New additions to the family!

Meet Oni (left) and Ruby (right), our new pets!  Don't worry, our cat was unhappy at first, but he seems to be adjusting, and we are giving him lots of extra love. :)

Liz turns 5 next month!  For her birthday, she had requested a pet.  We wanted to get another cat, a younger one that would be more playful with her, but the humane society had no young (male) cats.

My husband adores ferrets, and showed some to Liz at Petco.  She was immediately in love.  There was an albino that no one wanted who has been at the store for some time we were told, apparently because many people find them creepy or spooky.  But it is the gentlest little thing, not nippy at all (probably from being handled the most and being a bit older than the others), and so that is the one Liz wanted.  Even though it is a month early for her birthday, we decided to go ahead and get her the albino ferret, just in case she was gone by her birthday.

Liz has named her Ruby, for her eyes (which are beautiful, not creepy, though they do shine in the light, and for the camera!).  We know she may have some sight issues as she ages, but we are ok with that.  She still needs a loving home. :)

We did a lot of research, and find that ferrets are much happier and easier to take care of if you get two.  They groom each other, play together, sleep together and keep each other warm, and generally keep each other company when they have to be in their cage (at night and nap times).  And so we also got a little silver girl that James has named Oni (which means spirit in Japanese).   The coloring on the silver one is called "panda", which I do not understand.  Doesn't look a thing like a panda...lol.  It's James has a new baby now...

The really get along well and sleep and/or play together constantly.

We purchased a cage plenty large for 2 ferrets, with multiple levels for activity.  It came with a cheep canvas hammock. It was clear they wanted to use the hammock, but it wasn't comfy, so I sewed up an envelope style sleeping sack for them out of a nice leftover piece of fleece.  The both love it!

This is just the top half of the cage (plenty of sleeping and play options), the bottom half has the litter pan and a toy slide.

Since ferrets like to have cozey hidey spots and different sleep areas, I also sewed up a reversible flannel sleep sack from remainders of flannel fabric from Liz's PJ's.

from Liz's PJ's.  Oni loves the sleep sack, and has claimed it as her own.  It is really cool, it has a 4" opening on each side as well as the large opening on the top, allowing for lots of entrances and egresses and options for play.

Welcome to our home, Oni and Ruby!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

We spent the morning dying and decorating eggs, we also decorated the carton to hold them.  I only made the tissue flower, Liz put on the lace, buttons and all the gems and beads.

Followed by a fun Easter egg hunt, and an early ham dinner with baby red mashed potatoes and spinach salad, and of course some delightful deviled eggs!  1/2 curried, 1/2 traditional dill.  Yum!

How was your Easter?

Lace trimmed camisole

Just a short post to show off my new lace trimmed camisole, from Kwik Sew 2759.
I think the fit is reasonable good, though it could be taken in a bit around the armholes.  I just don't have the breasts to fill it out fully....Well, I've noted it for next time, and there will be a next time!  This is a great, simple, but stylish pattern, and I love the stretch lace trim.  Adds a pretty girlishness to a basic tank.

Speaking of that trim, it was absolutely impossible to find a nice stretch lace trim that wasn't the basic white or pink lingerie elastic.  My dad was kind enough to go to Fabric Depot for me before his last visit down to our place, and picked out this beautiful gold lace with a pretty brown decorative design stitching. Isn't he great to go lace shopping for me??  Love you dad!
It doesn't show too well in the pics, but it is really a great match IRL.  I even have a good yard left over, I'm sure I'll find a good use for it.

I'll was also brave enough, for the first time since getting it about 4 months ago, to use my 1979 serger.  My great aunt gave it to me, and now that I've used it, I love it!  It sewed up the shoulder and side seams so well. I can't seam to get the 4th spool threaded, and I refuse to bet my head against a wall trying again (or I'll just never use the thing), but the 3 thread overlock style seams to work perfectly fine!
The fit in back is perfect.

So now I've got a tank top for summer!  I'm thrilled, as I don't really own one (well, I do but it is very old and raggedy).  So now I own a pretty one!  Now, if only the warm weather would just hurry up and make an appearance...:D