It is amazing what you can accomplish or rationalize when you are procrastinating something you don’t really want to do.  Some scenes from my Wednesday.

My favorite place to read in the house.  The chair isn’t all that comfy, but I love reading with my feet on the footstool in the afternoon sun.  I totally get why cats sleep in the sun!

My “new” lamp came in the mail!  My grandmother was downsizing and I claimed this lamp, she graciously sent it to me and it arrived without any damage (kudos USPS!)  It lacks a shade…in honor of full disclosure I will tell you that never in my 34 years of life have I ever owned a lamp that needed a shade (well, except for my daughters irmi lamp).  So….any suggestions on how and where to buy a lamp shade?!

I usually eat lunch out and about or pick up some frozen thing to reheat.  I hate making lunch.  Sandwiches (unless they come from SACKS) do not appeal to me.  But, something came over me and I put the effort in to make lunch for one (procrastination).  Hot lunch at that!

My Thursday was a bit better on actually working towards completing the project I am procrastinating.  When I wasn’t sucked into Pinterest I mean!

A $5 long sleeved t-shirt from Target + fabric scraps + heart shaped cookie cutter + steam a seam (and some top stitching)=

inspired by this Boden shirt.

Tuesday brought the arrival of my spring mini boden catalog.  I flipped through it while waiting in the car for the kids to get out of school and I SWOONED!  oh heavens, this spring collection is just so fun, a clean and classic feel to it.  The best part was, as I flipped through the pages I kept saying to myself, “I could totally make that!”  So, I set about proving it!

I adored the sweet simple and fun lines of this knife pleated skirt.  I used my pleater/gathering foot to attempt the pleats and I just couldn’t get them the right size so I ended up gathering instead.  I also only included one flap pocket, as my daughter is two and won’t be using them anyway!

I used some of the DS line from JoAnn’s, this print just screams spring to me.  I love the bright flowers.  You can see that I did a cheater hem with (home made) polka dot bias tape.

Next, I really liked the simple sleeveless ruffle tank .  It looked really simple, but I don’t have a lot of experience with knit, so I was a bit unsure about making it…

I used one of her knit t-shirts as a guide to making this shirt.  It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be!  I recommend using a double needle for the top stitching, it looks so much better!  I am TOTALLY tickled with how the top turned out- even my rarely excited husband was impressed!!

Thanks to Boden, for the inspiration, my daughter is now ready for spring!  My seven-yo wants this shirt, and I also have plans to make this blouse and this T-shirt.  That is after I take the machine into the machine shop, its been running funny lately.  What are you spring sewing plans?

I read this quote the other day and it really resonated with me.  I typically have little patience with Philosophers and even less with Existentialist (I’m talking to you Camus), but this Kierkegaard guy…hmmm, I think I might  read a little more from him!

Every time I visit Texas (for the last 10 years) it rains.  I always feel lucky, since rain is such a treat here in these parts!  My long weekend trip was no exception- there was even flooding!  I took my almost 7 year old with me this time, the trip was to celebrate her birthday and my mom’s birthday (happy birthday mom!).

Yes, she wore the crown everyday of our trip…even on the airplane ride home!  You’re only seven once I say- so live it up!

My only new years resolution this year (I’m not a fan of new years resolutions in general, I feel if you notice something in your life that needs adjusting you should take care of it right away, rather than wait for some silly day to start! ) is to keep track of all the books I read (my mother suggested I quantify even farther and keep track of how many pages each book has).     Today is the 11th and I have already finished 2 books (hooray!).  I’ve decided to keep track of them over here- on a page devoted to books!  I’d love to hear from you, add a comment and recommend a book, or tell me what you thought about one of the books on my list.

In the last week we’ve celebrated Christmas and 2 birthdays!  Next week we’ll celebrate our wedding anniversary and the following week we have one more birthday!  We really know how to make the most of the season, no?!

Christmas was celebrated by the entire Hales Family, first time since ’06.  I remember as a kid feeling like Christmas was that much more magical if we shared it with more family around.  I hope my kids will grow up feeling that way….  I’ve started the “annual post holiday purge”, so far I’ve made 2 trips to Goodwill and I suspect there will be more.  Do you clean and reorganize this time of year too?

I am now a whopping 34 years old.  I feel too young to feel as old as I do.  While stitching the embroidered bookmarks my fingers began to ache….I think the family arthritis may be rearing its unpleasant head.  I haven’t slept on my left side in over 2 weeks due to some strange shoulder muscle pain…I mean really, 34?!  I’m too young for this, especially since I exercise regularly….I could eat better I suppose (I typed this while eating a 7-layer bar).

My elmo adoring baby turned 2!  I swear at each age I say “oh this is my favorite”, 2 is no exception.  She is really the best little baby (yes, I suspect I will call her that until she is 18), and most perfect companion for my days.  When she throws temper tantrums (like she did when I wouldn’t let her have an elmo cupcake until AFTER dinner), I usually ignore her tears for 10 min or so, then I pick her up and tell her “all done, it’s time to be all done crying”.  People, 90% of the time IT WORKS!!

As I get ready to bid adieu to 2011 I find myself looking backwards, to see how far forward I have come.  It has been a year of growth, a year of stretching and a year of tremendous support from those around us who help make this beautiful life take shape. On a micro scale there are days that really tugged at me, days where I couldn’t seem to separate the good from the bad.  But through the blessed macro lens, it is so good.  So good and rich, to the point of bringing me to my knees in humility.  One of the biggest lessons that will stay with me from this year is: Compassion.  There is no such thing as too much, for others & most especially for our selves.

Need a last minute- quick gift for the book lover in your life?  Hand Embroidered Felt Bookmarks!!  This project was super easy and took about an hour to do.

Grab some felt (wool felt is best, craft felt is too stretchy and will pill after a few uses), floss, elastic (mine is 3/8″ I think) and some decorative scissors.  You can find a ton of free patterns in the Hoop Love Vintage Embroidery group on flickr; print one out at about 2.5″ – 3″ square.  (Another option, instead of pictures is to stitch the initials of the recipients.) Personally, I like to use Sulky Hot Iron Transfer Pens for transferring; you will need to use something other than tracing- as the felt is too opaque.

Stitch your design and then cut out your stitching in a circle (although any shape will do) and then cut one more circle.  Cut a length of elastic measured to fit your favorite book and stitch the ends together on the sewing machine.  Lay the stitched ends of your elastic in the center of your felt circle, lay you stitched design circle on top (wrong side together).  Stitch circles together- sandwiching the elastic between the two.    Cut around the edges of the circles with your decorative scissors and Ta Da!  You’re done- and now you have a great little hand made gift to share!

This is what happens when you let an almost seven year old pick out the pattern, fabric and trim for her Christmas dress.

It begins to look more  like something meant for a stage production of “King Lear” than for a Christmas church service.  BUT, she loves it; so I guess its all good.

(she wouldn’t smile, she’s was upset that I made her step away from an episode of Curious George!)

So Sunday evening I decided that with family coming for Christmas my daughter needed a special dress to wear.  The budget being as tight as it is, I thought I would make her a dress…thinking if I went with a simple dress I could get fabric for about $10 (with coupons) and all would be well.  Monday morning we headed out to look for fabric….but moaned and moaned over the fact that I would spend the rest of the day sewing the dress and how I didn’t want to.  So, we took a detour to Goodwill in search of a used x-mas dress.  No go.  On the way to the fabric store I got a call from Jaylee, I lamented to her about how I couldn’t find a dress and was going to have to make one.  She started laughing and told me that I was the only person that she knew that would determine if it couldn’t be found at Goodwill, that it must be handmade…as if I had no other options.  I saw her point and laughed at myself.  BUT, I was sure I could get the fabric for less than I could buy a dress at Old Navy (or this $40 one from the Gap).  Well, turns out this lovely Shakespearean dress cost about $28 to make a about 5 hours of my time.  NEXT YEAR I AM BUYING A DRESS, NEW!

To add insult to injury this pattern (Simplicity 2269) was a PAIN to sew.  It looked so simple.  I’ve been sewing for 20+years, but this pattern took the cake!  The yoke for the neck…the pattern pieces were a total nightmare to pin into place and get the fabric to lay flat (from the upper gathers).  The pieces also didn’t quite fit, I ended up cutting off about 2″ from the back neck yoke on either side, just to make it fit.  On a positive note, I do like the bubble sleeves and they were easy peasy to make.  Has anyone else tried this pattern, I would love to hear your review?

Every year I get the email about participating in the cookies exchange, and I think to myself,  “oh fun!  I can bake holiday cookies, decorate them up pretty and then share them with others (I’m so altruistic like that).”  But as the day of the cookie exchange gets closer and closer I find myself avoiding the kitchen and the thought of cookies with the same intensity as I used to avoid those asinine English papers dissecting long forgotten tales of whoa.

The day of the cookie exchange arrives and I pour over my cookbooks and click my way through pinterest looking for cookie recipes that are both super easy but look like they took a lot of time and effort and present well.  Then I realize there is no such thing and I start wondering if it would be lame to show up with chocolate chip cookies (because it doesn’t get much easier than that).  This morning I decided that chocolate crinkles cookies would work (but- Oh the hand rolling of every blasted cookie!).  I find myself once again….hours before the event quickly baking and preparing for a trip to Wal Mart because where else can you find cute cookie containers on short notice?  Let’s face it, the cookies that look the nicest get eaten instead of left to dry out on the counter.  And, by golly, if I took days to procrastinate and hours to actually bake the dang cookie, somebody better eat them!

I think a cookie recipe exchange would be better, I’ll bring six copies of a yummy looking cookie recipe (no baking involved)….but oh then I’d have to design up a cute recipe card and remember to have them professionally printed DAYS in advance.  That to seems like too much work. sigh.  Wonder if anyone will invite me to participate in their cookie exchange next year….and what the heck am I going to do with 2+ dozen cookies this weekend? Gain 10lbs is what!

It’s raining in the desert today.  The skies have been grey and wet for 2 solid days now, I could not be more pleased.  @mother nature- BRING IT ON!

I’m recovering from last weeks massive fundraiser at the kids’ school and a few other things.  These grey days have been perfect for curling up on the couch…which of course leads to massive amounts of deep reflection (you to?!).  I read a book yesterday that caused a serious rift in my glorification of the 1950′s & 60′s.  Its called Cotton Queen by Pamela Morsi, and it was a light piece of fiction- easy to read and a story that isn’t quite as predictable as I thought it would be.

I am not naive to the plight of women through the centuries, I took the prerequisite Women’s studies classes that all enlightened and educated women take in college.  I was fascinated with Women’s suffrage at the tender age of 17 and wrote a history report all about the movement and the key players.  While I intellectually understood a lot of freedoms that were not available to women- even in to the 1970′s and 80′s, this book helped me to feel it, for the first time.

The thought of living through the 60′s feels like a horror movie to me. I want to kiss the ground of every woman who walked before me and paved the way for me to enjoy the freedom to: educate myself at some of the best schools; to climb as high as I am willing to on the corporate ladder; to raise my children how I know to be best without the ramification of a narrow social view.

My grandmother was a divorced mother of 6 (!!!) in the early 1960′s, I can only imagine the social isolation she must have felt and the lack of social structures to help her both care for her children and feed them.  She managed to come out on top, though no doubt it was a hard battle.

My mother became a single mom of two little girls at a tender age and at the beginning of the 1980′s.  Women were just starting to be offered the same jobs as men at that point, but the pay was no where near equatable.  I can only imagine the fear in her heart as she had to decide what to do to support my sister and I…the isolation that comes from being a single mom when all your contemporaries are young college co-eds.

I am glad that our mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers paved the way…I hope in my own way I too can make the world a better place for my daughters.  I am grateful that they will have choices; but with those choices comes a great responsibility.  I hope they will grow to be strong, capable, and compassionate women.