What A Boring Final Post

Well it's the last day of the year and I have been deliriously happy because I get to SEW again! December was a mess with meetings, lectures, parties, etc., and I didn't get to sew a lick because it was so busy. So today the office was closed but Hancock was open and my sewing machine was ready!

I actually got a few things done. The queue includes MIL's pants, my fleece, my mom's fleece, and then I want to make a shirt with buttons and collar to wear with the new pants I was forced to buy since I didn't have time to sew up a bunch for work. MIL's pants are from the Kwik Sew book, and look what they do with the extra space in the margins! (Yeah, exactly what do I do with that - trace it onto something? Please advise.)



So I got her muslin made and I have to wait till I see her to get it fitted. So I finished cutting out my fleece. I was still in casual mode when I bought the material (now I'm all about my high-heeled boots and corduroys, of course) so it's lilac camouflage with a purple waterproof overlay. I'll wear it on camping trips or walks around the neighborhood.




And the boys were with me in Hancock's, so Drew requested "a jacket like you made Aunt Tracey" from blue fleece that he picked out (Another item in the queue - now do you sew your mother's fleece first, or your son's? A real dilemma!) And Lucas went nuts when he saw all the fleece, so he picked out some for pajamas. Then he asked to get enough to make a pillow. So here's what he made while I cut out my fleece.



And here's what he did with the leftovers - a "pillow for the car" - very creative, that one.



So having accomplished all that, I've called it quits for the evening. Dean cooked a fantastic dinner of steak and mashed potatoes with truffle oil accompanied by a Caesar's salad, which the kids now love. Lucas, who hates all vegetables, ate 2 bowls of salad - joke's on him!

Oh, and I was really excited earlier about Hancock's Funtastic Fleece Contest which ends January 16th, because I figured I'll submit my fleece jacket. Then I read that they're looking for 1) Originality, 2) Creativity, and 3) Construction. So I've only got 1 out of 3. I looked through their "ideas for fleece" thing they give away, and I think they want stuff like that - using a pattern then fancying it up with your homemade embellishments. I got nothing. Oh well...if only that darn teepee was made out of fleece.

Oh, so one thing non-sewing happened that triggered a memory. We were in Gamestop to trade games and there's a man in his 20's on crutches with one foot in a cast, and the other barefooted. WHAT? You can go in a store now barefooted? I realized I didn't see a "No shirt, no shoes, no service" sign there, but wow - that's gutsy. And gross, because it was raining.

So that reminded me of when I was around 10 or 11 and my mom made me go to the grocery store with her (Super Valu). I couldn't find my shoes and she was in a hurry, so I had to go barefooted. I think we did this a fair amount, being redneck children in a podunk town (that has GOT to be the name of a song - I'm writin' that tonight!), but I'm just remembering the shame of it, so maybe it was only once. I remember she stopped to talk to a friend (she ALWAYS stopped to talk to a friend - does that only happen in small towns?) and I wanted to disappear in the floor because I was so embarrassed about my feet. Plus they were dirty from the parking lot, so that was even worse.

Anyway, I'm wondering if that guy today was embarrassed about his wet, dirty feet. Of course, he was at Gamestop with his girlfriend, so I think he made a conscious choice there.

Yep, I can't find any way to segue that into a New Year's sentiment, so just Happy New Year! As always, I hope to exercise more (I think all my treadmill dancing happens in January) and sew more, so we'll see how it goes. I also have Mardi Gras coming up, so that's something else to add to the queue. Back to the machine!