Of Frogs & Chocolate Muffins

NOTE: This post originally appeared on my Atelier blog, which FB has some ineffable issue with. Since it cannot be reconciled, I thought I might just cross-post everything here, and see how it goes. 

The cahooting begins . . .

Originally posted 7 September 2021

I'm not saying the Atelier blog is back, but I'm not saying it's not. What I am saying here is that the Atelier was given an assignment, and I felt the need to share What Happened.

Today is my DIL's birthday, but there's a whole thing leading up to it. And once again, I will tell a long, meandering tale that will hare off into the occasional tangent and side note.

Some background info: I live in a sort of Grace & Favor situation, on one side of a duplex owned by my son, who lives on the other side with my DIL and grandsons, AKA my baking efforts' Quality Control Board. Now on with the story:

DIL has a Kermit doll. Last month I got a message from Son. He wanted to know if I could replicate the outfit Kermit is wearing in this photo:

And I said, sure.

Time passed. Then everything kind of happened at once. Friday afternoon I sold my car. This gave me some much needed spending loot, which I had earmarked for a specific purpose. Saturday morning DIL went out of town for a family function. The Kermit doll was then smuggled over to my place for measurements, and promptly returned to his accustomed position. Then Son and I went to Walmart, me to buy a new sewing machine:

and he to find the right fabrics for the outfit. We found good matches for the pants and the scarf*:

but not the sweater. I suggested we find a kids' tee shirt, and LO, there it was in the Girls aisle - the last one in this color (the perfect color, I might add).

We hot-footed back home, I set up my new machine, and worked out a pattern for the turtleneck and pants. 

Meanwhile, DIL returned from her trip, during which she picked up a new-to-me Whirlpool convection oven, with a glass top range and A WINDOW IN THE DOOR! I'm thrilled, BTW. Bonus: it matches the Whirlpool over-the-stove microwave!

As I looked at the "body scan" I'd taken of the Kermit doll, it occurred to me that he was almost identical in size and shape as my art doll, Starr Kitaen. So I had a model ready to hand for fitting. I made a test outfit:

Kermit was smuggled back to my place to try it on, adjustments to the pattern were made, and by Sunday night, the actual outfit was ready to go.

(Please note the fine detail on the pants - to wit, a mock button fly)

Monday comes and I'm dying to try out the convection oven. Naturally I had to do some baking. It was a Moral Imperative. I found a great recipe for "Fudgy Chocolate Chip Muffins" on the Allrecipes site, slapped 'em together and once they were good to go, took them next door to celebrate DIL's birthday a little early. I mean, I tried one of the muffins myself, and they were just warm enough that the chocolate chips were at brink-of-gooey state, and they simply had to be consumed right then.

(My Quality Control Board gave these several thumbs up)

Later in the day, I met Son in the backyard while he was walking Margie Tater the Wonder Pup, and handed off the Kermit project. The "Mission Impossible" theme was running through my head at this time.

He managed to surreptitiously dress his Frogginess at some point, surprising Rebecca this morning. 

It was a great project, a wonderful challenge, and the Atelier was happy to be of service.

Then later this morning I found out these things exist:

There's always Christmas, yeah?

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*Son was reluctant to purchase the whole bundle, but I told him I'd buy it, since I wanted some small plaids to make kilts for the Kens.