Decisions.

It's been a difficult week.  Month.  It's been a difficult month.  Or was it a difficult year?  Or two?  Or maybe a lot more.  *sigh*  The past month, however, everything has sort of come to a head and I've had to make some very difficult decisions, due to the health problems I have been experiencing.  After much deliberation (and many, many tears) with the support of my family, I will be taking some time off from teaching to focus all of my attention on getting well, so I can be the mom my kids deserve to have.  I know, it doesn't seem like it should have been a hard decision, but it, really, really was.  

I'm not going to spend a lot of time here cataloging symptoms.  I am not self-diagnosing, or looking for any suggestions about what might be going on in my body.  Sure, I have some ideas.  Yes, I am seeing a doctor.  In the meantime, I am focusing on healthy eating/lifestyle choices and trying hard to recover from the effects of the positively horrendous virus that set this latest descent into health hell in motion.  

What I want to talk about here are priorities.  I have felt sick for years, maybe even decades.  All this time, I have been treating symptoms and pushing myself to go to school, go to work…  You know, "get 're done," "the show must go on!" and all similar catch phrases that might apply to my situation.  Then, I would drag my sorry bones home and collapse, too worn out and miserable to do the housework, play with the children, hang out with my husband.  I spent years throwing what little bit of energy I had into doing the work I love, and that I truly do believe is important, even today.  What I didn't realize until recently was that, by the end of the day, there wasn't a lot of me left for the people who are most important in my life.  

People who know me might say, "What do you mean?  You're always cooking, making things, doing projects with the kids…"  It's true.  I do a lot of that.  But I do it like it's a chore.  My heart (and sometimes even my brain) isn't in it.  That's not right.  If I can work with my students enthusiastically ~ exuberantly, even ~ I ought to be able to manage at least that at home.  More and more, as the years go by, I hear myself saying, "Not now."  "Mama is too tired."  "Mama's sick."  "I just need to lie down."  

It's true.  I wake up tired, even after a good night's sleep.  I am just exhausted from constantly feeling ill.  My resources are completely are depleted, and I feel run down, used up, spent.  Recently, it has occurred to me that, if my reserves are so limited, I ought to be channeling every tiny bit of energy and joy and ability I have toward my family and my home.  Then, if there's anything left, other people can have it.  Shane and the kids come first.  

With that revelation, I find I have a renewed determination to discover, once and for all, what is going on in my body.  I truly believe there is an explanation, and that, armed with knowledge, I can work to improve the situation.  If we know what beast we're fighting, we'll know where to strike.  I have to find an answer, because the kids deserve a mom who has the energy to be a mom.  

So, that's my plan.  

BTW, I do not want to host a pity party.  If you want to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, we sure won't mind, but please don't focus too much on my illness.  It has been the focus for far too long.  I have decided to focus, instead, on my health.  If you want to send thoughts our way, let them be thoughts of joy and prosperity, adventure and success in life.  The rest will all fall into place.  

Sparkle Dress

Recently, I made this dress, and it is one of my favourite projects ever.  It turned out exactly as I planned.  I love that it looks polished and elegant, but was an absolute breeze to make and is just dreamy to wear ~ light, comfortable, not the least bit fussy.  I feel like I am wearing and nightgown, but I look ready for a night on the town.  What more could I want from a dress?

Thanx to Pinterest, some months ago, I fell in love with THIS TUTORIAL

It looked simple (a major bonus, because I have limited skills and, thus, work best on simple projects), and I love the design.  It looks so breezy and easy-to-wear, yet totally stylish and unique, too. Since I first saw it, I have thought I would love to use this design to make a dress.  It seemed to me that, if I just made the panels longer, it should work beautifully.  All I needed was the perfect fabric.

I bounded off excitedly in the direction of my local fabric shop in search of the perfect material for my lovely new dress.  Unfortunately, it just wasn't there.  So, for months, as I was shopping for other projects, I kept this one in the back of my mind.  I decided not to push it.  This dress had to be  the perfect balance of style, grace, elegance and comfort.  When the perfect fabric found me, I would know it.

One day recently, I met a couple of friends at the fabric store, thinking we were just there to shop for them.  It just so happened that I once again came across what I thought might be the most beautiful fabric I had ever seen.  It was a very lightweight knit, with cascades of sparkles (tiny silver dots, hearts and stars) cast in diagonal lines across it.  I had seen it once before, but thought maybe it was a bit too expensive.  However, on this particular day, it was 30% off; and it was just so pretty.  It was still not exactly cheap, but, because I have been frugal, used coupons, waited for sales and shopped from the remnant bins as much as possible, I decided I could afford to splurge a little for a very special dress.

I held the fabric in front of myself, with the selvages at the sides, at just about the position I guessed would be appropriate for the top edge of the dress, and let it fall the the floor.  I wanted a long dress.  Adding a couple of inches to allow for the casing, I settled on this length (no, I did not measure) for the cut.

When I got it home, following the instructions in the tutorial, I held the fabric up across my torso and added a couple of inches, to figure out how wide I would need it to be.  I decided to be generous with this measurement, because I wanted my dress to be very floaty.  The measurement I came up with was about 24 inches for each panel.

First, I folded my fabric with the right sides together, matching the selvage edges and pinning them together.

I measured in 24" from the selvage edge and, using my rotary cutter, cut all the way down the length of the fabric 24" from the selvage edge.

  This left me with two long, 24" wide panels, which I pinned together along the newly-cut edge.  I set aside the remaining piece of fabric, which was just as long as this one and still folded, for later use.

I took the panels over to my machine and stitched up both sides, starting about 5" formt he top and ending about 5" from the bottom.  I did this to form the opening for the arms at the top and a vent on each side at the bottom.  I wanted vents (or slits) on the sides, so I wouldn't have to worry about ripping my dress if I decided to run after a taxi or dance like a fool.  I do that sometimes.

(Please note:  Next time I will make that 6 inches, as I had to rip stitches later to make it fit correctly under my arms.  I was going to tell you I started 6" from the top, but I didn't this time, so I will tell it like it is.  I am not sure how to suggest you measure this.  I did it by trial and error.  If you want to avoid ripping stitching, you can try pinning it and checking the fit, but remember that you will be turning down the top egde to form the casing, so you have to keep that in mind when you try it on.  Alternately, you could very loosely baste your dress, try it, and then sew it properly when you have gotten the fit perfect.)

Next, I hemmed the edges of the armholes and side vents by folding the fabric back along the edge, pinning and then stitching it.

The pic is blurry, but, basically, what you want to do is sew along one edge of the pinned opening, pivot, sewing back and forth across the top (or bottom, in the case of the armholes) of the opening, pivot again, and sew down the other side of the opening.  I hope that makes sense.  Up one side, across, down the other side.  Got it?

Now, it was time to create the casing for the shoulder straps.  I wanted a nice wide casing, so I could use a variety of straps, so I folded down the top edge about 2 inches and pinned it in place.  I did this on both the back and the front of the dress, then stitched close to the edge along the bottom of each casing.

Remember that folded piece of fabric I set aside way back when I cut the two panels for the front and back of my dress?  That's going to be my strap.  Leaving it folded (right sides together), I cut all along the length of the fabric, about 2" from the folded edge.  I pinned and sewed all along the cut edge, leaving the short ends open.

This next part is difficult to explain, but stick with me.  Hopefully, the pictures will help.  I attached a safety pin to one of the open ends.

I pushed the safety pin inside the tube I had created and, pushing it through the tube to the other side, turned the strap right side out.  (See the penguin bandaid?  Heed this advice: respect the rotary cutter.)

I don't have a picture of this, but, once it was right side out,  I folded in the raw edges and sewed shut the ends of the strap.

The part's hard to explain, too, but I will try.  I fastened a safety pin to one end of the strap and fed it  through one casing, then through the other.  (The tutorial I referenced earlier explains this process much more clearly.  It's really and excellent tutorial for a great little project.)

Oh my gosh!  It was starting to look like a dress!

That was it!  I was ready to try on my dress.  The first time I tried it on, I used the self strap at the shoulder, as shown above, and a cute chain link belt I found online at Jewel Mint (it has a cute I.D. bracelet and padlock detail, which I adore) at the waist.  My original plan was to use the chain for the straps and the strap I made as a belt, and I have to say, I do like it that way best (see the very first pic in this post).  It's nice to have options, however, so I think I will play around with it.  I think a wide, sheer silvery gray ribbon would make a cute strap, too.

Justice took these pictures of me outside right after I made it:

On a super-hot day, I can wear it unbelted as a cool and comfy sheath.

The Check's in the Mail

Today, I made the very last payment ever on our Bank of America credit card.  We banked with them in Arizona, and, for years, I had a credit card with them, through my college.  When we moved from Arizona to California in 1998, my parents sent us some money to help with our expenses.  The bank "lost" that money.  Initially, they told us the check had not cleared in time to be included when we closed our account, but that they would keep the account open just long enough for the check to clear, then close the account, and mail us a check.  They told us they would mail the check, but never did.

Fast forward a few years.  Shane has just wrapped up a project, and we are on our  way to Amsterdam, to spend 10 glorious days with our little family, before the girls and I return to school and Shane stays on to work there.  As the time for our departure approaches, the producer of the aforementioned project has failed to produce a check, but assures us it will be deposited to our account the day after we leave.  We should go, and have a wonderful time!  We do!  Such a wonderful time.  It is probably the best trip our family has ever taken together, despite the fact that the apartment we had rented has been demolished...and that the check (not surprisingly) never comes through.

It's funny, I guess, that it surprised us.  We are (still) very trusting people.  If you tell us the check is in the mail, we believe you.  Well...sorta.

The year we went to Amsterdam was, as the book says, the best of times and the worst of times.  We did tons of traveling ~ Amsterdam, San Francisco, Northern California, Las Vegas, Arizona...!  There were also some deaths in our families, and some trips that weren't all fun and games.

That check that never came through was worth somewhere in the neighbourhood of $26,000.  Sometimes, people wonder why we don't own a house yet, considering that Shane has a good, decent'paying job.  Well, here's the thing:

When you don't have much in savings, and you have to take a couple of unscheduled trips for, say, funerals, and people in the family are ill, and then someone defaults on a $26,000 contract,  it is very easy to find yourself deep in debt.  I'll admit, we made some poor decisions when we were young newly(and, for that first year, not-quite)weds.  The same kind of poor decisions virtually everyone makes, I'll wager (I won't really wager ~ we don't play with our money like that), but I think we had recovered nicely from them, and were right on track.  It was that $26,000 ~ the lack of that $26,000, all at once, that is ~ that sealed our financial fate.

We were in debt.

Thank God we had those credit cards when we needed them.  Otherwise, I don't know how we would have fed our children, paid for gas to get to and from work and school, paid the bills...we tried to use credit only when we absolutely had to, but there were times when it probably literally saved our lives.

Now, I am not advocating wanton credit card use.  That's not what I came here to say.  What I came here to say was this:

We learned a lot that year.  We learned the importance of being true to our word and making good on our debts, because we saw firsthand how deeply debt can affect someone.  We learned to make do with just the necessities.  We learned that family is more important than just about anything else.  We learned not to spend money before we have it in our hand. And, perhaps most importantly, we learned to take the phrase, "The check's in the mail" with a grain of salt.

So, it meant a lot to me, today, when I got to make that final payment.  It is a relief to know that we will no longer be paying out that $140 each month.  While we are not entirely debt-free yet, we are much closer, and having that extra money each month will surely help us get there.  It is a great relief to know we no longer have that debt hanging over us, especially to Bank of America, with whom we did not have a very amicable relationship.

Most importantly for me, however, it felt good to know that, when I say, "The check's in the mail," I mean it.

Wants vs. Knees

It's been over a year since I suffered a Type 3 Tear of the Medial Meniscus, and months (sorry, don't know how many) since discovering that I was also the proud possessor of an old partial tear of the ACL that had not healed well.  I am pleased to report that, most days, the knee feels so good that I hardly ever think about it.

I hardly ever think about the pain, that is.  The knee, I think about.  I have to, so I won't do anything stupid and screw it up again.  I guess it's a good sign that I don't think about it.  I mean, lack of pian is awesome, right?  In all honesty, I feel pretty normal most of the time.

There is, however, one caveat to the lack of constant pain.  Who would've thought I'd be saying a thing like that?  Strange as it may seem, it's true.  Without that niggling little pain (or, you know, that overwhelming humongous pain), I forget important things.  Things like my PT exercises.  I am still at the point where missing a day of PT sets me back by a week, but I feel so good some days that I forget to do my exercises.  Of course, I remember the next day, but then I'm fighting to get back to where I already was, which is frustrating.   Things like the fact that I just am not a runner anymore.  One recent morning, I awoke to a glorious, bright, golden sunrise, and immediately thought, "What a great day for a run!"  I was all ready to lace up my shoes and go when I realized, "Oh, crud.  I'm not supposed to run."

I can't help but wonder how this will be as more time passes.  My original injury (the torn ACL, which was misdiagnosed and mistreated, as it turns out) reared it's ugly head when I was in college.  I did some PT, and, for a few years, I was pretty good about keeping up with my exercises and taking care of my knee.  Then, eventually, it felt so good ~ so normal ~ that I just stopped thinking about it.  When I stopped thinking about it, I stopped taking care of it.  I am told that is probably what brought me to last Summer's festival of fun (a.k.a. torn meniscus, which, by the way, is not fun).

I guess I am going to have to devise some plan to remind myself not to get over-confident and think I can go back to all my old tricks.  I'm very forgetful, so I need a plan.  It's important to admit to myself, too, that I am not merely forgetful.  The truth is, I want to run.  I'm like a junkie.  I wake up in the morning craving a run.  I catch myself researching running shoes and local runs, before I remind myself that those are off the table for good.  What's the runner's equivalent to methadone?  Is there some sort of program for this?

I'm trying bicycling.  I think that's my methadone.  I tried walking, but it was about as effective as, say, a band-aid on major head trauma.  Like when somebody tells a smoker to just chew gum, instead.  I spent mornings walking around all jittery and out of sorts, thinking, "Are you freaking kidding me?!?!!" Biking is good.  I get the knee (and the ankle, which we're not talking about, because I am still pissed off at it) moving, and I feel the wind in my face and watch the scenery whip by at a rate similar to that of running.  I never ran very fast or very far, so I don't have to bike very fast or very far, either.  so far, I think it's working.  In fact, now that I am talking about it, I want to go get out the bike and go for a quick ride.

So.  That's where I am right now with all of this.  I WANT to run.  I want to move furniture, turn cartwheels, goof off with the kids and do my old cheerleading moves, just to make them giggle.  But I NEED to be able to walk when I'm old.  I need to be able to do my day-to-day activities, like walking to and from the laundry room, grocery shopping...   Woo-hoo.  It's a party.  I need to avoid making things worse and ending up needing surgery that we can't afford, and that will leave me exactly where I am right now.  I need to be responsible.  But I still want to run.

Wooden Crate Table - Almost Done!

Well, since the girls are back in school, they have not yet begun work on the details we were planning to have them do on the table.  That, coupled with the fact that I was nervous about leaving it out in the elements for a long time unfinished, prompted us to move the table indoors.

The vinegar/penny thing is not working out at all.  So far, all we have is what looks like a jar of dingy water with a pile of pennies on the bottom.  I have been looking at alternatives, but I have to say, now that we have the table inside, I am kind of liking the natural look (though we would need to give it a light stain and seal it, to protect the wood).   Honestly, I am wondering if we need to do much else to it at all.

Once it was inside, we realized this presented an interesting dilemma. We live in a very small house.  There really isn't room for more than one coffee table, so having our old IKEA coffee table near the sofa and the new table sitting upside down on the floor in front of the entertainment center was kind of not working for us.  We decided, since we might not be able to work on it for a couple weeks, we might as well use it (very carefully, since it is still unfinished) in the meantime.  Tonight, we attached the wheeled casters and set it up.  We know we will have to take them off to finish it, and then reattach them when it is done, but that's okay with us.  

Now, our original plan involved some decorative details by the girls (script, in their handwriting, to be woodburned in by Justice), a coat of stain (blue/green) and a glass top.  Initially, I hoped to cover just the center hole with glass, but, the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be a good idea to put a glass top right over the whole thing, giving us a nice, smooth, sturdy, easy-to-write-on, worry-free surface.  I like the idea of filling the center area with different seasonal decorative items.  For instance, we might fill the space with glass ornaments and ribbons for Christmas, seashells in Summer, pinecones in Fall...   Think of the fun we can have with holiday decor ~ red, white and blue bunting & stars, colourful plastic eggs and Easter grass... We're going to have a ball playing with this.  In our tiny house, where we won't have room for a lot of seasonal decor, this will be a nice focal point.

Plans notwithstanding, I can't help but notice that it looks pretty good just as it is.  On the other hand, I would love for it to have a personal touch from my girls.  Honestly, I think it looks best without the glass top, but I think, from a practical standpoint, we might need it.

So, I am wondering ~ what do you all think?  Blue/green stain, or light, natural wood stain?  Words woodburned into the side panels, or not?  Glass over the whole top, or just the center?  I kind of know where I am leaning with all of this, but would appreciate hearing what you have to say.

This is how it looks at the moment:

Bear in mind, as cool as the money tree looks in the center, it cannot stay there.  We can't see the television over it.  I wish that didn't matter, but what's the point in having a television if you can't see it?For now, anyway, it looks awfully cool there.

Wooden Crate Table Update

Just in case you are wondering, the table project will be completed over a period of weeks, most likely. The girls are going to help me with some detail work (I am so excited about it!), and then, once that is done, I will still have to stain and seal it.  Our homemade wood stain is not making much progress, but I have read that it can take a couple of weeks to develop colour, so I am still hopeful.  I have been shopping around for eco-friendly stains in colours that might be similar to what I am hoping to get from our penny/vinegar concoction, just in case it doesn't work the way it's supposed to.  Also shopping around for a tempered glass top for the whole thing, which I know will make it look a bit less rustic, but I think we need a) the added strength and b) a smooth surface for writing, drawing, etc.  We are a writing and drawing kind of family.

Pretty sure we are going to bring it in tomorrow, to protect it from the elements, and we will take it back outside when we need to work on it again.

I'll keep you posted on our progress as we go along.

Wooden Crate Table, Day 3, Part II

8/16/12 (cont'd)

I will open this entry with an apology.  I forgot to take pictures of the two sides of the table being put together.  Actually, I didn't forget so much as I decided not to.  I figured, since I was doing the work, I couldn't take a picture of myself doing it very easily, and, if I just took a picture after I screwed them together, they would look just like the pictures from yesterday.  So I didn't take any.  You will notice, as we go through this entry, that Justice got feeling a bit better.  She came out and took a pic or two, then Shane came out and took a pic or two, also, so there are some pictures of me working, just in case you don't believe I'm really doing this :)

Okay.  So, we had gotten through measuring in the last entry, and now we are ready to cut.

BTW, these are the tools I am using:

They are awesome, and I love them.  However, I would have started work on my table sooner had they not been inside my garage with dozens of crickets.  I don't know why I am scared of crickets, but there you have it.  Shane rescued the tools for me, and I was able to build.

When you are sawing wood, it is important to protect your eyes.  This means you must wear safety goggles.  Yes, they look ridiculous.  A hunk of wood (or even just sawdust) in your eye is worse than silly-looking goggles.  You'll just have to trust me on this.  Just in case you are still reticent to wear them, I will post a picture of me in my safety goggles.

See?  You could not possibly look goofier than I do.  Get over it and put on your goggles.  Also, tie back your hair if it is long enough to get in your way.

Cutting is simple.  Just line up the blade of your saw with that nice, straight line you drew and go.  Nice and steady.  Keep the blade right on the line.  If I can do this, anyone can.  

It's also important to hold the wood still while you cut.  I am thinking clamps would have been a good idea, but I chose this winning method, instead:

And yes, I am building in a dress.  It was hot, and I hate wearing pants when it's hot.  Ideally, I think my work surface is supposed to be higher, but I managed to make this work.

Justice (who took the previous picture) was feeling well enough to come outside and get some fresh air by this time, so I put her to work sanding.  That's just the kind of mom I am.  "You're feeling better?  Oh, good!  Here, do some work."

With Justice's help, I attached the first four beams to the bottom on the table, using wood glue and screws (and clamps, which, by the way, are really handy for holding things in place).  

Then, I attached the two crossbeams, coming in from the edge just about the same distance as the width of one of the slats on the crates.  We think this will give us a good position for our wheeled casters.  I am still on the fence about whether or not to add a crossbeam right across the center.  Shane and Justice don't think I need one, and they are probably right.  I am not going to put anything very heavy there.

So, that's what it looks like at the moment.

The girls are all working together on some of the detail work, which needs to be done before we can finish the table and attach the casters.  When the glue is good and dry, we will sand the whole thing and get to work adding those cryptic details to which I have continued to allude.  Then, all will be revealed :)  I will update as soon as we have more work done.  

Wooden Crate Table - Day 3, Part I

8/16/12

Today, I decided to start actually building the table.

Forgot to mention in my previous post that, a couple of days ago, the kids and I plunked a big handful of pennies into a jar of white vinegar, in hopes it will turn a sort of turquoise colour, and we can use it to finish our table.  (Click here for more info about this)  So far, it still looks clear, but the pennies appear to be getting pretty grubby-looking.  I hear the process takes about a week or so, and, considering the other work we need to do on the table before we finish it, I think this will be just fine.  If, for some reason, the vinegar thing doesn't work, I will find a nice blueish or greenish (or blue-greenish) stain and use that, but I hope it works.  It would be cheap.  And neat.  And al sciencey and stuff :)

Wait...what was I saying?  Oh, right.  Building a table.

Justice stayed home with a fever (yeah, on the third day of school.  How much does that suck?).  I mention this because, later in the day, she rallied and was able to help me a little.

Now.  Here's what I did.

Remember how I had laid out the crates?  Well, when I did that, I made sure to look them over and find the best sides of each and decide which parts to feature on the top or side of the table, and which to relegate to the bottom.  I found, when I started to screw together my crates, that they didn't all match up perfectly.  We're going for a rustic look, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but I wanted the top to sit pretty nicely.  I did the best I could, but you will notice some inconsistencies.

I started out by standing up two crates at a time and screwing them together on the inside.  Like this:

I used a power driver and 1 1/4 inch construction screws.

I used the construction screws because they said they could be used to attach wood to wood without drilling any lead holes, and I am kind of lazy.  I also used wood glue, smearing it between the crates, where they made contact before putting in the screws.  I didn't think to do this right from the start, so hopefully those parts will be okay.  If not, I'll fix it someday.  I probably could have saved money by buying a bigger package, but the hardware store I went to didn't carry this size of this type of screw in a larger package, and I didn't want to run all over the Valley just for a few screws.

I tried to take a picture to show where I placed the screws.  Hopefully, you can see them (in the 4 corners).

I found that, in the back, I had to go in kind of at an angle.  Probably should have used 1" screws there, but I didn't have any.  One barely poked through on the inside of one of the crates, but I decided that wasn't too big a problem.  I also learned, through trial and error, to try to go in to the thickest piece of wood, whenever possible.  Those little slats are really a bit flimsy.

Now, I almost screwed the two sides together at this point, in which case, the main body of the table would be built.  However, while they were standing up like this, I was suddenly struck by the fact that, if I left them that way for a few minutes, I could use them as sawhorses while I cut my lumber.  This was excellent, because I do not own sawhorses, and was wondering how I was going to handle that.  Look how well it works:

At this point, I was ready to start measuring.  To determine the length of the planks for the support structure of my table, I lay out the crates on the tarp, just as they would be when the table was finished (remember the pics from yesterday?), and measured each side.  As best I can tell, it looks like my table will be about 27 1/2" x 27 1/2" when it is finished, so that's the length I wanted to make my planks.

Using my tape measure and pencil, I measured and marked, then measured and marked again.  (Isn't that what they say?  "Measure twice, cut once.")  I marked three dots, then, using a ruler, joined them to form a straight line.  See, Daddy?  I DID listen to some of the things you taught me.  By the way ~ shout out to my dad, who taught me how to use tools and build things.  Hopefully, I'm doing okay here.  It would be better with your help, I'm sure, but at least you're my dad, so I have all of that important stuff you taught me at my disposal.  Hopefully, I remembered enough to pull this off :)

I cut 6 (just shy of) 27 1/2" planks.  I realize this is different than what the tutorial says.  I thought a lot about how to build this part of the table, and I decided that, since we have a different plan for the center of the table than the original plan ~ and since I my building skills are kind of remedial AND since I stub my toes a lot ~ that I would, instead, place four planks across the bottom of the table in one direction (two toward the center to help close the bottom of that hole and provide the support we will need there), and two in the other direction to help distribute the weight and provide a position for the casters that will be slightly in and under the table, so I won't stub my toe on them.  I am really just hoping this will work, but Shane seems to think it will.  If not, I will fix it, but I am gonna give it a go.  

Okay.  I feel like this post is very pic heavy already, and I still have a number of pictures to go for Day 3, so I am going to make it a 2 parter.  Ending this here.  Next up: assembling the table!

Wooden Crate Coffee Table - Day 2

8/15/12

I don't know about you, but, when I go to the hardware store, I like to drive around with lumber in my car for at least a day before I unload it.  I like the smell of wood, and...um...

No.  I'm totally lying.  I don't like to do this.  I'm just lazy about unloading, so, sometimes, I do.  That's what I did when I bought the supplies for my latest project, anyway.  I think I took out the lumber that evening, but I left the crates in the car until well into the next day.  When I did take them out, I decided to lay them out on a tarp on my porch, so I could get an idea of what I was dealing with, and how it would look when I got it put together.  I think it's gonna be awesome.

Now, Shane asked me how much this project is costing me, so I tried to sort of estimate, having not bothered to keep my receipts.

The crates were about $12 apiece at Michaels (I should have waited for a coupon!  I was too excited), so that's $48.

Now, in the tutorial I posted yesterday, I think she says she used 1x2x6 for the support underneath the table, but, when I looked at it at the hardware store, I thought it looked a little flimsy for us.  We are a rough and tumble bunch.  I went with 1x4x6, which was (as I recall) $5.81 per plank.  I also bought 3, instead of the 2 called for in the tutorial, because I had decided to build the undercarriage (undercarriage??  That's probably the wrong word.  You know.  The part underneath the crates that holds it all together and supports it.) differently.  More about that next time.  That's $17.43.

Then, I got 4 casters at $2.95 each ($11.80), and two small boxes of screws at $1.99 a pop ($3.98).

So.  Let me do some math here....

I think that comes to $81.21.

Unless I did the math wrong.  You can check my numbers if you'd like.  (Math is NOT my forte.)

Not an especially cheap project, but I don't think that's a terrible price for a custom table.  I probably could have shopped around for better deals, used coupons, etc., but I'm okay with this splurge.  It's going to be a very special table.

Brief synopsis:

On Day 2, I unloaded my car, set my crates together to see how they might look as a table, and did some math.

Wooden Crate Coffee Table - Day 1

8/14/12:

I figured out what I am going to do while the kids are at school all day.  Ignore the mess in my car, and focus on the wooden crates and lumber.  ooooooooohhhhhh, pretty!

Also ignore the larger pieces of lumber.  They're for a different project.  More on that later.  

I will be attempting to build THIS.  Or something like it, anyway.  I am not necessarily going for the "antique" or "wine crate" look.  I will be using a different finish and (with the help of my lovely daughters), adding details to personalize it for out family)  Trust me, it will be cool...I think.  Assuming it turns out vaguely like I hope it will.  Wish me luck!  I will probably need it!

Out with the old...

School starts the day after tomorrow here in Sunny (103℉) So-Cal (for LAUSD schools, anyway).  Accordingly, we have been hard at work cleaning, pitching, sorting, organizing and generally preparing for the new year.

It's astounding to me how many great piles of paper five people can manage to accumulate.  My girls are all avid writers, artists, musicians and readers.  Our tiny little 3 bed/1 bath home looks like a landfill frequented by very messy, somewhat obsessive compulsive art collectors and musicians.  I cannot believe how many pieces of paper my children consume over the course of a year.  By consume, I mean "use up," not eat, of course.

Last year, we got off on the wrong foot.  Maybe we can blame that on my foot!  Okay, it was actually my knee that was the problem.  In general.  I'm not sure if the knee problem had anything to do with the gigantic papery mess problem, or if the two conditions coexist, but are not necessarily symbiotic in nature.  Frankly, I am not going to waste a lot of time trying to figure it out, so the world may never know.  What I do know is this: we had a great big, huge, overwhelming, disorganized, unmanageable mess, and I could not bear the thought of heading into another year of piles and piles of paperwork when I hadn't yet cleared out the previous year's piles.

Going through the mountains of paper turned out to be a treat, in some ways.  First, there was the great satisfaction of tossing out all the old tests and homework, and discovering tons of available space for this year's influx.  Then, there was the fun of sorting through and looking at all of the children's art, reading their stories.  I keep that stuff.  I probably keep more than I should, but I just can't let it go. It's like, if I do, a little piece of my daughters' childhood will be swept away to oblivion.  What I am doing is setting aside the old work, filing and storing it, to make room for the new.  That is going to make a huge difference.  After just a couple of days, we have found the at we have so much space with which to work, that we really should be able to find room for everything and develop a workable system.  For instance, by boxing up some of the old picture books and putting them out in the garage, we have cleared an entire shelf for the kids' textbooks.

The only caveat is that, now that we have all of this space, we need to figure out how to use it.  That's not so much a caveat as it is exactly the result I was hoping for, but it does bear some thought and planning on our part.  Shane and I batted around ideas about why the system we tried last year failed so miserably, and, ultimately, decided to change the way our home is arranged ~ change the way we use our space ~ to more accurately reflect the way we actually live.

That seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it?  What if I tell you that we turned our dining room into a library/sitting room, moved the kids' computer armoire to the front of the living room, took down two shelves, stacked the four cubbies the kids were using for their schoolwork in a single towering spire, and are in the process of deciding which books to store in the garage, and which to leave on the shelves?  What if I tell you the cooking, craft, art and comic books all made the cut and will be staying in the house, while my teaching resources are neatly and safely stashed in a rubbermaid tub on an easily accessible shelf in the garage?  What if I remind you that we didn't replace our dining room with another dining room elsewhere?  That last part is weird, huh?

But, see...we don't have room for a dining room.  I mean, what is a dining room, anyway?  You're basically taking a huge amount of floor space for one big table and a bunch of chairs.  The slap in the face, here, is that the dining table invariably becomes yet another place to pile stacks of paper, mail, half finished projects of one sort and another, mandolins, guitars, trumpets, bongos, guitar strings, ukeleles, coloured pencils, paints, canvasses, sketch books, yarn, clay and books...  Book, books, books, books and more books!  Pretty much anything other than dinner finds its way to our dinner table on a daily basis.  Then, when it's time to eat, there's no room at  the table.  Shane is usually at work, I am running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get kids to one place and another while cooking, cleaning, preparing for my own work, balancing the books, etc., that I can't even think about eating.  So the kids eat at the bar or the coffee table, and Shane and I eat later, when he gets home.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Of course, we do like to eat together as a family sometimes, and we didn't want to completely lose that option, so, a while back, we decided to invest in a pretty little wooden table with two good sized leaves that fold down, making it a cute little side table with drawers, most of the time, and a dining table large enough for the five of us (we can even squeeze in a guest or two, if we try).  It seems to be a good compromise, suits our lifestyle, and gives us most of a room (or, at least, a substantial little end of a room) to work with.  We have been using our new table for some time, now, and I have to say, we have been eating together as a family, but sort of around the living room ~ some at the bar, some at the coffee table ~ instead of around what used to be the dining room.  We still visit, chat, laugh, share the ketchup...  It's still a family meal together.  The venue's just a little different.

After trying this plan for some weeks, we decided that it really does suit our family, and, by reclaiming that space which was once dominated by a large dinner table, we have gained so much.  Today, Shane rearranged the furniture for me.  I was going to say he helped me rearrange the furniture, but it was really much more like he just did it.  He worked so hard.  I helped empty shelves, and I am now in the process of reorganizing and shelving all of the books, but he moved all of the furniture, pretty much on his own (I helped a little, but I am not allowed to lift much).  We put the computer armoir by the front window, with the cubbies right next to it.  Then, we moved the large bookshelf from the hallway to the dining area, placing it against the wall to one side of the kitchen doorway and forming a sort of wrap around bookshelf with the other lagre bookshelf and a tall narrow shelf to span the corner between them.  Next, we put the small bookshelf (the one that holds things like Nancy Drew, the Chronicles of Narnia, Laura Ingalls Wilder's books and the Harry Potter series) on the other side of the kitchen door.  The purple armchair is in one corner, right next to my cute little yellow table, which is currently being used as a stand for my new record player.  I think I will throw the floor cushions over by the small bookshelf.

Of course, there are books and other odds and ends strewn about the room and an unfinished project spread out over the half-open table but, when it is finished, we will have a cute, cozy little library/sitting room, with a table that can be opened when we want to have a more formal meal together.  By the way, I am so excited about that project.  It's also for our new room.  We're all working on it together, and I just can't wait to share when it's done.

So it is settled.  Perhaps it is a tad bohemian for some people's taste, but I like it.  Our family has always been on the quirky side, and a cozy little place to read, draw, write or daydream is far more important to us than sitting around a dining table every night.  I feel like the house is coming together in a way that works for us.  We have our bar, our little library/sitting room/art & craft area, and lots of uncluttered space.  Finally.  We're in our fourth year here, I believe, and we're continuing to look at houses because we know this one is too small for our family.  So, you know, it's a good thing we are starting to make some progress.

Walk it out

Got up before the kids, put on my sweats and sneakers and went for a long walk.

*sigh*

It was not at all like going for a run.  And now my ankle hurts.  Damnit.

However, I hear walking, biking and swimming are the way to go for me, so I'll keep working on it.  Perhaps, in time, it will grow on me.

I enjoy swimming, but it is not very convenient, since I have three kids and don't own a pool.  Swimming involves a trip to the Y, which shouldn't be so hard, but it seems like every single time I plan to do it, something comes up.  I keep saying I will take the kids with me, so they can swim, too.  We haven't made it to the pool together even once this Summer.  I guess I have to try harder in that department.

Biking is good, and it is easy to take a kid or two along, but, this morning, I didn't want to wake everyone with the noisy garage door, so I opted for a walk.  In my running shoes.

Maybe that was the problem,  Maybe, if I didn't get ready for my walk thinking, "Damn, I can't run anymore," I would feel better about it.  I don't know.  But I do know that my running shoes are comfy and good for my feet ~ and I spent a pretty penny on them, so I ought to use them for something.  Just gonna have to get over myself and move on, I guess.

It's hard.  Who would've thought it would be so hard?  I just started running again a couple of years ago.  It's not like I was a lifelong runner.  I mean, I had run throughout my life, starting in high school, but there was a very long hiatus after the kids were born.  It just...I like it.  It made me feel like me again.  And now... Well, it may sound silly, but I feel a little lost without it.  Unfocussed.

I really have nothing to grouse about.  I spent much of the past year walking with a cane and anticipating knee surgery.  Now, I have found that I do not, in fact need surgery.  With lots of hard work, I have gone from walking with a cane and/or brace and not being able to take a flight up steps to being able to do pretty much everything I used to do.

Pretty much.  Or so I'm told.

I can't turn cartwheels or move furniture.  I have to be careful not to get to close to the mosh pit when at go to shows.  Even cooler (read: totally NOT cool) ~ I have to wear my brace, if I want to dance...and I can't stomp or jump, which is hard to remember when you're at a show and the music is loud and people all around you are jumping and stomping and dancing any old way they want.  Oh, and I can't run.

There's a lot I can do:  I can walk, ride a bike or swim.  I can dance, carefully, with my brace on, as long as I don't twist at the knee.  Recently, I was able to sit cross-legged on the floor for the first time in over a year.  And I can...um...knit...and make jam.  Not exactly the active lifestyle I was used to.

And that's just it.  When my doctor told me that I could do everything I used to, except run, jump, turn cartwheels, move furniture, lift heavy things...what he didn't understand was that THOSE WERE ALL THE THINGS I DO.

The hardest thing about my walk this morning was that it was slow.  I just don't like to move slow.  I wasn't built for slow.  I have no patience, I get easily bored, I tend to be jumpy...  A slow stroll is not my speed.  However, I am not up to speed walking, so slow stroll it is.  I can't help wondering what's wrong with me.  I ought to enjoy the fresh air, the sounds of nature, the nods and smiles form my neighbours.  Instead, I feel trapped.  I want to go, go, go!  I want to run, to hear the rhythmic tet-tet-tet of rubber soles on the street, to sweat, to feel the wind in my face and just fly!  I was never very fast ~ really, there wasn't a lot of flying ~ but there is just nothing like running.  Walking, especially, is nothing like running.

I remember how much I used to love walking when Justice was a baby.  She'd ride in her little stroller, and I would take long walks.  They were meditative, centering.  I've tried to approach walking from that angle again, and it just isn't working.  I think it's because, now, I feel like my whole life has slowed to a meditative pace.  I suppose that could be seen as positive, but I don't think I was ready to go there yet.  It's disconcerting.  I used to need that break from the hustle and bustle, whereas now all I want is a little hustle.

Nevertheless, I will keep trying.  I'll keep walking, and biking, and trying to get to the Y to swim (it will be easier when kids start school next week, I'm sure).  The fact is I have to keep moving, if I want to keep moving, if you know what I mean.  I think I might take up new hobby or two ~ something to engage my mind more, so I feel busier.  I'll take my iPod next time I walk.  Maybe that will help.

In the end, I have always felt like things pretty much always are the way they are supposed to be.  Life is just a matter of figuring out how to live and thrive and be happy when things change, which they do ` constantly.  I'll manage.  What I'm going through right now is just like getting a cramp when you're running.  I'll walk it out, and then I'll be able to get on with my life without running.  Eventually.

Making Lemonade...er...uh...rock candy

What do you do when life hands you lemons?  Why, you make lemonade!  

That being the case: what do you do when life hands you an emergency light on your dashboard that turns out to mean that there is a nail in one of your tires causing a slow leak, which needs to be removed (and you tire patched), when what you had planned to do that day was drive to Zuma Beach with your friends?  You make rock candy.

At least, that's what we do.

I think.

To be honest, this hasn't come up much.  Really just the once so far.

Let me walk you through it our day:

This morning, Kaia and I got up and headed straight out to the orthodontist's office for her monthly check-up/adjustment.  The plan was to have her appointment, grab a baguette on the way home, pick up her sisters, our swimsuits, sunblock, towels, hats, boogie boards, snacks, etc., meet up with our friends, Priya, Maya and Nadia and caravan over to spend a day at Zuma Beach.  Unfortunately, on the way to the orthodontist, a light I had never seen before lit up on my dashboard.  As soon as we were situated at the office, I took out my manual and looked it up.

After a brief investigation, I dicovered the answer.  The mystery light was my tire pressure light.  According to the manual, if it illuminates and remains lit, it could indicate a slow leak or a flat tire.  Since we had already checked in ~ and since trying to get an appointment at the orthodontist's office is like pulling teeth (pardon the pun) ~ I decided to stay until Kaia was done, then check my tires.  In the meantime, I called the service department at my Mazda dealership* and asked if I could stop by and have them check it out, since I was right down the street.  They agreed.

Kaia's appointment went quickly, once she was in (they finally took her back about 40 minutes after her appointment time), and we headed off to the dealership.  The car was taken in right away, but Danny told me there would probably be about a 1-hour wait.  I called Priya, and we decided it would be best, at this point, to postpone our beach trip until tomorrow.  That's okay.  I think I'll have it more together by tomorrow, anyway.  Kaia, however, was very disappointed.  

Because there would be a long, boring wait  (and because coffee ~ or, in Kaia's case, chocolate milk ~ makes everything better), we decided to walk across the street to the Starbucks inside the Jaguar dealership.  I guess that says a lot about Jaguar dealerships vs. Mazda dealerships.  At the Mazda dealership, they have a pot of coffee and some little plastic pots of creamer.  At the Jaguar dealership, they have a Starbucks.

As soon as we had placed our order, Danny from the service department called to inform me that the problem was, in fact, a nail in my left rear tire that would need to be removed.  The tire would have to be patched, and, since I was overdue for scheduled maintenance, they could just go ahead and do it all. Sure, what the heck, I said.  I mean, at this point, why not, right?

For the next hour, Kaia and I sat in the waiting room, watching the Olympics, leafing through Audubon magazine and chatting with a 72-year old woman who told us all about how, when she was in 4th grade, she missed the entire school year because she was in the hospital with Rheumatic Fever.  She told Kaia all about how she was quarantined and had to attend a special school inside the hospital.  As the children got better, they were allowed to do more around the hospital (like go to the playroom), but when she first got there, she had to stay and have her classes in her hospital bed.  Doctors told her that she would probably not live past her twenties.  Then, they told her that she could only have three children.  She had four.  I told her that, at 72, with four children, I guess she showed them.

Too soon, it seemed, the car was ready.  We picked out a cute little turtle to adorn our rearview mirror, paid our bill and headed home.

Although she enjoyed her milk, her visit, the Olympics and the magazine, it just wasn't a trip to the beach with her best friend.  Kaia knew we would go tomorrow, but...well, you remember what it was like when you were a kid and you were all geared up to do something fun and exciting, and then the rug got pulled right out from under you.  No fun :(  She was very sad.

So, we decided to make some fun of our own.  I had been promising to make rock candy with the kids. I've never made it before, but I thought it might be the perfect combination of sugary candy and science to satisfy my girls.  I found this some time ago, and have been planning to do it for months, but we never seemed to have time.  Today, as it happened, we suddenly had nothing but time.

Each girl made her own solution, flavouring it with a drop or two of extract and colouring it with food colouring.  It is sitting on the counter right now, and, hopefully, it is beginning to form crystals.  Justice tried adding coconut flavouring, which we later realized contains oil, and her mixture kind of seized up, so she gave up on the rock candy and put tiny portions of the stuff onto waxed paper to cool, making "green coconut globs" instead.  Luckily, the other girls made enough that there will be some rock candy for Justice.  

I love that she didn't let it get her down when hes didn't work.  After all, that's what scientific experimentation is all about.  Science or not, that's really what I want them to take away from this experience.  I think it is vitally important to be able to look on the bright side, roll with the punches, not let little set backs and disappointments throw you for a loop.  To learn from mistakes, and to make their own happiness is probably the most important thing I can teach my kids.

But that stuff about super saturated solutions is pretty awesome, too.  In this case, it's even yummy.  And, in about a week, as Kaia said, "I'm going to eat science."


*It's not really my Mazda dealership.  I don't own it or anything.  It just happens to be the dealership at which I bought my car, so I feel sort of personally involved with it.

"Kid Gloves"

Not long ago, someone said to my daughter, "Sheesh!  Why do you always have to act like everyone's out to get you?  The world is NOT against you."  I'll admit it, I've said similar things.  But, you know, I got to thinking about that remark, and I realized something important.  If you really want to know why my daughter "acts like everyone is out to get her," I'll tell you.

It's because, for years, they were.  

Okay.  Not everyone.  Unfortunately, however, when you are being bullied, and other kids are jumping on the bandwagon with the bully instead of defending you, it can feel like the whole world is against you.  When you ask for help from adults in authority, and they accuse you of "overreacting" or being "whiny," it starts to feel like no one is on your side.  When your parents are the only ones you can be sure are in your corner, you might even start to feel like, "Yeah.  They have to be.  They're my parents. They probably don't like me, either."  I know, because I went through it, too.

I remember too well the vicious cycle of being bullied, getting hurt, crying in front of all the other kids and then getting teased for being a "crybaby" or "too sensitive."  I challenge you, even as an adult, to stand in front of a room full of people who are making fun of you for crying when you are genuinely upset AND NOT CRY.  It's really hard.  

"Too Sensitive."  That's one I've heard for most of my life.  What does that mean, anyway?  What makes a person "too sensitive?"  Is it when a person doesn't like being called names, made a laughingstock, being hurt (physically and/or emotionally)?  Is that too sensitive?  I don't think so.  I really don't think it is too much to expect kindness and decency from people.  I firmly believe that, when my daughter tells someone that something they say or do hurts her, it is not "too sensitive" of her to be upset if they keep doing it, anyway.  Nobody likes being treated unkindly.  

I don't buy in to the whole "Sticks and stones..." nonsense, either.  Words hurt.  Sometimes, words hurt more than any stick or stone ever could.  Hit me with a stick, and you've wounded my flesh.  It'll heal.  Probably won't even leave a scar.  Hit me with cruel words, and you have wounded my soul.  Souls heal, too, but I think they're more fragile.  It takes special care and gentle handling for them to heal.  And time.  Lots and lots of time.

Yes, I know people tease sometimes.  Over the years, I have learned not to take things too personally. But, see, that's the difference:  I have had YEARS since I was bullied to learn not to take things personally.  I have had years ~ decades, even ~ to try to understand that, just because something a person is doing upsets me, that doesn't mean they are trying to upset me.  My daughter hasn't.  She's working on it, and she'll get there, but it is going to take more time.  After all, it took years of bullying to get her to where she is now.

Frankly, I hope she doesn't get there by developing too tough a shell.  I think there is great value in her sensitive nature.  I want her to learn to be sensitive, but not to allow herself to be so hurt.  I think the world needs more sensitive souls who live passionately and feel deeply.  I just hope the world begins to see that as an asset while she is still young.  

So, do me a favour: the next time someone tells you that something you've said or done has hurt him/her, just say, "I'm sorry.  I didn't know.  I won't do that again."  And then don't.  I'm going try hard to do the same.  It's not like the world will suffer from too much kindness.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Inspired by my cousin, Alice, I finally got off my ass and went to the Y to swim laps today.  I have been saying I would do this for...sheesh...YEARS, I think.  However, since I started PT (that's Physical Therapy) for the ankle and the knee a few weeks ago, I have actually meant it.  Which is not quite as effective as actually doing a thing, but I think is closer than just saying it, if you follow me.

Anyway, it seems it was a few weeks ago that Alice posted a blog entry about her recent experience going the pool to swim laps.  I will try to find the link (if she says it's okay) and share it.  Well, after reading her blog about swimming, I thought, "I can do that."  So, I bought a new swim cap and a new swimsuit and...totally didn't do anything.

Well, that might not be entirely accurate.  I did a lot of things.  I worked, I went to physical therapy, I saw my acupuncturist, I watched my daughter perform with her orchestra, I served as P.A. on my other  daughter's film, I did some sewing with yet another daughter, I drove all three daughters to all of their various lessons, practices and other engagements, I had lunch with a girlfriend... I even went for walks, a bike ride or two, did my exercises every day (ish)... I just didn't swim.

So, last night, I promised myself I would head to the Y after I dropped kids at school and swim a few laps.  It seemed simple enough.  I announced my plan on Facebook, and asked my friends to hold me to it, so I would have to do it or risk losing face.

Then, #2 daughter remembered at 7 o'clock-ish that she had a major assignment due for dance class the next day.  So, I ran out and bought her a binder while she got to work.  Boy, oh, boy, did she work!  That kid constructed an entire dance term dictionary with illustrations for each entry and an section at the back about famous choreographers in one night.  Sorta.  She was up until Stupid O'clock finishing it.  Which means that I was also up until Stupid O'clock ~ 'though I will admit I dozed off once or twice.

As you might have guessed, I really didn't feel like going swimming after dropping off kids this morning.  I felt like going to bed.  To be perfectly honest, I didn't feel like dropping off kids this morning, but ~ whattaya gonna do?  Right?

Now, I thought I would be all packed up and ready, so I could drop kids and go straight to the Y.  Ha.  Instead, I raced home after dropping off kids, gathered all of my stuff, realized I could only find one flip flop, pinned up my hair, put on my suit, pulled on some sweats, stuffed a towel and my Y card in a bag (it was a Camp Rock bag, as provided by my husband, because I am just that cool) and headed up the road.

By the time I shed the sweats, showered, and entered the pool area, it was almost 8:25.  Now, lap swimming only lasts until 8:55 today, so I thought, Okay.  30 minutes.  I ought to be able to knock out 30 minutes of lap swimming, right?  I'll admit, I was even a little bit disappointed.  Like: shoot, if I had been here earlier, I could have gotten in more swimming.  

I am so, so silly.

Thanks to Alice's wonderful account of her first lap-swimming experience, I knew how to get in to the pool, at least.  That was helpful.  I decided it would be a good idea, however, to make sure I was getting in to the appropriate lane.  I approached the lifeguard on duty.

"Hello," I said, "I've never been here before.  Does it matter which lane I use?"

"It doesn't really matter," she replied, "but, generally, the farther to the right you go the slower the lanes are."

"Ah.  Okay."  I watched the other swimmers for a moment.  They all seemed to me to be going at a pretty good clip, so I asked, "Is there a remedial lane?"

She chuckled, and suggested I swim in the general area of the pool, to the right of the lanes.  She said there really was a lane there, but they just didn't have it marked today, because one of their lane markers was broken.  I didn't really believe that was true, but I thought it was kind of her to say so.

Armed with a plan of attack, I went over to hang my bag and towel.  I noticed that nobody else had their bags and towels hung on the set of hooks I had chosen, so I thought they must be the wrong ones, and moved them to another set.  Then, I noticed that there was no place near those hooks to leave my shoes where they would be out of the way, so I changed my mind and put all of my stuff on a bench, sliding the shoes underneath.  Because it totally matters where you leave your stuff.

I went back to the Remedial Lane and sat on the edge of the pool.  For some reason, I had decided it would be a good idea to enter the pool at the deep end.  It was closest to the lifeguard, which seemed like a good idea, and, by the time I got worn out from swimming, I might be in an area of the pool in which I could touch the ground.  I lowered myself into the water and took off for the other end.  So far, so good.

Covering the distance from one end of the pool to the other was not as hard as I thought it might be, so, my confidence bolstered, I turned around at the other end, paused for moment to catch my breath, and headed back.  By the time I got back to the deep end, I thought my lungs might collapse.  The funny thing is, I expected this to be hard on my legs, but they were feeling great.  My lungs, on the other hand, were pissed.  I struggled and sputtered my way to the wall and clung on for dear life.  The lifeguard didn't seem the least bit worried, so I figured I must be doing better than I thought.  Then, I looked back at the other lap swimmers.  No.  No, I was definitely NOT doing better than I thought.  But, hey, I was doing, and that's what really mattered.

I took a few more moments to catch my breath this time before heading back to the shallow end.  Then, a took a few more moments to catch my breath.  Whew!  What a workout!  What time is it?  


I glanced at the clock.

Holy crap.  Are you kidding me?  It's got to be closer to 8:55 than that!


Nope.  It wasn't.

So, seeing that I still had most of my 30 minutes ahead of me, I devised a strategy that might allow me to both swim my laps and survive.  I decided I would use a kickboard to go up and back twice, then I would go up and back twice without it...and so forth and so on.  In the end, I did 2 trips up and back without the board, then 2 trips with it, then two without, then two with.  And then ~ thank God! ~ it was 8:55.

I did it.  I won't say it was easy ~ especially when the lady in the zebra print swim cap decided to join me in my lane but kept swimming on her back directly into me...or on her front directly into me.  Really, she just kept swimming directly into me.  I think she swims with her eyes shut.  I changed lanes. ~ but I did it.

I'll do it again, too.  I'm willing to bet it will keep getting easier.

Besides, I need some excuse to wear my cute new swim cap.

She's Sew Crazy!

Recently, I have become obsessed with sewing.  This is funny because I vividly remember, not more than 5 years ago, making a New Years resolution that involved making myself and each of my daughters a dress.  It was a real struggle.  In the past couple of months, however, I have made myself 5 dresses, 1 shirt, 1 tunic (I guess that's a shirt, too, huh?) and a skirt.  Really.  I don't know what happened.  The bug bit, I started sewing, the kids started sewing ~ oh, forgot to mention: Hallie has made 2 dresses (1 for her little sister) and a skirt, Kaia made herself a dress and matching purse and Justice made herself 2 dresses.

I think it had something to do with being laid up for a time.  I get bored.  Really, really bored.  And then there is the fact that the clothing in stores either a) doesn't appeal to me, b) doesn't fit me or c) cost too much for me to consider.  So...sew!  

Now, I will admit that sewing doesn't always save me money.  However, I am not spending nearly what I would to have clothing custom made to suit my taste (and my body).  I try to hit the sales, shop the bargain tables and remnant bins and use coupons.  In the end, I get exactly the clothing I want, made to fit me.  So, that's awesome.  Sew awesome :)

So, it didn't take me long to stumble upon an excellent resource:  Pinterest.  Don't laugh.  I thought it sounded totally lame and weird and pointless when I first heard about it.  Turns out, it's a really good way to keep all of my resources organized.  And, as an added bonus, I get to see all of the things other people who have similar interests have "pinned."  This is where I first stumbled upon "Faith's Twenty Minute Dress."  Click here to find it.  And, BTW, HUGE thanx to Faith Towers for the tutorial, and for letting me link to it here.  Oh, you know, and for my new wardrobe.  Really, I am having way too much fun with this.

Now, let me preface (can you "preface" several paragraphs in?  I can.  Watch:) this by saying I am not a very accomplished seamstress.  I mean, I get by.  I have made some dresses, skirts, stuff for the kids, costumes, a few household items, but my skills are pretty basic.  So, when I saw a pattern for a "Twenty Minute Dress," I thought, "No way can I do that in 20 minutes!"  I was right.  It took me more than 20 minutes...but, the good news is ~ *drumroll!* ~ I did it!  And I liked it.  In fact, I liked it so much that I did it again.  And again.  And again...and again... In the end, I used Faith's instructions to make a total of 3 dresses, one blouse and one tunic (maybe it's a dress, maybe it's a top...I'm really not sure.  I like to wear it with leggings).  

Now, I will say this:  I did a lot more measuring and pinning than I think Faith did (really, I obsessively measured EVERYTHING), but that's because I have sewing-related anxiety.  Honestly, I have everything-related anxiety.  It's okay.  I just measure, pin, take notes, wash my hands, check the locks, look over my shoulder...  It's not surprising that it takes me more than 20 minutes to make this dress, come to think of it.  

On my first attempt, I decided to make the neckline a little higher, and, on most of my projects, I placed the waist a little higher than indicated in the original instructions as well.  I made my first dress a lot longer than the one Faith made.  

You know, lets just start with the pics, and I will explain what I did as we go along:  

This was my first:  

I love the hazy retro feel of this picture, but it's not very clear, so here's another:

 As you can see, I made this one a good bit longer than the one in Faith's pictures.  I think the length, the way the fabric falls and the neckline look just perfect with this pretty print.  It has an old-fashioned feel, which I like.

(this is the back)

I just fell in love with this fabric the second I saw it.  I mean, who wouldn't?  Just look at those butterflies!  It is a very lightweight polyester knit.  If I knew more about fabric, I could tell you more about it, but that's all I've got.  Sorry.  I bought 1 1/8 yards, because I wanted my dress to be a bit longer, and I think it worked out perfectly.   I love it!

In fact, I loved it so much, I decided to make another.  Or two.  The next time I happened to be at the fabric store, I spied two pieces of fabric I liked in the remnant bin, so I snapped them up.  It turned out  they were both a bit shorter than I though they would be (you know, because, apparently, I can't read the label, which states how long the remnant is), so I ended up with a blouse (which I quite like):

Super comfy and super easy to wear ~ true of all of these dresses and tops.  

...and a tunic:

(not a great pic ~ I could have used some sleep!)

This fabric is kind of sheer, so I thought it would be a bathing suit cover-up, but it's pretty cute with leggings and a cami underneath.  It also looks great with a wide belt, and I happen to have one that matches the leggings in this pic.  Wish I had a picture of it that way.  Use your imagination (while you're at it, use your imagination to make me look like I have slept, too).  Cute, right?

So, after all of these successes, I was feeling a bit adventurous.  When I saw this next fabric on the sale table, I thought, "You know what would look cute with that...?"  I decided I would make another little Twenty Minute Dress (thanx, Faith!!!!!), but this time, I'd mix it up a little.  I decided to tie it at the shoulder and add a big, industrial-looking metal zipper right down the front.

I cut the fabric and sewed it at the shoulder and sides, as directed, then attached the casing, ran the elastic through and secured it at each open end with a few stitches.  Next, I simply installed the zipper down the front.  And, when I say "simply," what I mean is, "installed the zipper very incorrectly, so the elastic didn't match up at the front; then, removed the zipper and painstakingly re-installed it correctly."  The advantage here was that I got to practice using some of my favourite colourful "sentence enhancers."  Oh, and I ended up with a pretty cute little play dress, too.  Yeah, I still play.  In dresses.

In the end, it looked a little like this:

No, wait...It looked EXACTLY like this:

I think it's a nice departure from the other dresses.  Sometimes, you need a little attitude, right?  And it goes nicely with the boots, which, frankly, are the most comfortable shoes for my pitiful little ankle at the moment.

Now, at about this time, I happened to be at the fabric/craft store picking up supplies for a project for one of the kids (it was a volcano.  Not the kid, the project.  Although there are times when arguments could be made in support of the "kid as volcano" scenario).  Anyway, I didn't think I was going to buy fabric.  I mean, what more could I possibly need, right?  But then I saw a particular fabric on the sale table.  It had caught my eye (in fact, I had even picked it up) before, but I just couldn't decide if I really liked it.  I mean, it didn't really seem like my style, and yet, there was something about it.  I just kept coming back to that fabric.  And now, here it was on the sale table.  I snapped it up.

Oh, I feel like I ought to mention:  When I buy my fabric for this project, I tend to just hold it up in front of myself and sort of guess how long I want the finished product to be.  Then, I add an inch or two, and that's how long I have the fabric cut.  Unless it is a remnant, in which case, it is already cut.  In that case, I misread the label and just get whatever I get and roll with it.  So far, so good.

So, I brought home my new fabric, and set it on the sewing machine.  It sat there for quite some time, until, on Mother's Day morning, while Justice was working on her sundress (I'll do another post about our sundresses), I decided to throw together my newest dress.  I placed the waistline closer to my natural waist on this one (I think I did that accidentally, but it worked out well, so let's pretend I meant to do that).  When it was finished, we all agreed it would be perfect with a wide belt, so I ran right out and bought one (they kind of wanted me out of the house, so they could prepare my Mother's Day tea).  I love it.  In fact, I wore it that day ~ to tea, to the Japanese Garden and, finally, bowling.  Every time I have worn it since (yes, there have been a couple) I have gotten compliments.  Are you curious?  

It looks like this:

And my husband looks like that.  Cute, huh?  The dress AND my husband :)

What I really love about this project is that by simply choosing a unique fabric, adjusting the length, placement of the waistline and/or neckline, tying the shoulders, adding a belt. etc, you get many different looks from one very simple pattern.  It really is very simple.  I am sure a more accomplished seamstress could whip one out much more quickly than I.  It has always taken me more than 20 minutes, but I don't think it has ever taken me more than an hour (even that time I totally messed up the zipper installation), which I think is pretty swift for making an entire dress that is presentable enough to wear in public.  You should definitely try it.  And, if you do, please share your pictures.