*****
I'm sure that we all know I can't sew, right? I come by it honestly, growing up with a mother that very often, and very proudly, stated "Sew is not in my vocabulary!" I have tried to learn to sew. I had visions of making my own dresses for prom, doing my own alterations, making clothes for my kids someday, making pillows and quilts and stuffed animals and curtains and pot holders... whatever I could think of.
I seem to have some kind of sewing machine deficiency, however. If I have "adult supervision", I do just fine. Whenever I'm alone with a machine, however, problems happen. On every single machine I have ever tried to use. I break the needle. The tension is wrong and my fabric is puckering. The thread wraps around the bobbin casing. My fabric gets sucked into the machine as if it wants to join the bobbin.
I get frustrated and end up yelling at both the machine and myself. It's not a pretty sight.
Mr. Universe has had some clothes that he needed mending. I would laugh and say, "Put it in the mending box!" I would laugh because whenever my mom said that to us as we grew up, we knew we would never again see that article of clothing. They never got mended. (Well, if we had a hole in the knee of our jeans, we got patches. But they were iron-on patches, so I don't think that really counts!)
Mr. Universe has been asking me and asking me to mend his clothes. He wants to wear the two hoodies! Those are his favorite school pants! So on Monday I pulled out the sewing machine and said "I can do this."
After about 45 minutes of frustration and hitting the table and yelling (no swearing because I do have young children nearby. Although yes, I got in trouble from Aiden for saying "stupid" a lot), I did it. I conquered my sewing machine and was able to fix his clothes!! I feel like a rock star!!
Now, if I can just figure out how to get the stain out of his favorite dress shirt...
*****
Wednesday was Winter Guard rehearsal. I was meeting most of the kids for the first time. Things were going great. We had worked out a bit and done some yoga. We were about to start on some flag fundamentals, but I wanted to lay down some ground rules and talk about our schedule for the season. The kids were all sitting on the floor and I was in a chair (I felt like it was story time and I was going to read to them). Just as I started talking about stuff, I shifted my weight and... I farted. Not too loudly, but loud enough.
I. Was. So. Mortified. Seriously.
The kids all laughed (as did I) and kept saying it's no big deal, but I know my face went really, really red. What a way to make a first impression, huh? Oh well. We now consider ourselves quite bonded.
*****
Speaking of embarassing...
Yesterday I was chatting online with Lo and we were playing Literati. Just as she put up her "superstar" word, waft, I fell off my chair. Seriously. I just fell. I mean, I was shifting my weight again (I'm starting to think this is a bad thing for me to do!) when I lost my balance and there I went.
Mr. Universe came home just a few minutes later. I told him what happened, and he started to laugh. "Only you," he said. "Only you."
*****
I just finished reading The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. (She wrote the Confessions of a Shopoholic books that I loved so much). This was another delightful story. Light reading, but not so light you feel like you're wasting your brain by reading it. Chick lit, yes, but I seem to be into that these days.
The story is about this young, high-powered, London lawyer named Samanatha who makes a mistake and essentially freaks out. She gets on a train, and when she gets off she is in this small villiage she has never heard of before. Sam goes to the closest house to get directions, but somehow is mistaken for an interviewee for a housekeeping job. She is offered the job, and she takes it. The biggest problem is... she has NO clue about housework or cooking. I mean, seriously no clue. So she has to figure it out. In the meantime, Sam discovers what it is to have a life, and of course she falls in love.
I didn't find this chatacter as engaging as Becky (the Shopoholic), but I still loved her and felt for her. I could identify with her, too, as I'm not exactly a domestic goddess myself (you've all heard my cooking and baking stories, and many of you have seen the state of cleanliness I keep my house). I give this book my Official Sariah Stamp of Approval.
*****
I am currently reading Echoes by Maeve Binchey. It's one that is on my bookshelf, and I have read it several tmes already. It's been a little while, though, so it's the right time to read it again.
Dallin is currently really into Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberly (Aiden got the book for Christmas from Santa because it was his favorite book to check out of the library in Nevada). Dallin really likes the "sharp white teeth" and getting to yell "Go away!"
*****
The word of the day is seriously. I say it's the word of the day because I have found myself using it a lot lately. Here is the official definition from dictionary.com:
se·ri·ous·ly [seer-ee-uhs-lee] –adverb
1. in a serious manner: He shook his head seriously.
2. to an alarmingly grave extent: seriously ill.
3. with genuine, earnest intent; sincerely: Seriously, kids, we have to get home before dark.
10 comments:
Mom can too sew. She made me a big thick blanket before college. And over break, she sewed up two pairs of pants. And got out an unbelievably bad stain on a tshirt. See, so mom would deny her sewing ability but had it. So if you take after her, you denied it and now have it. Yep.
And dude, I'm tired of rain. Where's my snow!?
"Seriously" makes me think of "serially" and Al Gore. If anyone knows why, you're totally winning this month's Rabid Bostonian prize.
This is my multiple try to leave a comment. It isn't word verification related, but toddler related.
Here goes nothing (let's see if I can remember what I wanted to say!)
I am so proud of you for conquering the sewing machine -- that's awesome!
I love rain and can't believe how little of it we've had this year.
and your embarassing stories? That's fantastic. It's nice to hear others be normal.
Happy Friday!
I should have said it was a multiple attempt.
Let's get the quote right: "The word sew is not in my vocabulary." I never really said I could or couldn't. Let's just leave it at wouldn't!
As for the stain--if all else fails, take the shirt [or whatever] to the sink and use a bar of soap. Lye soap works best and fastest but few of us have lye soap nowadays. But it needs to be bar soap for the toughest stains.
My mother had the same sewing problems as you, hence my desire not to sew. The only time I ever heard her swear was at her machine. When she would [on rare occations] get it out, we kids would pack a lunch and head for the hills--fast!
As for the falling, you come by that honestly, too. I can't even keep track anymore of how often I fall, just changing position or changing weight around.
I'm so sorry you have inherited these awful traits. I wish you could sew like my Grandma...but I don't know of a non-clutz relative in my direct line. Sorry. :}
I agree that rain is awesome. My favorite rains are spring rains though because I know what comes from those.
I agree with PM, it is really fun to hear your stories because it makes me feel like less of a goof ball and more normal!
I love rain too! I think gloomy dark days are the best (my eyes are abnormally sensitive to light. I think I was a vampire in my last life...).
I love your random fridays!
This one's from my Mother in law:
"Mom, can you darn the hole in my sock?"
(she then picks up the sock)
"DARN! DARN! DARN!" (and chucks it in the trash!)
I'm with you on the rain. I love it. We've had several gloomy/rainy days lately and I think it's great! Of course, everyone else is complaining that it's freezing, but they need to realize that 60 degrees IS NOT FREEZING!!!!!
I can't commiserate with you on the sewing. I guess I got those genes in our family. I really like to sew and don't normally have problems. I'd actually like to sew more stuff. Maybe now that I'm done with school I can do more. (Ha, like I'll have anymore time now than I did before.)
I love hearing your stories. They make me laugh so much. I love my sister!!
ok, this is the 3rd time I've tried to publish this. Let's hope it finally works.
Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee!!!! That's all I'll say at this point!
It's snowing here. Yay!
great random friday. Sorry about your sewing machine delemnas sometimes all it takes is a little patience to plow through the frustration till you figure it out and get to the other side!
Sorry about the embarrassing stories, but like you said 1. now you have totally bonded with your winter guard girls and 2. Only you could literally fall off your chair!
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