And So It Begins . . .

Summer has finally arrived. And I'm not talking about finally having non-Arctic temperatures. I'm talking about kids home all day, alternating between trying to play on the computer all day and kill each other. You must have a plan. We have one full week under our belts and so far so good. I only thought about them going back to school 5, maybe 6 times this week. OK, maybe it was more, but I'm sure I shouldn't admit that.

Our summer plan is for every day to have some work and then every day we have something fun. One of our fun things has been to read The Twits by Roald Dahl together. It's one of my favorites. By reading 10 pages a night together, we have finished it in about a week. And then, thanks to the Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes book, we had a good plan to make a Mr. Twit for dinner.



If you haven't read the book (and you need to), Mr. Twit was a "foul and smelly old man" whose face was not only "covered with thick hair, the stuff even sprouted in revolting tufts out of his nostrils and ear-holes." The best part of his horrible beard was all the food that got stuck there that he saved for later snacks. Mrs. Twit was also horrid and they amuse themselves by playing horrible tricks on each other and tormenting small animals until they finally get taught a lesson. I won't reveal more than that because seriously, you need to read it.

So here's the point of the post--a picture of our Mr. Twit who was fun to make and even more fun to eat. Now for something to do for the other 73 days of summer . . .

A Mormon Mom's Dilemma

Modest Prom Dress. This is the dilemma. And while there are shops and web sites now to help with this dilemma, price is also a factor for us. I don't want to spend a small fortune, and I want my daughter to have a beautiful, modest dress. I don't think that's too much to ask for. I am not exaggerating when I say this could be the catalyst for a short stay in a mental facility.

So we were in England a few weeks ago and I asked my daughter if she wanted me to look in London for a dress. She said yes and gave me 3 criteria: long, with sleeves, and easy to match. So I found a BEAUTIFUL dress for a great price . . . that matched only one of the criteria. Why did I ignore the other 2? you may ask. Did I mention how utterly pretty and shimmery it is? And I apparently had an over-inflated estimation of my skills in being able to fix it. So I bought it.







And now I am paying the price. I spent the better part of two days going to every fabric store in Provo and the Salt Lake area trying to find matching fabric. No go. She finally agreed I could take the chiffon scarf things that hung down the back of the dress to use for sleeves. Spent another afternoon taking in seams to try and fit her skinny little self. Totally messed it up and nearly had a heart attack until I figured out what I had done and was able to fix it. I think I will need a spa day when this is finished to recover.

I have bugged my sewing friends for ideas. Jeny has sent sketches. Gayle has inspected and offered ideas. And Sarah (http://jaynsarah.blogspot.com/), has spent lots of time helping us with her creative genius. Tomorrow is Project Sleeves.



This is a rough idea of what I'm working on. (Does it look skinnier? I've taken it in twice and have to do it again.) Wish me luck. I need new thread and possibly some more chiffon to add another layer under the sleeves for coverage. And in the middle of this insanity, I am making her an Easter dress. Did I mention I have an over-inflated opinion of my capabilities? sigh . . .

Here's the top so far:



And then, just for fun, here is a picture of my new sewing box, which I LOVE.



I'll post more tomorrow unless I'm in a padded room somewhere whispering to myself.