Confession #1 - I Miss Las Vegas

Ah, Sunny Spectacular Las Vegas.

Here lies a confession.

I miss Las Vegas.

Don't get me wrong! I mean, I'm glad I left, for moral reasons and avenues unexplored...

But I do miss a few things about it.

(By the way, if I WAS going to be a showgirl I would totally have gone the Esther Williams path instead. At least some of her outfits are borderline modest. Also colorful and shimmery.)

How about having having one wardrobe? - Summer. And that meant that your main dress piece was usually:

A swimsuit.

No worries, you can layer it if you have to go to the grocery store. Shorts, and a wispy American Eagle tee will have you covered. Don't forget your flip flops.

Although after two kids, I'm kindof glad I live somewhere with layering as a requirement. Thank you, winter sweaters, for hiding that Christmas cake.

I miss my high school years. I feel old. SO old. And I never knew I would look back and miss knowing everyone, who they were and what they liked, and where we would go, and the memories we shared - and look where we were now and have none of that for most of them!

I miss the randomness that comes with living in a warm place. I don't know what it is about Las Vegas, but there was always some discovery around the corner - a giant mud pit at a construction site, a hill to go iceblocking on, buildings to explore.

Here, I am playing guitar in a refrigerator box after swim practice, wearing a Metallica tshirt.

Don't forget your perma-tan you get when you move to Las Vegas.

Ah, teenage years.

Las Vegas.

Freedom, memories, one wardrobe.

Spice Things Up

Let's face it.

I hardly ever blog, and this blog is here for my randomness, so I'm doing a fun post so my friends can learn a little more about me.

And so, my 30 Confessions of an Average Mom idea was born.

Let's shake it up.

Re-furb Dress

The Re-Furb Dress

I made this dress with no pattern, from another dress. I have a box/cube that I bought at Target a while back, and it's covered in this pattern. I just LOVE it.

So when my eye caught this pattern on fabric, I had to have it. Alas.... it was in the Junior's section. But only $6??? It was mine.

After thinking about how I could use it, for two or three weeks, I finally decided to make my daughter a dress out of it.

Voila! With some scissors, and my sewing machine, this is what came of my adventure.

It's by no means fancy - ANYONE could make this dress.

Just in time for her 2 year photos. :o)

☼

Happy Picture Frames

☺ HAPPY PICTURE FRAMES ☺

This craft cost me $3.50, thanks to the dollar bins at Target! It was a 3-pack of picture frames, $2.50, and a roll of six different complimenting ribbon styles, $1.00. The only thing I used was a little ribbon and some scrapbook embellishments that I had sitting around in bins.

Combined with my hot glue gun, this just goes to show anything is possible!

It took no time at all, and the little embellishments on the corner gave it a personal touch.

EASY!

I think if not for yourself, a fun craft like this would be perfect for a child to have hang in their room.

"Dream, When the Day is Through....."

"Dream -- that's the thing to do..."

Okay, so this may sound super ridiculous - but yes, I have a cake blog... but I also have this blog, so I can still blog here about cakes. Sortof. In a way.

Wow. I just said blog a lot.

OKAY so, top secretly - when I'm bored, or feeling crafty - I will search the internet, or places I have been, for cakes. New designs I could put on a cake, or themes I could use. Or sometimes, I will see a cake, and it will be such a good idea to me - but look sad in it's attempt. You know? Well anyways, I've decided to blog about some of the cakes I dream about making one day. I can't make them at random - but every once in a while someone will fall into my lap with an idea for a cake that is exactly like one I have in my "one day cakes" folder of pictures - or, someone will fall into my lap with no idea what they want, so I can suggest something. :o)

Here, are some of my cake (hopes).

A Waterslide Cake

Because - seriously fun!! And plus, the people are so cute. How could I not want to make this cake???

A Lego Cake

Because - COOL! Duh.

A "Draped Fabric Look" Cake

Because - I think this is so neat. It's modern, but still classy and traditional.

A Diner Cake

Because - Look at the detail!!! And it's so cute, I can hardly stand it. I have to eat that tiny float.

A Baby Cradle Cake

Because - I think this could be really cool, if the whole thing was edible. And a challenge, too!

A Pizza Cake

Because - SOOO COOL. I will probably make this as a "just because" cake one day. Because it's so fun!

A Blanket/Furniture/Tiny Things Cake

Because - Maybe this ties in with the whole, draped fabric cake. I also really adore the idea of a tiny sleeping fondant baby, with a tiny fondant blanket.

A Barbie/Princess/Dress Cake

Because - I had my mama make me a few barbie cakes, and they were awesome! Now, I have my girlish dream of putting fondant in the picture as well, to really make it come alive. :oD

A Baby-in-the-Tub Baby Shower Cake

Because - How funny, to have a baby showering as the cake for a baby shower... right? Right? This could be realllllly cool, if done properly.

A Tilting Hat Box Cake

Along with a great many other cake ideas I have not put on this post - is a stacked hat box cake I found online. Coincidentally, my dear friend is having a baby - and we were talking about what she would like for a baby shower cake, and she emailed me a photo almost exactly like the picture I had of the tilting hat box cake. So I'm mentioning it, because I do really want to make it, but I'm not providing a picture, because a) I accidentally deleted it out of this post, and b) I will be making it this Saturday, so just keep your eyes peeled on my cake blog! http://trishacakes.blogspot.com

:oD

Happy CAKE-ing!!!

(And Happy, Happy FALL!)

THE GOAL

Fall is soooo my favorite season.

I'm always feeling like I could make a million plans, and get them all done.

I love wearing big fuzzy sweaters, and admiring the Halloween decorations...

I love the crunch of the autumn leaves, and the crispness of the grass after a night frost...

I love the fresh air, and the loss of bugs...

I love the colors, the new school year, and the slow of the summer madness.

I love it all!

Mind you, Spring used to be my favorite...

The start of sunny days, the burst of a million blossoms, and the vast overtake of buds and plants everywhere. But this is a season for picnics and walks (before the bugs come out), and I never feel like a hard-working person.

-- SO --

It's Fall. Maybe not officially - but nonetheless. And so I'm feeling motivated in a big way! As you have previously read - I am mucho displeased with how little time I've been spending on myself. I have gone so long without working out, or getting my hair done, or anything... I put myself on the back burner, and slowly disappeared (it felt)...

When we went home about a month ago (to Calgary) I had my hair cut and colored for the first time in approximately two years. I felt horrible - sitting in the chair, with my frizzy looking hair, and to make things worse, someone came in to have a brief conversation with my hairstylist - and rudely commented on his way out "oh I feel zo bad for you, zat is a lot of damage."... Screw you, guy!!! :op I really don't like rude people. Bottom line, at the end of my hair care session, I had a ten minute discussion with three people in the salon about my age - they all weighed in thinking I was around 16 to 17 years old. REALLY??? (I'm sitting here, thinking I must look at least 35.) Well - I used to hear about how young I looked, but that was a hundred years ago.

(Pre-kids... you know...)

After that, I came back home, and started to spend some time each day doing something that I used to love. Guitar, drawing, quilting, crafts... whatever it was, even if it was for a few minutes a day. It was a struggle, I'm not going to lie... but totally made me a happier person.

A little while later - I went out and had a pedicure with my mother-in-law, for the first time since I was pregnant with my baby girl (which was the first time since I had given birth to my son) - it was great to take care of myself!

So...

So far my plan has been top secret.

Of course, by being top secret that means I can't hear from people ("How are you doing with that whole... thing?" "Oh... that's terrible..."), and I have no one to disappoint.

But. I totally don't care anymore!

I set a goal for myself - a suuuper duper, unavoidable, totally reasonable, achieveable goal.

It is to lose 6lbs each month, from now until next July.

That's like 1.5lbs a week. (Easy peasy!)

In total... that would be 60lbs!!! And I would be back to my pre pregnancy weight. (We're talking pre-pre-pre pregnancy weight)

So

I'm 6.6% into my goal. (We do not discuss poundage) -- approximately.

I will update progress. Of course.

And how am I achieveving my goal?...

:o)

By using Wii EA Sports Active.

(I had to say it, in case it helps me use 60lbs. So I can prove that it works!)

Hey, man - it's working so far!

Quilt....... therapy?

So... I think I've discovered something about myself.

When I'm anxious about something, or when I'm excited for something, I always find myself making a quilt. Sometimes it's rushed, or sometimes I take my dear sweet time making it.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I made a lot of quilts. A LOT.

I was excited, and part of me was excited to use all the pretty quilt prints I couldn't with my son, because my husband said they were "too girly"... :o

The closer to my due date I got, the more intricate my quilts would get. The more time was put into them. The more I was kindof getting bored with quilting. And everything else.

Now? I'm waiting this week... for Thursday. It could get here faster, if I willed it hard enough!!! :oD But alas, I must wait.

We are going home, to Calgary, to visit my mom and dad and everyone, while it's summer. Ohhh yes, summer. I haven't been home to Calgary while it's been anything but winter, since I was 16. SIXTEEN!

I am very excited. And, we all were sick last week/the beginning of this week, so I'm glad we're all getting that out of our systems in time for our vacation.

I haven't wanted to quilt in FOR-EV-ER, but this week I already had my sewing machine out... and I was looking at some squares I had cut and ready to be organized and... well... today, I made that quilt! I quilted, and now, I feel a sense of calm. LOL like it's therapy!

And so, I made the Happy Baby Girl Quilt - the fairy fabric on the back is flannel, from my mom - and the front, all the happy colors, I picked out to be a happy summer baby quilt a while ago but never got around to sewing.

Until today!

Ta-da!!!