Rainy Days

The dogs and I have had a serious case of cabin fever the last few days. It's been chilly, dreary and rainy. That means the little mosters have been trapped in the house with no outlet for energy. If I could just find a way to trap that terrier energy and power my home with it...I would never pay another electric bill!

This is what Ozzie thinks of the weather.

 I'm with ya buddy. On those dreary days, I would like nothing better than to plop on the couch and nap the day away. Unfortunately I'm a human and not a dog and with that comes the big R. Responsibility. Bummer.

I did, however, get some sewing done. I've just rediscovered my sewing machine. My mom loves to sew. She has a sewing room with enough material in it to start her own Hancock fabric store! She made most of my clothing as a child. One dress in particular, itchy grey wool, I will never forget. I would be hard pressed to find a picture of me under eight where I was wearing store bought clothing.

My great-grandma Rothman taught mom how to sew. Both machine sewing, hand sewing and embroidery. Great-grandma Rothman was of French ancestry you see. She taught my mom many of the gentle arts, in otherwords, all things "ladylike". Proper cooking (the trio, meat, vegetable, starch), how to set a table, sewing, knitting and general manners.

Sewing in my college years took a backseat to studies. Part of the problem for me was a lack of time and patience. Sewing is meticulous, requiring both patience and precison. This is especially true if you want the finished product to look good. You can't just start a dress in the morning and have it finished by evening if you want to do the job proper. So for me it was about maturing and gaining some patience before I started sewing again.

My finished Anniversary dinner dress.

You're never too old for motherly advice. I still call mom for sewing advice (thank Apple for facetime).  I still make stupid mistakes. At other points in my life I might have given up but now I just brush off and try again. Another aspect of maturing? Perhaps. Realizing that mistakes are an acceptable part of the learning curve is important. Perfectionism is not healthy. Not every project is going to WOW you, not every project will cooperate. There will be miserable failures. That's life.

"If at first you don't succeed try, try again."

The important thing is that you try.