True Bliss

You know, after a busy week and an even busier day, I can't think of anything more lovely than being invited for dinner at a friend's house. I mean, think about it...you don't have to plan, or cook, or even pay for the dinner. AND you get to share it with pleasant company.

I guess it is especially nice for me. Cooking for a large family can be taxing. It is nice to get a little break. And we don't get invited out often. I think the shear number intimidates and overwhelms some people.

Let me clue you in: if you have friends with a large family, invite them over! Don't worry about what you will feed them, or where you will seat them. I can promise you, they will be so pleased to just have the invitation and the break from the usual routine. You can give them hotdogs on paper plates and sit them on the floor and they will be thrilled.

By the way, we had lasagna and it was YUMMY! After dinner we played Pictionary using a dry erase board to better accommodate the large group. Great fun was had by all.

Nifty Stuff From My Secret Pal

I have a wonderful secret pal from Wyoming. Just look at what she sent me last week! I still haven't figured out exactly how she made the first item.





And check out how perfect her stitches are!




Thank you, Secret Pal. You're the BEST!!!

In case you are wondering...

Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I have fallen off the face of the earth!!

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

Even on a chilly, dreary day, the beach is beautiful. This photo is from a few weekends ago. There isn't much nicer than the sound of the ocean and the feel of bare feet on the sand. Wish I was there now!

FREE Starbucks!!

WOOT!!!! I just found out that on Thursday, March 15th (that is tomorrow as I type this) Starbucks is having their COFFEE BREAK from 10 am to noon. Stop by your local Starbucks and get a free 12 oz cup of regular coffee!

(Heh! Heh! My poor Starbucks son will be working during this madness.)

On to the Next Project!!

I haven't been around much due to being chained to my sewing machine. Yes folks, it is in the upper 70's outside and I am sitting inside sewing and sick too! (I have some sort of upper respiratory infection--blah!) The previously blogged about colonial dress is done (well, except for the hem!) I promise a photo of finished product sometime soon. I am now moving on to the next pattern: Simplicity 4059



This is what my 15 year old son will be wearing to the Historical Ball. I have the shirt finished except for buttons on the sleeve cuffs. I even did the obligatory "stupid mistake." I can't seem to make anything without doing something wrong. This time I somehow managed to sew one sleeve on the shirt inside out! Now I know I checked! The problem was that I looked at the cuff of the sleeve to determine which side was in and which side was out. Then I proceeded to attach to shirt. Problem was, I had put the cuff on the sleeve inside out. SO, I had to take out the sleeve, and then take off the cuff, and do it all over. GRRRR!

I have also bought some faux leather and I am going to try to make some knee boots like you see in the photo without a pattern. Wish me luck! You know those famous last words..."Sure! I can make something like that! How hard can it be?" Heh! It is sure to be a challenge!

Oh, and during my blog absence, something very significant happened here. (Drum roll please.) My oldest turned 18. YIKES!! I am now the mother of a grown up. Shucks! I am still just a baby myself. (Okay, I hear you laughing! Now, stop it!)

At the sewing machine...

EEEK!!! The Historical Ball is in less than 3 weeks! How on earth did THAT happen?? Needless to say, my sewing machine and I are going to be good buddies for the next 20 days. Currently I am working on an outfit for my 10-year-old daughter. She wanted to do "colonial," so we chose this pattern by Simplicity. We are making the one shown in light blue in the photo. Our fabric is a simple calico with tan background and burgundy red flowers on it. Here is what I have done so far.



I know, the quality of that photo is pretty yucky, but at least you get the idea! Instead of eyelet lace, I have chosen to use a braided trim to make the burgundy color in the fabric "pop." The white eyelet really did not look too good on this fabric. If I get time, I will be making lace undersleeves to line the bell at the bottom of her sleeves.

So, now, you may be wondering, "What on earth is a Historical Ball?" The event is designed for all students ages 13 and up and their entire family. The students must do research and assemble a costume that is as historically accurate as possible. The time range is from the medieval period to World War II. Parents and younger siblings may dress up as well. Anyone who is old enough to pick up on the steps and the patterns of the dance may dance. The Historical Ball is nothing like a prom. The whole family attends together. We hire a musician who specializes in historical dance and music. He does a dance workshop in the morning. At the ball he plays his fiddle and calls the dances. All the dances are really old dances like country dances from varying time periods. This is the second year our homeschool group has done this. It was SO MUCH FUN last year. I danced every single dance. The costumes were fabulous! We had s in full Civil War regalia. There was one who does Baroque dance in a troupe at a local historical site. She wore the most exquisite silk Baroque ball gown. Of course, there were some Regency and Rennaissance outfits as well. The boys had fun too. It was lovely to see all the teenagers transformed into young ladies and gentlemen. They really do take on the character of what they are wearing.

Fortunately, my older two are content to wear what I made them last year...a full dress kilt outfit complete with military tuxedo style jacket (boy was that a "joy" to sew) for one fellow and a Regency outfit (complete with a hunter green jacket with tails, vest, and the fall-front breeches) for the other. My teenage daughter has outgrown her outfit from last year, so we will be taking a dress we have been given and altering it to make it look like something from the late 1800's. (Think Phantom of the Opera-ish) I am making the colonial outfit above for my 10 year old, and I have to come up with something for my 15 year old son--maybe Civil War. My 13 year old son can wear his colonial outfit from last year except for the trousers, so I have to work something up for that too! Looks like me, my coffee pot, and my sewing machine will spending a lot of quality time together until I get it all done.

I promise you, I will try to post photos of all the outfits when done. Maybe I can figure a way to blur out the faces so you can see them actually on the person. (My hubby is pretty adamant about me not posting photos of our family on the internet. There are just too many weirdos out there!)