Thursday, September 11, 2014

Fall is coming!

Seasonal change is finally in the air, but we are still having some pretty hot days.  This is North Carolina after all!  The Sailor Son came to visit last weekend and we spent a few hours at Jordan Lake splashing and soaking up a bit of sun.  I don't know why The Tramp and I waited so long to explore what the state park has to offer!


Sailor Son is a champion browser so we also spent an afternoon wandering through some stores we haven't yet explored.  The Tramp found the new Bass Pro Shop lots of fun.  :-)


Becky Goldsmith posted a video about "Taking Care of the Girls."  Hmmmmm.  After some weight-loss my way-too-old stretched-out nearly-dead bras certainly don't flatter.  So we also wandered up the road to visit Nordstrom in the posh mall so I could experience being "properly" fitted for bras for the first time in my life.  An interesting experience.  Picture, if you will, two shop ladies (fitters?) and a half-naked me crammed into a smallish dressing room with seemingly dozens of bras, and the contstant going in and out with more.  Now I know how models must feel.  Only they get paid!  :-)

"Stick out your arms, bend over, breathe out, now stand up.  Reach in and sweep the girls up and center please.  Let me adjust the straps.  Oh look how pretty!  How does it feel?  Oh dear!  Does that bra hurt too?"  (Owwwwwwwwwwww!)

I certainly measured the size suggested in the video and various charts the videographer links to, but in reality, I ended up with the same old size I always do.  Heh.  Well geez.  Not a bad experience, just not a revelatory one.  Expensive though!  Yikes.  Still, it's nice to know I haven't been doing so badly by myself all these years.

In The Sandbox I finished up the last of the swap blocks for one of my bees.  I doubt I'd ever make a whole Snail's Trail quilt but the eight or nine blocks I've made this year were fun.  Especially fun to dig through each person's "bucket" of fabrics and choose just the right ones for their block.

I also made the sample blocks for my other bee's Holiday Block kits.  These gals have amazing stashes of Kaffe fabrics so every year we come up with something new using Kaffe.  This year it's square in a square blocks.  I'm kind of hoping I win them!  :-)


Mom and I did some fabric shopping and she requested I make her a sewing machine cover.  We chose a (gasp) pre-quilted fabric and all I have to do is cut it and finish the edges.  This weekend.


The Viking is here several days a week.  He showed his individuality on Monday by arriving in pajamas with one sock (with a hole in it).  Apparently at his insistance.  


Wednesday he showed up again in pajamas.  His rushed mother hadn't even fought him to change his diaper.  (Potty training confuses everything.)  So I whipped the diaper off and plunked him in the high chair for a breakfast bowl of Rice Crispies.  One hand for the spoon and one hand you-know-where.  lol  A boy through and through.  (I'll spare you the potty pictures even though they are darned cute.  You're welcome.  ;-))


The princess is still naked and her hair is supposedly in the mail.  I've been auditioning colors for her nightgown.  Keeping in mind these are evening indoor unflattering phone photos....

Yellow....nooooo.

A finely pin-striped pink....meh.


White.....blaaaah.


Blue....a definite maybe!


And some Grand love.  Stardust is rockin' those hair bows!  Wow.


And such a sweet photo from New Zealand of sibling affection.  At least for the photo.  lol  Such cuties.


Sunday, September 7, 2014

Sunday

We had a nice easy Sunday.  Some of us got a nice sleep in, bread was baked, stores were visited, Thai red curry was consumed, and there was a bit of recreational play in The Sandbox. The princess is looking more herself now. :-)


I skinned her face, something I've never done before.  I really like the effect.  Features were added with pencils, gel pens, markers, and chalks.  She's rather sweet looking now. 


Next job is hair. The Tramp suggested auburn hair so I've ordered it. In the meantime I should make a final choice of fabric for her nightgown. Hmmmmmmm. 

We have a rainy day predicted for tomorrow so maybe The Viking and I will try Storytime at the library again.  If I can tire him out enough, during nap time I can give the princess some attention too. :-)

Testing


Trying out posting from my iPad, with a few random pictures. 

This week I took The Viking for his first Storytime at one of the local libraries. He mostly observed rather than participated, but afterwards was thrilled with the grape smelling READ stamps. He knows his letters so it must have intrigued him to have letters on his hands. 


Tricky this. Ah. Now I've got my cursor where I want it. :-).  Hard to choose the best photos from tiny thumbnails though. I finished the crocheted valance for the kitchen.  It adds a spark of color to a dull corner. :-)



Finished my tuffet.  More color!


Finished the princess's bed. (16" tall)


Though the lady is still a shadow of her final self.  I can only hope she will be as cute as her bed!


Ok. That's it. Sailor Son is here and we're off to find something interesting to do. :-)