Dreaming of winning the lottery

Can't win if you don't play.  Isn't that what they say about the lottery?

then darn.  I'll never win it.

Other stuff while we await a Covid test for Meri... If positive, then we have to get tested too.

cripes.

Leon has had projects for online school, one involved planting bean plants and then letting one not get watered for 5 days.

The dying one actually did better until the last day when it was a half inch shorter than the other ones.

But he documented each day faithfully and now all those plants are dead.

We even transplanted all 3 of them into a big pot of dirt, but they couldn't stand the change.

Our 4H leaders son got married a couple weeks ago and we attended.  She's the one that I did alterations on her dress two weeks before.  

I made a new top from my stash to coordinate with my brown maxi skirt.  And while I worried that I was going to sweat to death, no need...  

It was outdoors!  And a nice breeze.  WOW.  What a beautiful afternoon at a vineyard.

Thankfully the reception was indoors however we sat at a table underneath an air conditioning vent...  Yikes!  The masks were the only thing keeping me warm!  and my new shirt.

All the bridesmaids and groomsmen were from my kids high school, a year or two younger than Maddy.  So it was like Old Home day.  Even the pastor used to be the principal at the Middle School!

I'm sure every single kid in the wedding party had to visit his office at least once in his principal career.

And weren't these hors d'oevres thingies cute??  and delish...  There was a pearl on the cheese meat sticks...

The NEXT day, I attended the baptism of this little guys baby brother, Shiloh. 

My nephew and his wife make cute kids...

Another project for Leon this past week, included writing his own little ditty and clapping out the tune singing Do, Re, Mi type notes.  

under duress...  He was NOT happy to be recorded *gasp* singing...

And then visiting with Ada at the nursing home.  We had a ledge jumper...  It was only 2 feet up.

Not a real problem, but he did need my help when he walked across the wall and planted himself directly on the glass for Ada's benefit.

She loved it!

and look what I found in a stash of pics from my mom?!  Meri is such a cutie!

And I also found one of Robb and I for the college spring formal almost 33 years ago!  

My old stucco porch behind us.  

Whew!  We were young...

 Anyway...  That's it for today.  I'm going to try and do better posting each day.  Need to get back in the habit so I can create books of my blog posts for each year.  Got 3 done so far...  from 2009 - 2011...

Need another grand to get the rest caught up...  SOMEDAY... When I'm rich...

Weekends. I Could Use More Than One.

The weekend in pictures, because I'm exhausted and I'm in a rush.

Oh! No baby yet. Place another guess in the giveaway.

Sewing meeting on Saturday morning and someone donated 3 bags full of yarn for Maddy's TAG project! Are this ladies pants cool?! She made those!

Jazz concert competition for Maddy on Saturday afternoon. I had a lot of time to sit and knit. Which I did. I'm only about 20 rows of knitting away from finishing my first scarf for Maddy's project.

And yes. She's playing the accordion for one of the songs. Our band came in in first place for our division!!! I'm sure it was the accordion.
Sunday *early* Meri and I headed for western Iowa where we attended the baptism of my preemie nephew Braedon. He is 5 months old now when he should have been just over 2. The baptism outfit I made him looked adorable on him except for the neck. My sister had to unzip him a little in the back so he wouldn't choke... Who knew he'd have multiple chins??
Here's his proud big sister, the Brookster! She likes to play in the baptismal font.

Here is Braedon again. A little closer so you can make out the bow tie. This outfit was made out of my sister's wedding gown. I'm going to hang onto the gown and make Brooke a purse out of it someday for when she gets married. I need a bigger storage area in my house...
Meri and my brother in law having a "Lemon War". You each take a lemon wedge from my iced tea and see who can keep it in their mouths the longest with out gagging. Paul eventually lost because he caught on that this was just a trick to keep him from talking... And it would have worked too, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids!
We stopped on a bridge on the way home so Meri could get a few pictures of a metal bridge. It was so pretty! She took a few different shots and we'll print them all off someday to decide which one was best.

How was your weekend? Because I could sure use a couple more days. Work today is hell. As in, "busier than...".

Wedding Dress Revisited...

You know those wedding gowns that Meri and her friends have been playing dress up with? Well one is mine to cut up. Both came from Freecycle.org. If you don't know what that is... well, frugality is just not your middle name... We got them for free. Someone was giving away a bunch of them and I took two. Meri claimed one and the train of the one that I claimed.On Friday, I talked with one of my sisters who is expecting a baby in the next few weeks and she was asking if I had some fabric and a pattern laying around for a baptism dress for my newest niece. Of course I thought of the wedding gown. However I thought the dress was off-white and thought she might not like me to use it, but she was fine with that. So I get the honor of making the gown! I made the baptism outfits for all three of my kids. Someday I'll show them to you.

So I cut the whole front panel of the dress off and noticed there were lots of water stains on it. Checked it out online to see how to wash a satin wedding gown and found some good advice. They said to fold it up and stuff it inside a lingerie bag before sticking it in the washer and don't use bleach. Two things I would not have thought of! The lingerie bag keeps the seed pearls and sequins from banging around the sides of the washer and breaking off. hmm! Oh! And make sure you wash on the gentle cycle!

I pulled it out of the washer and noticed that it's actually pure white satin! The off whitish-ness was due to aging, I guess and it was just yellowing. The lace still had some spots in it, so I washed it two more times. Every pearl and sequin still intact! Then laid it out to dry.

If I EVER get married again, I'll know not to invest in $100 to have it professionally cleaned!!! No offense to those dry cleaners out there!!! But you're for the squeamish...

And just to relieve my husbands fears... I'm NOT ever going to get married a second time unless you and I decide to renew our marriage vows in order to get new towels. Now THAT'S a thought!

Anyway... the satin in all it's glory is cleaned and ready to go. While it was washing the first time, I cut out the pattern on some stash fabric and it went together so quickly I thought I'd have it all done this weekend, but time got away from me yesterday and I decided to watch The Birds with Meri instead last night...

Sorry Melanie! But I've got a few weeks... Tonight will have to be the night instead... Unless Meri wants to watch North by Northwest... She's into Hitchcock at the moment.