I FOUND IT!! Again.

The cable for my camera. Yea! So now, all y'all (a REAL southern term!) can see pictures again. It was on my ironing board. Under my pressing cloth, behind the lint roller, up against the starch and on top of the Teflon pad. Wonder (1) how it got there (2) how I didn't see it in placing all that stuff around it, item by item (3) how I iron with all that junk in the way (4) why I never looked there. Yeah, the last one's just funny.

Anyhoo... I finally got a picture of my grand-niece in the dress I made for her. She just turned two, and is a real camera ham. She even knows that cell phones take pictures and she'll hold one up and say "Chhheeeessshhhsesee" with a big grin on her face. I had really lighten the pictures, as my MIL's house has no lights. Lost of heat, but no lighting. That would be my DH in the background, trying to stay sane with a glass of wine.

And, just because she would be so embarrassed, my niece doing the "banana dance". She works at Coldstone and if you tip them $20, the entire staff has to do this dance on the counter. We all showed up at her store last year: me, DH, her dad, step mother, both grandmothers, and a cousin (my son) and another sibling, and made them do it. This year, it was solo in the living room.

I'm a little excited - I know it doesn't take much - because my niece (not the one pictured - her older sister and the mother of the baby) was inspired by my handiwork and wants to learn to sew. She and my MIL (her grandmother) bought a pattern and some fabric. MIL used to sew a lot! In fact she used to make the uniforms for the Cincinnati Reds. But she's a little out of practice and not as sharp as she used to be. They cut the first dress upside down. I told them to finish it and let her wear it, but apparently they were upset by the University of Alabama logo being depicted incorrectly. I thought it was fitting and told MIL she was a traitor. She rolled her eyes. They went back to Jo-Ann's and found some really cute red and white fabric (I think they already had red thread, etc.) with Christmas kittens (remember, it's for a 2 year old). And whipped up the dress. I don't have a photo, but I'm still all proud. Maybe Niece and I will make her another over Christmas.

In other sewing news, I'm just frustrated as heck with my latest pants. I pulled out my front basting too soon and the whole front is just a mess. I'm not sure I can fix them, and I hate that. LOVE the soft, grey corduroy they're made of, love the fit and love the pattern (yeah, I know you're all bored with Burda. Don't care. THEY FIT!). So they're wadded on my sewing table waiting for time and inspiration. Maybe the new year will find both.

And now for my really pretty pictures. We took these (okay, I took these) about a week before Thanksgiving. The water is the Potomac river in Alexandria, VA. This was on the first part of our walk. The last half was taken up by trying to get our stupid dog back after I convinced DH to let her off the leash for a romp in the water. She thought it would be great fun to chase a kayak. It was. For her. We got muddy feet, yelled out by park rangers, burrs on our clothes and a good scare. But the pictures are pretty.