by Claire on November 30, 2009
Reminds me of some lyrics from the Ice Cube song, but it really was a good day. My daughter and grandsons came to visit and have lunch so I got a double dose of boys this weekend. Then, unexpectedly, my younger daughter’s friend and friend’s boyfriend came over to help us with our Christmas lights. Not only did they help with the outside lights, but the boyfriend hung my Tiffany style lamp in my dining room. I had bought this light at a thrift store for $12 and has been floating around my home trying not to get broken before getting hung up. I am totally in love with this light. It is so soft and just perfect for my decor.
In addition to helping with the lights, my daughter’s friend weeded my entire front yard. They did all this without expectations of anything in return – a young couple with very big hearts. I don’t know how to repay them, but I will find a way.
It really was fun hanging up the lights with these kids. The boyfriend had never hung Christmas lights outdoors before and I think they really had fun doing this. I’m not really particular much about how they need to be hung, so I let them do pretty much their own thing. I only wanted a nice straight line up along the gutter. Other than that, they had free reign. I really enjoyed that and it was fun to see their creative and holiday spirit come alive. Maybe a small gift in return to them was that they could do some Christmas-ey stuff since they don’t have a place of their own currently where they can do these things.
Once everything’s all in place and decorated, I think perhaps I should have a party. We’ll see – I haven’t decided yet. I’ve never had a party here – ever. (My daughter has – I haven’t.) Maybe it’s time. Time for me.
by Claire on November 28, 2009
So, my evening last night pretty much sucked and didn’t turn out at all like I anticipated. I won’t go into details other than to say I felt very much betrayed by someone very close to me and essentially heard their message loud and clear. There is a saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Well, I’m no longer going to participate in the insanity of this situation, but gently, and lovingly, set my boundaries, keep my support system close by, and do what I need to do for myself, while staying available to this person, should they ever decide to ask for my help. There is nothing else I can do when another person chooses something I consider ill-advised. It is, after all, their life, not mine.
That said, today was a “take care of yourself” day, and hence involved a little retail therapy, some time with my little grandsons, and my daughter and son-in-law. I believe it must be a law of nature that no one can be unhappy around a small child. These two boys light up my life in a way no one else does. To walk into a room and see a two year old jump up and down, squealing “Mimi!”, only melts away the worries, sadness, and loneliness.
One of the stops we made was at Pacific Fabrics where I spied – actually, Cindy spied it – the fabric I’m going to try making my plaid dress out of. (I purposely left all the extraneous stuff in the picture so you could see the size of the plaid. I was too lazy to go upstairs and get a ruler.) I couldn’t find the fabric like in the pattern, so this will do just fine.
I like this fabric because it has a small amount of spandex in it – great for a fitted dress. I’ll probably line it fully so that the fabric isn’t itchy next to my skin. Haven’t completely decided though.
And my new boots also arrived today. I’m thinking they will look awesome with this dress, and some sort of jacket (still undecided.)
And to end on a lighthearted note… I’m thinking of making this fabric into a pillowcase for myself. Then I can say I’ve had multiple men in my bed at one time.
Tagged as:
dealing with life,
fabric,
family,
life,
Relationships,
self-care,
sewing,
shopping
Reminds me of some lyrics from the Ice Cube song, but it really was a good day. My daughter and grandsons came to visit and have lunch so I got a double dose of boys this weekend. Then, unexpectedly, my younger daughter’s friend and friend’s boyfriend came over to help us with our Christmas lights. Not only did they help with the outside lights, but the boyfriend hung my Tiffany style lamp in my dining room. I had bought this light at a thrift store for $12 and has been floating around my home trying not to get broken before getting hung up. I am totally in love with this light. It is so soft and just perfect for my decor.
In addition to helping with the lights, my daughter’s friend weeded my entire front yard. They did all this without expectations of anything in return – a young couple with very big hearts. I don’t know how to repay them, but I will find a way. 
