brownies and a snafu

everyone could use some butterscotch brownies.  they're probably my favorite dessert of all time.  when i 1st took this batch out of the oven, they were gooey.  probably too gooey:

so, i put them back in the oven and rebaked!  i find that this tends to result in overly dry baked goods (i had taken them out for several hours and then realized how raw they were when i went to cut them).  however, these stayed chewy!

bunks gets tired of all these chocolate goods.  he loves when i make banana bread or pies because then he benefits from any fruit bits that i drop on the floor.

i'm currently taking a break between parent teacher conferences.  bad news... just realized last night that my blue zipper is not navy, so i have to wait until after conferences to rush to the store before it closes to get the right zipper!  noooooo, my dress likely will not be done on time for tomorrow, my last day of conferences!  fingers crossed!

parent teacher conferences dress?

this is the newest project on the docket:  simplicity 1755.  leanne marshall, the designer of this pattern, was the season 5 winner of project runway.  she's brilliant.  her designs are intricate!  i'm planning on making the style of the gold dress, but at the length of the plaid one.  so, essentially i'm making the plaid part of the middle dress, but with a collar and without the sleeves.

i'm using this vintage fabric that my colleague carin gave me from her mother's stash!

this project is taking forever!  why?  well remember how i described leanne's patterns as being intricate?  well, look at this panel of pleats...

there are 8 total panels of pleats (6 along the skirt, 2 along the neckline).  ahhhhh!!!!!  let's hope i finish by next thursday!

lucky dog

yes, i made a stocking for a dog.  jimmy's got one lucky dog.  we all know how long it takes me to sew anything, and few friends have benefited from my laborious hobby.  even bunks hasn't gotten anything from me yet!  instead of cross-stitching just her initial, i decided to stitch her whole name, since 3 letters wasn't going to kill me.  here is the cross-stitching fabric, all centered and ready.

once her name was stitched, i pulled out the white threads one at a time so that just the letters remained!

the final result was pretty cute.  i'm not that big on quilting, but these stockings are manageable.

i've now realized that you don't really see the backs of stockings, so i took it easy this time and just used doggie flannel leftover from jimmy's flannel pants.  "woof ruff woof ruff"

i made a little tab so that jimmy could hang the stocking for mia from his fireplace mantel:

and inside, more woof ruff flannel with some extra owl flannel way inside!  like with liz's stocking, i also stitched down the inside lining so that it wouldn't wiggle around.  that step is easily my least favorite in this whole project.  it's so tedious and i often stab myself from the blind hand-sewing.

merry christmas, mimi!  i'm not a fan of dogs, but you're ok!  bunks agrees!

valentine's bunnies

now that i am the faculty advisor to student council, i get roped into all baking endeavors.  the kids decided to make valentine's day a day of good deeds.  of course, this included handing out free candy and baked goods.  since i still have 20 lbs of flour from a costco run, many bunny cookies were made!  here were the cream of the crop:

medium well:

do you like your bunnies well-done?  hehehe.  i saved these for me...  sorry kids!

another snowpacalypse?

supposedly we're getting another blizzard in nyc...  well, bunks is ready!