Pattern Resizing

Justin's mother saved me her mother's patterns. I love them. I spent the other day, going through all the little girl dress patterns making sure I had all the pieces. Well, that got me all excited to sew, and I am always needing a good project to keep me busy. So today I made this: (the little blue dress)

Isn't it adorable! It reminds me of the Kennedy's, it's from that time and fashion- and is just so classic.

There was one problem. The pattern was for a size 4, and I wanted to make something she could wear sooner than that. I researched online and found a fabulous tutorial, and have some images for you who would like to try it themselves.

Since I don't have a little model to try it out on, I looked up all the basic measurements. I found one perfect size chart here with all measurements, that helped me to double check my changes. And one other children's size chart that I had to convert from metric.

Once i had the info I needed to do the work, I found:

• sharpie
• architectural fodder paper (thin tissue paper)
• tape
• sewing gauge
• scissors
• pins

Once I had my supplies together, I checked the back of the pattern for the size measurements according to the pattern. Then I wrote out the size changes and figured what the difference in inches needed to be. (this is also where this chart came in handy for figuring proper armhole depth and shoulder to edge of neck measurements, later after I made the changes, I measured the changes to make sure they were correct).

Step 1: Trace existing pattern onto fodder.

Step 2: Once you know how much space you need to subtract (or add), you need to think about

dividing this amount in half for the front and back. Then divide that by half again, since that piece will be on both sides.

Example: The chest measurement difference I needed was 2 inches total.

Which means I need to remove 1 inch on front / 1 inch on back.

The front piece is cut out twice, so the 1 inch needs to be halved, 1/2 inch removed from each of the two pieces equals one inch.

Here is the pattern being cut to remove that 1/2 inch.

When you cut the stripe down the pattern you only overlap it 1/4 of an inch on both pieces, because that will equal 1/2". I also removed that half inch from the front neck facing. To check my work I flipped it upside down on top of the changed pattern to see if the length was right.

(refer to the tutorial if confused)

On the children's measurement chart I noticed that the shoulder width was also needing to be smaller, so I took out 1/2 and inch there, by over lapping it 1/4" inch.

The second image show how much I had to take out of the armhole. This was a big difference, all at once. I overlapped it 5/8 inch, to remove the 1 1/4" inch that was too much.

Since I removed that space form the sleeve on the front and back I needed to do the same to the sleeve pattern piece. I also shortened it, about 1 inch, just cuz, I didn't want it to be too long. The dotted line, is where I drew the new sleeve bottom.

I repeated this basic process on the back piece. The only difference was that the facing and back were one piece so I had to remove that 1/2 inch from the facing portion as well. On this image you can see an arrow for all the areas I took space out. Lastly I removed 2 inches from the length. According to the pattern you just added or subtracted from the bottom, so that is what I did here. I recommend doing this very last, because I didn't and when I began removing width, it messed up the hem, better to just wait til all the other changes are made.

I taped everything like mad so that I wouldn't have to waste more paper to copy the pattern onto in order to cut it out.

I used some old lilac fabric I had and lace. I just need to buy some buttons for the back. The pattern took about 3 hours. It wouldn't take that long a second time, but I had to figure it out a bit! And I haven't sewn clothing from a pattern in years. But this was SO fun!

And two more- I might change out the little buttons on the front for bigger ones. What do you think, do they seem too small? (that was all I had on hand)

Ch-oatmeal Chip Cookies

The other day I decided I needed cookies. Yes, it was a need, or maybe just a great desire... but I digress. At first I thought I would just make my friend Emily's most perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies, but then I realized that I had to have more chocolate, and wanted some oatmeal. So I changed the recipe and it was the perfect concoction, I swear these were the best cookies I have ever had, and Justin agreed.

Choatmeal Chip Cookies

in a small bowl stir together,

2 T slightly warmed oil with

3-4 T cocoa

set aside.

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In your KitchenAid or large bowl, cream together:

3/4 c shortening

1 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

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Combine completely, then add...

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

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Combine, then add...

Chocolate mixture

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Combine then add

1 c Quick Oats

2 c white flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp soda

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And at the end add

1/2 a bag Special Dark Chocolate Chips.

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I used my medium scoop. and baked them at 375 for 12 minutes.

Perfect.

Did you need to see the picture again? I thought so.

Let there be shelves

One of my favorite things about this house is the large pantry, and all the shelves. But a girl can always use more shelves- right? Especially when I am working on actually organizing my three month supply. Which I will tell you more about soon. And it is so good to have such a capable husband. I still need to paint them, but I couldn't wait to put the cans on them. So that will have to wait. And the rest of the space is slowly transforming. I love an organized pantry space! It just feels so good! (here is the before, during and sorta after, when we get the space really finished we'll be sure to share)

Quick change

I told you about the mother load of free junk I found, well this beauty was one of them. I still haven't figured out what she is holding in her hands- frog, turtle?... Your guess is as good as mine. But the frame is large, if not gold, but I'll get to fixing that later.

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Anyway, lately I have been craving color. In fact, about everything in my living room was "green" with envy for color (meaning everything was just plain green, olive, lime you name it- green)

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It was driving my nuts. So, I found one of my old paintings from a watercolor class Justin and I took at the local community college in Asheville.

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Can I just say I LOVE continuing education classes! I know I'm a geek! Proud of it.

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I had to get some black paper left over from college as a sort of matte and we still need some glass, but for now this is now hanging on my living room wall and helping the much needed color problems. (Someday, when I grow up, I will be a painter...)

Fruit of our labor.

We haven't been very good about documenting our garden's little harvest (what the chicken's haven't yet eaten!- or that hasn't been killed in the heat). But I picked this yesterday and had some for breakfast and though it would be fun to document!

We have 2 more coming along very well.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I am a little nervous about actually posting my first book review. I read to be entertained, not to judge, so this will not be to "review-y". Also, I realize that is is a little cheesy to pick "The Host" for my first review. It is not a classic, but about 2 weeks ago I just had the urge to re-read it.

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A brief description of the book is this:

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Earth in the not to distant future, has been taken over by an alien life form, that is inserted into human bodies and then controls them. There are a few humans that noticed the changes in time and went into hiding. The story is centered around the life of Melanie, a human in hiding. She saved herself and her brother from the aliens. While hiding out she meets the love of her life, no matter that he may be the Last man on earth, Jared. Life is now basically complete. Until she is caught and an alien is installed in her body. The twist? The story is told from the alien's perspective...

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There is romance, suspense, a good fight for survival and an ever present sense of danger.

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In that past, I used to think I am not into the whole Sci-fi world, but if this is Sci-fi I am a total convert. It is not overly fantasy or futuristic, in fact very earthy. (Okay, I must admit it, I grew up faithfully watching "Star Trek, The Next Generation", I someday dream of dressing up like a
treky" for Halloween, and I still think that Capt Sean Luke Picard is a very good looking man)

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But back to "The Host", I think that I enjoyed this book more with my second perusal. The first time I read it, due to the nature of the story, I was a ball of nerves. Those nerves ruined all the subtleties of the story. This time, with an idea of how it would all go, I was really able to take in the story and in turn really enjoyed it.

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My one complaint is this, it is not a face paced story, and that really frustrated me the first time. But not at all the second.

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As for content: There are some references to violence, but nothing too graphic. There are also some "hot Kissing scenes" that didn't go any further, not too inappropriate, but it did allude to things going further, in life past. There wasn't much language, maybe a few less that choice words, but nothing too hard and not very often. Overall, it is a book that I own, and will keep. I would let my teenager read this, but I would hope not until about 15, if I really had my way.

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If you've read this book, I would love to hear what you thought. Send me a comment, I am sure other's would appreciate them too.

Fly the Coop

This blog has been a long time in coming.

I have just been putting it off. We've actually been done with the coop itself for about 3 or 4 weeks, oops. I don't want to forget to record some things, so here are some pics of building the coop, the chicks as they've been growing up and our 2 new lovely ladies (Libby and Sun)

We have the run in the back, it still needs to be painted, but for now, with this heat, there is no way on earth I am painting! We have the big girls in the run to keep them away from the babies until everyone is friendly. (We've collected our first dozen of eggs this week! What a thrill!)

So here are the pics:
This was our baby chicks first outing! Aren't they adorable! I can't believe how much they changed and grown.

Here they are again a few weeks later getting all their feathers, and loosing their fluff, which you can see in patches mostly on their heads.


Here is some of the stages of completion for the coop

(if you'll remember the barn raising post, that left off at the walls)

Justin installing the roof.

I guess I forgot to photograph the siding install. I am really happy because we were able to "reduce, reuse and recycle" for about everything on this project. Justin collected all the 2 x 4 from people who were spring cleaning. So that was free. We only had to buy the flooring and roofing material and 2 sheets of siding. We actually used some siding from our neighbor too.

Of course when I actually helped, paint and caulk it all we didn't get photos either.

Here is an image of the front door. Santiago our neighbor was ripping out an old hot tub surround and gave us the old deck and a bunch of randoms, wood misc. This door was one of the things he gave us. I had Justin add the "X" and we moved the hinges to the side, but it is so adorable now. I would like to get an old piece of weathered wood and paint "EGGS 5 cents" (I can't find the cents symbol on my keyboard....) Then hang the sign in the upper portion of the door!

Again we talked to our neighbor Santiago, who has all the best connections. He introduced us to a contractor friend of his and he got us a deal on all our roofing needs- shingles, felt, nails and fascia drip stuff all for only $30.00. A square of roofing at home-dumpot runs around $25.00 (he gave us 2 squares, plus everything else! Score!)

We wanted to have a vent on the upper tower to keep airflow without any water problems. We checked out our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore to see what they might have we could use. First we saw some vent covers but finally found some prefect shutters for $8.00. I painted them and Justin cut them down and installed them. I think they really add to the quaintness of the structure.

Here is the finished coop. Sorry about the colors, Justin had to work until late in the nights to get anything done, so I usually got pictures around dusk.

On the window side Justin made some adorable shutters, out of scrap woods. Here they are shut:

And opened:

There are interior shutters to keep the chicks in, but get some good breezes during the day.

And finally here it is with the chicken run. I am planning on painting the fencing white. This fencing was also from Santiago. We need to invite him over to dinner!! (the old back fence, I am planning on staining a dark charcoal grey). Justin wants me to paint the siding a color, which will probably be a lighter grayish color, or maybe I'll get creative and go brighter!

Finally here are the babies today:

And here are the new gals:

Teaching the Bible in Schools?...

Where do you stand?

My sister was questioned recently about a comment she made on a book review and her response was simply wonderful. So, if the title interests you you should really check out what she had to say right here. If it doesn't I would recommend reading it anyway, I promise it is well worth the time.

Beached whale...

Saturday was HOT, HOT, HOT!

We were working on finishing the chicken run and painting the back wall and it was unbearable. I have been asking Justin about getting one of those little pools for the backyard for weeks, and we finally just did it. It is 12' across and 30 inches deep so not bad and has a filter for junk.

We decided it is an adults only zone, (sorry small children) but we don't want to swim in a toilet.... and, I still need to run to the pool supply place to figure out the chemical situation. I know it looks a little ghetto, but we are in love!

We went swimming twice. I was in there smoothing out the bottom with just an inch in there, splashing around like a beached whale. Once it was full, we returned for a swim at 9:30 while it was still 90 degrees out! HEAVENLY! ( the neighbors were having a party with a live band, which made ti more fun and reminded me of the Asheville drum circle)

Two little miracles...

No, I didn't just find out I'm having twins. Still just the one(that is hiccuping at this very moment)!

But we did pick up two more feathery children. These ladies are quite a bit older than our babies. We thought we might have to wait a day after their "traumatic" removal from their other home... but they made themselves comfy, and here is what we found.

Now, many of you know that hens lay eggs (old news), but this was just so exciting!! Nothing like it. We went out there to the chicken run to check on water levels after church and when I peaked in they had made a little nest from the straw and there these were. I almost cried... (I almost cry a lot lately) But I just couldn't be happier. I was smiling fro about 3 hours, I'm not exaggerating!

What fabulous little creatures God has given us! It was thoroughly wonderful.

(side note:

I taught the Laurels class about proper Sabbath day observance, and how in the past Jewish law was very strict, and one funny fact they mentioned is this:

"There was also a question about whether one should eat an egg laid on the Sabbath by a hen which did not know the law. One rabbi permitted it, and another rabbi did not. (See Albert E. Bailey, Daily Life in Bible Times [New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1943], p. 255.)" I thought about this and chuckled to myself as I was washing off the eggs, cuz they are definitely not going to go to waste!)

The best books...

I am always on the look out for good books.


Finding these books can sometimes be a daunting task, I am very particular, not so much about subject, but content. I don't like smutty or violent things. And, while I read for mostly for fun, one of my lifetime goals is to read all the classics.


My sister Kristen who was/is? attending Gorge Wythe university working on her graduate degree, was telling me about the great statesman of the past. How they had honed their minds with great literature and reading at relatively young ages. This knowledge helped them to found our country. Many of the men were self taught, by studying the great works of the past.


She also told me about the concept of a "complete or whole" novel, and a "broken" novel (and forgive me, I might be a little jumbled in trying to explain this- and may have the wrong names for them but you'll get my point in one second). In the "complete or whole" novel there are clear consequences based on the characters moral choices. We see played out what ought to properly happen to those that make good and bad decisions. In a broken novel, there are no such consequences. People glorify the physical appetites without any restraint and no consequence.


In the Ensign this month (our church magazine) there was a wonderful article about our "Refined Heavenly Home" I really liked what it said about raising our thoughts, words and choices to a higher standard. But I was struck by this:


"President David O. McKay (a leader of our church) (1873–1970) was inclined to awaken daily at 4:00 a.m., skim read up to two books, and then commence his labors at 6:00 a.m. He could quote 1,000 poems from memory. He referred to the grand masters of literature as the “minor prophets.” He was a living embodiment of the scriptural admonition to “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom” (D&C 88:118)."


Isn't that incredible! first of all 4:00 AM- are you kidding me? WOW! I am so impressed!Second of all two books a day? DOUBLE -WOW! Lastly, I am so fascinated with the mental capacity to have over 1,000 poems memorized. I should start working on that today, I started memorizing some scriptures a while back, but failed pretty miserably keeping up with my first plan... I need to try again.


So, after all this rambling thought, I am going to start including some of the books that I have read. Now, I am sure they will not all be classics, and I may find that some books are "broken" but I will also have a label on the books so if you are ever looking for a good book you may be able to find it. I may not be a sharp critic, but occasionally maybe.

With that said, let the reviews begin.

I'm Screaming!

For ice cream that is, cuz hey it's almost officially summer.

The other day while doing a quick run through the grocery store, (we only needed milk, what did we leave with?.... Well that is another story)

On the way by the ice cream isle I had a craving.... for ice cream sandwiches! Doesn't that just sound good?

I turned down the isle to pick some up, and got distracted by the double fudge brownie ice cream- oh pregnancy,... oh chocolate. I totally forgot what it was I was headed down the isle for.

Well the craving did NOT disappear, I remember that as soon as I got home. I found that I still needed ice cream sandwiches. But I wasn't going back....

I opted to make some.

Here is the recipe. SUPER easy:

Ice Cream Sandwiches:

Vanilla ice cream (set aside for 5 minute before use)

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Cookies:

1 box devils food chocolate cake mix

1 cup Crisco (I never said it was healthy....)

2 eggs

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Mix together, then spoon batter onto a cookie sheet.

Bake 350 for approx 11-13 minutes.

(Time is really up to you, if you like the cookies crunchy go longer, chewy go less- this recipe is usually for homemade Oreo cookies, with cream cheese frosting, so you can try that too)

I use a cookie scoop, it keeps the cookies uniform. I got a nice one at Wally world for about $5.00 (after purchasing the pampered chef version that broke the first time I used it, then the replacement did the same... and when I got the Walmart version I saved about $7.00)

They may be slightly puffy when you pull them out. I just drop the pan about 6 inches, onto the stove top to make them fall, and be a little more dense, although they may just do that on their own.

I let the vanilla ice cream sit out for about 5+ minutes. Then just sliced it and shoved it in between two cookies. Then you need to let them freeze for about a day, I just place mine stacked in a gallon freezer bag.

Warning: These are addictive.

Caution: If feeding to children, do so OUTSIDE, they are crumbly little buggers, and who want to clean up the mess? Not I!

If you make these tell me what you think!