Each morning is almost the same at our house.  Up a little late, a hot shower, quick scramble for clothes and breakfast.  Then, I look at the boys, giggle at what they are wearing, help them fix it and wonder why the King is staring blindly into his side of the closet.
Is there a giant spider in there?
A monster actually living in the deepest darkest corners?
Perhaps the shoes have finally reproduced in the middle of the night and I have a new pair of peep toe sling backs?
Nope, not even close.
Another day and he has no idea what to wear.

I've always thought that having less in the options department would help a King out.  Guess not.  I've resorted to Pinterest in the past to help him conquer his daily struggle with the closet.  It was simply time to put together a few more wardrobe capsules so he could mix and match his way through the week.

Blues and Greys

Tans and Greens

The purpose of any wardrobe capsule is that you take a few classic pieces and then interchange seasonal or trendy pieces with them.


In the first capsule, the classics are jeans, leather jacket, dress shirt, boots and vest.  By adding in a henly, military sweater a pair of cargos and a sleek sneaker you end up with more than 10 other looks.

The second capsule is the same idea.  The classics are the dress shirts, a flannel, jeans and then boots and a suede oxford.  Add in different sweater, a quilted vest, some cargos and a sleek sneaker you have a span of items that go from office to weekend wear.

You can find both of these wardrobe capsules and a few more on Pinterest.

I know it's been forever since I've posted, and those of you that know me personally or read here from time to time know I've gone back to college.  I started back in January and have done 41 credits so far this year.  I'm looking to get at least another 6 in before the end of the term, and if I'm lucky 12.  I chose a competency based school (WGU) instead of seat hours.  I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying college at my own pace.  So much nicer getting paired with a stoner who never shows up to class and to whom your grade is tied to.

Happy Fall!

Long overdue, but here is the second week of outfits for the 15 for 30!  The original post shows you the 15 pieces I started with.  All you have to do is find something similar in your closet and follow along.

Enjoy some spring weather!

Last week I gave you 15 pieces for 30 days worth of outfits.  Using just what I had in my closet, I picked out what I could easily use to transition to spring. If you've been stuck in a rut where you're just wearing the same things over and over again, I hope this will inspire you to try some of your 'old things' in new ways.
Here are the first week's outfits - enjoy!

In an effort to get the minions to use their cameras more effectively and understand composition, we are spending the day taking photos.  Not just any photos, either.  We have an entire list of things to take photos of, a photo scavenger hunt.
Some of what I take today I'll be posting to instagram.  If you'd like to join in on the scavenger hunt, tag your photos with #datdscavengerhunt or stop by my facebook site and share them there.
Now then, there needs to be a list for the event so here are a few to get you started!

The last few months have been rather hectic with the whole real job thing.  Most days I'm busy with just running a business.  It's not helped matters that I went back to college and have two minions either.   The good news is, I've managed to get through 2 classes, and I'm working on the 3rd one now.  I just got my first paper back and got an A.  Not too shabby for not doing the college thing for, yeah, we're not going to talk about how long it's been.  So if any of you ladies are thinking about going back to get a degree or finish one, do it.  It can be done.  Choose your college and degree wisely though.

Now, to the point of this post.  As if there ever is a true point to any of these posts...
Spring is just around the corner, and already sprung for those of your in the warmer climates.  It will start warming here over the next month or two so I've put together an entire month of outfits, based on 15 standard items from my closet.  Each week I'll post a weeks worth of outfits  from what I have pictured below, including weekend wear.
Yes, I know I have more than 15 here, shoes, bags, accessories and undies don't count, or we'd all be walking around half naked.



If you'd like to play along, clean out your closet, and find some things that can sub in for what I have pictured.  Not every body looks good in the same colors and styles, so use what works for you!

I'll see you all next week with outfits - Week 1!

I started watching Downton on a sick day while browsing Netflix.  I didn't know it would suck the King in too.  Let's just say Violet had him when she was describing Downton "Really. It's like living in a second rate hotel where guests keep arriving and no one seems to leave."  I also didn't know how truly lovely the costumes were going to be, or how much I was going to covet being tall and stick-like to carry those costumes off.  Since I won't be growing or losing my girly figure any time soon, I'll have to improvise.

This Saturday is my mom's tea party/birthday present, so Mom, if you're reading this, stop now, or the surprise you want will be gone.

I'll be wearing a blousy, dolman sleeved, lace number.  Mine is actually a blush color, not black, but one can't fight Polyvore.   For fun, I think I'll even try some Marcel waves in my hair.

The invitations that went out specified wearing fancy hats, I chose a fascinator.  Something I didn't own but ran across and decided it would be fun.  The rest of the outfit is Downton inspired, but without wearing an ill-fitting dress for my body type, I wasn't going to go all the way.

I've planned out a tea buffet with teas from a local tea shop called One Good Woman.  The king has been gracious enough to offer a hand and the minions will probably offer up some service as mini garçons.

Smaller scale but same idea

We'll be dining on tea sandwiches like cucumber with dill spread and hummus with sprouts.  I'll be making scones, because you can't have tea without them.  I'm thinking a sweet scone, probably pumpkin with maple icing because it's my favorite, and a savory one like olive and rosemary.  Some lovely little cupcakes (carrot) done up like hats.  Strawberries in a lemon lavender syrup to put something remotely healthy on the table and either french macaroons or cut sugar cookies.

cute cake I did last year

My mother 'gifted' me with my grandmothers china some time ago.  I lovingly refer to it as the ugly china.  We'll be using it for tea.  Yes, it's ugly as sin, but it's my sin.  My sins include way more pieces than I started with as I filled in broken and missing pieces over the years.  I have everything from berry bowls to teapots covered in pink 40's style flowers.

Homer Laughlin Priscilla Eggshell Nautilus

I've been stumped on decorations, I'll admit.  I'm a total black thumb and don't do well with any plant that's alive, or even was alive at one time.  I know I like the big puffball flowers, and I adore the look of this table.  Obviously I'll scale it down as it will be on my coffee table and not at a large scale wedding. But I think I can manage some candles and fake puffball things in a vase.

Puffballs are pretty

No party is complete without something for the guests to take home, so mom and I have been collecting old tea cups and saucers from thrift shops all over the mid-state.  Each guest will be going home with a one of a kind candle in a teacup.  I just have to find a couple more, and soon.  Seriously people, donate more cups!

Le Crueset cookware

Like most people I have a variety of pots, pans and skillets in my cupboards.  I have everything from glass to non-stick teflon going on in there.  After getting sick and figuring out what I can and can't have we started rethinking our cookware as well.  After doing some research, I felt educated...and appalled.  Here is what I found out!

We all know non-stick cookware is convenient and easy to clean, but it also has some health concerns.  PFOA, a component in teflon coating on those pans, is a know carcinogen and mutagenic.  At least 98% of the population of the US will find PFOA in its bloodstream, and even in the cord blood of newborns.  DuPont, the creator of the substance has been fined heavily in the past for covering up just how dangerous it is.  Oh, and if you have feathered friends in your home, non-stick pans can kill them.  No, I'm not kidding.
If you are still using non-stick pans here are a few tips to use them safely:

• Don't overheat them, dry heat them or heat them over 400 degrees.
• If they are in any way scratched or the coating is coming off, throw them away.
• Don't heat an empty pan - it can take less than 2 minutes to over heat a non-stick pan.
• Don't sear or broil meat in non-stick pans.  Typically you need to heat the pan past what is safe to cook the meat that way.

Aluminum Cookware is for many people a cost effective way to cook their food.  Unfortunately aluminum can leach into your food.  Cooking veggies in aluminum cookware produces hydroxide poison which can neutralize digestive acids and cause gastro intestinal troubles.  To give you an idea of how bad this stuff is, the sale of aluminum cookware is prohibited in Germany, France, Belgium, UK, Switzerland, Hungary and Brazil.
Anodized Aluminum seals in the aluminum, and gives it a non-porous non-reactive surface, until the teflon is put on it.  The acidity of your food will break down the surface on these, so be careful to make your sauces in another pot.

Stainless Steel, unless it is surgical grade can be made from pretty much anything, including scrap metal.  The only other thing you have to worry about with these is nickel, in the better pans.  But you have to be able to afford the high end ones to avoid the inferior metals and other leaching concerns.  When you get into that much money, there are better options.

Cast Iron is another great one.  They require some extra maintenance but can be a fairly inexpensive albeit heavy addition to the cupboard.  The drawbacks however, are that seasoned pans are 99.9% of the time seasoned with soy oils.  Be aware of that before you buy them and look for non-seasoned if you want cast iron and season them yourself.

Back in the 80's, glass pots and pans were all the rage.  You can still find them, Corning makes the Visions line here in the US.  No leaching into your food, but a bit on the sticky side.  Great for simply boiling water and making pasta though.  Special bonus with these, they are made by the same group that makes beakers so you feel a little like a mad scientist while doing up dinner!

Ceramic is a newer version of the non-stick pan.  There are a few on the market now in the US, and most aren't worth buying.  The ceramic is inferior and develops pits in the ceramic rather quickly.  Ecoluxe out of Italy is one that's worth buying, but you have to go to Italy or stumble on their pans in Marshalls like I did.  If you find some, buy them.  They're completely worth it.

Last but certainly not least, there are the enameled cast iron variety.  You get all the greatness of the cast iron along with the no leach of the glass.  If you're going to go this route, keep in mind these types of pans are handed down through generations.  They will last you a lifetime and probably your grandkids too, but you pay for that quality.  Le Creuset and Staub are two lines that are worth the money.  Martha is making her own these days, but the reviews were awful on the enamel pitting, cracking and coming off.

For any of you with allergies or intolerances, if you are buying anything second hand and it's porous material, assume it's contaminated and don't buy it.  Save yourself some agony later.

I'm slowly switching over to Le Creuset and glass.  What are you cooking on?

As another year comes to a close, I find myself in the same cycles of years past.  I take stock of the things I've done this year, see if I've met the goals I've set for myself both personally and professionally, and start writing the goals for the year ahead.

Some of the goals I've met, some I haven’t.  I really don’t sweat it one way or another.  They’re goals and things to strive for, not how I measure my success and happiness.  I know not everyone is like that, and that’s OK too.  Everyone is different and it’s that bit of different that makes each of us special and unique.

Each goal I set, no matter if it’s a short or long term goal follows a few rules.

The goal is Specific.  It will state what I want to accomplish, who is involved, why I’m doing it, where I’m doing it and list out any requirements or constraints.
The goal will also be Measurable.  I can give it how much percentages, or how manys to see what’s left to do yet.
The goal is Attainable.  If I can answer the question, “How will I accomplish my goal?”, with a realistic answer, it’s attainable.  Being the Doctor’s companion isn't an attainable goal, no matter how cool you think it would be.
The goal is Relevant. Is my goal worthwhile?  Am I the one that should be accomplishing this?  Is it the right time to do this?
The goal is Time bound.  Someday is not part of the goal making formula.  What needs to be done now, next week, next month to accomplish my goal in the X months I have designated to bring it to completion?


My personal goals for the coming year are pretty simple, barring of course the end of the world as predicted by the Mayans.

• Go back to school in January and work towards my masters. (long term goal)
• Make 5 new friends and have a girls' night out once a month.
• Attend one craft show a month, and make my jewelry a small, profitable business that can support 50% of my tuition costs by the end of 2013.
• Expand on my jewelry line to include some accessories for Thirty One bags.  Meet up with the rep and make sure she has samples by Jan. 15th.
• Finish the family room and move on to the dining room before Spring.

That’s it so far, but that list is ever changing, so the goals will adjust, change, be added to and some of those will be removed as they are completed.
What are your goals for 2013, or are you hoping the Mayans will be right and you won’t need to make any more goals?

I don't know about the rest of you, but the last week has been a total blur for me.  An office move, making a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner for 12 and all the things that go with those have kept me busy.
Due to me going vegan and my crazy dietary restrictions I decided to serve Indian food for thanksgiving.  For a family of carnivores that loves their meat, potatoes and gravy it went amazingly well.
The menu was fairly simple.  Crudités with homemade hummus was laid out as guests were arriving.  We chose a simple moscato wine to have, and served it chilled, but not ice cold.  For the starter we had a spicy lentil dahl with papadom and naan.  Then, a buffet style meal of jasmine rice, gobi mutter, chana masala, veggie korma, corn, a simple cole slaw and for the carnivores, chicken biryani and tandoori chicken.

All of the recipes for the meal can be found on my Thanksgiving Pinterest board, except the cole slaw.  I've included a recipe for it below.

If you live in Central Pennsyltucky and have no idea where to get some of the Indian ingredients or spices, Hampden Grocer carries all of it.  As an added bonus, the owner is friendly and helpful!

Yes, we did still have pie.  Minion #2 helped make an apple pie, and there was pumpkin and my famous pecan pie as well.

Dawn's Simple Cole Slaw
Serves 12

1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced thin
1/2 head of red cabbage, sliced thin
large handful of baby carrots, diced, matchstick, or tossed in a food processor
1 medium cucumber
rice vinegar
olive oil
pepper

Slice your cabbages and carrots and toss them together, mixing them thoroughly.  Add vinegar and oil to taste.  You want to taste the mixture, but not leave a lake of it at the bottom of your bowl.  Add just enough to coat the veggies.  Add a good bit of black pepper. You want to give it just a bit of a bite.  Slice the cucumber in thin rounds and top the slaw with it.

P.S. I did make all the food up a day ahead of time with my wonderful Sister In Law.  She and I cooked for 6 hours straight to get everything ready so I wouldn't have to be on my feet from the crack of Dawn (no pun intended) on Thanksgiving.  I doubt there are words to say how nice it was to have the help, but it was truly wonderful and a lot of fun!

Each time I've shopped with someone, no matter if it was helping them find a piece for an event, or filling in parts of their wardrobe, I've run into the same issue.  Few people know what the difference is between style and fashion.

Simply put, style is an innate part of who you are and doesn't really change.  Fashion, on the other hand is directed by other people and changes with the seasons.  If you're still not sure how to tell the difference, look at any movie star from the 20's on.  If what they are wearing looks great and would still be relevant today with some minor updates, that's style.  If you're giggling at what they're wearing, that's fashion.  Not that fashion is a laughable thing, but trends come and go darling.  Style is forever.

If you're like most people, you probably have a closet that's half full of trends from the last 5-10 years and the other half is stuff you don't like, doesn't fit and you don't wear.  Sometimes it makes for some seriously hideous awesome outfits.  Some though, manage to take what's in their closet and look amazing even if they've already forgotten about what they're wearing that day.  How do they do that?  Their closet is full of things that suit their style, mixed with a few trendy items.  That's how.  If you've ever wanted to reinvent your style but just weren't sure how here are a few easy steps to do so.

We've all had a "what was I thinking" moment, or ten.

The first step is to develop your own style.  If you're unsure about what your style is, you can take a look at magazines to see what the glitterati is wearing currently or even look back over the decades to see what the fashions were through the years.  You may find that some things from other eras are more to your liking.

Look through your closet once you have an idea about what your style is and see what's age appropriate.  If you're in your mid to late 30's and dressing like a teenager, you may have an issue.  Looking youthful isn't about your clothes.  Make sure too that you're dressing for your occupation.  Mom jeans and stained tees do not good office wear make.  Dress for your lifestyle.  If you walk all day, every day, 4" stilettos may not be for you.

Figure out what colors look good on you and what styles fit your body shape best.  Don't wear things that accentuate your worst attributes.  For instance, I don't wear baggy clothes.  I'm petite and they tend to make me look like I'm playing dress up.

If you're not sure what things you should buy and will hold up to multiple washings, or can't tell designer clothing from a blue light special, then what you really need to know are a few simple things.  How are things cut, how are they stitched and what fabrics are they made from?

• The cut should flatter your best assets and hide the worst ones.  Cheaper clothing sometimes will have  variations in size and even the material cuts may be different.  So if you're picking up trends on the cheap, watch for that.
• The stitching in the fabric should always be at least 1/8" from the edge and the edge should be finished.  If it's not, assume you'll be fixing a seam along the way, or just don't buy it at all.
• Cotton polyester blends are great for everyday, they barely wrinkle.  Silk is nice for dressing up, wools for winter warmth and linens for summer to keep you cool.

I'm always looking for new recipes that my kids will eat and won't make me sick.  That means it has to be gluten free, soy free, dairy free and free of most nightshades.  This week we tried a Mexican lasagna.  Super simple to make, this only took a few minutes to put together and a few more to bake.

Very, very yummy!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Things you'll need:

• A baking dish
• Tortillas (gf corn, about 10 of them)
• Enchilada sauce (we used frontera green chile, 1 pouch)
• Refried beans (fat free to keep them vegan, 1 can)
• Black beans (low sodium, 1 can)
• Mexican corn (because it has cute red and green pepper pieces in it, 1 can)
• Onion (small, diced)
• Garlic (2 cloves, diced)
• Cheese (Daiya)
• Olive oil

Optional goodies
We cubed half an avocado and added it to ours once it was plated

1. In a pan, heat a small amount of olive oil and add in your garlic and onion.  Cook until they are translucent. Add in your black beans and corn to heat through.  
2. While you're doing that, open the refried beans and heat them in microwave.  They just need to be warm enough to easily spread.
3. Add some enchilada cause to the bottom of your baking dish.  If you don't your tortillas will burn and stick to the dish.  
4. Put a layer of tortillas in the bottom of your dish, cutting them when needed to cover the entire bottom.
5. Spread a thin layer of refried beans on the tortillas and add a layer of the onion/bean/corn mixture, about half of it.
6. Top with another layer of tortillas and enchilada sauce, refried beans and the mixture from your pan.
7. Add the top layer of tortillas and enchilada sauce then top with cheese.
8. Put the dish in the oven for 20-30 minutes.  All you really need is for the flavors to mingle, everything to heat through and the cheese to melt.

Enjoy!

I don't know about all of you, but as Pumpkin Spice Latte season comes into full swing I really enjoy the crisp mornings.  The bit of nip in the air and the way it makes the leaves smell is nearly intoxicating.  This morning I decided on either a skirt or a dress, mostly because I wanted to wear my boots.  We all have a few go to pieces in our closets.  The black boots are one of mine.

Today is all about books, four of them to be exact.  I'm a book addict.  I read voraciously, two, three, sometimes four books at a time.  It's a sickness and I admit to it.

Books are amazing things.  They can teach you about things you never knew existed, or take you to far off lands to meet exciting people.  Sometimes boring people too, but we just set those books aside and pick up something else.  I've had a number of stories really resonate with me.  Sometimes the characters found a place in my heart and at the end I was sad to see them go.  Sometimes the places were lands I wanted to explore.  Sometimes, the story line was fantastical and even knowing the impossibility of it, you want to be a part of it.

Most of my favorites are parts of a series.  I guess I just don't like things to end too quickly.  That said, the Dragonlance series is on my list.  It's also the only fantasy series that will grace this list.  There are rangers, and dwarves and barbarians, a kender who accidentally ends up with 'stolen' items in his possession all the time and a mage or two.  The characters are fabulously written, the story is engaging and even 20 years later I can distinctly recall a scene where one character, wielding a frying pan, put the beatdown on a few of the bad guys of the book.  Makes me chuckle to this day.

For any of you that know me personally, you know I work with a bunch of guys who really do not get my infatuation with Instagram.  That's okay.  I don't get their fascination with boobs or Starcraft, so I guess we're even.  What I have heard them say is why would you want to take a perfectly good photo and make it look old, dirty, and blurry?  What is the point to that?

My view of Times Square

As a species we enhance things all the time.  Just using drawing as an example we went from cave drawings to paper drawings that suffered from a lack of perspective.  Then, along came Filippo Brunelleschi in the early 1400's and poof we have linear perspective.  Since then it's been built on by others and now we have some amazing 3D CGI to show for our enhancements.

Market Street bridge at sunset

Getting back to Instagram though, the popularity is driven by a number of things.  One is nostalgia, the viewer may recall the days of Polaroids and black and white film, or just like the feel of being a part of a different era.  Another is the ability to move the viewer away from reality.  Depending on the filter applied, or the blur and how much of it there is, the image can become very abstract requiring imagination from the viewer to give it a meaning.  Lastly it's a way for the viewer to connect with the image, or the photographer in feelings, memories, or even experiences that the photo is depicting as well as share their own photos with others to do the same.

Carlisle, PA mural of Molly Pitcher

Instagram isn't for everyone, and that's okay.  Turns out I'm still not a fan of boobs or Starcraft and that doesn't make me a bad person either.  And to answer their question of why do I want to do that to my perfectly good photos: by running it through those blurry, dirty filters, I've made that image mine.  It means something to me and I want to share it with others so they can enjoy what I see in it.

If you'd like to see more of my Instagram photos, you can look me up (drsizer), or the last few are always on the widget here on my site.

These are my favorite photos I've enhanced with Instagram so far.  The first is a vacation photo, the second is just from my drive home, and the last is a bit of home for me.  That caboose has been a fixture of the town I grew up in for as long as I can recall.

Boldt Castle Power House

Yellow Breeches Creek

New Oxford, PA Train Station

Who knew a fashion post could be (in part) about autism?  Bet you didn't!  Well, my lovelies, today it is.  It's also about one of my favorite things, SHOES!

Autism has some of the craziest signs for a disorder, ever.  One of them happens to be toe walking, which, if you have a toddler is a common thing.  Toddlers will toe walk, slap their feet down flat or roll their foot like an adult as they learn to get themselves ambulatory.  For some people with autism, it's a learned skill to not walk on their toes.  Minion #1 is one of those people.  We still work on that skill, especially if he's getting tired.  As with everything else, as your  mind and body tire, the brain relaxes and things you have to think about doing go to the wayside.

As you can also imagine, it takes a toll on his shoes.  The wear patterns are different on his long toed, narrow feet.  The treads on the fronts and sides are worn down long before the rest of the shoe.  When he was younger, due to the shuffling and scuffing, the treads would come away from the shoe as well.  We tried a number of things to address the walking issues he had.  We went from constant reminders, showing him again and again how we walked to letting him go barefoot.  Nothing really worked.  Until flip flops.  Turns out toe walking in those makes you trip over your own feet.  After a summer or so of that, the issue resolved itself, minus a few small reminders now and then when he's tired.

We women also do a good bit of toe walking if we wear heels a lot.  It's a bit different in that the foot is forced into that position, but it does the same things.  There are a number of issues that can crop up from wearing heels, from bunions to stress fractures of the foot.  So, if you love your heels like I do, here are a few tips to keep your feet feeling awesome.

* When you buy shoes, make sure they fit your foot.  Not all shoes from all makers in your size will.
Clarks are a great shoe.  They don't fit my foot though.  My go to heels are from Aldo and Easy Spirit for flats.  I don't even feel them on my foot.

* Pad your shoes so you're always comfortable.  They make inserts for just that reason.
There are inserts for the balls of your feet, sides, heels...etc.

* Own more than two pair of shoes, guys.
If you wear the same shoes over and over before they have a chance to dry out, you'll end up with some rank smelling shoes from the bacteria that's breeding in there.  Freezing them for longer than 24 hours will kill the bacteria.

* Pedicures - do them yourself if you like.  It keeps the blisters, calluses and cracked feet to a bare minimum.

* If you're not great with heels, but still want to wear them, try a lower wide heel, or a wedge.  There are plenty of styles out there that don't look like your grandmas shoes.


Also, here is today's outfit

When we left off with part 1 of this tutorial, we had just cut out our materials and were getting ready to sew.  This week, I'll show you how to make the casing for the piping, sew it to the chair pad, make the ties, sew both sides together and stuff the cushion.  I swear it's not as hard as it sounds.

Taking the strip of 2" wide fabric, measure around your cushion and give yourself an extra 2".  This will be our casing for the piping.  Cut a length of piping the same length.  Wrap the piping in the fabric, wrong sides together and pin so that the fabric is tight to the piping.

Keep the edge of your presser foot on the piping to ensure a tight casing.

Once you have the piping done, pin it to one piece of your cushion.  You'll be pinning the casing towards the middle of the cushion and right side up.  I found that using the pins at the sewing line in the casing worked well and kept the fabric taut.  Sew the piping to the cushion on the same seam line as before.  Again, if you keep the left side of your presser foot on the piping, you should be sewing on the same line as before.  Seam allowance here is about 1/2".  

Sew the casing to the cushion, tucking one end inside the other casing for a neat edge.

Next we're going to double check the shape and size of our cushion on the seat we'll be putting it on.  Don't worry if it seems just a bit big right now, that's a good thing.

Yes, my butt shall look good on you!

While you're admiring your handy work, plug your iron in and wait for it to heat up.  We're going to create the ties for our cushion next.  Take the lengths for your ties and fold them like below, then iron them.

How cute, my nails match my ironing board pad!

Fold your tie in half and iron it again.  Use pins to hold the ties together.

I pinned the edges due to my fabric being so thick.

Either tuck the ends in and sew those closed, or zig zag the ends.

If you want, baste the ties to the casing.

Take your time pinning and sewing this, if you don't the piping will look messy.

Start sewing just before the first set of ties  end just after the second set.

As I was sewing my cushion together I met up with Murphy, from his law.  He explained to me that since I was nearly finished with this project and my cushions were looking FABULOUS, he should give me a hand.  As a side note, always make sure you're using the right type of needle for your fabric.  Usually it will prevent things like this from happening.

Clipped edges at the corners.

The backside of the house I grew up in.

2).  Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action. - Mother Theresa

Washington Monument, before the earthquake.

4).  "I need a vacation to recover from my vacation" - said everyone, always.

Mount your whales, we ride at dawn! Deep Creek Lake, MD

5).  There's a lot of fantasy about what Scotland is. - Sean Connery

Eilean Donan - there was a drought the year I was there. Hence the lack of water.

Cathedral Church of St. Andrew along the River Ness, taken from Inverness Castle.