Vacation!

Since we are studentless this week I am able to take a little time off, so we are taking off for the old folks home to do a little fishing! This may be our only opportunity to make it over with the boat this summer, so I am hoping to catch alot of Kokanee (I'm the Kokanee Queen of this family!).  Tom knows that I am serious about my fishing and when we go out...it's on Baby!!! I also pulled out my fly box and am going to try to get in a little fly fishing.  I am still quite a novice and have not done it for a few years, but I really enjoyed the process of fly fishing when I did.  We went to a seminar at the Sportsman's Show last February that got me pumped to pull out the ol' fly rod.  It's a much more active type of fishing.  Not that I don't enjoy trolling with a good book or jiggin'...I like getting jiggy with it!  I finished hemming the bridesmaid dress for Su Young, so that will not be hanging over my head when I return and I almost have a skirt finished...maybe if I have time tonight after dinner.  Off now to finish the packing...maybe i'll post from the old folks home if we make it to the truck stop...free wi-fi at Gordy's!!!

Sugar and Spice...

That's what little girl's dresses are made of! I finished this little Care Bear dress last night for Chloe's birthday. I love sewing for little ones. It is just a simple design, but when you decide to make something at the eleventh hour, fancy smocking just ain't gonna happen! Here is the front:

And the back:

Check out the cute little button I had in my stash...PERFECT!

This afternoon is the birthday party, so probably now sewing til later tonight. Tom is on a double, so you know what that means...sew all night!!! The clouds and rain actually rolled back in yesterday...most likely the result of me bragging about our one day of sun! We visited a few garage sales yesterday morning and got a few treasures.  Tom found some "man things" and I picked up a brand new pair of Danskos for a buck! I nearly did a cartwheel when the gal told me all the shoes were $1.00! Tom got a nice Stearns life jacket for $5.00 (bargained down from $8.00) All in all it was a good day!

The Sun has Returned...

To the Pacific Northwest! I had almost given up hope, but yesterday she shone bright in the sky...so bright that I was lured from my sewing studio to work outside in the yard.  My dear husband stayed home sick from work and was napping in the recliner, so I went out and removed the rest of the sidewalk we are replacing in front on the flowerbed. I actually got sweaty and uncomfortably HOT!  There was no complaints though, because this is what we've been waiting for. It's still a little overcast this morning, but it's early yet so hope remains eternal for today.  Maybe we can head to Home Depot and get the blocks for this project!  I do need to sew a bit...special project for a special girl who is turning 1 this weekend!  I bought her the cutest doll (she giggles), but Aunt Mary sews things, right? I also have the most beautiful pale ice blue bridesmaid dress to shorten (you look amazing in it Su Young!!!). I only wish I could look that good! Oh well, best get at the day because time is limited...Love to all!

Vintage Pattern HeyDay!

Today I took a "sick day" to take care of my annual mammogram.  I rarely use sick time because thankfully I am rarely sick enough to warrant not going to work and since we are such a small office it really creates a hardship taking sick time for something I could schedule on my time.  This week however we are without students and since I used my own time to do another unpleasant screening exam lately, I went ahead and scheduled the mammo for today.  Since no good deed should go unrewarded, I stopped at a few thrift shops on my way home.  I totally am burned out with Goodwill.  The prices are higher than any of the other thrift stores around and truly the selection of goods has declined.  I was also disappointed to see that this particular store had done away with their VHS tapes (something I collect), so I left there empty handed.  I stopped at Salvation Army as well since it was on the way, but also walked away with nothing.  I almost didn't stop at the little op shop in town, but I like to visit with the gal that works in there and I hadn't been in awhile, so I stopped.  BINGO!!! All their sewing patterns are free, so look at the vintage bounty I came away with today.  I even got a huge package of tracing paper for free!

Here are some closeups of some of the treasures

Isn't that suit jacket way cool?  And I adore the slips! I also scored some yardage. $1.50 for the brown silk that is destined to be a tunic and the pink and grey georgette will be a vintage blouse.

 Angie at Quality Time made this blouse.  I am thinking of doing View 2 (the pink one in the upper righthand corner).  I heart vintage!

Lunch is over and I guess I better get some work done before it's time to head to the fire house.  Hope you all are having a pleasant Monday!

Giveaway Alert

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The Sun is Out

Baby back ribs on the BBQ! That is all.

A Perfect Rainy Day

With brief visits from Mr. Sun, my attention has been divided.  We got a ton of much needed yardwork done on Monday and with Tuesday beding a double shift, I was only able to scour Craigslist on my breaks for garden treasures.  I found an awesome concrete bubble fountain with lions on it for $50.00! I sent the picture to Tom, who gave it 2 thumbs up and called the owner to see if it was still available.  SCORE!!! It had not been sold yet, so yesterday we headed into Portland and picked it up.  It is the perfect anchor to one of the front beds.  Of course the rain rolled back in on Tuesday, so working outside in the dirt wasn't a great option, so we did some reconnaisance work at Home Depot and Drake's Seven D's nursery.  We decided on the stack stones we wanted to edge the bed and imagine my happiness when I opened the Home Depot ad and see our stones on sale! Sure glad we didn't buy them yesterday! Must be a sign! We bought fish food for the Koi that seem to live on in our pond despite the lack of attention they get.  Tom also got major points by stopping at Fabric Depot, becasue we just "happened" to be passing by it.  They were having their 25% off everything sale, which is a precursor to their weekend 35% off everything sale.  This sale is not for the faint of heart (or impatient) because it gets CRAZY in there. It's usually worth 10% to me to avoid that.  Tom found a lovely black seersucker in the clearance racks that I had to have.  It was ridiculously inexpensive so I bought it all.  I also found a coordinating print to make a skirt.  When I got home I perused my Burda magazines and changed gears from my original thought and this fabric is destined to become a LBD from the May 2008 issue.  This sheath had been on my radar since the issue came out, but sometimes you have to wait till you find the perfect fabric.  I have a beautiful red to line it, so it should be quite the dress.  Tom scores again with his fashion finding skills.  He also is great to take clothes shopping...always points out things I might otherwise overlook that turn out to look great on me. I guess he looks at me more than I do! Tom was exhausted from being up most of the night at work (the life of a fireman) so yesterday afternoon was a lazy one, tracing patterns, cutting out fabric and eating soup and sandwiches for dinner.  A perfect rainy day!

Pooped

Wow, these days off have flown by and I am exhausted! Let's see...very little sewing...cat to the vet...me to the doctor...grocery shopping...cooking...cleaning...mega trip to the post office...whew! I need to go back to work to get some rest!

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The Rain has Returned

It was nice seeing the sun, even if it was only for one short day.  The lawn got mowed ...twice-it was so long that Tom had to go over it twice, even after the weedeater! Gotta make hay while the sun shines.  I had to work of course, but when I got home we went for a long bike ride which felt so exhilarating.  We had a quiet dinner of leftover tuna noodle casserole and sauteed spinach and enjoyed a Steven Seagal movie marathon (Love that man!!!) A dip in the hot tub soothed sore achy muscles and then it was off to bed.  Wish the good feelings had made it throught the night, but unfortunately I woke up with a headache and have much to do before work.   That's why I am on the computer, right? Just a short break and it's back to the chores...maybe sewing tomorrow?

How Mary got her Groove Back...

I had been feeling really inadequate in the sewing department lately.  Several projects in the works took up space on Valentine, on my counter, on my ironing board. It seemed like nothing would ever get finished.  That is until I decided that sewing something was critical to my sanity and MADE the time to do it.  And I did it in a big way, completing an entire dress yesterday and a new top today.  Yesterday's project was Simplicity 2443, the Cynthia Rowley dress.  I made it in a white and teal colorway doubleknit print and have a teal pique to make the coordinating jacket.  As with anything I sew, I regarded the the instructions as merely a suggestion and made it the way I thought it should be made.  Specifically I made it with no closures, because it's a knit people...the dress easily pulls over my head.  I also left out the pockets because the slightly gathered skirt has enough bulk, and I don't need any more padding on my hips.  Today's top is also a newer Simplicity 2364 view B made with an orange slubby knit.  Modifications made to this pattern was I cut the collar piece as one piece rather than with a seam down the back because my fabric was wide enough to do so.  This top went together super easy and quick and the fit is great.  I plan to make view A with the long sleeves as well.  It feels good to get some things done.  I also cleaned the studio up a bit and filled a new thread rack. I also repaired Tom's new Nike shorts that had a bad seam in it.  We were getting ready to workout when he noted light through the crotch seam.  Dang it!  Where were those auditors?  Lucky for Tom he has a professional available to do it right!  Sewing, a good workout, razor clams for dinner and the return of one of my favorite TV shows (Flashpoint)...it's been a very good weekend indeed!