Great Start to a New Year

Happy New Year everyone!  Yesterday we had a wonderful day.  We had 15 people over for brunch.  This is becoming an annual event since we've done it 2 years in a row now!  We had great friends, great food, great fellowship.  It was freezing outside, but also sunny and beautiful.  Since we are blessed to have lots of windows and a beautiful view, a fire in the fireplace kept us all toasty and the views were gorgeous!  I should have taken pictures, but I was too busy eating and having fun!  We had a ton of food, including

• Quiche
• Garlic Roasted Potatoes
• Chili Relleno Casserole (my mom's old recipe which uses 1/2 & 1/2.  I tried to find a similar recipe, but most use evap milk)
• refried beans
• tortillas
• Cinnabon cinnamon rolls
• Palm leaf pastries
• and of course, juice, tea, coffee, lemon infused water

The best part?  Everyone else did the dishes!  I'm not a paper-plate kind of girl, so we had lots of dishes.  After everyone left, I had some time to do some sewing and worked on Vogue 1250.  This morning I am going to hem the sleeves and bottom hem and I'll be finished.

My poor dress form looks like she's drunk the way she leans over!  

I've decided that I'm going to make an attempt at the SWAP over at Stitcher's Guild this year.  It's so easy to say that now, but so hard to do once school starts again.  I'm really glad I'm retiring this year.  I just can't keep up with the ever-increasing demands, and I really don't want to work until 6 or 7 every night.  As it is, I leave my house at 6:30 am and don't get home until 7:00 at night.  Granted, sometimes I have to stop at the store or run an errand after work, but I really am just done.  I think God has something else planned for me at this stage in my life, and it does not involve the public school system!

Well, speaking of the public school system, I have a big bucket of school work that is on my agenda this morning!  I'm leaving enough break time to finish my dress so I can wear it tonight, but the rest of the day is going to be doing school work.  sigh...
Oh, brother, just thinking about school and I'm already distracted.  Back to my main point, this dress will be the first item completed for my swap. Well, I have a pair of pants completed, but you are allowed a previously made garment.  This is what I have planned:

Bottoms:

1. Gray pants - LH Ascona pattern (already made)
2. Navy Wool Pants - Sandra Betzina pants making class on craftsy pattern
3. Navy rayon knit yoga skirt - Peggy Sagers SP

Tops

1. Navy & Gray sweater knit cowl -SP
2. Ivory crepe drape front blouse - Tom and Linda Platt Vogue 1415
3. Reversible Navy and mint shell - CJ Patterns keyhole top
4. Long sleeve Navy rayon knit T - either SP twinset or CJP keyhole
5. Gray sweater knit Shell - SP twinset

Wildcard

1. Gray sweater knit cardi - SP twinset
2. Black, White, and Blue knit dress - DKNY Vogue 1250
3. Navy with mint fleck woven topper - SP Brook's Top