Sew Not My Thing!

I enjoy cooking and I think I'm pretty good at it. But I don't think it's really all that hard. My philosophy has always been "I read, therefore I cook." I figure any literate person with at least an average measure of common sense can read a recipe and put dinner on the table.

Recently I've learned that this philosophy does NOT apply to sewing. And it was extremely disappointing to me to come to this realization.

I admit I haven't done much sewing in my life. The last project I attempted was at a Relief Society Super Saturday a few years ago when I tried to make an "easy" tote bag out of two fabric placemats--the results of which are unfinished and stuffed in a plastic bin somewhere in my basement. Before that, I made a table cloth for my kids' craft table. And by "made" I mean, I bought some fabric and hemmed the two rough edges so that they wouldn't fray.

But deep inside of me I believed that I don't sew because I've never really tried and well, because I don't own a sewing machine. I though that if I ever really attempted it I could figure it out.

Ah, the lies we tell ourselves.

This week I endeavored to make doll clothes for my daughter's American Girl doll that she got for Christmas. You know, the doll she had to have. The doll that she's been obsessed with getting for two years. The doll she "just needed" (her actual words). I could justify getting her the exact doll she wanted, pricey as it was, but I am not about to buy all of the accessories and clothes and furniture and sports equipment and pets (yes, pets) that go along with it. But we all know that half the fun of playing with dolls is dressing them up. And my sweet girl has been a really good sport about trying to make do with the clothes she has for her other dolls even though none of them actually fit her new doll. I promised her we could get some other outfits. I knew that my mom has yards and yards of fabric remnants so I thought we could just find a pattern and whip up a set of pajamas, maybe a dress or two and have a little fun doing it. More lies.

Consequently we now have the fabric and the pattern but I'm finding I ain't got no skills!

I wasn't aware that sewing had it's own language. I read and re-read the pattern and kept thinking to myself "those words look like English, how come I have absolutely no comprehension of that entire paragraph."

I swear I used to be smarter.

So I guess I've discovered yet ANOTHER thing I need to actually make a conscious effort to learn--just like playing the guitar or tennis or applying eyeliner. I'm not sure why I thought sewing would come naturally to me, few things ever do.

Or I guess I could just forget the whole thing. The doll outfits made by the knock-off brands only cost about $12.

I think my sanity is worth more than twelve bucks!

Looking On the Bright Side

I think Dave Barry described 2009 the best when he wrote: It was a year of Hope -- at first in the sense of ``I feel hopeful!'' and later in the sense of ``I hope this year ends soon!''

This past year kicked my little hiney--hard. It will probably go down in my own personal history as one of my more difficult years(and I've had some doozies!). But intertwined with the pregnancy woes and stressful trips on the emotional roller coaster of small business ownership, I found an abundant measure of joy.

I was reminded that seasons of adversity can either make or break a marriage and mine was strengthened by the trials we endured together in 2009. I feel so blessed to be able to travel through the ups and downs of this life with my very best friend.

Our family received such an outpouring of support and love from so many wonderful people who knew of our struggles and reached out to us in countless ways. We could never repay all of the kindness shown to us but I am determined to pay it forward.

The year wrapped up with a major career change for my husband and we are so grateful for this new opportunity. Although it comes with its own unique challenges we're no longer dealing with the stress of self-employment and I no longer play a role in our livelihood and that's a beautiful thing!

Of course the greatest blessing we received this past year was the birth of our sweet little Henry. I had no idea how much our family needed him until he was here. In the early days of his life he was a bright light that got me through some rather dark days. I feel so blessed to be his mother. It puts my whole life into perspective.

So as I approach another year, I am again hopeful. I am aware from the outset that 2010 is also really going to kick my butt. But there are ALWAYS joyful things to look forward to.

Scenes from a Mall

I went to the mall today. I generally hate the mall and the week before Christmas I hate it even more. But my six year old boy has requested fancy church clothes and Walmart was just not going to cut it this time. I have no idea when (or if) another request like that will escape the lips of my sweet, dirt-loving boy ever again so I needed to jump at the chance.

While a trip to the mall can be an extremely frustrating experience as a shopper, I've learned I can have fun if I approach the outing as an observer of people and culture.

Some observations I made today:

What is it about Christmas that suddenly makes people want to purchase gigantic shelf stable sausages for people? I don't get it.

The folks over at Dillards have not grasped the idea of SALE. Oh they try, they put up those cute red signs like everyone else but "Mix and Match Sleepwear separates, 2 for $48" is just nuts!

I really feel for the sales people who work at those little kiosks in the middle of the mall that have to approach people as they pass and give them a sales pitch, but I have almost "boy short" length hair--I'm not interested in your new fangled curling iron.

The store entitled "Asian Gifts" is not an appropriate place to buy gifts. . .for ANYONE. . .ever.

Oh and to the dude with the mullet trying to look all casual and nonchalant walking around with that bright pink Victoria's Secret bag: Um. . .yeah, we ARE all staring at you. You might as well be wearing a t-shirt that says "I'm hoping to get some for Christmas."

Drastic Change!

I've been wanting to cut my hair for a long time. I was getting sick and tired of dealing with my long locks but I put off cutting it because life was so crazy that I needed the option of just putting it up in a ponytail.
Turns out my new do is even easier than that. I can go from wet to done in six minutes!

What I Learned in the Fire

It was one year ago this week that we opened our business. Which would be a pretty impressive milestone were it not for the fact that last week we officially closed!

We were at a cross roads and decided it would be better for our family in the long run to get out while we still had some money and sanity left. Because honestly, if we had continued much further we would have quickly run out of both!

Don't feel bad for us. We don't feel bad for us.

Although it wasn't a profitable experience as far as money is concerned, we gained a wealth of knowledge this past year--things we needed to learn and probably couldn't have learned any other way.

Now more than ever I believe that the purpose of this life is to refine us through our trials. That "refiners fire" that everyone is always talking about is so crucial to this mortal experience even though it can sometimes feel unbearably hot.

Here are just a few of the important lessons that the refiners fire of owning a small business has taught me:

* Just because the Lord wants you to do something doesn't mean he's going to make it easy for you. Nor does it mean that it's going to turn out like you expected.

* If you feel your prayers aren't being answered it may be necessary to change the question.

* "Venting" your negative emotions is better left to prayer. Give those thoughts, emotions and stresses to the Lord. He will give you more peace than a hundred tantrums ever could.

* There is strength to be had in recognizing your own weaknesses. You may need to just embrace who you are, give up on trying to be who you think you ought be and celebrate the you that is!

* Everyone makes mistakes, but don't make it worse by also making excuses. Own it and move on.

* The Lord doesn't care about money--And he may let you lose a lot of it to teach you what is really important!

* The statement "winners never quit and quitters never win" is a lie. Winners quit all the time. The trick is knowing WHEN to quit and being clear in your motivations when you do.

* Running a struggling business and being unemployed pay about the same! :)

We're still trying to figure out what is next for us. We're taking a little time to regroup right now. Fortunately we have options. I am extremely optimistic about what lies ahead. I'm open to just about anything. I'm not scared to take chances and I'm not afraid to think outside of my own box.

I guess I learned that in the fire too.

Overheard at Macey's

I made the mistake of going grocery shopping at Macey's at about 7 pm on Friday. I naively thought that the store would be more deserted on a weekend evening. Yeah, I'm sometimes that dumb.

The store was packed. They were hosting some sort of tailgate party for the BYU game, plus it was the case lot sale, plus there were dozens of families there for cheap ice cream cones in the deli. I very nearly turned around and left when I realized how crowded it was, but I hadn't been to the store in over a week and we only had about a half cup of milk in the house. I decided just to take my time and do what needed to be done.

I ended up having a delightful experience. I got my own cheap ice cream cone and wandered around the store eavesdropping as I shopped. I learned a few new things.

I am not making any of this up.

From the two teenage boy checkers who s-l-o-w-l-y checked out my case goods during the breaks in their conversation:
"Dude you totally need to get out of the virgin lip club."
"Yeah, I know. It's so weird though, cuz like it's a good thing for boys to get out of the club, but girls are supposed to stay in the club. It's like they don't want to get out. When boys get out they have a party with their friends."
"My seminary teacher said it's good to kiss. We're supposed to."

What the heck?

From the two college girls wandering around the produce section:
"I don't want pesticides on my food. I like might grow another leg or something."

Huh? (These same girls were later complaining that they had to buy an entire bunch of celery when they only needed two stalks. Heaven forbid they eat extra celery!)

And from the disembodied voices of two employees chatting on the other side of the dairy case:
"The people in Guatemala don't know anything about Walmart. I asked them and they were like, 'What's that?'"

Seriously? You asked them all?

I think I'm going to shop at night more often.

Labor Day

I don't generally post things here about outings with my family. But that's just because they are so rare!
Yesterday we decided to take a bona fide holiday and go somewhere fun with the kids. We decided this around noon and packed a quick lunch, jumped in the car and headed toward the canyon. We drove about half of the Alpine Loop, stopped at Cascade Springs and finished the day at Bridal Veil falls. It was great.
We have found that spontaneous outings are often the best!