new) roller skates--but she walked right past them and finally settled on a gladiator/knight dress up set. Two swords, a small shield, a breastplate, and gauntlets. I've taken to calling her "Zena."

Merry Christmas, Every One!

Taking Stock

OK, what's left to do?

I bought phyllo dough & almonds, so it looks like I will make another run at baklava. Here's hoping it turns out better than last year, and better than the macaroons.

I want to put sugar cookies in with the Sunday School Teacher goodies, so those need to be today or tomorrow.

I need to sew up the felt stocking for said goodies, which also needs to be done today or tomorrow. I'm hoping the girls can help. Just a basic blanket stitch around the outside, but we'll see how it goes. A whip stitch would probably be easier.

Still need to buy presents for most of Jeff's family. Also, I'm picking up some Godiva for my stepmom--how did I turn into my dad's personal shopper, I'd like to know?

Lauren is constantly asking if we can make gingerbread cookies & a gingerbread house, and "wrap presents for me."

Cards go out today.

Pajamas, which I will probably start on Sunday. I'm still trying to decide if I want to put lace on the collar & cuffs. Since it's a plaid, the lace would "girl it up" a bit, and they'd both like that, but I worry that lace gets itchy at the wrists & ankles. So, don't know on that yet.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Done.

No baking tomorrow--we're going to Jeff's parent's house for his brother's birthday.

Monday will be either buckeyes (but I need to buy more peanut butter), mint-chocolate oreos (need to buy faux-reos), "turtles" (need to buy Rollo candy and square pretzels), sugar cookies, more tartlets, or macaroons.

Baklava is still on the "maybe, because I'm a masochist" list.

I do need to hit the fabric store tomorrow, though, so sewing might take up all of Monday instead.

Christmas

So now that it's New Year's Eve, I guess I'll officially update on Christmas.


Christmas Eve we went to my parents' house. Lauren got lots of dressup clothes, which of course she loved. Sarah got a Light Bright box and a Barbie Karaoke Guitar, which she adores. Luckily, it has volume control. :D

I got to open my present before anyone else - a video camera, horay! As we were driving over to their house, I'd been thinking that I wanted to buy a camera after Christmas, and wondering how much it would cost. Perfect timing! Of course, my 18 year old cousin Danny had to figure out how to use it. I think we have about 10 minutes of film on that.

Christmas morning was at our house; pretty quick and quiet. Jeff's favorite present was the pennant I got him from the All Star Game. The 2004 Houston All Star Game, not this year's here in Detroit. Why would that be his favorite present? Why, because it means he gets to give me shit about being an airhead and not noticing that I got the wrong pennant for the rest of my life. It's the gift that keeps on giving!

By the way, it would appear that one of our Christmas traditions is that not only will the girls get new jammies on Christmas Eve, but that they will fit badly because I didn't check the measurements. Sarah's aren't too bad, but Lauren's in particular are far too long!

After going to church, we came home for a light lunch and quick nap, then off to Grammy & Grandpa's! More dressup clothes for Lauren (that's Grammy looking at her birthstone bracelet next to pink Tinkerbelle, and Aunt Andrea behind the purple feather girl), and Sarah got the Barbie Laptop she's been craving for so long. Lauren also got a scooter just like Sarah's, which she whizzed around on all night. Also, lots of clothes, so hopefully no more fighting with Sarah on Sunday mornings about what she's going to wear.




















The highlight of the night was that Jeff's brother Greg brought his guitar. The girls were all over him. Sarah had brought her pompoms, and Lauren really got into the cheerleading thing, which was hilarious. Greg has a nice voice - he sounds a lot like the Green Day song "Time of Your Life."


















Jeff and I also got a considerable bit of cash from his parents. There are so many things I'd like to do: upgrade my digital camera (something with more megapixels and more zoom), get the gingerbread cookie charm for my bracelet, get some new clothes, etc. But we decided that it's smarter to hold onto it and put it toward plants for the front of the house next spring. The new grass looks great, but we still don't have anything in front of the hosue, and it needs it, badly. We'll still spend some of it on fun stuff, but nothing too big.

I just realized that I got a lot more fun pictures of Lauren than of Sarah, so I'll throw in my most recent favorite of my big girl, getting a piggy back ride from Grandpa.

The Story Behind the Dresses

. . . or, How Kim Almost Got Herself in Way Over Her Head.

When I screwed up cutting out the bodice front piece of Lauren's dress last week, I scrambled to the nearest JoAnn Fabrics. Not the same one where I bought the fabric, but it was closer and I was hopeful. As soon as I walked it, I saw this gorgeous fabric. It looked like velvet with detailed metallic embroidery. Very flowy, graceful, Christmasy. And they had, in addition to deep red with gold stitching, midnight blue with silver stitching (which looks great on blondes) and hunter green with gold stitching (which looks great on redheads).

As soon as I saw it, I fell in love. I seriously considered putting aside the dress I'd already done, as well as the one I'd cut out (and screwed up) in favor of making two entirely new dresses out of this fabric. Did I mention that I did this on Saturday night? And that the pictures were going to be on Tuesday morning? And still I thought, "Yeah, I'd have to sew pretty much non-stop, but I could make it." Luckily for me, a saleslady saw the pattern envelope in my hand and said that the fabric wouldn't work with a gathered skirt. So I was off the hook. For this year.

I wonder if it would go on really deep sale after Christmas . . . I could find a pattern that would work, and buy enough to make the next size up, and be all set to make the dresses in September if I wanted! No rushing next year!!! That would be so awesome!

Um. Yeah. Anyway, THIS year's photo session went very well. Here's what we got (by the way, I don't know how true the color will be, but they're purple shot with some silver, and silver ribbon at the waist and cuffs):