Sunflower Obituary and a Sleeve Snag

Somehow gourds got planted in our "Island of Beauty" where the 10ft sunflowers had happily resided for a couple of months.  Then along came several storms which did many of them in, followed by the gourds. The "people users" of the plant world, they climbed, twisted, stepped on the sunflowers until they perched above the ground growing these few-pounders, all on the bones of the now dead sunflowers.  Even in death, the sunflowers continued to give support to these back-stabbing vines with their pale green fruits getting heavier and heavier.  So, Ryan chopped them off (3 of them so far) for us to enjoy indoors.  (We were getting questioned by our dog-walking neighbors as to what we were going to do with them.)  And the limes?  Yes, you wish you lived where you know someone with a citrus tree.

I have been working on Divine's post-baptism dress and hit a sleeve snag.  Have you ever sewn sleeves?  If yes, you know the care and time it requires doing it once.  The first sleeves I put in just didn't look right--they seemed to be set in a bit too far.  It hurt to take them out as I had embroidered a tiny little lady bug on one, to which Divine was sad to say good-bye.  The second set were too casual for the occasion, more of a summer dress feel.  I'm now working on set three.  I'm thinking a 3/4 sleeve that has a couple of tucks with a band and button on the bottom.  Wish me success--a labor of love.