Pissed off Grizzly Day (formerly known as: Ground Hogs Day)

I'd like to start out by point out that Bing, needs to do more research before updating their cover photo.  (here it is for you)

This is actually a Yellow-bellied marmot (scientific name:  Marmota flaviventris - commonly known as the Rock Hog).  Not to be confused with the "GROUND HOG"  (scientific name: Marmota monax - commonly known as the Woodchuck).   Same Genus, DIFFERENT SPIECIES, People!!!!!

Ok.  I feel a little better now. 

Instead of reiterating what I have been saying for years, I will just leave you with a nice compilation of my previous rants for you to peruse at your leisure.  

Oh yes, and for those of you that care (I don't), Poor Punxsutawney Phil "saw his shadow" so there is 6 more weeks for winter coming. 

2013

I have been trying to forget what day it is ALL DAY! But my lovely family won't let me forget it! I've got texts and Facebook posts just rubbing it in....

Even though I find myself a measly 3 hours away from that wondrous woodchuck, that marvelous marmot, I still couldn't get in the spirit of this most ridiculous holiday. You've all heard about my feelings on how poor Phil (and general Beauregard ) are treated. Would you treat a bear this way? Lets try it! Next year lets have a grizzly step in for Punxsutawney Phil! Lets see how he handles it. After waking him up early from hibernation, and shining a light in his face, let's stop and take a second and look for a shadow! While he rips us to shreds on television we can base the coming spring on how many people die!!! 0-7 means an early spring, and 7 + means its going to be a long winter!

Who's with me??? February 2nd is no longer Groundhogs day... It's PISSED OFF GRIZZLY DAY!

Grizzlys can definitely predict the weather better than a groundhog.

2012

That's right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's... Groundhogs Day!

Let me start by saying that Groundhogs, A.K.A. Woodchucks are one of the few species that enter in to true hibernation. They hibernate better than bears. SO LET THE POOR GUY SLEEP!!!! They hibernate from October to March, or even April. NOT FEBRUARY 2nd! I don’t like to wake up 5 minutes before my alarm. Could you imagine getting woken up 2 months early? Come on! Most people don’t realize that groundhogs breeding season starts the end of March, beginning of April, right after they WAKE UP. S0- let poor Punxsutawney Phil rest up, so he’s ready to romance his lady-friend.(her name is Phyllis, just so you know)

People only talk about Phil. Good ol' Punxsutawney Phil, and his big fancy, formal event with all those tuxedos and top-hats. but what about General Beauregard Lee? He's a General For Pete's sake! Why isn't he as famous, if not more so? or Queen Charlotte? a Queen People! Not to mention, Staten Island Chuck, Woodstock Willie, Buckeye Chuck, Stormy marmot - Out in Colorado, or even Gus. So many great groundhogs in our time, and the only one with Celebrity status is Phil. And why is Phil so famous, you ask? Bill Murray.  Thats why. But Not Andie McDowell.... In my world, she doesn't exist. Her and Jamie Lee Curtis. But I digress. That stupid movie back in 1993 brought Punxsutawney Phil to the lime-light, leaving all those other groundhogs in the shadow... (pun intended). Funny story: the movie was released on February 12th... Umm. 10 days late people.

Why on earth, is this a formal Event??? The first thing I see after sleeping for 5 months better be a nice breakfast, and a hot shower, NOT a bunch of middle-aged guys in tuxedos! And why doesn’t Punxsutawney Phil get a tuxedo? If nothing else, how about a bow-tie? Oh, and I just found this out: This year marks the 2nd annual “Breakfast with Phil Event” you can now buy a ticket ($10 – what a rip-off) in which you can get up close and personal with Phil for photo-ops and to feed him a nut or two!!! So now were going to start shoving food down his throat? This brings me back to the fact that he should still be hibernating, and NOT EATING, as he probably stored up enough fat earlier in the year before he went into HYBERNATION!!!

2011

Let me start by saying that Groundhogs, A.K.A. Woodchucks (Wink, wink Breanna Yennie) are one of the few species that enter in to true hibernation. They hibernate better than bears. SO LET THE POOR GUY SLEEP!!!! They hibernate from October to March, or even April. NOT FEBRUARY 2nd! I don’t like to wake up 5 minutes before my alarm. Could you imagine getting woken up 2 months early? Come on! Most people don’t realize that groundhogs breeding season starts the end of March, beginning of April, right after they WAKE UP. S0- let poor Punxsutawney Phil rest up, so he’s ready to romance his lady-friend.(her name is Phyllis, just so you know) Speaking of Punxsutawney… So lets wake up this poor ground hog 2 months early and shine all these bright lights on him, make lots of noise, and see how long he stays out of his hole. And HELLO- the ground is all snow-covered. What happens when a bright light hits the snow? It reflects and blinds people. He might actually see a shadow, but come on, I can barely see right in front of me on a sunny winters day. He’s probably blinded, and can’t see his own shadow, even if there is one! And why does Punxsutawney Phil get all the publicity? Bet you’ve never even heard of the second-most famous Groundhog: General Beauregard Lee, which by the way has had the opposite prediction of Punxsutawney Phil every year for the last 4 years, running!

And don’t even get me started on the tuxedos! (too late…)

Why on earth, is this a formal Event??? The first thing I see after sleeping for 5 months better be a nice breakfast, and a hot shower, NOT a bunch of middle-aged guys in tuxedos! And why doesn’t Punxsutawney Phil get a tuxedo? If nothing else, how about a bow-tie? Oh, and I just found this out: This year marks the 2nd annual “Breakfast with Phil Event” you can now buy a ticket ($10 – what a rip-off) in which you can get up close and personal with Phil for photo-ops and to feed him a nut or two!!! So now were going to start shoving food down his throat? This brings me back to the fact that he should still be hibernating, and NOT EATING, as he probably stored up enough fat earlier in the year before he went into HYBERNATION!!!

Gown for the Marine Corps Ball - Part I

Attending the Marine Corps Birthday Ball every year can be quite spendy.  The dress, the shoes, the hair, not to mention the cost of the ticket!  Your first thought would be that the men get off easy, wearing their uniforms, but that isn't usually the case.  Every year so far, we have had to purchase something new for the Hubby -  a new set of pants, maybe a new blouse, or he's received a new medal, which means they all need to be re-mounted. Remember back, to how much Prom cost?  This is relatively similar, but then you also pay for your drinks too!

Now, a little secret is:  Most wives can get away with owning 4 gowns.  You wear one a year for the 4 years at your current duty station, and then you move, and can wear the four gowns again, for the next 4 years.  But having babies can really put a hiccup in that plan.  I have 2 dresses, pre-baby, that are WAY too small, and one is too large, as it was worn less than 4 months after having baby E. I suppose I could wear the gown I made in 2011, but to be honest, I really didn't care for how that dress came out. (see the pale pink number below) And since we were at this unit last year, I obviously can't wear the same dress!!!

I decided to be as frugal as possible this year.  I had an idea in my head, of what I wanted the dress to look like, I just needed to find the fabric....

Going through my fabric stash, I found the pale pink satin remnant from my 2011 gown, modeled here with the lovely Hailley :)

 

 

 and the pattern I used for part of my 2012 gown.... 

 

I played around with the chunk of fabric quite a bit, decided I could make it work, and then headed out to the fabric store to find everything else I would need.   I stumbled upon a really pretty black fabric that had flowers embroidered along the bottom with some sequins mixed in.  Unfortunately, there wasn't quite two yards left (I thought I might barely be enough for what I wanted) and some of the sequins were missing along the bottom edge. I talked them in to discounting the fabric by 50% (plus it was already on sale) and just bought a cheap pack of sequins to replace the missing (seriously took my 10 minutes to fix it).

 

I also bought some tulle, and a few more beads for adding to the fabric, as well as a zipper and whatnot.  I came away only spending $17.00!  (and I may not even needed everything I bought!)  As soon as I got home, I grabbed my sketchpad and got my idea on paper.  Once I reveal the final outcome I will include my drawing, so you can see it from concept to final product.

 

 

Time to get started!

I knew that to make the pink satin work, I was going to need to alter the pattern to get everything to fit.  The pattern had a line marked that you can use to lengthen (or shorten) the pattern.  I added a seam allowance on either side of it, and cut, creating an empire waistline.

 

 The lining laid out in order...

 E came to see how I was doing and immediately posed when he saw the camera....  :)

 I also decided that the bodice needed a little extra fabric, to stiffen it up.  (I didn't think to buy interfacing, so  I just used a remnant of white cotton I had on hand.  (worked well, but did make my seams a bit thick.

 

 

 Bodice together. 

 

One other change I made, was to place the zipper in the side seam under my right arm instead of the center back of the dress. (You will see why, once I work the black fabric into the dress).

I then sewed the skirt pieces together and attached....  But I forgot to take a picture!!!


... Stay tuned for Part II....

 



Play Doctor! No Sew Bandages - Level: Super Easy

My Little guy is on a HUGE  "Doc McStuffins"  kick.  He gives check ups, and sings the songs and everything...  I found an awesome play Veterinarian Kit at a garage sale for $1, and added his toy phone (so his animals can call when there is an emergency).

But every Doc needs some Bandages.  If you are a thrifty mom like me, there is no way you'd hand over a box of pricey Band Aids, am I right?

What you'll need:

Scissors
No-Sew fabric glue (or any craft glue)
Felt (9" X 12" sheet usually costs $1-$2. White or tan)
Velcro

1.  I started by cutting strips about 1 1/2" 

(I cut the white sheet length wise, and the tan sheet width wise for different sized bandages). 

2.  Round the corners

3.  Cut a piece of Velcro (you only need the "teeth" side)  about 3/4" long.

4.  Add a small dab of fabric glue to the back side of the Velcro.  spread it out, creating a thin layer of glue across the entire back. Attach to one end of your felt strip. Press firmly.

5.  Let it dry.

6.  Give bandage to your little Doc, and watch them fix up their toys

The great part about the different lengths, is that even if it is too long, just wind it around, and the Velcro can attach anywhere on the felt!