Bathroom Reno

Ever since we moved in, Andy had really, reeeeeeeeeally wanted to re-do our upstairs bath. I thought it was fine, but not great, but for some reason, he really just wanted to rip it out and start over. We started this week:

Somehow we don't have a before picture, which surprises me. Oopsies! In this photo, we'd already removed a storage cabinet from the wall, and taken out the pedestal sink for tile-removal.

In addition to pulling up tile, we've been patching walls and filling holes for awhile. Some were pretty big, so it's been a process.

Aaaand... Here lies our sink, for who knows how long.

In the end, this is the look we're going for:

Sewing Progress

There hasn't been much sewing progress, but hopfully I can pick that back up again now that the Christmas trees are put away.

I've purchased fabric for two new projects (I know, I'm bad!), and this is what I'm making:

The Kate Middleton engagement dress, in the same dark blue color.

Also this top, as pictured in blue. I have the same color t-shirt fabric, and I think I'll make it a teensy bit shorter, so it's a shirt and not a tunic.

I made a little fleece bunting for a pregnant cousin as part of her shower gift, and since she's a Badger's fan, it had to be Badgers. Since I have extra fleece, I'll probably make another of the same and hang on to it for the next time a Madison alum becomes pregnant.

Although I've taken a hiatus from working on it, I'm still plugging away at my blue jacket from last fall. It would be great to finish it in time to wear for spring!

Wish me luck on that hem!

Post-Holiday Catch Up

So the holidays have come and gone, and finally there is time to sort and upload pictures of my culinary and entertaining successes. Here you have it!

Mini-Cranberry Meringues from Thanksgiving

Cookie Prep

And we hosted Christmas at our house this year, which was a first for me. More successes!

My dad's beagle (name: Beagle) especially enjoyed the festivities. He got treats and had fun getting lost in the wrapping paper!

Oh yes, and we had a blizzard of mass proportions. Andy was at his overnight job, and I was off work (thankfully), so it was up to me to hold down the fort. The neighbors helped me plow our parking space which I was very thankful for, and in total, we had about 17 inches of snow.

Even growing up in Alaska, I don't remember a time being litterally "snowed in" to our house. I'm sure it happened, but my parents took care of the doorways and sidewalks before we went outside. This was my first big girl snowstorm, where I had to take care of it all by myself. I kept thinking what a great workout my arms were getting.



New Sewing Project

Next up, after I finish my jacket and my suit (which still isn't cut out), I want to find fabric to make this dress, since none are available for sale, not to mention that I don't have an extra $650 to spend on a dress:

I'm going to use this McCalls M5974, and maybe do something different about the sash so that it looks more like Kate's dress:

The blue color will look better on me anyway!



New Recipes!

Now that my Christmas decorations are up, I can move on to more important things, like baking!

This week on my day off, I had my first attempt at baking pumpkin pie. So I decided to try from scratch. I actually used a butternut squash pie recipe from Good Housekeeping, and it was easy to make, and also tasty. The recipe says to mash the squash and mix everything together, but I just added all of the ingredients to my blender and gave them a good spin before putting the filling into the pie shells. I also had to bake longer than the recipe called for, but they turned out well. Here's proof:

Next up will be a cranberry meringue recipe from Martha herself!

Blue Jacket Project - In Progress

I started the blue jacket right after I finished the black dress. It's coming together quite easily, but now that I am at the part where I have to connect the inside, the outside, and the collar, I've lost all interest! I think that the sleeves are too puffy, and can't decide if I should take them in on the top seam or the bottom seam, or both. So it hangs, one piece on my sewing chair and one on my mannequin. I'll feel motivated soon, I'm sure.

Jacket front and sleeve connected:

Back lining pleated and staystiched:

Hopefully I can post another update soon, maybe even a finished product!

Black Dress Project - Finished!

I started a black dress awhile back, right after I discovered SR Harris. It's finished, and I've even worn it to work! This is the dress that Andy thought looked Amish until I put the zipper in and it actually fit. Vintage Simplicity #5197:

And the finished product (I'll have to get a better picture!):