A T-shirt becomes a nightgown

I have this blue shirt that I really like, but that doesn't fit so well. It is a little wide in the neck and a little boxy everywhere else. The color is too pretty to just get rid of, so I did a few modifications and in the time it took to watch one episode of 30 Rock, Amy had a new nightgown. 

First, I turned it inside out and sewed the underarm a little narrower and sewed the side seams into more of an A-line shape. It is still wide, but comes in under the arms much more now. Then I zig-zagged over that hem so it wouldn't fray.

Then, I loaded elastic thread into the bobbin. I sewed around the neckline a few times, making a ruffled collar. 

I also sewed two rows of elastic gathering about an inch in from the end of each sleeve. This makes it fit her little arms better and adds some interest to the sleeves.

It is tough to get a picture of her, but you can sort of see how it turned out here. 

It's pretty cute, and I bet it's really comfy. She's wearing it over her clothes, so it looks a little weird.

She seems to like it. 

I think she kind of looks like a 19th century surgeon.

Back at it

After a few weeks of eating like an obnoxious toddler, we have finally convinced Amy that most humans do in fact eat their dinners and that food is yummy, not torture. I'm not sure if she wasn't hungry, or if that was a brief and failed attempt at self determination. 

Last night, she ate acorn squash, stuffing, and a pear. She washed it down with beer milk.

Did you like it? Do you feel better now that you've eaten?

 Not now, Ma. I'm talkin' on my sunglasses phone.

Alright. Tell the people they can send me goldfish crackers. No more questions!

Mom Jeans

Oh God. I have made a crucial mistake. Maybe. I think I may have purchased "mom jeans"

I really needed some new jeans to wear and I bought Levis 518's. They looked great on the hanger. I like the fade and they're bootcut, but not too much. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. Score! How often do jeans fit on the first try?

Well, I came home and began second guessing. That zipper is a little...long. They almost cover my bellybutton. Uh oh.

Here's the Levis photo of them.

Due to technical difficulties, I can't show you the picture Rob took of me in them. Trust me though, I was not wearing heels like this girl. She makes them look pretty normal.

So, is there a reliable test for mom jeans? They aren't acid-washed, I swear. I can still see my own bellybutton, and my ankles aren't exposed. Is that enough? Does that make up for the generous waistline?

Here's a picture of Amy while you consider my dilemma.

*UPDATE*
I knew that jeans photo made them look too normal. They are 512's, not 518's. This is their Levi's photo:
Ashley? Kacy?

We're back from a very fun weekend in Apache Junction where we went to Liz and Justin's beautiful wedding at Lost Dutchman State Park. The ceremony was at Sunset and this was the backdrop.

This isn't my photo, but this is exactly how amazing it looks.

Not bad, huh? It was a very fun reception too. They served tacos. How can you go wrong with tacos, a bonfire, and all your friends? It was like a big reunion of all the people who have recently moved away from Tucson or that we don't get to see very often. I miss our urban family. It was nice to be together again.

Here's some pictures of Amy too, just in case it had been too long....

This is a move she's been doing a lot. We call it the "tripod"

This is my friend Ocho the Octopus. 

Amy at Zion

Things are pretty busy here today, so we'll share a video of Amy at Zion. We were on a trail that led down to the river, but we never made it there because that trail was made of SAND. Can you believe it? Somebody just left all that sand there for anybody to play with.

p.s. in other news, there is a cat stuck on our roof. I can hear him up there now. I'm pretty sure he's bowling. Maybe practicing his stomp routine. Will update as news comes in....

Mornings with Amy

This is a pretty good example of how Amy spends her mornings. She loves going outside before breakfast when we water the garden. Here she's digging in the bed that has the sunflowers and peppers in it. Now it also has a big hole.
She's genetically predisposed to have a green thumb on her father's side and she gets her digging ability from both of us. Geologist? Archaeologist? Gardener? Mole?

Archaeology Cafe

 Rob gave a talk tonight as a part of the Center for Desert Archaeology's lecture series, the Archaeology Cafe. They have one every first Tuesday of the month at Cafe Vicente. Rob's talk was about his work in New Mexico and about preservation archaeology in general.
It's a fun evening. Everyone orders tapas and wine and then you get to sit back and listen to the speakers for a while.

There's a question and answer portion at the end. Rob did a really good job explaining what they do in a clear way that made it interesting to the general public. He's such a good public speaker. 

I ordered Spanish tortilla. and wine. It was delicious.

They even had gravel. 

After the talk, Rob's boss took Amy to the front of the room. She saw Rob and yelled "DaDa!!" and ran to him. It was pretty cute.