the sky is pink

This is where I went. (View of the White House from the South Lawn.) This is what I saw from the South Lawn. This is what I saw from inside the White House. I think maybe it was The Red Room . This is what I ate at the White House. This is who sang the national anthem and a few songs at the end. This was the reason for the visit. This was right before he kissed me. See ... he's puckering up. (Okay, I'm teasing about that. I know you've been expecting some kind of joke from me ...) This is President Bush waving good-bye. The man in front is Secret Service. Yesterday I attended the Military Spouse Appreciation breakfast . Joe received an email at work (at Fort Meade) on Thursday that there were some available slots (first we heard of it). He submitted my name (and social security number for a background check) and I received an invitation from the White House on Friday night. It was all kind of sudden. I had to leave the house by 4:45 a.m. to arrive at Fort Meade by 6 ...

I have a very important breakfast date this morning. I am on my way to have breakfast with President George W. Bush at the White House. I'm freaking out. Freaking out. I will also be taking a tour of the White House. I'm freaking out. Freaking out. This is a dress I sewed last week before my presidential invitation. It has contrasting dark brown thread; I added a pocket with a buttonhole and vintage button, and sewed a little brown flower with a vintage button center. I'm freaking out. Can you tell?

Saturday night I finished my wraparound skirt . I have been making the "Breezy Beach Wrap" from Sew What! Skirts . While it's the only pattern I've tried from the book, I like it a lot. I get to take my own measurements and make a skirt that fits me . Is tailored to my body. And for very little effort. Some day I'll branch out to the other patterns in the book. I'm sure they are just as great. I'm starting to like Saturday night sewing. It makes waking up for church easier. I have new clothes to wear! * * * * My little old neighbor man just brought me a vase of lilac! Every spring he brings me some. They are my favorite. Too sweet. My husband left for town this morning and men are already bringing me flowers!

I haven't shared any Works-in-Progress (WIPs) lately, so I thought I'd share the latest. On the left is a wraparound skirt and on the right another 3835 dress. Both have been cut from vintage sheets and are awaiting some stitches. Yesterday I had to run into the fabric store to buy some brown thread. While I was distracted, Spenser asked if I could make her a pink dress. Of course I can. Then she proceeded to pick out this strawberry fabric. It wasn't my first choice of fabric (or my second), but after looking at all the strawberry fabric in the store, she still liked this one the best, so home it came. We washed it right away and last night I sewed up a new dress for her. Excuse her bedhead. And I remembered that I didn't share my vintage Pyrex from Saturday's flea market trip. Two small mixing bowls: Butterprint and solid, bright orange (can't find any references for this one) and one small aqua baking dish. And I was thrilled to find this set of four Butt...

Dontcha think? Pink will not do ... ... off to stimulate the economy ...

... like daughter. This is another 3835 dress for me (and Simplicity 4206 for Spenser). Again, they were made from a thrifted sheet that has been hanging around for almost two years . It was a twin fitted sheet, so it was a little more challenging to make two dresses (hence the reason Spenser's is a little short). We have the matching dresses. She is now happy. Well, almost happy. One of the first things she said (after her enormous smile) was, "Where are my pockets?" (Please try your best to ignore my crazy-mad-scientist hair. I hadn't styled it before the photo and I told my husband not to get it in the photo ... Somehow it still got in.)

This weekend found us doing many things we love to do together. We went to a flea market first thing Saturday morning (scored some more vintage Pyrex ) and then headed out to go geocaching ... While the boys hunted for the cache, Spenser collected a dandelion bouquet. She found the biggest and brightest dandelions for her mother. Another cache led us to this local park. It was gorgeous. After logging our cache, the boys decided to wade through the water to this big rock. They jumped. They built dams. And they fell in the water 9,999 times. The four boys all received a young tree to plant in honor of Earth Day/Arbor Day. Since we already have so many trees on our property, we decided to plant them on the banks of a creek along our local walking path. Their survival rate is much higher here. And just yesterday I had to run into town. I am realizing that my vintage sheet stash is running dangerously low, so I had to just go peek to see what my options were. Glad I did. I scored the abo...

Saturday morning I awoke with an epiphany: I needed a new dress to go with my new yellow shoes to wear to church on Sunday. Although I have skirts in my closet that would look great, it was the shoes' maiden voyage and I couldn't be willy nilly and haphazardly grab a garment to wear. I quickly rummaged through my container of vintage sheets and found this one. It has perfect little lines of flowers running diagonally with hints of red, blue and yellow. It was "the one." We left the house early Saturday morning (to go to a flea market and go geocaching), so it wasn't until after giving the kids baths on Saturday night that I actually had time to sew, although I thought about it obsessed over it the entire day. It is the same Simplicity 3835 we've come to know and love. I used the shirt top (with elastic) and the dress bottom. I added an extra 5 inches or so to the length to make sure it was long enough for my long legs. It hits right below my knee (although i...

I'm totally getting my money's worth out of the $1.99 Simplicity 3835 pattern. Lately I've been contemplating making the tunic (mini dress), but couldn't decide which fabric to use. Vintage? Modern? One day I spied this vintage sheet in my stash and knew it was "the one." I thrifted it almost two years ago and was waiting for the "perfect" reason to cut it up. The pattern was a little more time-consuming and fiddly than the shirt. It involves a zipper and a neckband and facing. I handstitched the facing down because I couldn't figure out what the pattern was talking about and I just wanted it to be finished. It's okay. I don't know if I am "in love" with it. The neck area is a little close to my neck and throat and it verges on making me feel a teensy bit claustrophobic. And I wonder if I shouldn't have used/"wasted" the sheet on this project. Live and learn, my friends. Live and learn. In other happy news, look w...

I recently bought some pink linen online. It was hard to tell which colors were which when you are looking at a swatch of fabric in a photo. So I called customer service and this is what the lady told me to order. I didn't know what I was going to get until it arrived a few days later. It started with simple, pink linen cropped pants. Then I decided to add a cuff. And a button. At the time, I didn't know which fabric to use until I spied this old Amy Butler print that I've had hanging around for ... uh ... two years. (I have no idea what it is called, sorry.) After doing all the details on the pants, I realized she needed a new shirt to match. And, voila ! It all came together. Although the linen verges slightly on Pepto-Bismol , when paired with this pink and green fabric, it's toned down a bit. She likes it. She had been bugging me to finish it. She's wearing it now. I call that a success.

Yellow tissue paper flowers, yellow wheel, yellow school reminder, yellow tractor in fabric, lone yellow tulip, new belated-birthday yellow shoes, courtesy of my best girl, Kathie. And a better view.

Late Friday night I sewed. Joe was out of town, the little ones were asleep. The bigger two were awake but playing PS2 and computer games. It was as quiet as it was gonna get. When I was recently de-stashing and organizing my fabric , I ran across this curtain that I had made a few years ago for our computer room. We aren't using it anymore and I decided I should just make something else with it. I put it in the use-immediately-or-get-rid-of pile (which works amazingly well, by the way) and straightaway it was transformed into springy baby pants. I would call them "cropped," but I wonder if that is more of a girly term. I've seen "beach pants" around, so perhaps that is what they are called for boys. Striped beach pants with red bias trim and a matching onesie. I wanted a red bird, but found a duck shape that I tried to make look more like a bird than a duck. And I failed. All of my children called it a duck. It feels so Maria von Trapp to be making clot...

On Friday I received a surprise package in the mail from Amandajean . She sent this beautiful apron with all of my favorite fabrics and color combinations. Cherries. Gingham. Polka Dots. Aqua and Red. It is so amazingly personalized for me. I love every inch of it. I really do. And it's perfectly sewn. Thanks, again, Amandajean, it was a lovely surprise. On Saturday morning I ventured out to my first flea market of the year. There aren't too many flea markets ever in my area, so when I saw a sign that there is a flea market for three consecutive Saturdays (starting this past Saturday), I knew I had to go. Even if it meant that Joe was out of town and I had five of my six in tow. The kids were amazing. It helped that the weather was nice and that it was a smallish flea market. We were able to go through it in about an hour's time. I found this little green chest made of solid wood. It's going to be repainted (red, maybe) and I'm going to switch out the knobs (glas...

I have been needing a new tote. Okay, not really. How about I've been wanting a new tote? Does that sound more realistic? I've had the strawberry sheet on my mind all week. Must. Use. It. Up. In fact, I've used so much, I've started to use bits and pieces of the fitted sheet, which is worn in some spots, so not as usable as the pristine flat sheet. Anyway, where was I? Oh, totes ! Yes, I needed wanted a new tote, so I decided what is more summery than a strawberry tote with vintage gingham? Oh, it so reminds me of a summer picnic. I can barely stand it. I lined the totes in a large, vintage gingham and placed a small pocket in mine. After I made one for myself, a certain little girl in the house declared she needed one, too. I made her handles from the gingham so she can tell them apart. I am certain that she would try to claim my larger tote if they were identical. And then last night (after bedtime) I made some lounge pants for her. She submitted her request for a ...

I have a Strawberry Shortcake song in my head, "Jammin' jammin' strawberry jammin.'" I don't know if it's from Spenser's CD or a DVD (or perhaps both). Anyway, it must be Strawberry Week over here because I just noticed that all of my posts thus far are strawberry related. (Hmm. Note to self: I must come up with something for tomorrow.) On Sunday after church I was looking for some family time. We decided to make strawberry jam. I had received a free sample of a no-cook pectin so it involved very little effort. Wash. Cut. Stir. Refrigerate. Four sets of kids' hands armed with child-friendly knives and it was finished in no time... Which left time for sampling (before allowing it to set for 24 hours) and ... playing.