...to Sew an Apron.

Have you ever used a 40 year old sewing machine?  I have.  It's not fun.  It makes sewing a chore, and I hate chores.  So when my grandma came to me with a sewing project, I sighed and said yes with much hesitation.  And then I put it off for a month.  But then a miracle happened.  A Christmas miracle.

I got this bad boy (or girl?) from my wonderful parents who love me very much and want me to be happy.  All of a sudden that sewing project Grams had mentioned seemed pretty appealing.  I couldn't wait to try it out.  I read the entire manual because this machine has settings up the wazoo.  

So. Many. Settings.

All I want to do is make buttonholes and sew zippers and use the fancy pattern stitches!  It will happen in time, but for now, aprons!  Grams had a pattern she wanted to use, so she sent me off to the fabric store to pick out colors for three different aprons.  I was there forever.  They had to be perfect.  One apron was for me, and two were for a church function to offer as prizes.  Here are the fabrics I chose:

Since I am nearly addicted to black and white, I went with three different colorless patterns for my apron, and I love them together.  The solid-colored fabrics were to replicate the apron in the pattern picture.  And finally, a "baking and old lady" inspired pattern with a matching solid and polka dot (when I'm old I will wear purple).

It's been awhile since I've sewn anything from a pattern.  I couldn't believe how smooth it was on the new machine.  The other thing I realized this time around was the importance of ironing when it says to iron.  Do it!  Look at the perfectly pressed pockets!

Handy pockets for utensil storage.

My favorite part of the pattern is the geometric bib.  I love the shapes and the way the patterns look together.  I had to be extra careful on this part, but it paid off and the points met the border just the way they were supposed to.

The finished bib with ties.

And finally, they saved the hardest part for last.  Putting every piece together.  The gathered apron is sewn to the bib is sewn to the waistband is sewn to the ties and on and on and on.  And finally a slip stitch to cover the gathering on the inside (yes, even the inside is fancy).

I never want to get food on it, that's for sure, so I don't know how practical it will be.  But it's pretty!

...a Productive Vacation.

Yes, it's true.  I went on vacation.  Here is what I intended to accomplish while away:

• Two blog posts featuring an assortment of things I did on vacation
• Black Friday shopping
• Dressing cute in cold weather
• Tons of pictures
• Not gain my annual Thanksgiving pounds
• Make a delicious Thanksgiving feast
• Build a big foam airplane to fly with my dad
• Go out with friends

I didn't get it all done.  No sir.  Let's go down the list.

Blog posts.   No.  Did not even log in or jot down an idea or take a meant-for-blog picture.  Not sure I even thought about it.

Black Friday Shopping.  Got myself a phone.  The LG-G2.  I like it, and I like that there was no tax.  Three cheers for Oregon!  I also did a little Amazon shopping, but no amazing deals.

Dressing Cute.  Ha.  Not even.  I dressed in sweatshirt the whole time.  That's right.  One sweatshirt.  Went out in it, slept in it, and kept myself nice and toasty in it.  Then there was the one night I went out in the sweatshirt, Christmas pajama pants, and...wait for it...yellow and pink tie-dye Crocs.  Oh yeah.  Cute stuff.  

Tons of Pictures.  Probably the least amount of pictures ever taken on a trip.  Here are some of the finest gems.

The popular "Hey, I'm in a kitchen!" selfie.

Dad's annual "This turkey must be a boy turkey" joke.

And finally, "Demon Dog with Underbite."

Thanksgiving Pounds.  Gained 'em.  Moving on.

Delicious Thanksgiving Feast.  Well, I think I already answered that.  But I'll say more.  I contributed deviled eggs, baked mac 'n' cheese with toasted breadcrumbs, and a chocolate pudding pie with a homemade Oreo crust.  My sister and I also whipped up an amazing chocolate chip espresso cheesecake.  No biggie.

Deviled eggs, a green bean casserole, and my tasty mac 'n' cheese.

Espresso Cheesecake, Oreo Chocolate Puddin' Pie, and Costco Pumpkin Pie.  Gross, right?

Build a Foam Airplane. Another big "Ha!"  Not sure how I thought I would find time for this on my four-day trip to Portland.  My dad builds these cool planes and flies them with a remote control.  He wants me to make one for the blog.  If he buys me a remote control I will.

Go out with Friends.  Not quite, but I did get to stay in with a friend a couple times.  She just had a baby (her third boy) and he was absolutely adorable, just like his big brothers.  I'll mark this list item a success!

So, I didn't get to accomplish or even attempt everything on my list, but I could have done a lot worse.  I didn't even throw up on the plane ride!  And hey, look at me, I got a blog post out of it after all.