Sewing with Daughter
I have been sewing since I was 13. I am not great at it, but I can do pretty good. I even take in sewing jobs for a little cash. Not enough to live on or even buy grocery’s, but it is a little something.
My daughter is 10 and has been begging me to teach her to sew on the sewing machine. She has been teaching herself to hand sew for awhile now. Together we made a cute little mock smocked skirt. She did all the stitching and part of the cutting. I did the smocking part.
She wanted to make a dress (I cut the fabric wrong on the skirt, it was supposed to be a dress.. SEE I told you I wasn’t great). Daughter starts going through my fabric stash and finds my “thrift store” stash. Clothes I get for super cheap to be made into something else. She finds a pattern she loves and then she designed the new dress. She did MOST of the work on it too.
First we try it on. See the look of disgust on her face?
Let’s take that top off.
Top off to be used for straps later on. Straps didn’t work out, but that’s okay. She is learning.
We do not want those darts there. She learned what a “dart” was and she loves using the seam ripper. She did NOT get that from me!!
Working on straps with the sewing machine. She LOVES the sewing machine!
Finished product! NOW she looks happy.
Yes, I know you see straps. I cut some biased tape for her. She put the straps on the dress and then learned we needed to take the bodice part in. She took in the bodice and forgot that the straps were centered. Daughter removed the straps and put them in the center. She did the taking in and replacing of the straps by herself.
This is bittersweet for me. I LOVE that my daughter is growing up in a house with a seamstress and that she wants to learn and IS learning to sew. The sad part is… she IS growing up.
I hope she remembers this day as fondly as I do. A bonding between us and my encouraging her creativity. She is an amazing artist already. I look forward to seeing what she will create in the future.
After our summer get-a-way we will learn how to use a pattern.
My Lost Time
I pick up kids from two different schools and for 1 1/2 hours of each Monday through Friday I am sitting in my van waiting… JUST waiting for the precious rug rats to come running to me. I think I could be cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, bathing the dogs, reading a book (although sometimes I do that), sewing, organizing the bookshelves, making a lesson plan for the homeschooled child, etc….
ANYTHING more productive than sitting here writing in a spiral notebook for my next blog post. (Yes, I hand write most blog posts before typing them on the computer)
Really who am I kidding? I’d probably just be on Facebook and Pinterest, so I would still be unproductive for those 1 1/2 hours of each school day. I would just enjoy it more than siting here waiting.. and waiting.. and waiting… Now to figure out what’s for supper..
Peaceful Light
There is a darkness all around you. The darkness moves with you, but with each movement that darkness pierces you with a sharpness that stabs you down to your soul.
You can see and hear your family, co-workers, and friends. There are people all around you. No one sees the darkness that surrounds you, that stabs you so deeply.
When you do tell others about the darkness covering you, you are told to pray, smile get over it, or take a prescription drug.
At times the darkness thins and the smiles aren’t so fake, but the piercing stabbing of the darkness is still there. Like a veil over your life. You try to ignore it, try to hide from it, or even try to run from it. Nothing gets rid of the darkness or the pain. you just pretend to those around you that it isn’t there.
In this darkness you see a small light. You are told to never go to that light. To use that light would be selfish. You know that light will bring pain to others, but to you it would bring peace. To you that light would lift the darkness and stop the pain. Those around you tell you how selfish you would be and to think of all the ones that care for you.
You ignore the light, look away, trudge through the darkness with its piercing pain. You wonder who the selfish ones are. You for wanting peace, or the others that won’t let you have your final peace?
Each day you know the light is just in grasp. Each day you walk away from the light in your darkness of pain in hopes that those you love won’t feel the darkness. You know they would if you walked to the light.
There are others that have reached and grabbed the light and found their peace. You grieve for their families. You grieve for yourself too because of the selfish thought that you didn’t grab the light and still do not have peace. Praying one day you will be able to go to the light and finally find peace.
Hubby Lets Me Take a Nap!
Hubs and I had dental appointments firs thing in the morning, so he just took the whole day off. It’s either don’t get paid for two hours for coming in late, OR use a vacation day and get paid for 8. EIGHT it was.
We come home after my drill-n-fill and his check up, I settle the 13 year old into his school work, I work on laundry. and set up my YouTube account on my Wii for the exercises programs I want to do.. (Notice I didn’t say I WAS doing them, just that I wanted too).
Lunch time hits and I decide I don’t want to make a mess in the kitchen.. okay..okay.. I didn’t want to cook… We decide on a fast food place. The 13 year old doesn’t want to stay home so he comes with us. We sit, talk, eat, and even get ice cream afterwards.
The homeschool child gets a sex ed lesson because his e-mail to me was a report on the urinary tract. (He has been studying the digestive system and today was his last day on it). I’m sure the neighbor’s enjoyed our lunch talk of penis’ and vulva’s and eggs and sperm.. No slang was used. I am adamant about that when it is learning time. KNOW the REAL names of your body.
After lunch we walk around the electronics store just a bit too long for me to tan before kid pick up time (3 kids are in school). We come home for a few minutes and Hubs says he will pick up the kids. I look at the clock and think ,” A hour before the kids comes home. PERFECT!!” I tell him I am going to go take a nap.
A quite nap in the middle of a school day! PRICELESS and RARE!!
I am OUT like a rock, a hard sleep. Then I hear it.. sounds of my precious younger children (although I am not thinking they are all that precious at the moment). I look at the clock.. 30 min!! WHAT THE HECK!!!
APRIL FOOLS on me!! He picked up the younger kids, dropped them off at home and THEN went to get the high schooler!
A Moment in Time-March 29,2013
A picture with no words from my week.
You can see more pictures here: A Moment in Time Picture Album
A Moment in Time is a ritual adopted from Life – Inspired by the Wee Man. Check out her blog…it is beautiful, and if you are moved to, please leave a link to your Moment in the comment box below.
Fitness Rant
I know what to do. I know to eat right. I know to exercise. So I think.. What IS eating right?? There are so many books on HOW you should eat, WHAT you should eat, what COMBINATIONS of food TO eat, what NOT to eat, diet shots, low calorie diets that starve you, .. etc. etc…
For me eating right means as close to nature as possible. The less processed the better. Common sense really.
NOW comes EXERCISE!! That DREADED word that we didn’t need 100 years ago.
They get used!
We didn’t need it as much 100 years ago because we walked everywhere, we worked in our own gardens, we did almost everything by hand. Life was much slower, but also much much more harder just to survive. Wanted eggs.. Better tend those chickens or trade with someone who does.. Need a new dress? Better start sewing!!
I know I need exercise, everyone needs to MOVE IT.. My problem these days is with the posters and people literraly saying.” JUST DO IT”. Don’t let anything stop you.
My personal NON-favorite..”No one every regretted working out.”
WRONG!! I can work out to the point I hurt my body so much I have to stay in bed for a few days. I have a silent illness. I have a bad knee. I KNOW what my body can do and WHEN.
So you health nuts, you fitness freaks.. REMEMBER not every BODY can do the same thing.. Instead of preaching “Just do it”, how about preach,” MOVE IT, and do what you can, and challenge your body within YOUR limits.”
My workout gloves have gotten some good use
Pay-it-Forward The Other Side
The first few years of my life I lived in poverty. When my adopted mother got me at the age of 5 I was under nourished. She made sure that growing up I never knew hunger like that again. I never needed for anything, but I never forgot. I was not too good to receive hand-me-downs and was taught to show my thanks to the person that gave them, in return I gave away my unwanted/unused items. I was taught that if something was good you do not throw it away, GIVE it away.
I grew up listening to Kenneth Copeland and being taught to,” Give and it shall be given unto you.” Several times in my adult life I have been the one in need. I have been blessed with angels around me and was always SO very very thankful for them and the help they gave to me or to my kids. Just two Christmas’ ago it was angels that gave my children their Christmas. We were helped by many during 2 major hurricanes. I make regular trips to Goodwill to drop off our unwanted. I’ve bought food and medicine for friends in need. I have volunteered my time for non-profits, for church, etc..
Giving when I can is a part of me, way before the “Pay it Forward” ever became a saying.
Last night I was touched on the giving end like never before. I honestly could not control my actions and I HAD to do it.. I almost let it go.. but I couldn’t. I felt physically ill when I thought of just “letting it go, staying out of it, that’s her life.” etc..
I am in community play and after the play last night I stopped at a 24 hour drug store to get a simple snack. I had $8 and I was going to meet my friends at a local bar for koaroke before heading home. Small budget, but I wasn’t going to drink. I was going to listen to the talent and be with friends for a bit before heading home.
The older lady in front of me put away her food card (food stamps, but it is used on a debt card now) with a confused look on her face. She was looking through a small book for any money and just seemed so confused.. That small book was a little bitty New Testament Bible. She had a bag of medicine that was tearing in her hand too. On the register computer screen I saw $2.99. I asked the cashier if that was her order. I had to ask twice because either she didn’t hear me or she just thought I was being nosy. The cashier had called the manager to come over to override the order and clear it from the register. The lady was trying to buy milk and crackers to eat with her medicine.
I was finally able to get the cashier’s attention and get the total of the older lady’s order. With her order and my order it was about $10. I only had $8 cash, but I had my debit card. I almost did not bring my wallet in with me, and at first just grabbed my keys and my cash before entering the store. We are robbing peter to pay paul this pay period and shuffling bills around. But you know what? My kids don’t need medicine and we have food. On the debit card it went.
The lady was so confused. She didn’t understand why she was being handed her groceries. She didn’t understand HOW it could be paid for. I asked if she had a way home and she told me she lived in the apartments next door and walked. I offered her a ride (It was 11pm!!). She declined and I left in tears.
In all my years of helping others, and being helped myself (that often brought tears to my eyes too.. I once cried over ziplock bags). I have never been touched like that before. Last night I truly learned the other side of paying it forward. Being compelled beyond your own understanding to help a stranger. She got her groceries, I got a heart lesson.
A Moment in Time- Feb 1, 2013
A picture with no words from my week.
You can see more pictures here: A Moment in Time Picture Album
A Moment in Time is a ritual adopted from Life – Inspired by the Wee Man. Check out her blog…it is beautiful, and if you are moved to, please leave a link to your Moment in the comment box below.
A Moment In Time Feb 25, 2013
A picture with no words from my week.
You can see more pictures here: A Moment in Time Picture Album
A Moment in Time is a ritual adopted from Life – Inspired by the Wee Man. Check out her blog…it is beautiful, and if you are moved to, please leave a link to your Moment in the comment box below.
Sashay What with TWO needles??
Today I bought the products needed to make a darling little scarf. Buy the items, get the class free..
Stabbed yarn
I’m impatient… off to Youtube I go…..
I can crochet a bit, I can scrapbook, I can modge podge, I can install a ceiling fan, I can install a phone jack (remember those??), I can light a gas hot water heater and not blow the place, I can sew, I am learning to quilt, so SURELY a little scarf with this new fishnet/sashay yarn should be easy peasy right??
OMG!! Was I wrong!!! I’m SOOO confused! What heck have I done… Cast off??? Isn’t that something I do when I attempt to go fishing?? Sashay?? Isn’t that a dance move I do in Zumba class?? TWO working needles PLUS moving the yarn too??
I think i’ll go to the garage and figure out something to do with some wood and nails….
