Monday, September 29, 2014

This and That

It was just over a week ago when I made two realizations: first, the annual Navy ball was swiftly approaching; second, I had absolutely nothing suitable to wear for such an occasion! My collection of formals has shrunk significantly since I finished college (which is now seven years ago -- eep!), and of the few remaining items nothing is suitable for maternity. I did a quick online shopping browse, because I had no desire to spend hours sewing if there were an economical option available! But, not suprisingly, there was nothing I could find to suit my needs and tastes, and a trip to JoAnn Fabrics was in order. I ended up using McCall's 6557, which is actually not a maternity dress (though it is labeled as "suitable for maternity" on the website). It's all done but the hem, thanks to some extreme sewing sessions -- and consequently extreme housework neglect -- last week. The hem, however, will be a challenge. Two hems, actually, counting the lining!




Last week I also spotted a box of wooden trains for $10 on Craigslist. The location was a bit distant and someone else had already contacted the seller, but in the end it all worked out and we took a little family drive to pick them up. Followed by dinner at a favorite eatery (we even sat out-of-doors, it was so "unseasonably" pleasant!) and some frozen yogurt.  




The box was actually much larger than I'd anticipated, and included a bridge, train station, roundhouse, and a tunnel in addition to a wealth of various track pieces and some smashing trains. Once we got it home and put it together, I realized that our train collection is now complete! Before we had barely enough pieces to make a decent sort of track, whereas now I run out ideas (and room) before I run out of pieces. And we paid a fraction of what we would have paid had we only added a few tracks now and then, as planned.


Little Man loves to make the cars wait until the train has passed. Though why
there are two crossings right next to each is a bit beyond me...

I must admit, I think I'm enjoying them as much as the children are, and each morning our first order of business is to build a new track! Rather, I build a new track, with assistance and input -- not only is it a bit beyond Little Man's abilities to construct a complicated track, but laying out wooden tracks has also been one of my favorite things since I was a child. Happily, Little Man plays with his trains much more now that they're a bit more interesting, and it's such a delight to hear the littles with their trains chugging along (and sometimes saying "beep beep").


Ah, I'm looking forward to finishing up this gown so I can get back to the little projects I've been wanting to get to -- a new bib or two and some Fall clothes for Rosa, a stroller canopy re-do (more on that soon!), and some little projects for the wee one. But in the meantime, I might have another go around the track.

8 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that you found something that worked for you--when you have multiple challenges of space, time, and money, it's such a blessing when something fits the constraints of all three. :) I'm looking forward to seeing what you've created.

    And, wow--congratulations on your recent railroad acquisition! How exciting for your son! That brought back memories--my Little Man used to play with those train sets, and I was also an Expert at Reconfiguring Tracks. :) He's a big and tall 21 now, and doesn't use them so much :), but I'm still keeping the tracks stored safely. I really think they're worth hanging on to.

    Does Rosa ever go in and try to rearrange the tracks herself? We had that too. The kids were 18 months apart, and the train tracks got quite a bit of use for a while.

    Enjoy these times--take lots of photos. The season we're in now is exciting, but I do miss having little ones around. :)

    Enjoy your night out!

    Krista

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    1. Krista,

      I'm certainly relieved that the project is working out, too -- there's nothing quite so nerve-wracking as making formal wear with a limited schedule! :-)

      I definitely plan to hang on to our tracks after our littles outgrow them (though I hope that's not for a while!). They're so classic, and have a great "shelf life." So far Rosa hasn't tried to reconfigure the tracks (intentionally, anyway :-), but she does have a habit of knocking the roof off the train station. I think I might try some super glue! She does get EXTREMELY frustrated when her trains come apart. We're still working on the "just turn it around" concept, since she clearly does not understand the concept of polarization yet. ;-)

      Thank you for stopping by! It's always a pleasure to hear from you!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  2. Love the lace and satin dress fabrics...that deep pink color is gorgeous! Can't wait to see the finished dress. Someday I will have time to sew for my littles! Until then, I will live vicariously through seeing the lovely items you have made. :)

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    1. Alyssa,

      Thank you! I think the color is "Bordeaux" (Casa collection from JoAnn's), and I'm so glad I picked it. I think it will serve me well for future formal events, and will hopefully work both maternity and non-maternity.

      Thank you for your kind words :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  3. Your dress is such a pretty color! I hope the hemming goes well. :)

    We are BIG into trains around here, too... My husband is very good at constructing very well laid-out tracks, whereas mine often resemble a pile of spaghetti... actually when Douglas saw the last track I built, he said it looked like an English town! So I take that as a weird compliment. :) Edmund is old enough that he can build his own tracks, but he always loves to have company and help from mom or dad. Lavinia is just good at breaking them up (much to Edmund's chagrin), but she loves playing with them too. I love to hear them creating elaborate, imaginative storylines centered around their trains' doings... I can tell when Daddy's been involved because there are elements like catching crooks and avoiding booby-traps on the tracks, LOL....

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    1. Thanks, Laura! I hope to tackle the hemming today. We'll see...

      I don't know whether my tracks are well laid out, but I find them interesting. :-) I did realize the other day that I'd constructed a track with an "infinite loop" -- once you entered the loop, there was no way out! Fortunately, the kids are good at cleaning up the tracks, so it's a good trade-off. :-) And I'd definitely take the English town comment as a compliment. *wink*

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  4. That's so fun about the trains!! You guys sound like us in the mornings with duplo! I love having tons of pieces because we can build so many fun things and it keeps both kids so entertained. Although I think Rosie is more like a tornado than a contributor ;)

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    1. I must admit that I didn't make them clean up the trains last night, because I particularly like the current track configuration. :-) The Duplos sound fun! We have just a small collection (though Pablo and I have tons of Legos for when they're a little older), so we're a bit limited in what we can build!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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