Happy Easter and a VERY EARLY Happy Birthday to me!

Hope everyone had a nice Easter.  Ours was wonderful.  It was so good to see family since we hadn't seen them all in over a month.  Avery has so many dresses (a girl can never have too many).  It was hard to decide which ones to bring for the weekend. Here are some photos from the Saturday egg hunt.

 Avery was having a good time I swear. She wasn't feeling quite herself because she was fighting a nasty cold. 

 With Daddy and Grandma

 Papa was doing his own egg hunt. . . a hunt for the chocolate candies.

It was a nice Easter weekend.

Early birthday present #1
I was at a Joann's while out of town and I wondered (okay, actually purposely walked) over to the sewing machines.  I had seen in my coupon mailer that some machines were on sale.  I have had my little Pfaff for almost 10 years now.  It doesn't have very many stitch options, but I have loved it because my grandmother bought it for me.  It has been a great beginner's sewing machine but now that I have been bit by the sewing bug, I think it's time to graduate to an upgraded machine.  Sooooo, it was the last day of the sale and this particular machine was reduced by $100.  I decided to get it, do a little research at home and then either return it or it would be the right choice for me.  Rod said it would be my birthday present.......which isn't till July.  Yippee for early girfts! Here's the machine I bought.......SINGER CONFIDENCE 7463

After doing some research, I decided to keep it.  It's listed for beginner sewers, but when I did a comparison to pricey-er  machines, it had just as good of capabilities.  It just didn't have 2000 stitch options or have a computerized screen.  I read all the reviews and it was rated overall very high.  I've been so busy this week (Rod and I are on Spring Break) that I haven't had a chance to  use it yet.

Early present #2
Then later that day my mother-in-law and I went to a local thrift shop.  We were walking up to the register when I spotted a dress form in a shopping cart!!  An adjustable dress form at a thrift shop?!  My heart started beating fast and I reached for the form.  Were they about to put it out on the floor? This is my luckiest day EVER!  Then quickly my heart was crushed.  A lady quickly walked over and said she was buying it.  Noooooo!  If I had only gotten to the store before this woman! Well, later that day my Mother-in-law surprised me by ordering an adjustable dress form online which was on sale.  Wahoo!  It's her birthday present to me.  Happy Birthday to me AGAIN!  Can't wait to get it.

THEN.......
I was doing some looking on Craigslist and found a sewing table for $25 bucks.  It's shaped like an "L" and has a slot/hole for your sewing machine.  It's really old and made from particle board but I liked it and it was cheap.  We have set up a sewing "nook" for me in our guest room.  I'm so excited to have an official space to sew now.  No more orphan sewing at the small dining table.  I'm still getting everything set up.  I'll post pictures of the nook when I'm done decorating and moving in.

Man I am sooo behind in sewing.  With being out of town, getting our house ready for "open house", visiting with friends and normal wife and mommy duties,  this Spring Break week has flown by with no sewing.  But, I have been getting in some knitting.  In the evenings when I am tired and we finally have a moment to just sit, I have been working on a blouse for myself.  It's from a free pattern from the Lion Brand website. "Spring Essential Top"

I'm only on the bottom band and I'm knitting in black yarn that was already in my stash.  I have a big stash that really needs to be used.  I had the black and this really pretty brown/black speckled yarn for the top of the blouse.  I hope this blouse turns out.  I'll be so excited to model it if it does.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and I have high hopes of getting to my sewing after I get my hair done.

Have a nice weekend!