Family

Making a Flower Girl Dress

In case you are wondering where I have been, and why I haven’t been showing you all sorts of fabulous sewing projects, it is because I have been working on this dress:

flower girl pattern Stef — The dress that is kicking my butt

My niece, Stefanie, is getting married in June. She asked me to make a dress for her flower girl, and I, apparently in stupor that day, said I would. If you read my blog much, you may have noticed that I don’t make clothing much. There is a reason why. I don’t like to. but, since Stefanie is so sweet, and my sister’s only child, I figured I could make her flower girl dress and never have to ever make one again. If you sew at all, you may also notice that she picked the MOST. DIFFICULT. VERSION. At least for me, it is.And it doesn’t help that I am 300 miles away from Stefanie–if I have questions or need to discuss something, it is through Facebook or phone tag.

The fabric for the dress is slick as the proverbial “Owl um, Snot” and is lined with an equally slippery fabric. I picked it up from Stef and my sister in November and it has been sitting there on the sewing table, preventing me from doing anything else, since then. I finally put my big girl panties on on Saturday and cut it.

Today I sat down to sew. I got the bodice done, but not before I had to pick out the stitching twice on one side to get the shoulder strap positioned right. Tomorrow I start the skirt, and try to install a zipper without it looking like dog doo.

Stay tuned–if this thing doesn’t drive me to drink, I should have it completed by the end of the week.

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Why Oh Why Do I Have Such A Hard Time Buying A Bra?

Karen · 8 Comments

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Now that we have FabGrandpa all set for the wedding, I have turned my attention to getting MY outfit ready. With less than six weeks to go before the big day, as of this morning I still needed to get my undergarments and get my dress altered.

I spent loads of time searching for just the right dress. Because I am a big, fluffy girl, I do NOT do sleeveless or even cap sleeves. I wanted a dress with sleeves. I know other big women who have not problem displaying their bare arms, but I am not that girl. I just don’t feel comfortable going sleeveless in public. Hell, I hardly ever go sleeveless at home. So, after searching in stores and online for over a year, I found this dress back in the summer and ordered it (mine is amethyst):

mother of the bride, formal plus size dress, plus size fashions — My Mother of the Bride Dress

Before I placed my order, I went down to Kanab, Utah to the fabric store that lives in the Ace Hardware Store there, and had the lady who worked there measure me to determine what size to get. She did a fabulous job, and when my dress came, it fit perfectly, EXCEPT that the sleeves were too tight. And it is a little too long.

formal wedding attire for plus size women — My mother of the bride dress

So, because I thought whoever altered the dress would have to take the sleeves off and put on some new ones, I ordered a yard of the fabric from the manufacturer. Yes. A yard. Because that is the minimum purchase of matching fabric that they will sell you. And you do not want to know how much that yard of fabric cost me!

I found a pair of shoes to wear when we were in Atlanta on Monday: They are Anne Klein flats, like this, but not exactly this:

I have no desire to wear heels. Well, I’d like to wear heels, but the last time I wore a pair of heels was in 1991. I was late for work and running through the lobby of BellSouth Center in downtown Atlanta. I slipped and fell and slid like a football field length through rush hour traffic on that polished marble floor, with my feet in the air and my dress over my head. I was praying to myself that no one saw it happen, when two young men leaned over and asked me “Mam, are you ok?” I never wore another pair of high heeled shoes since then, and I never wore that dress to work again because I was so afraid someone would remember it. Ahem, so…Where was I? Oh yeah, the bra…And you KNOW how much I hate to shop for bras!

Today all I had to do was go to David’s Bridal in Tuscaloosa, buy a Longline Strapless Bra and then go to the alteration shop for a fitting. Except that David’s didn’t have one of those contraptions that fit me. They DO carry them in my size, but they didn’t have one in the store. And they said it would take eight weeks to order one. 8 WEEKS! I need it today. So, off we went, looking for something like this:

We went to three different stores looking. No stores in Tuscaloosa had anything like this in stock. I did eventually find a regular strapless bra, that fit better than any of the others I had tried on all day, and bought it, just so I could get to the alteration shop and be fitted today. Notice I did not say it fit. I was able to fasten it around my body, but the cups were a bit too big. I got no support, I tell ya, no support. I am hoping to order that one pictured here, and have it arrive in time to wear it the day of the wedding. My girls need all the help they can get.

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Another Quick Trip To Georgia

Karen · 3 Comments

Over the weekend we went to Georgia. We were supposed to leave early Saturday morning, but it was raining, thundering, lightening, and the wind blowing so bad, we waited until almost noon to pull out of the yard. I missed my lunch date with my daughter, Emily and grandson, Spencer because of it, but we also missed driving more than 200 miles in pouring rain. We’ll catch up with them next time.

quilt, hand made — The quilt I made for Becky

We stopped in to visit my mother for about half an hour, then headed out to Becky and Rafe’s house to spend the night. Rafe is our son-in-law to be–the wedding is in February. I should have taken some pictures of their house, but the only one I got was of the bed in the guest bedroom. I was so tickled that Becky is using the quilt I made for her on the bed in there. It is gorgeous, even on the back!

Rafe cooked dinner for us, which was spaghetti. His home made spaghetti sauce was so yum! and he cooked some gluten free noodles just for me. Gotta love a boy who thinks of his soon to be mother-in-law that way!

On Sunday morning, we got up and drove another 100 miles to go to visit Nana and Poppa for their Christmas party. There were lots of family members there and lots of good food. My sister-in-law Jody fell and broke her arm the night before so she and her husband didn’t make it up there. Poor Jody! I hope she is feeling better by now.

That’s only about half of the people that were there. I really enjoyed seeing them all, especially the babies!The party was over way too soon, and we headed back down to Becky and Rafe’s to spend the night again.

P1020144 — Alicia, baby Katherin, and FabGrandpa

Monday morning, we got up and went shopping for FabGrandpa’s suit to wear to Becky’s wedding. Now, the story is, he has never owned a suit in his adult life. The salesman at the store measured him in “his most rotund” area, and brought out a suit that corresponded to those measurements. The jacket fit perfectly, but the pants were waaaayyyy too big. FabGrandpa came out into the store with that suit on for me and Becky to see. He had to hold on to his pants with his hand so they wouldn’t fall down. At one point, he reached out for his bottle of water, and the pants fell to the floor. He was standing there in his plaid boxers and that suit jacket, and Becky and I laughed until we peed our pants!

The tailor came out and measured him up, we went to breakfast (well, by that time it was lunch), and when we got back the suit was ready to go. FabGrandpa tried it on, and as I was trying to get a good picture, I fell over that platform you see in the picture above. Becky and I were laughing again! It was all “The Clampett’s Go To Town” all day, but we accomplished what we set out to do. He looks so good, don’t you think? Now I just have to get my dress altered and we’ll be ready to dance all night.

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A Visit And Another Project

Karen · 6 Comments

One of the very best things about living the RV life is meeting new people along the way. We have made so many friends along the way, we have lost count. It is always so nice to see them again, even if just for a few minutes. When I heard they were coming to pick up the RVQ Grill they won in my auction, I was so excited you would have thought the Pope was coming!

We met Stephen and Phillip last year when we were here at Payne Lake. They live on Dauphin Island down by Mobile, Alabama. They have an RV and go camping whenever they can. Stephen said they went to the Grand Canyon over the summer, but since they only went to the south rim, I had to tell them they missed the best side! Sadly, they were only able to stay for about an hour, then be on their way back to the island.

quilted messenger bag, hand made messenger bag — My new messenger bag

Today I spent some time sewing, this time it’s a messenger bag. I put some padding in it, so I can use it for a laptop bag. It’s big enough for the laptop, my mouse, the power cord, and some pens and paper. There’s a zippered pocket on the outside underneath the flap, which wasn’t on the pattern but I am in love with those zipper pockets since I learned how to do them.

I haven’t finished this yet, I still need to make the lining. I’ll do that tomorrow, and it will be done in time for our trip to Georgia on Saturday. And just look at this, with the cutie cute travel trailer embroidered patch!

PC290067 — Travel Trailer embroided patch

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That’s My Boy!

Karen · 4 Comments

2004 06 imperial beach ca seth 01 — Seth in 2004

I don’t write about my son very often, but that does not mean that I don’t love him just as much as I love my girls. It’s just that he doesn’t talk much, and writes less frequently than he calls. He is married to Sarah, and he is the father of Michael, Sarah, Owen and Miss Amelia. He gave Ameila my middle name when she arrived on my birthday, and that made me cry. Happy cry, of course.

2003 08 05 seth in military uniform — Seth in uniform

He has been in the Air Force for going on 17 years now, another thing that makes me really proud of him. He has been stationed in Texas, Guam, England, and now at Andrews AFB. We don’t get to see each other very much at all–the last time I saw him was in March.

Because our family is so spread out, I asked each of my children to make a wish list on Amazon. Seth’s wish list has cracked me up, but it has also given me much pleasure, because I can see from what he has on there that he remembers things I did for him when he was a little guy.

For instance, on his very first Christmas, I gave him a Curious George monkey and one of those stuffed gorillas with a plastic banana in its hand. And look at this stuff from his wish list:

That’s Not My Monkey (Usborne Touchy-Feely Books)

Super Stretch Screaming Flingshot Flying Monkey

Tub Tattoos: Monkeys

When he was a few years older, we lived in a house that was under the landing pattern for a small local airport. The planes flew so low over our house that you could read the letters on their tires. One day my son asked me where they were going, so we got in the car and drove over to a hill across the road from the airport and watched them land. That became a weekly activity. My son has been in love with airplanes ever since. The evidence is right here:

E-Sky 4CH USB Flight Simulator Training Kit For RC Airplanes and R/C Helicopters

Revell B17G Flying Fortress 1:48 Scale

Revell Corsair F4U-4 1:48 Scale

When he was 13, he loved to watch The Frugal Gourmet on TV. And whenever I bought a new cookbook, I would often find him in the kitchen trying out new recipes. Evidently he still loves to cook:

Farberware Classic Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set

Tovolo Red Melamine Colander

Trudeau Melamine Mixing Bowls, Set of 3

He has always had a warped sense of humor: who else would put these things on their wish list?

Liquid Ass 1 Ounce Bottle Spray Mist

Pull My Finger Fart Finger Pen

Fart Whistle

But the one thing on his wish list that makes my heart go pitter patter? This:

Love Your Mother. Bumper Sticker

p.s. yes, there are affiliate links to Amazon. But I still love this wish list.

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Where Does The Time Go?

Karen · 6 Comments

Like I don’t know…We had just returned from our whirlwind trip to Georgia, then it was Thanksgiving Day. Our friends, Belinda and Rob, who are camphosts on the other side of the lake from us, came over to share Thanksgiving dinner with us. I cooked a small ham, potato salad, some rutabagas, and a home made gluten free pumpkin pie. Then for the next three days, FabGrandpa and I worked at the entrance gate to the campground.

PC010006 — The Lost Realm of The Black Warrior

On Monday of last week, we drove up to Tuscaloosa to try and return the crappy cellphone that I got in Georgia at Best Buy. But, in order to return my phone, I had to have the old one with me so they could reactivate it and reverse my “New Every Two” from Verizon. Sigh. Why does everything have to be so dang complicated. So, we came back home with the same phone that couldn’t get a signal if I was standing under the tower. On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few things, because we knew Charlie and Lynda were coming to visit. The trip took all day, and then it was Tuesday.

Tuesday it rained buckets–but Charlie and Lynda got here with no problems. They are traveling in a customized van, so they parked it in our yard and plugged in a drop cord for a space heater. We had SO MUCH FUN with them. We haven’t seen them in about two years, but it seemed like just yesterday. We stayed up talking til the wee hours of the morning, and got up bright and early and started all over again.

On Wednesday, we drove over to Moundville to go to the Indian Mounds there. FabGrandpa and I went there last year, but the museum was closed for renovations. It is now open, so we went in and looked around. The Black Warrior Indians made some amazing pottery.

PC010017 — Intricately Carved Pottery Disc

There was a lot of information about the history of the people–I didn’t know for instance that they were some of the native Americans who were forced out of the area on the Trail Of Tears.

After the museum, we all went to Pam’s Diner in Moundville for lunch. FabGrandpa and I had never been to that particular restaurant last year, but we were quite impressed with it. It is one of those southern places that serves a plate of a “meat and two” or a “meat and three”. They had things like fried okra, turnip greens, red beans and rice, purple hull peas, and scalloped potatoes on the menu. We will definitely go back.

Charlie and Lynda stayed one more night, but all too soon they had to be on their way. I just feel so special that they came all the way here to see us, going out of their way to get here. Tuscaloosa is not just “in the neighborhood” between upstate New York and Missouri. I hope it is not another two years before we see them again.

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A Visit From Friends Makes Me Soooo Happy!

Karen · 5 Comments

tree lot cuties — Me and Lynda selling Christmas Trees in Phoenix in 2008

A week or so ago I got an email from my friend Lynda. We met Lynda and her husband, Charlie, when we worked at Bethpage Camp Resort back in 2006, in Virginia. They were the kind of people that we just liked immediately–they have so many of the same interests as us, and we got along so well. Although it has been four years since we left there, we have all kept in touch. In the summer of 2007, FabGrandpa and I worked at Granite Hill Campground in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and Lynda and Charlie worked at Roundtop Campground in the same area. We spent a lot of our days off traveling around, seeing the scenery, going to the farm markets together, and just plain enjoying our friendship. In the winter of 2008, we all worked together in Phoenix, Arizona, selling Christmas trees. Lynda and Charlie managed the lot and we worked for them. After that Christmas, we all went out to the desert and stayed next door to each other in a campground. So, when Lynda told me they were coming to visit, I was sooooo happy.

They got here this afternoon–and it’s like we just saw them last week. We have made some plans of things to do for the next few days. It is always sooo good to have a visit from a good friend.

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Another Road Trip

Karen · 7 Comments

It seems like we just got here to Alabama, but it was time to jump in the truck and leave again. This time, we went to Georgia to visit some of our family. We drove about 100 miles through the Alabama countryside before we got to I-20:

PB190035 — Across the road from our campsite at Payne Lake

PB200038 — along Hwy 25 in central Alabama

PB200036 — Between Calera and Pell City, Alabama

We saw this chemical lime plant in Calera, Alabama–everything in the area was covered with a thick layer of white dust. I wouldn’t want to live nearby to that:

We made it up to I-20 for the next 100 miles. The fall colors were still hanging on to the trees up there:

PB200045 — Somewhere in Alabama on I-20 headed east

We crossed the Georgia state line:

Then into the Eastern Time Zone:

and finally to our hometown:

I grew up in Douglasville–my family moved there when I was 13. I lived there until we sold our house in August of 2000. The town is nothing like it was back when I was a kid–there are so many people, so many cars, new businesses and a mall. You can’t get out of people’s way in the stores or on the road. If we didn’t have friends and family there we wouldn’t go there at all.

The first night in town, we met up with my daughter Emily, son-in-law Thomas, and grandson, Spencer at Longhorn Steakhouse. Mmmm, we used to go there about once a month. After dinner we went to the mall to walk around and look at stuff. I bought a couple of sweatshirts that I wound up taking back the next day. Emily got some bar stools for her new house that she also wound up taking back.

On Sunday, we went over to Emily’s new house:

PB210073 — A real tire swing for Spencer

PB210072 — Spencer with one of the kittens

They bought this house a few months ago–it has three bedrooms, 2 baths, a huge kitchen and dining room, front porch across the entire front of it, on six acres, with a barn, for $110,000. They got a great deal on it. Spencer loves the big yard and tire swing.

From Emily’s house, we met our daughter, Becky, at her beauty shop and got our hair cut. Then, FabGrandpa and Becky went to a movie, and Emily and I went to my mother’s house. Then, we all met up at Red Lobster for dinner–there was me and FabGrandpa, Emily, Thomas, Spencer, Becky, and our nephew Daniel and his family–Alicia, Brodie, and baby Katherin. We were so glad to see Daniel–we haven’t seen him since before Brodie was born and he is 3 now. Spencer and Brodie got along so well, and the baby was passed around and loved on by all of us!

PB210082 — FabGrandpa lovin up on Katherin

Seems like all we did was eat eat eat, but that is not really true. We drove, ate, visited, slept, and did it all over again for four days. On Monday, we drove up to Cleveland, Georgia to visit FabGrandpa’s Mom and Dad. They live a hundred miles from Douglasville. We had a very nice visit with them–didn’t get any photos there though. We spent the night at the Days Inn in town, then went back for a second short visit before heading back to Douglasville for one last night there.

And it always surprises me that even though I lived there for so many years, went to high school there, and was the service unit director for the Girl Scouts there, I NEVER run into anyone I know anymore. Except–FabGrandpa and I went to dinner on the last night there at our favorite barbecue restaurant. It was very crowded, so we squeezed into a booth. When I sat down, the man sitting at the next table reached over and put his hand on my thigh. I was mortified and couldn’t speak for a moment!! It turned out that he was one of our friends we used to hang out with when we lived in Douglasville, and haven’t seen in 10 years.

Wednesday morning, we finally loaded up all our stuff and headed west, back to Payne Lake in Alabama. It was a whirlwind trip, four days and nights of rush rush rush–I am glad it is over and we are back home to sleep in our own beds. And the only traffic we see is this, right outside our door:

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