Pipers Anonymous

11.30.2011

I swear, if Pipers Anonymous existed I would sign up today. 

I can't stop adding piping to things! 

And, as always, I have a few things to say about this.

First of all, I'd like to blame this project, which I'm pretty sure is the gateway drug to obsessive piping.

Second of all, I'd like to blame these pants for looking so darn cute.  I made a pair of Oliver and S Sailboat Pants a couple months ago but they looked no where near as adorable as these little suckers and I definitely blame the lack of piping.  And once these pants got stuck in my head, I couldn't get them out of my head and I figured that a new pair of Sailboat Pants would be the perfect project for a traditional Thanksgiving Day debut (after all, I can only torture my child so much by putting her in summer dresses when it's thirty degrees outside).


So I dug into my fabric stash and pulled out some uncut corduroy that I had originally purchased to make yet another Colette Ginger skirt.  But considering that I won't have a waist line for many, many months I figured that this fabric could use a new project.  The piping is just store bought piping and the little buttons are from my button stash.  I'll have you know that after the buttonhole debacle on my last pair of sailor pants, three of the buttonholes on this pair of pants are perfect.  And the fourth buttonhole?  Well, it's got some issues, but don't we all.


I sewed up a size 2T again but added some length to the leg to make them more of pant length and therefore more appropriate for the impending winter.  Truth be told, I probably could have added another inch or two, but we'll call it good for now.  Other than that, I just followed the instructions, which were lovely (as usual).

* Oh, and continuing with last year's tradition, I don't have a picture of O wearing her Thanksgiving debut outfit.  One, because I'm lazy.  And two, because they are currently covered in cranberry sauce.  So there.

Being vs. Doing

11.28.2011


While it may seem that clearing this house of clutter has taken over my life, I'd like to assure you that we are not spending every waking moment going through closets and drawers and cabinets and bookshelves.  If this was my pregnancy with O, I would no doubt be doing just that.  That was the pregnancy that I spent every spare moment scraping popcorn off of our ceiling and painting trim - don't ask me why.  But this time it's different.  Because this time I'd like to think that I'm a wee bit smarter (not a lot smarter, mind you - just a wee bit).  This time I know the chaos that will no doubt accompany this little baby into our world.  And I know that our lives as we currently know them will be turned on their heads for a period of time.  And so I'm making a conscious effort to appreciate the family that I currently have and the life that we currently have together and in an attempt to do just that we've been doing all those things that will most likely get temporarily moved to the wayside once our new little one is here. 

We've gone out to eat together (probably more than our wallets should have allowed). 

We've spent days lounging around the house and enjoying each other's company. 

We've laid in bed laughing and giggling about the most ridiculous things. 

And every once in a while when O yells from her room at night "can I come lay in your bed for a little bit?" I've surprised her by answering "yes" and we've let her fall asleep next to us.

And so amidst all the chaos it's good to be reminded that the next four months are far more about "being" than "doing."

What I've Learned This Weekend

11.27.2011

That if you can eat dinner leftovers for breakfast, then it's certainly okay to eat breakfast for dinner.

Baked french toast stuffed with walnuts, strawberries, and bananas.
Topped with a ridiculous amount of whipped cream of course.

To Be Thankful

11.23.2011

Is is just me or do I look like a cray woman in this picture?

While I certainly try to be thankful throughout the year, there's nothing like a day with the word "thanks" in it to remind you to stop, breathe, and appreciate all that you have.

To give thanks for my family, who inevitably make me laugh, even when I'm having the most miserable of days.
To give thanks for my child "on the outside," who reminds me daily that wonders can be seen in things both large and small.
To give thanks for my child "on the inside," who reminds me of her presence with little thumps throughout the day.  Oh, how I've missed those little thumps.
To give thanks for my husband, who has truly been a fantastic partner throughout our relationship.

But let's not forget all those silly things that make me incredibly happy as well.


These little knobs on our new desk (oh, how I love cute little knobs).
This granola (thank you, Cory, for introducing me to the wonders of Heidi Swanson).
Our new bookshelves (already filled to the brim with crap, because that's how we roll, people).
Couch cushions that were recently vacuumed by my husband (who came up with this idea all on his own).
And four consecutive days off of work.  Yahoo!

A Very Un-Holidayish Holiday Dress

11.21.2011

With a sister with two little girls living fairy close by, O has been the fortunate recipients of hand-me-down holiday dresses from her cousins for the past two years.  Seriously - we've have velvet and satin dresses galore.  But this year we seem to be missing one in her size and while we don't plan on doing formal Santa pictures, I was thinking that it would be nice to have a special dress for the holidays.

Unfortunately, after reading this post I was a bit scared off of velvet (if Sascha - who obviously kicks much sewing butt - thinks that velvet is the devil, then I'm pretty sure that it would kill me) and when I went to a local fabric store no other holiday-ish or Christmas-ish fabrics were really working for me.  So in the end I just went with a cotton print which probably does not fall into the holiday category, but we're going to make it work people.


The pattern is the Oliver and S bubble dress (that I got for 40 percent off several months ago - woot, woot!) and I ended up sewing a size 2T.  I was contemplating sewing a size 3T as she's kind of in the middle of sizes right now and I was thinking that it would fit her for longer, but now that I know that another little girl will be wearing her hand-me-down handmade clothes someday I feel a little less obsessive about making them last for as long as possible.

For the record - yes, I do brush my child's hair.  Occasionally.

The fabric is Floral Tile Orchid by Robert Kauffman and the lining is just a lovely, lightweight batiste.


But my favorite part about this dress - the piping.  Is anybody else obsessed with piping?  My piping skills certainly leave something to be desired but Oh My Gosh, I want piping on everything!


The good news about this dress?  The second I finished it, O asked if it was her for and did the cutest little happy dance when I told her that it was.

The not-so-good new about this dress?  When I told her that she was going to wear it today, she threw a total tantrum.  Apparently, she is so over this dress.  Awesome.

Progress, Question Mark...

11.20.2011


You wouldn't know it from this picture, but this, my friends, is what progress looks like around here.  Two weeks ago these three bookshelves were filled to the brim with books, cameras, papers, supplies and even an odd cooking utensil or two.  And now they are nearly empty (or at least a lot emptier than they were).

Many things have been given away, many things have been thrown away, but if I'm being completely honest the vast majority of things have just been moved to other parts of our house.  I'm okay with that though.  Things are slowly but surely getting done here.

(In the interest of full disclosure though don't be too impressed with our efforts around here.  Look at what our floor looks like.  My momma would be so proud).

Please Don't Judge - I Swear I'm A Good Person

11.15.2011

Photographic proof that I am a disgusting, nasty, sentimental hoarder.


Yes, my friends, that would be my child's broken off umbilical cord that's been saved in her room for the past two and a half years.

This Weekend...

11.14.2011

...my little sister left to move Pakistan to begin a new job and the next step in her life.

Of course, I made her take all sorts of obnoxious pictures with us before she left (Sarah, you didn't think you'd get away from us that easily did you?)

There were many pictures of her snuggling with O.


And many pictures of her making faces at our mom.


There were many pictures of me pretending to strangle her as she refused to smile for anymore pictures.


And I should probably explain that my dad firmly believes that any family goodbye is not official until he's made me cry about it.  So there are pictures of that too.


Don't worry - while I may look utterly pathetic in this picture, I assure you that it was more of a hysterical laugh/cry.

Safe travels, Sarah.  We can't wait to have you back.

Girl Power

11.08.2011


Deep in a conversation with O yesterday she happened to mention that "daddy is the boss."

"Oh yeah?"  I asked her.  "Why's that?"

"Because he's a man," she replied.

To which I thought "Oh hell no!"  That is not the kind of house we run around here and that is certainly not the kind of message that I want passed on to any little girl.  Honestly, I don't know how she came up with this conclusion considering that Ben and I share just about every job in this house and usually work things out in a pretty fair and even manner.

All I know, that there's going to be a whole lot more "girl power" going on around here in the near future.

The One That Didn't Cost Me A Penny

11.06.2011


My husband scoffed when I told him that this skirt was free - probably because he knows how much money I've spend on sewing supplies over the years - but despite his doubting, I maintain that this skirt didn't cost me a penny (or at least a penny recently...).

The fabric is a cotton/lycra blend that's been sitting in my stash for approximately four years and it's actually left over from a disaster of a project that I began but never finished.  Why I purchased nearly neon pink fabric in the first place is a bit of a mystery to me, considering I'm not fond of pink and neon is really not my thing, but oh well.

The thread was a half used spool sitting on my wall-o-spools.

And the "pattern" was made by just cutting around a sweater skirt that I've found to be incredibly comfortable in the last couple of weeks.  Now I'm not one of those super-talented people who regularly just trace around items to make patterns, so even though this was the most simple project ever, I'm going to give myself a little pat on the back for used a clothing item that I already own as the "pattern."

And the elastic?  Well, it turned out that I didn't even need any.  It fits perfectly around my belly without any elastic because of the lycra in the skirt and it's probably even more comfortable because no elastic was needed.  And this skirt is indeed ridiculously comfortable.


See?  It was totally free.

Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I should tell you that there is a downside to this skirt.  The fabric is on the medium weight side but is probably a little lighter than called for for a fairly tight-fitting pencil skirt and I'm having a serious problem finding an "undergarment" that does not result in lumps and bumps in one place or another.  Not that you all want to hear about my intimate garments, but let's just say that I tried on several different styles and never found one that I was completely satisfied with.  In the end, I went with the lazy-woman's solution - wearing a long cardigan that covered my butt.

I'd love to make this skirt again though since it's ridiculously simple to make and is so freaking comfortable, but I'll definitely be looking for a heavier knit so that I don't end up having to spend all morning trying on underwear and examining my butt in the mirror.  Because that is something that we could all live without.

Out damn wrinkles!  Out!

Motherly Instinct?

11.01.2011


Have I ever told you how I was absolutely convinced that O was going to be a boy?  We had a boy name picked out and "boy" clothes to spare.  But then out the baby came and as Ben laid her on my chest, I distinctly remember looking down at her perfect little face and thinking "hmm, that looks like a girl."  And then Ben announced that our new baby was in fact a girl and, well, the rest is history.

Which is all to say that I have absolutely zero confidence in my motherly instinct when it comes to predicting what I'm having, so when people ask me what my gut-feeling is this time around, I generally shrug my shoulders and say "I have no idea."  And so I went into the anatomy scan not feeling particularly one way or another about the sex of this baby - although I have to say that most people around me were absolutely convinced that our new little one was going to come equipped with a penis.

But as it turns out, they were all wrong.

It looks like we're having another girl...and we couldn't be more pleased!