Dress Design for Shabby Apple Dresses

Dress Design for Shabby Apple Dresses
My Friend Ashley talked me into submitting a dress design even though I so didn't have the time! But I must admit, it was so much fun to stop working and be creative again for a little bit :) My dress design would be made of a combination of knit Jersey and lightweight cotton.
Click on the image to get a really big zoom.
Some info:
~main dress is a sea glass color
~ fitted bodice with strips of jersey in same color making ruffle effect
~little puff sleeves made of light weight non stretch sea glass colored cotton with lavender jersey trim
~All trim in lavender jersey except pocket trim
~ pockets made of extremely light weight non stretch cotton in same sea glass color, with very thin orange trim.

All in a days work :) FUN!
Since I've never sewn adult clothing, I'm already working on a mini version of this for Finley. I've never tried to make my own pattern (well, I've never tried to make one that actually works!!) but here's to hoping this one fits! The bodice I made might be a little narrow...so I might be hacking off the top and just having a pocket circle skirt. We'll see :)

My goodness it's your birthday!

Today you turn three. At 3 pm today, June 8 2006, you entered this world. You gave me and daddy quite a surprise, since we had not expected to meet you for another 5 weeks...but you were determined to say hello, make us smile, make us love you, and make a big entry.
You are still exactly like that, determined, yup, that's for sure. You love to make us smile (your favorite joke right now goes like this "Knock Knock, who's there, Cargo. Cargo Who? Car go Beep Beep"), it always gets a hearty laugh from daddy and me. You don't even need to try to make us love you, we did the moment we met you. And as for a big entry? Well, let's put it this way, you like your presence to be known, regardless how you feel about a given situation!
Since you have bronchitis, we had to cancel your birthday party (well, postpone). It's a small party we are planning, with only about 4 guests, and we're bummed about canceling it, but daddy and I tried to make your birthday morning really special. Though you woke up not in the best of moods since you aren't feeling well, you perked up when you saw the forest of balloons in the hallway, as well as festive banner and bunting we decorated with last night. Then you got to open some presents and play, and watch tv. Nice. But it got better. We took you to your favorite place (the bookstore!) and then for lunch, you had ice cream! Yay! You loved it!
Now you are napping and it's hard for me to think about how 3 years ago life was so different. I didn't know about this massive maternal love. I remember 3 years ago right now, at 4:30 in the afternoon, holding you for the first time, my funny looking newborn, and wondering how this will change my life. I recall thinking it was all very surreal. Did this really happen? Did I just have a baby? (thank god for the most simple labor on the planet, thank you darling!).
Anyhow, it did happen, it still is surreal, and it did change my life. I would never be the same without you and I don't even remember what life was like before you came into this world and brightened my everyday with your superstar personality.
I adore you forever.
xoxo
Your mummy.

Day 2 Away from you....

I'm off in Arizona on a 'working vacation' as they say. It seems today was ALL work, but tomorrow I intend to relax, possibly sleep in, and play. Maybe shop. This is my first time away from you and I sure do miss you my little monkey. I am amazed though that you are at an age where we can talk on the phone! Your voice sounds so different on the phone, it's almost like you have a foreign accent or something! It makes me laugh!

Tonight when daddy put you on the phone the first thing I heard over the speaker was your deep giggle. Is that possible? A deep giggle? That's the best way I can describe it. It's a beauty. I adore hearing you laugh.

But as soon as you heard my voice on Daddy's phone you just started giggling and next thing you know you are telling me all about your day and your DVD that is skipping and oh no what will you do etc... It was precious. Sometimes it takes small moments like this to realize how incredibly special the things in front of your face every day are. I don't think I ever thought you weren't precious, but we take for granted what is right in front of us each day, and I will try not to do that anymore. I am with my friend who lost her daughter two years ago and I am just so thankful that you are my daughter and you are here.

Here you are in the new skirt I made you. And here is the view from my window this morning. Wish you were here monkey.

Oh yes, we have no Banana's...

This happens to be one of your favorite songs these days. you often share a banana with me for breakfast and so you run over to where we keep the bananas on the counter and you sing that song and change the number based on how many are actually there. It's one of those fun little things that you do that I don't want to forget. There are so many, and in fact I wanted to write about something entirely different this morning but didn't have time, and, well, yeah, I forget what it was about....

But speaking of bananas...we had your Nana here for most of the month of April and you had an incredible time with her laughing it up. I find myself taking fewer and fewer pictures these days and wanted to get one of the two of you in here to memorialize the fun you guys have. I am always amazed that 8 months or more can go by without seeing her, and as soon as you see her you know it's your nana. In fact, when she got off the plane I pointed at the crowd of people and said "Look who's here, it's Nana!" and you went running, arms open wide into her legs. It was so darling and I know she appreciated it so very much.
You are truly a very loveable girl. You may not be into snuggly/cuddly moods all that often, but you sure do know how to share and show your love in other ways. For that, I am super thankful.

Identity Crisis

I've often mentioned in the past how you like to call yourself different names, anything from the week you went by "walrus" to yesterday when you were "Finley Baby." Not to be confused by "Baby Finley," I should mention. No, no that certainly was not the name you wanted me to call you! But now, well, today, you're just Finley. And I like it.
Today I said "You rock!" when you did something clever, and you replied "No Mummy, I Finley." Very matter of fact.
And so it is. You are Finley.

4 months flittering by...

No more apologies from Mummy! I know, I know, I lost the memories to my mummy brain possibly forever and we now may never remember what you did from Jan 2009 to May 2009. Oh, the sacrifices one makes for blogging. What have I been up to? Aside from being your loving and adoring (though honestly lately frustrated) mother, I've continued to be busy with a plethora of things from work, to family, to crafting, to just plain procrastinating.
I enjoy writing your blog so much, and thanks from a silent nudge that I personally imagined coming from a friend, (though it didn't), I now want to say I am back on the blog-wagon!
As for what you've been up to? An enormous amount of crazy and creative and wild things. I haven't read back to see what you were up to at the end of 2008, but 2009 brings many 'flyboats/hospitals/libraries' which ultimately are random items from all over the house piled up on the living room sofas. I Move one thing and you go into panic mode with a great big "OH NO!" and things just aren't right! Ah well, so the sofa's are useless until bedtime, where together after our family kooky dance time we tidy everything up and let everything "nap" together with their friends.
I'll try and track down a picture of a recent pile up. Uh, boat.

What else...you are still madly in love with reading books. The library is your favorite place to be. Reading books is your favorite activity, and we still read before naptime and bed time as well as every morning when you wake up. Anywhere from 10 minutes to 45. I love that you love books. I love books too, though am embarrassed to say that I barely make it through a magazine these days, let alone a book!
My nightstand is stacked with books from your psychologist about "Helping you socially vulnerable child" and "Emotional Coaching for Social Anxiety" and so on. Yes, you still have your moments, and your still not entirely comfortable in large groups, so we keep things small and tight these days and whoa, school is right around the corner so we are going to need some serious coaching through that one.
Amid this anxiety, you also walked up to a little girl at Target today and said "Hi, I'm Finley and this is my Majesty Mummy" Yes, that is your new name for me, because you are a princess and you've thus imagined me as the queen so have named me Majesty Mummy. I must say I way prefer it to Linnie, which you called me for 2 weeks straight. Daddy was Steve. I am sooo glad we are done with that phase! Oh wait, I imagine we're just on hiatus!
Your imaginary Rhino friend Rosa hasn't visited too often, I kinda miss her. You seemed to tell me what you were thinking about through Rosa. Now when I ask what you're thinking about you cross your arms and get a grumpy face and say "ANYTHING!" which really meaning "nothing." I want you to tell me more. In fact, I want you to tell me everything. And 'anything.'

ACK!

It's been a month and a half of your precious life...just fleeting me by in the land of blog. I'm so sorry darling. You seriously deserve like 3 posts per day because I know I could fill it with many of the incredible things that you do and say. Like I could detail all the new songs you have been making up (for example, Mary had a little lamb could alternately be "Mary had a little shoe" or "little penguin" according to you.) You love to sing and love making up songs. And dancing. We've been dancing at night with Dad all three of us holding hands and looking down at your happy little face is the greatest.

Speaking of Dad, you are at that absolutely adorable stage where you shriek in delight at the thought of him coming home! If Maddie barks you say "Is Daddy home?" with anticipation. When I tell you not yet you say "let's go check, just in case" because you are so excited to see him.

You've found your zen lately as a builder. Lego Duplo has come to our rescue and seriously entertains you for ages. Together we build towers and houses and cars and robots. Oh, and Mr. Potato Heads too. You love building those and making silly faces. Each time you build something you say "I build the best one Daddy's ever seen!!" and when he comes home you usher him to your playroom saying every night "Daddy, I show you something special....Ta Da!!!!" Ah, it doesn't get sweeter.

Here are a few photos from the last month. Hmm...did I miss Christmakah all together? Yikes~! I've had a lot on my plate with work and all. The holidays were low key and lovely. You got a train table for Channukah and lots of other fun things for the holidays. Most importantly we spent it all together as a family and that's what it's all about. Love you.