Made by Me File: McCall's 6844...Heavy Wool Knit Sweater Jacket!

As promised, this is the first post of four that centers around my first big project for the Fabric Mart blog.  The original blog post is here at their site.

What makes these four posts here at my site different is that I will focus on the individual pieces a bit more here, and end with a post on packing with these three pieces as my base for the whole travel wardrobe for my trip to Mississippi in a couple of weeks.  The rest of the posts will be published over the next week.

In 2013, McCall's issued the most amazing cardigan pattern, McCall's 6884, and I, along with every single sewer out there (including Mrs. C, who has made it five times?), purchased it.  Unlike every other sewer out there, I didn't get to my version right away since I am the world's slowest sewer (although my stepmom thinks that title should belong to her, lol).  In fact, though I pulled this one out multiple times over the past year, I never sewed it up until Julie over at Fabric Mart asked me what I wanted to do for my first blog post as an official contributor to their blog.

Because I am me, I had a gazillion ideas, one of which was to use this amazing heavy wool jacquard sweater knit (on sale today!) with view C of 6844.  I didn't know if the folks at Fabric Mart would go for it since it is a dear price for a couple of yards, but they said yes, and upon receiving it, I think I fondled it for about an hour.  It isn't that it is especially soft (though it is lovely to touch), it is that the sparkles from the silver threading combined with the heavily textured diamond jacquard pattern knitted throughout are stunning in real life (I hope you can get a sense of the texture in the above photo).  My stepmom was equally in love and was excited to see how it would look as a cardigan.

I do want to point out that if you are sensitive to wool, I would recommend lining this fabric, and since it is a lot like a felted wool woven, you should be able to do so easily.  If I needed to line it (I am not sensitive to wool, though), I would use something like this since it has a bit of stretch.

Well it turns out that because the fabric is so thick this cardigan is now probably closer to a sweater jacket because of the weight and heft of the fabric.  If you get cold in winter and like to have a wool knit that will keep you toasty, this is your fabric.

Here in Virginia, this is actually a jacket I can wear as outerwear in the fall and spring since there are always quite a few days where the temps will be in the low 50s, and this jacket is perfect for those conditions.  Otherwise this is a great dressy topper for chillier days when you need something to keep you warm inside.

If you can believe this, I had never sewn a sleeve in flat on an adult garment.  Ever.  Children's garments, sure, but not for me.  I was all set (haha) to set in this sleeve, just like the instructions told me to do, but after reading a gazillion and a half reviews of this pattern, especially Detective Houndstooth's awesome review, I decided that this fabric, while not the stretchiest ever, had enough give in it to properly set the sleeve in flat.  Above is how I did it and it worked perfectly.  So unless you have some reason to not sew it in flat, go for it.  I would dare say this fabric is pushing the limits of this particular type of sewing, so I suspect 99.5% of you making this pattern could sew the sleeves in flat.

Detective Houndstooth best describes this procedure, so I definitely encourage a visit to that blog post she wrote.

I know I didn't have to serge the raw edges of this fabric since it is a sweater knit, but this fabric is so special that I wanted to take the extra step to keep the edges tidy.  I didn't serge the hem raw edge, though, since the back peplum wrong side does show when wearing, and so far so good.  If the edge does start to unravel I will probably hand sew a edge finish (ugh...that's a lot of hand sewing!).

I want to point out that with a lot of steam from your iron, these seams were very easy to press.  I knew that I was going to keep the whole seam allowance intact, so I realized that fully pressed seams were the only way to go.  I used my tailor's ham for all of the seam pressing, and even at the armscye I got a very flat finish.  Success.  By properly pressing these down, I was able to control the bulk, and you can't tell from the outside that these were once very thick seams!

Speaking of bulky seams, in order to get what you see above (that is the join of the three fabrics where the collar attaches to the main body), I had to do quite a bit of trimming.

On the left side of the image you see the newly trimmed seam, where only the upper most seam was left full, the two below were trimmed to nearly an 1/8".  On the right side is the full thick seam as it was before the shears came after it.  ;-)

I first found the two lower seams and separated them from the upper layer.

I then cut the two lower layers with the scissors VERY carefully, leaving the top seam intact (it gets folded over the seams under it and is topstitched from the right side, which enclosed the lower seams under the upper seam).  Gosh, I hope that makes sense.

All cut away.  I would say the trimming took me a good ten minutes, and after that pinning the allowances so the upper layer encloses those newly trimmed under layers so it could be topstitched from the right side took another thirty.  Worth ALL the effort.  The topstitching looks great and the seams lay flat.  I didn't serge this seam, either.  Again, if it starts to unravel, I will hand sew a finish.  I really hope that its current state stays, since that is a lot of hand sewing.  ;-)

This pattern's view C is very extravagant.  That peplum flounce is not for the shy, especially in a thicker fabric like this one.  A lighter sweater knit would like fall more loosely and shyly, but this thick knit means that peplum will be super-pronounced forever.  And I am okay with that.  Obviously I don't mind clothing that is a bit dramatic.

What is great is that it is very easy to dress up, but surprisingly very easy to dress down.  It looks super cute with a tee and jeans, for instance.  And since this olive brown color is in my wardrobe in quite a few items (whether in a print or this exact shade), I will be able to wear it often!

Back view of the the pronounced peplum.  I have a rather large bottom, and this covered it nicely, so pear shapes, go for it.  Don't bother to grade up the bottom half, too, since there is more than enough room for all of our "assets."  ;-)

I did make a size small, but in a stretchier knit, I will likely have to size down to an extra-small since I suspect that the stretchier knit would make the small too large for my frame, especially in the shoulders and neckline area.

Even though I added snaps to keep the collar properly back like you see on the pattern cover, this collar looks darling when folded flat.  And since the snaps are black they don't even show up that easily (though my hands cover them in the photos I took from far away).  I may even prefer this way, especially with the collar up like that.

BTW, that is another bonus to this thicker fabric, the collar easily stays up, and I didn't even interface the collar.  (Can you imagine how stiff this would be all interfaced up?)

This is a photo I took this morning of it from above and though you can see the snaps, they are not that obvious, so I am fine with having added them.  It is really hard to get the collar to stay back without them, so it was a nice addition, in my opinion.

Close up shot of the snaps, both closed (right) and open (left).  I like this shot, too, since it shows off the amazing texture and shine of the fabric.  The fabric is not this light, though, I lightened the shot so you could better see how I did the snaps.  :-)

I haven't done this yet, but I did figure out a way I could add one snap to the front part of the collar to attach to the other snaps allowing for me to properly close the front of the jacket so it actually fully functions as a jacket.  I also have plans to belt this jacket since I bet that would look cute, too.  

Okay, that's it for now.  I am so glad I was able to finally sew up this pattern!  :-)

Thank you to Fabric Mart again for the fabric.  So beautiful!

Boden Review: Pigeon et Étoiles.

Bonne Nuit!

In tonight's Boden reviews, I take a look at two Johnnie b. items, including one with a wee plump man bird named Le Pigeon, which is why my post's title is in French.

(And for those who don't speak French--I am one of them, btw, just know a few words--étoiles are stars which references the second item, the pretty cardigan with lots of them in a foil print on grey cotton.)

There he is, looking a lot like a man I met at Chartres Cathedral last year.

CC, one of the best blog friends here at My Superfluities, pointed out the sparkly graphic t-shirt to me back when it debuted.  I hadn't even noticed it, but was super excited when CC suggested it. 
'
I knew as soon as I was able to get a good enough code for Boden, I would definitely be purchasing this gorgeous chartreuse tee embellished with Monsier Pigeon and his sequined beret.

Sparkly Graphic T-Shirt.  My issue with this tee was I was unsure of sizing.  It had been since last season that I had purchased a Johnnie b. item, when they were still using alpha sizing (I was a medium top in the alpha sizing).  Now they have age-sizing, with the lowest 8 years and the highest 15-16 years.  They say the sizes correlate to XS-L (the 15-16 would be the L), but I found it hard to believe that my former size equaled a size 13-14.

I should have known better.  Although I am fine with this tee being less fitted than my tees of the past, it is fairly loose through the shoulders and through the waist.  And since I can't tumble dry this to shrink it AND it is sold out in all but the tiniest sizes, I am going to live with it not being as slim fit as they describe in its copy.  :)

I look forward to wearing this "put a bird on it" shirt with a pencil skirt and heels.  This is a great critter and I think I will be on the receiving end of many "I love that tee" comments.

Pretty Cardigan.  I also took this in a 15-16 and I am glad I did.  The 13-14 would have fit, but I appreciate that I can completely button it up and not worry about gaping.  At all.

The cotton is super soft (100%, btw) and the foil printed stars are nicely printed, deeply, and without me worrying that they will flake off with wear and wash.

Opened over the Le Pigeon tee.  I can see wearing the two together, with a smart pair of skinny jeans and boots, and of course, because I don't do irony, a beret on top of my head.

This face is made because even me, Miss Monkey Arms, think the sleeves might be a bit ridiculously long.  ;)



Sparkly Graphic T-Shirt and Pretty Cardigan.  The t-shirt is less sold out than the cardigan in grey, but there are popbacks sometimes.  Don't hold your breath for the star cardigan, though.   If I do see it, I will try to make an announcement on my facebook page.  :)

Okay, that's it!  Have any of you ordered any gems from the Johnnie b. line that you would like to share?  Any experiences with the new sizing?

Talk with you tomorrow, when I do reviews/ootds with the Swishy Jersey Skirt.

OOTDs: Keeping Warm.

Good Friday afternoon!

As I mentioned in this morning's sale post, I will be trying to crank out as many blog posts as possible over the next few days.  I hope that I can put a dent in this backlog of reviews, outfits, and fun times I have ready to publish (in my head, at least).

This post features two outfits I wore over the past two days, since my return home from Mississippi.  It was fairly warm down there and I only had to pull out my jacket twice over an eight day period.  Virginia is a touch cooler, of course, and we are currently seeing high temperatures in the low 50s (which is utterly and absolutely normal for December). 

Because I am a wimp, and not a Canadian from the upper parts of Ontario, I cannot handle the frigid mornings where the temperature is right around the freezing mark.  Since I haven't felt properly cold in about a year and a half, I really have been enjoying the cold weather dressing (if not the cold weather itself, remember, I'm a wimp).  My coat closet is full of really lovely J. Crew coats, including a few from the old days that I just love and will hold onto until the end of time.  :)

Wore this ensemble on Wednesday.  Had a day of playing at the Little Gym with Angus, walking in Old Town (including a fortuitous visit to Mint Condition), a kid's bday party, and grocery shopping, so I knew that layers and flexible fabrics would be necessary.

The coat stayed on until midday, the tunic was on for most of the day (except at the birthday party where I was overheated), and the boots made it until Mint Condition.  After my visit to Mint Condition, I swapped out the boots for this pair by Frye that I found for a song.  They looked much better with this outfit than the booties, and the next time I try this silhouette, I will make sure to wear those.  For now, I am planning on wearing the new Fryes with a midi-length jersey skirt and a cropped sweater.

I like this necklace, but it may be too jarring for the overall look.  Next time, I will wear a necklace that hits higher up on the neckline (maybe a statement necklace like this one).

Ah, the old coats.  I love them.  I have this Sybil Coat in yellow, as well.  I like it in yellow so much that when I saw the purple come up on ebay for an insanely great price (wasn't listed as a coat or as the Sybil, had it been, I would not have been able to get it for such a great amount).

This outfit is from yesterday.  I went bowling, so I definitely needed something I could move in (the bi-stretch minnies are wonderful for that).  I also know that the alley can get pretty warm, so layers were positively necessary.  As it turned out, the alley stayed cool enough for me to keep on the cardi (under the coat), but I was ready, just in case.

BTW, I am now sort of kicking Dottie's butt.  She bests me about 2/3rds of the time, but I will beat her 1 of every 3 games.  Progress, people, progress.

This is the Cashmere Wrap from Boden, and like last year's Cashmere Cardi Coat, it feels like a million bucks, all while keeping me nice and toasty.  I have a silver cashmere cardi that is literally on its last legs (pilling horribly and misshapen--guess where from?), so it was nice to be able to replace that one with this one.  Plus this one is longer and thicker, so I will get more use out of it, simply because it is more versatile.

It looks really cute opened, but I wanted to do the whole belt over the cardigan and scarf combo.  This look was "in" a few years ago, but I never did give this look a try.

The scarf is from Madewell and is one of their ubiquitous Storyteller scarves.  This one features a huge map of the UK.  The wool is lovely and soft and lightweight, and the pattern looks wonderful whether laying open, tied up, or partially shown (like in the look I created).

 Close-up of the torso.  I may try a thicker belt next time, so that the belt doesn't get so lost.

From the side.  You can see that this cardigan completely covers my bottom.  This is rare in a long cardigan, for me anyhow.  ;) 

I was very VERY lucky to get this one for near half-price.  On cyber Monday (Sunday night, too, of course), I saw that I could stack 25% on top of the 30% off price (thanks to a wonderful blog friend!), and when I added this to the bag, it went from a price of $218 to $114.  I wasn't sure if that price was going to stick or if it would ship (since the extra 25% off was indeed a glitch), but it did ship and the price did stick, so I was super-stoked.

I bought this in a size 4, which is one size down from normal size, but I read that it ran big (which it must if it fully covers my bedonkadonk).  So if you are on the petite side, this may end up being too big, even in the smallest size.

Alright, that's it.  :)  More to come this weekend.

BTW, I received many e-mails from the Land's End affiliate over the last few weeks, and they seem to have some amazing promotions for their customers available to the publishers (that would be my blog), so I went ahead and accepted them as one of my affiliates.  Like Boden and Pure Collection, I can vouch for their quality, so I don't feel like I am sending you all down some horrible rabbit hole.

Like Pure Collection, I don't have a lot of items in my closet, so I don't do a ton of reviews and/or ootds with their items, but I will happily put their current coupon/promo in my sidebar and in blog posts (as appropriate).

Here is a pretty decent one from Land's End, so if you are a fan, this may be a good one for you!

Boden: Catch of the Day! Knitwear!

Good Thursday morning, all!

Yay for Catch of the Day.  :)

Anyhow, you all know the deal by now, so let's get this "picks" party started.

Cashmere Crewneck Jumper.  Now $103.60 (from $148).  All colors are on sale for $103.60, btw.

I had been mulling over purchasing a cashmere sweater from J. Crew this past week, since they had a 25% off sale going, but in the end, and I can't really put my finger on it, I chose not to pull the trigger.  I think it may have been the combined effect of lack of colors that I wanted or needed and the fact that all of J. Crew's cashmere is super super expensive this season.  If I had wanted to buy even the most basic piece, say a long-sleeved sweater, it would have put me out about $150, WITH the sale.  Sigh.  So no.

I am always pleased with Boden's cashmere, and it is always well-priced.  What had been their big issue was lack of interesting colors (which is usually not J. Crew's problem), but this year they have both staple colors (like the caramel above) and bright beautiful shades like the one below.

I kind of love this warm purple shade with a slight heathered effect.  Very very pretty, and if it looks this good in real life, then this 100% cashmere sweater will indeed be a steal at today's price.

There is also this clover melange color which the model is wearing in the stock photo.


Cashmere Crewneck Jumper.  A few things before you all decide to pull the trigger on this one, though.  I read the reviews and there were a lot of people that said that the sweater runs short in the sleeves and body, and that the overall look is a bit shrunken, so definitely size up if you carry your weight up top.  There was also a few reviews that mentioned that the caramel color had a bit of orange in it (like a ginger shade), so if warm camel doesn't work for you, then definitely stay away from that shade.

Embellished Cardigan.  I can 100% recommend this cardigan as this was one from my pre-order.  I have received it, tried it on, checked it out and have determined that this is a really nice item.  The beading is lovely and hand-applied (and sewn in with a lining behind it to protect it).  The color above is not navy but rather a very deep grey shade that works with so many pieces already in my closet.  And because the embellishment isn't everywhere, this cardigan can work with even busy prints without competing with them.

Once I get myself motivated, I plan on wearing this today with a pair of printed jeans, a tank, and some cute booties.  I will then, of course, take some photos and share it with you this evening as part of the BWRR.


Embellished Cardigan.  This cardigan runs true to size and is a soft cotton/wool blend.  It has hook closures, which normally bug me, but on this cardigan they do the job well and can, depending on how many hooks are closed, completely change how the cardigan looks.  (When closed, the cardigan is the main player, when opened, the cardigan becomes a secondary role.)

Long Cable Cardigan.  In many parts of America, this is the type of cardigan that could be used in place of a coat when it gets a bit chilly outside.  In fact, barring a few months of the year, this could be the only coat needed here in VA.  It is a merino wool/nylon blend, so I am sure it is soft and stretchy.  The only thing that I don't care for is the fact that it doesn't have any way of closing it, but if you wanted to, you could grab a leather belt and do up the cardi that way.

And because I am home sick today (ugh), I definitely see this as one of those "yucky day, so I wear my pajamas and need a coverup" kind of knitwear.


Long Cable Cardigan.  At $131.60 (from $188), all colors are very decently priced for a versatile workhorse of a garment.

I really like how long it is on the model, btw.

Merino Cardigan.  I have a prior version of this cardigan in a yellow (seen here) and I reach for it all the time.  It comes in a variety of colors, but this mid-blue is something unique and a color I haven't seen offered from any of my favorite retailers in a long time.


Merino Cardigan.  All colors are 30% off.  They even have a yellow version, just like the one I own!

Alrighty, those are my picks, though there is a lot of great items on sale today (and a lot of them at the 30% off mark).  Do you have any picks that you would like to share with us?

Boden Weekly Review Roundup: Lots and Lots of Everything!

Hi, all!

I had so hoped to have this up earlier than right now, but today definitely got away from me...let's see...ballet, then lunch, then playdate, then no nap (ugh), and finally four seconds with Mr. Dina before he went to a movie with a friend (guess who gets to put the kids to bed?).

Anyhow, I promise the wait is worth it. We have a few new arrival IRL photos and reviews AND quite a few sale item reviews. :)

So let's get started.

But before I do that, let me just let you know that I still have not heard from my Boden affiliate program regarding the snafu of my 15% coupon in my sidebar leading folks to the British site instead of the US site. Eep. So until then, I am giving all of you the same advice I gave on Sunday (it seems to work perfectly this way, so yay for that)...

1. Instead of using the sidebar link, use an item stock photo (like the ones littered throughout this roundup) to get to the Boden USA site.

2. Click on that photo which will take you to the US item page. There will be NO discount applied, but no worries.

3. Once on the site, click on the shopping bag icon which will take you to the shopping bag page itself.

4. On that page, locate the code box (it is on the lower left hand side), and put in this code AF29 (which is what the affiliate link had as the code when I tried it last week). This code is for 15% off and free ship/returns. If you have another code, you can use it there as well.

(If this doesn't work for you, DEFINITELY let us know!) Thanks!

Okay, so let's get this roundup started...

SPRING 2012 WOMEN:

Plait Trim Top.  I had alluded to this in the last post how much I adore this top, but I really heart it now.  From what I can tell from the Boden USA reviews on this top, I am definitely not alone.  There is something wonderful about the soft slubby cotton combined with the length and the unique design and braided neckline.

One caveat, though...this is an awful lot of look.  As you can tell, I wore very muted pants (Duo Maternity) and shoes (Uggs Rain shoes--it was coming down that morning) with the top so I didn't look like I escaped from Margaritaville in the middle of January.

Close-up of the braiding and print.  The seams are perfect everywhere and the braiding is held on very securely.  In this climate of cutting corners on what is slowly becoming a disposable climate, Boden is holding true to its quality edict.  I truly appreciate it...I have so many items from other retailers where I have to eggshell walk around them in order to keep them from being destroyed after one wearing.  Good on you, Johnnie B.

The bonus with this top?  It stretches just enough to go from "longer top" while not pregnant to "utterly perfect" maternity normal top.  LOVE.  And the baby bump looks kind of cute all gussied (pun not intended, but awesome that my tired bleeping brain managed to make it) up!

From the back.  So you know, I purchased a size US 6, which is plenty big enough everywhere.  I think at my thinnest "non-pregnant" weight, I might consider a US 4, but eh, it's all good.  If you are smaller on top, I would say if you want to size down, you probably can.

BTW, Mr. Dina really liked this top, so I guess that's a guy's thumbs up.  ;)


Plait Trim Top. I adore all the colors, but don't plan on buying anymore...the one I have is plenty, but I would love to see the other hues on others!!!

Textured Cotton Skirt.  Oh, the pretty taunting little vixen you are.  Sigh.  She is exactly what I love, bright colored pattern on a classic shape like a pencil skirt.  Unfortunately the love affair ended when I realized that she has no fit similarity to last year's big winner of the same named skirt.  I loved last year's so much that I bought two colors, both navy and fudge.  Measurement wise, only the length and waist were the same.  The hips on this one (SIZE 8 LONG) were teeny, measuring at most 39 inches.  Yikes.  I have no problem wearing a size 10 or 12, if that is what I need, but to name the skirt the same as last year's and then vary the sizing that much is just cruel.  Ugh.

So I have re-ordered the 10 Long, and with luck, I hope to measure the hips and find a measurement more closely resembling last year's version...about 40.5 would be plenty (that is what my J. Crew pencil skirts all have, fwiw).

I did manage to get this pulled up over my hips, but it was very tight.  My hip measurement has not changed much since getting pregnant as Gus has been sitting so high (see the plait trim top review), so I can confidently assert this skirt is running small.  (And so the other reviews state...phew, not alone.  And they aren't with child either, if that makes a difference, lol.)

So SIZE UP if you have larger hips.  Trust me.


Textured Cotton Skirt. I received a comment from a blog friend who said nearly the same thing as me: Just received the textured cotton skirt in gray and the sizing is AWFUL. I've never worn a 6 skirt, but that's what I'll need. And I likely won't get it until May. So aggravating. I was a 2 in dresses last year and one in cotton (not stretchy) fit a bit snugly so I decided to play it safe and size up to 4 in the skirt and tailor down if needed. I definitely need a 6, though the waist will be huge. So disappointing because the skirt is gorgeous. The gray and black color would make it wearable in March in NC and I can see it with white, peach or aqua on top for warm weather. (THANK YOU, MARY G--GREAT REVIEW!)


Border Print Tunic.  I have received mine, and find that the size 6 I bought is lovely, but have not yet had a chance to wear it, so I will hold off my review till next week...that said, the very cool Ema of My Closet, My Baby, and I did a in-depth review of this tunic last week.  :)  This looks like it may be a popular choice, just like last year's Terazzo Tunic.

SALE ITEMS:

Animal Bow Flats.  The wonderful Molly (of the blog My Closet Travels) e-mailed me a few IRL photos of items that I currently have and love.  :)  I see the love is mutual for Boden's use of leopard print this year.

Anyhow, she says of these flats: The Leopard flat, Size 37, these ran a wee bit big so I bought insoles for them. They fit great now and are so comfortable. I am amazed at the level of comfort with these particular shoes. Once the snow is done flying I'll be wearing these shoes a lot.

I ordered a size 41, which is supposedly my "tts" Boden size, but for me, it varies.  A lot.  :)  The clincher on these working so well for me is because they are long and narrow.  (I need narrow A LOT more than long...I have freaky skinny feet.)

Leopard Tote and Fab Wallet.  Molly did what I did and purchased the wallet to match the bag.  I think they really do work so nicely together, and the plus being that the wallet can work well on its own, as well.  I love the grey here, and had the tan completely sold out and I couldn't have gotten the combo I did, I would have been more than happy with the grey versions.  Very pretty!

Molly says of these: The bag and wallet. LOVE!! I first saw your pics in Paris with the other color way and loved it immediately. I waited patiently for a discount and bought it at 20% back in December. It took over 4 wks to arrive but it was worth the wait. I have rec'd tons of compliments all wanting to know where I bought it and then people asked me about Boden. It's roomy and holds my wallet, calendar, make up bag and all the other essentials a girl needs in there bag. I love that it snaps at top so I don't worry about it being open or things falling out.

Fab Wallet (close-up).  Molly added this detail shot and also included a bit more on this item specifically: What I like about the wallet it that it has lots of room for credit cards, license, money, coins and other stuff I stick in there. It's chic and a real conversation piece just like the tote.


Animal Bow Pumps (heehee, definitely a British thing, flats are pumps).


Leopard Tote.


Fab Wallet.

Molly wanted to add one more bit of info, on Boden in general: Why Boden now? I guess because I read your reviews faithfully and because I wanted a change. I still love J Crew but I was ready for something different. The patterns, the colors, the fabric, WOW! Beautiful. I wish they could ship quicker than 3 wks but like you I'd say it's worth waiting for and these are items that not everyone owns.

THANK YOU, Molly! Great reviews and I 100% agree regarding Boden's niche impact on a market that desperately needs something a bit more unique. ;)  (And let's hear it for more items being shipped from Pittston, PA, please!)



Embellished Cashmere Cardigan and Ruffle Front Dress.  I wore these two together out on the town for lunch with the family.  :)  I felt good, which is saying a lot for a mom of two (almost three) who is definitely nearing saturation level on this pregnancy.  (So tired, so so tired.  God bless Gus sitting right there on my diaphragm, preventing the luscious embrace of deep sleep.)

You all have a great night.  Enjoy the new arrivals as they come in...and yay for anything that makes us feel wonderful, no matter what the day might bring.  ;)