A Memorable Weekend

Weekends like this past one I had are only for the very young, or very rested up.  It was almost all a blur to me because I was so tired.  Tired isn't even the word.  Four hours of sleep in a three day period just isn't healthy.  At all.  What I do remember was pretty awesome, though!

My little sister and her family came to see Morgan's concert in Houston. 

Each member of Happy! Project has a signature color, and Morgan's is yellow.  So, to support your favorite member, ya just gotta wear their color, right?  Here's only part of Team Morgan.  The others were checking out all the panels at the convention.

We probably weren't very polite about having respect for the girls getting ready for the show, but hey, we insisted on going backstage to watch Morgan having her stage makeup being applied.  WOW, so glad for those lights to tone it down a notch!  

And here she is on stage, getting ready for her duet.

I didn't get very many pictures because my flash just wouldn't reach.  I do have a video clip somewhere, though.

Remember the maid costume?  Of course you do.  Here it is on the girl it was made for.  Bad picture, but cute kid!

Oh, here's that clip:

This picture was stolen from someone at the concert.  It's before their Q&A panel, I'm thinking.

Rehearsals

From the Comicpalooza website for Memorial Day Weekend:

Ok, I could do this all day.  This has been a very busy and fortunate few weeks for the girls.  So many things have happened and they are really getting out there.  Ever listen to the radio and you hear something like this?.." Hi, I'm Reba McIntyre and you are listening to Kicks 105.1"  Well, Happy! Project had the opportunity to do it themselves!  It went something like this: "Hi, I'm Melissa, I'm Kristy, I'm Tara, and I'm Morgan. We are Happy! Project and you are listening to Anime Radio!"  Yep, that's stinking amazing.

After the concert, we went to Kemah Boardwalk and had a little fun.  My sister, Janet and I ran away to get wet on the speedboat.  Mission accomplished, but no pics of that just yet.

Then, on to Galveston Island.  No pics here, either.  I was too tired to care.  Salty air also reeks havoc on a lens without protection.  I've experienced it.



Finished Product

I so whipped up on that pattern and showed it who's boss!  I finished almost last minute, but I finished and that's all that matters.  I can't show the complete ensemble as Morgan didn't have it all with her.  So, with that being said, completed, it has a lot more white than it shows.  The apron is white (not shown) and honestly, I wanted to add some ruffles in the front, but Morgan wanted it plain.  It's hers so she's boss.  Turned out quite cute, if I do say so myself.  I'm just glad to have it finished! 

Tomorrow we go to her concert, but this dress is for another gig they do, that we won't see.  I'll be sure to make Happy! Project take some pictures of her in it so I can show the complete outfit.  Anyway, what it looks like without all that...Oh, and in order for me to put the blouse on Fushia, I had to shrink her waist and bust.  So, on Morgan, the dress is more form fitting than that picture shows. 

Fuschia Plurn

Meet Fuschia Plurn.

She's a gift from me to Morgan about a year ago when I realized she would have to make her costumes for her performances.  Her name?  Well, it's silly, but that's just how we roll around here.  I said she was a fuschia color, but Morgan disagreed.  We decided to look on the box and it said Plum.  The "m" was scratched a little, so I thought it said "plurn"  After a silly laugh, we called her that from then on. 

She's my help-mate when Morgan's not here since she is set at Morgan's measurements.  I haven't had to use her since the last time I tried this maid costume making thing, but we decided to bring her out again to see if she'd be a better help than last time.  So far so good.  I haven't ironed the seams yet, so it looks crooked in the picture, but seriously, it's straight.

Lori - 1     Simplicity - 0

Ok, honestly, the score is tied right now.  I'm really not in the lead.  I did have to rip some seams and Morgan caught me with her camera.  This was only one seam...so far.

Day 3 progress:  (didn't do anything on Day 2)

All fabric cut out
Skirt panels sewn together
Straps and bodice sewn

Yay for me.  I'm not crazy...yet.

Simplicity Isn't So Simple

Simplicity to me is a great idea.  I believe it's the ideal way to live, but the hardest thing to go back to once you are far from it.  It's tough trying to get back to the basics when I'm so used to all the wonderful technology and such in this day and time.  Simplicity.  The way of life where less is more, but that is not at all what this post is about.

Simplicity....sewing patterns.  I LOATHE sewing.  Ok? 

Last year, Morgan had to have a maid costume for Happy! Project.  Seemed simple enough.  I had made many Halloween costumes for her in the past without a pattern.  A maid costume didn't seem at all difficult.  That was until I decided to try to follow a pattern.

Let's rewind back to when I took Home Ec. in high school.  We had a choice of making either a simple shirt with a band around the middle or a VERY simple skirt that was made of two pieces and an elastic waist and a hem.  I chose the skirt.  The students who picked the skirts to make started first, while the ones who chose the shirts did other things.  When we were all finished with our skirts, we did other things while the shirts were being made by the other people.  Thank God I didn't choose the shirt.  I couldn't figure out a pattern to save my life and wound up sewing on that thing even after everyone was finished and the shirts were being made.  That's when I figured out I wasn't going to be a seamstress. 

So, I never ever wanted to see another pattern again and just made things by eyeballing them.  I have to admit though, those Halloween costumes I've made in the past were pretty stinking fancy.

I was rushed last year making Morgan's maid costume and even stayed up all night in Dallas sewing away at it, trying to get it finished for her the next day.  Long story short, it looked pathetic when it was finished.  It was nothing that couldn't be hidden, but it wasn't as short as the other girls' and was nowhere near as gathered as their's were. 

Morgan has another concert this weekend and has to have her maid costume.  There's no way my child is going to wear that ugly thing.  I'm in the process of attempting to make her another one.  Before this weekend.  Oi.  I loathe sewing!

We couldn't find a pattern for a maid costume, but we did find a Wizard of Oz, Dorothy dress pattern that she says will work.  We shall see.  She wanted a jumper type anyway.  It won't be as long as the pattern, but if I can't handle that, then I don't need to be anywhere near a sewing machine.  Maybe I shouldn't be anyway.

This marks the end of Day 1 since I started tonight.  Honestly, cutting out just the pattern for the part we will be working with was enough for one day for me:

This is my brain on Simplicity:



Did I mention I LOATHE sewing? 

Just making sure.

Superstar of the Family

As I've mentioned before, Morgan is a part of a J-Pop singing group and is gone most of the time to Dallas for rehearsals and such.  It's very time consuming and is hard on the wallet in my pocket and tires on my car.  It's all worth it, though, because it's something she enjoys very much.

Just this past week, the group was featured in a newspaper in Oklahoma and on an internet radio station.  They met with a music composer and, well, I'll just post the link, so I don't say anything wrong.

Happy! Project Debut Single

Morgan came home last night just full of excitement.  I've also said before how I didn't care for this at all until I saw her first concert.  That's when I fell in love.  I can't understand the lyrics, but seeing my baby girl up there on stage and completely out of her shell is just heaven to me.  They sound and look so great when they have all the equipment needed to perform...unlike at her birthday party, but oh well.  We get to see another concert in Houston this weekend.  I'm so pumped for it!

I'm not sure clicking on this twice will allow the print to be read, but it's worth a shot.

WOW. Just Wow.

So, I've mentioned it hasn't rained much at all this spring.  In fact, since spring, we are having our 3rd rain as I type this.  We have fought fires while being under major drought.  Even after that hard storm we had a week or so ago, we were still under a burn ban.

Just today that same burn ban was in effect.  Now we are under flood warning.

Crazy, yes?  The phrase "Everything's bigger in Texas" rings true.

Another Prop Haul

Allison and I decided to run down to the end of the street to check out a fairly new resale shop in town.  I wasn't impressed at first, until I did another walk through.  That's when I found three items I've been searching for to use as photo props.  Yay!

I couldn't even get a shot at first due to Angel and Izzy trying to get to know the new "pet".  Silly animals.

We have been on the run over the past week or two and I'm about ready to settle down, but nothing looks promising in the near future.  I have at least a dozen people wanting portraits, so I need to get with it.  The ones I'm really anxious for right now is one with my niece.  I have so many ideas going through my mind with her's.

I was online window shopping the other day and found prices of a certain item to be entirely too expensive.  Knowing I'm going to need a handful of them, I decided to see how to make them.  Wow, SIMPLE!  I made 5 last night.  What am I talking about?  You will see in my next post. ;)

Awesome Models

I had beautiful models today for the two photoshoots I did.  I've been told I have to go to bed now, so I'm just going to post one picture for the moment.  I have about 300 I'm going to have to go through, so they are going to have to wait. 

This is Morgan's precious little sister, Madlynn.  My heart doesn't know she's not my child.  I just adore her...and her brother!

More later...

Photo Prop Haul

ROW is going to have to wait another day or two.  I'm having to move furniture around and Allison and I struggled with a mirror in another room to the point of exhaustion for me.  I need a break. So, with that being said....

This is actually my first prop haul in years.  I've had to get rid of everything I've ever gotten before, due to moving and such.  So, these are the things I got today. 

Absolutely cannot wait to use them this weekend.  Some of them anyway.  I just love flea markets.  Now, if only they sold storage buildings...

Not in Kansas Anymore

I had a shot of energy yesterday.  I can't explain it, but it was thrilling.

Since Clayton's chainsaw is gas powered and I refuse am not allowed to use it (because I'm accident prone), I've eyed some hand tools in garden centers everywhere.  I've eyed the pruning and brush saws thinking WHATEVER!!!  There is NO WAY I'm doing this brush around here by hand.  Well, I looked again yesterday and felt the blade.  Hmmm pretty sharp, but eh.  I bought it anyway. 

Boy Howdy, was it ever sharp!  It was effortless!  Impressive.  Allison saw me working and came out to help.  She's such a great helper! 

With Allison's help and the help of my new little saw, some new sharp loppers, a tubing rope and Clayton's truck, we actually accomplished something in about two hours.  I only stopped to take Clayton to the airport and when I got back, it was dark.  I'm so ready to get more of it done. 

It was painless. 

When I got back from the airport, I had almost forgotten about it.  When I turned the corner of our driveway, I was shocked. 

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.  Looks sooo much bigger, just with that little bit gone.  Imagine the possibility of no more brush around my property.  WoooHooo!