Birthdays Galore

This was the weekend of birthdays.  We couldn't make it up to Plano for a special little girl's 2nd birthday, so I sent her one of these:

She wore it for her party and looked fabulous!  Wish I could've been there to see it in person!

We also celebrated the 1st birthday of another special little boy.  I got to bust out my new lens and test it out. I'm in love!  The lens is great for portrait shots, although I must say, not the easiest to use for little children who are always moving around since it has no zoom.  But it's great for indoor shooting.  I've got to give my friend Wendi a special thanks for introducing me to it...I've still got so much to learn about photography....

Sold!

Yesterday I made my first etsy sale! Admittedly, it was to a friend, but still it's a first sale.  Now, I'm just waiting for the first stranger to make a purchase....then I'll have made it...:)

I've been on a sewing spree, working hard as I've got a bunch of blankets to do in the next month.  I've finished 3 this week already!  Unfortunately those haven't received the ok to be revealed, but I've got a picture of a cute blanket with a matching dress I haven't posted yet.  I must've spaced out when I was taking pictures because I forgot to take a picture of the entire blanket...you'll just have to use your imagination.

My Tooth Fund

Yesterday I went to a new dentist.  3 hours and a deep-below-the-gum-line-scraping later.....I came out with a treatment plan that's gonna set me back about $2 g's.....ouch.

I'm gonna have to sell ALOT of these to fund that cost....

My Favorite Model

This week I'm in Victoria again...Andy gave me the choice of driving my car or driving a rental car.  The difference is that I'm not allowed to drive the rental (insurance issues), leaving me stuck in the hotel.  However, if we drive my car, I have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to take Andy to work.  Anyone who knows me know that I would of course I choose to have no car.  I mean seriously, I really need my sleep.  Besides, last week I braved the Victoria transit system and survived.  I got yelled at by the bus driver, didn't have exact change, and had a nice man give me a buck to ride the bus.  That was an adventure in itself. 

So here I am, sewing machine and all, hiding out at the Holiday Inn.  At least they have good cookies :-).  The best part of coming to Victoria has got to be Carino's Monday night 1/2 off family platter special (which we always take advantage of when we are here on Mondays).  We order a platter, take home the leftovers, and I have lunch for the next 3 days, all for the price of one dinner entree! 

A couple of days ago, my best friend sent me a few pics of her baby in a dress I made her.   Here's a look at the beautiful baby modeling her dress (along with her beautiful mommy for support - literally) This little girl is just so precious!  If you remember, she was featured on my blog in my first entry.  She's grown so much!  Oh how I wish they didn't live so far away.

Old at Heart

My fears are confirmed, I might really be a 65 year old stuck in a 27 year old body....

Recently, I received a letter in the mail from "The Retirement Pros", which raised my curiosity. So I opened it up and the letter began like this:

"Dear Jennie:

Since you are near or in retirement, you'll benefit from Dr. Shelby Smith's Guide to Social Security....."

Then on the next page was a survey form with questions like

"your current ages is: (circle one) 50-55, 56-60, 61-64, 65-70"
"If already taking Social Security, at what age did you start? (circle one) <62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67..."

Now I may have hobbies like a senior citizen, I may go to bed at the same time, have as many health issues, and I may hang out with a lot of senior citizens, but that doesn't make me a senior citizen! It just so happens that most the women who stay at home during the day are either 1. stay at home moms or 2. retired women. Stay at home moms are generally closer to my age, but they are usually extremely busy entertaining their kids, running them to their activities, and catching a few minutes of shut-eye whenever possible. So, that leaves me with the retired women, who are home, have as much time as I do to "hang out", and do not need to worry about their kids' schedules. That's how I've become friends with so many of them.

Well at least I still have the style tastes of a 27-year-old....

It's been a long time goal of mine to make a dress for myself...so I picked up this pattern a couple of months ago and finally found some stretch fabric that might work for it....we'll see if I can pull this one off or not.

Magic Pants

It's been quite a busy week as I've been trying to wrap up a few sewing projects in preparation for my trip to Chicago.  Earlier in the week, I accompanied my husband to Victoria (TX that is) and planned on spending my time in the hotel sewing, but unfortunately after packing up my entire sewing room and machine, I neglected to bring the power cord/foot pedal for the machine.....not one of my brighter moments...  After a few attempts at hand-crank sewing I gave up and spent my time watching Law & Order marathons instead.  So, that left me with a few short days to finish my projects. 

I'm excited to go to Chicago to visit my best friend and her 3 kids.  I decided to make what I have named "Magic Pants" for the two older girls.  They are "Magic Pants" because they're rolled and hemmed at three different lengths.  So, as the girls grow, you can take out the outermost seam and roll down the hem to make the pants longer.  Since I've pre-hemmed the pants at each length, you don't need to do any sewing, just rip out the seams and the pants unfold to a longer length. 

My best friend also just gave birth to a little girl 2 months ago.  I thought about making the baby some "Magic Pants", but decided flannel was not a good material for babies as it can't stretch to accomodate bulging diapers.  So, I decided to make a pillowcase dress instead.

Whew, got everything finished up just in time :-)  Well I'll be gone for a week, but I've got an awesome blanket to post about when I get back!

Thankful

Today I'll start my Thanksgiving preparations....this is the first year we're hosting at our house, so the whole family is coming tonight.  I'm very excited.  My mother-in-law and I are doing a tag team effort so that both of us can enjoy a manageable amount of cooking.  Looks like the weather will be nice and cool (maybe I can even bust out a sweater!).

This year, I'm thankful for alot of things. My family, my friends, and my husband especially.  I'm thankful that I am able to stay home and start up my own business.  Despite it's small size and income potential, it really gives me a sense of accomplishment.  There's nothing quite like the feeling of enjoying something you've created.  So thanks everyone for helping me grow this business!

Speaking of growing, a friend of mine asked me to do a pillowcase dress and matching booties for her niece. After some research online and alot of measuring, this is what I came up with:

I might just have to start designing some baby apparel now!

Well, that's all for now, time to get started on my  Thanksgiving preparations.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!