I have started on my second book… and I don’t know if it is the subject matter or the person reading it, but I just can not get into it. It is “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan read by Scott Brick. And it is BORING.

So besides David Sedaris and Anthony Bourdain, does anyone have a favorite audio book/author?

Why, do you ask? I wish I could tell you.

But I can say this: I know you will be a life friend when you can easily talk about bodily functions during dinner.

Last night I thought I was going to have a hard time falling asleep. Mostly because when my head hits the pillow I begin thinking. Mostly about clothing patterns and measurements. Sometimes about savings and financial goals. And last night wasn’t looking any different.

I started thinking about the top I had made and how the neck was absolutely TOO big and what I could have done differently to make it fit better. (Look, I know that more terrible things keep other people up at night. And trust me, when I thought I was going to lose my paycheck – I worried about all kinds of scary things. I am glad for what keeps me awake these nights.) But then, for the first time in a very very long time, I meditated.

Was it Eat Pray Love that is bringing me to this? Probably. Does it embarrass me that it has taken a book to get me back into the spirit? Maybe it should, but it doesn’t.

Do I wish I could do it more often? ABSOLUTELY. And I plan on it.

Spirit House Designs – This crafting lady is one of my most favorite people in both the “real” world and the “internet” world. She has been a loyal and wonderful companion through all kinds of crafty experiments. We’ve even expressed ourselves through the genius of tap together.

Posie Gets Cozy – I have her to thank for my new interest in french sewing patterns as well as quilting.

The Sew Weekly – This amazing lady makes a new piece of clothing every week! (Well almost every week.) She does a lot of repurposing as well as shopping at an antique market that I must someday visit.

Kuky Ideas – I first came here when I was trying to learn how to use Japanese sewing patterns, even though I know NO Japanese. I have since returned because of her illustrations and sense of humor. I love that her daughter loves all of the handmade goodness.

There are more…. and I will do another post like this soon. But until then, these links have been added to my links page.

A hexagon quilt. Perhaps queen-sized, though I have never made a hex quilt before and think that a queen-sized one is a little ambitious. But with a tutorial on how to machine stitch, maybe it won’t be so bad? Eh? (current status: some fabric has been purchased. Batting purchased. Hexagon templates made.)

Repurpose the bunting from the wedding and try to sell it on Etsy. This should be an easy project. I just have to find some sort of binding to sew along the top of the flags. (status: triangles made. Now to find binding. Sew together. Post.)

Jewelry Organizer for my bathroom. Something like this, involving embroidery hoops… but with corkboard fitted in the smaller hoop so that I can stick my pins up, use straight pins to hang my necklaces and rings, and some ribbons to put up my earrings. (status: all supplies are purchased. Just assembly needed.)

My mom just sent me an article about how different people like to organize. For a long time I thought I was disorganized because I like to see my stuff and consequently, my house always looks cluttered. Turns out that if I can make my things look nice while they are sitting out, and I can find everything, technically I am organized.

Now I just need to hang up our sunglass containers by our front door and we will be ready to rock.

Oh… and here are the clothing projects… probably the most ambitious of the bunch and I will not get them all done this summer, but the tank top is the first on the list. The first four are Citronille patterns (SWOON!) and the last two are Amy Butler (double SWOON). I have actually made the Lotus AB pattern, but have lost the dress in my last move… so sad. I know.

But here is the quintessential problem. I have no time. With a 4 hour commute, weekdays are out. Summer is always busy (as you can tell in the archives). And quite frankly, I have hit a wall with the wallpaper design and until I can figure out how to make it work, I refuse to move forward.

Someday this will all be what I want.

The last time I moved, I had a list of things I was going to miss and things that I was glad to get away from. I can’t make a list like that for this move. Because the only important part of the move is that I am going home. I will be able to walk in the door every night and say, “Hi honey. I’m home.” And I will more times than not, be greeted by a happy little pug that isn’t stretched between two houses. And maybe more times than not, there will be dinner cooking in the kitchen. I will fall asleep and wake up with my two favorites in bed with me. Wait… is this the beginnings of a list?

I know that I talk about the physical demands of emotions. And the phrase, “This is a huge weight off my shoulders” can’t hold more true than it does now. The minute I had the “A-Ha” moment, after sleeplessness, I was able to close my eyes and fall asleep. And even though I greeted the next morning with a tentative hello, because I was now faced with the daunting task of moving, I charge through to work out the logistics.

In a matter of hours I established myself in a carpool that will lessen the amount of driving I will have to do by 50%. It is still going to be grueling. Four hours, no matter how you divide it up, is still a long time to be traveling every day. But even if I crash out every night by 8:30, I still get home at 6. And I will be able to fall into the harmony that a warm home life brings.

Life isn’t always a fairy tale, but at least this feels more like a romantic comedy than a drama.

So speaking of which, I used my day off productively. Mostly. Though this website has remained mostly unchanged, the wedding website is growing strong. I also worked on our thank you cards for the wedding and the gift registry just a little.

I am now heading off to send out a couple of thank you notes and voila! So ends a Monday off.

When a girl writes a blog post about “never getting a break” your response should not be to cause her puppy to instantly be afflicted with some sort of weird breathing condition. I don’t know if you took a moment to read what I had to say, but money is tight. And a $400 vet bill does not help.

I would appreciate your ceasing and desisting immediately. There are two things my mother always told me:

If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say nothing.

Nobody likes someone who in one hand gives while with the other hand they take away. (we use a very non-PC version of this saying, but this is what I could come up with on such short notice).

Don’t think throwing me an “informal interview” is going to somehow make me forget almost throwing up my wheaties this morning. And don’t think
by sharing a wonderful new friend with me that it somehow makes up for a sick dog.

Can tomorrow be a carefree day please?

Unfortunately at your mercy,

Michie