Not sew easy...

I bought this sewing pattern a while back in hopes to make it for Brad's aunt, Shirley, a huge Hog fan. Her birthday is coming up, so, being the master seamstress I now am, ha ha, I pulled it out and got started on it yesterday. But then I thought, I better make a practice one. I really did not want to mess this up, since it was going to be my first hand-sewn gift... So I cut the pieces out of the quilted hog fabric as well as some scrap fabric I already had on hand (look familiar, Kay?).

After about four laboring and stressful hours, not to mention a few crying breakdowns (picture Amy Adams a la Julie & Julia when her cooking projects were not going well), this is what I ended up with:

Note, it looks nothing like the pattern.

The instructions inside were vague. Okay, so that is my excuse. Perhaps, since it is labeled "Easy to assemble," the instructions are perfect... for someone who actually knows what they are doing. My problem: I cannot see the "big picture" while sewing. So the instructions need to be very well laid out for me - like the Pioneer Woman's recipes (thank you, Stacey) - very step-by-step, and a few more drawings or photos along the way would not hurt.

But, I have decided that it is pretty cute and I am proud that I was able to turn my huge mistake (sewing part of the inside to the outside) into something presentable. That is why it has the shape it has up top.

And it is usable, which is a good thing (though only if you put really light things in it since the fabric is not very thick).

As for the Hog tote... I am not sure if it will ever come to fruition. At least not for your birthday, Shirley, since that is just around the corner. Perhaps I will be willing to tackle it again, say, at Christmas, when my confidence returns...

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

Ah, snow. It is a rarity in these parts, and we take what we can get (and get a bit excited about it). I know my east coast friends are wishing they would never see another snowflake again (but from what I hear, you will!). What a pleasant surprise it was to wake up to a blanket of snow! We were supposed to get a "wintry mix" this evening... Um, Mike Francis, you were a little off. It happened last evening. Well, overnight. And he (the weatherman) still got it wrong this morning, saying it would turn quickly into rain since we were hovering at 32/33 degrees. Well, all I have seen today are big chunky flakes, and it is one o'clock in the afternoon... Sadie and I are loving it!

Brad had to go in to work at 10am (Ridiculous, but the office finally came to its senses and sent him back home around 11:30, and it took him an hour to get home - usually a 15-minute commute). And he is the fun one. No, really - the neighborhood kids rang our bell while he was gone asking if "Sadie's dad could come out and play for another snowball fight." Apparently, they wanted a rematch from the one on January 30th when the flurries we got barely covered the ground. Sadie and I were a bit offended. But we got over it.

It took a little prodding (okay, not too much) but I got her to go out with me. We had a blast!

Making snow angels

Our Lady of the Snow

Sadie and our snow lady

The snow lady and me

Sadie and I had our own snowball fight, thank you very much (the neighborhood kids had long gone inside by the time I talked Sadie into going out and got her bundled up). It was hilarious. Our rule was, if you got hit, you had to fall down (and I had to make all the snowballs and hand them to her to throw back at me). Sadie - oh how I wish I had my video camera - was very dramatic and would fall in, what seemed like, slow motion. And every time I fell, a little girl hopped right on top of me!

Hooray for snow days.

Sew excited!

I have been wanting to learn to sew, but I don't have the guts to just whip out the sewing machine and try - trial and error style. I want/need instruction. I signed up for a sewing class at Hobby Lobby and Angela Alexander was kind enough to give me her old machine (I tried to pay her for it) and I was on cloud nine.

Until our teacher bailed on us after one class (where we learned to thread our machine and turn it on) and did not refund our money (we paid her directly during the first class). Argh.

So I tried again, this time through the Arkansas Extended Learning Center, or AELC, a reputable organization, which I knew I could trust since I signed up for and completed their Boot Camp last spring. (I am not putting down Hobby Lobby; I love that store, but the teacher...).

We had three classes, each two and a half hours long. Our teacher was J. Zig Hill - she goes by "Zig," which I just love - who has been sewing since age 12 and is now age 62 (or something like that). Anyway, I was frustrated after the first class because I felt like she would simply DO things FOR me when I had questions instead of TEACHING me HOW to do them... The second class, well, I sewed up a pair of pajama pants, and simply needed to hem them! So I was ecstatic. The third class was tonight and I hemmed the pajama pants and made two pillows.

I am still in the very elementary stages of sewing but I have much more confidence now and am super excited about what lies ahead (and thus, I tell myself, the class fee was worth it). I have already signed up for the intermediate class with Zig. Class project: a dress!!!!

Project #1: Pajama Pants

My first ever finished sewing product! (And I made it difficult on myself by choosing a plaid fabric and material that looked the same on both sides, so I could not tell which side was "the right side" which is a wee bit important...

Project #2: Cute pillows

We all finished our pants in the first part of our last class so we made quickie pillows!

Okay, so mine aren't great, but they are cute!

Sisters

I have read two really good books lately, both with the word "Sisters" in the title, oddly enough. Thought I would share them with you:

The Alphabet Sisters, by Monica McInerey, is about true, blood sisters and the trials they face separately and as a unit. If you enjoy Maeve Binchy's writing, you will enjoy this book.

The Wednesday Sisters, by Meg Waite Clayton, is about a group of girlfriends who become like sisters. It is just a really great testament to female friendships.

Never give up!

Sadie is such a character. I am sure you agree. Well, it seems that her school agrees, too, because Sadie was recognized at school today for being a "student of character." They had an award ceremony and everything.

Each month, the elementary students learn about and focus on a "character" word: honesty; sportsmanship; integrity... January's word was "perseverance." Sadie often told us this month that they were learning about perseverance and that it meant, "never give up."

The teachers chose two students from each classroom who have demonstrated the character word all month, and Sadie was chosen (along with her buddy, Avery Lillard)! Whew! She has come a long way from getting several red cards last month to green cards every single day in the month of January. (We plan to frame her January behavior calendar). So, I guess it really is true that she has learned to persevere!

Below is a video of Sadie and her classmates singing their song about perseverance during the award ceremony. It is called "Never Give Up." They performed it earlier in the day and were recorded so the whole school could watch. Sadie told us how she "watched herself on TV this morning."

And, as you can tell from our video, Sadie IS quite a character.

Congratulations, Sadie! We are so very proud of you! Way to persevere!

xoxo Mommy and Daddy

"You better treat your man a little better"

On Friday, Brad performed at the Governor's Mansion. Oxford American Magazine asked him to be a guest vocalist for the event. He paid tribute to the late great radio D.J./Singer/Arkansan, Wayne Raney. Brad was backed by Dale Hawkins' band which also featured guest musician Rodney Block on trumpet.


http://www.thesaltydogs.net/

Up on the roof

We had a hail storm last summer. June, I think. And it seemed like the whole neighborhood started getting new roofs. We refused to buy in to the madness until roofers started to hound us and our next door neighbors added a roofer's sign in their yard... So we called our insurance adjuster and he came out on New Year's Eve to determine that, yes, we had damage and needed a new roof.

And the fun began.

By "fun" I mean several conversations with shady roofers, a spreadsheet of info (thanks to my Type A personality), research, headaches, and sleepless nights. But we finally signed on with someone we considered the most reputable, then learned their "office" is supposedly in an apartment building. However, when you check Google Maps (perhaps you "prefer MapQuest, that's a good one, too"), it shows a vacant lot in the middle of a residential area. Hence, my sleepless night. Go ahead - check it - and you will see what I mean. 5503 B Street, Little Rock, AR 72205 - zoom to street and do a 360 degree pan. THERE'S NOTHING THERE).

But, "it is finished" and we are pleased with the looks of it. Let's just pray that it is quality work and stands the test of time! We upgraded to 30-yr architectural shingles and changed the color (I never was fond of the red/terra cotta, as you well know) and are genuinely pleased!

The roofers finished up this morning.

Just in time for the weather man to predict severe weather tomorrow.

Greatest threat: Hail.

BEFORE PHOTOS

(and these are from a while ago when the roof was looking pretty decent, though still red):

AFTER PHOTOS

(unfortunately, they don't do the color justice!):

Not Already!

Oh no. I am so not ready for her teenage dating years...

Sadie and neighbor, Brian, taking a ride in her "new" Barbie Jeep that Santa brought her...

(photo taken thru the living room window as I was "spying")