Time to REASSESS

As a rule, I am not a fan of New Year's Resolutions. I don't remember ever making one that mattered...

But I do think January is a great time to RE-ASSESS.

Everything.

Big things -- like car insurance. We've had the same carrier for 40 years. It was going up ANOTHER $200 a year for 2012. So John called and had a "reassessment". Guess what? It went from $2800/year down to $1580! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I guess that was well worth asking a few questions, eh??

Little things -- like where I keep my "good dishes". During the holidays, when I get them out for almost every meal -- I realized that putting the stack of good plates BEHIND the seldom used soup tureen makes NO SENSE. So I switched them around and now the plates are MUCH EASIER TO GET TO...

Kids are way better at this than adults are. Lillian skipped through her "dinosaur" stage in about 4 months -- then she was OVER IT -- and on to Disney Princesses....

Whereas, my Ronda has spent many years working in her kitchen on Christmas Day to cook a big turkey/ham dinner -- when her family would much rather eat cookies and pizza and play with their new stuff...

"Glee" isn't my favorite television show anymore...so I need to reassess Tuesday nights...

The blender on the top of my island still has the sticker on it, even though I never did get into those healthy shakes like I intended. I haven't used it since 2008. It needs to go to the back of the pantry...

It was a sad day when I realized I no longer needed a mini-van. After years of driving my two boys to and from baseball practices and activities, and hauling all the stuff necessary to run a fabric store -- They grew up and I started working from home...so a compact car would be fine from now on...

The MOMENT Elliott moved out of the house, John turned his bedroom into a Man Cave...with his computer, television, Lazy Boy....well, you can imagine...

You name it -- and it NEEDS TO BE REASSESSED. The appliances in your house, the bra size you've been buying for the last 20 years, who does the grocery shopping at your house, whether or not you can throw away the old VCR...

Technology?? Don't even get me started about the TELEPHONE or high speed internet...ugh...If you don't frequently reassess those two things, you are bleeding money...

So, even though I don't do New Year's Resolutions -- I'm trying to get better at reassessing. Hey -- once you get started -- it's fun...and it's a VERY FREEING THING....

My bedroom has a wallpaper border. ('nuff said)...

War Horse

John and I are not "movie" people. Our next generation -- Elliott, Emily and Ross watch LOTS OF MOVIES. It's hard to rent a movie when they visit -- because they have SEEN everything by the time it comes out on video.

John & I attend one movie a year -- with our friends Kim & Sue -- always on New Year's Eve. True Grit last year -- and Julia & Julie the year before that...

So it was very odd for John to attend THREE movies in one week! He went to see the Sherlock Holmes movie with Ross, and the three of us went to see War Horse on the last day of Ross's holiday visit...(the E team had already gone back to Wisconsin)...

It ended up being a wonderful, memorable day in many ways.


The funny thing is -- I almost didn't go because my cousin Linda HATED the movie. But I decided not to pass her negative review on to my guys -- since I figured this day wasn't really about the movie...

As it happened -- it did end up being about the movie. We went out for dinner after seeing War Horse -- and the movie sparked some very interesting discussions. Ross recently returned from a trip to Hungary. After watching War Horse -- we talked about World War I -- how this war was supposed to end "royalty" in Europe...and my Grandpa Dodds, who fought in that war -- and how little I know about him...

But I am lucky to have somebody I can ask these questions...my mother's brother...my favorite Uncle Melvin. He was coming to our house for New Year's Day dinner. Although Ross can't be there -- he had a LIST OF QUESTIONS...

Oh, yeah -- War Horse was an excellent movie. But don't take my word for it -- go see for yourself!!

I loved the movie -- and I will not spoil it for you. But there were several lines I'll remember -- because they really made me think. The long suffering wife, when talking about her husband -- told her son that his father came back from his war with medals for bravery -- for "saving his mates". But he threw them away and never spoke of that time.

The son had no idea who his father was -- and he said, "I would have been so proud". His Mum replied, "think how brave it was of him not to be proud"...

The Christmas Nightgowns

Okay -- so you already know that many brand new "Nick & Nora" nightgowns turned up at the Salvation Army. I added some zebra sleeves and cut one down to fit Lillian. Mommy & Me nightgowns seemed like a great Christmas gift...(brand new, with the tags on 'em -- they cost $2 each)...
As it turned out, the fabric from these nightgowns became the inspiration for Christmas 2011...

For example, it suddenly occurred to me that with a few sewing tweeks -- I could transform the ugly little sleeper Lillian's baby doll was wearing into a LOOK-A-LIKE nightgown!!


In this picture, the girls (altho fully dressed at the time) -- are wearing their 2011 Christmas nightgowns...Emily, Lillian, the baby doll...and....can you see what else I did??


YES, OF COURSE -- I made a nightgown for Sophie, too!!

Here, Sophie is posing with the babydoll...

Sophie's outfit was a last-minute inspiration when I was at Walgreen's on Christmas Eve. Checking out, I saw a little doggie t-shirt and it HIT ME. But I didn't have much time and I'm not smart enough to figure out how to make a doggie dress -- so I had to buy the t-shirt for a base.

I paid $7.99 for Sophie's t-shirt!! So it officially cost more than all the adult nightgowns put together!

Yes, I know. I am incredibly cheap. In the next picture -- you can see MY NIGHTGOWN...which started as a knit zebra dress....I used the 2011 inspiration fabric to make square sleeves....then put it on the yoke....and as an insert in the front....

I didn't get a picture of me wearing it. Yet.

Gheesh...I LOVE TO SEW!!

Iowa Caucus & Reality TV

On this blog, I almost NEVER talk about politics. Or my weight. Or religion...

HOWEVER -- I do live in Iowa. And I got a lot of emails about the Iowa Caucuses. It is always amazing to me that my quiet, boring little State is given all this power. Honestly...once every four years -- we pull the wool over everybody's eyes and act like we're "all that".

The politicians roll in here for a year beforehand -- spending MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of dollars. They buy hotel rooms, rent buses and cars and meeting spaces...money is spent on restaurant meals, offices, signs, newspaper ads, direct mail pieces, television commercials...

Hey -- come to think of it -- maybe we're not as dumb as we look...??

You really should be thanking us for sparing you the likes of Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann..

And you're scratching your head, asking yourself, "Who's Rick Santorum?" That's what Mitt Romney wants to know...because he spent about $12 million in Iowa, whereas Mr. Santorum spent maybe 80 bucks. That means the 8 vote victory cost Mr. Romney -- how much??

hummm...

Now that the caucus fun is over -- whatever shall we do with ourselves??

Hey -- I know -- REALITY TELEVISION!!

THERE'S A NEW SHOW STARTING TONIGHT!!!

Do you ever wonder what happens to the designers who DO NOT WIN Project Runway??
Even when they WERE THE BEST DESIGNERS -- WHO CAN FORGET MONDO'S collection?



WELL -- GUESS WHAT??

THERE IS A NEW GUILTY PLEASURE -- Project Runway All Stars!!

IT STARTS TONIGHT -- ON LIFETIME!!

Some of my favorite designers are BAAAACK!! Mondo, Kenly, Kara, Sweet P. -- and the MOST FABULOUS PROJECT RUNWAY DESIGNER OF ALL TIME -- AUSTIN SCARLETT!!

I'll be watching...even without Heidi. Cuz I'm thinking maybe I was losing patience with Michael Kors and Nina Garcia...so this could be a totally wonderful development.

I AM SO EXCITED. This show is coming at just the right time...it's like a breath of fresh air during a cold winter of overblown politicians and boring re-runs...

Stay tuned....

Special Baby Doll Carry-Bed

I bought this doll-baby-carry-bed thing...remember? But it wasn't big enough for Lillian's new doll...

She looked ridiculous!

Then-- at a thrift store -- I found a Pottery Barn crib quilt for $2!! I could make a bigger bed -- AND a quilt, too. this is gonna be fun!! I think I'll add some zebra handles and trim...just to give it that Grandma Rita touch...

HEY -- THE NEW BED IS A PERFECT FIT. BECAUSE THIS GRANDMA SEWS!! The little red dress (with zebra trim) says "Baby's First Christmas"..

The little baby doll carry bed turned out fabulous!! I had enough extra fabric from the crib quilt to make a little quilt for the baby doll...

You've seen the baby doll, and the clothes,...AND HER OWN SUITCASE now the bed...

Nope. I'm not done yet. I've gone too far. It's just possible I'm crossing some line here....You'll see soon enough...

Vintage Train Case

Okay -- for reasons completely unbeknown to me -- dozens of brand new "Nick & Nora" nightgowns kept turning up at my local Salvation Army. Perfect, eh? My first thought was to add long sleeves to make it "winter" -- and cut one down to child-size so Lillian and her Mom could have "look-alike-Christmas-nightgowns"...
Then, on the day Mary and I were shopping at the antique mall (on her way to the airport)...

I found the PERFECT LITTLE TRAIN CASE -- to house Lillian's new doll baby wardrobe...
Because I have made dresses, and pants, and skirts, and tops, and ponchos...well, you can imagine, eh?
In a fit of CREATIVE THINKING -- I gave the train case to my cousin Linda so she could paint Lillian's name on it. Here's a picture of Linda with Mary, during our Tuesday breakfast. I also gave her Lilly's nightgown -- thinking it would provide some inspiration for the trim, etc.

OH MY GOD...you cannot believe what she did to the little traincase. She did a FABULOUS JOB...it is SOOO PERFECT...I just know Lillian is going to LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT...



Oh, yeah -- this is going to be a WONDERFUL GIFT for Lillian's third Christmas. The baby doll, the doll clothes, the doll bed, and now this fabulous little train case. AND she's also getting a nightgown just like her Mom's!!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS...

Antique MALL Treasure

As luck would have it -- there is a really big, junky antique "mall" on the way to the airport. Mary's plane wasn't leaving until the afternoon -- so we had about one hour to kick around for some treasure...

Some booths are a little hard to shop in...
I have my favorite booths -- even though I have enough vintage linens to start my own B&B...

Mary can't possibly need another apron, do you think?

You NEVER know what you'll find here...this was an acrylic painting -- and, even though you may not be able to see it -- it was three-dimensional. (by that, I mean her boobs were sticking out...)

Mary found her favorite type of apple cutter...

This vendor went out of her way, decorating for Christmas...

We had a LOT OF TERRITORY to cover and not much time to do it...

I saw this wonderful plaque...speaking of the "Sisterhood"...

Here's the verse:

Somebody to tease, Somebody to scold,
Somebody more dear, And precious than gold;
Somebody to share Each worry and bliss.
Somebody I love -- My wonderful Sis!

This particular cross-stitch ended up under my Christmas tree -- as a gift for John. This year, he put up his 46 year old American Flyer train and Lillian loved it. The verse says, "If all else fails, ask Grandpa"....

Mary found a bag of vintage clothespins!! AWESOME...

And in my next post -- you'll see MY BEST FIND OF THE DAY...