An Update on Spending

It's been a few weeks since I talked about my resolution concerning credit card usage. Even though I don't mention it here often, I feel like I'm constantly thinking about spending money. Not just on things I want, but on bills and other necessities. Right now I feel like I'm thinking about money more than ever, and it's depressing.

Jay and I had a credit card setback this weekend. I spent $51 on fabric at Etsy and Jay bought a $30 blender at Best Buy. The blender was to replace the one that was taken when my mom's ex husband moved out. And the fabric, well, I suppose that was frivolous. My first truly frivolous credit card purchase of the year.

I'm in no way making excuses for my spending, but I want to be honest in saying that this year has been rough for me so far. First there was the dissolution of my mom's marriage, while ultimately a good thing, didn't come without a few bumps in the road, one bump being the fact that there is now one less income being brought into the house. Then the boy broke his arm. (As a side note to this, my son is a walking accident lately. In the space of six weeks he broke his arm, got hit in the face with a rock, and fell into a cactus patch. I'm scared to let him leave the house.) Now my beloved big dog Lulu is dying of cancer and the feeling of not being able to fix it is frustrating and powerfully overwhelming. Our hope is that she dies peacefully and quietly here at home, but if the inevitable doesn't happen soon, other measures will have to be taken. There is a lot of sad waiting going on here. Again, I'm not making excuses for my spending. I'm aware that life is always going to come with its struggles. My life just seems to be a little bit harder than usual lately.

One reason we aren't using credit cards this year is because we want to learn to better enjoy life without spending money. The major reason though, is that our debt was crazy and if we didn't start actively digging ourselves out of the hole, it would have gotten ugly real soon. Despite this weekends setback, we've made headway. We just can't afford anymore setbacks.

While I am an all-or-nothing perfectionist with goals, Jay is more easygoing and realistic. He says I need to quit beating myself up and move on, that I shouldn't be thinking about this nearly as much as I am, and that this weekends shopping was just an itch that needed to be scratched. I agree with him and I know that he's right, my brain just works a little differently I guess.

In other spending news: We still haven't bought any new clothes this year and I am to the point where I literally hate everything in my closet. This weekend I cleaned out my closet and threw away some of the more ragged items. Jay said I should give myself permission to buy a few things. (I think he's just tired of seeing my clothes.) I refuse to though because I think it's a slippery slope. If I justify buying one item, it will be much easier to justify buying more. Then in three weeks I'll get a credit card bill and be depressed. But yeah, totally hating my wardrobe right now.

In conclusion, we've made some progress but I still feel we have a long way to go. I really want to learn to deal with life's problems without going into debt. Any advice, kind words, or your own personal debt stories are appreciated.

What Really Grinds My Gears :: Part Three

The show Morning Joe on MSNBC.

As a rule, I don't like morning news shows. I think morning shows are silly and tend to dumb down the news for people (myself included) who aren't really cognizant of what's going on before their seventh cup of coffee. This has its place and I understand the appeal, it's just not my thing. Morning Joe takes the insanity to a whole new level though.

First off, the show is completely unorganized and it seems like everyone is always talking over one another. This is compounded by the fact that no one seems to know what's going on. At least once a day I hear one of them say something to the effect of "Okay, what are we doing? What's next?" I know it's early and that the news is always changing, but can these people at least have a vague idea of what they're going to discuss before the show begins? I've seen more organization from 15 year old journalism students recording the latest edition of the school news.

Secondly, I hate Joe Scarborough. I don't hate him because he's a Republican. I disagree with most of his opinions, but that alone isn't reason to hate him. No, I hate him because he doesn't care enough about his own show to dress up for it. I rarely see him in a tie. Every day is casual Friday.

He seems to favor these sweatshirt things:

You know the expression Dress for the job you want, not the job you have? This doesn't apply to Joe. He should work on dressing for the job he has. I can't take anything he says seriously because he's always dressed so unprofessionally. Plus, did you know he has a Myspace page? I just checked it out and Joe and I like a lot of the same things. This makes me wonder if Joe and I could ever be friends. Probably not, because I think he's a giant douche. I'm sorry Joe, I refuse to share a love of Elvis Costello with you. You are no longer allowed to like him.

Thirdly, Willie Geist. Sigh. Willie, Willie, Willie. I guess I get that you're supposed to be the young guy that breaks all the rules. I'm assuming that's why you snicker and grin a lot and don't really have anything intelligent to say. But you absolutely cannot be a judge on the Miss USA pageant and then expect to be respected as a news guy. What were you thinking?! For a while you were the only part of Morning Joe that I liked. Well, that's not entirely true...you were the one I hated the least. Now, we are over.

I suppose now the highlight for me is Mika Brzezinski. She's really smart and I do like how she seems to be visibly irritated by the juvenile behaviour of the other people on her show:Yes Mika! That's how I feel when I watch your show too!!!

Despite the fact that we hate it, we still watch at least part of this show every weekday morning. Probably because the TV is already on that channel from the night before and we're just too lazy to change it. Although, Jay has taken to referring to his morning bathroom routine as "Morning Joe." As in, "If you need me, I'll be in the bathroom taking my Morning Joe." Disgusting, I know. Yet completely appropriate.

Here is Where it Becomes Apparent How Much of A Trash Picker I Truly Am

Last week, on one of our nightly walks, Jay and I came across a trash bag full of old clothes that one of our neighbors a few streets over was throwing away. Of course I wanted it, but because I didn't want to carry it around the neighborhood like some type of hobo Santa Claus, I made a mental note to come back with the car. Then I forgot. Then it rained. Then I forgot again and the clothes baked in the sun some more. Finally about four days later, Jay remembered and picked up the bag on his way home from work.

I love digging through bags of clothing. Not so much to find things to refresh my wardrobe, although it's always a (rare) treat if I find something cool. No, the best thing about trash clothes is that I don't feel guilty cutting things up, ripping off buttons, and basically harvesting the parts to set aside to one day make something *new.*

Unfortunately, with this particular trash bag the highlight was definitely the anticipation. I was disappointed to find it mostly filled with crap. Moldy, stinky crap. Basically I dug through a bag of wet clothes only to walk away with a few mildly groovy buttons. One garment that did excite me was a woman's hot pink dress. Now I don't normally get excited about hot pink, but I do know a little person in this house who does. Plus, this wasn't just any hot pink dress, it was a hot pink linen dress. Linen excites me. So I washed the dress. Twice. Then I set it aside, all the while wondering what it would become.

Saturday around noon, I cut into the dress. At six that evening, after an afternoon of completely ignoring my family, I had this:The hot pink stripes are from the dress (obviously). The other stripes are leftovers from fabrics I had already bought for other projects.At first, I wasn't thrilled to be adding the cherry fabric on the ends. I had always thought of it as a kitchen-type fabric, but I needed to add some length and it was all I had on hand that would fit the color scheme I was going for. In the end I like the overall look.The binding is patch-worked together from the remaining fabric pieces. I had gotten the idea to do that from a Patchwork Trimmed Baby Blanket that I saw in Weekend Sewing. This is the first time I've put trim on a blanket, and it's by no means perfect. In fact if you look closely, which you guys aren't gonna do, some binding pieces are significantly larger than others. (While this isn't a big deal to me, I am going to try to make it more even all the way around next time.) It's backed with a crisp white sheet that I found on the side of the road in a box of garage sale leftovers. I know I'm becoming more and more of a broken record every time I say this, but it excites me so much to use old things (aka trash) to make something new. Plus, I'm always amazed at how older pieces can quickly look fresh once they're surrounded by a few new pieces. I don't think you can tell that this blanket is mostly made from trash.

I didn't have enough fabric to make it wide enough to be a quilt for the girl's bed, although that didn't stop her from snuggling with it last night. It is big enough for backyard picnics, with or without a chihuahua.

Backyard Picnic

I've mentioned before that my daughter is not the most well behaved child. She's wild, loud, and very stubborn. Lately though I've noticed that her behaviour is more manageable when she eats three balanced meals and doesn't do a lot of snacking in between. Don't get me wrong, she's still wild and loud and stubborn, just more on an even keel. So I've made it my goal to get her to eat better.

There is a one flaw in my plan: She's four. She has no desire to eat better. Some days she has no desire to eat at all and would be perfectly happy drinking glass after glass of Ovaltine. Plus, there is no reasoning with her and she doesn't even understand bribes yet. So I have to resort to trickery. Occasionally I sneak veggies into her food but I know this isn't good for building a lifelong love of good stuff. I have to make eating the good stuff fun.

Yesterday I broke the routine and packed her lunch in a picnic basket, grabbed some blankets, and we went out to the backyard.

She was totally excited about the idea of a picnic.While we ate she told me stories. Stories about Spongebob Squarepants and crabby patties and how Plankton is always trying to steal the secret formula. (Spongebob is a huge part of our lives.) Maybe this was what was missing from our usual lunches, the togetherness and the chit chat. Normally when she's eating, I'm cleaning the kitchen or folding laundry.

After awhile she was all talked out and she had eaten her lunch (an organic yogurt tube and a peanut butter sandwich--it was on disgusting cheap white bread, but whatever---I'm choosing my battles at this point.) Almost unbelievably she then laid next to me and rested for a bit. It didn't last long, but the few moments of quiet were nice.

I think I accomplished a lot with this little picnic. The girl ate something moderately healthy and I was reminded that there is nothing wrong with taking a few moments to relax everyday.

Yesterday my friend CT was talking about stopping to notice and enjoy the everyday things we may take for granted. I know I'm guilty of overlooking some of the good in my life. Being a stay at home mom can be a drag a lot of the times but yesterday was fun. What other job allows you to leave work and sit on a Spongebob blanket with your daughter and bunch of Yo Gabba Gabbas?

Things I'm Into Right Now

I haven't done a Things I'm Into post in almost a month. Sometimes it's hard to stop and focus on the positive. Other times, life seems bleak and crazy and I think there is just nothing positive to report. Usually though, if I look hard enough, I can find something that makes me happy.

*Jasmine:These flowers are small but they pack quite a fragrant punch. This particular bush is right outside my front window and on a breezy day if I stand real close to the window, and breath in really deeply, I can catch a whiff. If only the flowers were big enough to gather together in a vase. The best I can do is float one or two of them in a tea cup but it's not the same.

*Cadbury Eggs:Easter has come and gone. Cadbury egg season is officially over. These are my last five eggs until next year. I have them hidden so as to not tempt tiny, grubby hands.

*Craft Books:I love Japanese craft books but I'm reticent to buy them considering that they are written in a language I can't read. Fortunately, Shambhala Publications is releasing some of them in English.

There are so many great ideas in these two books(Linen, Wool, Cotton ; Patchwork Style)that I don't know where to begin. I eventually want to make this jumper:I need to lay off the book buying now---the stacks on my nightstand are out of control. Having said that, I'm really excited about Carefree Clothes for Girls, which will be released in October.)

*Thrift store craft supplies:Thread, linen napkins, and four yards of a natural feeling fabric that appears to be some linen/cotton blend. Total cost: about $4. All bought at a junky thrift store I usually have no luck at.

The napkins are perfect for nighttime embroidery sessions in front of the television.*This cat:

He's made a few appearances in this space. He's an asshole. He's mean, he doesn't allow snuggles, he rarely even allows direct eye contact, and he's usually covered with at least one wound from all the neighborhood fights he gets into. But I enjoy his company. He's sleeping on the dvd player as I type this.

Moments

Watching :: Love Me If You Dare. A beautifully sweet French film with amazing imagery. Watching a movie with subtitles isn't the same mindless activity as watching a movie in English. I like to multi-task while watching TV (flip through a magazine, play around with some embroidery, etc...) and that's just not an option when trying to read the screen, so I really had to gear myself up for this one, but it was so worth it. Even Jay liked it and he usually only agrees to watch foreign films if there is the chance he'll get to see French boobies.

Listening to :: Mazzy Star. Thanks to this style icon post over at Thrift Candy, I can't get certain songs out of my head. Sometimes I wish I could go back to 1994. But then I remember how much being a teenager sucked. As much as I hate all the responsibility that goes along with adulthood, the ability to drink wine, watch an R-rated movie, and go to bed whenever I want more than makes up for it.

Playing :: Guitar Hero. If the boos of the croud are any indication, I could never be a member of Pearl Jam.

Failing at :: Making Circles. Anna Maria Horner makes it look so easy. Mine came out with edges and sides. Not what you want in a circle. Maybe I'll try again some other time, but after the failure I'm just not feeling it anymore. Does that make me a quitter?

Succeeding at :: Making another bag.

Same tutorial. Only this time I shortened the strap because sometimes I prefer to carry a bag in my hand rather than over the shoulder. I still haven't mastered the part where I have to sew the two straps together making one, but it came together a bit cleaner this time.

I wanted to take more pictures but this guy was directly overhead making some pretty violent noises at me. I think I may have interrupted some business of his.

Growing :: TomatoesI've come to the conclusion that I suck at gardening. But I can do tomatoes. My family needs to prepare to eat a lot of tomatoes.

Feeling:: Many emotions. Last week someone broke into a neighbors home, trashing the house and taking things. The most disturbing part of this, is that it seems another neighbor is responsible for the act. Our street feels dark and intense now. Something has definitely changed.

Random Thoughts

I've been a bit absent from here lately. Jay jokingly says I'm just a lazy, lazy woman but in actuality I've been sewing. A lot. I've had my machine on just about every day for the last few weeks. My dream is to one day get a hotel room for just myself and the machine so that we can have some uninterrupted alone time.

*One of the things I've been working on is this pillowcase style dress for the girl.I really wanted to have a picture of her actually modeling it, but she was being a snot about the whole thing and when I finally had her talked into putting it on and going outside, she fell and skinned her knee. Obviously, my main concern at this point was that she not get blood on the dress, but when I tried to put a band-aid on her knee she freaked and I figured it just wasn't worth it. So, that's why there is no live model.

I used this tutorial from Susan over at Freshly Picked. The directions were clear and pretty easy for me to follow. Plus, Susan used to have an Etsy shop and I just so happened to have a few of her dresses laying around which were helpful to look at if I was stumped. This was my first attempt at making and attaching bias tape, which was definitely tricky but I think it's one of those things that will get easier the more I do it.

*Last weekend I sent Jay on a mission to find a kiddie pool for the girl to splash around in. He drove all over town and came home with the biggest kiddie pool I had ever seen. The box it came in has a few funny bits on it that I thought I'd share with you:

Like skanky mom:

You'd think the kiddie pool people would require that her swimsuit not look like a bra and panty set. Who dresses like this around their kids? And why is she in a bathing suit in the first place? Is she gonna splash around in the kiddie pool too? (As a side not to this, when Jay first came home with the pool he said, "Well, I finally found a pool but if you want to set it up you're obviously going to have to put on your two piece first." Yeah, he's a funny guy.)

Check out her manicure:The most entertaining part of the box to me though, is this warning:

Competent supervision? There are many days I shouldn't be supervising the activities in this pool.

*In other news related to product packaging, I was reading the back of the Arm & Hammer baking soda box the other day and I noticed at the top it reads, Fresh Box For Baking: Since an open box of Baking Soda naturally absorbs unwanted smells and odors, always use a fresh unopened box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to make the best tasting cookies and cakes.

What?! I know people use baking soda to keep unwanted odors under control, but it never occurred to me that the same box couldn't be used for baking as well. I buy a box of baking soda every couple of weeks and that box is used for cleaning, baking, to wash my hair with when I'm doing the no shampoo thing, and occasionally I use it to brush my teeth. Sometimes that box sits on my bathroom counter for days and I've never noticed my homemade baked goods tasting like my bathroom.

Frankly, I think this is a conspiracy by Arm & Hammer to get people to buy more baking soda. I've been known to bake three or four times a week. I would soon be devoting a large portion of my grocery budget to baking soda. Then what would I do with all those open boxes only missing one teaspoon? My house would be filled with little orange boxes.

(Also, please no jokes about how boring my life must be if I'm reading the back of the baking soda box and then giving it this much thought.)

*So far this year I've read 20 books. I haven't been documenting it here because a lot of what I've read has been mindless fluff. As always, if interested you can pop over to Goodreads and check out the list.

No Longer a Slave to the Handbag Industry

One of my favorite crafting blogs to read is Tiny Happy. I love how so much of Melissa's projects are made from vintage materials and things like old curtains. I find this consistently inspiring. As much as I love buying and using all the brightly colored designer fabrics, turning something old into something new really gets me excited.

Ever since first turning on a sewing machine last year, I'd find myself from time to time over at Tiny Happy looking at the shoulder bag tutorial. I wanted to make one so badly, but just wasn't at that stage yet. Until Sunday evening.

I taped together some newspaper and drew up a pattern for the bag, (loosely) following Melissa's measurements. I cut my fabric and slowly started sewing the pieces together. I expected this project to take me a few weeks. I had no idea I'd have a new bag in less than 24 hours.The most exciting aspect of this bag, is that none of the fabric cost me a dime. It all came from Freecycle a few months back. The woman who gave it to me was clearing out her sewing space to make room for a home gym. She invited me and a few other Freecyclers over to dig through her stash and take what we wanted.

The outer part of the bag came from just a small piece of heavy duty cotton (possibly cotton canvas?) that I'd been hoarding, waiting for just the right use. I didn't have enough of it to make the straps so I used some brown corduroy. When I originally received it, I had no idea what I would end up doing with two yards of poo-brown corduroy, but have since found that it's really nice in small doses. (You may remember me using it for these pillows.)

The lining is blue and white seersucker. I initially had about five yards of it, but now only have some large scraps. What that means is that the lining of my purse matches numerous items I've made while learning to sew.....cloth napkins, pillowcases, a few things in my daughter's closet, etc.

Another exciting thing about this bag, is that its bottom corners are "boxed." (I realize this might only be exciting to me.)I've been trying to grasp this whole "boxed corners" thing for a while, but always end up frustrated. Melissa's instructions are so clear and they totally demystified the process for me, I honestly feel like a bit of an ignoramus for not getting it sooner.

The only true error I made was when cutting the corduroy for the straps, I inadvertently made one a wee bit wider than the other. (This is what happens when you cut fabric while watching Family Guy and drinking a second vodka tonic.) It really was no big deal until it came time to sew the two straps together, making one. The area where they met was kinda ugly. To remedy it, I made a strip of fabric from the same material as the bag, and sewed it around the offending area:Here's where I got super lucky. When I put the bag on, that contrasting strip lays right in the middle of my shoulder. So instead of looking like a mistake hider, it just looks like I'm really creative and wanted to add extra interesting details.

There you have it, my first shoulder bag.I'm dying to make another one, probably in colors and fabrics more appropriate for spring. But until then, screw it....I'm carrying this one! I live in Florida, the land of jorts and dirty tank tops--no one in my world has any business judging the colors of my shoulder bag.

Artsy Clutch

Voila!The Artsy Clutch.

Made (fairly) quickly, (relatively) easily, and (mostly) in one afternoon.

When Dawn came to visit she was kind enough to bring her copy of Bend the Rules Sewing. The above clutch is my version of the one on the cover of the book: I'm about half way through the book and I'm thinking this may be one to eventually add to the collection. I'm a regular reader of Amy Karol's blog. I love her low-key attitude and the fact that she keeps her fabric in trash bags around the house. Plus, she aims high but doesn't worry about perfection, which totally appeals to the lazy seamstress in me. My favorite quote from the book is, "Mistakes are always much less noticeable in a week or so, and in a month, the project will look amazing." Word!

Weekend Sewing

Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross has been mentioned just about everywhere lately. After reading so many rave reviews, I shelled out the $27.50(eek!) for the book, just knowing it would be money well spent. Plus, I like the idea of sewing as a leisurely activity and projects that can be completed in a few days. I get a wee bit giddy at the thought of whipping up a dress for myself in a weekend.

After spending a few weeks looking at it though, I honestly have mixed feelings about the book.

The Negative:

There are quite a few mistakes in the book. The very first pattern, the Everything Tote, calls for 1/2 yard of two different fabrics, when in fact, it should be 1 yard of each. The sizing seems to be off for the Yard-Sale Wrap skirt. I've read of people making this and needing more fabric than the pattern calls for.(info on that can be found here, here, and from a few reviewers of the book on Amazon.) I've also read that at least one of the kids patterns run small as well.

When I sat down to make the Drawstring Travel bag, it was smooth sailing until I got to the final few steps. The drawings clearly show the bag having two sets of drawstrings that you pull to cinch the bag closed, and the written instructions back this up. BUT, the bags pictured in the photos accompanying it have only one side drawstring, either knotted or tied in a bow.So even though I was following the instructions to a tee, my bag looked nothing like the ones pictured.Very frustrating. Fortunately, after a few minutes on the internet I was able to find a bag that looked like mine in the Weekend Sewing Flickr pool and I realized that the problem wasn't with me, but with the photos in the book. (It's worth mentioning that Heather Ross has a whole section of her blog devoted to the errors in the book, which is definitely helpful to read before starting anymore of the books projects. The drawstring bag issue isn't listed as one of the errors, but I'm assuming that's because the instructions themselves aren't incorrect, the problem is with the picture.)

Along that line, the photographs although visually beautiful, aren't very helpful. For instance, the one for the Market-Run Checkbook Cover just shows the closed checkbook with a grocery list and pen. It's really pretty, but I would have liked to have seen a picture of the inside of the checkbook cover. But maybe I'm just used to seeing so many projects done by bloggers on the internet...people more than willing to take half a dozen pictures from every angle.

The final problem I've had with the book is the section, Sewing for Kids. It should be titled Sewing for Babies and Toddlers. There are only two projects that go up to a size 4, both dresses. Even though my daughter is a size 4, I don't want to attempt to make them because of the books sizing issues.

The Positive:

The book is gorgeous. Really, really lovely. Even if I had no interest in sewing, I would want to look at this book.

The visual appeal of it makes it incredibly inspiring. Remember the check book cover I mentioned? That was actually going to be my first project from the book, but after reading the instructions I thought it included some steps I felt as unnecessary. (I admit I can be somewhat of a lazy seamstress. This is a personal problem, not an issue with the book. I'm working on this.) Instead of just giving up though, I created one of my own using the instructions as more of a guide, than an actual step by step pattern. I don't know if I would have been motivated to do that otherwise. (I wish I had a picture of it, but I gave it to my mom as a gift and I'm thinking it would be rude to dig around in her purse looking for it.)

The written instructions are clear and easy to understand. As my sewing gets better and I gain experience, I can see myself making quite a few things from this book. Probably even being able to adjust the pattern sizing to make dresses for my daughter. I think the biggest issue with myself and this book right now, is that because of the errors I know of, I don't fully trust it. Plus, with less than a year of sewing experience under my belt, I don't have the knowledge to work around any serious problems I may run into.

All in all, knowing what I know about it, I would still buy this book. I just would probably wait a bit until I was more skilled. Because right now, it's just an expensive book of pretty pictures.

Care Packages

The visit with my best friend Dawn was wonderful...but far too short. We only had about four hours to spend together but I think we made the most of it. As planned, we ate trifle, watched Twilight, and read some Twilight related literature. (i.e. Life and Style magazine) When it was time for her to leave, I really hated to see her go....I felt like we were just getting started.

Something Dawn and I have been doing for a while now is exchanging care packages. Over the course of a few months, we collect various items for the other person to borrow or keep, as the case may be. Then when the box gets full (but not so full that it becomes costly to ship), we pop it in the mail. Yesterday we were able to exchange our packages in person, which we both thought felt a little weird.

Among some of the items in her box to me were:

Magazines she knows I love, yet rarely buy:

Giant stack of vampire books:

(There was definitely a vampire theme to our visit.)

Awesome beauty cast offs and samples:There is a reason I refer to her as The Beauty Guru.

Dawn was also kind enough to throw in some prunes, because we had a prune discussion a few weeks back. Yep, that's the kind of friendship we have.

Aside from the books and magazines I shared with Dawn, there was also:

Cloth napkins:

I know there are napkin tutorials everywhere but I actually used Crystal's tutorial for Food Protectors to make these. Very simple and very fun to make. (Plus, Crystal's whole post about them is hilarious.)

This bag, which is the Drawstring Travel Bag from Weekend Sewing:I made the medium size bag, which is perfect for holding food protectors and a box of Edward candy.

I can't believe Dawn is gone already. But I'm excited to read all the vampire books I now have in my possession. Maybe one day soon we'll be able to discuss them in person.

Random Thoughts

* The boy got his cast off last Friday. Now he just has to wear a splint for two weeks. Also on Friday, we received a "Statement of Benefits" from the insurance company. You know, those things that say "THIS IS NOT A BILL" at the top but list everything the doctor did with scary prices next to it? Yikes. So far, it looks like our portion is going to be around $600. I'm handling this surprisingly well. I think as I'm getting older I'm better learning to worry about what I can control, and not waste time worrying about the rest. It's a skill I've spent my whole life perfecting.

*Last night Jay and I watched Owning Mahony. I adore Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but this movie dragged. Basically, if you want to watch a not-so-lovable loser gamble away millions for an hour and a half, you may enjoy this.

*Yesterday my son had a friend over for most of the day. I'm always amazed by the amount of food two ten year old boys can eat. Truly shocking amounts.

*Also, yesterday I got out the bleach and did some spring cleaning. (Boring topic, I know, but I swear I'm going somewhere with this....) I hate using bleach and I don't buy it often----maybe twice a year. It burns my skin and eyes and I hate the smell. Unfortunately though, sometimes it's the only thing that works to really give parts of the house a deep clean. But of course, being the type of person that I am, just buying bleach makes me feel guilty and conflicted. I know how horrible it is for the environment and probably the health of my family. But sometimes I just really want clean floors! Anyway....I know there are some earthy gals that read this and I would love some feedback on this topic. Do you use bleach? If so, how often? Do you feel the guilt that I described? If you don't use bleach, have you found something that works just as well to clean a really disturbing mess? (I have kids and a lot of animals...so yes...some of the messes around here can only be described as disturbing.)

*My best friend is coming for a visit tomorrow. Although we talk or email almost daily, it's been years since we've actually seen each other. I'm going to make a trifle and we plan to watch Twilight. We are both very excited.

Shirt to Dress Refashion

A few years back I saw this shirt at Target:I was immediately drawn to the bohemian style of it. I threw it in the cart (without trying it on, of course) and continued my shopping. Long story short: I never wear it. It makes my arms look fat. Whatever. I saw it as having potential though, so I refused to part with it.

Yesterday it found its true calling when I took my scissors to it and remade it into a dress for the girl. I did like the style of the shirt and I wanted to keep as much of it in tact as possible, especially the white gauzy part at the top. I just needed to make it fit a tiny body. Basically, I just sliced into the shoulder seams and then carefully cut along the length of the sleeves about two inches, repeating that process on the front and back of both sleeves. This allowed me to bring the whole thing "up." (To give you an idea of what I mean, when my daughter put the original shirt on, the front hung down past her belly button.)

The most difficult part for me was reworking the armholes to an appropriate size. I can't tell you how I did that. A lot of trial and error; cutting, sewing, ripping, etc. Eventually it all came together in a way that pleased me.I really like this style of clothes for little girls. Sort of carefree ragamuffin, yet also perfect for wearing while collecting shells on a beach in the Hamptons as Mom sits on an expensive towel drinking a mimosa. (Statements like that make it clear how delusional I am, don't they?)

I've tried in the past to find similar style dresses that match this imagery I have in my head, but they're always way out of my price range. (here are some examples--especially this one.)Yeah, I'd have a hard time justifying a $125 dress for myself, let alone a four year old. So for now, the girl is going to have to be content with dresses from Target, etsy, the sales rack at The Gap, and shirts that make Mom's arms look fat.