Those Winter Sheets!!

To say this has been a bad winter is an understatement. There were so many miserable elements...really -- I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.

But one of the most difficult things was that I could not hang my sheets out on the line.  It was just too brutal.  Either the snow was too deep, or the temperatures were too frigid...or the ice made it too dangerous.

The good news is that I have SUCH A HUGE SUPPLY of bed sheets and pillowcases -- I can almost always wait out the bad weather.  But this winter was TOUGH...

On this day, it was going to be SUNNY...so I made my way outside...even though the temperature was ZERO...

I was SO THRILLED to hang my sheets outside on this bright sunny winter day!

Hanging sheets is one of Frankie's favorite winter activities.

I had three good days in a row...and I managed to hang four sets of sheets (and pillowcases).

I've said this so many times...but -- to review -- THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN LINE-DRIED SHEETS. These sheets went on the bed in the guest bedroom for Mary's visit. I loved making that bed. And that striped sheet from France is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G...

Butterfinger "New and Improved"

HEY -- I AM SOOO excited about getting back to my normal life. And I am enjoying blogging about NOTHING IN PARTICULAR.

For example -- next week is the big "Bachelor" Finale!!

After Mary's recent visit to Iowa, I'm pretty sure she'll be tuning in to see what happens to the hapless-yes-I-am-a-virgin-and-now-you-know-why Colton...

I refuse to apologize for my addiction to crappy television. I wouldn't have been able to get through this horrible winter if it hadn't been for "Married At First Sight", The Real Housewives, "The Bachelor", "Sister Wives" and the quite remarkable "Seeking Sister Wife"...

YIKES...

One thing that has been a constant in this loooong winter was having Lilly and Warren every weekend. We did all the usual indoor activities...there was cooking, puzzles, crafts, board games...
we made homemade ice cream AND butter...we went to every Museum in a 30 mile radius at least once...

Last week, my sister-in-law Jeanne told me that her favorite candy bar, Butterfinger, had a new, improved recipe.

HEY -- TIME FOR A TASTE TEST...!!

The FIRST part of our mission was to purchase a new, improved Butterfinger...

AND then, the more difficult thing was to find an OLD, unimproved Butterfinger

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The problem was that the NEW candy bar was a bigger size than the OLD candy bar...

To make it a true blind taste test -- Lilly taped the candy bar wrappers on the bottom of identical plates.

We chopped the candy bars into small bits...the kids tested first...then, they mixed up the plates so that I could do a blind taste test.

AND THE WINNER IS....(drumroll)….OH, YEAH...THE NEW, IMPROVED BUTTERFINGER HAS EVEN MORE PEANUT BUTTER.  It is really excellent.  Good job, Butterfinger Gods...

Hey -- it's been a very long winter. We have to pass the time...and some activities are simply more delicious than others.

It's a good thing...!!

Mary, Part 2

One of the big events during Mary's Iowa visit was the TMBC Bettendorf Library SEW IN. We pack up our Featherweights and try to do this once a month. But this was a special event...as Mary wanted us to "workshop" a new tunic pattern she was working on.

SO MUCH FUN!!

Mary is the queen of many things...Stylin' Chic Sweatshirts, fashionista practical aprons, recycling ideas, quick gifts. Anybody can see why she was Nancy Zieman's most frequent guest on Sewing With Nancy...

And her latest idea came from a designer top she bought at a thrift store. Although it had an interesting neckline, it was too tight and too short. Mary inserted a strip of fabric in the side seams...then added some panels around the bottom...and it turned into a very interesting tunic. Which people kept commenting on...every time she wore it.

This black and white Donna Karan top was Mary's original inspiration. You can see another version she made from recycled t-shirts (mostly pink)on the table behind her.

Mary is helping Sandy to choose from her recycled shirt choices.

The first step is to choose which shirt will be your "major"...

Mary inserted a strip of fabric into each side.

LP was working with some black and white shirts.

Black and white was kind of a theme on this day...

Mary made a pocket out of the back neckline. It's fun to take advantage of existing hems and finishes.

My Three Tee Tunic started with a Dana Buchman top -- size Extra Small..!!

This metallic neckline was JUST TOO SPECIAL to pass up!!

No kidding. This top has been hanging around in my basement for years...THIS IS GONNA BE SO SPECTACULAR..!!

Mary's Visit, Part 1

First of all -- "what went wrong?".   There are always glitches.  But nothing big enough to ruin our fun...  

And who was it who said "We make plans, and God laughs."

On the day of Mary's scheduled arrival, I woke up with a terrible toothache. My dentist fit me in, and gave me the horrible news that I was going to lose my back two molars.  But, not to worry, they can do a tooth "implant" nowadays...so it'll be fine.  ($5,000 per tooth)...

Mary didn't see my sisters because Deena was in Mexico and Ronda was in Missouri.

We didn't make the trip to Cedar Rapids because Phyllis got the flu...

And there was no game night because Lilly ended up in the Emergency Room with swollen lymph nodes.

But I'm happy to report that EVERYBODY IS BACK WHERE THEY BELONG...THEY ALL SEEM WELL AGAIN....and I've decided I can live without my molars....so I will NOT be spending $10,000 on tooth implants...ugh...

The thing is, if the Ya Ya Sisters have one single superpower -- it is our ability to LIVE IN THE MOMENT...so, instead of lamenting the horrible winter weather, and grieving for the things we could not do -- we focused on our Plan B's and the joy-filled things we WERE ABLE to do.  And it was a wonderful week.

Mary arrived, and we had a nice supper at the BBQ place next to the airport.  I was starving -- probably overly hungry from ALL THE HOUSE CLEANING I'd been doing for the last month or so.

Tuesday was our first big day of  THRIFTING, and we met Ross for lunch.

Ross has a soft spot in his heart for Mary which goes waaaay back. She was at his birthday party when he was 16 years old. And when he went away to college, Mary wrote actual letters.  She sent him newspaper clippings, or magazine articles...and money.

15 years later, when he moved back home to attend nursing school, Mary gave him a "scholarship".

So he ALWAYS makes time for Mary when she's in town. After our lunch, Ross said, "would you like to come see my house?"...so she actually got a house tour. (this is an invitation my sisters have been wanting for over a year).

My Break Is Over!!

My "blog break" is officially over.  YIKES.  You may think, since I've been posting re-runs, that I'm sitting on my ass here in Iowa, relaxing and eating bon-bons...

but -- let me tell you --- noooooot so much!! And I have a lot I want to share with you...starting, of course, with Mary's 2019 visit.

Mary's winter visit to Iowa is always a great way to kick off a new year -- and 2019 was no different.  We had a wonderful time...and I'll be posting some pictures and reporting on our special activities...

Here was the "itinerary" I sent to Mary -- the week BEFORE she came:

Monday, February 25, 2019

Mary arrives late in the afternoon. 

She and I will go out for supper and catch up.

Then, home to unpack, etc.



Tuesday, February 26, 2019

·        Pancake breakfast with John

·        Davenport thrifting? 

·        Pool?  Pedicure?

·        Supper with Ross…and maybe a tour of his house??  (it’s his last day off in this cycle)

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

·        TMBC Library sew-in.  We’ll set up our Featherweights, and make tunics.  KIM IS COMING, TOO…and she’s going to use Deb’s white Featherweight!!

·        swimming…

·        Sister Supper?…maybe Biaggi’s or new place next to the Y?   Ronda and Deena…

Thursday, February 28, 2019

·        Plan A:  Cedar Rapids.  Phyllis is going with us (Clinton is our Plan B).  Anne will drive us around town in her van – we’ll see the AMAZING GRANT WOOD windows at the Veteran’s Memorial.  We’ll eat breakfast before we leave the house, and lunch with Anne.  Leave CR by 3:00 -- home by 4:30…

·        Game night/pizza with the E team..?

FRIDAY, March 1, 2019



Wake up at 4:00 AM to take Mary to the airport for her 6:30 AM flight…ugh…

********

So -- that's the actual P.L.A.N....what could go wrong?

Making Pants SMALLER

Since I've lost weight, MY PANTS ARE TOO BIG..!!

You know what a cheapskate I am. And the truth is, I almost never pay more than $2.38 for a pair of pants to begin with.

So, now, after wearing those size 2x and 3x pants for many years -- you'd think I'd be fine with THROWING THEM OUT -- right??

But you would be wrong...

BECAUSE I SEW. And fixing, hemming, mending and altering clothes is just about my favorite thing in the world to do.

And it is shocking to me how, every time I have this conversation, one of my accomplished sewing friends will say, "I'd never bother to alter pants. That's waaay too much trouble."

Seriously??

Here's the thing. Somebody else ALREADY DID MOST OF THE WORK, PEOPLE! You can very quickly turn a size 3X pair of pants into a size 18....without altering the pockets, or the hem, or the elastic waistband. Because ALL OF THE REDUCTION takes place at the inner pants seam of the pants.

1. Take a pair of your now-too-big pants and turn them them inside out, then drop one leg into the other -- exposing the front and back crotch curve.  Lay flat.

2. Do the exact same thing with a pair of smaller pants that FITS YOU.

3. Lay the smaller pants on top of your fat pants, matching the outside seams (where the side pockets live). THAT SEAM will not be touched during this alteration.

see where I'm going with this??

4. Mark if you want...but I just cut away with a scissors. Start at the bottom of the pant leg and cut up (one layer at a time). At the hem, I was cutting away about 1 inch of fabric...by the time I got up to the crotch curve, I was cutting off a full 2" of fabric.

5. Do the same thing with the two front crotch curves...and then, the two back crotch curves.

6. At this point, you will have two separate pants pieces.

7. Sew up both inside leg seams.

7. Turn one pant piece inside out, and insert the other pant piece, so the right sides are together....then, sew the crotch seam...front to back.

(tip: start to sew at the waistband at the back seam...sew about 5" or so -- then do the same thing at the waistband at the FRONT seam...sew about 5"...then, pin the crotch curves together, gently pulling to fit. You DON'T want to start at the back, sew all the way around to the front...you may end up with a glaring, crooked seam in the front of your new pants.)

I swear -- it took me longer to WRITE THIS BLOG POST than it took me to alter two pair of pants. The first pair was a miss...(I cut away too much fabric, and the pants are so tight, the pockets bulge.) But the second pair is perfect.

Hey -- I just saved another $2.38...(I'm saving up to take Lilly to Hamilton!)

No -- wait -- it's better than that!! If I bought a new pair of Lands End pants, it would cost me $29. So if I alter five more pair...HECK -- I'M ALMOST THERE!!

Cedar Rapids/Anne/Mary

If the Weather Gods permit it -- I'll be day tripping to Cedar Rapids this week with Mary.  My friend Anne will, once again, by our C.R. tour guide...and there are some pretty special things to see in this little jewel of a city in the middle of the heartland...


From the Fall of 2014:

*****************

My friend Anne suggested I come to her fair city, Cedar Rapids, to see some of the unique Grant Wood art they have there. It was, after all, his home town....

Also, before the good weather is completely GONE -- I want to spend a day with my friend Sue. A day trip to Cedar Rapids seemed like the very best idea. We need a coupla hours in the car just to catch up on each others lives...PERFECT.

So -- off we went! And, of course, Anne lined up a terrific Cedar Rapids Grant Wood tour!!

First Stop:  We started off at the Veteran's Memorial Building.

Cedar Rapids has many, many bridges -- and several rivers....this building sits in the middle of the river, and used to serve as sort of a local "Switzerland" local government building, separating the East and West sides...

The most remarkable thing about this building is the 16' tall Memorial Window, created by Grant Wood in 1928. (WHO KNEW, RIGHT??)

From the outside -- you get NO SENSE of what this window is...

The three of us sat in a row of chairs while the young guy with the local VA spent about 40 minutes telling us all about the history of the window, the 2009 flood, the restoration, the controversy when it was first installed in 1928...OMG...I cannot remember when I ever had a better time. Sue (like me) is not much of a museum person. But I think she enjoyed every minute of what felt like an up close and personal story of Grant Wood and the most incredible piece of art I've ever been that close to. It was amazing -- the story behind the making of the window, how it affected Grant Wood and his family -- the controversy in Cedar Rapids at the time....

Our handsome young docent acted like he had all the time in the world to spend with us...

The way the light came in, through the window, and hit us, sitting in our chairs. It felt like the very best kind of church...as though we were the only people in the world who were hearing this story...

There are six soldiers in the window -- one for every war America had been in up until that time...

Anne did a GREAT job of setting up our Grant Wood Tour!!

Cedar Rapids had a devastating flood in 2009 -- and at first, they thought the window had survived. But, the truth was the wood frame wicked up water -- and mold and mildew was destroying the lead that held the 9,000 pieces of glass together. It took a year and a half of arguments before they came up with a plan for restoration of the window.

IT IS BEAUTIFUL...a stunning work of art. I felt so humbled, sitting there, bathed in the light coming through the colorful glass. We learned about the struggles Grant Wood had during his life. The lack of support from his hometown. How he lived in one large room with his mother and his sister, how hard it was for him to follow his dream, make a living with his art...

Humm.  Maybe nothing worthwhile is easy.  Maybe it's the struggle that brings the value...