Simplicity 4076

I sewed this top Saturday night (Simplicity 4076). It took about 2 hours from start to finish.The 3 inches added to the bodice was definitely needed! This is a great pattern with a number of variations. It will be very well used by the time I'm done with it. In fact, I better trace it on better pattern material so the tissue won't get trashed.

It's made of a cotton/lycra knit. I lengthened the sleeves about 1/2 inch and mine sure turned out more flouncy than the pic. I guess it's okay.

If you click on this picture, you can see the double row coverstitching around the sleeve hem and neckline. I love my new coverstitch machine!

And yes, I really am that tall - see the doorway behind me? I think it's a short door frame as I never have to duck in doorways. This is the vacant house next door. The developer who bought the property hasn't done a thing with it. Last week, I took some senior pictures for a friend's son and had never noticed the "barn door" look of the back door. It makes a great background for taking pictures of people who are of "normal" height - HA! Oh well!

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Who Needs Worms?

A day in the life of a homeschool family. We've got worm dissecting going on at the dining table this afternoon, folks. Hopefully, we can get this all cleaned up before dinnertime!

This is from Pearly's high school biology class she is taking at home. Orange boy was also able to dissect because we had an extra worm in the kit, so he's learning along with her as she explained how to dissect and identify all the body parts. Oops - Orange Boy accidently cut the intestines.

And the beauty of homeschooling when you have a large family is that there are always younger children around who want to get in on the action. And when they are naturally curious, they have a lot of questions. And they ask those questions to their older siblings who in turn answer them or try to find out answers to the questions. (Who needs written tests when you have younger siblings who are natural test givers? LOL)

Where's the heart?
How does it breathe?
Where is the mouth?
Where's the stomach?

Are you getting the picture here? We've got kids wanting to learn, asking questions, getting answers, absorbing the answers because they are the questions they thought up themselves. What better way is there to learn? This is the beauty of homeschooling, I tell you!

Bunny and Brown Eyes loved watching the action.

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"My Cute Brother"

click to enlarge

Tall dude was on his way to the bank and the library when Caboose came to him and asked him where he was going. Tall Dude responded and then Caboose said, "Give me a kiss good-bye." Tall Dude obliged and then temporarily postponed his trip to come inside to tell me how cute his little brother is. (He also told me about the peanut butter that was smeared on his face after kissing his little brother - lol.) They are 16 yrs apart in age, yet look how close they are relationally. This warms my heart. I hope that 16 years from now Caboose will still feel the closeness of his older siblings.

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Easter Dress - Kwik Sew 3521

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. We had a nice time with all of my family over for the day.

Pearly sewed this dress for Easter. She’s 6’2” so she added length to the skirt. I put in an invisible zipper (that was a first for me) and hand sewed the lining, but she did the rest! I’m so proud of her for taking the time to learn the skill of sewing!

The pattern is Kwik Sew 3521. The only revisions to the pattern were adding the velvet and netting to the hemline and using invisible zipper.

Go, Pearly!

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Crossing That Line

Bunny has grown into a new stage in his life. He once used to like to give Mama kisses, but now must be bribed, coerced, manipulated, ahem . . . forced to kiss the Mama who carried him for a full 9-month pregnancy term PLUS 19 days overdue. Hello????? If that doesn't deserve a kiss or two, I don't know what else does. Anyway - Pearly snapped the shot so that at least we both will have proof that he did used to kiss his Mama.

Wasn't that worth it? I think so!

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Music and Sewing

Last night Tall Dude had his spring concert in which I accompany on the piano. He did such a nice job - he sang in 3 different choirs, a handful of different languages, all memorized, and one piece choreographed. So cool.

Here are a couple shots before the concert. I love how my son towers over me. I'm nearly 6'4", so to have someone stand next to me at this height is an awesome feeling.

A couple hours before the concert, I began working on this top. I had made another top from the same pattern and the fabric was already cut out, so it was pretty easy. I've been lacking something neutral to wear and this light gray knit fit the bill. It was perfect for accompanying. I am really enjoying my new coverstitch machine. (If you click on the above picture, the coverstitch is the double-line stitching you see around the hemlines at sleeve and top.)

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Spring Blossoms

Last year, our plum tree had beautiful blossoms like this:


But for some reason the bees were not out like usual and our tree only produced two plums.

Over the weekend, we had gorgeous sunny weather and the plum tree was in full bloom. I decided to go out and see if the bees were out and brought my camera with me. These next shots make me smile.

Look at the bees doing their thing.


This is what we're hoping for this summer:

The plum picture was our biggest plum year - in 2005. We had so many plums, I was scouring cookbooks and the internet for plum recipes. We discovered that we adore plum crisp and plum pies. We also figured out that plums are easy to freeze for smoothies throughout the year. Although they do not provide a lot of flavor, they do provide sweetness and fiber, so they are a great addition.

Let's hope the bees got it right this year!

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French Onion Soup

I made this French Onion Soup yesterday. It was pretty good. I know what I will do next time to make it a 5-star recipe. The sherry seemed to overpower the soup and gave it too much sweetness. So, I put a bit of red wine vinegar in it to take away the sweetness and that really helped. The beef broth I used was Trader Joe's organic beef broth. I wouldn't skimp on the broth. The onions really must be carmelized for the best flavor. I toasted thick slices of Trader Joe's French baguettes and put Trader Joe's "Quattro Formaggio" on top. Quattro Formaggio is a cheese blend of Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina, and mild Provolone which was a wonderful blend of cheeses to compliment the French onion soup.

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