Weekly Randoms 4/23

catlady2015

Hello fabulous friends, what's up this week? 

catlady2015

DH just made some phenomenal barbecue bacon cheeseburgers for dinner tonight and the bacon was divine.

meggyme

I hate it when good restaurants cheap out on shitty bacon. When I order bacon at a decent restaurant I want thick cut, maple smoked bacon. Not the thin stuff that looks microwaved that crumbles apart when I take a bite.

Thats a problem in my area. I’m glad you had good stuff @catlady2015 !

spottedginger

DH is traveling. We cut the cord last week and I am trying to navigate the new service and figure out what I want to watch. Can’t find a law and order marathon, so I’m disappointed. 

lovesclimbing

BiL was in town over the weekend and stayed with us one night.

 I bought faaaaaabric! If there are any other sewers on here, JoAnn's has a 50% off one cut of fabric coupon on their website in store or online until Wednesday. I got this gorgeous print to make myself a maxi dress with. $40 and I paid $20 with the coupon. I wanted to buy it last week, but there was only a 30% off coupon, so I waited around and checked their site and that 50% one popped up. Can't wait to work on it this week!

 Have you all ever made stuffed burgers? H and I do sometimes. Two thin burger patties with cheese, onion, jalapeños, bacon or whatever else you want in between. So good!

josie12367

All this burger talk is making me hungry for one... but it's taco Tuesday for us today! I need some taco inspiration though. I'm getting so bored with them every week...

That goes for most of our meals lately. I need some new daily meals... anyone have any fabulous  go-to's to share that are quick and easy? 

catlady2015

@lovesclimbing - wow, you are awesome! I've always found making clothes to be hard. I quilt but never seem to get far with the whole idea of tailoring. I think I may need to consider trying again. care to share a swatch? Love finding coupons for fabric!!! 

prpl11butterfly

Cleaning the grill on lunch today so that we can get cooking on it tonight. Super excited about that. Maybe have finally coordinated a good time to get with contractor for our addition! Oh and emailed a realtor last night about selling our rental property! I feel like it's going to be a good week from this point forward.

nitnat007

@catlady2015 Gotta love some good bacon! 
@josie12367 I made a really easy spinach stuffed, bacon wrapped chicken breast last week. It was delicious and quick to pull together. 
@lovesclimbing you will have to share your fabulous print, or your dress once you have made it! Maxi dress for the win!

AFM it is the first day that I am in sandals. It is a very, very happy day! 

catlady2015

@prpl11butterfly - sounds like an amazing day!! 

@nitnat007 - yay for sandals!! I need to dig out my summer clothes but definitely time for the sandals. 

lovesclimbing

Thanks @catlady2015. I am far from a pro, but I like doing it. I have a really hard time finding a maxi dress I like. The knits are all super thin, and the necklines tend to fall into low or high, with no middle option. So I'm making my own so I can have a decent quality fabric and a normal neckline!

 I'll have to see if I can share pictures later. I don't usually share ones of me on forums, so we'll see, haha.

galactickates

@josie12367 I make tacos at least once a week too, I've also been making stir fry,  I cook rice in our rice cooker and get the big bag of veggies from Costco, throw that in a pan,  sometimes with noodles,  throw some peanut sauce on it,  dice and cook up chicken, throw it all together (sauce last) and dinner is done.  

kristah2

I wish I could wear maxi dresses. When you're 5'0" (and most of that is legs) paired with being busty I look soooo foolish in them. They're always so pretty though!
Don't even get me started on rompers. 

catlady2015

@kristah2 - Ugh, rompers! there's a really cute clothing store in town that's in love with them. I just keep thinking, WHY does a grown woman need to wear a romper? 

+1 for the maxi dresses! Busty and short also and if the waist isn't perfectly proportioned, I look like Meriwether from sleeping beauty. Just all boobs and butt. 

meggyme

And jumpsuits! They’re everywhere. I made the mistake of wearing one for the first time on a Vegas trip. A night of drinking and a onesie in a public bathroom is not a good combination...

I refuse to even do one piece bathing suits due to the bathroom issue.

kristah2

@meggyme yes to giant body suits being the worst!
When I started cheerleading at college level we had these uniforms that we had to wear a body suit under. The zipper was down the back. In order to pee you had to take off your top part, get someone to unzip your body suit, pull that allll the way down, along with your skirt. You're basically peeing naked. Such a pain in the ass.
The next year they got smart and used body suits with crotch snaps. I was mighty jealous of the girls who had those! 

doxiemoxie212

rompers and jumpsuits are absolutely terrible for me - I'm 5'8 with a fairly long torso, so... I don't know what I need to proudly display the outline of my vagina that way in public.

izza2

Wait, why don't you just move the crotch portion of clothes (like a one piece bathing suit) to the side and pee like that?

That's what I always do if I'm in a one piece bathing suit or something else that would require a lot of fanagling otherwise...


Am I the only one who does this?

SkilledSailor

I won’t lie, I love rompers and jumpsuits. It can be tricky to find the right one since I’m busty but short but when I do it’s amazing. It’s an entire outfit that’s cute and trendy, and I can also sit cross cross on the floor with a toddler without flashing everyone. 

@josie12367 I have a yummy taco recipe made with red lentils cooked in vegetable broth then mixed with veggies and salsa. Let me know if you’d like it!

lovesclimbing

I don't like jumpsuits or rompers. I like maxi skirts, but I've never actually worn a maxi dress before other than trying on! They do tend to have high waists, and by high, I mean empire or at the natural waist. So you tend to pooch out under that waistline because most people who have any extra at all in their midsection have it at the belly button or below. So the nice thing about making my own is I'm adjusting the waist lower so it's not so high. The pattern is such that it won't look weird.

catlady2015

@izza2 - I can't lie I totally do it, too. always a 1-piece bathing suit here. 

galactickates

Rompers are not made for tall girls... and ESPECIALLY not tall girls with boobs. Not an option.  

Designers should make sun dresses with the exact same patterns they make rompers.  I don't get it. Just don't sow the leg holes and we're good. 

Why are rompers always in cuter pattern?

I could talk about my disdain of rompers for days  

josie12367

+5680865 On hating all things one piece... just, ugh! 

@SkilledSailor I will gladly take that recipe! I added a bunch of beans and corn to our mixture last night and it was delish. 

@galactickates Oh yum! I'm definitely trying that this week. Somehow I've forgotten about stir fry

@nitnat007 The chicken sounds pretty simple... like a prep it and put it on the oven. I like those types of meals Good to see that your DH is home. Is it his knee that is giving him trouble? I think I remember you saying he injured it and his back before he left right? Poor guy...

nitnat007

@josie12367 It is great to have him home, but he is still hobbling around. He wrecked his ankle (it was his shoulder before), he really had a bad trip and I was starting to wonder if he was going to actually make it home in one piece at that rate. Now he is sufficiently wrapped in bubble wrap and milking it for all its worth lol. How are you doing friend? YH home with you?

josie12367

@nitnat007 I don't know why I thought your husband fell down stairs before...oops! Well I'm sorry he's broken himself again. 

My DH is in a new position so he doesn't leave as long as before. He goes out often but only for days at a time instead of weeks or months. So we've been enjoying that...I hope yours is home for awhile. Are y'all going off on vacation somewhere to celebrate him being home (once he's healed that is)?

SkilledSailor

@josie12367 I’m feeling hella lazy this morning so there’s a photo of the recipe in the spoiler box. Let me know if you can’t read it and I’ll type it up! 

@nitnat007 @josie12367 Yay for your H’s being home! 

wishiwaspreggo

Let's talk about female summer clothing that's made of crepe paper. WHY IS EVERYTHING SEE-THROUGH?! I don't want to be forced to layer a tank top underneath a blouse. I want to be able to wear a light, flowy shirt that's made of a nice, soft knit fabric that actually conceals my bra and skin. Is that seriously too much to ask?

But then clothing companies wouldn't make huge profits by selling me a $50 see-through shirt and be force me to pair it with a $25 matching camisole. It's bullshit.

SkilledSailor

@wishiwaspreggo AMEN! Also the super deep low cut shirts and dresses. Those look so cute on some of my less endowed friends. Totally jealous of them being able to wear that trend. But please give us busty girls other options so I don't look like I'm working the corner when trying to cross the street.

CraftyG

I gotta admit I’m loving the low cut kinda see through outfits at the minute. I just wear a black bralet under everything and it’s so comfortable but I am a member of the itty bitty titty committee 

kristah2

YAS @SkilledSailor. I can not. When it's 1393923 degrees the last thing I want to do is stick another layer under my shirt. Being busty makes you sweaty on a good day, why do we need to wear layers on top of it?!

and crop tops. get out of here. No one needs to see my muffin top. Why is buying a full length shirt so difficult?

eleven_

I just got my Stitch Fix in the mail yesterday and 3 out of 5 of the pieces sent were crop tops. Needless to say, I was not happy. I put in my style profile that I do not wish to show off my stomach. How do I make this more clear to you, Stitch Fix?

lovesclimbing

wishiwaspreggo said:

Let's talk about female summer clothing that's made of crepe paper. WHY IS EVERYTHING SEE-THROUGH?! I don't want to be forced to layer a tank top underneath a blouse. I want to be able to wear a light, flowy shirt that's made of a nice, soft knit fabric that actually conceals my bra and skin. Is that seriously too much to ask?

But then clothing companies wouldn't make huge profits by selling me a $50 see-through shirt and be force me to pair it with a $25 matching camisole. It's bullshit.

Yes! This is why I'm sewing myself a maxi dress and have two knit tops in progress. I hate that type of material. It's so thin, it gets thinner with washes, and it usually pills badly. And then of course, such thin fabric clings to every lump and bump and doesn't smooth or conceal anything! 

What really annoys me is I'll see a cute woven shirt and then turn it around and the back half is knit. Umm, what? No! 

catlady2015

@eleven_ - ARGH! My stylist has been great and I haven't really gotten stuff that hasn't fit my profile. Might be time to request a new one! Whoever it is clearly isn't paying attention to your preferences. 
Side note: Did you fill out your profile's final thoughts section? I put stuff in there that I hate (like neon colors, crop tops, etc) so they would explicitly know not to send me that kind of stuff. In case they glossed over my profile, they should read that. An extra chance to express likes/dislikes. 

I hope a new stylist is all you need and your next box is full of awesome!

eleven_

@catlady2015 Yes, I specifically said not to send anymore crop tops for next time. The necklace they sent to me was not my style either. If my next one is as disappointing, I will request a new stylist. Thank you, I didn't know you could do that!

nitnat007

@josie12367 We don't have anything planned right now, but we will do something in the summer when he is more mobile for sure. That is so great that YH has a new position and able to be home with you more. So over the moon for you both. 

wishiwaspreggo

@lovesclimbing - I need to be better about teaching myself to sew. It would be awesome if I could go pick out the fabric I like and design a shirt just for me. But I am just awful at the machine I can hand-sew like a champ but it would take me ages and ages to make a shirt that way. Any tips on how to get started with a machine? I have an old-fashioned Kenmore... maybe if I upgraded to something modern that would help?

But yeah, it is the WORST when I see a shirt that looks cute on the rack, feels nice in my hands, and then I turn it around and there's a great big hole in the center of the back side so I can expose my bra to the whole freaking world. Or you pull out the sleeve to look at it and see all this unnecessary bedazzling on the elbows. Or the shirt is great except for the huge plastic flower sewn deeply into the fabric near the shoulder. Why must we women endure these humiliations? I wish I could shop like a man. Go to the store and know my exact dimensions and select practical, comfortable clothes that fit well and look good.

And don't get me started on shopping for suits. What an absolute nightmare it is to be a professional female in need of a nice jacket and tailored pants. Men have it SO EASY. Entire stores dedicated to men's fashion with dozens of choices of jackets and pants that match. Me? I sob my way through Macy's trying to piece together jackets and either pants or wretched skirts to find a combination that actually matches.

lovesclimbing

@wishiwaspreggo, honestly, I just learned by doing. I learned the basics of quilting from my grandma and then taught myself to sew clothes by buying a pattern and just doing it. I don't love knits as they can be hard to work with, but I just do it and get better over time. It's like anything where practice makes perfect. 

I recommend finding the simple patterns. Most of the big lines (Simplicity, Mccalls) have patterns labeled simple or easy. McCall's has a whole line branded "Kwik Sew." 

I think you can learn just fine on an older machine. One of the nice things with a newer one though is it often has an adjustment where you can slow down the stitching. So no matter how far down you push the foot petal, if you have it all the way slowed down, the machine will not go faster than the absolute slowest it is physically capable of sewing. And then there are middle settings so it will go a little faster and a little faster but still not full speed. That can be super handy starting out!

If it were me and I had a machine already that worked fine and was able to buy another, I would buy a serger. I don't have one and wish I did. I've used them before, and it is so nice for finishing seams and hems. It definitely makes sewing easier.

offtoneverland

I don't really mind thin shirts because I already wear tank tops under everything. Since I have a big chest it makes me feel more comfortable wearing a tight tank top under all my clothes so I don't jiggle as much.   

@SkilledSailor Thank you for the lentil taco recipe! That sounds delicious. 
@eleven_ That's so sad about your StitchFix! MH has gotten 3 shipments. Two of them he's loved and one of them he hated. In the shipment he hated, they sent him this weird polo with thin brightly colored stripes. I told him he was not allowed to wear it because he would look like he was 12 years old. Hopefully you can request a new stylist! 
@nitnat007 Hiiiii friend!!!! I've missed you and it's so good to hear from you again! I'm sorry to hear about YH's injury. How does he feel about having to come home early? Is he happy to be back or does he feel bad for having to leave early? 

nitnat007

@offtoneverland Hi friend!! It is good to be back, I missed you guys too. MH is adjusting. He is happy to be home, but I think he is feeling a little out of sorts with not being on ship anymore. He did so much work for this tour and planning for an upcoming mission that he is now not going to be there for. He does still feel bad that we are missing our Italy trip though (and I am not letting him forget it either lol). How are you doing?

jrm_14

Too many to tags on the topic-

At 6 foot with size F chest, rompers, maxi dresses ( hell-most dresses ) and most summer clothes are a joke. Especially shorts. No need to give me a crop top as most regular length tops are already too short. Thin material is fine, as long as it is durable. 

Anyone over 5’10”+ that has a good recommendation for dress pants in any colors EXCEPT black??  Where I used to buy them has stopped making them like they used to  

meggyme

@jrm_14 I haven't had to wear dress pants in awhile, but the few I have are banana republic. Where did you used to buy them?