Lazy lazy

I have to apologize for being a lazy blogger lately. It's not a good excuse but we've been really busy. Last week and this week, Chez G. is hosting my brother-in-law. He's helping out at the office and living with us too. He has been a fine house guest but in trying to be an accommodating host, I've given him free reign over the laptop. We also had to drive north this weekend for the baby shower, which was a smashing success!! It was so good to see my sister, brother-in-law, mom, stepdad and of course everyone who still lives in Ohio. I am glad everything went well but I'm also glad it's over. I was kind of tired of hearing about it and helping plan, even though I was not a hostess. Now we can just focus on the baby getting here. Only 2 more months! CAN'T WAIT!!!

Mmmm......cake

Simplicity #2591 - Umbrellas for a shower

I purchased this lovely yellow fabric with turquoise parasols and pink flowers a number of years ago. I think I was still in college when my local JoAnn's was going out of business. I don't remember how much it cost but it must have been a song because I bought lots of yardage. Having had it in my stash for so long, I finally had the perfect occasion to make this lovely little day dress in Simplicity #2591, my sister's baby shower!

The picture is small but I'm focusing on the sleeveless version on the bottom right corner there. I only got to start on it this past weekend and I was sweating bullets. I never thought I'd finish in time. I only let the time get down to the wire (the shower is this Saturday) because I knew I had other dresses as back ups to wear. Luckily, this pattern went together way easier than I thought it would. I started it on Saturday and I finished it on Sunday. How's that for efficiency? See for yourself!



And here it is from the back. Sorry these pictures aren't the best. You can't see the darts or seaming but up close, it's a stunner!



I'm positively tickled at how well it came out. And it even has pockets, which I didn't know until I starting cutting fabric. I love the boat neck too. I think it's a very flattering cut on me too. I got to brush up on my darts, which I think I'm getting better at, if I do say so myself. And I got to practice my gathers, ever improving. I cut it in a 12 without measuring and thankfully, it fits me like a glove!

After this, I should probably move onto making things for the baby. He'll be here very soon!

Merlot? Mer-NO!

During my birthday wine buying spree, I decided to broaden my horizons and try some things I was unfamiliar with and maybe revisit some others that I don't have very often. This is one of those bottles. I told the clerk that I'm not really a fan of Merlots but to be fair, it had been a number of years since I tried one and I thought I should give it another shot. She recommended Red Diamond as one of their most popular Merlots. It retails for only $7.99. A bargain! That's not always a good thing though.

The bottle notes that "the silky palate displays flavors of red berries, juicy plums and a touch of caramel and mocha." Well, I don't know if I tasted all of those things. The berries yes and possibly the mocha but not all of them together. I was not a fan of this wine. Unfortunately, I don't know if it was that I didn't like this or that I still don't really like Merlot. I'm going to go with the latter. If so many people are interested in purchasing this wine as the clerk said, then a Merlot-lover I must not be.

Condo Creeper

There is a man who lives across the parking lot in our condo complex. He is old and wears the same clothes for about 5 days. Then he changes them. These include a bright orange t-shirt and most recently, a Reds shirt and shorts. Everyday he sits and stares for hours. He watches the comings and goings of the parking lot and all of the condo inhabitants. Sometimes I have to park near his first floor unit and I try not to make eye contact because to me he is creepy.

The other day I was watering my blossoming garden and from afar I hear, "Hey, how ya doin'?" Not knowing from whence this greeting came, I looked up from my flowers to see the creeper waving to me. I wasn't sure what to do so I said, "Hi. Good thanks." I continued watering and a few seconds later I hear some mumbles, "Flowers........lookin' good....mumble." I just said thanks and hurried inside.

Does that make me an unfriendly person? I see this guy all the time and even though he's probably very friendly, it really weirded me out to have him shout across the parking lot and over the garages to speak to me. As if I'd have a complete conversation of that distance. Now I feel like he's always watching me, even when he's not sitting on his patio. I guess I'll have to choose my watering times more carefully.

Just cruisin'

In 109 days, John and I will be jetting off to Ft. Lauderdale to board this:





Then we cruise to Cozumel and Grand Cayman with 2 days at sea. Jealous? I'll send you a postcard! Not really, but I promise to blog about it upon return. We cruised for our honeymoon and have been dying to cruise ever since. We wrestle with extravagant vacations because we are in saving mode. Well, John wrestles. I do the cajoling (and often win!) So, because this trip on the Grandeur of the Seas was a good price and because booking the air separately will save us $400, we open up the purse strings and heard crickets. Just kidding (I spend money all the time on nothing at all!) We opened up the purse strings and booked it. Duh.

How will I ever wait 109 days? Very impatiently.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

I just finished funny gal Chelsea Handler's second book Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. If you're unfamiliar with Ms. Handler, she hosts Chelsea Lately on E! Her show is somewhat of an acquired taste but once you settle into her dry wit, it's a hoot! Her book is much the same. I was looking for something lighter and less heavy than the one I got 100 pages into recently and had to quit reading because it was too depressing and also disjointed (Thanks for steering me wrong NY Times, book editor!). I also previously read and enjoyed her first book, Are You There Vodka? It's me, Chelsea.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang is a series of hilarious stories about Handler and her life. She's always looking for a laugh which is much appreciated by me. I love books that are laugh out loud funny. If you've never seen her show or read her first book, start with one of those and then move onto this one. I think it helps if you're already a fan. Do not recommend this book for anyone who is easily offended by rough language and off color stories though. It's chock full of both!

Green Thumbs Unite

I finally got everything potted for my balcony garden. Having a balcony garden is advantageous for really only one reason: there are no rabbits or deer to ravage your crop on the third floor. Other than that, I would much rather be planting in my own yard. Le sigh...... Anyway, Having picked up all my herbs a couple weekends ago, I still needed soil, some potted flowers and hanging plants. I found these at Meijer of all places. Their garden center was bustling and their prices were way better than the local nursery we stopped at. Sorry. I do try to shop locally as much as possible but their baskets were $50. The ones I bought were only $15.


Here are my babies.

This is one of my hanging baskets. They're called Super Bells. The red ones are Scarlet and the others are Yellow Chiffon.
















Here is the other hanging pot. I just love this vibrant blue color. I don't know if the picture does it justice. Sadly, I have no idea what this flower is. The little tag that tells you all about it is non-existent. Sad face. I will still enjoy him, nameless as he is.








Here are my potted friends, clockwise from the left. That's Genovese Basil, we use this in LOTS of summertime recipes so I hope he stays very hearty. Then the first of a cocktail of Begonia in red. Then, my bay leaf tree. Fresh bay leaves! Below that is the white variety of the cocktail Begonia and then the pink one, Gin, that's the only one whose name I can remember. I just have this little table for them to sit on so they are a bit crowded. Something disadvantageous about balcony gardening is the lack of space.








Here are my herb beds. From left to right: Sage, Oregano, Rosemary, and Cilantro. Sadie is inspecting them for me. I want these to thrive too. I've got big plans for them.














And here is my Husky Red tomato plant! Last year, a lost a number of tomatoes to what I'm told is tomato blight. Let's not have that happen again this year. They are ear-marked for salsa, bruschetta, and countless margherita pizzas. I need him to grow up big and strong. I do not really like tomatoes all that much but I do like them in things. I will not pick one just to eat it though.











Stay tuned for progress reports!