Grandma's Home!

Thank you for your prayers. Grandma was released from the hospital yesterday at 1:00 pm, and is doing well today.

Dial-Up Modem

I've been trying to post to my blog using Grandpa's dial-up Internet system, and having a tough time! I will try to post more later. My grandma is still in the hospital (she was admitted Friday morning before we arrived in Texas). Please pray that God's healing hands will touch her so that she can come home and enjoy our visit. Blessings! Rhonda, Shauna & Staci

The Great State of Texas

The girls and I arrived at DFW airport around 5:00 pm ~ and got out of the airport's consolidated rental car center (offsite) at 6:00 pm. Of course I had to get lost leaving the airport, but thank the Lord, a nice gentleman who had stopped at the 7-eleven store was heading in the same direction, and let me follow him. He was very patient, and waited at the side for me after each of the toll booths (they only take coins, but they will make change for you - the tolls were $1 each, but we did pass some toll booths that were 40 cents ~

Celebrity Look-A-Like

After reading Misty's post, I had to google the Celebrity Face Recognition website. Below are the results of the three photos I used. I also did one that turned out as looking like Martina McBride (as always, I must digress, so thinking of Martina McBride brings to mind one of our favorite YouTube videos to watch - her singing "God Bless America"



Back to my story - my original pic that's supposed to look like Martina is "kaks" as Sonia would say, so I'm not posting it.

While I was doing this it also reminded me of a book I read recently regarding clay facial reconstruction to help identify human skulls. Pretty interesting stuff.

Anyhow, let me know which celebrity you look like by leaving a comment.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Printable family tree - Vintage photos

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Free family tree - Family history sites

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

How to Make (Sew) A Skirt from a T-Shirt

This is a simple, easy to sew, beginner's pattern. You can finish it in under an hour, even if you're new to sewing.

If you're large (like me), you can use an old t-shirt, or in my case, a new shirt that I stained the third time I wore it, and turn it into a toddler size girls' knit skirt. Here are some pics to show you what I did.

The first slide shows the cutting layout of the t-shirt. Turn the t-shirt inside out, and cut a horizontal line right below the armpits. Then, cut an angled line on the left side, fold over the fabric to the right edge, matching the bottom/hem, and cut the right side angled line.

This last picture shows the finished skirt, turned right side out.

Please note: I am NOT a professional seamstress, as you can tell from the pics.

If I was, I would have used matching green thread. In addition, I would have folded under the fabric toward the elastic before I sewed it over, so that no unfinished/raw edges would be showing. However, I'm of the opinion that this is just a play skirt, and will mostly be worn for playing around in the back yard or for a change of clothes after swimming. Also, since my girls are growing so fast, the skirt won't last very long before it's too short on them.

In total, I had this skirt cut out and sewn together in 30 minutes on a Sunday morning before church. The true beauty of this is that if the girls wear their shirt untucked, which they usually do, it will still look professional, because the hem is professionally done (the manufacturer did it in the process of making the t-shirt).

I hope you enjoyed this picture tutorial.

Please let me know what you think: are the pictures too small; is the text too small; are the directions clear, etc. Also, email me at rhonda dot parker at dgs dot ca gov or comment on this post if you have any questions regarding the sewing construction of this skirt. Thanks!

Feeding the Ducks ~ Hagan Community Park ~ 8/21/08

Last week on Tuesday and Thursday, I took the girls to Cordova Community Pool, which is located within the Hagan Community Park. After we showered and changed, the girls went to feed the ducks. There were about 20-30 ducks in all - Shauna said that next time we need to bring a whole loaf of bread. Unfortunately in today's economy, flour and therefore, bread, is one of the highest increased priced items in the grocery business. I told her that next time we could bring more bread, but NOT the whole loaf.

Vintage Sewing Patterns

With my sister's upcoming wedding and trying to find a modest sewing pattern to fit sizes 6 to 26, I've been gathering information on sewing and patterns, and spending way too much time and money at the local JoAnn store which is holding a liquidation sale as they get ready to open their new, larger store at Sunrise & Madison. Since all of their patterns but Vogue are on sale for $1.99, I've started collecting. I've also been reading online about sewing patterns, and discovering there is a "following" for those individuals interested in vintage sewing patterns. Here is an excerpt about the history of patterns that I found on Alana's Cherised Treasures website, as well as some pictures of vintage patterns that I found while browsing online.

I have added a little bit of history to some of the more popular patterns that were well known through sewing pattern history. This is by far not all of them, but might be of interest to you. Vintage patterns were first introduced in Mme. Demorest's Mirror of Fashion magazine. Ellen Curtis Demorest created the first paper patterns which were found in their early magazines. Graded sewing patterns were introduced by a tailor named Ebeneezer Butterick in 1863. Mr. Butterick used tissue paper to sell sewing patterns in mass production. Butterick publishing company were the first to create enlarged instruction sheets called "Deltor". Four Major Pattern Companies that still exist today are Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity and Vogue.

Las Amigas

Hay amigos que llevan a la ruina, y hay amigos más fieles que un hermano. Proverbios 18:24 Nueva Versión Internacional (NVI)

Proverbs 18:24 ~ A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Maricela is such a great person ~ I can always count on her to see the positive in everything and to look at situations objectively and through the other person's point of view. I've been blessed to have her as a friend and coworker for about 8 years.
Victoria and I started work as student assistants for the State of CA on the same day: January 2, 1996. So, we have been friends for over 12 years! She is very intelligent, and has helped edit and proofread emails for me, check my work, do my cross-references on audit workpapers (and she loves to clean house and help organize!) Victoria has two beautiful daughters, Bianca, who is 7 1/2 and Santana, who is 6 1/2.
I thank God for these two ladies who have been good friends to me, even though we don't share the same ethnicity.
Shauna and Staci both love Maricela and Victoria and her girls, but they always get them confused. They ask me all the time to tell them the difference between Maricela and Victoria.

Here are some pictures of "Las Amigas."

Doy gracias a mi Dios cada vez que me acuerdo de ustedes.me acuerdo de ustedes. Filipenses 1:3

Philippians 1:3 ~ I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.

At the Pool with Friends

Friday night, 8/8/08, we went to Maricela & Carlos' new house, and enjoyed some barbecued hot dogs and some time at the community pool. Good friends, fun, and food - three blessings from the Lord!

Pics of the Visit with Bob & Staci

Doesn't Ginger look so sweet! She is a pitbull, and many people are afraid of pit bulls (ha, I'm afraid of dogs in general), but Bob & Staci truly believe that it's the owners who turn the dog into a vicious attack animal. I must say that Ginger has never given me or the girls anything to be afraid of.

This last picture was taken by Staci, hence the "finger" right in front of the lens. She was still able to see us in the viewfinder, so she figured the picture was okay. As I'm sitting here typing this, little Staci is by my side, on the couch, asking "can I do some letters?" So, here goes - I'm handing the keyboard over to her.

ggvccvbcxvcuswbiuhft jughyubkgrv ufhhvsby t63ty yrvgtyvt56etx7y466r78ytyrertyetrtyuuiysughteytyuqwwytswteytyertyergyuhhhy

Yummy Veggies!

Homegrown Vegetables!

My friend Staci was generous and let the girls pick "as many cherry tomatoes as they wanted." She said she only planted four cherry tomato plants - I definitely have to plant a garden next year! Her plants were huge! The girls also got to pick some of her bounty of cucumbers and a bell pepper each.

Swimming at Staci & Bob's House

The Countryside - Outskirts of Vacaville, CA

On Friday night, the girls and I drove to Vacaville to see my friend Staci, whom I used to work with about 10 years ago. We took her out to Fresh Choice for her birthday dinner, and then stayed the night at her "geodesic dome" house (see the roof in the last picture) out in the countryside, as Shauna called it. It was a wonderful time! Here are some pictures of the deer we saw on Bob & Staci's property, as well as one of their pitbull, Ginger.