Road Trip!

Helloooo!!

I am alive and well, exited about school, and back in the blogger world!

A couple of weeks ago my family and I took a trip up to Montana for a Eucharistic Conference.  It was held at Corpus Christi parish in Great Falls, MT.  It was completely and utterly AMAZINGLY INCREDIBLE!!!  In the evening there would be Mass, dinner in the basement, a talk, then Eucharistic Adoration.  On three of the days we were supposed to go to the park, but were able to only one of the days because of the weather.  We still had fun, though.
I also had time to go crazy with one of my best friends about the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.  Because really, we're not the crazy ones. ;)

During the conference we had a Forty-Hours devotion.  Simply speaking, the Eucharist was left on the alter for forty hours, even during Mass and the talks.

Click on the pics to see them bigger.

The alter was completely amazing!!!  I think someone said there were over 120 candles.  Really the pictures can't do it justice, and I pray all of you will get to experience something like that in person.

We also had a Eucharistic procession.  Everything was so amazing, and being a part of it (opposed to seeing on the computer) was even amazinger!!!! ;D

I'm in the blue maxi "next to" the candle stick by the line.

The entire church was full of priests in cassocks!!  I'm not sure I'd even seen one in real life until then!  Most of them were young, and we got to talk to a lot of them.  My friends and I even got to sit with one during dinner!  A couple even came to the park and played frisbee with us.  It was truly an incredible experience.

On our trip we found some pretty good places to eat that I will highly suggest in case you are ever up that way.

2K's Kafe: Amazing food and service!  Tiny, but completely small town feeling.  My sister got the cinnamon roll french toast.  Definitely the favorite in my fam!  

The cinnamon roll french toast

Culver's: They now have some in Utah!  I know this is probably a common fast food place in the mid-west, but for us westerners who never get to eat their amazing fried chicken and custard, it was a treat!

Yesterday's Calf-A: They have amazing burgers and pie!!!  I would highly suggest the coconut cream.  We found out about this place from our friends in MT, and definitely worth the stop.  Keep an eye out when you're traveling on the 95, though, this place is literally in the middle of nowhere.

 

The coconut cream pie.  I'm getting hungry just looking at it!

Florence Coffee Company: It's only a small shack in Helena (one of three locations there, I think) but their drinks were REALLY good!  I got a coconut smoothie and would highly recommend it.

Em's Restaurant:  We went here after Mass at the Cathedral in Salt Lake City for brunch.  The smoked salmon eggs Benedict was amazing!  My sister got it for her birthday brunch.

Snyder Drug: This is a cute Catholic gift store, convenience store, and soda fountain all in one!  They have everything from odds-n-ends, ice cream, home decor, and chocolate sodas!

My mom's chocolate soda at the soda fountain in the back.

While we were driving up to MT, we passed through Butte at night.  There was something really bright up on the mountains beside us.  There was a big discussion as to what it really was.  My mom said it was a statue of Mary.  On our way back home, we passed through Butte during the day and saw that she had been right!

Our Lady of the Rockies.

We also saw an overlook with a sign that explained who she was and why she was there.  It was pretty neat!

We also stopped on our way back in Helena to see the Cathedral.

Note:

If you're anywhere near 50 miles of the place, stop by!!!

It is incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The church was huge!

 

The Stations were beautiful!!

Most of all the stained glass windows were gorgeous!

 St. Helena and her son, St. Constantine

 The Last Supper and St. Pope Pius X

The Transfiguration and the Crucifixion

A few things have been redone over the years, but those and most other things in the Cathedral are pretty much original to 1914, the year the building was completed.  The cornerstone was laid in 1908.

All in all it was an amazing trip!  I know I will definitely miss the scenery and the Toy Story clouds :)

God bless, and Namárië until next time!

An Idaho sunset.

My Middle Earth Adventure: Arwen Swimsuit, Part 3

WHENEVER you make ANY sort of sewing project, ALWAYS THINK THINGS COMPLETELY THROUGH FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have learned this lesson the hard way.

I decided that, when ordering the new navy blue fabric, I would also buy a yard of grey fabric.  All in all it was not the wisest decision for my wallet, but if I am going to take the time to make this, I am going to make it perfect and right.  My mom always says before buying something, "Don't buy it if you're not going to like it."  We all know, if you don't like something, you won't end up wearing it!

Thus I have started returning the old grey fabric, which, after consideration, was just too blue-grey for me.  I am glad to finally have the fabric part of the plan all worked out, and I have started working on the next step; the pattern.

Ah, the pattern!

What I used to make my pattern:

• Wrapping paper
• A sharpie
• My sister's swimsuit (to base the pattern off of)
• My giant pillow pet dog (trust me, he helped!!! :))

I based it (for the most part) off of my sis's swim dress, with a few slight adjustments.

(Click on the pictures for a larger image)

For the skirt I traced a dotted line around the edge, making it slightly wider at the hips, then I traced it with a solid line, which is what I cut on.  I left a little under an inch for seam allowance, seeing that the fabric probably won't need to much detail when sewing together.

I had forgotten that I was lengthening the skirt a bit (I'm a good deal taller than my sis) and therefore, working with paper I had previously cut from for a different pattern, I didn't leave enough room when marking the bottom of the pattern to complete the cut out.  Fortunately, I also forgot that when making a symmetrical cut, you only need 1 full half of the pattern, which is what I now have.

For the bodice I did the same thing I did with the skirt, creating a dotted line, and then a solid line for seam allowance.  When I first traced the pattern (upper left) I made the bottom up against the edge of the paper, then realized I needed to leave room for the v-shaped waistline.  I retraced a new pattern, leaving plenty of room on the bottom for the v-shape since I'm not entirely sure how low I want the dip to be.  For the sleeves I'll use the pattern I already had from my Tauriel costume, but I won't cut the material to the full length since I'm adding the silver bracers.

I made a new tailored pattern that is more rounded and slightly longer.

The patterns I still have yet to make are for the neckline (or I might just guess at that when the dress is made) and the shorts.  Plus my deadline is the 20th, less than 2 weeks away!  Pray that I get it all done in time!

My Middle Earth Adventure: Arwen Swimsuit, Part 2

I have some good news, and some bad news.

The bad news is that when I opened my package containing the fabric I did NOT like the blue.  It was way too purple.  Plus what's more, when I unfolded the yellow liner, I found it to be quite stained, a corner was cut off, there was tape in it, and it had been cut down the middle and sown back together.  That was quite a disappointment.

The good news is that I found a different fabric on amazon that is a way better color.  I also really liked the grey.

So, I will be returning the blue and yellow, keeping the grey, and purchasing a navy blue.

What I am kicking myself for is not thinking of looking up the same type of fabric anywhere else before I ordered the wrong color of blue instead of just praying it wasn't as bright as the picture showed.

Anyway, while I wait for the fabric, I'll probably start making a pattern.  I found a really great tutorial for that here.  I did the same thing when I made my Tauriel costume.

Namárië!

My Middle Earth Adventure: Arwen Swimsuit

Hello all!

I have decided to be slightly adventurous and make my own swimsuit this year.  As I always try to keep modesty in mind by the pool, and I have this "little" thing with Middle Earth, it can be quite hard to find the PERFECT swimsuit.  Therefore, one does not simply compromise when a Tolkien fandom is involved. :)

I will be making a swim dress that is knee length with long shorts underneath.  My sister ordered one from a company online, Meant to be Modest, and I liked hers very much.  I would have ordered one from the same place, but as I wanted it to be more detailed with many adjustments, I knew it would be cheaper to make my own.  Plus it gives me a chance to expand my sewing skill. :) I have decided to make the swim dress based on Arwen's character.  I haven't seen the last two LotR movies, (oh, shock and disbelief!!!) but I am basing the swim dress more on her book character anyway.  Since she represents the evening, as Galadriel does the morning, (page 953 of The Return of the King) I will be using a dark blue and a grey fabric.

The blue I got Here, the grey I got Here, and the liner I got Here.

I am a little nervous about the blue, though, because, although I had wanted to get navy blue, they were out of it and the regular blue, so, I decided to go with what they call "Blueberry."
The package arrived yesterday, but I didn't realize I actually had to go open the door when the mailman rang the bell or else he would take the package with him and I would have to wait until the next morning to pick it up at the post office.  I now safely have the contents of my shipment but have not had the time to open the box yet.

For a liner, I had wanted to use white, but they were out of that too!!  I decided to go with a yellow instead, and pray for the best.  The one my sister has has a beige lining, and as it never really shows, I believe the yellow will be fine.  Once again, I am quite nervous!  Ok, VERY nervous!!

The grey will be used for the neckline and bracers, and the blue for everything else.  No, I'm not really making bracers for a swimsuit, (I do believe that would be slightly difficult when swimming) but I will only make the blue part of the sleeve half-length and finish the rest with grey.  I might add a little blue to the end of the sleeve to give it more of the bracer illusion.

I'll probably post pictures of the fabric once I get them out of the box, and hopefully they'll look as good as I'm praying they are. : /

Namárië!

Update!

This time of year means it's time to put away the ol' swimming pool.  This past weekend was operation, "put that thing back where it came from or so help me!"  We probably should have done that sooner, because my sister and I had to get in the inch deep water to pump it out and it was FREEZING!!!  Overall we got most of what we needed to done, though we still have a little to do.

Before....

In between...

Ta da!

Well, that's all gone now.  It's so sad!!  Technically it means that it's time to pull out the heavy coats and tights.  Not to mention the late freeze warning!!!.  Ugh!   At least this means the third Hobbit is coming out.  I can't wait!!!  I'll let you all in on a little secret.  I'm going to make a Tauriel costume to go see it in the theaters! (Sssh!!)  When the time comes closer (and when I have some good pictures) I'll post about it and hopefully try to give some good tips for those who want to make one.  Just to let you know, I'm no where near a pro so you might not want to take it. :)  Actually, I'm getting my info from adventuresofanelvenprincess.blogspot.com.  You should check it out!

Anyway, last weekend (or was it two weekends ago...) was my birthday!  I turned 14~ finally!!!  I had a really fun day with family and friends.  I went to gymnastics practice, Joann's, Buca Di Beppo for dinner, and yes, I went to Dairy Queen for dessert.  I just felt in the mood for ice cream!  I mean, it wasn't my first choice, but I had forgotten that we have a Thrifty's ice cream in town.  It was still pretty good, and I enjoyed hanging out with my sis and my cousin.

Also, I got the best birthday gift ever!!!!  

You have no idea how excited I was when I saw that.  I still have yet to hang it up, but when I do, oh the hours I will spend studying it!!! :P

I guess that sums it up for tonight.  Hopefully I'll find time between being a busy 8th/9th grader, teenager, Catholic, and seamstress to be able to blog! :)