Still No Baby

Still no baby.

But it is SUCH AN EXCITING TIME. The fact that there will be a new little person coming into our lives soon... I wonder who he or she will be. How he/she will change our lives....or view the world. It is SUCH A BIG CHANGE. Especially for our Lillian...who, of course, believes the world revolves around her.

On Christmas morning -- John and I and Ross went up to Low Moor to watch Lilly open her gifts from Santa. Emily's parents, Kathy and Fred were also there. So this little girl, surrounded by seven adoring adults, opened her gifts one by one...as we were snapping pictures and enjoying each moment.

After maybe a dozen gifts, she sat back on her legs (exhausted) and said, "So many presents. Was I good or what?

Baby Farro is arriving just in time. Enertaining all these people is a really big job for one little girl.

Pinterest Picks

We are in a holding pattern....in that new baby Farro is taking his/her own sweet time...Which is okay -- I am trying to get a lot of the Sew Expo work done BEFORE the new baby arrives. One of my biggest jobs is writing the articles for the Seattle Times insert.

But, of course, my new favorite way to RELAX (read that: kill time I don't have) -- is PINTEREST. And there are sooo many interesting things..so -- here are this week's favs...

This is the PERFECT label for me to sew into my maxi-dresses....

And -- hey -- is this not perfect??


Best quick sewing idea of the week...

Believe it or not -- Pinterest has made me want to make my own fresh mozzerella cheese....(which is really amazing because I only buy it about once every three or four years...)

Dessert can be ALL ABOUT THE PRESENTATION. Look at these simple ingredients...ice cream, Reese's peanut butter cups and some sprinkles. Lilly would love to help make these!

And there is ALWAYS SOMETHING FUNNY on Pinterest...God knows we've all had these days...

Christmas in New York City

I love to travel. I love to visit new places and see new things. And it is always a thrill for me when it comes BACK around...

And that happens every Christmas.  December 1997 was the first time I went to New York City...with my sisters and my cousin Kim....OH MY GOD...it was such a wonderful, memorable trip. I look at a picture of us every single morning. (it's in my bathroom) -- because it makes me SMILE...

The tree was magnificent.  Since that trip, every year when I watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade -- or the tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Plaza -- I am snapped right back to those magical moments in New York City.. .spent with the women I most love in this world...and I AM SOOO GLAD I went whenever I had the chance.  I have since learned how to ride the subway, and take a bus...

My cousin Kim loved New York so much -- she could hardly wait to take her daughter, Carrie -- and it was wonderful to see it through her eyes. (that trip was before I had a digital camera -- do you have pictures, Kim??)

The last time I was in New York City during Christmas was in 2009 -- when my sister Deborah took ALL HER GIRLS. I was their unofficial tour guide. And we had a wonderful, wonderful time. (I was learning how to blog -- so there were LOTS OF PICTURES.)...

My BEST Christmas present this year involved a maxi dress (duh!). And the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. AND a scavenger hunt....

I don't have any pictures yet -- but I AM HOPEFUL...and it's a great sewing story... 
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P.S.  No baby yet...but it could happen ANY MINUTE NOW....this is sooo exciting...!!

Maxi Dress Mania

Anybody who knows me knows I love to sew. I actually enjoy mending and have been known to spend an entire day hemming pants for people. But the best of what I sew is art. And for me -- the best art always starts with junk. You will never hear me talking about cutting into an expensive piece of silk...old t-shirts are my preferred artistic medium...

And -- thanks to that dastardly Goodwill and their weekly QUARTER DAY -- I have an unlimited supply of junk to inspire and feed my art.

On Quarter Day -- I go to the Goodwill store and pretty much buy anything that's a quarter. I leave the store with bags full of t-shirts and baby clothes. (the occasional snow pants or parka -- I mean -- IT'S A QUARTER!). When I get home -- I sneak the bags into the house -- and IMMEDIATELY put all of it down the laundry chute.

After it's washed and dried -- I do the "sort". There's a big pile of black t-shirts, another big pile of prints, a big pile of shirts with pithy sayings...another pile of baby clothes...well -- you get the idea.

The piles kept getting bigger and bigger... I started calling my basement "t-shirt mountain"...and I'M NOT KIDDING...

I could show you a picture of my basement -- but then I'd live in fear that the Hoarder Show people would start pestering me. They could spend an entire season filming in my basement...so instead, I'm putting up a little gallery of some of my favorite 2012 maxi dresses...

These dresses are ALL ABOUT THE CREATION. I love every step of the process. The shopping (I NEVER know what I'll do with the shirts)...the laundry, the sorting, then the planning, the cutting, trying on, figuring it all out, starting over, cutting it up, changing my mind. Most of the dresses are gifts.

I NEVER know when I'm going to be moved to make a dress...but it always starts with me digging through t-shirt mountain, looking for just the right inspiration...

Sometimes I spend days working on a dress...Drinking coffee, listening to a book on tape.  imagining how it will look on the person I'm making it for. Because of Christmas, and some special dresses I've been working on (pictures later on, I promise!) -- there were several nights when I was down there until 3:00 AM, completely IN THE ZONE...

GEE -- I LOVE MY LIFE...

Some dresses go together in less than an hour -- like this dress I made for myself ...

and I WEAR IT ALL THE TIME....

others take more time...

or are for a special occassion...

ALWAYS for special people...

Some are theme dresses...

The thing is -- what I know for sure is that the joy of these dresses is in the MAKING OF THEM. I LOVE DOING THEM...and THAT'S REASON ENOUGH.

Sometimes, they fit into a person's life -- they become a favorite and get worn. That's a real bonus for me.

But often, that doesn't happen. AND that's okay, too. Because that's NOT THE POINT...

On Christmas Day, I wanted to say...GOOD FOR YOU. For putting all the love you could into this holiday. The gifts you made, the food you cooked, the decorations you put up -- all of it in the hope of bringing joy to the people you love.

But remember this -- the real joy is always IN THE GIVING....and how your gift is received is beyond your control. You did the right thing.

In Iowa -- You Can Get Fired Because You Are Too Pretty

OH MY GOD...this is an actual news story from Iowa. Welcome to the wacky world of justice... *****************

In Ft. Dodge Iowa last week:

One of the wilder stories from the judicial branch to cross our desk in some time popped up this weekend. Our tale takes place in an Iowa dentist’s office, where an attractive, married woman works as a dental assistant. After ten years on the job providing what the dentist himself described as “stellar” performance, she was fired because she was too attractive and represented a threat to the owner’s marriage. There was no affair. There was no allegation of an affair. But the dentist’s wife also worked there and, after discovering some personal (not sexual) text messages between the two, she wanted the woman gone. The assistant went to court claiming unjust termination. There’s no way that one holds up, right? Wrong.

A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to their marriage, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The court ruled 7-0 that bosses can fire employees they see as an “irresistible attraction,” even if the employees have not engaged in flirtatious behavior or otherwise done anything wrong. Such firings may be unfair, but they are not unlawful discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act because they are motivated by feelings and emotions, not gender, Justice Edward Mansfield wrote.

An attorney for Fort Dodge dentist James Knight said the decision, the first of its kind in Iowa, is a victory for family values because Knight fired Melissa Nelson in the interest of saving his marriage, not because she was a woman.

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At first, I read this story and was furious that a man could fire a woman for being too beautiful?? Are you kidding me? She did a STELLAR job for ten years and then this happens??

But the more I think about it -- hey -- she is probably blonde and we already know she is beautiful. She'll be fine...

Merry Christmas

Christmas is a holiday that starts off with all the best intentions. It's about a loving God -- and sharing time and gifts with your family and friends. What can go wrong, eh?

Obviously -- there are a million ways Christmas can go wrong. It seems to me the biggest problem is our own unrealistic expectations.  The trouble starts as soon as you fall in love with that picture in your head -- the beautiful table, the perfectly decorated Christmas tree, the delicious prime rib roast, the thoughtful conversations with smiling family members...

We've all been there. No matter how well you plan it -- somebody is going to be a no-show. Or arrive two hours late. Or start an argument. The tree will fall over. The kids will start fighting. Or -- worse yet -- they won't stop TEXTING. The roast will be overcooked or raw. And the conversation takes a turn towards politics. Ugh...

In a nanosecond -- your Christmas goes from Miracle on 34th Street to Nightmare on Elm Street...

Hey -- YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Every family has the same issues.

BUT THESE ARE YOUR PEOPLE...

Forgive them. Listen to them -- no matter how much you might disagree or take exception to what they are saying. Try to see it from their point of view. Realize that the food is NOT THE POINT...and the truth is -- nobody cares about, nor will they remember how your bathroom was decorated.

The memory that lasts for a lifetime is always the same -- it's about THE WAY YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

BECAUSE THESE ARE YOUR PEOPLE.

Your job is simple. No matter what else happens at Christmas -- make sure they know this one thing.

They are loved by you...

Merry Christmas!!


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P.S. There will be no nativity scene in Washinton D.C. this year due to the shortage of wise men. We only needed 3. (The search for a virgin continues, however.)

New Baby Any Day Now

This is a great picture of Emily -- in her 8th month. The due date is December 31 -- but, all signs are that she might go early, so she's trying to get everything ready for Lillian's Christmas.

So - we are trying to be flexible...

WHICH IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA, EH??

It's SUCH A BUSY TIME...you know how it goes -- for the next coupla weeks -- with Christmas and then New Years and hopefully -- A NEW BABY, TOO -- I might be too busy living my life to blog about it...

IT'S THE WEATHER

I live in Iowa. Our weather sucks. I was born and raised in Iowa. Trust me -- it has ALWAYS sucked. Every summer, we brace ourselves for those days when you walk out the door and the air is so hot and thick you cannot breath. 100 degree days with 80% humidity are common...

And our WINTERS! Youza. We get "cabin fever" because we can't get out of the house for days or weeks because it's 20 degrees BELOW zero and there's so much snow, the county can't clear the road...

Our weather is our weather. It is what it is. The weather has NOT CHANGED. It has always sucked. What HAS CHANGED is the weather forecasting.

Which -- if you ask me -- has become ridiculous. At the first sign of trouble (by that, I mean -- there is snow in Nebraska) -- they interrupt television shows, put up storm warnings and weather watches (I don't know the difference and I DON'T CARE -- so please don't email me to explain it).

IT IS WEATHER, PEOPLE...YOU LIVE IN IOWA...GET OVER IT...

The first snow of the year was coming our way yesterday -- and the local stations all had crews out in the counties, sending in "real time" reports of road conditions -- including the "mile marker" information...most schools were closed...EVEN THOUGH we didn't get a hint of snow until after lunch...the mall was a ghost town....
The local weatherman said, "the snow should hit Interstate-80 in 15 minutes..."

My point is -- the weather has NOT CHANGED ONE LITTLE BIT. When I was growing up, we had blizzards and dealt with extreme weather in a very capable, safe and ordinary way. It was just another factor in our lives.

But, thanks to television, 24-hour news channels, cable competition and the internet --weather forecasting has become a spectator sport -- complete with a non-stop barrage of dire predictions and worse case scenarios all designed to create fear.

Holiday Theater and Events

At this time of year -- everybody is doing a special "children's production" of something-or-other. Hey -- even if you don't have a kid to tow in there -- DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND JUST GO...

On this day, it was just me and Lilly. She had nooooo idea what we were doing or where we were going. She gave the lady her ticket....

And we went into the theater and found our seats. It was the Galvin Fine Arts building -- on the campus of St. Ambrose University.

The lobby had an incredible Christmas tree. Can you see what all the decorations are?? I could have taken a WAY better picture of the beautiful tree...

That's right. ALICE IN WONDERLAND...Lillian just loved Alice...and afterwards, she was thrilled to have her picture taken with her. All the other characters were big puppets...

It took three people wearing black suits to control the rabbit, for example...

I have so many people comment about how lucky I am to have all these little people in my life. AND THAT IS SO TRUE. And because of them, I am tuned in to a lot of activities and events in my area. But I am telling you -- EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CHILD in your life right at this moment -- do yourself a favor...
AND GO TO YOUR LOCAL Children's theater....or volunteer to do storytime at your local library...or just go to A DISNEY MOVIE...you really will thank me...

Nancy Zieman knows FUDGE

At breakfast the other day, my book clubbers exchanged Christmas gifts -- and Linda P.  gave us all little boxes of homemade fudge -- with a handmade ornament, fastened with a Christmas ribbon.  (Yes -- she's the one we refer to as the big show off...)

Really -- it's one of the BEST things about Christmas.  We get to think about fudge...

Years ago -- I got a microwave fudge recipe from Nancy Zieman -- which used a whole stick of butter. Then I saw Rachael Ray on the Oprah show -- she used the recipe on the can of sweetened condensed milk -- which didn't use any butter at all. So here's what I've come to...



3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (try different flavors -- like peanut butter chips -- or Andes mints)
1 14-oz can condensed milk
1/4 cup (4 tbsp) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Preparation:
1. Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, condensed milk, and butter. Microwave in one-minute increments until melted, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Stir to ensure all the chocolate is melted, then add the vanilla and salt. Stir until the candy is smooth and well-mixed.  Add nuts at this point (I ADD LOTS OF WALNUTS)
4. Pour the fudge into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer.
5. Place the fudge in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours. Once set, cut into 1-inch squares and serve at room temperature. Store excess fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Did I really use the term "excess fudge"??  A true oxymoron, don't you think??

Thanks, Ann, for reminding me of this fudge recipe.  I am delighted to know you give it as a gift every year. 

In 2006 -- my cousin Jackie and I were fudge-making-fools.  I can't remember WHY exactly -- but I think we made a dozen varieties of fudge that year...

Maternity Sweater DIY

While thrifting (BIG SURPRISE)-- I found this gorgeous beaded cashmere sweater. Size Medium. Hummm...that would fit Emily. Well -- kinda...except for the baby bump...

It's not easy to dress up for the holidays when you're 8 months pregnant --

This is a better picture of the modification. The first thing I did was cut away the bottom half of the front of the sweater...I cut a gentle curve on both sides of the baby bump -- down to the side seam...Then, I faced the raw edge with a strip of thin black t-shirt knit.

Since the boobs are a much bigger deal when you're 8 months pregnant -- The SECOND step to complete the alteration was to use the cut-away part of the button placket to create this double-breasted effect.

Emily is a stunning young pregnant woman. I CAN HARDLY WAIT for Baby #2...

Pinterest and Clotheslines

I had no idea there were more than 300 pins on my Pinterest "Laundry" board. Hey -- I grew up on a farm in a family with six kids so there was a LOT OF laundry. Monday was always wash day. And -- what can I say? Even though most of us do laundry every day of the week (and NONE of us has six kids) -- Monday morning, I always wake up in the mood to do laundry...

And I am DELIGHTED when I can hang my sheets outside on my clotheslines...I love the picture of this wicker basket with the wooden stand...

This photo is a complete work of art. Really...the light, the shadows, the chickens...!!

This picture snaps me back to my Iowa childhood.  I can see my Mom, hanging up the sheets, with us little girls holding the basket for her...

I don't do many things the same way my mother did them. But I do LOVE to hang out my sheets every Monday. Sometimes I even do it in the snow.
 
And I am quite sure Mom would HAVE LOVED PINTEREST...!!

East Village Art-mare event

I'm sure you are tired of hearing about all the cute little kids who live in or near my world. Hey -- at this time of year -- there are SO MANY GREAT activities for children -- I'm getting a little overloaded myself.

I wanted my niece Nicole, to see this picture of Landon and Memphis. Don't they look like BEST FRIENDS?? Positively angelic, eh?

It was a small theater in the Village of East Davenport -- decorated like a Winter Wonderland...with different children's activities set up all around the room.  They had food, walking tacos, cake balls, popcorn, lemonade.....

On the stage, there was a talent show throughout the evening...some singing, dancing, a hula hoop act...

And -- THERE WAS FACE PAINTING!!

Brave Landon went first...the girls both watched to decide if they were going to follow...

Lillian was very pleased with her new face...

And Memphis couldn't wait to show her Mom!!

There were some vendors scattered around the room...these two girls were selling hula hoops and dancing outfits...

Tomorrow, I'm hosting the first annual "Aunt Rita's Tea Party". I'm hoping for 11 children -- from ages 2-12. No parents allowed. I know. I am a lucky woman. And brave. But I'll have lots of help. The two BEST GRANDMOTHERS -- my sisters Ronda and Deena --will be there to help host the party.

Cale is the official Music Director. Garrett and Landon will be in charge of taking pictures. I'll do the craft activity...

IT WILL BE AMAZING...ACTUALLY -- what I really meant to say was -- WISH ME LUCK!!

ALWAYS Recycle Sparkle

In this picture -- you cannot see the beautiful sparkly snowflake on Lillian's black shirt. Of course, she covered it with a sticker we got at the bank drive-through window. So you'll have to take my word for it -- she LOVED the snowflake. But the shirt was too small...too short, and the sleeves were too tight. She needed help to pull it over her head.  I figured, no problem -- I SEW! I'll just make the shirt a little bigger...

But, sometimes, that's more trouble than it's worth. Instead -- I decided to transplant the wonderful sparkly snowflake onto YET ANOTHER VELVET DRESS...To really make it pop, I glued it down to a piece of red velvet...THEN I did some simple reverse applique... 

Yes, I am aware that having so many velvet dresses could warp a childhood...

But it's a risk I'm willing to take....

My Perfect Dumplings

Everybody should have something they are known for. The other day, our neighbor Gloria gave John some of her special sugar cookies -- and I understood completely why her family looks forward to this treat every year.

Growing up, Grandma Dodds made Ferden once a year -- for Thanksgiving. And I still remember the smell, and the taste -- and I'm happy to report that my sister Ronda carries on the Ferden tradition.

After I die -- the people I loved will remember two things I cooked with great fondness. First of all -- my homemade pesto. It is perfection -- and I make it every year as soon as the basil is big enough.

The second thing will be my dumplings. After years of hit and miss -- I GOT THOSE SUCKERS DOWN PAT...and it's my #1 winter comfort food...

I am a BIG FAN of specialties -- whether it's food or sewing...

In both cases -- the food is simple, simple, simple. The TECHNIQUE is way more important than the RECIPE.

Dumplings recipe: (I always make a double batch)

1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbl oil
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Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl with a fork. Make a well in the center and add the milk and oil all at once. Mix it up with the fork until the wet is incorporated. (it will be thick -- don't overmix it).

COVER WITH A TOWEL AND LET IT STAND FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES. This makes a HUGE difference in your dumplings. They will start to rise in the bowl and get very tender. You cannot skip this step...trust me...

I often start with homemade chicken soup...and recently made three big bags out of the Thanksgiving turkey. I put the soup in the freezer -- a bag of soup is a wonderful go-to meal to have. Ten minutes to thaw in the micro -- and you're in business.

The pan you use is very important. It should have a heavy bottom (you will not be able to stir the stew for at least 15 minutes) and a tight fitting lid. A glass lid is best -- because you can WATCH the dumplings steam up...

Your soup should be just simmering -- not a rolling boil. If you accidentally get it too hot -- add a few ice cubes. Drop the dumplings into the soup, one spoon at a time (walnut-sized).  DO NOT CROWD the dumplings.

Cover the pot and SIMMER FOR 15 minutes. DO NOT LIFT THE LID during that time...

Here's the most important point. After your dumplings are cooked -- IMMEDIATELY REMOVE THEM FROM THE STEW. I use a large meat fork to lift them out of the pan -- on to a separate platter. If you leave them sit in the stew -- as they start to cool they will absorb the liquid and get very dense and heavy. You want the inside to stay dry and fluffy...

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Grandchild-cooking-tip for Bonne: Lillian loves to help cook-- and she can do most of the actual mixing of the dumplings. But, of course, the hot soup is dangerous. So at the point where I would drop them into the soup -- instead, Lilly makes the walnut-size dumpling balls at the table, and puts them on a platter.  Then, we move over to the stove, and she proudly puts each dumpling on a long-handled spoon to deliver to me.  I safely dropped them into the soup...and hand the spoon back to her.

I INTENDED to take a picture of the dumplings -- but we're always so hungry -- I can't find my camera at the right moment -- sorry...

Instad -- I grabbed these pics off the internet. THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE GOING FOR... GOOD LUCK!!

Hanson Sisters Linen Collection

Many years ago -- Mary Mulari and I purchased the entire "linen collection" from the Hanson Sisters estate in Duluth, Minnesota. Holy Cow. It was, without a doubt, one of the most exciting things we ever did. It was BEFORE digital pictures -- so I don't have any pictures of the VINTAGE LINEN AUCTION we conducted -- but we probably looked something like this -- the two of us tag-teaming the auctioneering duties...loving any opportunity to talk about the virtues of aprons...

Our friends Deanna (from Wisconsin), Marion (from Canada), Jackie (from Iowa) and all of Mary's friends and relatives who live in Minnesota helped us organize ALL THE LINENS (it took days and days) -- then they helped "clerk the sale" at the commuity center in Aurora, Minnesota.  These exquisite linens were all 50 years old -- with the original tags. Table linens -- tablecloth sets, damask, Irish linen towels, aprons, bed linens -- you name it -- Quilts, bedspreads, blankets and coverlets.

Although the sheer VOLUME was amazing -- it was the stunning quality of the linens that made the collection so unusual.  And the most extraordinary thing in that vast collection was TWO BALES OF PERCALE SHEETS.  A dozen sheets per bale. Wrapped in a thick blue paper -- the sheets had never been opened and every sheet had it's original stickers...neither Mary nor I had ever seen anything like that - and I'm sure we never will again...

OH MY GOD. This cotton is incredible. Percale is defined as anything above 178 threads per inch. But there's way more to it than just the thread count. These sheets really are about long-staple cotton -- which is nearly unheard of nowadays.

And the BEAUTIFUL hemstitching.   I'm telling you...words cannot convey the beauty of these cotton sheets. Something that so many years ago was an affordable luxury -- maybe the quality was even taken for granted.  But in today's retail market -- you cannot buy cotton like this for any amount of money...

Mary and I BOTH decided to keep some of these fabulous sheets.  We knew we'd never see this quality again.  Of course, all of the sheets were for a full bed -- and both Mary and I have Queen beds.  My sheets have been stored in a tub in my basement for the last ten years.  Mary keeps hers in a drawer in the guest room.  We have both been quite content to just admire them now and then...

But I decided it's time to do something with these sheets. And the first step will be to WASH THEM.  I hate to remove the stickers...and it will take many, many washings to get out 50+ years worth of storage discoloration...

BUT TODAY I START...there will be an overnight soaking, then several launderings in very hot water, then some time outside, hanging on the line -- in the full winter sun...then more launderings...

You'll  have to wait to see what I make with them -- and -- if it's a gift -- who I consider "Steel Warp Percale" worthy...??

I'll keep you posted.