Happy Mothers Day!

It's been a while since I updated, partly because I have a few projects going on and party because my computer was pronounced dead.  It stopped turning on, which is always a bad sign, so Zack took it in to a shop and they called a few days later with the news.  The motherboard, among other parts, was melted in places.  Apparently they will no longer work when that happens.  Thank goodness the hard drive was unharmed so for $20 it was made into an external and I still have access to everything I've saved in the past two years.

The upside to this sadness is this, my Mother's Day surprise!

(disregard photo quality, I took it with my phone, in bed, where I still am at this moment)

I usually have an idea of what my presents from Zack will be so it's rare that he truly surprises me, but this was one of those times.  So, at this moment I'm propped up in bed listening to BB King, eating Godiva for breakfast and listening to my kids play while Zack gets breakfast ready.  I hope everyone else is enjoying their Mother's Day as much as I am!

Downtime - Whether I Like It Or Not!

I'm feeling severely annoyed by a few things right now and feel the need to share!  First, my bobbin case got a crack and won't allow me to sew.  Second, I couldn't find one in town so I had to order it, and it's taking forever!  I've got diapers to sew for a cousin's new baby, a top to make for Spring Top Week and a partially finished romper that's going in my Etsy shop.  I get all anxious when my machine isn't at my disposal but it's much worse when I've got things on my to-do list!  And finally, I'm all-of-a-sudden sick this morning (feels like another sinus infection?), and this is after a day and a half of severe and unexplained nausea.  I'm going to the doctor later, hopefully to get a shot of some super powered antibiotics!

By taking Dramamine yesterday I was able to fight my nausea off long enough to grocery shop.  I really had no choice, we had a freezer full of meat and nothing else!  Here is my meal list for the next two weeks...

Spaghetti and Salads - Actually made this last night using a combo of beef, pork and veal, with herbs from my (not dead!) garden.  Turned out so so good!

Shredded Pork Tacos - Zack's request this week.  Pork is cooking in the crock pot as I type this.  Making refried beans and maybe Spanish rice to go with it later.

Spanish Lasagna - To use leftover pork, layered with black beans, rice, tomatoes, cheese and tortillas.

Scallops - In garlic/white wine sauce over linguini.  Easy, light and yummy meal!

Beef Stew - In biscuit bowls...the opposite of light and easy, but always yummy!

Grilled Chicken on Salads - To make up for all that pork and beef, lol.

Tuna Pasta Salad - Great for easy lunches the next day. 

Tilapia - With lemon and dill, white rice and green beans.

Pork Loin Medallions - Cut to 1" thick and pounded flatter, with spicy mustard marinade.  Will probably have brown rice with them.

Steaks/Other Meat on the Grill - Because we've got tons in the freezer and the weather is perfect for evenings outside!

That's my bare minimum of 10 meals for 2 weeks, the other 4 days will be leftovers, take-out or sandwiches.  I'm now off to sit on the couch, lay down and then sit around some more!

Stressed No More!

The Week of Nonstop Activity is officially over!  Last night (after we got home from the third Easter Egg Hunt of the weekend!) I traced and cut a super easy, super plain, much needed dress for Lily and then finished it first thing this morning.  I am not the most laid back of people and sewing is my go-to stress reliever, especially the easy mindless projects that go together quickly :-)

It's a See & Sew that called for a zipper (commercial patterns are so zipper-dependent!), I'm not a fan of them so I substituted buttons.  Now that I'm getting around to more spring sewing I'm wondering, at what age do girls stop wearing some kind of bloomer bottoms?  And is there an alternative to the standard panty-style kind?  All I can think of is pants, although my brain still may not be operating at full capacity! 

Because the ball fell on the 1st I didn't grocery shop, much less plan any meals.  It's a wonder my family hasn't all gone into cardiac arrest from all the junk we've eaten!  I plan on catching up on all things domestic this week, at a very slow pace, so hopefully I'll get my next week's meals posted.  In closing, I leave you with these...

That's Zack and I on the far left.  This was easily the best military ball I've been to!  It was held in a historic building downtown that used to be an iron foundry and once the evening's festivities died down we all headed to another fine establishment down the street, where Zack and I happen to have gotten married!  Here's us making the two block trip...

SUCH a fun night!

Busiest Two Weeks All Year!

I've got a small window of free time this morning so I'm posting an update before the chaos resumes.  A week or so ago I finished this dress and slip:

I put it on Lily and while I was grabbing my camera she put my boots on.

After Angie.A described the slips she made when her daughter was little I thought they'd be perfect under Lily's jumpers and pinafores.  You can't see it under this particular dress but I tried the scallop edge for hemming the neck and arm holes and am definitely a fan, it looks sweet and eliminates the need for facings.  I also got a romper finished but the bottom half is a little on the small side, pics to come once I fix that somehow.

Last week was full of meetings, lunch get togethers, dress shopping and a hair appointment for an upcoming ball.  We also planted our first garden!  This week I've got today and tomorrow to prepare for Lily's birthday on Wednesday and a tea party with a friend and her daughter, then the ball on Thursday.  I'm also on the entertainment/decorating committee so Wednesday afternoon I'll be helping to get the venue all fixed up.  Oh yeah, and easter egg hunting and a rugby match Saturday, and finally Easter!  Not a lot of free time but lots of fun :-)  If I'm not back before Sunday, Happy Easter!

Nosy Food Lover Seeks Janine-Style Romper

A cousin of mine made some pretty heavy duty New Years resolutions, the kind that involve changing the way she cooks, eats, buys food and spends her free time.  She posts her progress on her blog and part of that is a weekly log of their family's dinners.  I don't know if it's my nosy side coming out or if I'm just very into food, but I love reading her lists.  Since I plan our meals every two weeks when I make my grocery list I thought I'd start sharing my meal plans here, for any other nosy food lovers out there.  This week is half over so here is next week's list:

Scallops - With tomatoes and garlic, over angel hair

Guinness Pie - Zack's request this week, it's beef, bacon and potatoes cooked in Guinness until it's thick then baked in pie pastry.  It's fattening, artery clogging goodness.

Tilapia - A quick, go-to meal around here, fish gets laid in a sheet pan on top of lemon and dill.  Salt, pepper and olive oil go on top and it gets broiled for 4-5 minutes.  I always make rice with it because Zack and Lily like theirs all mixed together.

Spaghetti Carbonara - An easy meal that uses ingredients we always have on hand

Pork Loin or Roast - Since blood oranges are in season I've been looking for ways to use them.

Some general info about my meal planning...

I plan 5 meals per week, the other 2 days we either eat out or have leftovers.
My typical week always includes 1 red meat, 1 chicken and 1 fish, the other two could be more chicken or fish, seafood, turkey or pork, it depends on what sounds good and looks good at the store.
I don't always plan side dishes, I rely on the staples of salad stuff, pasta, rice and usually potatoes.
I take requests from Gunnar and Zack, which usually consist of chicken fried steak and lasagna.

Oh yeah, I spent yesterday in my sewing room and came out with my first ever ruffled slip, and a sweet dress to go over it.  I love, love the full look of the dress with the slip, and the ruffle that shows at the bottom is so cute.  I also made a romper for Lily, the kind some of us wore when we were kids.  There may be a tutorial for that in the near future.
Sidenote:  If you watch Shear Genious then you're familiar with Janine and her adult rompers, which I'm coveting in a big way.  Don't judge me, you either love them or you hate them.  I neeeed one.

Inspired!

I can't get enough of these classic and super sweet baby clothes, posted by angie.a (Jemima Bean). 

Is that not just the sweetest romper? 

I love the look of the pinafore and slip, especially love the back. 

Today I'm heading to my favorite local shop, they've got tons of patterns with this same classic and traditional look.  I'm so done with winter and all its bulky clothes, time for some spring sewing!

Spring Sewing and Photo Anxiety

A recent custom order:

I was in such a rush to get the package out in the mail yesterday that I didn't take any actual finished pictures but I snapped a couple in the middle of sewing (the tops and bottoms are still pinned from the back) to get the buyer's approval before finishing and shipping.  She wanted the eyelet pants in my Etsy shop made into some sort of overall for a 9 month old and a 5 year old to wear to a beach wedding.  They turned out really cute and summery, I think Lily may need a pair!

On a side note, after a conversation with a cousin about my lazy blogging habits I've narrowed the reason down to the pictures.  They stress me out, finding good light, the right background, a good angle, showing the details of something I've made for everyone to see up close.  I tend to overthink things, can you tell?  In the future I'll work on that, and hopefully be a more diligent blogger :-)