Restoration

....of calm...I lost it a bit last week...lost my balance, got that knot of anxiety in my chest...that wild, frantic feeling in my head....but, I stopped what I was doing, yelled a bit, had a good cry and slowly got myself back to rights. That's one of the very good things about being "almost" 42....this has happened before, I know how this scene goes down in many different situations and I also know how to stop it before it gets too ugly. So, since I didn't want to have a full on Christmas meltdown in the inimitable style of my Mom, I decided to simplify...seriously the best course of action I have found in most situations. I've cleared the calendar for this week and spent time, when not teaching classes, with my kids...doing nothing, looking at the lights on the tree, taking a nap, getting the little one's picture taken with Santa....truly the best gift I can give myself....AND my family because, like it or not, how does that saying go? "when Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"

squirrel garland...and a lovely ornament from Amanda makes

our little Tomten

bad mother

a la Belgian Waffle I am making a confession today...I hate school concerts, holiday, spring fling or otherwise...and I am making a vow right now, after a total of 17 +years of parenting, that I will not attend another. There, never again...no more sitting in a stifling auditorium, or worse, a "cafetorium" (who the f*%$& came up with THAT term? sounds like a school morgue) for HOURS at a time waiting for a huge screaming bunch of kids to get their act together and sit down and shut up and play their instruments in that hesitant and embarrassed way so parents can hear...I mean really, you can't hear your own kid anyway...and if they practice at home then you most certainly and painfully know very well what they sound like. Clearly, I am suffering from holiday overload, obligation overload, expectation overload...but I just don't want to do it any more. I want to say no. So, you might say, won't your children suffer from damaged self esteem if you don't show up to every little concert performance? Well, I say, too bad...maybe a little self esteem damage would be good for them, give them further fodder for the psychiatrist when they get older, give them something concrete to point to when they are searching for a reason for their angst....their evil mother didn't go to school concerts... Thought of in those terms, I am doing my children a favor, making things easier for them when the time comes for them to sort out their psyches ;) hmmmm, I'm liking this "embracing my inner bad mother" thing...very freeing...what else can I declare that I "don't do"? Drive? that would be AWESOME...no more picking my teens up from school, band, play practice, TOP etc. with a screaming toddler in the car demanding lollipops in her particularly dictatoresque way...my mother didn't drive and no one ever questioned it, a ride from my mom was just out of the question...we took the bus. What else? Deal with anything in the afternoon? oh my, oh my...how lovely would it be to say that I am off limits from say 4-6 pm? Mom's in bed, bottom line, end of story. Ah to dream....

well, now I am ignoring my youngest while she watches tv and I am going to look at shoes online...so there! hmmmph! I am one baaad mother ;)

Hello

Just checking in...am loving all of the blog posts that I'm reading but the words escape me to comment...so I just wanted to say hello! and I'll be back soon with some cool, glittery, owly Christmas decoration projects.Happy weekend!

Thankful

*for my better half...he makes me want to be like him

*for my three, pinch me, did I really grow three?, THREE babes

*for my friends ... I must have done something right in a past life because I am blessed with the most amazing people who choose to be in my life this time round

*for my parents, ex in laws, in laws and family...I love my family so much.

*for life and God and the energy that makes it so


Happy Thanksgiving

Oh Mamma!!!

Mia and I spent the most lovely mother daughter evening last night...we went to my dear friend Licia's house for a demonstration of Thanksgiving side dishes prepared in her authentic Italian style. Licia is starting a new business giving cooking classes in her beautiful, warm and inviting kitchen. Wow, what a great teacher Licia is. I pride myself on being a pretty good cook...I am familiar with sauteeing, braising, making a bechamel sauce...things like that...so i thought I would just have fun and a glass of wine and hang out with my daughter...but I learned A LOT. Licia takes cooking to a whole new level and I really think mine will improve from seeing her at work. Check out Licia's website and do yourself a favor and sign up for a class...a class would be a very lovely and different Christmas gift for someone you love (what a nice date night it would make too!) you will be very happy that you did!

http://www.mammalicia.com/

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my day today....some Christmas present making and lots of playing with the little girl with the red sneakers....I just love these little feet! Hope you had a happy day :)

Change of plans

You may have noticed that I changed the look of my blog...it's actually just a temporary picture...when I get some time and my son can squeeze some Photoshop lessons into his busy schedule I hope to make it better...but it will do for now :) There have been lots of changes and new starts around here lately. My kick ass husband just took his GREs so he can start graduate school, my son is getting all his ducks in a row for college applications and my Minkie has turned from a child to a young woman right before my eyes...it's like waking up to a new person, and she rocks! Now, I am making the decision to stop sewing clothes for sale and concentrate on my sewing instruction and creating patterns.

When I started this blog it was to be one marketing part of my new business making children's clothing. At the same time I decided to start giving sewing classes as a kind of side thing, still believing that the actual sewing of garments was what i would do. As time went on and my classes were all filling up and I had to actually add classes to meet the demand it began to dawn on me that this sewing class thing was pretty good...great, in fact. Sewing to sell is difficult. Price, your time, the monotony of sewing the same or similar items over and over again...these are all considerations that don't always work out in your favor. Selling information though...that's brilliant! And, I LOVE teaching. I derive such satisfaction from seeing my students complete a project...actually making something beautiful and useful...and surprising themselves with their ability in the process. I feel as if I am doing something very useful as well...so many woman want to learn to sew! It is something of a lost art that many women crave...There really is nothing like the satisfaction of making something yourself...not having to go out and buy an item, making it to your exact wants and needs...it appeals to a sense of power,an "I can do it myself!" kind of feeling and self sufficiency and the lovely notion of making things with your own two hands for the people you love.

Somewhere down the line I will also create some patterns to sell, in PDF form, on my Etsy shop. The wallet at the beginning of this post will probably be the first pattern I get out there...look for it around January or so :)

I'm not exactly sure why I am doing this blog now...except that I like it..I love how I've met so many wonderful people all over the world through blogland....the ideas that they share and the beautiful glimpses into their lives make me happy, every day, and I still want to be part of that....and share a bit myself. So, thank you to all of my blog friends and I guess I'll just carry on :)