Packing and moving

I haven't posted in a few weeks because we've been super busy.  We sold our house and things are moving along nicely.  I can hardly wait to get into our new home on the river.  This weekend DH and I went furniture shopping.  We saw some beautiful (and not so beautiful) pieces.  Oh to have endless funds and just buy all new furniture!  Actually, we want to incorporate the furniture that we have already because I do love a lot of what we already have.  I mean, after all, I am 55 and it has taken me a lot of years to get the things I love!  haha.  Anyway, there will be plenty of pieces that we will have to get rid of because there is just no wall space in the new home.  Even though our Three Rivers home will be larger, it is all open and mostly windows.  We will need more living room furniture, but almost everything else will be reduced in some way.  These are the things I don't want to get rid of.

I really like our dining room table and have always liked a separate dining room.  This will fit beautifully in our new home.  The china closet was my mother's and there is a wall for that.  I don't know where I will put the mirror, but I really do not want to give it up.  We are also taking the chandelier with us because I like it so much more than the one that is already in the new house.

I havent found a spot for the curio cabinet yet, but I think it will either go by the front door or in the little area below the stairs.

We are conisdering buying a new  sofa and loveseat.  They currently have a sectional.

We would like to replace it with this furniture that we found yesterday.  Instead of a sectional, I think that a sofa and loveseat will work just as well and be more versatile.  

There is also a chair and ottoman that match.  I think we will go with the ottoman, but skip the chair.  It is a double chair, and I am going to also incorporate this sofa (on the right) that we already have.

Also, we will be using the Persian rug instead of the red one that they have.  I really like that the new furniture has the combination of leather, fabric, and wood.  I think it will tie everything together.  There is a lot of wood in the house, and I like the look of mixed woods.

Now is where it gets tricky.  I love the furniture that we have in our living room now.



These two chairs and sofa may or may not fit into the living room with the other furniture.  It may just be too much of a mix.  I can give up the marble table and end tables.  (The round one I'm keeping since it was my grandmother's)  I may end up keeping the two chairs in my bedroom and putting the sofa in the guest room.  I'm just not sure.  I love that gold picture behind the chairs.  The only place that it will fit in the new house is in the stairwell.

Unfortunately, I may have to get rid of this sofa table.  There is just nowhere to put it in the new house. The painting will probably go over our bed in the bedroom.





























This isn't a very good picture, but I also love our breakfast room set.  This will look good in the new house and I like it a lot more than the set that they have.










Well, everything is in escrow on both houses, so I'm just praying that it all goes smoothly.  I can hardly wait to sit out on the back deck drinking a cup of coffee and watching the river.  Needless to say, there has been no sewing going on - just packing.  This is the worst part.  Well, of course, there is unpacking.  I'm trying to throw away as much as I can - but that's not easy for someone like me.  I keep thinking, what if I need that someday?  I'm doing pretty well at tossing right now though!

Me Made May - Just one more day

Well, I haven't kept up with my pictures, but I've made it wearing something I've made every day this month.  Sunday was Day 27, and I wore this skirt.

Monday I wore this blouse made from a cotton lawn and Silhouette Patterns basic blouse.  Earlier in the day, I wore my favorite red linen dress that I have worn just about to death.













Tuesday I was in Los Angeles and the weather was beautiful!  I wore this self drafted skirt.  I had to ask a stranger on the street to take my picture, and she didn't get the bottom of my skirt.  The hem has an orange band with a green print that is the same color as my sweater.  It was funny, because when I was in the restroom at one of the restaurants, and woman came in and commented, "I like your attire."  I resisted saying, "Thanks, I made this skirt." hahaha




Wednesday it was back to work.  I love this brown rayon tank from Pamela's Patterns Twinset.  The skirt is Christine Johnson's Aline skirt made in a double layer of knit mesh.


















I am really on a roll with skirts this week it seems.  Today I wore this skirt from the same draft as the Tuesday skirt and I also made the little shrug.




Tomorrow is "dress your favorite era" day.  I have a perfect dress to wear that I made over 10 years ago.  It is a 50's reproduction pattern.  I hope it still fits!

Me Made May Days 22-25

Oops!  I haven't been posting!  Well, let's see if I can catch up.  :-)
Today has been a great day so far.  I had a brunch and some ladies over for a JewelKade party this morning.  Having a "party" right now is the last thing I need to be doing, but a good friend of mine just started selling JK (Which I love) so I did it to help her out.  I love having friends over, but everyone is so busy all the time it's hard to get people to come.  I invited over 50 people, and 7 came.  It was a great group and we had a nice time.  Here was the menu:

Cinnamon Flax Seed Scones










Spinach and Ortega Chili Quiche
























Fruit Salad (apples, mango, peaches, nectarines, strawberries & blueberries with a touch of Greek yogurt.) Crud.  I just realized that I forgot to put in the grapes LOL!!

And this:






















This morning I wore this top, which I adore.  It is New Look 6891 with pants.  It's wrinkled now because I have been wearing it all day.





















Yesterday was "break the rules" day at school.  I wore my ever-famous black knit pants, and this black embroidered tunic Butterick 4684.  In looking at this picture, I realize that my legs are too short to be wearing this length top.




Thusday I did not get a picture, but it was "twin day" at school.  The other three fourth grade teachers and I wore jeans, black shoes, black shirts and the ladies in the group wore our hair in pony tails.  I wore a black sleeveless rayon knit turtleneck top from the Christine Johnson Basewear 2 pattern.  I love this top pattern and need to make more.  It fits well and is super comfortable.  I have made it several times with different necklines.  I will need to try it with the sleeves.












Wednesday was Western Wear day, and I have nothing "Western."  I used to have a couple of western cut shirts, but I just don't wear anything like that very often.  My western wear consisted of putting a bandana around my neck and wearing my rodeo hat.  (Andy and I like to go to the rodeo, so we wear our western hats when we do.)  The top is Textile Studios Marseilles top.

Me Made May Days 17-21

Yikes!!!  I've been so busy, I haven't been posting.  But I have been keeping up with MMM.  Day 17 was a Friday and it was Water Day at our school.  It was also Hawaiian Day.  I did not get my picture taken, but I wore a Hawaiian shirt that I made years ago, and I love.  I actually bought the fabric in Maui and it is cotton, but looks and feels like linen.  I love this shirt, so after I wash it, I will take a picture and post it.

Day 18 was Saturday.  It's been crazy here because Andy and I decided to put an offer on the house that I posted early.  This means that every minute of our spare time is taken up with either getting things ready to sell this house, or other appointments related to the move.  I also have a lot of other appts, (meetings, doctors, etc) scheduled for the next two weeks.  Also, it is the last few weeks of school and there is lots of data to be entered and things to be done to finish up the year.  I feel a bit overwhelmed right now.  I had a migraine Friday night through Monday morning, so I didn't get much done.  Saturday was a work around the house day, so I wore this old (but another favorite) shirt that I made probably in 2006.  It is from the book Built By Wendy and the fabric is a wonderful Japanese cotton lawn that I got from Fabricmart.  I wish I would have bought more of that fabric because it is so nice.

Sunday we spend most of our day at church or on church related things.  This is theTextile Studios Madison Avenue Dress.  I've made it a few times.  It is super fast and easy to make from a knit.  The fabric was purchased back when Textile Studios used to sell fabric.  (Yeah, I've also had this one for a long time!!)







Yesterday was Day 20 of the MMM challenge.  I wore black ponte knit pants from Vogue 1197.  The shirt is the boatneck shell from CJ Patterns








Today was supposed to be our last day of 90+ degree weather for awhile.  My skirt is made from Loes Hinse's Swing Skirt pattern in a textured rayon.  I originally put the ruffle on it, but ended up taking it off and making the skirt shorter.  The top is an embroidered cotton lawn and Simplicity 1806
Most of the time, I find that the pictures on Loes Hinse patterns make the clothes look really dowdy.  When you see them in person, however, they are usually very classic and current looking.  Her little shop in Carmel is fairly upscale (pants around $100+ per pair and Ts for $60 or more) and everything always looks very nice.  You can buy the same fabrics that she uses from Casual Elegance.

MMM - Days 15 & 16

Yesterday it was super hot - today, not so much.  Of course not.  Why is it that every year when we have water day, it happens to be the coolest day of the month?  Go figure.

Anyway, yesterday I wore this knit dress.  I first saw this dress on Melissa at Pattern Review weekend in Portland (Several  years ago.)  I loved it, so I went right out and bought the pattern.  It is NL6802.  The thing I really like about it (besides the flattering cut) is that the bodice is 2 layers in the front.  The under-layer keeps the front twist modest and work appropriate.  Since I made this dress in 2009, it has seen better days.  I did notice that the knit is showing (or should I say "I can feel") signs of wear.  Also, I was a bit heavier when I made this, so the under-layer on the bodice front is a little bit too loose.  I think I will make this dress again because it is super comfortable. Also, I have found that I can wear polyester   knits if they are sleeveless and they won't bother me.  Put some sleeves on that poly and I'm sweating like a you-know-what!

Today it was much cooler, and in fact, I wore a sweater most of the day.  Today was "wear purple" day, and since I wore my purple dress last Thursday, I  didn't want to wear it again.  This purple blouse is from Banana Republic.  It is one of my favorites, but I think I am wearing it out!  Today when I put it on, it had 2 places where the fabric had pulled away from the binding strip at the center-front.  I spent about 20 minutes mending it by hand before I could wear it!  So, although it is not me-made, it is me-fixed!

The skirt is the Loes Hinse Swing skirt.  Just your basic straight skirt with an elastic waist, but the added element of a flounce at the bottom.  This fabric is a fairly heavy rayon that looks like linen.  It also has a matching top that I will probably wear with it later this month.

Tomorrow is "Hawaiian Day"  (We always have a lot of spirit days at the end of the year.)  I wonder what I will come up with to wear for that!

Me Made May Day 14

Today was another hot day.  This is what I wore:


Skirt Simplicity 3841 from a thousand years ago!  I don't know what the fabric is.  It looks and feels like cotton, but has some kind of slubs in it.  Also, it does not wrinkle.  The color has held up really well too, and I made this in 2007.
The top was recently made from New Look 6569.  I really like this top, but I need to make some major adjustments to the armscye to get rid of gaping at the armhole.  Just a cotton knit.

by the way, my students are loving getting to take my picture every day and ask me what I made :-)

Me Made May Day 13

Monday.  Only a few weeks left of school.  Usually I am counting the days til the end, but not this year.  It's been a long, tough year, but I really appreciate the class I have.  Today, one of my girls brought me flowers.  She is probably one of the lowest income families in my class, but she is the sweetest, hardest working, and helpful students I have ever had.  I think her dad sells fruit and flowers from a cart.  I'm sure these were left over from Mother's day, but I am so thankful that she brought them to me and they look lovely in my room.  Today was a good day.

And, I managed to wear another "me-made" today.  These pants are from the book Simple Modern Sewing.  I made them last summer. I used a mid-weight linen in the color "Aluminum" from Fabrics-Store.   They are very comfortable, and surprisingly flattering for such baggy pants.
The blouse is an old favorite from Banana Republic.  I think I've worn this thing to death. I need to copy it and make some more of these!!

Me Made May Day 8

Pants

:  Silhouette Patterns Sally pant in a wool blend.  Blouse:  Loes Hinse cap sleeve top in a poly charmeuse.

Today was a crazy day.  The kids must be ready to explode because of all the testing.  I couldn't get my class to be quiet today and they are usually pretty good.  Then, at bus duty I broke up a fist fight between a third and fourth grader, and then caught another boy climbing over the fence, stealing a ball, and then hiding it in his friends back pack.  Fortunately, the two boys came over when I called them.  If they had run away, I would not have known who they were.  Good thing they don't know how bad my vision is LOL!!

MMM13 day 12 - Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's day.  It was also my turn to sing at church (Our worship teams rotate out every 4 weeks.)  Unfortunately, I've had a headache all day, so now I'm getting ready to rest a bit and see if I can't get rid of it!
Wore one of my favorite knit dresses today, Vogue 8553.  I was surprised when I looked it up that I made it over 2 years ago.  I was thinking that I made it last year!  I guess it really is time to make some new clothes.  I will have to make this one again, because it is super comfortable, easy to wear, and flattering I think.
I've made it almost half the month wearing something Me-Made every day!

Me Made May 13 Days 10 & 11

I did't get my picture taken yesterday, but I wore this shirt with jeans.  It was a field trip day and we were outside most of the afternoon and had to walk back to school about a mile in 90 degree weather.  After that, a couple of teachers and I drove back over to the other school and cleaned everything up.  So, it was a hot and messy day, but fun and worth it.













Today was also a fun day.  Andy and I have been wanting to move to Three Rivers.  We have property there, but the amount of work involved in cleaning up, tearing down, and rebuilding may not be worth the effort or money.  We actually already have house plans drawn up (but not blueprints) but now we are wondering if we might be better off buying another property.  The location is great, but the house is not even livable right now.  Our property is on the river, so we would definitely want something that had river access.  Today we went up there and looked at a couple of possibilities.  Of course, we'll have to dicker the price a bit, but we're saying a lot of prayers right now do know what the right move would be.  Also, the house we live in now (in town) is pretty nice, so we're a bit spoiled and don't want to move into a hovel.  There are a lot of things to consider, and it is a lot more work to live out in the country, but I think it would be so worth it.  Since Andy is blind, a lot of that work will fall on me, so we want to be realistic about what we take on.  Here are a couple of things we looked at today.

Our favorite place is gorgeous - you can see more pix here:  Our favorite so far   It is right on the river, and you can see the river from the kitchen, living room, dining room, master bedroom, and all the upstairs rooms (which are 2 tiny bedrooms and another even tinier room)  But, the downstairs is perfect.

We also looked at another place on the South Fork.  It needed more work (i.e. small closets, some of the wood work was crappy) but over all, it was pretty good and the location was gorgeous.  About 4 miles off the main road, but a couple of other houses within walking distance so you're not completely isolated.  This location was more "forest-like" and probably has better river access (the other location's river was running too swiftly to be safe to get in I think) and has lots of drip irrigation already set up and a number of gardens.  The main fork location was a little drier and more of a "scrub" climate, but right ON the river.  The south fork home was much smaller, but the price was also much better.  The property would require more upkeep, and again the inside would require some work.  I think it also needs a new heating system.  This is the South Fork location.

Oh, and I just wore shorts and a linen top today.  Both me-
made.  I'll have to look up pattern numbers later.

Me Made May Day 9

This is a terrible picture, but the dress is V8319.  There is also a matching jacket, but I chose to wear a RTW cardigan today.  The dress is OK, but it has princess seams and I think I need to lower the curve of the bust dart.  The fabric is a rayon/ linen blend, but since the lining is poly, it gets a little warm  Poly always makes me perspire.  Other than that, the fit of the dress is fine, but this picture is taken from a weird angle.

Me Made May day 7

This morning I took the dog for a walk.  Now that's a feat in itself, but that's another story.  Anyway, it was raining by the time I got back.  We desperately need rain here.  So, I wore my "rain boots" today.  I had one of my students snap my picture since I didn't have time before I left the house.  This is my "me-made" for today.

The sweater is crocheted.  The Galena top from Every Day Crochet by Doris Chan.  The pants are my favorite knit pull ons from Sandra Betzina - Vogue 1197.  I'm sure you'll be seeing these black pants many times over in this challenge!