Finished Mockinjay and I'm going to try to blog from A to Z

Today, I finished Mockingjay.  I was a bit disappointed.  It was a bit more bloody than I would have liked and Katniss's endearing qualities seem to have evaporated.  Oh well.

I'm also joining a Blogging from A to Z challenge.  I don't know if I'll be able to blog by theme or not.  I guess I can muddle it over tomorrow.

Finished Catching Fire and Adele's Sheets

I was all set to finish Adele's Sheets yesterday but my sewing machine started stitching weird.  After a call to Brother, they told me to take it to a service center.  My closest was Denton Sewing Center.  I took it there and found that the bobbin tension was off.  It doesn't have a bobbin casing so there's no little screw to adjust but what you need to do is actually hold the bobbin tight while threading and you won't have a problem.  So I took it home and finished Adele's sheets.

It has Giraffes which are Adele's favorite animal.

And I finished the second Hunger Games book

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I couldn't help it. I was going to put off this book until I was done with my Larsson book but I started it anyway.



Katniss is discovering a new life as a winning tribute but things start to go downhill. Her family is comfortable now but the president shows up with a veiled threat for her "rebellious" show.  Then new peacekeepers move in and some of the district start to rebel.



In response, she and Peeta announce that they are going to get married.  It is also the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games so as a special treat the tributes are going to be people that have already won. Katness and Peeta again find themselves in the arena.



Just as fast paced as the first book, I enjoyed this one.  But you may want to pick up the third book right away....there's a huge cliffhanger.



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Review: Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I don't always go for the trendy books that everyone is reading, but I decided to read this after my co-worker started reading it himself at work. I'll admit that I caught the Harry Potter craze and I did Twlight too.



This book is a bit out of my ordinary because I normally hate survival stories.  I was forced to read Hatchet in 7th grade and hated every moment of it.  But it's not your typical survival story.



The book is set somewhere in the future.  All that is left of North America is the Capitol and 12 districts.  There used to be 13 but at some point there was a rebellion and the 13th was destroyed completely.  To make sure that is never happens again, they invented the Hunger Games.  Each year, two children between 12 and 18 are chosen from each of the 12 districts.  They are placed in an arena in a battle to the death.  The winner wins extra supplies for his or her district and a comfortable life.



Katniss, our main character, finds herself as one of these 24 contestants after her younger sister is picked and she goes in her place.  She has been feeding her family by illegally hunting outside the district and is used to going hungry as her family is poor.  She's also a skilled archer.  Joining her is Peeta, the baker's son.  They enjoy the lap of luxury before going into the arena.  Peeta cooks up a romance story for the two of them which plays out throughout the games as they struggle to survive while trying to entertain the audience in hopes of getting extra help from the outside.



The story is well written and keeps you glued to the pages.  The main character is a very strong, well written, non-sterotypical female character which I think is part of the book's appeal.



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Whitework with the new sheets in action

I got today off today (since I wasn't there yesterday, they sent us home) so I did some more work on the whitework.  I think I got a better picture today.  I used natural lighting.  It's so hard to photograph because it's easily washed out.

Also had to get some more ecru floss today.  I was running low.

Zoé passed out on the way back from Kroger today so I put her in bed and got this shot of her and her new sheets.

Yes, she really does sleep with all those animals.  It's her "posse."  Her favorites are the dogs on either side of her (named Bandit after the dog on Johnny Quest).  Then there's Lady from Lady and the Tramp (which is really Adèle's), Minnie Mouse (also Adèle's), a gray cat, an orange beanie baby cat, Marie from the Aristocats and two Perry the Platypuses (one is Adèle's). 

I finished the sheets and I'm losing my job

So, I took today off because I wasn't sure I would feel ok.  And today, I found out that I'm going to lose my job in June as my T-Mobile tech center in Frisco, TX will be closed as of June 22.  Hopefully my husband will find something and this switch will not be too bad.  You can see the announcement here.

On a happier note, I finished Zoé's sheet set.  It was hard getting a picture because I had both girls bouncing up and down in bed. 

Homemade Toddler Sheets and Gigantic Q Snaps

Now that both my girls are in toddler beds, it's been time to look at toddler sheets.  Fortunately, both take crib sheets, so that part is covered.  I was looking for flat sheets for the toddler beds since I think Zoé is ready to have more of a "big girl" type bed.  But, all I could find was the whole sets with comforter, sheets and a pillowcase.  First, neither girl is ready for a pillow yet.  Second, it's like over $30 for the whole set and they don't sell the sheets alone individually for you to swap out with the comforter.

So, I made my own.

It wasn't that hard.  There are several tutorials.  I followed this one but altered slightly.  I don't have a serger so I had to improvise there.  I used my overcasting foot around the raw edges and then folded the corners under 1/4" and stitched in place.  It only took two yards of fabric and Jo-Ann had it on sale for $1.99/yard so the sheet was basically $4.  The cool thing about these sheets is that they are fitted at the one end to make it more difficult to come off when your toddler twists around in bed.

I chose a paw print fabric for Zoé's sheets to go with Bandit, her favorite stuffed animal dog.

It's not quite finished (I have to do the top edge and I'm all done).  I have another two yards to make a fitted bottom sheet. 

Here is me testing it out on the bed with Adèle's "assistance." 

She did not want to get under the sheet so I could demonstrate it though :(

I've reached a crossroads of sorts on my Whitework sampler.  Due to the beadwork, I'm not able to use an 8x11 Q Snap anymore, so I've had to go to my next size which is 11x17.  It makes for a huge awkward frame to hold but so far it's working out.  Don't have much of a choice at this point.

I has the flu

Hi all.

Today I woke up not feeling smurfy at all.  And then I broke out in a rash.  So, I went to urgent care who stuck a stick up my nose (not comfortable) and informed me that I had the flu.  I religiously get my flu shot every year and I have not had the flu in years.  This year was not an exception.  My employer is nice enough to bring nurses on site to give us the flu shot for free.  Even when I was in college where dorm living put me at risk, I did not get the flu.  I have no idea where I picked it up. :(


I guess that means a little time for stitching (since I'm quarantined from the girls to try to minimize them getting it) and some sleep.  I got Tamiflu (which was $45 with insurance.  eeeek) and some Zofran (my favorite drug) and I'm waiting for the "runs" to stop.  Sigh.


Hope y'all are doing well.  We are supposed to get a nasty storm tonight here.

Catching up

I know Lent hasn't ended yet, but I felt the need to post.  And I have a lot of catching up to do.  And I got a jury summons :(

First of all, my mother came to visit.  We had lots of fun going to the Fort Worth Zoo, the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, and the Frank Buck Zoo where we fed some giraffes.  We had just got a new camera so we got some great pictures.

Adèle was showing an interest in Zoé's toddler bed.  So, we bought her one of her own.

But her mischievous sister kept lifting up the mattress and sticking her stuffed animals under there.  So, I had to come up with a solution.

I sewed some straps onto the edge of the mattress and sewed on some snaps.

Zoé's definitely been getting into more trouble lately.  I now have to put duct tape on her diapers to keep her from taking them off.  It wouldn't be so bad but she won't use the potty and I'm tired of cleaning poop off the carpet.  [sigh]

Last but not least, I have some WIPs

This is a Kermit the Frog fleece jacket for Zoé.  It still needs buttons (having issues with the buttonholes).

This is the latest on the whitework.