Christmas Open House!

(click picture to enlarge)



Looking for Christmas gifts? Birthdays coming up? Baby Showers? Just because? Come and visit us on this night for lots of crafty cuteness and get a jump on your Christmas shopping. I have some all-new dresses up to size 5 that I'll have for sale (Christmas ones too!) as well as "the usual" cute stuff! My friends will have a ton of cute stuff too! If nothing, come for the food and door prizes!

Drapes and the Melody

I have this vintage pattern.. okay so maybe it isn't vintage.. It was printed in 1983. Which happens to be the year I was born. Anyway, this pattern is for a toddler dress, in very 80s fashion, which I happen to LOVE. What made me NEED to make this pattern is the model on the front of the package.



See? I call this dress the Melody, after my little sister, who looked exactly like this at that age...



SEE??

So, I've had this in my to-do pile for over a year, waiting for the perfect fabric to use. I finally got it. Back when I was a bow-making fool, I made a black and cream toile bow, because I love toile.



I had nothing that matched it, but I didn't let it stop me. Black and white goes with anything, right? Right. Well, now that my daughter is almost three, and has never worn it, it was time to order the toile fabric and MAKE a dress to match this bow. Backwards, I know. Anyway, here's my version of this dress:



I added some length to it, and did knots at the shoulders instead of buttons. My girl loves it! Actually, she just loves dresses, so it's pretty easy to please her.



Yes, toile. But when I received the fabric, it looked eerily like my shower curtain in the guest bathroom.



Eerie like an identical twin. Which made me think, "My child is wearing a shower curtain." Which made me think of my all-time favorite movie, The Sound of Music. Maria makes the children "playclothes" out of the old drapes that were taken down out of her room, much to the chagrin of the captain. The exact exchange from the movie:

Captain: Is it possible, or could I have just imagined? Have my children by any chance been climbing trees today?
Maria: Yes, Captain.
Captain: I see. And where, may I ask, did they get these, uhm, these...
Maria: Playclothes.
Captain: Oh, is that what you call them?
Maria: I made them, from the drapes that used to hang in my bedroom...They still had plenty of wear left. The children have been everywhere in them.
Captain: Do you mean to tell me that my children have been roaming about Salzburg dressed up in nothing but some old drapes?!
Maria: (affirming) Umm, hmm, and having a marvelous time.



So, in conclusion, the dress reminds me of my sister. And a shower curtain. And I love it.

*As a side note to all my sewing friends, the instructions for all three views of this pattern were printed on front and back on ONE page! Can you even imagine a pattern these days with instructions on only one page?? It was not for the novice pattern-reader, I'll tell you that much. It was very abbreviated, to say the least!

A Day Out with Thomas

Today Mom-o and Papaw (Greg's parents) took Caleb to the Texas State Railroad in Rusk for a Day Out with Thomas. It was a surprise to Caleb, and by the look on his face in these pictures, he had a great time!

Sir Topham Hatt


Playing with the trains and tracks


One happy boy!




So cute!










Thanks for the fun day Pam and Jerry! Thanks for sharing the pictures!

Pink Fire Trucks

The "Pink Heals" Fire Trucks came through Tyler last week, so we went downtown to check them out. There were three or four of them parked on the square, and the kids enjoyed climbing on them. Ever since Carly's little comment to the Tyler firefighters during our family visit, I'd been wanting to take her to see the pink ones!


Written all over the trucks are words of support and memory for breast cancer survivors and those fighting the disease. Pretty neat!





The trucks lasted for about 3 minutes, then they saw the fountain. And that's where we spent the rest of our time before it got too dark to see.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Last Friday we went to Pappy's Pumpkin Patch in Tyler. We met my Mops group and some other friends, and the kids had a fun time playing, riding the hayride, and riding on the barrel train. Carly was not in the mood for picture that day however. So pretty much every picture I got of her is either the side of her face, or of her refusing to smile.. ahhhhhh, the terrible twos, I remember this stage with Caleb too. It will pass. But this year, we will remember those serious faces.











The ONLY picture of her smiling.. which I only got because she didn't know I was taking it.


Somebody pick me!














Carly's face pretty much sums up her attitude that whole morning..





I already posted this one... but doesn't he just look like a rock star!? And a whole lot like his Uncle Cody!

The Best Day

Yesterday started off as a normal Thursday at the Rice house. It even stayed normal until about 5:30. The kids and I played inside and outside enjoying the beautiful weather, I did a little laundry, we had lunch, the kids took naps while I worked in the office. Greg got home from work early, which is normal these days since the grass is slowing down and he doesn't have as much to do. Then around 4:30 I was about to head to Walmart to get a few groceries when Greg convinced me to wait til supper time and we'd all go and grab Subway for dinner while there. (That should have been my first clue-- the man hates to grocery shop!) So we went outside to play a while instead. Then around 5:30 when we were just about to load up and go (or so I thought) some friends of ours, Alan and Heather, drove up. I figured they were just dropping by - which has happened once before. Although, I really wanted to say, "Soooooo, why are y'all here?" I was a polite host a graciously welcomed them... wondering, but not saying anything. They convinced us (me) to go get some dinner with them so I ran in my room to change my clothes. THEN, my in-laws showed up and said, "Hey, y'all want to go eat dinner?" I laughed out loud at what a funny coincidence it was... I think I even said, "Wow! People are knocking down our door to take us to dinner tonight!" Yeah, I was born blonde. (And apparently, I was also born yeterday!) So we all loaded up, the kids in the in-laws car, and then I had a brilliant idea. I suggested that we go with our friends somewhere and let the grandparents take the kids somewhere else. I didn't think Greg heard me, but when we turned the wrong direction and left them behind I kinda started freaking out a little inside, wondering where we going. I thought, "Greg is not freaking out, so it must be okay...?" After a few minutes he told me that he had told his parents we were going somewhere else and it was okay. Then when we turned onto Hwy 64, I was realllllly confused, because there are no restaurants on Hwy 64.. There is nothing on Hwy 64! About halfway down I suddenly had an idea, and burst out with "HEY!!!" That's when I thought I had figured it out, but I still wasn't sure. But when Alan turned into the Oil Palace it was confirmed. CHRIS TOMLIN!!!!!!

It was also confirmed at that moment that I can be extremely gullible, my friends are really good actors, and my husband and in-laws are VERY sneaky!!!

My funny husband kept all this a secret from me, for no reason than just for fun! No occasion. But it was SO GREAT! The whole thing was just cool. I mean, seeing Chris Tomlin in concert was beyond amazing!! But not knowing I would get to until I got there -- even better!!!

I have the best friends and family on the planet!

That's not very good!

This evening we were headed outside to enjoy the deliciously cool weather. It was just moments before Monday Night Football and while I was putting Carly's socks on with the TV in the background. Then Carly pops out with, "That man, with the hair.. he told a lie. That's not very good!" (Family members, she said this in the same tone that her Uncle Cody used on the old family video of him saying "Don't take a picture wif us! That's not gooood.") She was talking about a new Head and Shoulders commercial featuring Troy Polamalu's huge hair..

Here is the commercial she was watching:


Totally worth the watch! I am amazed that she picked up on this after just one watch, and I didn't even realize she was paying attention!