Sewing for Thomas

I decided to try making a shirt for Thomas, since I've been sewing mostly for Eleanor recently. I found a pattern with good reviews on Pattern Review and some cute fabric. First, I traced the size 3 pattern from the multi-sized pattern onto some interfacing, then used that to cut out the shirt pieces. Due to the print, cutting out the shirt pieces so that the trucks lined up across the front and were centered on the back and sleeves was a bit tricky. I had found some good tips for making shirts on the internet, and I used several of those, like topstitching everything and finishing the facings neatly. Everything went smoothly, and even the buttonholes behaved! I'm pleased with the way it turned out, and I think Thomas will like it, too.

Patrick's Birthday

We celebrated Patrick's 23rd birthday last weekend with a family dinner. The grandchildren helped make and decorate his birthday cake. Thomas insisted it needed a car on top. Much fun was had by all.

Fun with Grandchildren

We kept the grandchildren last weekend while their parents enjoyed some much-needed R&R. Amanda entertained them beautifully with her amazing balloon art skills!

New Year's Update

We had a lovely and relaxing Christmas holiday this year. With Rachel's family in Tennessee, we had just five around the table -- the three of us, plus my father-in-law and Patrick's co-worker Scott. I was pleased to receive TEN books! Here are are few photos.






For our anniversary, we went to the outlets in San Marcos, then had a wonderful seafood dinner at Eddie V's in Austin. We spent the night at a hotel nearby and drove home the next morning.

We accomplished a number of organizational and improvement projects around the house before returning to work this week.

Christmas Cookies

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without cut-out, iced sugar cookies! This year I used Martha Stewart's recipe, and it worked very well.

Christmas Decorations

Here are some photos of our Christmas decorations this year. The photos serve as reminders of what worked and what didn't for future planning. Here's the entryway table.

Here are photos of the living room decorations.


Here is a photo of the dining room sideboard.

And here is the baker's rack in the kitchen.

Early Christmas!

We had an early Christmas this weekend with Rachel's family, as it's their year to go to Rob's family for Christmas. Eleanor and Thomas looked adorable in their Christmas pjs.



Eleanor and Thomas had lots of fun with her snack shop and cash register.



Uncle Patrick was also popular.



Papaw enjoyed watching the children open their gifts.



Here's one more photo that includes a look at the decorated mantel.