The "Oh My Darling, Clementine" Tunic

Our Week in Review
This week's post probably should have been title "When Life Gives You Lemons..."  You can tell from the late date of this posting that it has been an eventful week, with some really great highs and some really frustrating lows. The virus Audrey was succumbing to last weekend started attacking me last Sunday night. By Tuesday Audrey had infections in both ears and she was hoarse. On Thursday I woke up with a set of completely blood shot eyes that sent me straight to the doctor. I was given antibiotic drops but I am pretty sure it was just the virus taking its course. Luckily Grayden has been spared so far.

On Friday I was still red-eyed when my four friends, Caroline, Joy, Cornelia and Sandy, arrived from DC and Dallas. What a great feeling it was to see these women that I had met and bonded with in DC three and a half years ago when we all had our first babies around the same time. Now everyone has expanding families, with four of us already having second children and Joy expecting her second in a few months. This was the second time we have had a moms' get away weekend and we hope to make it a life long tradition. The plan was for a sitter to stay with my kids for the majority of the weekend while we had purely adult time to catch up, gossip, compare mothering tales, eat drink and relax. Friday went off perfectly and we enjoyed pedicures and a leisurely dinner at French Charley's, a wine bar that has been 100% kid free every time I've been there.

Saturday morning I was snoozing peacefully when my cell phone woke me up at 6:30. It was the sitter telling me she had a fever and was not going to be able to sit that day. What a let down. Illness seemed determined to derail everything, as I also discovered upon waking that my voice was almost gone. When the sun rose I got on the phone to four different potential sitters to see if I could piece together some sort of childcare. No one was available that day but I did secure sitters for Saturday night and Sunday  morning. We decided to soldier on and managed to get everyone, including the kids, into the swagger wagon and on our way to New Orleans for a day of beignets and sightseeing.

Grayden, living it up with the ladies.

Not five minutes down the road and I had to pull over due to a massive coughing attack. It was decided we should call it quits and we headed home so Audrey and  I could sleep. The girls graciously took Grayden out to lunch and they enjoyed a walk on the beach and a stroll to the park in Pass Christian where a art fair was taking place. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, stuck at home while Grayden was out with MY girlfriends. But when they returned, and I saw what a nice time they all had, I was so thankful they were there to lend a hand when I was too worn down to see that I really needed it. The nap did me good and I had energy to go out for dinner and a return visit to French Charley's for dessert and a shared bottle of wine (thank goodness Joy was our designated driver).

A small gator we saw on the Pearl River.

Sunday was a gorgeous morning and after the sitter arrived (the third of the weekend) we headed to Slidell, LA to enjoy a day on the swamp with Pearl River Eco Tours. The wetlands are absolutely beautiful and full of amazing wildlife as well as a few swamp folk that maintain a very simple way of life making a living off the waterway. We saw snakes, many species of birds, and even a 12 foot alligator.  Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and we decided he had a thing for Cornelia as he treated her kind of like an annoying little sister, practically rolling his eyes at every question she asked. The best line of the day was when she pointed out a dilapidated house that had a collection of junk on the porch his response (imagine in a thick New Orleans accent) was, "That's called redneck. And its not junk its antiques."

One of the many snakes on the river.

Joe and I actually did this tour four years ago when we visited New Orleans while I was pregnant with Grayden and it was nice to see a rebirth in the tourism and the wetlands after Hurricane Katrina. Evidence of the hurricane is everywhere with capsized boats that were carried from twenty miles away still stuck in the water. There was also a house that had floated two miles down river and deposited in the middle of the swamp. If you come for a visit you can't miss the opportunity to get out on the water.

After the tour we had to rush back to Gulfport to drop the girls off at the airport and sadly say goodbye. I am really looking forward to a string of visitors over the coming weeks, with Emily arriving on April 16 and Mom and Dad the first part of May. After that it is off to California for six weeks starting in mid June with one week of that time in Hawaii for a planned reunion with Joe.

This coming week I REALLY hope we can all fully recovered from the malaise this illness has brought. Unfortunately, Audrey seems to have relapsed with a high fever again today so it may mean another trip to the doctor for her tomorrow.



The Project

Smiling despite having a temp of 101.

• Fabric - 1/2 yard cotton pique print (60") $1.50
• Pattern - Simplicity 3854 $1
• Notions - package of bias tape $1.00, 4 buttons $.50
• Time to complete - about 3 hours
• Total cost - $4.00

I actually contemplated for a split second making myself a skirt from this fabric. Then I remembered, I'm not under the age of 13 or over the age of 70, the demographics this fabric was obviously meant for. I realized this fabric was instead perfectly suited as a summer blouse for Audrey. The citrus motif is a nod to her middle name, Clementine, named after Joe's paternal grandmother. The fabric was easy to work with compared to the slippery rayon I sewed last week. It was a pleasure working on something that actually held a pressed seam.

Close up of fabric.

The pattern I used is actually a dress pattern so I ended up shortening it and cutting the skirt narrower so it would fit more like a tunic top. I think she'll get more use out of it as a blouse rather than a dress. The other modification I made to the pattern was using buttons instead of a zipper. I did not have the right size zipper and thought buttons would work better anyway.  I'm finding that the planning and laying out of my sewing projects takes a while. I always have to ponder the pattern instructions, measure the pieces, decide if I'm going to make modifications and figure out how I'm going to lay it out. The more I sew the braver I am getting at modifying patterns and construction techniques. I'd like to get to the point where I just know automatically what changes I'll need to make to a pattern to get the best fit or, even better, be able to draft my own patterns.

This was a very easy dress to sew up. I think the hardest part was the bias tape used to finish the neck and arm openings. I need to practice sewing and manipulating bias tape so I can get the stitching closer to the edge of the garment.  I finished the project, except the last button, before my guests arrived this weekend but because of the distractions did not have a chance to take pictures until Today. I think this will be another item in heavy rotation for Audrey's spring and summer wardrobe.

Doesn't really show the blouse, but too cute not to post.