Dude Looks Like a Lady

Friday, February 19, 2010

Or the other way around?

I think Lilly looks like the perfect little lady; her button nose, sweet smile and profile says all girl to me.  Even when I dress her in some of Duke's hand-me-downs (pj's only people!), she looks somewhat out of place in them.  Apparently only a mother can see these things.

Last weekend we were out at a store, where they were having a large promotion, wine tasting, etc.  It was packed.  She was wearing a fleece lavender top with little flowers and pants with snowflakes.  4 people said what a cute boy.  4 people!!!  I responded that she was not a boy, but a girl, sometimes cleverly disguised as a retort containing "she" with extra emphasis.  I got apologies from everyone, and 3 of the four gave for their excuse that "Purple is a gender-neutral color".  Really?  Really?  I mean, I realize that the lines between male and female are distorted, shady, ever-changing and without reason, but come on!

Now that I have the supplies, you will not see my daughter out without a barrette or something to signify that she is not a he!

Where's the Fire?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Well, this has been quite a week.  Duke had his first job (more on that later), our car broke down on the side of the road on the way to pick him up from school, and that was all by Wednesday morning.

The van had been making an odd noise for a while.  It wasn't anything too terrible, so I kept waiting until I could justify getting an oil change to have it checked out.  (One of the major disadvantages to having a car repair place that is on the other side of the world.)  Finally yesterday I figured it was time and called to set up an appointment to take it in on Monday for an oil change and to have the noise checked out.  Less than 3 hours later, I was on the side of the road, the smell of burnt rubber strong in the air, waiting for a tow truck with a baby in the back.  The good thing that came out of that was now we have a car place that we trust that's close by.  I have also stocked the diaper bag with a cup for water and a snack should we find ourselves indisposed again.  Next time I hear something funny, I won't have to wait until the regularly scheduled oil change to get it checked out.

Lilly and I were on the side of the road, waiting for my mom, who had picked up Duke, to come and get us too.  As I put her in mom's car, I asked if we could roll the windows up because her scalp was starting to look as red as her hair.  I made some comment like "Lilly's getting burnt".  Duke shouts out, "BABY LILLY'S ON FIRE!"

It's Sew Much Fun

Monday, February 1, 2010

We should all listen to our mothers. Mine has tried to get me interested in sewing for, oh, forever. While I did appreciate the basic skills I had (sewing on a button, fixing hems, making a pillow or a simple curtain), I never really got excited about sewing stuff from patterns. Having tried making clothes, it didn't seem worth the time and effort, generally speaking. But in the past year, I've started to see some practical, non-clothing applications and have slowly been expanding my skill set. Last October I took a beginning sewing class. While most of it was review (thanks, Mom!), it did spark an interest in sewing for me and made me realize it was something I'd like to pursue. I went crazy when Joann’s had a $1 pattern sale and rationalized that I'd figure out how to make the stuff eventually. Around this time, I also realized that my double stroller had NO PLACE FOR MY WATER BOTTLE. Anyone who knows me knows that me and my water bottle would be surgically connected, if that was possible. So I considered kicking Duke out of the stroller and using his spot for my water bottle. But that wouldn't always be practical. Some other mommy friends told me about things they had bought for their double strollers that held their water, keys, etc.
I ordered one. It didn't fit. Returned. I ordered another. Didn’t fit. Returned. Enter the pattern sale, where I saw a pattern for a stroller organizer. I had no idea they had such practical stuff available! I bought my fabric, which requires a side note:
*Another thing that has really kept me from sewing is that I have problems making decisions. When sewing, yes, you have the whole world open to you, but that can be a little too much for someone like me. Going to the store and selecting fabric has been one of the hardest things in the past when my mom and I have made stuff. I just can’t seem to find something that I definitely want to purchase and that I definitely want to see my thing made from. But not this time!!! I found the most perfect fabric and I knew instantly it was just what I wanted. Glorious feeling! I couldn't wait to get started so that I could see my fabric selection in it's glory.
Fabric in hand, I set out to make this thing. I read "Sewing for Dummies" cover to cover. I signed up for a level 2 sewing class. It got cancelled. So, I forged ahead on my own (with some consultation work done by my mom.) After cutting out my fabric, I awoke one morning at 5 am with the realization that the pattern made something to hold a small water bottle, not my ginormous size. But isn't that what sewing is all about? Customization for your every whim?
True, I wasn't qualified to make these kinds of adjustments, but since I didn't have really high expectations of my ability, and since in sewing you can always "unsew" (the new PC term for ripping out your seams. Must have evoked too violent of images.), I figured what the heck. I set about creating my own pattern pieces to accommodate my large water bottle. Turns out I also like large sunglasses; modification # 2. And since my other pieces were so large, modification #3 was required to get everything onto the main piece.
At this time I had adult supervision; I had finally been able to get into another class and the excellent instructor allowed me to work on this project instead of the one scheduled for the class. With her help and guidance I forged ahead and finally this weekend, I finished!!!!
One reason I am so surprised that I liked sewing is that I like instantaneous results. I do not like to wait. I do not like delayed gratification. I do not like the process of anything. I just want it done. And sewing projects take FOREVER. I don't care how simple and easy they're supposed to be, between washing fabric, pinning, measuring, cutting it out, ironing, sewing, piecing, sewing, ironing, ripping out sewing, etc., you cannot finish a mildly easy project in less than 5 hours.  And this was a little less easy than mildly so.  Add to that the fact that I only get small increments of time on some days to work on it and it's like a life-long endeavor.
But I found it to be fun, to see the progress, and to anticipate the next steps. (It also helped that I had several other small sewing projects to work on in the downtime that I could accomplish and be finished with).
So what was all the fuss about?

Here are some shots of my finished product. It's not perfect, but it's a world away from what I bought from the store. It's made just for me, and by me.