Call It What You Want...

How to Photograph Children in a few easy steps

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:28:41 GMT

Guys, can you both sit still and smile?

Okay. How about looking at the camera?

No. At me.

Mark? Put your shirt down.

That's so nice. Now can you look at me?

Um. Please note that the peanut gallery in the background is laughing at my efforts.

Wow.

No, I didn't want a picture of a dog.

Or another dog.

Seriously, guys!

Hmm, maybe there's strength in numbers?

Let's get more involved here.

Perhaps if we get the awful faces out of the way...
(Please note Grandpa, standing in the back, sneaking out to make a video of me trying to photograph the precious children.)

Um, okay, as long as it leads to a cute picture in a minute...

Not yet. Except for Andrew. Boy, he's cute. And cooperative.

Getting better. Maybe this is why the parents usually have to be in the picture.

I think I'll take what I've got and call it good.

Maybe we should have tried this before dessert.

Back at the Machine

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:41:31 GMT

A while back I received a mysterious package in the mail. The contents turned out to be some fabric over which I had drooled some years ago -- fabric which a beloved friend had purchased and never sewn into a dress. Appropriate for 1836, it is a delightful riot of blues, yellows, reds... in short, perfect. And Mer could no longer use it, and would it be possible for me to find a use for it?

It began with the book Costume in Detail, a very fine book with line drawings of actual garments in various collections from 200 years of glorious fashions. Some years back, on our first trip to England (sorry Mel, yes, I am a brat) I was able to see some of the items included in the Snowshill Collection (prominently featured in this book). In fact, the dress I have chosen to reproduce with Mer's lovely fabric is one from the book, and one I actually saw. Can I pass on this idea? (No.)

Paula gave me a pattern, which I cut out, tried on my duct-tape form, and altered to get the basic shape at the back, neck and shoulders that would work with the dress design. I then draped muslin over the shoulders and back to create a sort of cape-like collar for the back and gathered bands that drape from the shoulders to the waist, meeting in the center of the bodice. Once I finally got those pieces shaped properly, I then cut new lining pieces out of muslin, and then re-fit them to the dress form, and used them as my pattern pieces.

These are the back collar pieces. They end at the shoulder, and are sewn into the armscye at the front edge. The book gives appropriate measurements, which, in a couple of instances, ended up being accurate when I forgot to measure one or the other aspect. Nice when things work out well.

Sleeves, complete with double piping on the cuffs, are sewn in. It's hard to enjoy all the detail as the fabric (and background) is plenty busy, but this part worked out great. Totally excited about this!

Shoulder detail. Once again, I will have to figure out how to photograph this stuff to show detail. But cool. And working out correctly.

Waistband sewn on (double piping at top, also will be added at the bottom.

The dress still needs the neckline finished (more double piping, anyone?), the back finished (who doesn't love a row of hooks and eyes?) and the skirt sewn together, attached, and hemmed. For those who are keeping track, I'm about to enter into the world of handwork. I'm also adding a belt to fit over the waistband -- not sure what the original belt looked like, as it was missing from the original (as was one of the front bands), so I am going to make it a self-fabric belt, well-starched, with hooks and eyes to close it.

Closer detail of the front bands where they meet the waistband at the center of the bodice.

More pictures to come as I progress. I think I'll need some nice sleeve puffs of my own?

Ziplock Baggie Ice Cream

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:21:48 GMT

The other day -- with school canceled and all of us needing a few things out of the ordinary -- I piled on a few special activities (including paying a couple kids from who knows where ten bucks to clean my driveway). One of them was ZIPLOCK BAGGIE ICE CREAM.

Place in one sturdy quart-sized zipper bag:
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. sugar
Zip bag closed and set it aside.

Fill a gallon-sized zipper bag with ice (or, in our case, snow) and sprinkle in 6 Tbsp. salt (I used rock salt and just put in "some".) Place the quart bag with the milk mixture inside the ice bag and zip the ice bag shut.

Shake. It takes about 10-15 minutes of shaking, and your hands get cold, so put on mittens, and, mom, plan to do the shaking yourself if you have a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old.

Remove the inner bag and rinse it off with cold water so no salt gets in your ice cream.

Serve and enjoy.

(The boys are getting excited and Adam is even done crying.)

Here! You want some? He actually shared a bite of his with me. (I also had some of my own from what was still in the bag.)

You can look at mine too. Don't think you're going to get any, though...

On Finishing a Project

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:07:38 GMT

I finished my second pair of socks today. They have been "in the works" for quite a while, but I've had trouble finishing them as I've been reworking my knitting technique (the small needles made practicing a little tricky). Anyhow, new technique perfected, I finished this pair of bad boys today.
On a related subject, I'm pretty sure there's enough yarn in the ball for a third sock. What do you think? Should I make a backup sock?
:)

We got stuck doing "craft projects" the other day when we were "snowed in". I LOVE craft projects. Or, um... not.
Here are a couple pictures of the boys and glue.

And then just when I'm about to get the cutest picture EVER...

Christmas Around Our House

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:32:12 GMT

We started the celebrations with a visit to Reynolds Farm Equipment to see Santa. Before we went inside, though, the boys ran to the nativity and knelt down before the Baby. Wow. Thanks, guys, for having the right priorities.

Opening presents was much fun on Christmas morning. Each boy got some Lego stuff (Adam's is Duplo, the little-finger version).

Mark is great at putting together all the little pieces that make Lego trucks and stuff. Let's just not talk about the crawler-track crane yet. I'll look back and laugh when I'm 90, I'm sure.

The guys made Christmas cookies with Grandma, too. And made a mess of themselves as well.

Then on Saturday I got to go see my friend's new baby, born the day after my birthday. She's two weeks old now and weighs six pounds and is as sweet as can be.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Can I pass up $2.99 a Yard?

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:36:30 GMT

I am contemplating a new 1836 dress.
Never mind that I don't really need one -- except I do, kind of. The ones I have, I made in 2001 and 2002 and are sort of... blah.
I have a "fancy" dress made in 2003, but that one is strictly sleeve-puff glory, and I'd like one that I can use otherwise too.
And Fabric.com is having a great sale until Monday.
So.
Cast your vote. What shall I have?

Posies Black:

Dahlia Blue:

Lacy Stripes, Coffee or Blue:

Pins, Red/Yellow:

Vine Stripe, Cream/Blue:

I like the stripes for the "fun" one can have with stripes in fabric, especially with 1836 dresses. I can order enough of this to do them diagonally, cutting in toward the waist to make it look smaller... it's all about the illusion, folks.

So... please... vote for the right fabric for my new dress.

A Few Thanksgiving Tales

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:37:30 GMT

We've made it halfway through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with little drama... It's been a good time. I thought I would include a few Thanksgiving tales to get you through a few days. As if everyone is yearning for another post from me. Ha ha. (Well, maybe just mom.)

For our first exhibit, I present Pilgrim and Native American (complete with Dutch klompfen), preparing for a truly memorable Thanksgiving feast (a few days early).

Here is Mr. "Yes, You May Take My Picture" before Thanksgiving Eve service at church. Mark was not in the mood to join his brother for a handsome boys photo, so you just get one.

That angelic face brings us into other joys of Thanksgiving...

We had Thanksgiving Dinner at home (as you can tell by our fancy china and glassware)... I made turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy from scratch, and had help with the stuffing (Stove Top), rolls (packaged) and pumpkin pie (refrigerated crust, pie made from scratch with help from boys).

The true Thanksgiving miracle was that, while they might not have eaten mightily, neither boy complained about the food put before him, and Mark actually ate some of everything on his plate. Amazing.

Today the boys went with Tim to some stores (they were not up and shopping at 4 a.m. -- more like 10). At Home Depot, they met up with Santa Claus, sat on his lap, and told him what they wanted. Mark, of course, reported back that he told him he wanted a Lego Crane (Grandma can feel pleased in what he will be getting).
Adam told Santa what he wanted. Santa glanced at Daddy and said, "What did he say he wanted?"
Mark stepped in for the save: "He said he wants a Statue of Liberty."

Yes. Adam is still quite adamant. Other Christmas wishes may have changed, but one thing has remained the same: Adam wants a Statue of Liberty for Christmas.

I don't know why.

One very nice thing about Tim being home is that I get to do other projects. Here is what I have worked on the past couple of days:

A close inspection will reveal that the print here is train cars of all kinds. The fabric was given to me -- given. That's right, given -- by a Conner P mom whose boys have outgrown their train obsessions, leaving her with too much train fabric left. I was sewing clothing for one of her boys, and she told me she had this stuff and would I like it? The front, you see. The back is the train fabric. The batting is cotton/bamboo, and it's put together with spray-on quilting adhesive to hold it together (and safety pins) until I can quilt it.

This is for Adam's big boy bed -- when it arrives. He is still in his toddler bed for now, but when the time comes, he will have a bedspread and (if all goes well) a valance for his window as well. Thanks, Mrs. S., for the fabric!!! :)

Okay, that's all for now. More later. Good night!

Poetry, part I, by Mark

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:31:11 GMT

Doggy's Old Poem (by Mark) (do the lines in iambic, and you've got it):

He was walking through the store
And he saw a big saw.
He wanted to buy it
But he couldn't buy it at all.

Not sure where it came from, but Mark decided to make up this poem in the car today.
I guess I do know; I made reference to the James Whitcomb Riley poem, "When the frost is on the punkin"... as it was a frosty and foggy morning. And this is what he came up with -- not just old poets can make up old poems, apparently.

Table Rules

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:34:24 GMT

I think it's time to lay down some uncontested rules for appropriate behavior at the table during meals, so the little darlings will know for what they are being fined when I start levying fees. *
(* These fines go into a jar marked "Mommy's Money" and when there's enough in there, I get to go buy myself some ice cream.)

So.
Here are the rules.
1. Thank God.
2. No kicking.

3. No pushing or pulling. (This is a problem when someone shoves the table and hits the other in the chest, trapping him against seat and table in an uncomfortable position. This is also a problem when suddenly the table is pulled away from a boy who is eating because his brother saw fit to give it a mighty tug.)

4. No blocking. (Think "Talk to the hand" or something. This is one of the most horrifyingly evil things a brother can do to the other -- hold his hand up, palm facing the brother, thus "blocking" one from the other. It's cause for hysteria.)

Now that you know the rules, you can come have a meal with us.
See you soon!

Happy Halloween

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:48:04 GMT

Friday dawned with driving rain. Mark was highly distressed. "I don't want it to be raining on Halloween!" he said, offended.

"Halloween isn't until tomorrow. We have time for the rain to stop."

He was not convinced. He went through the rainy Friday fretting about the weather not shaping up for him. He should not have feared. Saturday was perfect from sunrise until well after sunset -- not too warm (Halloween is supposed to be crisp, after all), but not so cold that a jacket under the costume wouldn't suffice.

The boys were adorable.

Mark chose to be a firefighter again (third year running -- he likes what he likes, and I like not having to come up with a costume).

Adam didn't want to be "anyfing" but after some consideration, agreed to be Bob the Builder. All the ingredients were around the house: a pair of overalls (he eschews them generally, but was willing to wear them for the day), a plaid shirt of Mark's (big enough to fit over his jacket), hard hat and tools fitted into one of Mark's belts.

Highlights:

* An autistic neighbor boy, seeing Adam in costume, started singing the Bob the Builder theme song. He was still singing it later when we saw him again. He was very excited by it.

* A group of neighbors had set up a block party on their cul-de-sac, complete with fire pits and candy all around the circle. They were also sharing supper together and having a great time (what a great idea!).

* Buckets full of candy. Wow.

* Awesome pumpkins carved by Tim, the king of pumpkin carving. This year we had a steamroller and a train engine.

Here are the intrepid trick-or-treaters, ready to go.
(Please note the pliers, ready to fall out of the belt. They did, within three houses, but when we went back, we found them.)