Prima Ballerina

I think we've found the perfect activity for Korra.

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It involves big mirrors, the color pink, sparkles, and being pretty.

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Oh, and getting to dance on stage at the end of the year.

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Lessons started today, and Korra is like a duck in water. Except these "ducks" run on their tip toes. She's quite impressed.

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And very pink.

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The dress code we received said we'd alternate pink weeks and black weeks. Tonight, I found out that "Pink Ballet" doesn't follow the dress code. As the teacher said, little girls at this age tend to outgrow things quickly, and to expect us to financially keep up with the dress code on top of current sizes is too much to ask. Can we get a Yay!?

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Korra learned to run on her tip toes, to properly turn at the bar, and 2 other moves. Oh, and to always tie her ballet slippers at the beginning of class.

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She's not too shabby!

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I should add that her Daddy observed, "she has really long legs."

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I think Daddy is worried about the future boys, lol!

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I Really Should Update My Interwebz

I have a bio that I made all about us and our house.

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It's sadly behind.

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I've made several changes, like rearranging and new furniture (antiques) and wall hangings and a bunch of other "stuff". I've added some stuff, but I haven't updated the old. I should. Before I put Christmas decor up again. I'd like a Christmas free dining room to show off, lol!

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I really need to motivate myself....

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A Little Something for Me

I don't make myself very many things. It's a sad fact. I make things for my family, friends, and interweb strangers, but never for me.

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I have, however, discovered that polyester knit is the fabric of the season. Ick. I'm a natural fabrics gal. I can do without the polyester tops, dresses, and pants, that will all become covered in tiny little snags and fuzzies in about one wash.

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I'm shuddering here.

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I get that silk and pure wool, especially merino and cashmere, are too $$$ to find at the local stores, but what about cotton? Wool blends? Isn't polyester plastic thread? Like petrolium based? Shouldn't IT be too pricy to produce with the current cost of oil by the barrell?

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Sadly, the fashion world has also decided that the 80's should return.

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WHO'S IDEA WAS THIS???

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Shoulder pads, styrup pants, neon plaids, skinny jeans, and doe skin fabrics were a part of the past for a reason!

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:::fans self:::

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So, basically, my clothing choices for this fall are tacky and tackier. Gag me with a spoon. Please.

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The upside to the horridness of the mass produced clothing market, is that I have the abilties to make what I want.

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I spent almost 2 hours at JoAnn's, looking through pattern catalogs and fingering fabrics. Thankfully, all 3 kids were more than cheerful to wait. Xavian and Korra looked at Halloween costumes, and Saxton was cheerful to half nap in his stroller.

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I found several vintage patterns that called my name, but am on a budget, so I decided to pick one to start.

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Meet Butterick pattern 6582, a 1960's designed cocktail dress:

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The beauty of the dress is that it's from a time when hour glass figures were celebrated, the necklines weren't so cleavage baring, and a woman's back was considered sexy.

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It's a good thing I'm fond of my back.

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I'm loving style A, the black dress with shoulder bows. I'm going to make the bows detatchable, so that I have the option to wear a cardigan.

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The pattern calls for light weight fraille, crepe, taffeta, pique, light weight linen, or shantung.

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I'm making mine with a deep red suiting weight wool. It's more pratical for actual wear. I don't go to too many cocktail parties, but I do go to church, luncheons, and Christmas parties.

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The dress itself is supposed to hit mid-calf. I'm thinking I'll probably go with knee length.

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I'm making a muslin mock-up of the dress so that I can determine alterations to ensure a perfect fit. This is a first for me. It's also a must, because the dress is supposed to be semi-formfitting. I don't want to waste any of this beauful fabric! Besides, if I were to buy more, it probably wouldn't be on sale, and I'd have to pay $25 a yard. Eeep!

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Wish me luck, as I am excited and daunted all at once. I really want to love the finished product!

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My Household Cleaner Recipes

Okay, I get asked this a LOT. So, here we go, forever posted on the interwebs, my 2 main cleaning recipes:

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Furniture Polish

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2 cups Veggie or Olive Oil

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

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Combine in a spray bottle and shake before use. We live where it's cold & dry, and with all our woodwork, I have to heep it healthy. This does the trick. My wood sucks it up, and doesn't leave any greasy film. Just spray, wipe, and let dry for 20 minutes.

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Bathe Tub Cleaner

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1 cup Baking Soda

1/2 cup White Vinegar

Splash of Water

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I sprinkle the baking soda all over inside the tub, get a textured rag wet, and start scrubbing. Yes, there is some elbow grease involved, but think how great your arms will look! Once the baking soda is paste-like, I sprinkle in the vinegar and let it foam for about 1 minute, and then I start wiping w/ my unrinsed textured cloth again. Buh-bye scum! Rinse with water.

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Happy, healthy, clean house!

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FABULOUS. Peroid.

I have such Fabulous moments in my life.

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Take yesterday for example:

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I had lots to do. And not a lot of time. I also have a couple projects that even to be done by midnite Thursday night. And that required a trip to JoAnn's and spending $6. It almost cost more. Like a speeding ticket more.

I was in the checkout line at JoAnn's when my cell rings. "Hi, is this Korra's mom? Would you please come and get her? She threw up."

FABULOUS.

I am 40 minutes from my house, and because of construction, almost 50 minutes from the school.

"Okay, sure. I be there in about 45 minutes. I'm running errands down south today."

I pay for my purchase, grab Saxton and speed out of the mall and load us into the car. As I'm fishing out my keys, I realize that in about 25 minutes, J has a friend comming over. When the friend arrives, I'm supposed to wake J up.

FABULOUS.

I take a deep breath and think reasonably, "Just get to the house, wake J no matter if his friend is there or not and then drive to the school and get Korra. No rush."

I drive. I sing with the radio. I notice a patrol car at an intersection, but think nothing of it. I stop at the stop sign and make my turn. And then I follow the car in front of me. and then I see the flashing lights.

I don't know what is more embarrassing:

A. Getting pulled over for speeding twice in less than 6 months (I really am not a fast driver!)

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B. Being friends with the person who just pulled you over and knowing that she's going to give you husband hell over it.

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C. Having the school call 15 minutes after you get pulled over to tell you that it's not your child who threw up, it was someone else. "Sorry for the mix-up"

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My face is still RED.

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DH lectured me this morning. Not that I didn't tell him, but to hear from a co-worker, well, he had to remind me that we need snow tires and to get into the "winter driving mindset."

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*sigh*

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I think I shall drown my sorrows in candy corn and apple cider. Or hot chocolate. I don't think I have any homemade cider left in the freezer.

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I've Been Knitting Again

I like this knitting thing!

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This fall weather jumpstarted my need to knit for fall, winter and Christmas. My needles have been clicking away. I'm sure my sewing machine being re-tuned has played a part, but still, at least I like knitting as much as sewing!

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Of course, I needed to do a photo shoot with Saxton and these adorable longies and hat I made. The only thing cuter in these pictures is him, and I made him too! Ha!

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We started the shoot by playing on the big slide,

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Then we got down into the leaves.

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With a Yummy Earth Mango sucker.

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But even the sucker couldn't keep him out of the sandbox

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And then I put the hat on him and made him MAD!

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So, he got cookies too!

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The green multi-media tee came from AlexandAndy on Etsy, the undershirt is a plain white longsleeve tee I dyed using black tee, the hand painted Marr Haven came from Alligator Knits on Hyena Cart, the longies pattern is from Itchy Fingers on Ravelry, and the hat was made using Ky Baby Knits Hudson Pattern.

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Can I just say how much relaxing knitting is, how exciting it is to see things grow from a skein of yarn, and how accomplished I feel when I finish a project? I love hearing people say, "you made that?!" My kids, and J, wait impatiently to see what I'm making and for who. It's quite halarious! And is going to lead to a Christmas morning full of (I hope) "I really hoped you'd make me one!"

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I challenge you to learn something new and see where it takes you!

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9 months of knitting, 11 projects completed, 2 on the needles, and 5 planned.

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I Wonder if I can Pay in Peanut Butter Cookies?

J got a tractor around the Fourth of July. He lurves his tractor.

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I think he lives to just drive it in circles and pretend to be productive.

(Just kidding! He's actually really productive with it. We have new french drains at the back of the house, and he's moved a lot of rocks for the patio.)

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BUT, appearently, a 20 year old tractor has small issues. Like a non-working fuel gauge.

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J ran out of gas.

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J bought more gas and filled her back up.

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J ran her for 20 minutes and then went to bed.

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Neighbor tried to borrow the tractor, and it wouldn't start.

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Hmmmmmmmmmmm...

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So I called Daddy. "Daddy listen to it when we try to start." Daddy listens. "Sounds like there might still be some air in the lines. You're probably going to need to crack the fuel injection lines..."

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He told me how. We fixed it. J caught us at the end and tried to take over putting the motor back together and dropped a nut into where the air hose goes. We fished it out. We put it back together. It started right up. It's been fine since.

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So, what would a service call have cost us? Think Daddy will take peanutbutter cookies as payment?

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I have to wonder, do other guys' wives work on tractors?

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If it's not one thing in life, it's another

I had big plans today.

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Huge plans, really.

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I slept in. When I woke, I started making marinara sauce to can. I knit some on a project for Saxton with a goal in mind. I was going to do the usual Sunday changing of sheets on everyone's beds. The kids were going to clean their rooms so that I can vacuum tomorrow morning. I was going to finish 3 sewing projects. I was going to call family and say hi.

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Life can change plans in the blink of an eye.

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2 hysterycal children can change everything.

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A child's bleeding head always changes everything.

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It could have been so much worse. Xavian finally managed to get up into the tree by his sandbox. The next step was to make somewhere to sit. But branches are round and hammers are heavier at one end than then other. That hammer fell 10 feet and whacked Korra in the head.

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Holding your heart yet?

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J was OOT for the day. The neighbors were home, thank goodness, and they kept the boys so I could take Korra to the ER. For an ER visit, it wasn't horribly long, only 3.5 hours. But the stress of waiting in an overcrowded space, with an injured child, sucks.

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The CT scan came back good. But the external swelling detered the dr from actually stitching the small gash. Korra's best friend is now an icepack and children's motrin.

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We have follow-ups to do, including another CT scan. Korra home from school for a day. And I get to wake her up 3 times a night for the next couple.

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Thank God that this isn't what it could have been!

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It Looked Like Fall Today

I don't know why I feel like it snuck up. Maybe because we never really had real summer weather for more than 48 hours this year?

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I drove to Erie today, and the day was so clear that Lake Erie swollowed the horizon line in a way that can only happen when the air gets crisper. The orchards were full of fruit, and the vineyards had droopy grapes hanging. It was really hard not to pull over and taste! The trees leaves are changing colors, and leaves are strting to litter the ground.

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Breathe taking scenery.

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The kids have been back in school for 3 weeks now. I've been trying to be more organized this year, so that we don't miss the bus and have to drive into town. We've had 2 late mornings so far, but the first happened when the alarm clock died (how do I kill these things?!) The second when I had MOPS, and was dropping Korra off on my way. Life happened, and we were late by 5 minutes. The kids are making an honest effort to dress, eat, brush teeth, and comb hair in the timeframe allotted. I'm proud of them!

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In my be on time effort, I've taken the making sure everything they need to go out the door is in one place.

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So far it's working!

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It wouldn't be fall without BTS pics, so here they are!

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Xavian looking suave:

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And a very excited Korra outside her classroom door:

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Want a Bag Like Korra's?

Check out my store!

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I just listed a couple that will be made to order.

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Jenn

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Korra's Kloset, because I love my little girl!

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