A dress for Miss M

A coworker's daughter turned 1 not too long ago. I thought making a dress for her birthday would be a great way to start sewing in my sewing room. After looking at other people's ideas online for kids' dresses, I bought some fabric and made a paper pattern.

The mom requested something yellow, since baby M doesn't have very much of that color. This was pretty much the only pattern at JoAnn's that would work for a baby sundress. I bought some lighter yellow to line it too.

As I was cutting out the pieces, I had the great idea to make it reversible. Not just front/back reversible, but inside-out front/back reversible too! This is 4 dresses in 1 my friend, and if that little girl gets all 4 sides dirty, I'll know it'll be worth it!
I finished the dress, minus any flair. Baby M came over to make sure the dress fit and she was fascinated by my fish. I let the mom pick out the embellishments. She was on board with what I suggested - I just didn't want to overdo anything!
The blue belt took the longest - I had to do it by hand, sew in blue where the ribbon had a blue slash, and not go all the way through the dress. I should have done this before putting the dress together, but didn't think this far ahead. The bow is centered, so it can go in the front or the back.
The flower belt is removable for when it's inside-out, and it's held in place with two side loops. I wanted to bring in more of that flower pattern on this side - so adorable!

This dress took me quite a while to make. I loved the challenge and the ideas that came to my mind half-way through making it. With all the work I've put into it, I think I need to start making clothes for me (I have a few patterns & ideas).

All Things Shiny

Margarita Monday showed me the divide between the creative and the lazy neighbors. Just kidding, but some neighbors got into the cup decorating and some didn't realize there were prizes. Mike's cup I pimped out with gold sequence. It took FOREVER to glue each individual sequence on there. Once I had that mostly done, I took the opportunity to use glitter on my - SO much easier, and SO much quicker.

Yes, I went overboard and decorated umbrellas to match. I'm pretty sure it took me at least 6 hours, but it was fun. I even wore my gold sequence shirt and beads to match!

A Secret Project

When my neighborhood went out on the boat, someone bought foam visors for everyone to decorate. Some were crazy, some were tame, but apparently the in-thing was to decorate.

The 'hood is back at it again. We're having Margarita Monday (thanks, DR Horton) and everyone is expected to "pimp their cup." Plastic margarita cups were passed out. I picked neon orange and pink for Mike and I, and spent several hours last night working on them. I literally stayed up until midnight. I can't let anyone else pimp theirs better - I'm half way to becoming a professional craftswoman!

I don't want to ruin the surprise for my neighbors now, but I'll be sure to take pictures and have a show-and-tell Tuesday morning. I'll leave you with this catcher: the margarita cups are brighter than their original coloring, and I'm half tempted to go to a costume shop so I can be in character. (Or at least buy some gold chains and blinging rings!)

Your Mom's Burger Bar...

...serves burgers that are nothing like my mom's burgers. These are giant gourmet burgers, with a variety of topping combos, and still at a descent burger cost (all under $8). I found a deal online - $20 of food for $10 and couldn't resist. That & my neighbors own it, and I'm all about supporting the local entrepreneur.Yes, my mouth hurt from stretching it across that burger. I ate a 1/2 pound burger stuffed with cheese, covered in honey BBQ sauce, with a giant fired onion ring on top - in between 2 pieces of Texas toast. Heart attack in a basket? Yes, but it was after a 5-mile hike, so I worked for it.

Next time, I might try the veggie burger. I highly suggest a round of fried pickles, but maybe it's just because I love pickles. And don't worry, next time I'm going home with leftovers.

PS - Mom, your burgers are good too.

A Cable Unburied

I've had the Internet for 2 months now. Yes, after 3 years of not having cable or the Internet at home, I caved on getting access to the world wide web. I opted to go with AT&T since Time Warner never came during their designated 2 hour (or 12 hour) appointment window in the past. It's been 2 months since I had this cable running through my backyard. Ergo, it was two months until I mowed (can you see the height difference in grass?) My coworkers experienced call 4 or 5 about this unburied cable. I didn't think I was that loud, but by that time, I was DEMANDING about what I wanted. "Don't give me any of that froo-froo talk. Bury it or I cancel. Reimburse me or I cancel."

I'll let you know if the orange spray paint fades away or if they bury it in the next month. (They're giving me a free month, so I might as well take it.) At this rate, I should have free Internet for life. I'll just keep calling "give me another free month since it's not buried, or I cancel. Your choice." I know my dad will be proud of me for the free portion of it, but my sister will probably be sad that I'm opting to go with a poor-service company. It'd be like going to Dunkin Doughnuts for coffee instead of Sips. (http://www.sipsrochester.com/) Yes, I'm craving a mango fruit freeze now.

Adventure on a Boat

The neighborhood decided to rent a party barge last weekend. How come we didn't think to pay for it out of our HOA fees? Let's get on that next time, guys. We grilled, we boated, we drank, we swam... The crew that was working on the boat wore tshirts with a tux pattern printed on it - classy.

And for those of you who aren't curious or nosy enough, this is Mike. We started dating around Easter. Ok, fam, I know Lauren has already told you all about him, so I won't go on & on (except that I like the fact that he's a Hokie too).

Happy Birthday, Brad!

Today is my brother's birthday. Happy birthday, Brad! (Mom, Dad, Ali, or Lauren - I trust you'll show him this post while you're on vacation. Best of luck for sunny weather while you're in Hilton Head.) Sorry, I don't really have a recent pic of him, but I promise he's 28 today & not 3.

Brad likes to cook (and now emails us all about smoking pork butt), so to go along with this, I'll share my recent baking experiment. I bought a surplus of tortillas, sour cream, and salsa. What to do with these? Make my own tortilla chips of course! I cut the tortillas into bite-sized pieces and baked them in my toaster oven. The dips I have here are an enchilada sauce (from enchiladas 2 days prior) and a salsa made by a friend. Yes, I'm proud of my avocado garnish. Despite the now 90-degree weather, I'm trying to cook once a week. It's better than turkey sandwiches (which is my usual lunch) or cereal (which is my usual breakfast) for dinner.