Learning from My Children

Thank you, Emmalyn+Dean for an amazing mixer attatchment, the spatula mixer blade.  I just made the best frosting I have ever, ever made, using this cool tool and the recipe from May 2013 House Beautiful Coconut Cake, (okay, well I tweaked it, added cocoa powder for the birthday boy, but did everything else, buttermilk, heavy whipping cream, coconut milk, etc) letting cream cheese & butter mix for 5 minutes made super fluffy, wonderful, light frosting.  Adding salt was interesting addition, plus the 3 TBSP vanilla--thanks, too, for the Kirkland good stuff!

Happy Birthday celebrating John-Dad's birthday today with this 4 layer creation!  (recipe suggested 6 layers!  All the better to taste more of this great frosting!)

Meanwhile, as I let the cake cool, I finished up Suzanna's graduation white shoes.  The girls have to wear white dresses and white shoes.  Suzanna showed me some pictures on line of oxford bootie shoes, costing more than I have budgeted for this month.  Found a $5.00 thrift store bargain, spray painted white and then decopauged white& gray patterned tissue paper from Emmalyn+Dean's wedding.  Looks lacy.  Highly textured.  Hopefully she will be happy with them.

She was a great sport this morning as we walked 3 miles, up and down the big hill on the way to Church, from Herb's on the Curb to the sign on top.  Super steep.  Feeling the pain in my thighs as I go up and down stairs today.  All for Trek training. We have 2 weeks left to get ready!  Suzanna even took off running down the hill.

"Hello, Daddy!" she said

The kids helped pull the grass away from the family headstones.  Nice to see the flag for their great, great grandpa. 

John asked if her dad was bawdy, like Billie.  She told us she got her humor from him, that he was funny, witty, danced and could cut up a stage.  He died younger than I realized.  Her mom was a widow for a long time, even marrying again, 2nd husband died 12 years after her first.

It was good to see the names, the dates, hear a little more about my children's ancestors.  Good tradition.  (Need to research how to clean the stone without damaging it.  Hydrogen peroxide to get rid of mildew stains?)

Red, White, & Blue SUPER Dress!

It started with me looking on-line for "cowl neck dress patterns free" and I found the "Eva" dress which I thought looked easy to sew, beautiful lines...Then I signed up for the "Your Style Rocks" site to get access to the pattern, and looked at The Opulent Poppy blog to see the Eva who designed the dress--she made a super modest one out of vintage yellow cotton.  (Hurrah for MODEST WOMEN!)

Printed out all 54 or so pages of the pattern in my size.  Carefully taped them together, cut them out, and started looking for stretchy fabric in my fabric storage.  Nothing in yardage, and being thrifty makes you more creative/desperate...

I had recently gone through all the boy's t-shirts with Stewart as we looked for post-mission clothes for him.  Superman was in a Sam-doesn't-want pile and too big for Stewart (he likes to wear correct size, slim & trim and not baggy) and the Nebraska map fabric was a too-small-but-Roxie-didn't-want pile.  Instead of using top of pattern I used a tissue-weight t-shirt that was way too low on it's own. 

When Suzanna saw the skirt portion she was immediately complimentary and interested so I made it to fit her.  She wore it to Church Sunday with a red belt that cinched in the middle more on her hourglass figure and she got many, many compliments.  The Young Women's president couldn't believe I made it and wanted the YW to learn, use their old YW camp t-shirts.  Actually her parting quote was "You should PIN it!"

The front portion of skirt is one t-shirt--one without side seams so I cut the pattern as it fit under the left arm-pit and wrapped around the right side onto the back of the t-shirt.

Mixing & matching other cast-off t-shirts and stretchy fabric tops I made 2 other dresses, a turquoise & bright neon yellow one I love and a modern polka-dotted yellow & gray & black & white.  They went together quickly because I was using a t-shirt or stretchy top that is finished and using the t-shirt hems for the hem of the dress.  It is a color-blocked look, very comfortable, totally me. 

So where is the picture?  I need to be a little braver to wear it, because it is so wild, new, artsy.  I say it is totally me and then I get nervous, embarassed a little, not wanting the attention I know I will get.  I need some confidence-boosting cheerleaders.  John loves it, it is modest, maybe a little sexy because I look like a woman in it, with girl parts, instead of hiding.

I altered this top after Cardigan Empire's suggestion that cowl necks are perfect for my Delicious Apple Middle body shape, and felt pretty on our date to Star Trek movies (Saturday matinee with all the kids in tow, so it was more a family outing than a date-date).

(Dirty mirror needs to be cleaned.)  Did not want to wear a tank top or another t-shirt underneath so sewed in another fuschia modesty bib layer (another t-shirt) just under the cowl to bring the neckline up higher.

Save those t-shirts, even with holes!  The Superman dress has two hearts appliqued on random cities to patch over two tiny holes.  If you don't think you will make anything with those t-shirts, donate them to me, and I will hand-craft one for you (or me!).

Paul's Letters

Seminary activity:  create a sign with one of the phrases Paul uses in his letters in the New Testament, something inspirational, motivating, something you want to remember.  The students chose phrases, and as we ran out of class time I started decopauge project, canvas backgrounds for them to add to, or sand-off and take away (a play on John's words in  Revelations 22:19).  Ollie's had baby-nursery 12" x12" canvases for $.75 each that made this a lightweight project.

Found Something New

Me in the center (brother John on left, cousin Charlene on right) wearing my newest favorite shirt: "Green Envelope Los Angeles" black soft jersey with salmon peach neckline and flat exposed zipper in back of neck.  $2.50 @ thrift store, score!

Fashion can be frustrating.  First of all, trying to be a modern, stylish woman who is MODEST poses huge challenges today.  I want a dress that doesn't show my cleavage, or my underarm to the world.  And it needs to come to my knees, without that walking slit.  Did I mention sleeves?  And no belly or back showing.  Must have some shoulder coverage, and collar bone area is tricky, it cannot be too wide at the neck (forget boat necks). 

Add to all of that modesty needs/requirements/desires (so much more comfortable when you don't have to twitch to make sure you are covered) I would really like to look cute.  Up that to "pretty."  NOT dowdy, frumpy, old-fashioned, clue-less.  I don't need to be trendy cutting-edge fashion runway (who can afford that?).  I don't want to be too classic/traditional, even though I am conservative religiously and value-wise.  I don't want to be too frilly/romantic/sexy.  I like Bohemian, artsy, and modern looks.  Some romantic, but not too much frills and ruffles.  Maybe I am fashionly moody?

Modest, in-style, and then we get to FIT.  For my body.  Now.  Today.  Not in 5 years when I am the target-weight-health I would prefer.  It has to fit right, right now.

Let me introduce Sister Bagley of Cardigan Empire:  click on Cardigan Empire or the "soft delicious center" red apple button on my right side-bar.  I read through her Cardigan Empire Preview blog and was blown away.  She is a great writer, dresser, fashion consultant, clever, witty, funny, fun, and stylish!  I want to share with everyone, all my girlfriends, sisters, daughters! 

It was so nice to read words of affirmation that I can be pretty, now.  Feel pretty, dress the part, act it, be it.  She says it so well, so if you have a measuring tape and an hour (or more!), see what you learn.  There is a little bit of math, but it all makes great sense.

PLUS I love her mid-century home!  They have done a fantastic job re-modeling an Arizona rancher, into a sweet home sweet home that I love!  Some great ideas.

Time to shake up that closet!

Not subtle hints (we've talked about most of these already)

Found this fun random note generator here and had some fun.

 

"Optimization of the digestion process used in lead detection testing with ICP-AES"

Suzanna with her two mentors from US Army Chemical Materials Agency

As part of the Science & Math Academy, the seniors have to do a capstone project, based on research.  Mentors from the community volunteer to guide the students.  The seniors use their mentor's lab facilities, and "publish" a poster and stand next to it and present/explain it at the end of the year.  The Gallery Walk is open to the public, packed with parents, friends, and the proud mentors.

Lindsay on the left is Suzanna's future BYU roommate!  Siblings came to be supportive.

Stewart talked technical stuff with the senior presenters...

I told John I felt smarter and dumber after the walk through.

But we are SO PROUD OF HER!  Great job!  Congratulations to our senior!

"A digestion method used in lead detection is the ASTM E 1644-04.  This procedure requires samples to be dissolved and suspended in a liquid in order to be analyzed using a ICP-AES instrumentation; total procedure time of completion is approximately 36 hours.  This length of time limits the number of samples that can be analyzed in a single day and delays the results of the test.  A modified method for digestion employs a hot plate, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, distilled water, and heat to digest Ghost Wipe TM samples in approximately 45 mintues.  In order to determine the efficiency of the modified method, known levels of lead were spiked on the samples prior to digestion and then analyzed.  Percent recoveries were calculated based on the known amounts of lead in the samples.  These results were then compared with previously digested samples using the ASTM# 1644-04 method to determine if the new modified version was as effective.  Acceptance levels between 80% and 120% spike recovery was used to dertermine the efficiency of the modified digestion procedure.  After analysis of the samples digested with the new method it was found that the modified procedure worked well with the higher levels of the lead spike with percent recoveries between 92% and 95%, but the lower level of the lead spike had a percent recover of 40%.  The low recovery may be attributed to human error, but it could also be the result of the modified process interfering with the lead spike."  Suzanna plans to attend Brigham Young Universtity to major in Mechancial Engineering