More of my favorite things

Lazy Saturday mornings when the sun streams through your window so brightly that you refuse to even think about turning on any lights for fear of ruining that perfect glow.

And easy going afternoons when you get to play in the paints and take a bath right after not once ~ but TWO times.

(and that was LAST weekend!)

The dress...

So the saga continues. I have ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSloads of work to do, but funcationally can't do a thing till all the data is pulled. I never thought i'd say this, but i need 2 computers.

Anyhooo - in my 'spare' time today i did the "skirt" part of my dress. I was terrified of sewing the netting. I'm talking straight beads of sweat running down my body. Not only was the material more expensive than i had reallyl wanted to spend, but MY GOD its netting. Somehow I just never thought it would be possible to seam together even quasi nicely.

Well i must say - i don't suck. I used approx two yards and did a simple 'gathering' stich on the top seam (yes thats the technical term). Then put it on elastic, pulling it tight the entire time. Well it WORKED!

So now i'm playing with the shapes of the dress, as the original -- though cute, doesn't exactly work for my body. I *think* i have it, but we'll see in a few days time.

ohhhh LUCY!

This past weekend we went to the (2nd) Annual Lucy Stomp. It was soo fun. Aside from loving the changing of the seasons, wine and hangin with my hunnies ~ i was THRILLED with the opportunity to squish some grapes between my toes.

G was faar more interested in eating the grapes vs. dancing on them. But it was a great weekend and she even learned how to do a propper pour.

the dress (cont)

So i'm learning
A) i need a new sewing machine or ummm propper lessons on how to sew
B) jersey knit is kinda a beeep to sew with but at the same time VERY forgiving

SO the easy part is done ~ the tube dress part. Now comes the tough stuff. THe overlay. The pic above is just the dress tied behind my back. The top will ideally be 'less poofy' and more like the inspiration dress and the bottom will be not exaclty poof, but far more gathered fabric.

I'm scared to even touch the stuff at this point. I think i need a day or two of reflection :)

In search of the perfect dress

So Mr A. and I have PLENTY of weddings to go to over the next few months. I'm usually in favor of skipping weddings, but one is at a cool location ~ another is unskippable ~ one we have to go to if we go to another and the other just promises more fun than perhaps the rest.

So being somewhere in between "normal" and plus size i'm limited to my choices of dresses that even fit. Put a budget on top of it ~ add my style preferences and welll ummm...there's not much left.

The first one is acceptable & inexpensive. The second is my ideal if i had money to burn and weighed 40lbs.

Sooo I'm doing what any reasonable person would. Give up and make my own! (no worries, i bought the black&white one just in case)

This was my inspiration:
but again too expensive, not my size and not colorful enough for me to really splurge, but i liked the neckline, the overlay and the general idea.

So armed with fabric and a dream ~ i'm off.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

What started as an attempt to take a few quick pictures before school ~ turned into a little moment of reflection. I had hoped to catch a fun pic of G in her first pair of jeans lookin all grown up ~ but in the rush to get out of the house, find shoes, keys, and stay out of the landscapers way I didn't get any good pics.

Or so i thought.

Now while reviewing them, I came upon this one and it's just made me stop. The blur seems to be almost normal and necessary these days as we're constantly moving at lightening speeds and her feet...always on the go.

Not sad...just wishing i could stop time for a few days and catch my breath.

I knew this day would come

but somehow i had tricked myself into believing that i was a better parent than that.

HAHAHAHAHA

It sorta came out of the blue. The first time i heard it it tilted my head and sorta thought "hmmm was that what i thought it was??" The next time it was clear and i sorta giggled. With each passing hour the strength of this word grew as lil G realized its full potential and i even heard about it when we picked her up from daycare. In less 24 hours it went from cute lil 'beaker beaker' noises to a full blown ~ the devil may have possessed me

NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(no) Labor - Labor day

Last weekend was labor day and I'm FINALLY getting around to uploading the pics. Far to many to share here, but thats the indication of a fantastic weekend ~ right?

Its been SEVEN - count em, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 looooooong years since i've been to the lake. And somehow, not much has changed and that felt WONDERFUL. Sure there are a few fabulous improvements to the house (dock bar anyone) but overall i'm happy to report that the lake wasn't 1/10 as crowded as I had expected.

Perhaps this is the silver lining to the high gas prices.

Small-us Rant-us (round 2)

So how's this for interesting.

Yes we're talking about my issues again. So a quick search for caprylic acid results in [quote] Caprylic acid is the common name for the eight-carbon saturated fatty acid known by the systematic name octanoic acid. It is found naturally in coconuts and breast milk. [/quote]

It's a fatty acid that has anti-fungal properties and is used to treat bacterial infections.

Sorry Similac but you can keep your "important additive, Choline chloride, in feed especially for chickens where it accelerates growth" We'll keep doing what we do and grow in a slightly more natural way.

Sidebar: Have you heard of the gentleman that 'cured' his cancer with breastmilk?? Not sure how i feel about premie babies being skipped over for an older man, but fascinating nonetheless.

More test results

So the poo tests came back today. Let me be the first to say

SHUT UP to EVERYONE who's ever said i was fat because i'm lazy -- i'm fat b.c. i don't eat well -- i'm fat because i don't eat well AND i'm lazy. Everyone who's offered me all expense paid trips to fat spas just becuase they love me. Everyone who's wanted to have a heart to heart with me because they're just intersted in my well being can SUCK IT FOLKS -- because I EAT JUST FINE and my CRAP CONFIRMS IT.

Ok - nice Jenn is back.

I have some infections and my bacteria aren't up to snuff. Probiotics and some caprylic acid should clear that up and immensely help my immune system (and allergies)

DONE & DONE!!