Shelby's Homemade Halloween

At 28 months, Shelby finally gets the concept of Halloween.  For two months, she's told anyone that will listen that she is going to be a mermaid and get candy.  I think every single employee at Joann's Fabric is well aware of her costume by this point.

Finding an easy mermaid pattern was harder than I thought.  Sure, there were several by McCalls and Simplicity, but I was gently told those were too hard for a beginner.  Well, watch out Project Runway, because I designed my own. 

The wig sounded like fun, so I started with it.  E-6000 glue is my new BFF.  I used it to glue yarn and shells to a headband.  It turned out so cute that I made another one for my cousin's daughter also.

Next, it was time to start sewing.  The tail fin was first.  I just drew out a pattern and then cut out the scale fabric.  I had to use no-iron sew-in lining since the fabric melted just by leaving it in the sun.

 I then attached that to a skirt that will be lucky to hold together past 10/31/10.  I predict the elastic will slip out before we make it to the neighbor's front porch...

 Next came some sequin gluing with the magical E-6000 and some added tulle to give the illusion of waves.  Get it?

  The swimsuit fabric for the top was a lucky find in the remnant bin.  I just played around with it for a couple of hours weeks until a shirt appeared.  Shelby then glued sequins and jewels wherever she pleased.  After she went to bed, I re-glued with good ol' E-6000.  That skirt may fall apart, but those sequins aren't going anywhere!

Unfortunately, the tulle and sequins made the inside quite scratchy.  The only way to get Shelby to wear her costume was to put a top and pants underneath.  In the end, I was very excited to see her trick-or-treat in an original costume!

All in all, I had a blast being creative and can't wait until next year.  Heck, I might even make costumes for Bryon and me!

Haley's Homemade Halloween

The very first thing I wanted to sew with my new sewing machine was Halloween costumes for the girls.  Growing up, my mom usually made ours, and they seemed to last a whole lot longer than the plastic ones from TG&Y.  I think my sister and I played with the clown costume for at least a decade, and it lasted longer than the rainbow wig that went with it!

First up was Haley's costume.  Deciding what to make her was easy.  From the day she was born, I called her "My Little Octopus" since she never stopped moving.  Dressing an octopus would be easier than getting her pj's on at night!  Anyway, I found a great tutorial on marthastewart.com.  The directions were easy enough.  Bryon was able enlarge the pattern on his work printer, so I first pieced it together along with Shelby's "help".

She also helped me make the bobbin.  Something about the sound of the machine and her unending curiosity brought back lots of fond memories of my mom sewing for us.

Jealous of my craft room?  It also doubles as the bathroom!

Being quite the designer, I changed up the pattern a little bit, cutting some of the head section off and using pom-poms for the eyes to give it a little more whimsy. I also let Haley pick the color by holding her up to the bolts of fabric and buying the first one she touched.  Tim Gunn would be proud of her choice.

After two months of encouragement and practice, I've finally convinced Haley to wear her creation long enough to snap a picture or two! 

Lovin' the lollipop

Can something that sucks be all that great?

My vacuum works perfectly fine.  It makes nice, pretty lines in the carpet like it should.  It even claims to clean allergens and crap out of the air.  Who am I to question it?  The only complaint I have is that it is HEAVY.  I work up a sweat once a month (ha!) using it in the hallway to pick up smooshed crackers.  Gloria, my dear housekeeper/nanny, probably curses it once a week...

Anyway, several people had told me how the Dyson had changed their lives.  REALLY?  To tell the truth, I wasn't really buying it.  My shopping bible, Consumer Reports, told me it wasn't worth the price and that "ball" thing was just a gimmick.  Again, who was I to question it?

Well, I fell for that gimmick this week.  I blame Target.  For the whole month, employees each got one coupon for 40% off a Dyson.  Considering they never go on sale, it got my attention.  I have a real problem passing up a good deal.  Label something at "75% off", and I'm drawn to it like a moth to a flame, even if it is something I really don't need.  Needless to say, I couldn't let it go.

After three short assembly steps, I quickly put my two-year-old to work.  I'll let you know what Gloria thinks!

Our Diva Turns One, Part II

"Happy Birthday" in Chinese

Haley's second first birthday party (make sense?) was here in Texas for all of my family and a few friends.  Before I read the fine print, I accidentally signed up to host a Thai Kitchen house party (check out all the fun parties at houseparty.com) on the exact same day.  OOPS!  Because Thai food doesn't exactly scream "Welcome to Toddlerhood", I came up with the lame idea of making her party Asian-themed.  So, I did my best to incorporate curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, and jasmine rice into sweet baby Haley's party.  The resulting menu:

Spring Rolls, Red Curry Pork, Chicken Satay, Creme Brulee*, "Sushi" Cake, Pot Stickers, Fried Rice, and a Texas flag for Haley

*Yes, I know Creme Brulee is NOT an Asian dish, but the recipe called for coconut milk and was delicious!

Fun activities included decorating a fan or parasol with stickers and markers, sampling all the weird food, attempting to keep Shelby from sticking her fingers in the cake, keeping the Mai Tai drinks iced down, and running around the back yard squealing in the most "adorable" high pitched sounds ever! 

Can you spot a big sister sneaking some icing?

And, as a final announcement, the winner of this year's "Most Played With Gift" goes to Mimi.  The "Poppy Balls" toy has kept both girls quite entertained going on a whole FOUR days now!  

Our Diva Turns One, Part I

In true Pfaff Pfashion, Haley celebrated her birthday with TWO parties.  The first was with our New Mexico friends and family at Chuck E. Cheese.  It was the first, and possibly the last, time Grandma and Grandpa Pfaff had ever been there.  

Haley was showered with lots of love and attention.  Meeting Animated Chuck E. brought out a little hesitation.  She wasn't too impressed with Mascot Chuck E., especially when he tried to put a plastic birthday crown on her head!  But Mascot Chuck E. redeemed himself when he put a gold medal around her neck. She also enjoyed riding in the car with Plastic Chuck E.  Mom was thankful there weren't any Up Chuck E.'s!

 Animated Chuck E.

Happiness is a Gold Medal from Mascot Chuck E.

Plastic Chuck E., in all of his germy-ness glory!

I was really hoping Haley's beautiful chubby face would light up with her first few bites of cake, but she wasn't nearly as into it as her older sister.

At the end of the party, Haley gave Bryon a rare gift.  Is there anything more heart-warming than a baby sleeping in her daddy's arms?

Day Tripper

Back before we had our leeches little pumpkins, we would always head to Santa Fe while visiting Janice and Norman in Rio Rancho.  Our day trip was great fun and always included lunch at Tomasita's, shopping at Jackalope, drinks at Maria's, and gambling at Sandia on the way back to Rio Rancho.

Skip ahead two years.  Feeling stupid ambitious, we ventured out on our little day trip with the girls.  This time, Santa Fe included lunch at Tomasita's (some things never change!), discovery at the Children's Museum, and shopping at the produce stand for two bushels of roasted Hatch green chili.

Bryon's Mecca--Just look at that smile!

Composing a tune with dad at the museum

Scheming her next shenanigan

Oh, come on, it isn't THAT hot.  (Just kidding.  We didn't make her eat it!)

Hard to tell, but Shelby is covering her ears from the sound of the chili roasters

It was definitely a different trip than before, but we had a great time viewing Bryon's hometown through the eyes of our kids.  I can't wait until they are old enough to roll their eyes at me while I tell them for the twentieth time, "See the Loretto Chapel?  That's where Mommy and Daddy got married."

The Girls' First "Crain" Ride

Ah, the joy of youth!  It was such a delight to experience Shelby and Haley's first train ride.  We recently went to Rio Rancho, New Mexico to visit Bryon's family.  His parents purchased a new house in Los Lunas, so all the girls (Grandma, the two squirts, and me) all decided to ride the "crain" down to take a look.  Bryon and Grandpa dropped us off at the "Kiss and Ride".

Shelby instructed us on the route.

We waited and waited for the train to arrive. 

When it finally did, the girls squealed in delight and quickly hopped on.

Shelby picked our seats. (reminds me of an old joke...)

We made the ticket lady pose for pictures.  

And we did our best to keep Wiggle Worm entertained.  The stairs were just too much temptation for Miss Haley...

An hour later, we arrived at the Los Lunas train station.  I have to say, it was the most memorable "crain" ride of my life!