Oops...

I forgot to post anything for, like, a week and a half. I don't even have the excuse that I have been really busy, I am just lazy. But, here's a scrapbook page that I've been meaning to do since my parents were here in March, and I finally finished it. The rub ons didn't really show up like I wanted them to but I'm still really happy with the layout.

Seminary starts in three and a half weeks. Yikes!

But the good news is, it won't be held in my basement after all, so I don't have to go down there and vacuum up all the dead spiders. I mean, I still should, but I can do it on my own schedule now.

Administrivia

I forgot to mention this a couple of days ago, but I did have to enable verification in the comments section. I hated to do it but it looks like the spammers have found this blog (after sailing under the radar for over a year). So sorry. But, be sure and let me know if you get a particularly interesting verifier. My favorite one ever was 'zzoidy,' which I think would work particularly well as an exclamatory interjection. As in, "Zzoidy! I dropped the Stud Book on my toe and it's heavy!"

And on a less boring note, here's another scrapbook page. I'm particularly fond of this photo - check out the unbridled joy on Betsy's face.

Call me butter...

...because I am on a roll! Har har!






I haven't scrapped anything for a couple of weeks (since I finished my SOY entry) and it was nice to get back in the game. I ordered a bunch of prints from Walgreens and I finished FIVE pages yesterday. I'm really loving the pictures of Molly and Betsy and I've gotten over the idea that it's weird to scrap the same subject over and over again. It makes me happy and it's not like I'm about to run out of supplies. (Oh, and I'm loving the Martha Stewart label stickers, they are so versatile. The stamps on the 'Sprinkler' page are also from her line.)I have a few more pages to finish but I think that a trip to Hobby Lobby will be needed first...

Skirting the issue

I've been on a big skirt kick lately. I think it's my inherent girliness coming out, or maybe I am just too lazy for pants (what with having to put each of your legs into a separate pants leg, and all that). I got an awesome denim skirt at Goodwill that I've been wearing like every third day, and I just sewed myself this:

It's hard not to love a pattern that has pockets (for all my stuff) and no zipper (for my laziness). Although I was vaguely insulted that McCalls apparently believes this is a '1 Hour Pattern!' Even if you remember not to sew the pockets shut, I think it would take a lot longer than sixty minutes.

And if I look like a sofa, it's because that actually is home decorating fabric. (In fact, I think I'm going to pick some up in red and have the recliner re-upholstered this winter.) But I've always loved toile so it makes me happy.

Speaking of things I've always liked... I've wanted my own copy of this book

ever since I first read it two or three years ago. (Gene Stratton-Porter lived most of her life in Indiana, so that's how I got hooked on her works. I'm also a fan of Booth Tarkington.) Anyway, I discovered on Alibris that I could have a 1925 copy for less than half the cost of the paperback reissue, so I snapped it right up. I always love old books: that peculiar musty smell, the decorated frontispiece, the typeface. This one is inscribed 'M. Beech 8/4/34.' I think I need to find a fountain pen and add my own signature in a big swirly script.

I sleep in a DRAWER!

My son just gets weirder and weirder.

Wednesday night, I went in to check on him - nighttime being the time when I love him best, as it's about the only period when he's not actively engaged in mischief - and Porter wasn't in his bed. He wasn't on the floor, he wasn't on the crib mattress which we brought up for Grammy's visit and haven't put away yet, and he wasn't under the bed either. I was about to get worried but I could hear him breathing so I followed the sound.

This is where I found my son.

Yes, he was sleeping inside his dresser. Apparently he'd pulled out one of the drawers, emptied the one below it, and climbed in. But it wasn't just that Porter happened to be in his dresser when he fell asleep. Apparently he found the spot quite to his liking and he padded his little nest with his pillow, his baseball guy, his sippy cup and his Curious George and then crawled inside. (Oh, and he also wasn't wearing a diaper. Apparently, when this little guy wants to be comfortable, he goes all out.)

So, I did what any good parent would do: I signalled to Matt (because I was laughing too hard to speak) that he should come immediately. And bring the video camera.

The sequel to this story is that today, I found Porter with a screw in his nose. (Thank goodness it was one of those short, stubby screws from IKEA, or the little genius would have brained himself.) My highly useful and now slightly disgusting scrapbooking tweezers saved us a trip to the urgent care clinic. I'm a little afraid of what he's going to do tomorrow.

Dresses and other things

Soooo... my mom came back last Thursday. She brought my two youngest sisters and her serger. (In case you've never seen one, a serger is like an insanely complicated sewing machine, with four spools of thread and a spinning blade. Yes, a spinning blade.) I had gotten an awesome wrap dress pattern and some wonderful but quite ravelly silky fabric in the last sale at Joann's, and I realized early on that I would be insane to try & make it without a serger. Otherwise it would end up like the first dress I ever made, which I sort of can't wear because it is coming apart at the seams. So, I got to play with my mom's neat toy and if I ever save up $300 (which is highly unlikely for several reasons, including this) I may buy one of my own.

Anyway, here's the dress, in all its polyester wrappy glory. I think it has kind of a seventies look. (Also, you can see my new hair better and thanks to all who complimented on my last post!)


And on the dress-related front... we also made a trip to the IMA. I used to go there all the time when I was at Butler, because it was nearby and admission was free. Then they started charging admission, and now it's free again. The IMA has two small but wonderful adjoining exhibits: All Dressed Up and Dior: The King of Couture. Definitely worth a trip, if you ask me. (There's also, like, art and stuff.)

This was my favorite dress. It's silk shantung and comes with a matching pith helmet.

Mom and the girls left this morning. We had a really fun visit. Aside from the sewing and the drooling over dresses, we went fabric shopping, had a swim, and made S'mores. Good times.

Change is good.

One thing which has been in a state of flux recently is the numbeer of people staying at our house. On Sunday morning we had five people (the four of us plus Molly). Last night we had eight - Grammie, Auntie Laura, and Auntie Emmy having arrived from Rochester - and now we are down to four. Well, actually three, since Matt is at work. And after my mom drops Emily and all her baby shower loot off in Kentucky, we will have seven people... it's getting a little confusing, isn't it? But Molly left some of her clothes here so I guess they have no excuse not to come back!

Another thing that's changed is my hair... since my favorite hairdresser was in town last night, it was time for a change. Actually, I've wanted to chop it off really short for a while now. Emily gave me more blonde highlights and took off several inches of length - it's really short now. I love it, but Porter took one look at me this morning and burst into tears. I'm having some trouble getting the front parts straight, of course, since I am bumblingly inept with a round brush, and the picture doesn't really give you the full effect, since I took it myself. Maybe I should have given the camera to my son?