Saturday, May 17, 2008

Relaxing Day at Home

Today has been a wonderful day.

My hubby and I started the morning with a nice hug and kiss. I'm so glad I found my soulmate. We are good for each other. :)

He is a restaurant manager, so we usually don't have the chance to have breakfast together. But, today he scheduled himself to go into work in the afternoon. So we had breakfast!! He's on a low cholesterol diet, and I am on a low carbohydrate diet. So, needless to say....cooking breakfast took up a LOT of counter space!
Making Omelets for Different Diets

Real eggs for me..."Egg Mates" for him.
Real cheese for me..."Smart Beat" cheese for him.
Real butter for me..."Smart Balance" spread for him.
Sausage for me.....turkey for him.

We were able to share the mushrooms, spinach, herbs, spices, red bell pepper and onions, though. It was yummy!!!

After breakfast, my hubby spent some time on the internet, and I went to knit in my craft room. I've really been enjoying Librivox lately. It's a really cool website, with free audiobooks online. All of the books are in the public domain, and recorded by volunteers. I'm listening to all of Frank Baum's books about the Land of Oz. I had no idea there were so many books about that place!! It's really cool to listen to it for free.

While I was knitting and listening to Librivox, my hubby was taking a shower and getting ready for work. Before he left, he went to check the mailbox, and returned with a small package for me. It was an embroidery kit I had gotten on eBay. It's really cool! It's a crewel embroidery design of a knitting bag, with an initial on it. I'll probably use an "S" for "Shandeh" or "Sandy". :D
Knitting Bag Embroidery Project

After my hubby left for work, I listened to the first three chapters of "The Wizard of Oz", and got a good bit of knitting done in the process. Then, I started getting drowsy. So, I took a 3 hour nap. How wonderful!!!

When I woke, I made myself two cups of hot tea.
Two Flavors of Tea
My absolute favorite tea is on the left. It's "Good Earth Organic Original Sweet & Spicy Tea". If you let it brew long enough, there is no need for sweetener at all. It's naturally sweet, and is a natural source of antioxidants. :)
The tea on the right is one that I occasionally have. I must really be in the mood for it though. If I drink it too often, it reminds me of furniture polish. :P It's "Twinings Herbal Revive", with lemon and Chinese ginger.

I think I'll go back to the Land of Oz and knitting for a while. :)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Sewing for a Friend

A friend of mine from the Knitting Help Forum asked if I could sew a dress for her granddaughter. She chose a pattern from my collection, and specified the type of fabric she wanted. I took my time choosing the fabric, because I wanted it to be just right.

Then, I started sewing. It took a while, because I am a slow worker. I just want things to be right, you know?

I'm always careful to press open each seam as I sew it. I handsew certain parts, just to make it correct. And I read the directions WAY too many times....always afraid that I'll miss something.

I was a bit frustrated with this particular pattern, because they made a mistake in the bodice instructions. At the end, I had to rip out a couple seams and re-do them properly. If I didn't have sewing experience, I would have been thoroughly confused. I'm glad I've been sewing for 30 years!

Last night, I finally finished everything. The zipper is added, the snaps are attached, and the hem is sewn. It's lovely!

Here's the front:
Finished Dress - Front

And here's the back:
Finished Dress - Back