Geoff Goes to the Barber

Geoff has "found his barber". This is a good story.

Have I Ever Told You About My Wedding?

No? Well, it is a pretty funny story. It involves the bride being left behind, incomplete brides maid dresses and a late officiator- which actually turned out to be a good thing, ironically enough. That is just the beginning! Fortunately, the way your wedding goes doesn't necessarily indicate how your marriage will go. It was all very entertaining, hilarious, somewhat chaotic & in the end... fun & ridiculous! Wait. Maybe your wedding does foreshadow your marriage a bit... ;) 

I am a better person because of the man I married. No one else could have done for me what he has- I don't think there is anyone who would have stuck with me long enough. Sad, but true! Not to brag, but I am an extraordinarily lucky girl. I have two clever, talented and beautiful daughters. Geoff is an amazing father and husband. I could write volumes on this topic alone. But, I won't gush. Right now.  

I was lucky to have 6 of my amazing friends at my wedding. This was no small feat on their part. We were all college students. I lived, and was getting married in, Arizona. All my friends were from Indiana. They were at college in various places around the country. Long distance travel + college student budget + long (but still short) weekend = huge endeavor on their part. 

Sadly, the photographs from my wedding are... well, they suck. I am grateful I have a picture with 4 of the 6 friends. But, two of them- who are a very large part of my life now, and extremely important to me- are not pictured. "How can this be" you ask?  Well, that is a good story, too. 

November 25, 1994 was the Friday after Thanksgiving. Fifteen years ago today I was married and haven't regretted one moment of it. It just gets better every day.

I have a great deal for which to give thanks.

Christmas Dresses

 I am in the process of making the girls Christmas dresses. I am using a gorgeous two-toned shantung silk. I figured the dresses would take a bit longer, as the silk takes a little more care to work with. Plus, I am very careful and going a little slowly because the fabric is so blasted expensive! I can't get anymore if I make a mistake. The store no longer has it. But, even considering my considerations that it would take a bit longer... the dresses are taking a little longer than even I expected.

Today I was hoping to finish the bodice of Isabel's and put the sleeves in Sophia's and do a mock- up of the skirt. Oh, yeah- I am changing the pattern a bit, too. It needed to be improved to really show the nuance of the fabric.

So, today I worked four or five hours on the dress. I did get the mock-up pieces for Sophia's skirt cut out and ready to gather. But, the bulk of my time was taken on the sleeves of the bodice of her dress. Yes, 4 hours on sleeves. Two sleeves...

Two hours to go from these sleeve parts:

To this sleeve:

From the two pics, you can see the two tones of the silk, depending upon the light. It is olive green and dark fuchsia. I had to make the teeny ruffle that goes around the sleeve- and the front neckline for that matter.

So- It is still a work in progress (WIP), but- it is coming! It is stinkin' cute (beautiful, really)- IF I do say so myself!

Vegetable Pot Pie

Tonight for dinner, we are going to have Veggie Pot Pie- homemade. I never make the crust recipe that is with this recipe, but it is the one Geoff's mom gave me with it- so I keep them together. I am sure it is fine, but I never buy Bisquick. And, I prefer to make a whole wheat drop biscuit dough instead of white flour. Here's the recipe. It's a good one. (And, easy!)

Vegetable Pot Pie

Type:Main Dish

Filling:  1/2 c chopped celery

1/2 c chopped onion

1/2 c chopped carrot

1 1/2 c diced potato

2 c diced cooked chicken

3/4 c frozen peas

1 1/2 c chicken broth

1/2 c milk

5 tbl flour

 1/2 tsp tarragon

 pepper to taste

1/2 tsp salt

Combine veggies (except peas)& broth; simmer till veggies are tender. Add flour, salt, and pepper to taste stirring constantly. Simmer till sauce thickens. Add peas, chicken, & milk & simmer a few minutes more. Pour mixture into a baking dish. you can use the following crust, or a drop biscuit dough  Crust:  2 c biscuit mix (homemade, or bisquick type)

3/4 c milk, or 3/4 c water & 1 tbl powder milk

1 egg yolk

1 tbl water

1/4-1/2 c butter

Mix all ingredients and knead together till well combined but not smooth. Roll out 1/4 inch thick and lay over filling in dish. Trim edges. Make six slits in crust and brush w/mixture of egg yolk & water. Bake @ 375° for 20-30 min

U2 360° Tour: Live from Rose Bowl in LA

Last night, U2 did a live broadcast of their LA concert. It was carried world-wide over YouTube. They have the rebroadcast up to watch. I highly recommend viewing it. Not as good as the live thing, but certainly better than nothing!

U2- Live from Rose Bowl

more info here