finger thumb

archer

Do you ever have that thing where your kid turns to you over breakfast and says "oh, you know I need a medieval archer costume for school tomorrow right?" 

sigh. 

I did NOT know that.

"It's a good thing I remembered today, hey Mom?"

Yes, yes its a very good thing that I have 24 hours notice on your need for a home-made costume. Whew. What a relief!

So with a quick bit of brainstorming before he got on the bus, he found the green sweatshirt lining from his spring coat and said "its easy mom, all you need to do is make an old fashioned-y looking hood and then snap it on to here or something. And Dad can make me a bow. You tell him before he goes to work, ok?"

So I made a quick stop at the fabric store between swimming lessons and a doctors appointment and then with the hour I had in the afternoon, I whipped up a hood and attached some snaps and voila, we have a costume!

Of course, what really sells the whole thing in the bow. Which Hubs did not make. He just happens to already have it. He's a bit of a bow and arrow enthusiast, so he had a couple lying around, and this is a little junior sized compound bow. His packrat ways certainly do come in handy sometimes. 

It should go without saying that we did not send any arrows along with him. Obviously. 

Here's a shot of his hood from the back. Its just made from good ole' cheap craft felt, and I tacked the point down so that it would not look too comically elf-y. I didn't use a pattern or anything. Just folded the felt in half and laid a hoodie on it and cut out a more exagerated shape with a bit of a point on it, and a longer, rounded collar. Since it was felt, I didn't really have to do any hemming, though I did fold it over and hem in along the face edge, just because it looked nice. And then I attached it with four snaps along the collar of the sweatshirt, so that we can take it on and off for playing. 

"See Mom, this way its a crossbow."

There is nothing more satisfying than making something for your kid that they really, really like. He was so happy with this costume. The camo pants were his idea, and of course, the bow really made it, but I'm glad he was happy with this little hood. When he came out of his bedroom this morning and saw it lying on his chair, he said "Yeah, that's perfect! That's just the way I wanted it!"Medieval Archers - now with new and improved camouflage and sunglasses! Not so historically accurate, but he sure is Mommy's Little Badass.

cersi lannister costume

ok, please indulge my inner child for a few minutes here while I post about my Hallowe'en costume. I considered spending a full paragraph here apologizing/justifying my nerdiness and/or narcissism, but hey, if there is any place where it is appropriate for a full grown adult to display pictures of themselves dressed up as a fictional character from another planet, I think a personal blog on the good ole' internet is it. So, without further ado, here is the Cersi Lannister costume I made to wear this Hallowe'en. So, if you don't already watch Game of Thrones, you really should. Unless you are my Mother or Mother-in-Law (hi Moms!) in which case you should NOT. Definitely not. But if you don't, a quick bit of explanation here. Cersi Lannister is the Queen of a place called The Seven Kingdoms, on a continent called Westros in a fictional world created by George R.R. Martin in the series of books A Song of Ice and Fire. To quote wikipedia, "She is physically beautiful and intelligent, but she is also greedy, cruel, manipulative, and amoral; she is also short tempered and quick to hold grudges, as well as often rushing into situations without pausing to consider the consequences of her actions." Yeah, so not like she's my hero or anything, she's actually a pretty unsavoury character and definitely should win some sort of "Worst Mother in Westros" award. But still, I enjoy love/hating her in the show wherein she is played masterfully by Lena Heady, and also, has one of the best wardrobes in any fictional world. Hence my decision to dress up as her for Hallowe'en. Here is the costume that I was inspired by.

Though its a pretty limited image of that particular look, so here's another one. Different lighting and whatnot, but gives you a nice idea of the sleeves. 

And here is what I, with my limited sewing skills and budget, came up with.So basically this is really the first garment I have ever sewed. Its certainly not perfect, but for someone who up to this point has only ever sewn large flat rectangles (ie: quilts) I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 

The inspiration for Cersi's costumes in the television series is sort of a blend of traditional Kimono and high medieval styles. Knowing that, I bought McCall's costume pattern 2940, which is a simple kimono style robe pattern, and then I altered the crap out of it. Especially the sleeves.  Because the sleeves are really the key feature of this costume. I tightened up the upper arm, and then majorly expanded the cuffs for that long, rectangular banner-like effect. 

The twelve-year-old girl in me just adores the way that they billow when I walk. 

Also, since this is a Hallowe'en costume, I did not want to break the bank on it. So here's what I spent: $14.99 for a long burgundy high-waisted slip dress from Value Village. It was probably a bridesmaid's dress. I used it as the underskirt/layer of this costume. You can see it peaking out from under the robe at the bottom in the full length shots. Then, at the same Value Village I found a burgundy, jacquard woven tablecloth (in almost exactly the same shade as the underdress), with an acanthus motif for $7.99 which I used to make the robe itself. From my local fabric store, I bought a gold coloured imitation shantung silk remnant  for $4.00 which I used to edge the robe and sleeves. The gold cord tie on the belt was also a remnant, which cost $1.50. The faux leather that I used for the belt was the most expensive fabric, at $24.00 a meter, but I only bout a little bit of it, so it cost me $6.00 all together. For a grand total of, what, $34.50, give or take a few pennies. And I got to wear it three times over the Hallowe'en season, at various parties and of course, trick or treating (for which I paired it with a full length black cape. Yes, I own a full length black cape. Deal with it.)

As far as jewelry, I had to wear a big old ring...

and a big old locket...., both of which are just pieces of jewelry that I happen to already own anyways, so they did not cost me anything extra. Didn't want to shell out for the replica Cersi Lannister jewelry with thier house sigil on it. Would have been cool, but like it said this is a Hallowe'en costume and I had a budget. And barely noticeable under it all, are my sturdy brown riding-style boots. I just had no idea what sort of footwear to use. I have a feeling that Cersi probably glides around the Red Keep in some sort of delicate, soft, silent slippers (the better to overhear the intrigue my dear) but I spent a couple of hour's googling "Game of Thrones shoes" and "Footwear on Westros" to no avail. I mean, you can never see their shoes, so I guess its a moot point, but for such a completely visualized fictional world, I know they cannot have let the ball drop on footwear. I'm sure there is some crazy on-set cobbler making gorgeous made to measure quasi-archaic sandals and slippers and boots for that cast of hundreds, and I WANT TO SEE THEM ya'll! Get on it internet. 

Things I wish I had done better: I'd love to have had an actual metal belt like the one she wears in the show (and which you can see in the source pictures at the top of the post. I heard an interview with the costume designer Michele Clapton, talking about how Cersi often has some aspect of her clothing that is like armour, for both practical and emotional reasons, which is think is so interesting. So a metal corset/belt-y thing would have been nice. But I just haven't had any time to fire up the forge lately. Just a bit beyond my skill set. And I would have LOVED to have put in the time to embellish it with the embroidery as done in the original costume. I actually am a pretty accomplished embroiderer, and could probably pull off a dumbed down and passable version of the hummingbird detail (though nothing as amazing as the original work done by Michele Carragher, which you can see in insane detail here) but again, just didn't have the time to do it justice.  I need to thank my good friend Farihah Shah for obliging me an coming over on a wet, cold November morning to do this little shoot for me. I must say, it was funny to do a shoot and not really smile. Not really a grinner, that cersi. And I had a hard time pulling of Lena Headey's cold, self-satisfied smirk, or glowering disapproval. Mostly I just look gaunt. Could have been the cold. 

And of course, there were some distractions. Namely this guy, who under normal circumstances doesn't particularly care to pose for a picture, but as soon as you tell him to get out of the shot, there's no getting rid of him.
And also this guy: Mr. Action Hero Baby. I was of course, tempted to costume them as the little royal lords of Westros, but seeing as how Cersi's son Joffrey Lannister is the most hateful character in the history of Fantasy fiction, I just could not do that to either of my lovely boys. 

So now that I know I can sew a garment for an actual human body, there is an even bigger world of making out there for me to explore. I don't know if I have the time, patience or passion for it, but I just might have to try out a few simple, everyday things for myself. Though I do love an impractical sleeve.....

dressing up

I've been a little blue lately. I don't want to go into it at length here, but I'm just sort of feeling a bit crushed under the day-to-day. Anyhow, I've been looking for ways to improve my outlook. And I know it may seem silly, but one of the things that always improves my mood is a good outfit. Getting dressed has always been a creative act for me, but lately I've really gotten stuck in a frump rut. You know, same old jeans, same old t-shirt, same old cardigan. So I have challenged myself to dress up during the days. Yes, I know, I'm a stay-at-home-mom, and no one besides my kids and the occasional random service perons really sees me during the day. But never mind! For at least a week I'm going to get dressed up. UP I tell you! Into something fun, and impractical! Something I'd gladly wear to a gallery opening or to meet a fabulous friend for tea. A good outfit.

And luckily, it is the Hallowe'en season. My favourite thing about getting ready for Hallowe'en is doing a little thrifting because stores like Value Village and The Salvation Army collect items all year long that they classify as "costumes" and then put them out during the month before Hallowe'en. They may call them costumes, but I just call the clothes. There are often some stellar vintage pieces in there among all the old figure skating costumes and cheap hallowe'en capes. Anyhow, here's an awesome little dress I picked up at our local Salvation Army.

I can totallly see how this could be a Hallowe'en costume (evil dolly comes to mind, just needs some striped tights, crazy make-up and pony tails, and yer done) but I also think its just an adorable everyday dress. I've paired it with some thick red tights, and a pair of short high heeled boots that I got from the Value Village a couple of weeks ago. I know, right? So cute. And they were $9.99. Can't beat that with a stick. I have been wearing the heck out of these this fall. 

Also, this dress is amazingly comfortable - very fitted in the shoulders and neck, but no waistline to speak of, so there is plenty of room for breakfast. And second breakfast. And elevenses. 
The fabric is really lovely, with two differently scaled, but otherwise identical dot prints. What you can't see in this photo is that there is a very light stripe, in a softer shade of black, running in the background between the dots. Its a really nice effect. Also, I adore the tiny collar. 

This dress is not that old - I'm gonna say probably the early 80's - but what I love about vintage stuff (and find sadly lacking these days in the ready-to-wear market) is good detail. Note that the bib/frill thing is carried right around to the back of the dress. My pet peeve when I'm in stores these days is items that only have the detail on the front. Like sequins or embroidery that don't carry around to the back. Total cheap-out. And this one has a nice little set of hook-and-eye closures that help the collar to lay just right in the back too. The label says "Morine", which doesn't ring any bells, but that is neither here nor there. I've already worn this dress out once, and then around the house yesterday, and I'm sure I'll get much more wear out of it than that. Not bad for $5.99!

But more importantly, it made me feel happy. The flounce at the bottom flairs up beautifully when I run down the stairs, and it made me smile. You really can't ask for more from a dress than that. 

stripe-y baby

This is what happens when you gravitate towards stripes, and just happen to buy lot of them when choosing your children's clothing. Every now and again you end up dressing your child like the world's youngest circus trainee.

And by 'every now and again' I mean 'quite regularly'. I usually don't even notice the stripes-on-stripes-on-stripes styling until Hubs points it out. 

Its usually a bit more subtle (lots of grey and black combos) and less circus clown-y. But this particular mash-up was just so bright it deserved a picture. And I didn't intentionally dress him like this in the morning. He started his day in a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt and the stripe-y socks. But then we put the striped shirt on him at lunch as his eating shirt and the jeans got swapped out for these striped pants because they are soft, comfy pants and he was getting ready to go for his nap. The hat is purely his choice. Currently, its his favourite hat. He pulls it out of the 'Outdoor Stuff' box anytime he can to wear it around the house, and almost always wears it when we go out. And before you ask, I will tell you that it was crocheted by Oma back when the Little Dude was an even Littler Dude (here he is wearing it a few years ago, as he and Hubs built their tree fort). L.D. has almost outgrown it, and so it goes on down the line to the Baby.

Clothing aside, here is his newest 'trick'.He holds up that little pointer finger in the most serious manner and clearly tells you "One". As in "I want one of those." Namely, candy. Or rasins. Or crackers. Basically, if he detects that one of his parents is in the possesion of contraband (dropies or m&m's most likely), he motors on over to you as fast as he can, indicates the banned substance and with great gravitas brandishes that finger and pronounces "One!". 

Luckily for me, he has not figured out how to hold up two finger yet. He clearly gets this whole 'one' thing from me, because of my habit of limiting their intake of anything that I don't think is healthy. I'm not a total kill joy, (no 'nachos Flander's style' around here) but the last thing I need is two kids under five jacked up on sugar. So we have cookies, but we only get one cookie. And when there are cupcakes left over from birthday parties we eat them, but only one a day. I'm sure that they've heard me say a million times "alright, but only one." in my particular I-will-brook-no-disagreement-here tone of voice. I still have not gotten over the surreality of hearing my own words come out of my children's mouths, even if it is only one at a time. 

And unrelatedly, I quilted the second bib yesterday. Again, I tried not to do boring things, but still look for something that highlights the fabric's pattern. So I decided on quilting around the circles. I know, it may not seem very exciting, but I almost never do anything by right angles and straight lines when I machine quilt, so its a step in another direction for me. You can't really see it in this photo, but look at the other side:

Subtle but nice. Now I just have to get the binding on these things. Which takes a bit of time as I like to make the binding myself. Totally worth it for the extra pattern punch. 

vintage by bibu

I've made a new addition to my etsy shop. I'm selling vintage now! I mean, it was about time. I have more lovely vintage goodies crammed into this house than I know what to do with, and I figured it was time to stop hoarding and start sharing. I wasn't sure where to start (I have books, pyrex, knitting patterns, knick-knacks, clothes, jewelry, and fabric galore) but finally settled on these sweet little items that I really have no use for.  Dresses. Adorable, sweet little vintage girls dresses. 

Because its time to face the facts: I am a mother of boys. I do not currently have any little girls and it is very unlikely that I ever will. Because I think our little family is complete. And so, as I was digging through the cupboards the other day and found this box labeled "Girl Clothes" I knew that it was time to let it go.

These little dresses need to find a proper home, and it is just a shame that they are packed away in a box, never seeing the light of day. So I dressed up my little mannequin and had a fun little photoshoot and now am ready to send them off into the world, where they can dress up your adorable little girl. 
 

dressin' up

I don't know if you have this, but there are things I looked forward to as a parent. Before I was a parent, in my dream fantasies of the kids I'd have and the thing I'd do with them, playing dress up was way up there. I planned to have a tickle trunk full of fabulous dress up elements, hats and vests and skirts and wings and feather boas - the works. But then, you know, I actually had kids and it turns out it is way busier and much less dream-like than one imagines. Not that its not great, but you end up spending a lot of time on the general care and maintenance stuff (reading books while sitting next to a small child on a potty) and not as much on the dream-fantasy business (there's less running around in soft lens filtered daisy-filled meadows than I'd imagined). All the figuring out what school they are going to and making doctors appointments and trying to bake gluten free pitas (epic fail by the way) just kind of got in the way of filling up a tickle trunk. That shit takes time. Because you know how I don't like the commercial, pre-packaged Disney costume stuff. The plan was that I'd look for and find lots of perfect little child-sized treasures at the thrifts but I kind of forgot. I just haven't been proactive on this whole dress-up trunk plan. Good thing the kids are. Because little kids aren't stuck on details and prefect plans. They live in the moment and don't sweat the small stuff. My boys can find all they require for playing dress-up around the house. Necklace: check. Hat: check. Shoes: check. Random accessory: check.

 Basically it all starts with the necklace. If I leave a chain or a string of beads lying around they are on it like a pig on a potato. Then they hit the basket by the door that (barely) holds all our winter hats and mits and add to that. And voila, they are a whole different person. And they run up to me, all full of giggles and secrets. "Look Mom, Look! Guess who it is?" And after I wonder and hem and haw and fail to recognize them, the hat comes of and Whoa. The big reveal. "It was me all along!" Hilarity ensues.

And I love it. I love it just as much as I imagined I would. I love that they are discovering the transformative power of costume. I love their resourcefulness and creativity. Plus also, its hilarious.  I LOVE it when the Baby puts together his own costume.

He's always so pleased with himself.

I got tired of seeing all the toques and winter gloves the other day (not to mention tired of trying to find them back from wherever they've been discarded the next time we need to go outside) So I quickly dug in a box and found a few of my old hats.

You know, real hats. Vintage Lady hats from back when I was a devil-may-care teenager with a budding fashion sense and no self-consiousness whatsoever. Oh, and also a couple of little suitcases. All the better to cary your hats and lego in.

It cracks me up how unintentionally Flavor Flav this outfit is.

And this Baby sure knows how to put a look together. I think I may start wearing that hat again. Tres chic.

And often, as with most games around here, things can quickly devolve into craziness. We go from being in disguise to being monsters. Raaaawr.

And as the Little Dude would say "See monkey, Do monkey." Little Rawr.

Big Rawr. Yep, thats the close-up of my day. Hope that there are hats and necklaces in your day too.

evening wear

I've been working a lot of evenings lately. Which means I leave home at about 5:00 and don't return till about 11:00pm. So basically, I miss dinner and bathtime and tuck in time for bed.  I'm not home for what hubs and I refer to as "rush hour". The most jam packed (and I would add stressful) time of the parenting day. And I really appreciate that my husband handles this time on his own two and sometimes three times a week . Because I must say that I don't always feel, er, sad about leaving the house at this time, per se. There are days when I will admit that it feels downright good to get hugs and kisses from my little boys and then sweep out into the car, only a purse in hand, hair did, lookin' mall fancy and ready to spend the evening interacting with adults, instead of spending the next few hours making a meal while refereeing toy battles, cajoling reluctant eaters, washing squirmy splashers and wrestling little streakers into their pj's.

But of course, there are also days when it sucks. Days when I'm tired and just want to stay home, tuck the kids into bed, watch a little tv in the evening and go to sleep early. And days when I miss nursing my sweet bath-fresh baby and putting him to bed, and having story time with my big boy and hearing those last sleepy bits of conversation and "I love you's" after the lights are out. 

So last night I headed off to work, got home late, fell exhausted into bed. Was woken this morning by my poor coughing baby (still working out the last of the phlegm from that rotten croup) and when I got him out of bed, got the cutest surprise from my Hubs. He'd dressed the Baby in a pair of pyjamas that he'd received as a long ago baby present from one of my kind co-workers, but did not fit him till now. And I'd never seen them on him before. So here's the dapper little fellow that greeted me this morning.  Ach! So cyoot!

Tuxedo pyjamas. Seriously, could he be any more adorable? 

Its one of those little things about having kids that you don't know until you actually have kids, but the first time you dress them in anything new is so FUN! They look cute in literally, anything, and the novelty cute factor - well, its a small pleasure that you can't underestimate. Nothing like a fresh pair of pj's to lift the spirits.

And of course, on a side note unrelated to how cute this baby is in his little tuxedo pj's, I'd be remiss if I did not remind you of the fact that I"ll be doing the Movies and Maker's Holiday Craft Show and Sale tomorrow in Toronto at the Fox Theatre in the Beaches which is located at 2236 Queen Street East. I'll be there from 11 am - 5:30 pm, selling bibs and blankets and coasters and pillows and wallets and all manner of other cuteness (some of which can be previewed in my etsy shop.) Hope I get to see you there. I'll be back with pictures of the event on Monday. 

thrift therapy

Nothing cheers me up like a trip to the Value Village. Especially when its 25% off. Just thought I'd show you what I got since I feel like I haven't had a good thrift shop post in some time. 

I did have a particular objective this time, which usually spells disaster when it comes to thrifting. You really have to want what you find instead of trying to find what you want, if you know what I mean. But The Baby needed a winter coat. I have a full on, super warm snowsuit for him already, handed down from the Little Dude, but am finding that it'd be nice to just have a little puffer coat for him to wear when we're just going to be in and out of the car, or just down the street and back on these not so cold days. I've been making due with a peacoat, heavily layered with two shirts and a sweater underneath, but am feeling like a bad mum when I see the Little Dude standing next to him in a full down filled jacket and the Baby in what is just basically a fall coat bulked up with sweaters. So I really needed to find a winter coat, and preferably on the cheap. Et voila! What luck. And it fits him perfectly and is just puffy enough for the weather but not too bulky to fit in the car seat. And the best part? Four bucks. Minus 25%. Score.

Then on to the fun stuff. A couple of shirts to cut up. The orange is the nicest flannel. I think I might patch it into a blanket for The Baby as it is so soft. 

Here's a close up on the blue. I love this kind of men's shirting. Little tiny motif, slightly Japanese feeling, with the simplicity and the indigo background. Lovely.

And this is an IKEA duvet cover. I actually already have one, and I hoped to cut it up but then started using it on one of the beds and got really attached to it. So now I have this second one so I can actually cut it up. Also its a huge amount of fabric for only $9.99. Yay.

And isn't this just the sweetest little set of sort of modern-Scandinavian style napkins? Can't decide whether I should use them or sell them. So pretty. 

Couple of cute little wallets. I love the polka dots. Might use it as my new sewing kit as the old one is looking rather mangy. And the little brown one is leather. I can never pass up a nice kiss-lock change purse. And it had a surprise inside. 

Double snap pockets! Though there is something about this that makes me think of Alien. Only prettier. 

Then I ventured into the clothing aisles to look for something for me. Which I rarely do these days, but I was glad I did. Because how cute are these shoes, huh? I lurve them. I haven't had the chance to wear them for real yet, but have been building outfits around them in my mind all afternoon. Also, as I was sitting at the computer this afternoon, The Baby kept bringing them over and saying "ooosh, oosh!" and trying to slip them on my feet. He's like my own little Prince Charming.

And I'm very pleased about this. Forgive me the bad picture (had Hubs take it and he's not the most patient photographer. Also, the light was weird and that spottiness is actually dust motes). Anyhow, its a brand new blazer from H&M with the tags still on it which say its 60 bucks at retail, but I paid $14 minus the 25% of course. And it fits me like a glove. Fourteen bucks feels like a lot at the V.V., but I'm sure this will get much wear as my current other go-to blazer is getting very worn and is starting to look a smidge too 70's. To be fair it is actually from the 70's but that is beginning to look a bit overdone to my eyes. Time for something new. 

And here is the best thing I got from the thrift on this trip. A whole bunch of lovely Thomas the Tank Engine toys! This was all in a box just inside the doors of the store, where people drop off donations. There was a guy who worked there coming to take it all to the back, but as soon as I spied these nice wooden Thomas tracks I said "can I please buy this?" "Sorry," he says, "its got to be processed and priced. Come back in two days." I certainly did my best to ask if there was a way around a two day waiting period, but he was adamant, it had to go to the back and wouldn't be available until at least tomorrow. I sighed and said that was really too bad as my son would love that stuff. And then went on my way into the store. I must have looked suitably crushed as about 10 minutes later he came and found me on the floor to ask if I still wanted the tracks and things. I said yes, obviously and a few minutes later he came out with it all in a box and priced at $6.99. I told him he'd made my four year old a very happy boy. That's a coal chute with a handle that turns, a magnetic crane and a working two level drawbridge ya'll! Along with 16 pieces of track! So awesome. That bridge itself is $29.99 when purchased new in stores. Total score! And the Little Dude was indeed very happy. 

All in all, a very successful trip to the thrift. 



 

mauve

Well, its official. Mauve is the baby's colour. I got this little outfit for him a couple of months ago, not sure if it would fit him in the spring for Easter perhaps. He's a much littler guy than his big brother was, so I'm often unsure of what size will work for him. But we had a family occasion this weekend and I pulled this out of the cupboard and lo and behold, it fit him!

And I realize that I am totally completely biased, but Oh. My. Gosh. Isn't he adorable! I adore how he looks in this colour - it makes his hair look so red. I'm definitely going to be on the look out for more pink and mauve clothing. Which is hard to find for a little boy, but I am determined. 

I also realize that this is a bit of a Mommy blog (yeah, just a bit) so I suppose its approrpriate to be all agog over my own child's cuteness. Nevertheless, I'm sure you all come here for a bit more substance than that. 

But I am sorry to disappoint you, because that's all you are going to get today. Just a little bit of random "my kid is cute" and not even some deeper ramblings on the nature of motherhood yada, yada. Because folks, I am tired. And preoccupied. Trying to plan bigger plans for us, and follow up on the minutiae of our lives and make sure that the house is clean and the food is good.

And so today I will just bask in the ease of enjoying the beauty of a child and his Auntie as they sit together pointing at pictures of bunnies (hop, hop) and kitties (meow) and that will be all I need. For today at least. 
 

 

father's day fashions

Today we celebrated Father's Day in all the traditional ways. Sleeping late (for the Daddy, not for the rest of us), deluxe breakfast, presents, family, relaxing, cooking meat outside, eating obscene amounts of food. You know, the usual. Amongst the gifts that we'd assembled for Daddy (and by 'we' I mean 'I') were a couple of cheesy retro sci fi paperbacks that I'd picked up at a garage sale. I kind of meant them as a joke but Hubs set about reading one of them right away. And as the Baby napped and I made a cake, this was the scene upstairs. Everybody happily engrossed in their books. The Vandarian Incident (1981) by Martyn Godfrey for Hubs and Curious George Goes to the Hospital by H.A. Rey for the Little Dude. 

Here's the cake I made while all this nice quiet reading and napping was going on. Another one from Cooking for Isaiah. Good though not outstanding. Nice texture and everything, but I think in the end I'm not crazy about chocolate cake. Not that I don't like it, but I need chocolate to be one element of a cake, not the whole cake experience if you know what I mean. Hence the strawberries. Chocolate is just so intense on its own, I feel like it needs a counterpoint. That being said, I have been sneaking scoops of the leftover icing every time I walk though the kitchen today. And you can hardly count my finger as a counterpoint.

Anyhow, the visual main event of the day was really more along sartorial lines than anything to do with culinary experiences. Because today we busted out the fancy clothes... ...and got the Baby dressed up in his first suit. 

You know, as the mother of boys, you realize there are less 'fancy' dress up options than there are for girls, men's fashion being slightly more reserved than women's and kids clothes being just miniature versions of that. And to be honest, I'm not really out looking for very dressy, dress up options. But long ago, when I was pregnant the first time around, a friend gave us this classy little mini Kenneth Cole Suit. And boy, is it fun to dress a baby up in! Grandpapa had to help him with a little last minute styling. 

So good lookin', the two of them.

I can't help but remember how cute the Little Dude was when he wore this for the first time. Prepare to have your mind blown by how fast time has been flying. Because here is the Little Dude when he was the same age as our Baby is now (15 months approximately). I KNOW! These photos are killing me, because I can see his current, grown up big-boy self peeking out of that pudgy little baby face and it just melting my heart!

Seriously, look at those CHEEKS! And his short little baby curls!

There it is, that same little half-smile with just a smidgen of impishness in it that I see almost every day in my grown up Little Dude. Where did the time go? Sigh. And isn't it interesting to see how different my two little boys look, even though they are clearly brothers? Lots of similarities but they are far from carbon copies. 

Its funny, men's suits have such indellible associations with traditionally male professions that I can't help seeing the Baby when he's dressed up in it, as a little banker or architect....

...or Member of Parliment. "Mr. Speaker, the honourable representative from the Opposition is completely out of order!"

But even in a suit, my Baby still has a softer side. How he LOVES to smell flowers! He cannot walk past even a potted plant without giving it a big stagey sniff. So these roses were just begging to be smelled.

And Grandpapa is doing everything he can to encourage this little blossom lover. 

Lookit' 'im! Somewhere between Mies van der Rohe and Wintston Churchill, only cuter. 

And while we were doing all this flower smelling, two pretty ladies walked by and I just had to take their picture. 
Such a gorgeous day. Hope yours was lovely too!