Girly Flair

So to keep up with my 90-10 ratio in the alterations department, I bought a pair of shorts today for my LEL. One issue, the only size they had that fit her were boy shorts. But for $5 I couldn't pass them up. So I figured I would just add some girly flair to them with some leftover ribbon and buttons from a previous project.

So these are the $5 boy shorts.
Pretty simple, they would be fine for Lorelai to wear as is, but why not add some girly touches?

And here are the shorts all dolled up. I rolled up the legs twice and hemmed them in place and added a pink button at the waist.

The legs still looked a little lacking so I dug through my stash and added 2 more turquoise buttons and some striped ribbon detail.












And, tada! A few (completely free) touches and boy shorts are now girl shorts! Now let's see how well they hold up ;)

M.LEWIS

10% Seamstress

As I mentioned on fb, I recently altered my LEL's Easter dress this afternoon. It was insanely easy, so please, no one be impressed!
Just like how I am an "add-to-it" chef, I am also a "10% seamstress." Basically, I try to find the best deal on clothes in store, then I come home and alter them only slightly to fit my needs more.
Lorelai's Easter dress was purchased at half price looking like this:

Cute, simple, comfortable, and affordable...pretty much all the "musts" on my check off list.
As cute as it is, is was a little big and a little lacking in the pizazz department.
So I decided to hem from the straps (I did not want to mess with the sweet little ruffles on the bottom).
I also purchased some purple flower buttons to place over the hem line to help hide the alteration.
Hobby Lobby was all I needed.
A spool of thread and 2 buttons, complete with a 40% off coupon at checkout, and I was out the door.

It seriously took 5 mins and it made such a difference.

It all cost me under $20. I figure by the time I buy the chiffon, the satin, the ribbon, the thread, the buttons, and oh yeah, a similar dress pattern, I would easily spend that much and more...not to mention time, effort, and the probable fact I might royally screw up at least once.

I don't even have a sewing machine.

So anyway, I think my "10% seamstress" plan works pretty well for me right now. Who knows, maybe as time goes on that percentage will increase. 

More pictures of my sweets in her dress after Easter!

M.LEWIS

Life's Messy Parts

Things are up in the air around here lately.
1 week ago I received a phone call from my MIL telling me to call my FIL immediately. I knew her tone of voice was of some concern, but I didn't know what the situation was exactly. My mind went through all the negatives and all the people we knew. I called and found out Chris' grandmother had suffered a stroke and was in the ICU. I was told not to bother Chris with this news while he was working, but I knew he would want to know. I informed him and several hours later we left LEL with my mom and we drove down to Dallas to visit his Nana.
I have been with Chris for about 4 years. I met Nana at Kaboom Town in Addison in 2008. She was dressed for the occasion from head-to-toe. She was energetic and witty; happy to meet me, and just happy in general. As the years went by we all noticed her slow decline. It was hard at times, but such is life I suppose. The news of the stroke wasn't a shock, but we were not overly prepared for it either.
As I said, that was a week ago. Today Chris and I stand a little confused on the ongoing medical saga with Nana. She has been in a coma in the ICU since last Tuesday. She is on a ventilator, she has a feeding tube, and we all take turns spending some time with her. She has been running a fever, but I think that has gone down now. She is swollen from fluid build up, and she has a stint in her head draining fluid from her spinal cord. None of this sounds promising, and yet, she has these little moments that spark glimmers of hope.
I can't help but think about my grandparents, and what it will be like when they leave us. I know it will be so difficult. I know I will think about every little memory I have with them...and I will never be ready. I keep this in mind when I support my husband. Even though I never knew his Nana very well, I can imagine the messy confusion of emotions he is trying to sort out.
I will try to give little updates on her condition, but for now please think peaceful thoughts for Mrs. H.G. Westerman. :)

Chris' grandmother and cousin, Evan

M.LEWIS

Photo Book 03-24-12

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

On-Call Baby-Hugger

We are having some pretty severe storms here right now. Lorelai is in bed, our satellite has lost signal, and Chris has retreated to the study. So what is a girl to do? I suppose a little blog is in order.

I used to love storms. I don't not love storms now, but I do look at them differently.
When I was a young teenager I was fascinated by bad weather. Wind, clouds, lightening, and tornadoes...living in north Texas was a prime place to witness all of these wonders. I very much wanted to see a tornado with my own eyes...I thought that would be the ultimate for the storm-chaser in me. Years later I would find out my house was actually hit by an F1.
It was the middle of the night, and I woke up with loud wind-burts slamming against my window. My whole room lit up from the series of lightening strikes, and the whole house shook from its thunder. I creeped out of my bed and peeked out the window to survey the severity of the storm. I parted the blinds and was a bit confused. I could see the house next door. You see, there was a large tree outside my second floor bedroom; it was taller than the house and engulfed my entire window. So, as you can imagine, seeing the openness through the window and not a rustling collection of branches was quite a shock. "Why don't I see a tree?" I thought. Looking down I saw the tree, snapped in half at the trunk.
That's when I decided to go wake my parents. The rest of the storm persisted through the night and in the morning we saw the rest of the damage. We lost another tree in the backyard, it was leaning on the neighbor's house; the trampoline was in pieces, thrown all over the lawn; and about a third of the fence was flattened, leaving a large "airy" feeling in the backyard. We found out later it was confirmed tornado that traveled through our neighborhood. I finally had my tornado, and I missed it because it was 3am. Oh well. But like I said, that was then...


Now I have a house of my own, and I don't think strong winds, large hail, piercing lightening, and tornadoes are as exciting anymore. Now I am fearful of collapsing fences, damaged cars, a destroyed roof, broken windows...just to list a few.
This evening the storms rolled through and I pulled out my phone and flashlights. I was prepared. The initial front was not very impressive, and I was okay with that, then a hour later, the storm revealed its power. If I wasn't a mom I probably wouldn't have been so nervous, but I was restless for my baby. She handled it just fine for quite awhile, then out of no where, a massive lightening strike hit the ground what sounded like mere yards away from our house. Lorelai dropped her toy and ran over to my lap nervously. "Uh oh! Uh oh!" she kept repeating. No tears though. She was okay...not comfortable, but not frightened. It quieted down again and I began cleaning up the familyroom for Lorelai's bedtime. I walked back into her room, I knew she was trailing behind me, but I didn't know another lightening strike would hit and with a loud boom, the lights died. The lights quickly turned back on, and I saw one of the most terrifying moments of my little baby's life. Her face was horrified and she screamed out with terror. "MAMA" was muddled in her short string of babbling; her arms shot out in my direction and I knew this was different kind of scared for her. I don't know how to explain it, her reaction was something I do not wish to witness again. I don't even remember what I did with the objects I was putting away. I just remember grabbing her and pulling her up to me. I found myself overly protective and clutching her close. She was gripping my shirt tightly, holding on for safety and comfort. My eyes were watery...apparently my reaction was to cry for her? I don't know! It was just lightening, but my instincts kicked in and I felt as if someone was trying to harm my child. It was ever-so brief, but the look on her face and her heart-wrenching cries were enough to upset me instantly.
That's when I knew for sure, I do not wish to sit through severe storms for awhile. I didn't need the "cool" experiences, I needed my child to feel safe in her own house. Now, obviously I can't control the weather, but as Lorelai sat in my lap for the next 45mins, I asked God to weaken the storms a bit so my baby could relax and sleep peacefully.


I hear the weather kicking back up again, and I sit on the edge of my seat, hoping Lorelai sleeps through the next waves of lights and sounds. Normally I hate getting up during the night, but tonight I will jump up willingly...I'd hate for her to be scarred like that again.
I hope everyone is safe in their homes, hugging their babies if they need hugging, and snuggling their puppies if they need snuggling! I think it will be a long night over here, and an even longer spring. I'm sure Lorelai will become braver as time goes on, but for now I am an on-call baby-hugger. ;)

M.LEWIS

Setting up for Spring

This week went by fairly swiftly; but to be fair, after the previous week, most weeks would have felt swift.
It was spring break for my youngest siblings, so Lorelai and myself went a visited them more. I also got Lorelai an Easter dress and took Phoebe to the vet.
Phoebe hated it, Lorelai hated it, and you guessed it, I hated it. I do like the vet itself. The staff is nice and efficient, the doctors are through, understanding, and they even have walk-in hours...but because of this, they are always busy! Crowded with people and animals, it was a juggling disaster between Phoebe, Lorelai, their belongs, and my myself. I hope I can avoid this again for another year. At least my mom's house is on the way and I can easily drop off the little one if needed. ;)

Today Chris and I have made huge strides in the yard work at the house. Chris pulled out all the weeds on top of the stone wall and sprayed the backyard for weeds. I planted a few flowers in the deck flower beds and reconstructed the ring around the front yard tree. I still need to buy flowers for the front beds and the one backyard bed. My goal is to buy a few more plants over the week to avoid the weekend crowds.

Yep, only 6 plant bought and planted...a lot more to go!

Next couple of weeks should be fairly busy. Cleaning the house up, fixing up the backyard for spring, a couple of birthdays, and in the not to distant future: Easter! :)

Hope no one got pinched today!

M.LEWIS

What's NOT Cookin', Good Lookin'?

I have noticed something about myself.
I am so "eh" when it comes to food, recipes, and cooking. Maybe it's because my husband is so restricting with what he'll eat, but I also think that it's because I just don't care.
At the end of the day, I'm tired, I want something simple, fast, yummy, and requires little clean up. I used to think that this mindset started when Lorelai was old enough to realize that I wasn't right by her side, therefore, she would cry during the entire cooking process...but no. I remember being newlyweds and coming home from working around 6:30pm, and the last thing I wanted to do was spend half an hour cooking and then another 20 mins cleaning the pots, pans, place settings, and cooking utensils.
Don't misunderstand my simple dinners for unhealthy, I mean, we all have those days, but for the most part I try to cover all the main food groups. Especially with Lorelai eating a lot more "table food" I make sure I have fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains all at her disposal. Now, her eating these things is a different story, but they are there.
I try to get more frozen fruits and vegetables since my toddler takes her time adapting to new tastes, and frankly, I am tired of being responsible for finishing off what she doesn't want; or throwing it away because it's starting to grow new things.
I also get "hearty" produce that can sit in the refrigerator for a few days without getting gooey or moldy. With this I take an "add to it" mindset for cooking.
Example: I buy canned marinara sauce, but I separately buy tomatoes, onion, and garlic...I chop and cook those things and then add the sauce. That way I know I am getting fresh food in me, but in an acceptable fashion for my picky eaters. Adding spinach, green pepper, red pepper, basil, green onion, or potatoes to other dishes have also shown to be successful.
I suppose I am more worried about veggie intake than fruit. Fruit is easier, bananas, sliced frozen strawberries, dried mango, apple chips, all these things are fun snacks without having to mask them.

So sorry all who post recipes, I won't be commenting on those entries; not because I am cranky or think the food sound unappealing, but because I know my menus will not be including such "fancy" items. ;) A part of me wishes I was more chef-like, but I am okay with my simpler techniques.

Now baking...baking is a different story. Cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins...I am game for those recipes any day. :P

M.LEWIS

Patriotism is Racism?

I heard a story on the news today that hit a nerve. The full article is here, but here is the gist: Two highschool basketball teams in San Antonio, TX were playing against one another. One team is predominantly white and the other is predominantly hispanic. When the "white" team won the game, some of the kids were shouting "U-S-A, U-S-A!" The "hispanic" team found this to be "racist" and has asked for an apology.

I was kind of speechless...for a few seconds.

Seriously? Chanting out "U-S-A" is considered racism? Ummm...THIS IS AMERICA! When did is become shameful to cheer for America? Even if your origins are from other countries, why is that considered disrespectful and racist? Both teams are from San Antonio! That's Texas...as in Texas, USA! They did not chant anything negative nor did they single anyone out...BOTH TEAMS ARE AMERICANS!

Ugh! I hate how everyone lately is trying to be so politically correct that we exclude our own heritage, our own history, our own holidays! You know how schools have outlawed the usage of "Christmas"? Well, it doesn't stop there. Here is another story about kids who were kicked out of school for a day because they wore a shirt with an American flag on Cinco de Mayo. My mind was blown when I heard this. Apparently we are only allowed to be proud Americans when it isn't crazily offending somebody else. I bet those kids just rolled out of bed and threw on a shirt, they weren't trying to make a political statement...even if they were, what was it? "Here is a flag of the country we all live in?" Why would anyone be offended by the presence of an American flag or hearing the shouts of "U-S-A?"

What baffles me is the fact that we are ALL Americans here. The schools from San Antonio the school from California (read article link)...duh, both reside in AMERICA. Have we forgotten that wonderful "melting pot" mindset? You or your family can be from all over the world, but if you are born here, you are a full blooded American my friend, and that is something to be proud of! 

I think those people asking for apologies should be ashamed of themselves. Heads up: I will wear an American flag any damn day I feel, I will shout proudly "U-S-A" when ever I feel, and I will not be silenced or be pushed into a corner for being patriotic! This is one of the many reasons I will be homeschooling my children. This has gotten way out of control...and just think, I bet they recite this every morning too:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag 

of The United States of America

And to the Republic for which it stands

One nation, under God, indivisible,

with Liberty and Justice for all."

...and I bet it means nothing to them.

M.LEWIS

GCB = ICK

3 letters.

GCB

In case you do not watch tv or pay attention to all the annoying commercials, GCB is a television show on ABC. What does GCB stand for you ask? Well, the "polite" version is "Good Christian Belles" but the original title is "Good Christian Bitches." Yeahhhh, that's right, flattering, huh?

Now, in honesty, the title isn't my main issue with this show...it's where it takes place: Dallas. Yep, goody goody; another show that takes my hometown area and butchers it with cowboy hats, tacky fringe clothing, horrible fake accents, honky tonk music, and tasteless rhinestone crosses plastered on everything...I guess that is the "christian" influence? I won't touch the "christian" portrayal too much...even though I think it is also greatly offensive. 

Not Dallas

Now, if you know me, you know this is a huge pet peeve of mine. I despise how Texas (mainly Dallas) is portrayed to the masses. We do not all ride horses around our ranches with our cowboy hats and boots, chewing on a straw of hay after a long day at the rodeo and barbecue "supper."In fact, no one is Dallas does this. I know. I live 15mins away from Dallas, my grandparents live in Dallas, my brother worked downtown for years...none of these things are a daily occurrence.



We are also miles away from what GCB illustrates. Here is what they think of us:

Classy, right? They are a sea of big hair, over-exposed cleavage, short hemlines, and thick accents. They use Christianity as a base for clicky women and twist church services into manipulating, catty meetings. Ick. Boycott this show for me will ya? So disappointing...and completely false.

Ok, rant-of-the-week done. :)

M.LEWIS

Life Lately with LEL

Last week really tried my patience. Lorelai was sick, and then I was sick, and then we were sick together. The week dragged on and on...it felt like forever. It didn't help that I was my sickest on Saturday, and I missed half the weekend being lethargic, weak, and stuck next to a box of tissues. At least I could take an array of medications to try to help...my baby didn't have that option.

She refused to nap some days, she threw away any drink I gave her, tossed any piece of food, and spent most of her days lying on the floor screaming with frustration and discomfort. I hated that I couldn't do much for her.

That was last week, this week seems to be going better.

She loves outside, and we have been spending much time out there because of it. I need sunscreen for her, but luckily our backyard is 90% shaded past 4pm. Chris' awesome cousin, Lindsey, has been most gracious and offered to pass down their kids' outgrown playground equipment...Lorelai is going to l o v e it. :D We are pretty excited about receiving it...maybe Wednesday?

I have bought LEL some new "big kid" sippy cups. I had several in-between bottle and sippy cup things I have been using, but she has explained to us over the past few days that those were no longer going to be working. ;) So she has graduated to toddlerhood nicely. She has been eating more and more table food, I have been supplementing with some leftover baby food to make sure she is getting her fruits and veggies, but I am almost through with my stash! It feels rather strange not buying her separate food. I have been buying either formula or baby food since she was 2 months old. My baby is not so much a baby anymore...hard to adjust sometimes. :\ Give me to at least her 2nd birthday before asking "When will she have a sibling?" I think the timing will be better then. ;)

Okayyyy, I had more to say, but she is up form nap. Time to test out the new sippy cups!

M.LEWIS