so much christmas cheer

the old lady and i decided to squeeze in a quick trip to disneyland one day while the bean was at school so that we could do a little christmas shopping.  her special friend's birthday is a week before christmas and there was something she wanted to buy for him that could only be found at disneyland, so of course...we HAD to go.  like, HAD. TO.  can you tell how much of a burden this errand was for us?

instead of hopping onto the tram, we decided to walk over to downtown disney straight from the parking structure.  it was actually a lot easier for us, and since we hadn't gotten a workout in that morning we counted it as cardio.  and as soon as we got through security, we spied the monorail making its way to the station.  since we had a little time to play with, we scurried on through the turnstile and up the stairs to take a ride to tomorrowland.

and when we got off of the monorail, what do you know...only a 15-minute standby line for space mountain.  it was practically begging us to come and ride it.

and as we walked through that line and i checked the disneyland app to see if there were any fastpasses available for us, i saw that we could get onto star tours pretty much right after we left space mountain.  and so that's what we did.

obligatory castle selfie:

we decided that we needed a snack, and that snack came in the form of a mint julep and candy cane beignets.  mmmmmmm.

as we made our way back towards main street so that we could start shopping, we came across this adorable brood of baby ducks.  their mama was sticking close by, keeping an eye on her babies as they maneuvered their way through the crowds that were oohing and aahing over them.  also helping to keep them safe was a cast member who asked everyone to clear a path for the little family.  i always think that's really sweet.

we attempted a couple more selfies with the holiday decor, but the lighting was all wrong.  oh well.

back at home, we picked up the puppies from the groomer.  only teddy would allow a photo, of course.  cocoa is very camera shy.

the christmas prepping continued as the old lady started wrapping presents and i worked on cookies for a friend.  i'm always surprised when i'm asked for cookies at christmas time because most people like to make their own.

and the bean got in on it too, as she crafted a present for her girl scout gift exchange.  they always do handmade gifts, so she was happy to put together a little stuffed elf (that looks very yoda-esque but still cute) and then threw together a batch of chocolate chip cookies to add to it.

spoiler:  those cookies did not make it to santa's plate.  one of her BFFs managed to snag her present and ate a couple of them before her parents snuck the rest into their bellies.  i'm still cracking up remembering her BFF's face as her mom 'fessed up to the crime.

ah, christmas.  it's coming all too quickly.

crafting our way through summer

the bean and i have both been busy this summer working on all sorts of fun handmade crafts and things.  when the ILs were here last month her grandma took her on a shopping spree at michaels, where they picked up all sorts of materials for some fun projects.  they painted rocks (which i stupidly forgot to get pictures of ), made lots of slime, and a kit that really caught the bean's attention.  it was a star wars-themed felt doll kit, and along with some basic skills she'd learned at school this past year plus MIL's patient guidance, she started turning out the cutest little felt plush toys.  while i can't seem to find the han solo and princess leia she made first (gah!), i managed to capture this one.  it's in the likeness of one of her favorite tutors at her math program, who was delighted when the bean presented it to her.

from there, she got even more creative and made this little burger:

cotton candy:

she even took it a step further and made her own labels and packaging.  how cute is this taco?

when i suggested she make a starbucks-style drink, she came up with this.

and last but not least, a chocolate chip cookie:

speaking of cookies, here are a few fun designs i've gotten to work on in the last month or so.

i've also been sewing like crazy.  i'm in a facebook group that's doing a "100 things in 2018" challenge, where the goal is to sew at least 8 items per month.  two of june's projects were for the bean:

these skorts are for her sister:

this is my 4th of july dress.  heh.

and i did my best to recreate a dress i'd seen on pinterest.  it's not exactly right, but it's good enough.  obviously - inspiration on the left, me on the right.

i do have my fair share of flops, though.  i've made shorts that are too tight, tops that just don't work and then there's dresses that seem a little...blah, like this one:

and this one.  it seemed so cute in my head, but in reality...well, not so much.  way too short and tight.  i'm too old to pull this off in public.

i have lots and lots of fabric to work with (as the hub will tell you) along with a bunch of patterns i still want to try.  the bean always needs new clothes, and i'm always looking for fun new things to wear.  this is one hobby that pays off!

sewing 101

last week was a fun sewing extravaganza for me.  i hadn't had time to sit down at my machines in what seemed like forever, so it felt good to whip out a few projects.

the old lady, my co-leader and i had taken a quickie trip to downtown l.a. to pick up some fabric to make backpacks for the troop.  we figured it might be nice for them to have something to use for upcoming outings, and thought it would be extra fun to customize them.  and so with the magic of my co-leader's brand new embroidery machine and free tutorials found via pinterest, we have these:

the girls are gonna love those, along with the t-shirts and sweatshirts we're getting ready to customize for them.  it'll be awesome.

i also managed to finish my very last mermaid tail (just for now, i'm sure).

this has been cut out and just waiting to be sewn up for weeks - obviously, since you can totally tell it's a valentine's day-themed fabric.  oh well.

and last week's girl scout meeting was a super fun one - we took the girls to the local sewing studio where my co-leader and i had spent some time last summer for a lesson.  we'd taken them to joann's the week before to pick out their fabric, and they were excited to learn how to make their very own pillowcase.  one of the moms had picked up some fabric for her son and asked us if we'd be able to do a pillowcase for him, and so i sewed it up really quickly at home just before the meeting.  this seriously took me like 10 minutes to finish:

the bean was super excited for this meeting.  although she got to do a little sewing with me a few months ago, it was nice for her to have an actual lesson from someone who actually knows what she's doing.  and after learning how to thread the machine, she got to practice sewing straight lines - a very useful skill, i might add.

it was, as usual, chaotic and crazy and loud and fun.  the girls had a great time overcoming their fear of the machines and learning some basic skills.  and we loved the girl scout uniform-themed board that the ladies in the studio had created for us, along with some healthy snacks for everyone:

even the old lady was inspired to learn how to make her own pillowcase, although she might have to settle for learning from me at home.

and i'm not gonna lie, i kind of really want an embroidery machine now.  like really really really. it's also a regular sewing machine though...so i could pass on my current sewing machine to the bean and everyone would be happy!  it all works out!  right?  RIGHT?!?

it's sew cool!

seriously, the commercials during kids' shows are gonna be the death of me. although i suppose this has been a conundrum for parents as long as there's been kids' tv, right? i totally remember watching ads for things like the snoopy snow cone machine and the newest barbie and being all, "I WANT THAT!" heh.

well of course, the bean is no exception. and with the day off yesterday from school, plus the blow of having to take her beloved grandparents to the airport, i figured it was a good time to finally take some stuff back to target so she could pick out some things to exchange them for. 

as we perused the toy section at a nice, leisurely pace, i found myself still falling victim to those damn barbie commercials. we'd just seen one for this fun-looking hairstyling barbie:

i mean, come ON. how fun does that look - you can use the little curling irons to curl barbie's hair! but we weren't there for ME, and the bean is no barbie fan, so we moved on. 

she actually already knew what she wanted thanks to those infernal commercials, so she zeroed in on the coveted toy and found it on sale. score!  we walked around a little more, stopping in the books section to do a little reading. she spent a good bit of time reading two books to me as we sat down in the aisle. 

those are super cute books, by the way. we were both fully entertained. 

back at home, she sat down to finish her homework before getting to crack open the new toy at last.

that's right, folks. she's following in her mama's footsteps and tiptoeing her way into the world of sewing. this little battery-operated gadget sews cute little projects made of special fabric that requires no thread. 

after going through the instructions and letting her mother give it a try first (you know, so she could see what it looked like and all), she tried her hand at it. and did a mighty fine job. 

first project: this cute little stuffed cupcake pillow. 

i personally love this photo:

she decided to make a second pillow, and completed it in no time. 

i kinda hope this new hobby sticks. i'd love for her to get into real sewing one day...there's at least one local place i know of where she can take a basic class. i guess we'll have to see if she decides she wants to give it a shot.